Continuing Development of California State Packet Radio Project.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brownrigg, Edwin

1992-01-01

Provides background on the California State Library Packet Radio project, which will use packet radios to deploy a wireless, high-speed, wide-area network of 600 nodes, including 100 libraries, in the San Francisco Bay Area. Project goals and objectives, plan of operation, equipment, and evaluation plans are summarized. (MES)

Mars Blueberry fields for ever

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moore, Jeffrey M.

2004-04-01

The Mars saga continues. The latest finds -- wide areas covered in balls of haematite, or 'blueberries', and large sulphate deposits in rocks -- enable us to draw in more details of the planet's past climate.

Backpropagation and ordered derivatives in the time scales calculus.

PubMed

Seiffertt, John; Wunsch, Donald C

2010-08-01

Backpropagation is the most widely used neural network learning technique. It is based on the mathematical notion of an ordered derivative. In this paper, we present a formulation of ordered derivatives and the backpropagation training algorithm using the important emerging area of mathematics known as the time scales calculus. This calculus, with its potential for application to a wide variety of inter-disciplinary problems, is becoming a key area of mathematics. It is capable of unifying continuous and discrete analysis within one coherent theoretical framework. Using this calculus, we present here a generalization of backpropagation which is appropriate for cases beyond the specifically continuous or discrete. We develop a new multivariate chain rule of this calculus, define ordered derivatives on time scales, prove a key theorem about them, and derive the backpropagation weight update equations for a feedforward multilayer neural network architecture. By drawing together the time scales calculus and the area of neural network learning, we present the first connection of two major fields of research.

Consortium--A New Direction for Staff Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cope, Adrienne B.

1976-01-01

The shared services and joint planning of the area-wide continuing education program of the Northwest Allegheny Hospitals Corporation (a Consortium of seven acute care and two rehabilitation centers in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania) are described. (LH)

Designing for Wide-Area Situation Awareness in Future Power Grid Operations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tran, Fiona F.

Power grid operation uncertainty and complexity continue to increase with the rise of electricity market deregulation, renewable generation, and interconnectedness between multiple jurisdictions. Human operators need appropriate wide-area visualizations to help them monitor system status to ensure reliable operation of the interconnected power grid. We observed transmission operations at a control centre, conducted critical incident interviews, and led focus group sessions with operators. The results informed a Work Domain Analysis of power grid operations, which in turn informed an Ecological Interface Design concept for wide-area monitoring. I validated design concepts through tabletop discussions and a usability evaluation with operators, earning a mean System Usability Scale score of 77 out of 90. The design concepts aim to support an operator's complete and accurate understanding of the power grid state, which operators increasingly require due to the critical nature of power grid infrastructure and growing sources of system uncertainty.

Moderate-scale mapping methods of aspen stand types: a case study for Cedar Mountain in southern Utah

Treesearch

Chad M. Oukrop; David M. Evans; Dale L. Bartos; R. Douglas Ramsey; Ronald J. Ryel

2011-01-01

Quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides Michx.) are the most widely distributed tree species across North America, but its dominance is declining in many areas of the western United States, with certain areas experiencing rapid mortality events over the past decade. The loss of aspen from western landscapes will continue to profoundly impact biological, commercial, and...

Drought Resilience and Water Conservation - Agency-Wide Actions and Research

EPA Science Inventory

In many areas of the United States, the frequency and duration of drought events are increasing. This pattern is expected to continue and to shift outside of historical trends, making forecasting our water quality and supply more difficult. EPA is conducting research and working ...

Studies in Mathematics, Volume 22. Studies in Computer Science.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pollack, Seymour V., Ed.

The nine articles in this collection were selected because they represent concerns central to computer science, emphasize topics of particular interest to mathematicians, and underscore the wide range of areas deeply and continually affected by computer science. The contents consist of: "Introduction" (S. V. Pollack), "The…

A systematic methodology for selecting decontamination strategies following a biocontamination event.

PubMed

Krauter, Paula; Edwards, Donna; Yang, Lynn; Tucker, Mark

2011-09-01

Decontamination and recovery of a facility or outdoor area after a wide-area biological incident involving a highly persistent agent (eg, Bacillus anthracis spores) is a complex process that requires extensive information and significant resources, which are likely to be limited, particularly if multiple facilities or areas are affected. This article proposes a systematic methodology for evaluating information to select the decontamination or alternative treatments that optimize use of resources if decontamination is required for the facility or area. The methodology covers a wide range of approaches, including volumetric and surface decontamination, monitored natural attenuation, and seal and abandon strategies. A proposed trade-off analysis can help decision makers understand the relative appropriateness, efficacy, and labor, skill, and cost requirements of the various decontamination methods for the particular facility or area needing treatment--whether alone or as part of a larger decontamination effort. Because the state of decontamination knowledge and technology continues to evolve rapidly, the methodology presented here is designed to accommodate new strategies and materials and changing information.

Learning Analytics for Natural User Interfaces

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Martinez-Maldonado, Roberto; Shum, Simon Buckingham; Schneider, Bertrand; Charleer, Sven; Klerkx, Joris; Duval, Erik

2017-01-01

The continuous advancement of natural user interfaces (NUIs) allows for the development\tof novel and creative ways to support collocated collaborative work in a wide range of areas, including teaching and learning. The use of NUIs, such as those based on interactive multi-touch surfaces and tangible user interfaces (TUIs), can offer unique…

Carbon Storage in Urban Areas in the USA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Churkina, G.; Brown, D.; Keoleian, G.

2007-12-01

It is widely accepted that human settlements occupy a small proportion of the landmass and therefore play a relatively small role in the dynamics of the global carbon cycle. Most modeling studies focusing on the land carbon cycle use models of varying complexity to estimate carbon fluxes through forests, grasses, and croplands, but completely omit urban areas from their scope. Here, we estimate carbon storage in urban areas within the United States, defined to encompass a range of observed settlement densities, and its changes from 1950 to 2000. We show that this storage is not negligible and has been continuously increasing. We include natural- and human-related components of urban areas in our estimates. The natural component includes carbon storage in urban soil and vegetation. The human related component encompasses carbon stored long term in buildings, furniture, cars, and waste. The study suggests that urban areas should receive continued attention in efforts to accurately account for carbon uptake and storage in terrestrial systems.

PIGC™ - A low cost fugitive emissions and methane detection system using advanced gas filter correlation techniques for local and wide area monitoring

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lachance, R. L.; Gordley, L. L.; Marshall, B. T.; Fisher, J.; Paxton, G.; Gubeli, J. F.

2015-12-01

Currently there is no efficient and affordable way to monitor gas releases over small to large areas. We have demonstrated the ability to accurately measure key greenhouse and pollutant gasses with low cost solar observations using the breakthrough sensor technology called the "Pupil Imaging Gas Correlation", PIGC™, which provides size and complexity reduction while providing exceptional resolution and coverage for various gas sensing applications. It is a practical implementation of the well-known Gas Filter Correlation Radiometry (GFCR) technique used for the HALOE and MOPITT satellite instruments that were flown on successful NASA missions in the early 2000s. This strong space heritage brings performance and reliability to the ground instrument design. A methane (CH4) abundance sensitivity of 0.5% or better of ambient column with uncooled microbolometers has been demonstrated with 1 second direct solar observations. These under $10 k sensors can be deployed in precisely balanced autonomous grids to monitor the flow of chosen gasses, and infer their source locations. Measureable gases include CH4, 13CO2, N2O, NO, NH3, CO, H2S, HCN, HCl, HF, HDO and others. A single instrument operates in a dual operation mode, at no additional cost, for continuous (real-time 24/7) local area perimeter monitoring for the detection of leaks for safety & security needs, looking at an artificial light source (for example a simple 60 W light bulb placed 100 m away), while simultaneously allowing solar observation for quasi-continuous wide area total atmospheric column scanning (3-D) for environmental monitoring (fixed and mobile configurations). The second mode of operation continuously quantifies the concentration and flux of specific gases over different ground locations, determined the amount of targeted gas being released from the area or getting into the area from outside locations, allowing better tracking of plumes and identification of sources. This paper reviews the measurement technique, performance demonstration and grid deployment strategy.

Radar Remote Sensing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rosen, Paul A.

2012-01-01

This lecture was just a taste of radar remote sensing techniques and applications. Other important areas include Stereo radar grammetry. PolInSAR for volumetric structure mapping. Agricultural monitoring, soil moisture, ice-mapping, etc. The broad range of sensor types, frequencies of observation and availability of sensors have enabled radar sensors to make significant contributions in a wide area of earth and planetary remote sensing sciences. The range of applications, both qualitative and quantitative, continue to expand with each new generation of sensors.

Leadership Perspectives on Operationalizing the Learning Health Care System in an Integrated Delivery System.

PubMed

Psek, Wayne; Davis, F Daniel; Gerrity, Gloria; Stametz, Rebecca; Bailey-Davis, Lisa; Henninger, Debra; Sellers, Dorothy; Darer, Jonathan

2016-01-01

Healthcare leaders need operational strategies that support organizational learning for continued improvement and value generation. The learning health system (LHS) model may provide leaders with such strategies; however, little is known about leaders' perspectives on the value and application of system-wide operationalization of the LHS model. The objective of this project was to solicit and analyze senior health system leaders' perspectives on the LHS and learning activities in an integrated delivery system. A series of interviews were conducted with 41 system leaders from a broad range of clinical and administrative areas across an integrated delivery system. Leaders' responses were categorized into themes. Ten major themes emerged from our conversations with leaders. While leaders generally expressed support for the concept of the LHS and enhanced system-wide learning, their concerns and suggestions for operationalization where strongly aligned with their functional area and strategic goals. Our findings suggests that leaders tend to adopt a very pragmatic approach to learning. Leaders expressed a dichotomy between the operational imperative to execute operational objectives efficiently and the need for rigorous evaluation. Alignment of learning activities with system-wide strategic and operational priorities is important to gain leadership support and resources. Practical approaches to addressing opportunities and challenges identified in the themes are discussed. Continuous learning is an ongoing, multi-disciplinary function of a health care delivery system. Findings from this and other research may be used to inform and prioritize system-wide learning objectives and strategies which support reliable, high value care delivery.

School-Wide Positive Behavior Support Programs in Elementary Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Siegel, Chelsea T.

2008-01-01

Behavior problems continue to be an issue for teachers and parents to address. Studies have shown that challenging behaviors in early childhood are linked to problems in the areas of academics and socialization in adolescence and adulthood. Most schools use a reactive, consequence-based approach to behavior management. With school violence and…

High Density Lidar and Orthophotography in UXO Wide Area Assessment (Rev 1)

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-08-01

The demonstration provided important insights regarding the appropriate uses and confidence levels for both lidar and orthophoto technologies. At...Patterns ................................................................................ 3-34 3.7.18 Lidar and Orthophoto Positional Accuracy...02-D-2008 Page iii CONTENTS (Continued) APPENDICES A Lidar and Orthophoto Positional Accuracy Results B Combining Lidar Data from Multiple

Sugar maple: its characteristics and potentials

Treesearch

Ralph D. Nyland

1999-01-01

Sugar maple dominates the northern hardwood forest, but grows over a broader geographic area. Conditions of soil and climate largely limit its distribution, and account for its less continuous cover along fringes of the range. Sugar maple regenerates readily following a wide range of overstory treatments. Success depends upon its status as advance regeneration,...

The USDA-ARS area-wide project for management of the asian tiger mosquito, Aedes albopictus

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The Asian tiger mosquito, Aedes albopictus, is among the most invasive species in the world. Established in the U.S. since 1985, this species now infests 30 states and continues to spread internationally. Concerned public health officials recognize this species as an important vector of chikunguny...

Zeolites with Continuously Tuneable Porosity**

PubMed Central

Wheatley, Paul S; Chlubná-Eliášová, Pavla; Greer, Heather; Zhou, Wuzong; Seymour, Valerie R; Dawson, Daniel M; Ashbrook, Sharon E; Pinar, Ana B; McCusker, Lynne B; Opanasenko, Maksym; Čejka, Jiří; Morris, Russell E

2014-01-01

Zeolites are important materials whose utility in industry depends on the nature of their porous structure. Control over microporosity is therefore a vitally important target. Unfortunately, traditional methods for controlling porosity, in particular the use of organic structure-directing agents, are relatively coarse and provide almost no opportunity to tune the porosity as required. Here we show how zeolites with a continuously tuneable surface area and micropore volume over a wide range can be prepared. This means that a particular surface area or micropore volume can be precisely tuned. The range of porosity we can target covers the whole range of useful zeolite porosity: from small pores consisting of 8-rings all the way to extra-large pores consisting of 14-rings. PMID:25284344

Evaluation of Soil Loss and Erosion Control Measures on Ranges and Range Structures at Installations in Temperate Climates

DTIC Science & Technology

2006-06-01

Soil Loss Equation ( USLE ) and the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) continue to be widely accepted methods for estimating sediment loss...range areas. Therefore, a generalized design methodology using the Universal Soil Loss Equation ( USLE ) is presented to accommodate the variations...constructed use the slope most suitable to the area topography (3:1 or 4:1). Step 4: Using the Universal Soil Loss equation, USLE , find the values of A

Anti-Hassle Chip

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1998-01-01

With assistance from NASA's Ames Research Center, the iTV Corporation has developed a full custom microprocessor that enables access to the Internet through a $49 device. The microprocessor is supported with a compliment of design tools for customization and adaptation as either a licensable core or as a complete microprocessor. Other uses include cell phones, DVD (digital versatile disk) players, cable modems, video conferencing equipment, digital cameras, wireless LANs (Local Area Network) and WANs (Wide Area Network). iTV continues to design new, low-cost consumer products.

Diagnostic Ability of Wide-field Retinal Nerve Fiber Layer Maps Using Swept-Source Optical Coherence Tomography for Detection of Preperimetric and Early Perimetric Glaucoma.

PubMed

Lee, Won June; Na, Kyeong Ik; Kim, Young Kook; Jeoung, Jin Wook; Park, Ki Ho

2017-06-01

To evaluate the diagnostic ability of wide-field retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) maps with swept-source optical coherence tomography (SS-OCT) for detection of preperimetric (PPG) and early perimetric glaucoma (EG). One hundred eighty-four eyes, including 67 healthy eyes, 43 eyes with PPG, and 74 eyes with EG, were analyzed. Patients underwent a comprehensive ocular examination including red-free RNFL photography, visual field testing and wide-field SS-OCT scanning (DRI-OCT-1 Atlantis; Topcon, Tokyo, Japan). SS-OCT provides a wide-field RNFL thickness map and a SuperPixel map, which are composed of the RNFL deviation map of the peripapillary area and the deviation map of the composition of the ganglion cell layer with the inner plexiform layer and RNFL (GC-IPL+RNFL) in the macular area. The ability to discriminate PPG and EG from healthy eyes was assessed using sensitivity, specificity, and area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) for all parameters and criteria provided by the wide-field SS-OCT scan. The wide-field RNFL thickness map using SS-OCT showed the highest sensitivity of PPG-diagnostic and EG-diagnostic performance compared with the other SS-OCT criteria based on the internal normative base (93.0 and 97.3%, respectively). Among the SS-OCT continuous parameters, the RFNL thickness of the 7 clock-hour, inferior and inferotemporal macular ganglion cell analyses showed the largest AUC of PPG-diagnostic and EG-diagnostic performance (AUC=0.809 to 0.865). The wide-field RNFL thickness map using SS-OCT performed well in distinguishing eyes with PPG and EG from healthy eyes. In the clinical setting, wide-field RNFL maps of SS-OCT can be useful tools for detection of early-stage glaucoma.

Response Distortion in Applications of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 (MMPI-2) in Offender Rehabilitation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Helmes, Edward

2008-01-01

The MMPI-2 continues to be widely used in many areas of professional forensic psychology, including the evaluation of criminal offenders for rehabilitation purposes. While many possible applications of the MMPI exist, not all are well-supported by strong empirical evidence. The origins of the scale among psychiatric populations suggest some…

Screening tests of chemical deterrents

Treesearch

Arthur R. Hastings; Morton Beroza

1961-01-01

Despite intensive research and zealous control efforts, the Dutch elm disease continues to kill valuable ornamental and wild elm trees over wide areas in the United States and Canada. Control of the disease at present is based on sanitation, the removal of dead and dying ornamental trees, and use of insecticides to kill the insects that carry the disease. The primary...

Selection of stand variables in southern Maine for making volume estimates from aerial photos

Treesearch

Earl J. Rogers; Gene Avery; Roy A. Chapman

1959-01-01

Aerial photographs are used widely in forest inventories. But there is a continuing need for improving the techniques of photo interpretation and making more efficient use of photographs. When the number or intensity of sample ground plots is controlled by airphoto classifications, a reliable stratification of the timber area is a must.

Leadership Perspectives on Operationalizing the Learning Health Care System in an Integrated Delivery System

PubMed Central

Psek, Wayne; Davis, F. Daniel; Gerrity, Gloria; Stametz, Rebecca; Bailey-Davis, Lisa; Henninger, Debra; Sellers, Dorothy; Darer, Jonathan

2016-01-01

Introduction: Healthcare leaders need operational strategies that support organizational learning for continued improvement and value generation. The learning health system (LHS) model may provide leaders with such strategies; however, little is known about leaders’ perspectives on the value and application of system-wide operationalization of the LHS model. The objective of this project was to solicit and analyze senior health system leaders’ perspectives on the LHS and learning activities in an integrated delivery system. Methods: A series of interviews were conducted with 41 system leaders from a broad range of clinical and administrative areas across an integrated delivery system. Leaders’ responses were categorized into themes. Findings: Ten major themes emerged from our conversations with leaders. While leaders generally expressed support for the concept of the LHS and enhanced system-wide learning, their concerns and suggestions for operationalization where strongly aligned with their functional area and strategic goals. Discussion: Our findings suggests that leaders tend to adopt a very pragmatic approach to learning. Leaders expressed a dichotomy between the operational imperative to execute operational objectives efficiently and the need for rigorous evaluation. Alignment of learning activities with system-wide strategic and operational priorities is important to gain leadership support and resources. Practical approaches to addressing opportunities and challenges identified in the themes are discussed. Conclusion: Continuous learning is an ongoing, multi-disciplinary function of a health care delivery system. Findings from this and other research may be used to inform and prioritize system-wide learning objectives and strategies which support reliable, high value care delivery. PMID:27683668

Continuous and large sediment supply in a steep landslide scar, Southern Japanese Alps

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nishii, Ryoko; Imaizumi, Fumitoshi; Daimaru, Hiromu; Murakami, Wataru

2018-07-01

Continuous sediment supply in the Aka-kuzure landslide scar, in the tectonically active alpine Southern Japanese Alps, was investigated using airborne light detection and ranging data in 2000, 2003, 2007 and 2012. In addition, we focused on the spatial variability of denudation patterns based on topographical analyses using DEMs. Denudation volume for the past 12 years reached about 106 m3 and mean annual denudation rate ranged from 0.25 to 0.31 m/yr. Topographical analyses revealed that sediment supply in the scar consists of a combination of two denudation types, sporadic-deep and wide-thin. These denudation types have different roles in the topographical development of the landslide scar. Sporadic-deep type supplies less volume than wide-thin type but still contributes to channel development, as it mainly occurs on lower-order streams and tends to change the convex slope into a concave slope. In contrast, although denudation depth of the wide-thin type is thin, the area affected by this type extends to the whole landslide scar. Consequently, the wide-thin type accounts for most of the total volume lost, for which detachment by frost shattering is suggested as an important role.

Dynamic Database. Efficiently Convert Massive Quantities of Sensor Data into Actionable Information for Tactical Commanders

DTIC Science & Technology

2000-06-01

As the number of sensors, platforms, exploitation sites, and command and control nodes continues to grow in response to Joint Vision 2010 information ... dominance requirements, Commanders and analysts will have an ever increasing need to collect and process vast amounts of data over wide areas using a large number of disparate sensors and information gathering sources.

Implications of changing fire regimes for aquatic ecosystems

Treesearch

Bruce Rieman; Charles H. Luce; Jason B. Dunham; Amanda L. Rosenberger

2005-01-01

Climate change and past management, including fire suppression, have been linked to changing patterns of fire in the last century. It is widely believed that many forested areas have moved from a regime of low and mixed severity fire to more frequent and more continuous high severity fire (Hessburg and Agee 2003). There is growing concern among ecologists and natural...

SURVEY OF OHIO LIBRARIES AND STATE LIBRARY SERVICES. A REPORT TO THE STATE LIBRARY BOARD.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

BLASINGAME, RALPH; AND OTHERS

USING INFORMATION FROM 5 COMMISSIONED STUDIES ON VARIOUS ASPECTS OF OHIO LIBRARIES (SUMMARIZED IN THIS REPORT), QUESTIONNAIRES, AND FIELD VISITS, THIS SURVEY IS INTENDED TO SERVE AS A BEGINNING FOR CONTINUOUS PLANNING AND TO PROVIDE A GENERAL FRAMEWORK FOR STATE-WIDE ACTION PROGRAMS. PROBLEM AREAS FOR OHIO PUBLIC LIBRARIES ARE SEEN AS--FINANCIAL…

Workpapers in Teaching English as a Second Language. Vol. 7.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gorman, T. P., Ed.

This is the seventh volume in a continuing series of working papers on teaching English as a second language. The 13 papers included here represent work in progress and cover a wide variety of subjects. In the first paper, E. Hatch summarizes research on reading a second language. S. J. A. Garcia discusses some of the areas of controversy in the…

Prioritising Paradigms, Mixing Methods, and Characterising the "Qualitative" in Educational Research

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Taber, Keith S.

2012-01-01

There seems to be a continuous flow of new and revised books to support the teaching and learning of research methods in education and related fields. At one level, this is to be welcomed in an area such as research methodology where there is no single, widely accepted and coherent overview of the subject. The availability of diverse voices and…

Machismo and Mexican American Men: An Empirical Understanding Using a Gay Sample

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Estrada, Fernando; Rigali-Oiler, Marybeth; Arciniega, G. Miguel; Tracey, Terence J. G.

2011-01-01

Machismo continues to be a defining aspect of Mexican American men that informs a wide array of psychological and behavioral dimensions. Although strides have been made in this area of research, understanding of the role of this construct in the lives of gay men remains incomplete. Our purpose in this study was to gain a deeper understanding of…

Continuous modulations of femtosecond laser-induced periodic surface structures and scanned line-widths on silicon by polarization changes.

PubMed

Han, Weina; Jiang, Lan; Li, Xiaowei; Liu, Pengjun; Xu, Le; Lu, YongFeng

2013-07-01

Large-area, uniform laser-induced periodic surface structures (LIPSS) are of wide potential industry applications. The continuity and processing precision of LIPSS are mainly determined by the scanning intervals of adjacent scanning lines. Therefore, continuous modulations of LIPSS and scanned line-widths within one laser scanning pass are of great significance. This study proposes that by varying the laser (800 nm, 50 fs, 1 kHz) polarization direction, LIPSS and the scanned line-widths on a silicon (111) surface can be continuously modulated with high precision. It shows that the scanned line-width reaches the maximum when the polarization direction is perpendicular to the scanning direction. As an application example, the experiments show large-area, uniform LIPSS can be fabricated by controlling the scanning intervals based on the one-pass scanned line-widths. The simulation shows that the initially formed LIPSS structures induce directional surface plasmon polaritons (SPP) scattering along the laser polarization direction, which strengthens the subsequently anisotropic LIPSS fabrication. The simulation results are in good agreement with the experiments, which both support the conclusions of continuous modulations of the LIPSS and scanned line-widths.

Interferometric investigations with the S1 constellation: an application to the Vesuvius/Campi Flegrei volcanic test site

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Borgstrom, Sven; Del Gaudio, Carlo; De Martino, Prospero; Siniscalchi, Valeria; Prats-Iraola, Pau; Nannini, Matteo; Yague-Martinez, Nestor; Pinheiro, Muriel; Kim, Jun-Su; Vecchioli, Francesco; Minati, Federico; Costantini, Mario; Foumelis, Michael; Desnos, Yves-Louis

2017-04-01

The contribution focuses on the current status of the ESA study entitled "INSARAP Sentinel-1 Constellation Study" and investigates the interferometric performance of the S1A/S1B units. In particular, we refer to the Vesuvius/Campi Flegrei (Southern Italy) volcanic test site, where the continuous inflation (about 35 cm from 2011 to date) and the huge availability of ground-based geodetic data (continuous GPS - cGPS - leveling, tiltmetric, gravimetric, etc.) from the INGV-Osservatorio Vesuviano monitoring networks have allowed to get a clear deformation signal, besides the comparison between S1A/S1B and geodetic data. In this regard, the integration between InSAR and geodetic measurements is crucial for a continuous and extended monitoring of such an active volcanic area, as InSAR investigations allow to get an information on wide areas, whereas permanent networks (e.g., cGPS), allow to provide a continuous information complementing InSAR, which is limited by its revisiting time. Comparisons between S1 constellation data and geodetic measurements, with a particular focus on cGPS, will be presented, exploiting both LOS and inverted (E-W and vertical inversion) InSAR data starting from October, 2014. In addition, as a next step we are planning to model the deformation source of the area by exploiting the S1 time series results. Ultimately, very encouraging results suggest for a continuation of this activity also for the future, showing the great potential of S1 constellation data for monitoring active volcanic areas and, in general, to retrieve a very high quality deformation signal.

PSI Wide Area Product (WAP) for measuring Ground Surface Displacements at regional level for multi-hazards studies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Duro, Javier; Iglesias, Rubén; Blanco, Pablo; Albiol, David; Koudogbo, Fifamè

2015-04-01

The Wide Area Product (WAP) is a new interferometric product developed to provide measurement over large regions. Persistent Scatterers Interferometry (PSI) has largely proved their robust and precise performance in measuring ground surface deformation in different application domains. In this context, however, the accurate displacement estimation over large-scale areas (more than 10.000 km2) characterized by low magnitude motion gradients (3-5 mm/year), such as the ones induced by inter-seismic or Earth tidal effects, still remains an open issue. The main reason for that is the inclusion of low quality and more distant persistent scatterers in order to bridge low-quality areas, such as water bodies, crop areas and forested regions. This fact yields to spatial propagation errors on PSI integration process, poor estimation and compensation of the Atmospheric Phase Screen (APS) and the difficult to face residual long-wavelength phase patterns originated by orbit state vectors inaccuracies. Research work for generating a Wide Area Product of ground motion in preparation for the Sentinel-1 mission has been conducted in the last stages of Terrafirma as well as in other research programs. These developments propose technological updates for keeping the precision over large scale PSI analysis. Some of the updates are based on the use of external information, like meteorological models, and the employment of GNSS data for an improved calibration of large measurements. Usually, covering wide regions implies the processing over areas with a land use which is chiefly focused on livestock, horticulture, urbanization and forest. This represents an important challenge for providing continuous InSAR measurements and the application of advanced phase filtering strategies to enhance the coherence. The advanced PSI processing has been performed out over several areas, allowing a large scale analysis of tectonic patterns, and motion caused by multi-hazards as volcanic, landslide and flood. Several examples of the application of the PSI WAP to wide regions for measuring ground displacements related to different types of hazards, natural and human induced will be presented. The InSAR processing approach to measure accurate movements at local and large scales for allowing multi-hazard interpretation studies will also be discussed. The test areas will show deformations related to active faults systems, landslides in mountains slopes, ground compaction over underneath aquifers and movements in volcanic areas.

San Antonio relay ramp: Area of stratal continuity between large-displacement barrier faults of the Edwards aquifer and Balcones fault zone, central Texas

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

Collins, E.W.

1996-09-01

The San Antonio relay ramp, a gentle southwest-dipping monocline, formed between the tips of two en echelon master faults having maximum throws of >240 in. Structural analysis of this relay ramp is important to studies of Edwards aquifer recharge and ground-water flow because the ramp is an area of relatively good stratal continuity linking the outcrop belt recharge zone and unconfined aquifer with the downdip confined aquifer. Part of the relay ramp lies within the aquifer recharge zone and is crossed by several southeast-draining creeks, including Salado, Cibolo, and Comal Creeks, that supply water to the ramp recharge area. Thismore » feature is an analog for similar structures within the aquifer and for potential targets for hydrocarbons in other Gulf Coast areas. Defining the ramp is an {approximately}13-km-wide right step of the Edwards Group outcrop belt and the en echelon master faults that bound the ramp. The master faults strike N55-75{degrees}E, and maximum displacement exceeds the {approximately}165-m thickness of the Edwards Group strata. The faults therefore probably serve as barriers to Edwards ground-water flow. Within the ramp, tilted strata gently dip southwestward at {approximately}5 m/km, and the total structural relief along the ramp`s southwest-trending axis is <240 in. The ramp`s internal framework is defined by three fault blocks that are {approximately}4 to {approximately}6 km wide and are bound by northeast-striking faults having maximum throws between 30 and 150 m. Within the fault blocks, local areas of high fracture permeability may exist where smaller faults and joints are well connected.« less

Using genetic profiles of African forest elephants to infer population structure, movements, and habitat use in a conservation and development landscape in Gabon.

PubMed

Eggert, L S; Buij, R; Lee, M E; Campbell, P; Dallmeier, F; Fleischer, R C; Alonso, A; Maldonado, J E

2014-02-01

Conservation of wide-ranging species, such as the African forest elephant (Loxodonta cyclotis), depends on fully protected areas and multiple-use areas (MUA) that provide habitat connectivity. In the Gamba Complex of Protected Areas in Gabon, which includes 2 national parks separated by a MUA containing energy and forestry concessions, we studied forest elephants to evaluate the importance of the MUA to wide-ranging species. We extracted DNA from elephant dung samples and used genetic information to identify over 500 individuals in the MUA and the parks. We then examined patterns of nuclear microsatellites and mitochondrial control-region sequences to infer population structure, movement patterns, and habitat use by age and sex. Population structure was weak but significant, and differentiation was more pronounced during the wet season. Within the MUA, males were more strongly associated with open habitats, such as wetlands and savannas, than females during the dry season. Many of the movements detected within and between seasons involved the wetlands and bordering lagoons. Our results suggest that the MUA provides year-round habitat for some elephants and additional habitat for others whose primary range is in the parks. With the continuing loss of roadless wilderness areas in Central Africa, well-managed MUAs will likely be important to the conservation of wide-ranging species. © 2013 Society for Conservation Biology.

The Role of Efficient XML Interchange (EXI) in Navy Wide-Area Network (WAN) Optimization

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-03-01

compress, and re-encrypt data to continue providing optimization through compression; however, that capability requires careful consideration of...optimization 23 of encrypted data requires a careful analysis and comparison of performance improvements and IA vulnerabilities. It is important...Contained EXI capitalizes on multiple techniques to improve compression, and they vary depending on a set of EXI options passed to the codec

What It Takes. Air Force Command of Joint Operations

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-01-01

Iraq Assistance Group IDE intermediate developmental education IO international organization ISAF International Security and Assistance Force ISR...Operations Table A.1—Continued Joint Task Force Mission/Operation Start End Service Command Rank JTF–Joint Area Support Group (JASG) Iraqi Freedom...be of interest to a wide group of Air Force personnel involved in the development and func- tion of the service’s command organizations, including

Wide-area continuous offender monitoring

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hoshen, Joseph; Drake, George; Spencer, Debra D.

1997-02-01

The corrections system in the U.S. is supervising over five million offenders. This number is rising fast and so are the direct and indirect costs to society. To improve supervision and reduce the cost of parole and probation, first generation home arrest systems were introduced in 1987. While these systems proved to be helpful to the corrections system, their scope is rather limited because they only cover an offender at a single location and provide only a partial time coverage. To correct the limitations of first- generation systems, second-generation wide area continuous electronic offender monitoring systems, designed to monitor the offender at all times and locations, are now on the drawing board. These systems use radio frequency location technology to track the position of offenders. The challenge for this technology is the development of reliable personal locator devices that are small, lightweight, with long operational battery life, and indoors/outdoors accuracy of 100 meters or less. At the center of a second-generation system is a database that specifies the offender's home, workplace, commute, and time the offender should be found in each. The database could also define areas from which the offender is excluded. To test compliance, the system would compare the observed coordinates of the offender with the stored location for a given time interval. Database logfiles will also enable law enforcement to determine if a monitored offender was present at a crime scene and thus include or exclude the offender as a potential suspect.

Wide area continuous offender monitoring

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

Hoshen, J.; Drake, G.; Spencer, D.

The corrections system in the U.S. is supervising over five million offenders. This number is rising fast and so are the direct and indirect costs to society. To improve supervision and reduce the cost of parole and probation, first generation home arrest systems were introduced in 1987. While these systems proved to be helpful to the corrections system, their scope is rather limited because they only cover an offender at a single location and provide only a partial time coverage. To correct the limitations of first-generation systems, second-generation wide area continuous electronic offender monitoring systems, designed to monitor the offendermore » at all times and locations, are now on the drawing board. These systems use radio frequency location technology to track the position of offenders. The challenge for this technology is the development of reliable personal locator devices that are small, lightweight, with long operational battery life, and indoors/outdoors accuracy of 100 meters or less. At the center of a second-generation system is a database that specifies the offender`s home, workplace, commute, and time the offender should be found in each. The database could also define areas from which the offender is excluded. To test compliance, the system would compare the observed coordinates of the offender with the stored location for a given time interval. Database logfiles will also enable law enforcement to determine if a monitored offender was present at a crime scene and thus include or exclude the offender as a potential suspect.« less

Ground Testing of Prototype Hardware and Processing Algorithms for a Wide Area Space Surveillance System (WASSS)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Goldstein, N.; Dressler, R. A.; Richtsmeier, S. S.; McLean, J.; Dao, P. D.; Murray-Krezan, J.; Fulcoly, D. O.

2013-09-01

Recent ground testing of a wide area camera system and automated star removal algorithms has demonstrated the potential to detect, quantify, and track deep space objects using small aperture cameras and on-board processors. The camera system, which was originally developed for a space-based Wide Area Space Surveillance System (WASSS), operates in a fixed-stare mode, continuously monitoring a wide swath of space and differentiating celestial objects from satellites based on differential motion across the field of view. It would have greatest utility in a LEO orbit to provide automated and continuous monitoring of deep space with high refresh rates, and with particular emphasis on the GEO belt and GEO transfer space. Continuous monitoring allows a concept of change detection and custody maintenance not possible with existing sensors. The detection approach is equally applicable to Earth-based sensor systems. A distributed system of such sensors, either Earth-based, or space-based, could provide automated, persistent night-time monitoring of all of deep space. The continuous monitoring provides a daily record of the light curves of all GEO objects above a certain brightness within the field of view. The daily updates of satellite light curves offers a means to identify specific satellites, to note changes in orientation and operational mode, and to queue other SSA assets for higher resolution queries. The data processing approach may also be applied to larger-aperture, higher resolution camera systems to extend the sensitivity towards dimmer objects. In order to demonstrate the utility of the WASSS system and data processing, a ground based field test was conducted in October 2012. We report here the results of the observations made at Magdalena Ridge Observatory using the prototype WASSS camera, which has a 4×60° field-of-view , <0.05° resolution, a 2.8 cm2 aperture, and the ability to view within 4° of the sun. A single camera pointed at the GEO belt provided a continuous night-long record of the intensity and location of more than 50 GEO objects detected within the camera's 60-degree field-of-view, with a detection sensitivity similar to the camera's shot noise limit of Mv=13.7. Performance is anticipated to scale with aperture area, allowing the detection of dimmer objects with larger-aperture cameras. The sensitivity of the system depends on multi-frame averaging and an image processing algorithm that exploits the different angular velocities of celestial objects and SOs. Principal Components Analysis (PCA) is used to filter out all objects moving with the velocity of the celestial frame of reference. The resulting filtered images are projected back into an Earth-centered frame of reference, or into any other relevant frame of reference, and co-added to form a series of images of the GEO objects as a function of time. The PCA approach not only removes the celestial background, but it also removes systematic variations in system calibration, sensor pointing, and atmospheric conditions. The resulting images are shot-noise limited, and can be exploited to automatically identify deep space objects, produce approximate state vectors, and track their locations and intensities as a function of time.

Micromechanics analysis of space simulated thermal deformations and stresses in continuous fiber reinforced composites

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bowles, David E.

1990-01-01

Space simulated thermally induced deformations and stresses in continuous fiber reinforced composites were investigated with a micromechanics analysis. The investigation focused on two primary areas. First, available explicit expressions for predicting the effective coefficients of thermal expansion (CTEs) for a composite were compared with each other, and with a finite element (FE) analysis, developed specifically for this study. Analytical comparisons were made for a wide range of fiber/matrix systems, and predicted values were compared with experimental data. The second area of investigation focused on the determination of thermally induced stress fields in the individual constituents. Stresses predicted from the FE analysis were compared to those predicted from a closed-form solution to the composite cylinder (CC) model, for two carbon fiber/epoxy composites. A global-local formulation, combining laminated plate theory and FE analysis, was used to determine the stresses in multidirectional laminates. Thermally induced damage initiation predictions were also made.

Turkey vulture and California condor

USGS Publications Warehouse

Pattee, O.H.; Wilbur, S.R.; Pendleton, Beth Giron

1989-01-01

Populations of turkey vultures in the western states appear stable, with no evidence of recent significant changes in distribution. Turkey vultures occupy a variety of habitats, nest in diverse situations and utilize a wide variety of carrion. Consequently, no particular limiting factor is likely to have a major effect on the total population. California condor numbers, in contrast, have continued to decline. With the capture of the last wild bird in 1987, the species has been extirpated from the wild. Reestablishment will depend on production and introduction of captive-reared birds, hopefully within the next 10 years. In the 18th century, condors inhabited areas along the Pacific coast from British Columbia to Baja California. Since 1950, the range has been restricted to a six county area adjacent to the southern San Joaquin Valley of California. Within this area, there appears to be no shortage of suitable nest sites; all recently used nest sites are within federally-controlled lands. Suitable foraging grounds have continued to diminish and are now largely limited to private rangelands and some Bureau of Land Management rangelands within the foothills of the San Joaquin Valley. Only these areas continue to supply the large mammal carcasses that the California condor needs for survival. The habitat of the condor is subject to a variety of land use practices and development pressures. Excessive mortality, coupled with low reproductive potential, continues to threaten the recovery of the species. Development of management practices to reduce mortality, particularly those that are contaminant-related, and of a preserve design to insure adequate habitat for the reintroduced population are still necessary for eventual recovery of the species.

Health in All Social Work Programs: Findings From a US National Analysis

PubMed Central

Wachman, Madeline K.; Marshall, Jamie W.; Backman, Allison R.; Harrington, Calla B.; Schultz, Neena S.; Ouimet, Kaitlyn J.

2017-01-01

Objectives. To establish a baseline of health content in 4 domains of US social work education—baccalaureate, master’s, doctoral, and continuing education programs—and to introduce the Social Work Health Impact Model, illustrating social work’s multifaceted health services, from clinical to wide-lens population health approaches. Methods. We analyzed US social work programs’ Web site content to determine amount and types of health content in mission statements, courses, and specializations. Coding criterion determined if content was (1) health or health-related (HHR) and (2) had wide-lens health (WLH) emphasis. A second iteration categorized HHR and WLH courses into health topics. Results. We reviewed 4831 courses. We found broad HHR content in baccalaureate, master’s, and continuing education curricula; doctoral programs had limited health content. We identified minimal WLH content across all domains. Topical analysis indicated that more than 50% of courses concentrated on 3 areas: mental and behavioral health, abuse and violence, and substance use and addictions. Conclusions. As a core health profession, social work must strengthen its health and wide-lens content to better prepare graduates for integrated practice and collaboration in the changing health environment. PMID:29236538

Continuous noninvasive ventilation delivered by a novel total face mask: a case series report.

PubMed

Belchior, Inês; Gonçalves, Miguel R; Winck, João Carlos

2012-03-01

Noninvasive ventilation (NIV) has been widely used to decrease the complications associated with tracheal intubation in mechanically ventilated patients. However, nasal ulcerations may occur when conventional masks are used for continuous ventilation. A total face mask, which has no contact with the more sensitive areas of the face, is a possible option. We describe 3 patients with acute respiratory failure due to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, who developed nasal bridge skin necrosis during continuous NIV, and one patient with post-extubation respiratory failure due to a high spinal cord injury, who had facial trauma with contraindication for conventional mask use. The total face mask was very well tolerated by all the patients, and permitted safe and efficient continuous NIV for several days until the acute respiratory failure episode resolved. None of the patients required endotracheal intubation during the acute episode.

Status of Insecticide Resistance in Papua New Guinea: An Update from Nation-Wide Monitoring of Anopheles Mosquitoes.

PubMed

Koimbu, Gussy; Czeher, Cyrille; Katusele, Michelle; Sakur, Muker; Kilepak, Lemen; Tandrapah, Anthony; Hetzel, Manuel W; Pulford, Justin; Robinson, Leanne; Karl, Stephan

2018-01-01

Insecticide resistance (IR) monitoring is an important component of vector-borne disease control. The last assessment of IR in Papua New Guinea (PNG) was conducted in 2010. Since then, vector populations have been exposed to higher levels of pyrethroids with the continued nation-wide distribution of insecticide-treated nets. Here, we provide an update on phenotypic IR in four highly malaria-endemic areas of PNG. IR against deltamethrin, lambda-cyhalothrin, and dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane was assessed using World Health Organization bioassays. A total of 108 bioassays for each insecticide were conducted screening 2,290 adult female anopheline mosquitoes. No phenotypic resistance was observed. Bioassay parameters agreed well with those observed in other studies that used the same assays and insecticides. These results indicate that the three tested insecticides are still universally effective in PNG. Continued IR monitoring (every 1-2 years) in PNG is recommended to detect reduced susceptibility early and adjust guidelines to prevent widespread resistance.

The Monitoring Case of Ground-Based Synthetic Aperture Radar with Frequency Modulated Continuous Wave System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, H. Y.; Zhai, Q. P.; Chen, L.; Liu, Y. J.; Zhou, K. Q.; Wang, Y. S.; Dou, Y. D.

2017-09-01

The features of the landslide geological disaster are wide distribution, variety, high frequency, high intensity, destructive and so on. It has become a natural disaster with harmful and wide range of influence. The technology of ground-based synthetic aperture radar is a novel deformation monitoring technology developed in recent years. The features of the technology are large monitoring area, high accuracy, long distance without contact and so on. In this paper, fast ground-based synthetic aperture radar (Fast-GBSAR) based on frequency modulated continuous wave (FMCW) system is used to collect the data of Ma Liuzui landslide in Chongqing. The device can reduce the atmospheric errors caused by rapidly changing environment. The landslide deformation can be monitored in severe weather conditions (for example, fog) by Fast-GBSAR with acquisition speed up to 5 seconds per time. The data of Ma Liuzui landslide in Chongqing are analyzed in this paper. The result verifies that the device can monitor landslide deformation under severe weather conditions.

Laser-zone growth in a Ribbon-To-Ribbon (RTR) process silicon sheet growth development for the large area silicon sheet task of the low cost silicon solar array project

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gurtler, R. W.; Baghdadi, A.; Wise, J.; Ellis, R. J.

1977-01-01

The Ribbon-to-Ribbon (RTR) approach to silicon ribbon growth was investigated. An existing RTR apparatus, RTR#1, was upgraded to allow for 5 cm wide ribbon growth with a finite stroke length of at least 15 cm. A second RTR apparatus, RTR#2, was designed, built, and operated which utilizes continuous feed mechanisms and allows continuous growth of 7.5 cm wide ribbons. RTR#2 includes development and utilization of advanced beam scanning (or shaping), high power lasers, and thermal profile modification elements to attain maximum growth velocities (with a design goal of 18 cm/min). Materials studies, process development, and thermal analyses are also described. Residual stresses and dislocation densities were minimized through theoretical and experimental efforts towards optimization of thermal profiles. Growth runs were performed on RTR#2 and solar cells were fabricated which demonstrated efficiencies greater than 10%.

A Register of Underwater Acoustic Facilities. Volume 1. Western Europe

DTIC Science & Technology

1987-03-01

production is still under the direction of Viggo Kjaer, while Per V. Briiel continues to direct the world-wide sales operation. 2-29 TD 7903-1...which are then made available for general sale and distribution. IKU is currently involved in a survey of areas in the Barents Sea which lie in...17 itun /3h measuring mode. Buoy surveillance: ARGOS system for automatic posi- tioning and data transfer of internal instrument checks

Related Studies in Long Term Lithium Battery Stability

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Horning, R. J.; Chua, D. L.

1984-01-01

The continuing growth of the use of lithium electrochemical systems in a wide variety of both military and industrial applications is primarily a result of the significant benefits associated with the technology such as high energy density, wide temperature operation and long term stability. The stability or long term storage capability of a battery is a function of several factors, each important to the overall storage life and, therefore, each potentially a problem area if not addressed during the design, development and evaluation phases of the product cycle. Design (e.g., reserve vs active), inherent material thermal stability, material compatibility and self-discharge characteristics are examples of factors key to the storability of a power source.

The Internet for Librarians

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grothkopf, U.

Librarianship is currently undergoing major changes. New information sources, accessible via the "network of networks", the Internet, offer opportunities which were previously unknown, but which require continuous ongoing learning. The Internet seems to be organized badly or not at all. The poor appearance might lead to an underestimation of its value. In the following, an introduction to the main functions will be given in order to facilitate understanding and use of the Internet. E-Mail, FTP (File Transfer Protocol) and Telnet will be covered, as well as Mailing lists, Newsgroups and the tools Archie, Gopher, Veronica, WAIS (Wide Area Information Server) and the World Wide Web (WWW). Examples will be given to show possible applications for library services.

Barrier displacement on a neutral landscape: Towards a theory of continental biogeography

USGS Publications Warehouse

Albert, James S.; Schoolmaster, Donald; Tagliacollo, Victor; Duke-Sylvester, Scott M.

2017-01-01

Here we present SEAMLESS (Spatially-Explicit Area Model of Landscape Evolution by SimulationS) that generates clade diversification by moving geographic barriers on a continuous, neutral landscape. SEAMLESS is a neutral Landscape Evolution Model (LEM) that treats species and barriers as functionally equivalent with respect to model parameters. SEAMLESS differs from other model-based biogeographic methods (e.g. Lagrange, GeoSSE, BayArea, BioGeoBEARS) by modeling properties of dispersal barriers rather than areas, and by modeling the evolution of species lineages on a continuous landscape, rather than the evolution of geographic ranges along branches of a phylogeny. SEAMLESS shows how dispersal is required to maintain species richness and avoid clade-wide extinction, demonstrates that ancestral range size does not predict species richness, and provides a unified explanation for the suite of commonly observed biogeographic and phylogenetic patterns listed above. SEAMLESS explains how a simple barrier-displacement mechanism affects lineage diversification under neutral conditions, and is advanced here towards the formulation of a general theory of continental biogeography.                   

Continuous water quality monitoring for the hard clam industry in Florida, USA.

PubMed

Bergquist, Derk C; Heuberger, David; Sturmer, Leslie N; Baker, Shirley M

2009-01-01

In 2000, Florida's fast-growing hard clam aquaculture industry became eligible for federal agricultural crop insurance through the US Department of Agriculture, but the responsibility for identifying the cause of mortality remained with the grower. Here we describe the continuous water quality monitoring system used to monitor hard clam aquaculture areas in Florida and show examples of the data collected with the system. Systems recording temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen, water depth, turbidity and chlorophyll at 30 min intervals were installed at 10 aquaculture lease areas along Florida's Gulf and Atlantic coasts. Six of these systems sent data in real-time to a public website, and all 10 systems provided data for web-accessible archives. The systems documented environmental conditions that could negatively impact clam survival and productivity and identified biologically relevant water quality differences among clam aquaculture areas. Both the real-time and archived data were used widely by clam growers and nursery managers to make management decisions and in filing crop loss insurance claims. While the systems were labor and time intensive, we recommend adjustments that could reduce costs and staff time requirements.

Mapping canopy gap fraction and leaf area index at continent-scale from satellite lidar

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mahoney, C.; Hopkinson, C.; Held, A. A.

2015-12-01

Information on canopy cover is essential for understanding spatial and temporal variability in vegetation biomass, local meteorological processes and hydrological transfers within vegetated environments. Gap fraction (GF), an index of canopy cover, is often derived over large areas (100's km2) via airborne laser scanning (ALS), estimates of which are reasonably well understood. However, obtaining country-wide estimates is challenging due to the lack of spatially distributed point cloud data. The Geoscience Laser Altimeter System (GLAS) removes spatial limitations, however, its large footprint nature and continuous waveform data measurements make derivations of GF challenging. ALS data from 3 Australian sites are used as a basis to scale-up GF estimates to GLAS footprint data by the use of a physically-based Weibull function. Spaceborne estimates of GF are employed in conjunction with supplementary predictor variables in the predictive Random Forest algorithm to yield country-wide estimates at a 250 m spatial resolution; country-wide estimates are accompanied with uncertainties at the pixel level. Preliminary estimates of effective Leaf Area Index (eLAI) are also presented by converting GF via the Beer-Lambert law, where an extinction coefficient of 0.5 is employed; deemed acceptable at such spatial scales. The need for such wide-scale quantification of GF and eLAI are key in the assessment and modification of current forest management strategies across Australia. Such work also assists Australia's Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Network (TERN), a key asset to policy makers with regards to the management of the national ecosystem, in fulfilling their government issued mandates.

Mechanical Properties of Heat Affected Zone of High Strength Steels

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sefcikova, K.; Brtnik, T.; Dolejs, J.; Keltamaki, K.; Topilla, R.

2015-11-01

High Strength Steels became more popular as a construction material during last decade because of their increased availability and affordability. On the other hand, even though general use of Advanced High Strength Steels (AHSS) is expanding, the wide utilization is limited because of insufficient information about their behaviour in structures. The most widely used technique for joining steels is fusion welding. The welding process has an influence not only on the welded connection but on the area near this connection, the so-called heat affected zone, as well. For that reason it is very important to be able to determine the properties in the heat affected zone (HAZ). This area of investigation is being continuously developed in dependence on significant progress in material production, especially regarding new types of steels available. There are currently several types of AHSS on the world market. Two most widely used processes for AHSS production are Thermo-Mechanically Controlled Processing (TMCP) and Quenching in connection with Tempering. In the presented study, TMCP and QC steels grade S960 were investigated. The study is focused on the changes of strength, ductility, hardness and impact strength in heat affected zone based on the used amount of heat input.

The Canadian experience: Using telemedicine for the support of medical care at remote sites

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

House, Maxwell

1991-01-01

While the majority of Canadians live in a narrow strip about 200 miles wide just north of the 45th parallel, a significant proportion of the population lives in non-urban, remote and sometimes isolated areas. Given this widely dispersed population, the provision of health services has always been a challenge. A list of non-urban health needs include the following: consulting services; clinical laboratory resources; investigative techniques (e.g., EEG, radiology, ultrasound, nuclear medicine); continuing education for physicians, nurses and other health professionals; teaching and training programs for administrative and support staff (dietary, housekeeping, maintenance); community health education and improved general education for health workers and families. For nearly three decades physicians and other health care professionals in the United States and Canada have been exploring the application of telecommunications to health care in rural and remote areas. The terms telemedicine and telehealth are used interchangeably to describe this activity. The prefix 'tele' refers to distance and now includes all types of communication over distance that support health care and health educational programs. Actually, telemedicine is as old as the telephone, which is still the most widely used communications technology in health care.

Wide-field in vivo oral OCT imaging

PubMed Central

Lee, Anthony M. D.; Cahill, Lucas; Liu, Kelly; MacAulay, Calum; Poh, Catherine; Lane, Pierre

2015-01-01

We have built a polarization-sensitive swept source Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) instrument capable of wide-field in vivo imaging in the oral cavity. This instrument uses a hand-held side-looking fiber-optic rotary pullback catheter that can cover two dimensional tissue imaging fields approximately 2.5 mm wide by up to 90 mm length in a single image acquisition. The catheter spins at 100 Hz with pullback speeds up to 15 mm/s allowing imaging of areas up to 225 mm2 field-of-view in seconds. A catheter sheath and two optional catheter sheath holders have been designed to allow imaging at all locations within the oral cavity. Image quality of 2-dimensional image slices through the data can be greatly enhanced by averaging over the orthogonal dimension to reduce speckle. Initial in vivo imaging results reveal a wide-field view of features such as epithelial thickness and continuity of the basement membrane that may be useful in clinic for chair-side management of oral lesions. PMID:26203389

Varieties of quantity estimation in children.

PubMed

Sella, Francesco; Berteletti, Ilaria; Lucangeli, Daniela; Zorzi, Marco

2015-06-01

In the number-to-position task, with increasing age and numerical expertise, children's pattern of estimates shifts from a biased (nonlinear) to a formal (linear) mapping. This widely replicated finding concerns symbolic numbers, whereas less is known about other types of quantity estimation. In Experiment 1, Preschool, Grade 1, and Grade 3 children were asked to map continuous quantities, discrete nonsymbolic quantities (numerosities), and symbolic (Arabic) numbers onto a visual line. Numerical quantity was matched for the symbolic and discrete nonsymbolic conditions, whereas cumulative surface area was matched for the continuous and discrete quantity conditions. Crucially, in the discrete condition children's estimation could rely either on the cumulative area or numerosity. All children showed a linear mapping for continuous quantities, whereas a developmental shift from a logarithmic to a linear mapping was observed for both nonsymbolic and symbolic numerical quantities. Analyses on individual estimates suggested the presence of two distinct strategies in estimating discrete nonsymbolic quantities: one based on numerosity and the other based on spatial extent. In Experiment 2, a non-spatial continuous quantity (shades of gray) and new discrete nonsymbolic conditions were added to the set used in Experiment 1. Results confirmed the linear patterns for the continuous tasks, as well as the presence of a subset of children relying on numerosity for the discrete nonsymbolic numerosity conditions despite the availability of continuous visual cues. Overall, our findings demonstrate that estimation of numerical and non-numerical quantities is based on different processing strategies and follow different developmental trajectories. (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved).

Preface: Space and geophysical research related to Latin America - Part 1

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mendoza, Blanca

2016-03-01

For the last 25 years, every two to three years the Conferencia Latinoamericana de Geofísica Espacial (COLAGE) is held in one of the Latin American countries for the purpose of promoting scientific exchange among scientists of the region and to encourage continued research that is unique to this area of the world. At the more recent conference, the community realized that many individuals both within and outside Latin America have contributed greatly to the understanding of the space sciences in this area of the world. It was therefore decided to assemble a Special Issue Space and Geophysical Physics related to Latin America, presenting recent results and where submissions would be accepted from the world wide community of scientists involved in research appropriate to Latin America. Because of the large number of submissions, these papers will be printed in two separate issues; this is Part 1. These papers show the wide variety of research, both theoretical and applied, that is currently being developed in the Sub-Continent.

Kestrel: force protection and Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) persistent surveillance on aerostats

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Luber, David R.; Marion, John E.; Fields, David

2012-05-01

Logos Technologies has developed and fielded the Kestrel system, an aerostat-based, wide area persistent surveillance system dedicated to force protection and ISR mission execution operating over forward operating bases. Its development included novel imaging and stabilization capability for day/night operations on military aerostat systems. The Kestrel system's contribution is a substantial enhancement to aerostat-based, force protection systems which to date have relied on narrow field of view ball gimbal sensors to identify targets of interest. This inefficient mechanism to conduct wide area field of view surveillance is greatly enhanced by Kestrel's ability to maintain a constant motion imagery stare of the entire forward operating base (FOB) area. The Kestrel airborne sensor enables 360° coverage out to extended ranges which covers a city sized area at moderate resolution, while cueing a narrow field of view sensor to provide high resolution imagery of targets of interest. The ground station exploitation system enables operators to autonomously monitor multiple regions of interest in real time, and allows for backtracking through the recorded imagery, while continuing to monitor ongoing activity. Backtracking capability allows operators to detect threat networks, their CONOPS, and locations of interest. Kestrel's unique advancement has already been utilized successfully in OEF operations.

Continuous resistivity profiling data from Northport Harbor and Manhasset Bay, Long Island, New York

USGS Publications Warehouse

Cross, V.A.; Bratton, J.F.; Crusius, John; Kroeger, K.D.; Worley, C.R.

2012-01-01

An investigation of coastal groundwater systems was performed along the North Shore of Long Island, New York, during May 2008 to constrain nutrient delivery to Northport Harbor and Manhasset Bay by delineating locations of likely groundwater discharge. The embayments are bounded by steep moraines and are underlain by thick, fine-grained sediments deposited in proglacial lakes during the last ice age. Beach sand and gravel overlie the glacial deposits along the coast. The continuous resistivity profiling (CRP) surveys that were conducted indicate the existence of low-salinity groundwater in shore-parallel bands, typically 25 to 50 meters wide, along the shorelines of both bays. Piezometer sampling and seepage meter deployments in intertidal and subtidal areas of the two bays confirmed the presence and discharge of brackish and low-salinity groundwater. The large tidal ranges (up to 3 meters) and the steep onshore topography and hydraulic gradients are important variables controlling coastal groundwater discharge in these areas.

1.9 W continuous-wave single transverse mode emission from 1060 nm edge-emitting lasers with vertically extended lasing area

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

Miah, M. J., E-mail: jarez.miah@tu-berlin.de; Posilovic, K.; Kalosha, V. P.

2014-10-13

High-brightness edge-emitting semiconductor lasers having a vertically extended waveguide structure emitting in the 1060 nm range are investigated. Ridge waveguide (RW) lasers with 9 μm stripe width and 2.64 mm cavity length yield highest to date single transverse mode output power for RW lasers in the 1060 nm range. The lasers provide 1.9 W single transverse mode optical power under continuous-wave (cw) operation with narrow beam divergences of 9° in lateral and 14° (full width at half maximum) in vertical direction. The beam quality factor M{sup 2} is less than 1.9 up to 1.9 W optical power. A maximum brightness of 72 MWcm{sup −2}sr{supmore » −1} is obtained. 100 μm wide and 3 mm long unpassivated broad area lasers provide more than 9 W optical power in cw operation.« less

BreathSens: A Continuous On-Bed Respiratory Monitoring System With Torso Localization Using an Unobtrusive Pressure Sensing Array.

PubMed

Liu, Jason J; Huang, Ming-Chun; Xu, Wenyao; Zhang, Xiaoyi; Stevens, Luke; Alshurafa, Nabil; Sarrafzadeh, Majid

2015-09-01

The ability to continuously monitor respiration rates of patients in homecare or in clinics is an important goal. Past research showed that monitoring patient breathing can lower the associated mortality rates for long-term bedridden patients. Nowadays, in-bed sensors consisting of pressure sensitive arrays are unobtrusive and are suitable for deployment in a wide range of settings. Such systems aim to extract respiratory signals from time-series pressure sequences. However, variance of movements, such as unpredictable extremities activities, affect the quality of the extracted respiratory signals. BreathSens, a high-density pressure sensing system made of e-Textile, profiles the underbody pressure distribution and localizes torso area based on the high-resolution pressure images. With a robust bodyparts localization algorithm, respiratory signals extracted from the localized torso area are insensitive to arbitrary extremities movements. In a study of 12 subjects, BreathSens demonstrated its respiratory monitoring capability with variations of sleep postures, locations, and commonly tilted clinical bed conditions.

Research on industrial 10kW CO2 laser achieves major breakthrough

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

1991-01-01

The industrial 10kW CO2 laser is one of the items which the industrially developed nations are competing to develop. This laser is capable of continuous output power of over 10kW and can operate continuously for more than 6 hours. The 10kW CO2 laser developed as a key task of China's 7th Five-Year Plan and all its technological targets such as output power, electrooptical conversion efficiency and primary charging continuous operating time, have reached the level of world advancement, allowing China to enter the ranks of international advancement in the area of laser technology. The industrial 10kW CO2 laser can have wide application in such areas of industry as heat treating, machining, welding and surface treatment in industries such as steel, automobiles, ship building and aircraft manufacturing. For instance, using the high-efficiency laser beams of this 10kW laser to treat rollers, fan blades and automotive cylinder blocks can increase the life of these parts and produce large economic benefits. At present, industrial tests of gear welding is already being done on this 10kW laser.

California Groundwater Management During Drought: Existing and Future Regulatory Approaches

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ekdahl, E.; Boland-Brien, S.; Vanderburgh, B.; Landau, K.; Bean, J.; Peltier, T.

2015-12-01

Groundwater has served as an effective buffer to California's crippling drought of 2012-2015, allowing continued agricultural production in many areas where surface water deliveries have been curtailed. However, over-reliance on groundwater has caused plummeting groundwater levels in much of the state's heavily agricultural regions, with annual groundwater overdraft state-wide estimated in the millions of acre-feet per year. Prior to 2015, California water law did not allow for the effective monitoring or assessment of groundwater use; passage of new state regulations will require development of locally-managed plans that, for the first time, require comprehensive groundwater management and groundwater basin sustainability. Because these plans are not required to be implemented for another 25 years, groundwater levels will likely continue to decrease. Some communities that are 100-percent reliant on groundwater as a source of municipal supply may face shortages and supply issues, which may exacerbate known water quality concerns. Examination of community water systems that are reliant on groundwater, their existing water quality issues, and their response to the current drought (through existing mandatory conservation requirements imposed by California state regulators) can identify areas that are particularly susceptible to continued groundwater overdraft.

An Illustration of Generalised Arma (garma) Time Series Modeling of Forest Area in Malaysia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pillai, Thulasyammal Ramiah; Shitan, Mahendran

Forestry is the art and science of managing forests, tree plantations, and related natural resources. The main goal of forestry is to create and implement systems that allow forests to continue a sustainable provision of environmental supplies and services. Forest area is land under natural or planted stands of trees, whether productive or not. Forest area of Malaysia has been observed over the years and it can be modeled using time series models. A new class of GARMA models have been introduced in the time series literature to reveal some hidden features in time series data. For these models to be used widely in practice, we illustrate the fitting of GARMA (1, 1; 1, δ) model to the Annual Forest Area data of Malaysia which has been observed from 1987 to 2008. The estimation of the model was done using Hannan-Rissanen Algorithm, Whittle's Estimation and Maximum Likelihood Estimation.

An analysis of population and social change in London wards in the 1980s.

PubMed

Congdon, P

1989-01-01

"This paper discusses the estimation and projection of small area populations in London, [England] and considers trends in intercensal social and demographic indices which can be calculated using these estimates. Information available annually on vital statistics and electorates is combined with detailed data from the Census Small Area Statistics to derive demographic component based population estimates for London's electoral wards over five year periods. The availability of age disaggregated population estimates permits derivation of small area social indicators for intercensal years, for example, of unemployment and mortality. Trends in spatial inequality of such indicators during the 1980s are analysed and point to continuing wide differentials. A typology of population and social indicators gives an indication of the small area distribution of the recent population turnaround in inner London, and of its association with other social processes such as gentrification and ethnic concentration." excerpt

47 CFR 54.518 - Support for wide area networks.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 47 Telecommunication 3 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Support for wide area networks. 54.518 Section... area networks. To the extent that states, schools, or libraries build or purchase a wide area network to provide telecommunications services, the cost of such wide area networks shall not be eligible for...

A Conceptual Study for the Autonomous Direct Forming of Lunar Regolith into Flexlock (Trademark) Geomats for Lunar Surface Operations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Robertson, Luke B.; Hintze, Paul; OConnor, Gregory W.

2009-01-01

We describe the conceptual method of an autonomously operable Direct Forming machine that would consume regolith or regolith slag to mold intimately, interlinked elements in a continuous process. The resulting product, one to three meter wide geomats, would be deployed over commonly traversed areas to isolate the astronauts and equipment from underlying dust. The porous geotextile would provide areas for dust settling, thereby mitigating dust impingement on astronaut suits or surface structures. Because of their self-supporting yet flexible structure, these geomats could be assembled into shields and buttresses to protect lunar habitants from radiation, forming a "flexoskeleton" from in situ materials.

Motion compensation using a suctioning stabilizer for intravital microscopy

PubMed Central

Vinegoni, Claudio; Lee, Sungon; Gorbatov, Rostic; Weissleder, Ralph

2013-01-01

Motion artifacts continue to present a major challenge to single cell imaging in cardiothoracic organs such as the beating heart, blood vessels, or lung. In this study, we present a new water-immersion suctioning stabilizer that enables minimally invasive intravital fluorescence microscopy using water-based stick objectives. The stabilizer works by reducing major motion excursions and can be used in conjunction with both prospective or retrospective gating approaches. We show that the new approach offers cellular resolution in the beating murine heart without perturbing normal physiology. In addition, because this technique allows multiple areas to be easily probed, it offers the opportunity for wide area coverage at high resolution. PMID:24086796

Crystallographic Characterization of Extraterrestrial Materials by Energy-Scanning X-ray Diffraction

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hagiya, Kenji; Mikouchi, Takashi; Ohsumi, Kazumasa; Terada, Yasuko; Yagi, Naoto; Komatsu, Mutsumi; Yamaguchi, Shoki; Hirata, Arashi; Kurokawa, Ayaka; Zolensky, Michael E. (Principal Investigator)

2016-01-01

We have continued our long-term project using X-ray diffraction to characterize a wide range of extraterrestrial samples. The stationary sample method with polychromatic X-rays is advantageous because the irradiated area of the sample is always same and fixed, meaning that all diffraction spots occur from the same area of the sample, however, unit cell parameters cannot be directly obtained by this method though they are very important for identification of mineral and for determination of crystal structures. In order to obtain the cell parameters even in the case of the sample stationary method, we apply energy scanning of a micro-beam of monochromatic SR at SPring-8.

Preliminary validation of leaf area index sensor in Huailai

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cai, Erli; Li, Xiuhong; Liu, Qiang; Dou, Baocheng; Chang, Chongyan; Niu, Hailin; Lin, Xingwen; Zhang, Jialin

2015-12-01

Leaf area index (LAI) is a key variable in many land surface models that involve energy and mass exchange between vegetation and the environment. In recent years, extracting vegetation structure parameters from digital photography becomes a widely used indirect method to estimate LAI for its simplicity and ease of use. A Leaf Area Index Sensor (LAIS) system was developed to continuously monitor the growth of crops in several sampling points in Huailai, China. The system applies 3G/WIFI communication technology to remotely collect crop photos in real-time. Then the crop photos are automatically processed and LAI is estimated based on the improved leaf area index of Lang and Xiang (LAILX) algorithm in LAIS. The objective of this study is to primarily verify the LAI estimated from LAIS (Lphoto) through comparing them with the destructive green LAI (Ldest). Ldest was measured across the growing season ntil maximum canopy development while plants are still green. The preliminary verification shows that Lphoto corresponds well with the Ldest (R2=0.975). In general, LAI could be accurately estimated with LAIS and its LAI shows high consistency compared with the destructive green LAI. The continuous LAI measurement obtained from LAIS could be used for the validation of remote sensing LAI products.

Vision servo of industrial robot: A review

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Yujin

2018-04-01

Robot technology has been implemented to various areas of production and life. With the continuous development of robot applications, requirements of the robot are also getting higher and higher. In order to get better perception of the robots, vision sensors have been widely used in industrial robots. In this paper, application directions of industrial robots are reviewed. The development, classification and application of robot vision servo technology are discussed, and the development prospect of industrial robot vision servo technology is proposed.

Near contact phenomena and transient effects in far infrared photoconductors

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Haegel, Nancy M.

1989-01-01

A combination of experimental and modeling work is summarized in two areas: first, the calculation of excess free carrier and space charge distributions near contacts and their effects on device resistivity, and second, the characterization of a slow transient response (tau approx. 1 sec) in Ge:Be detectors which is due to trapping associated with Be(+) formation. In both cases, analytical models, based on continuity and rate equations, have been developed to enable the application of these findings to a wide variety of photoconductor materials.

Predicting tree species presence and basal area in Utah: A comparison of stochastic gradient boosting, generalized additive models, and tree-based methods

USGS Publications Warehouse

Moisen, Gretchen G.; Freeman, E.A.; Blackard, J.A.; Frescino, T.S.; Zimmermann, N.E.; Edwards, T.C.

2006-01-01

Many efforts are underway to produce broad-scale forest attribute maps by modelling forest class and structure variables collected in forest inventories as functions of satellite-based and biophysical information. Typically, variants of classification and regression trees implemented in Rulequest's?? See5 and Cubist (for binary and continuous responses, respectively) are the tools of choice in many of these applications. These tools are widely used in large remote sensing applications, but are not easily interpretable, do not have ties with survey estimation methods, and use proprietary unpublished algorithms. Consequently, three alternative modelling techniques were compared for mapping presence and basal area of 13 species located in the mountain ranges of Utah, USA. The modelling techniques compared included the widely used See5/Cubist, generalized additive models (GAMs), and stochastic gradient boosting (SGB). Model performance was evaluated using independent test data sets. Evaluation criteria for mapping species presence included specificity, sensitivity, Kappa, and area under the curve (AUC). Evaluation criteria for the continuous basal area variables included correlation and relative mean squared error. For predicting species presence (setting thresholds to maximize Kappa), SGB had higher values for the majority of the species for specificity and Kappa, while GAMs had higher values for the majority of the species for sensitivity. In evaluating resultant AUC values, GAM and/or SGB models had significantly better results than the See5 models where significant differences could be detected between models. For nine out of 13 species, basal area prediction results for all modelling techniques were poor (correlations less than 0.5 and relative mean squared errors greater than 0.8), but SGB provided the most stable predictions in these instances. SGB and Cubist performed equally well for modelling basal area for three species with moderate prediction success, while all three modelling tools produced comparably good predictions (correlation of 0.68 and relative mean squared error of 0.56) for one species. ?? 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Simultaneous and continuous measurements of dissolved CO2, CH4, N2O and CO in rivers using Fourier-Transform-InfraRed (FTIR) spectrometry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Warneke, Thorsten; Müller, Denise; Caldow, Christopher; Rixen, Tim; Notholt, Justus

2015-04-01

We have coupled a Fourier-Transform InfraRed (FTIR) trace gas analyser to an equilibrator, which allows the simultaneous and continuous measurement of dissolved CO2, CH4, N2O and CO in water. The FTIR-technique has a high precision over a wide range of concentrations, making it very suitable for the measurement of these gases in freshwater systems. We have employed this measurement system on a commercial river barge on the Elbe river (Czech Republic, Germany) and on a fisher boat in the coastal area of Sarawak (Malaysia). In addition we have performed stationary continuous measurements at a small river in Northern Germany over the duration of 3 months. The presentation will outline the advantages and disadvantages of the FTIR-technique for freshwater measurements and will present results from the measurement campaigns.

Spatial generalised linear mixed models based on distances.

PubMed

Melo, Oscar O; Mateu, Jorge; Melo, Carlos E

2016-10-01

Risk models derived from environmental data have been widely shown to be effective in delineating geographical areas of risk because they are intuitively easy to understand. We present a new method based on distances, which allows the modelling of continuous and non-continuous random variables through distance-based spatial generalised linear mixed models. The parameters are estimated using Markov chain Monte Carlo maximum likelihood, which is a feasible and a useful technique. The proposed method depends on a detrending step built from continuous or categorical explanatory variables, or a mixture among them, by using an appropriate Euclidean distance. The method is illustrated through the analysis of the variation in the prevalence of Loa loa among a sample of village residents in Cameroon, where the explanatory variables included elevation, together with maximum normalised-difference vegetation index and the standard deviation of normalised-difference vegetation index calculated from repeated satellite scans over time. © The Author(s) 2013.

Current issues connected with usage of genetically modified crops in production of feed and livestock feeding.

PubMed

Kwiatek, K; Mazur, M; Sieradzki, Z

2008-01-01

Progress, which is brought by new advances in modern molecular biology, allowed interference in the genome of live organisms and gene manipulation. Introducing new genes to the recipient organism enables to give them new features, absent before. Continuous increase in the area of the biotech crops triggers continuous discussion about safety of genetically modified (GM) crops, including food and feed derived from them. Important issue connected with cultivation of genetically modified crops is a horizontal gene transfer and a bacterial antibiotic resistance. Discussion about safety of GM crops concerns also food allergies caused by eating genetically modified food. The problem of genetic modifications of GM crops used for livestock feeding is widely discussed, taking into account Polish feed law.

Aluminum recycling—An integrated, industrywide approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Das, Subodh K.; Green, John A. S.; Kaufman, J. Gilbert; Emadi, Daryoush; Mahfoud, M.

2010-02-01

The aluminum industry is a leading proponent of global sustainability and strongly advocates the use of recycled metal. As the North American primary aluminum industry continues to move offshore to other geographic areas such as Iceland and the Middle East, where energy is more readily available at lower cost, the importance of the secondary (i.e., recycled metal) market in the U.S. will continue to increase. The purpose of this paper is to take an integrated, industry-wide look at the recovery of material from demolished buildings, shredded automobiles, and aging aircraft, as well as from traditional cans and other rigid containers. Attempts will be made to assess how the different alloys used in these separate markets can be recycled in the most energy-efficient manner.

Wide-field microscopy using microcamera arrays

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marks, Daniel L.; Youn, Seo Ho; Son, Hui S.; Kim, Jungsang; Brady, David J.

2013-02-01

A microcamera is a relay lens paired with image sensors. Microcameras are grouped into arrays to relay overlapping views of a single large surface to the sensors to form a continuous synthetic image. The imaged surface may be curved or irregular as each camera may independently be dynamically focused to a different depth. Microcamera arrays are akin to microprocessors in supercomputers in that both join individual processors by an optoelectronic routing fabric to increase capacity and performance. A microcamera may image ten or more megapixels and grouped into an array of several hundred, as has already been demonstrated by the DARPA AWARE Wide-Field program with multiscale gigapixel photography. We adapt gigapixel microcamera array architectures to wide-field microscopy of irregularly shaped surfaces to greatly increase area imaging over 1000 square millimeters at resolutions of 3 microns or better in a single snapshot. The system includes a novel relay design, a sensor electronics package, and a FPGA-based networking fabric. Biomedical applications of this include screening for skin lesions, wide-field and resolution-agile microsurgical imaging, and microscopic cytometry of millions of cells performed in situ.

A Regional, Multi-Stakeholder Collaboration for Dark-Sky Protection in Flagstaff, Arizona

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hall, Jeffrey C.

2018-01-01

Flagstaff, Arizona is home to almost $200M in astronomical assets, including Lowell Observatory's 4.3-meter Discovery Channel Telescope and the Navy Precision Optical Interferometer, a partnership of Lowell, the U. S. Naval Observatory, and the Naval Research Laboratory. The City of Flagstaff and surrounding Coconino County have comprehensive and effective dark-sky ordinances, but continued regional growth has the potential to degrade the area's dark skies to a level at which observatory missions could be compromised. As a result, a wide array of stakeholders (the observatories, the City, the County, local dark-sky advocates, the business and tourism communities, the national parks and monuments, the Navajo Nation, the U. S. Navy, and others) have engaged in three complementary efforts to ensure that Flagstaff and Coconino County protect the area's dark skies while meeting the needs of the various communities and providing for continued growth and development. In this poster, I will present the status of Flagstaff's conversion to LED outdoor lighting, the Mission Compatibility Study carried out by the Navy to evaluate the dark-sky effects of buildout in Flagstaff, and the Joint Land Use Study (JLUS) presently underway among all the aforementioned stakeholders. Taken in sum, the efforts represent a comprehensive and constructive approach to dark-sky preservation region-wide, and they show what can be achieved when a culture of dark-sky protection is present and deliberate efforts are undertaken to maintain it for decades to come.

76 FR 71928 - Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement; Updates to Wide Area WorkFlow (DFARS Case 2011...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-11-21

... Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement; Updates to Wide Area WorkFlow (DFARS Case 2011-D027... Wide Area WorkFlow (WAWF) and TRICARE Encounter Data System (TEDS). WAWF, which electronically... civil emergencies, when access to Wide Area WorkFlow by those contractors is not feasible; (4) Purchases...

Multi-sensor field trials for detection and tracking of multiple small unmanned aerial vehicles flying at low altitude

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Laurenzis, Martin; Hengy, Sebastien; Hommes, Alexander; Kloeppel, Frank; Shoykhetbrod, Alex; Geibig, Thomas; Johannes, Winfried; Naz, Pierre; Christnacher, Frank

2017-05-01

Small unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) flying at low altitude are becoming more and more a serious threat in civilian and military scenarios. In recent past, numerous incidents have been reported where small UAV were flying in security areas leading to serious danger to public safety or privacy. The detection and tracking of small UAV is a widely discussed topic. Especially, small UAV flying at low altitude in urban environment or near background structures and the detection of multiple UAV at the same time is challenging. Field trials were carried out to investigate the detection and tracking of multiple UAV flying at low altitude with state of the art detection technologies. Here, we present results which were achieved using a heterogeneous sensor network consisting of acoustic antennas, small frequency modulated continuous wave (FMCW) RADAR systems and optical sensors. While acoustics, RADAR and LiDAR were applied to monitor a wide azimuthal area (360°) and to simultaneously track multiple UAV, optical sensors were used for sequential identification with a very narrow field of view.

The effects of bariatric surgery: will understanding its mechanism render the knife unnecessary?

PubMed

Browning, Kirsteen N; Hajnal, Andras

2014-01-01

The incidence of obesity is increasing worldwide at a dramatic rate, accompanied by an associated increase in comorbid conditions. Bariatric surgery is the most effective treatment for morbid obesity with Roux-en-Y gastric bypass being the most commonly performed procedure, yet the underlying mechanisms by which it induces a wide-array of beneficial effects remains obscure. From basic science as well as clinical standpoints, there are several areas of current interest that warrant continued investigation. Several major focus areas have also emerged in current research that may guide future efforts in this field, particularly with regards to using novel, non-surgical approaches to mimic the success of bariatric surgery while minimizing its adverse side effects.

A century of general relativity: Astrophysics and cosmology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Blandford, R. D.

2015-03-01

One hundred years after its birth, general relativity has become a highly successful physical theory in the sense that it has passed a large number of experimental and observational tests and finds extensive application to a wide variety of cosmic phenomena. It remains an active area of research as new tests are on the way, epitomized by the exciting prospect of detecting gravitational waves from merging black holes. General relativity is the essential foundation of the standard model of cosmology and underlies our description of the black holes and neutron stars that are ultimately responsible for the most powerful and dramatic cosmic sources. Its interface with physics on the smallest and largest scales will continue to provide fertile areas of investigation in its next century.

Health-seeking behavior and the meaning of medications in Balochistan, Pakistan.

PubMed

Hunte, P A; Sultana, F

1992-06-01

A wide variety of health care options--home-based, indigenous, and cosmopolitan--exists in northern Balochistan, Pakistan. This paper examines health-seeking behavior in the area of mother and child health for villagers in this pluralistic medical setting. The analysis of a specific series of illness episodes shows that the majority of cases obtain treatment from different medical systems for a single episode. Interest in medications takes precedence over practitioners, and the meaning the villagers attach to such substances is explored. Long-established patterns of behavior relating to indigenous medicine continue to occur when cosmopolitan medicine is utilized. Information presented here helps to explain problems in utilization of cosmopolitan pharmaceuticals and delineates areas for future health programme activity.

Fabrication Technology

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

Blaedel, K.L.

1993-03-01

The mission of the Fabrication Technology thrust area is to have an adequate base of manufacturing technology, not necessarily resident at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), to conduct the future business of LLNL. The specific goals continue to be to (1) develop an understanding of fundamental fabrication processes; (2) construct general purpose process models that will have wide applicability; (3) document findings and models in journals; (4) transfer technology to LLNL programs, industry, and colleagues; and (5) develop continuing relationships with the industrial and academic communities to advance the collective understanding of fabrication processes. The strategy to ensure success ismore » changing. For technologies in which they are expert and which will continue to be of future importance to LLNL, they can often attract outside resources both to maintain their expertise by applying it to a specific problem and to help fund further development. A popular vehicle to fund such work is the Cooperative Research and Development Agreement with industry. For technologies needing development because of their future critical importance and in which they are not expert, they use internal funding sources. These latter are the topics of the thrust area. Three FY-92 funded projects are discussed in this section. Each project clearly moves the Fabrication Technology thrust area towards the goals outlined above. They have also continued their membership in the North Carolina State University Precision Engineering Center, a multidisciplinary research and graduate program established to provide the new technologies needed by high-technology institutions in the US. As members, they have access to and use of the results of their research projects, many of which parallel the precision engineering efforts at LLNL.« less

Fabrication technology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Blaedel, K. L.

1993-03-01

The mission of the Fabrication Technology thrust area is to have an adequate base of manufacturing technology, not necessarily resident at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), to conduct the future business of LLNL. The specific goals continue to be to do the following: (1) develop an understanding of fundamental fabrication processes; (2) construct general purpose process models that will have wide applicability; (3) document findings and models in journals; (4) transfer technology to LLNL programs, industry, and colleagues; and (5) develop continuing relationships with the industrial and academic communities to advance the collective understanding of fabrication processes. The strategy to ensure success is changing. For technologies in which they are expert and which will continue to be of future importance to LLNL, they can often attract outside resources both to maintain their expertise by applying it to a specific problem and to help fund further development. A popular vehicle to fund such work is the Cooperative Research and Development Agreement with industry. For technologies needing development because of their future critical importance and in which they are not expert, they use internal funding sources. These latter are the topics of the thrust area. Three FY-92 funded projects are discussed in this section. Each project clearly moves the Fabrication Technology thrust area towards the goals outlined above. They have also continued their membership in the North Carolina State University Precision Engineering Center, a multidisciplinary research and graduate program established to provide the new technologies needed by high-technology institutions in the U.S. As members, they have access to and use of the results of their research projects, many of which parallel the precision engineering efforts at LLNL.

Use of Atlantic Forest protected areas by free-ranging dogs: estimating abundance and persistence of use

USGS Publications Warehouse

Paschoal, Ana Maria; Massara, Rodrigo; Bailey, Larissa L.; Kendall, William L.; Doherty, Paul F.; Hirsch, Andre; Chiarello, Adriano; Paglia, Adriano

2016-01-01

Worldwide, domestic dogs (Canis familiaris) are one of the most common carnivoran species in natural areas and their populations are still increasing. Dogs have been shown to impact wildlife populations negatively, and their occurrence can alter the abundance, behavior, and activity patterns of native species. However, little is known about abundance and density of the free-ranging dogs that use protected areas. Here, we used camera trap data with an open-robust design mark–recapture model to estimate the number of dogs that used protected areas in Brazilian Atlantic Forest. We estimated the time period these dogs used the protected areas, and explored factors that influenced the probability of continued use (e.g., season, mammal richness, proportion of forest), while accounting for variation in detection probability. Dogs in the studied system were categorized as rural free-ranging, and their abundance varied widely across protected areas (0–73 individuals). Dogs used protected areas near human houses for longer periods (e.g., >50% of sampling occasions) compared to more distant areas. We found no evidence that their probability of continued use varied with season or mammal richness. Dog detection probability decreased linearly among occasions, possibly due to the owners confining their dogs after becoming aware of our presence. Comparing our estimates to those for native carnivoran, we found that dogs were three to 85 times more abundant than ocelots (Leopardus pardalis), two to 25 times more abundant than puma (Puma concolor), and approximately five times more abundant than the crab-eating fox (Cerdocyon thous). Combining camera trapping data with modern mark–recapture methods provides important demographic information on free-ranging dogs that can guide management strategies to directly control dogs' abundance and ranging behavior.

Electro-spray deposition of a mesoporous TiO2 charge collection layer: toward large scale and continuous production of high efficiency perovskite solar cells.

PubMed

Kim, Min-cheol; Kim, Byeong Jo; Yoon, Jungjin; Lee, Jin-wook; Suh, Dongchul; Park, Nam-gyu; Choi, Mansoo; Jung, Hyun Suk

2015-12-28

The spin-coating method, which is widely used for thin film device fabrication, is incapable of large-area deposition or being performed continuously. In perovskite hybrid solar cells using CH(3)NH(3)PbI(3) (MAPbI(3)), large-area deposition is essential for their potential use in mass production. Prior to replacing all the spin-coating process for fabrication of perovskite solar cells, herein, a mesoporous TiO(2) electron-collection layer is fabricated by using the electro-spray deposition (ESD) system. Moreover, impedance spectroscopy and transient photocurrent and photovoltage measurements reveal that the electro-sprayed mesoscopic TiO(2) film facilitates charge collection from the perovskite. The series resistance of the perovskite solar cell is also reduced owing to the highly porous nature of, and the low density of point defects in, the film. An optimized power conversion efficiency of 15.11% is achieved under an illumination of 1 sun; this efficiency is higher than that (13.67%) of the perovskite solar cell with the conventional spin-coated TiO(2) films. Furthermore, the large-area coating capability of the ESD process is verified through the coating of uniform 10 × 10 cm(2) TiO(2) films. This study clearly shows that ESD constitutes therefore a viable alternative for the fabrication of high-throughput, large-area perovskite solar cells.

On the continuity of mean total normal stress in geometrical multiscale cardiovascular problems

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

Blanco, Pablo J., E-mail: pjblanco@lncc.br; INCT-MACC, Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia em Medicina Assistida por Computação Científica, Petrópolis; Deparis, Simone, E-mail: simone.deparis@epfl.ch

2013-10-15

In this work an iterative strategy to implicitly couple dimensionally-heterogeneous blood flow models accounting for the continuity of mean total normal stress at interface boundaries is developed. Conservation of mean total normal stress in the coupling of heterogeneous models is mandatory to satisfy energetic consistency between them. Nevertheless, existing methodologies are based on modifications of the Navier–Stokes variational formulation, which are undesired when dealing with fluid–structure interaction or black box codes. The proposed methodology makes possible to couple one-dimensional and three-dimensional fluid–structure interaction models, enforcing the continuity of mean total normal stress while just imposing flow rate data or evenmore » the classical Neumann boundary data to the models. This is accomplished by modifying an existing iterative algorithm, which is also able to account for the continuity of the vessel area, when required. Comparisons are performed to assess differences in the convergence properties of the algorithms when considering the continuity of mean normal stress and the continuity of mean total normal stress for a wide range of flow regimes. Finally, examples in the physiological regime are shown to evaluate the importance, or not, of considering the continuity of mean total normal stress in hemodynamics simulations.« less

Assessing Mechanisms of Climate Change Impact on the Upland Forest Water Balance of the Willamette River Basin

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Turner, D. P.; Conklin, D. R.; Vache, K. B.; Schwartz, C.; Nolin, A. W.; Chang, H.; Watson, E.; John, B.

2016-12-01

Projected changes in air temperature, precipitation, and vapor pressure for the Willamette River Basin (Oregon, USA) over the next century will have significant impacts on the river basin water balance, notably on the amount of evapotranspiration (ET). Mechanisms of impact on ET will be both direct and indirect, but there is limited understanding of their absolute and relative magnitudes. Here we developed a spatially-explicit, daily time-step, modeling infrastructure to simulate the basin-wide water balance that accounts for meteorological influences, as well as effects mediated by changing vegetation cover type, leaf area, and ecophysiology. Three CMIP5 climate scenarios (LowClim, Reference, HighClim) were run for the 2010 to 2100 period. Besides warmer temperatures, the climate scenarios were characterized by wetter winters and increasing vapor pressure deficits. In the mid-range Reference scenario, our landscape simulation model (Envision) projected a continuation of forest cover on the uplands but a 3-fold increase in area burned per year. A decline (12-30%) in basin-wide mean leaf area index (LAI) in forests was projected in all scenarios. The lower LAIs drove a corresponding decline in ET. In a sensitivity test, the effect of increasing CO2 on stomatal conductance induced a further substantial decrease (11-18%) in basin-wide mean ET. The net effect of decreases in ET and increases in winter precipitation was an increase in annual streamflow. These results support the inclusion of changes in land cover, land use, LAI, and ecophysiology in efforts to anticipate impacts of climate change on basin-scale water balances.

Telecommunications Network Plan

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

NONE

1989-05-01

The Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management (OCRWM) must, among other things, be equipped to readily produce, file, store, access, retrieve, and transfer a wide variety of technical and institutional data and information. The data and information regularly produced by members of the OCRWM Program supports, and will continue to support, a wide range of program activities. Some of the more important of these information communication-related activities include: supporting the preparation, submittal, and review of a license application to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to authorize the construction of a geologic repository; responding to requests for information from parties affectedmore » by and/or interested in the program; and providing evidence of compliance with all relevant Federal, State, local, and Indian Tribe regulations, statutes, and/or treaties. The OCRWM Telecommunications Network Plan (TNP) is intended to identify, as well as to present the current strategy for satisfying, the telecommunications requirements of the civilian radioactive waste management program. The TNP will set forth the plan for integrating OCRWM`s information resources among major program sites. Specifically, this plan will introduce a telecommunications network designed to establish communication linkages across the program`s Washington, DC; Chicago, Illinois; and Las Vegas, Nevada, sites. The linkages across these and associated sites will comprise Phase I of the proposed OCRWM telecommunications network. The second phase will focus on the modification and expansion of the Phase I network to fully accommodate access to the OCRWM Licensing Support System (LSS). The primary components of the proposed OCRWM telecommunications network include local area networks; extended local area networks; and remote extended (wide) area networks. 10 refs., 6 figs.« less

Final Environmental Assessment for Wide Area Coverage Construct Land Mobile Network Communications Infrastructure Malmstrom Air Force Base, Montana

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-02-01

FINAL ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT February 2008 Malmstrom ® AFB WIDE AREA COVERAGE CONSTRUCT LAND MOBILE NETWORK COMMUNICATIONS INFRASTRUCTURE...Wide Area Coverage Construct Land Mobile Network Communications Infrastructure Malmstrom Air Force Base, Montana 5a. CONTRACT NUMBER 5b. GRANT...SIGNIFICANT IMPACT WIDE AREA COVERAGE CONSTRUCT LAND MOBILE NETWORK COMMUNICATIONS INFRASTRUCTURE MALMSTROM AIR FORCE BASE, MONTANA The

Deriving temporally continuous soil moisture estimations at fine resolution by downscaling remotely sensed product

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jin, Yan; Ge, Yong; Wang, Jianghao; Heuvelink, Gerard B. M.

2018-06-01

Land surface soil moisture (SSM) has important roles in the energy balance of the land surface and in the water cycle. Downscaling of coarse-resolution SSM remote sensing products is an efficient way for producing fine-resolution data. However, the downscaling methods used most widely require full-coverage visible/infrared satellite data as ancillary information. These methods are restricted to cloud-free days, making them unsuitable for continuous monitoring. The purpose of this study is to overcome this limitation to obtain temporally continuous fine-resolution SSM estimations. The local spatial heterogeneities of SSM and multiscale ancillary variables were considered in the downscaling process both to solve the problem of the strong variability of SSM and to benefit from the fusion of ancillary information. The generation of continuous downscaled remote sensing data was achieved via two principal steps. For cloud-free days, a stepwise hybrid geostatistical downscaling approach, based on geographically weighted area-to-area regression kriging (GWATARK), was employed by combining multiscale ancillary variables with passive microwave remote sensing data. Then, the GWATARK-estimated SSM and China Soil Moisture Dataset from Microwave Data Assimilation SSM data were combined to estimate fine-resolution data for cloudy days. The developed methodology was validated by application to the 25-km resolution daily AMSR-E SSM product to produce continuous SSM estimations at 1-km resolution over the Tibetan Plateau. In comparison with ground-based observations, the downscaled estimations showed correlation (R ≥ 0.7) for both ascending and descending overpasses. The analysis indicated the high potential of the proposed approach for producing a temporally continuous SSM product at fine spatial resolution.

Widely tunable short-infrared thulium and holmium doped fluorozirconate waveguide chip lasers.

PubMed

Lancaster, D G; Gross, S; Withford, M J; Monro, T M

2014-10-20

We report widely tunable (≈ 260 nm) Tm(3+) and Ho(3+) doped fluorozirconate (ZBLAN) glass waveguide extended cavity lasers with close to diffraction limited beam quality (M(2) ≈ 1.3). The waveguides are based on ultrafast laser inscribed depressed claddings. A Ti:sapphire laser pumped Tm(3+)-doped chip laser continuously tunes from 1725 nm to 1975 nm, and a Tm(3+)-sensitized Tm(3+):Ho(3+) chip laser displays tuning across both ions evidenced by a red enhanced tuning range of 1810 to 2053 nm. We also demonstrate a compact 790 nm diode laser pumped Tm(3+)-doped chip laser which tunes from 1750 nm to 1998 nm at a 14% incident slope efficiency, and a beam quality of M(2) ≈ 1.2 for a large mode-area waveguide with 70 µm core diameter.

Current Concepts in Treatment of Patellofemoral Osteochondritis Dissecans

PubMed Central

Paine, Russ; Chicas, Eric; Gardner, Emily; Bailey, Lane; McDermott, James

2016-01-01

Identification, protection, and management of patellofemoral articular cartilage lesions continue to remain on the forefront of sports medicine rehabilitation. Due to high-level compression forces that are applied through the patellofemoral (PF) joint, managing articular cartilage lesions is challenging for sports medicine specialists. Articular cartilage damage may exist in a wide spectrum of injuries ranging from small, single areas of focal damage to wide spread osteoarthritis involving large chondral regions. Management of these conditions has evolved over the last two centuries, most recently using biogenetic materials and cartilage replacement modalities. The purpose of this clinical commentary is to discuss PF articular cartilage injuries, etiological variables, and investigate the evolution in management of articular cartilage lesions. Rehabilitation of these lesions will also be discussed with a focus on current trends and return to function criteria. Level of Evidence 5 PMID:27904793

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

Green, William; Xiong, Chi; Khater, Marwan

Due to the high radiative forcing of methane, fugitive natural gas leaks pose a significant challenge to the near-term environmental viability of oil and gas extraction. Reducing the subsequent environmental impact requires cost-effective sensor nodes for reliable, rapid, and continuous identification of extraneous methane emissions. The efficacy of laser spectroscopy has been widely demonstrated in both environmental and medical applications due to its sensitivity and specificity to the target analyte. However, the present cost and the lack of manufacturing scalability of free-space optical systems can limit their viability for economical wide-area sensor networks in localized leak detection applications. In thismore » paper, we will review the development and performance of a cost-effective silicon photonic sensing platform. This platform uses silicon photonic waveguide and packaging integration technologies to enable on-chip evanescent field spectroscopy of methane.« less

47 CFR 54.518 - Support for wide area networks.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... 47 Telecommunication 3 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Support for wide area networks. 54.518 Section... area networks. To the extent that schools, libraries or consortia that include an eligible school or library build or purchase a wide area network to provide telecommunications services, the cost of such...

Stigmatization of Illicit Drug Use among Puerto Rican Health Professionals in Training1

PubMed Central

Varas-Díaz, Nelson; Negrón, Salvador Santiago; Neilands, Torsten B.; Bou, Francheska Cintrón; Rivera, Souhail Malavé

2010-01-01

Social stigma continues to be a barrier for health promotion in our society. One of the most stigmatized health conditions in our time continues to be addiction to illicit drug use. Although it has been widely recognized as a health concern, criminalizing approaches continue to be common in Puerto Rico. Health professionals need to engage in challenging the stigma of illicit drug use in order to foster policies and government efforts with health-oriented approaches. Still, personal stigmatizing attitudes among them continue to be a barrier for the implementation of this agenda. Therefore, the main objectives of this study were to document stigma towards illicit drug use among a sample of health professionals in training, and explore differences in such attitudes among participants from different areas of training. In order to achieve this objective we carried out a sequential mixed method approach with a sample of 501 health professionals in training or practice from the disciplines of medicine, nursing, psychology and social work. Results evidence the continued existence of stigmatizing attitudes among this population. We discuss some of the implications for public health and potential strategies for action. PMID:20496525

The Stormy Life of Galaxy Clusters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rudnick, Lawrence

2018-01-01

Galaxy clusters, the largest gravitationally bound structures, hold the full history of their baryonic evolution, serve as important cosmological tools and allow us to probe unique physical regimes in their diffuse plasmas. With characteristic dynamical timescales of 107-109 years, these diffuse thermal and relativistic media continue to evolve, as dark matter drives major mergers and more gentle continuing accretion. The history of this assembly is encoded in the plasmas, and a wide range of observational and theoretical investigations are aimed at decoding their signatures. X-ray temperature and density variations, low Mach number shocks, and "cold front" discontinuities all illuminate clusters' continued evolution. Radio structures and spectra are passive indicators of merger shocks, while radio galaxy distortions reveal the complex motions in the intracluster medium. Deep in cluster cores, AGNs associated with brightest cluster galaxies provide ongoing energy, and perhaps even stabilize the intracluster medium. In this talk, we will recount this evolving picture of the stormy ICM, and suggest areas of likely advance in the coming years.

Hospital-wide education committees and high-quality residency training : A qualitative study.

PubMed

Silkens, Milou E W M; Slootweg, Irene A; Scherpbier, Albert J J A; Heineman, Maas Jan; Lombarts, Kiki M J M H

2017-12-01

High-quality residency training is of utmost importance for residents to become competent medical specialists. Hospital-wide education committees have been adopted by several healthcare systems to govern postgraduate medical education and to support continuous quality improvement of residency training. To understand the functioning and potential of such committees, this study examined the mechanisms through which hospital-wide education committees strive to enable continuous quality improvement in residency training. Focus group studies with a constructivist grounded theory approach were performed between April 2015 and August 2016. A purposeful sample of hospital-wide education committees led to seven focus groups. Hospital-wide education committees strived to enable continuous quality improvement of residency training by the following mechanisms: creating an organization-wide quality culture, an organization-wide quality structure and by collaborating with external stakeholders. However, the committees were first and foremost eager to claim a strategic position within the organization they represent. All identified mechanisms were interdependent and ongoing. From a governance perspective, the position of hospital-wide education committees in the Netherlands is uniquely contributing to the call for institutional accountability for the quality of residency training. When implementing hospital-wide education committees, shared responsibility of the committees and the departments that actually provide residency training should be addressed. Although committees vary in the strategies they use to impact continuous quality improvement of residency training, they increasingly have the ability to undertake supporting actions and are working step by step to contribute to high-quality postgraduate medical education.

Phylogeography of the ant Myrmica rubra and its inquiline social parasite

PubMed Central

Leppänen, Jenni; Vepsäläinen, Kari; Savolainen, Riitta

2011-01-01

Widely distributed Palearctic insects are ideal to study phylogeographic patterns owing to their high potential to survive in many Pleistocene refugia and—after the glaciation—to recolonize vast, continuous areas. Nevertheless, such species have received little phylogeographic attention. Here, we investigated the Pleistocene refugia and subsequent postglacial colonization of the common, abundant, and widely distributed ant Myrmica rubra over most of its Palearctic area, using mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA). The western and eastern populations of M. rubra belonged predominantly to separate haplogroups, which formed a broad secondary contact zone in Central Europe. The distribution of genetic diversity and haplogroups implied that M. rubra survived the last glaciation in multiple refugia located over an extensive area from Iberia in the west to Siberia in the east, and colonized its present areas of distribution along several routes. The matrilineal genetic structure of M. rubra was probably formed during the last glaciation and subsequent postglacial expansion. Additionally, because M. rubra has two queen morphs, the obligately socially parasitic microgyne and its macrogyne host, we tested the suggested speciation of the parasite. Locally, the parasite and host usually belonged to the same haplogroup but differed in haplotype frequencies. This indicates that genetic differentiation between the morphs is a universal pattern and thus incipient, sympatric speciation of the parasite from its host is possible. If speciation is taking place, however, it is not yet visible as lineage sorting of the mtDNA between the morphs. PMID:22393482

Long term SAR interferometry monitoring for assessing changing levels of slope instability hazards

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wasowski, J.; Ferretti, A.

The population growth with increasing impact of man on the environment and urbanisation of areas susceptible to slope failures coupled with the ongoing change in climate patterns will require a shift in the approaches to landslide hazard reduction Indeed there is evidence that landslide activity and related socio-economic loss are increasing in both rich and less developed countries throughout the world Because of this and because the urbanisation of hillside and mountain slopes prone to failure will likely continue in the future the protection of new and pre-existing developed areas via traditional engineering stabilisation works and in situ monitoring is not considered economically feasible Furthermore in most cases the ground control systems are installed post-factum and for short term monitoring and hence their role in preventing disasters is limited Considering the global dimension of the slope instability problem a sustainable road to landslide hazard reduction seems to be via exploitation of EO systems with focus on early detection long term monitoring and early warning Thanks to the wide-area coverage regular schedule and improving resolution of space-borne sensors the EO can foster the auspicious shift from a culture of repair to a culture of awarness and prevention Under this scenario the space-borne synthetic aperture radar differential interferometry DInSAR is attractive because of its capability to provide both wide-area and spatially dense information on surface displacements Since the presence of movements represents a direct evidence of

Health benefits of air pollution abatement policy: Role of the shape of the concentration-response function.

PubMed

Pope, C Arden; Cropper, Maureen; Coggins, Jay; Cohen, Aaron

2015-05-01

There is strong evidence that fine particulate matter (aerodynamic diameter<2.5 μm; PM2.5) air pollution contributes to increased risk of disease and death. Estimates of the burden of disease attributable to PM2.5 pollution and benefits of reducing pollution are dependent upon the shape of the concentration response (C-R) functions. Recent evidence suggests that the C-R function between PM2.5 air pollution and mortality risk may be supralinear across wide ranges of exposure. Such results imply that incremental pollution abatement efforts may yield greater benefits in relatively clean areas than in highly polluted areas. The role of the shape of the C-R function in evaluating and understanding the costs and health benefits of air pollution abatement policy is explored. There remain uncertainties regarding the shape of the C-R function, and additional efforts to more fully understand the C-R relationships between PM2.5 and adverse health effects are needed to allow for more informed and effective air pollution abatement policies. Current evidence, however, suggests that there are benefits both from reducing air pollution in the more polluted areas and from continuing to reduce air pollution in cleaner areas. Estimates of the benefits of reducing PM2.5 air pollution are highly dependent upon the shape of the PM2.5-mortality concentration-response (C-R) function. Recent evidence indicates that this C-R function may be supralinear across wide ranges of exposure, suggesting that incremental pollution abatement efforts may yield greater benefits in relatively clean areas than in highly polluted areas. This paper explores the role of the shape of the C-R function in evaluating and understanding the costs and health benefits of PM2.5 air pollution abatement.

A century of general relativity: astrophysics and cosmology.

PubMed

Blandford, R D

2015-03-06

One hundred years after its birth, general relativity has become a highly successful physical theory in the sense that it has passed a large number of experimental and observational tests and finds extensive application to a wide variety of cosmic phenomena. It remains an active area of research as new tests are on the way, epitomized by the exciting prospect of detecting gravitational waves from merging black holes. General relativity is the essential foundation of the standard model of cosmology and underlies our description of the black holes and neutron stars that are ultimately responsible for the most powerful and dramatic cosmic sources. Its interface with physics on the smallest and largest scales will continue to provide fertile areas of investigation in its next century. Copyright © 2015, American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Multimedia Information eXchange for I-NET, Inc. at the Kennedy Space Center: A continuing study of the application of worldwideweb technology

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Metcalf, David

1995-01-01

Multimedia Information eXchange (MIX) is a multimedia information system that accommodates multiple data types and provides consistency across platforms. Information from all over the world can be accessed quickly and efficiently with the Internet-based system. I-NET's MIX uses the World Wide Web and Mosaic graphical user interface. Mosaic is available on all platforms used at I-NET's Kennedy Space Center (KSC) facilities. Key information system design concepts and benefits are reviewed. The MIX system also defines specific configuration and helper application parameters to ensure consistent operations across the entire organization. Guidelines and procedures for other areas of importance in information systems design are also addressed. Areas include: code of ethics, content, copyright, security, system administration, and support.

A Quantitative Method to Identify Lithology Beneath Cover

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gettings, M. E.

2008-12-01

Geophysical terranes (map areas of similar potential field data response) can be used in the estimation of geological map units beneath cover (bedrock, alluvium, or tectonic block). Potential field data over nearby bedrock terranes defines "candidate terranes". Geophysical anomaly dimensions, shapes, amplitudes, trends/structural grain, and fractal measures yield a vector of measures characterizing the terrane. To compare candidate terranes fields with those for covered areas, the effect of depth of cover must be taken into account. Gravity anomaly data yields depth estimates by which the aeromagnetic data of candidate terranes are then upward continued. Comparison of characteristics of the upward continued fields from the candidate terranes to those of covered areas rank the candidates. Because of signal loss in upward continuation and overlap of physical properties, the vectors of measures for the candidate terranes are usually not unique. Possibility theory offers a relatively objective and robust method that can be used to rank terrane types that includes uncertainty. The strategy is to prepare membership functions for each measure of each candidate terrane and the covered area, based on observed values and degree of knowledge, and then form the fuzzy-logical combination of these to estimate the possibility and its uncertainty for each candidate terrane. Membership functions include uncertainty by the degree of membership for various possibility values. With no other information, uncertainty is based on information content from survey specifications and geologic features dimensions. Geologic data can also be included, such as structural trends, proximity, and tectonic history. Little knowledge implies wide membership functions; perfect knowledge, a delta function. This and the combination rules in fuzzy logic yield a robust estimation method. An uncertain membership function of a characteristic contributes much less to the possibility than a precise one. The final result for each covered area is a ranked possibility function for each candidate terrane as the underlying bedrock of the covered area that honors the aeromagnetic field and the geologic constraints that have been included. An example of the application of this method is presented for an area in south central Arizona.

EPA Brownfields Area-Wide Planning Recipients Selected for FY13 Grant Funding

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

EPA has selected the following entities as Brownfields Area-Wide Planning grant recipients. These recipients will work with their local community members, other stakeholders and project partners to develop an area-wide plan and implementation strategy for

FTAP: a Linux-based program for tapping and music experiments.

PubMed

Finney, S A

2001-02-01

This paper describes FTAP, a flexible data collection system for tapping and music experiments. FTAP runs on standard PC hardware with the Linux operating system and can process input keystrokes and auditory output with reliable millisecond resolution. It uses standard MIDI devices for input and output and is particularly flexible in the area of auditory feedback manipulation. FTAP can run a wide variety of experiments, including synchronization/continuation tasks (Wing & Kristofferson, 1973), synchronization tasks combined with delayed auditory feedback (Aschersleben & Prinz, 1997), continuation tasks with isolated feedback perturbations (Wing, 1977), and complex alterations of feedback in music performance (Finney, 1997). Such experiments have often been implemented with custom hardware and software systems, but with FTAP they can be specified by a simple ASCII text parameter file. FTAP is available at no cost in source-code form.

How to manage continuing education and retraining programs on optical physics and laser technology at a university: Moscow State experience

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zadkov, Victor N.; Koroteev, Nikolai I.

1995-10-01

An experience of managing the continuing education and retraining programs at the International Laser Center (ILC) of Moscow State University is discussed. The offered programs are in a wide range of areas, namely laser physics and technology, laser biophysics and biomedicine, laser chemistry, and computers in laser physics. The attendees who are presumably scientists, engineers, technical managers, and graduate students can join these programs through the annual ILC term (6 months), individual training and research programs (up to a year), annual ILC Laser Graduate School, graduate study, and post-docs program, which are reviewed in the paper. A curriculum that includes basic and specialized courses is described in detail. A brief description of the ILC Laser Teaching and Computer Labs that support all the educational courses is given as well.

Designing application software in wide area network settings

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Makpangou, Mesaac; Birman, Ken

1990-01-01

Progress in methodologies for developing robust local area network software has not been matched by similar results for wide area settings. The design of application software spanning multiple local area environments is examined. For important classes of applications, simple design techniques are presented that yield fault tolerant wide area programs. An implementation of these techniques as a set of tools for use within the ISIS system is described.

New Uses of AbobotulinumtoxinA in Aesthetics.

PubMed

Schlessinger, Joel; Gilbert, Erin; Cohen, Joel L; Kaufman, Joely

2017-05-01

BotulinumtoxinA (BoNT-A) is now widely established for the main approved indication of reducing glabellar lines, and is also widely used off-label to improve the appearance of wrinkles and lines in other parts of the face. The number of aesthetic procedures continues to increase as the patient population becomes more diverse, in particular with increasing numbers of people of color and men. Further developments in treatment may continue to expand the audience for BoNT-A by making procedures more comfortable and by delivering a more natural, less static appearance. These may be achieved through use of combinations of BoNT-A with other aesthetic procedures, tailoring the dose of toxin to the patient's muscle mass or by using novel injection and application techniques. Beyond amelioration of facial lines, encouraging results have been seen with the use of BoNT-A to improve the appearance of hypertrophic and keloid scars and even to prevent them. Studies have been conducted with scars in various parts of the body and further research is ongoing. Dermatological and other medical uses for BoNT-A are also active areas of research. Injections of BoNT-A have been shown to reduce signs and symptoms of acne, rosacea, and psoriasis, to reduce neuromuscular pain, and to bring about significant improvements in a number of rare diseases that are caused or exacerbated by hyperhidrosis. This paper reviews these new uses for BoNT-A, looking at the rationale for their use and discussing the results of published case studies and clinical trials. These areas have shown great promise to date, but more and larger clinical studies will be required before these treatments become a clinical reality. To this end details are also provided of clinical trials currently listed in the main clinical trials database to highlight research areas of particular interest. © 2017 The American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, Inc.

New Uses of AbobotulinumtoxinA in Aesthetics

PubMed Central

Gilbert, Erin; Cohen, Joel L.; Kaufman, Joely

2017-01-01

Abstract BotulinumtoxinA (BoNT-A) is now widely established for the main approved indication of reducing glabellar lines, and is also widely used off-label to improve the appearance of wrinkles and lines in other parts of the face. The number of aesthetic procedures continues to increase as the patient population becomes more diverse, in particular with increasing numbers of people of color and men. Further developments in treatment may continue to expand the audience for BoNT-A by making procedures more comfortable and by delivering a more natural, less static appearance. These may be achieved through use of combinations of BoNT-A with other aesthetic procedures, tailoring the dose of toxin to the patient’s muscle mass or by using novel injection and application techniques. Beyond amelioration of facial lines, encouraging results have been seen with the use of BoNT-A to improve the appearance of hypertrophic and keloid scars and even to prevent them. Studies have been conducted with scars in various parts of the body and further research is ongoing. Dermatological and other medical uses for BoNT-A are also active areas of research. Injections of BoNT-A have been shown to reduce signs and symptoms of acne, rosacea, and psoriasis, to reduce neuromuscular pain, and to bring about significant improvements in a number of rare diseases that are caused or exacerbated by hyperhidrosis. This paper reviews these new uses for BoNT-A, looking at the rationale for their use and discussing the results of published case studies and clinical trials. These areas have shown great promise to date, but more and larger clinical studies will be required before these treatments become a clinical reality. To this end details are also provided of clinical trials currently listed in the main clinical trials database to highlight research areas of particular interest. PMID:28388720

Electric and hybrid vehicle program; Site Operator Program

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Warren, J. F.

1992-05-01

Activities during the second quarter included the second meeting of the Site Operators in Phoenix, AZ in late April. The meeting was held in conjunction with the Solar and Electric 500 Race activities. Delivery of vehicles ordered previously has begun, although two of the operators are experiencing some delays in receiving their vehicles. Public demonstration activities continue, with an apparent increasing level of awareness and interest being displayed by the public. Initial problems with the Site Operator Database have been corrected and revised copies of the program have been supplied to the program participants. Operating and Maintenance data is being supplied and submitted to INEL on a monthly basis. Interest in the Site Operator Program is being reflected in requests for information from several organizations from across the country, representing a wide diversity of interests. These organizations have been referred to existing Site Operators with the explanation that the program will not be adding new participants, but that most of the existing organizations are willing to work with other groups. The exception to this was the addition of Potomac Electric Power Company (PEPCO) to the program. PEPCO has been awarded a subcontract to operate and maintain the DOE owned G-Van and Escort located in Washington, DC. They will provide data on these vehicles, as well as a Solectria Force which PEPCO has purchased. The Task Force intends to be actively involved in the infrastructure development in a wide range of areas. These include, among others, personnel development, safety, charging, and servicing. Work continues in these areas. York Technical College (YORK) has completed the draft outline for the EV Technician course. This is being circulated to organizations around the country for comments. Kansas State University (KSU) is working with a private sector company to develop a energy dispensing meter for opportunity charging in public areas.

Towards a real-time wide area motion imagery system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Young, R. I.; Foulkes, S. B.

2015-10-01

It is becoming increasingly important in both the defence and security domains to conduct persistent wide area surveillance (PWAS) of large populations of targets. Wide Area Motion Imagery (WAMI) is a key technique for achieving this wide area surveillance. The recent development of multi-million pixel sensors has provided sensors with wide field of view replete with sufficient resolution for detection and tracking of objects of interest to be achieved across these extended areas of interest. WAMI sensors simultaneously provide high spatial and temporal resolutions, giving extreme pixel counts over large geographical areas. The high temporal resolution is required to enable effective tracking of targets. The provision of wide area coverage with high frame rates generates data deluge issues; these are especially profound if the sensor is mounted on an airborne platform, with finite data-link bandwidth and processing power that is constrained by size, weight and power (SWAP) limitations. These issues manifest themselves either as bottlenecks in the transmission of the imagery off-board or as latency in the time taken to analyse the data due to limited computational processing power.

Space, geophysical research related to Latin America - Part 2

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mendoza, Blanca; Shea, M. A.

2016-11-01

For the last 25 years, every two to three years the Conferencia Latinoamericana de Geofísica Espacial (COLAGE) is held in one of the Latin American countries for the purpose of promoting scientific exchange among scientists of the region and to encourage continued research that is unique to this area of the world. At the more recent conference, the community realized that many individuals both within and outside Latin America have contributed greatly to the understanding of the space sciences in this area of the world. It was therefore decided to assemble a Special Issue Space and Geophysical Physics related to Latin America, presenting recent results and where submissions would be accepted from the world wide community of scientists involved in research appropriate to Latin America. Because of the large number of submissions, these papers have been printed in two separate issues. The first issue was published in Advances in Space Research, Vol. 57, number 6 and contained 15 papers. This is the second issue and contains 25 additional papers. These papers show the wide variety of research, both theoretical and applied, that is currently being developed or related to space and geophysical sciences in the Sub-Continent.

Highball: A high speed, reserved-access, wide area network

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mills, David L.; Boncelet, Charles G.; Elias, John G.; Schragger, Paul A.; Jackson, Alden W.

1990-01-01

A network architecture called Highball and a preliminary design for a prototype, wide-area data network designed to operate at speeds of 1 Gbps and beyond are described. It is intended for applications requiring high speed burst transmissions where some latency between requesting a transmission and granting the request can be anticipated and tolerated. Examples include real-time video and disk-disk transfers, national filestore access, remote sensing, and similar applications. The network nodes include an intelligent crossbar switch, but have no buffering capabilities; thus, data must be queued at the end nodes. There are no restrictions on the network topology, link speeds, or end-end protocols. The end system, nodes, and links can operate at any speed up to the limits imposed by the physical facilities. An overview of an initial design approach is presented and is intended as a benchmark upon which a detailed design can be developed. It describes the network architecture and proposed access protocols, as well as functional descriptions of the hardware and software components that could be used in a prototype implementation. It concludes with a discussion of additional issues to be resolved in continuing stages of this project.

Modelling hydrological conditions in the maritime forest region of south-western Nova Scotia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yanni, Shelagh; Keys, Kevin; Meng, Fan-Rui; Yin, Xiwei; Clair, Tom; Arp, Paul A.

2000-02-01

Hydrological processes and conditions were quantified for the Mersey River Basin (two basins: one exiting below Mill Falls, and one exiting below George Lake), the Roger's Brook Basin, Moosepit Brook, and for other selected locations at and near Kejimkujik National Park in Nova Scotia, Canada, from 1967 to 1990. Addressed variables included precipitation (rain, snow, fog), air temperature, stream discharge, snowpack accumulations, throughfall, soil and subsoil moisture, soil temperature and soil frost, at a monthly resolution. It was found that monthly per hectare stream discharge was essentially independent of catchment area from <20 km2 to more than 1000 km2. The forest hydrology model ForHyM2 was used to simulate monthly rates of stream discharge, throughfall and snowpack water equivalents for mature forest conditions. These simulations were in good agreement with the historical records once the contributions of fog and mist to the area-wide water budget were taken into account, each on a monthly basis. The resulting simulations establish a hydrologically consistent, continuous, comprehensive and partially verified record for basin-wide outcomes for all major hydrological processes and conditions, be these related to stream discharge, soil moisture, soil temperature, snowpack accumulations, soil frost, throughfall, interception and soil percolation.

Performance and Accountability Report

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2003-01-01

The NASA Fiscal Year 2002 Performance and Accountability Report is presented. Over the past year, significant changes have been implemented to greatly improve NASA's management while continuing to break new ground in science and technology. Excellent progress has been made in implementing the President's Management Agenda. NASA is leading the government in its implementation of the five government-wide initiatives. NASA received an unqualified audit opinion on FY 2002 financial statements. The vast majority of performance goals have been achieved, furthering each area of NASA's mission. The contents include: 1) NASA Vision and Mission; 2) Management's Discussion and Analysis; 3) Performance; and 4) Financial.

Fundamentals of affinity cell separations.

PubMed

Zhang, Ye; Lyons, Veronica; Pappas, Dimitri

2018-03-01

Cell separations using affinity methods continue to be an enabling science for a wide variety of applications. In this review, we discuss the fundamental aspects of affinity separation, including the competing forces for cell capture and elution, cell-surface interactions, and models for cell adhesion. Factors affecting separation performance such as bond affinity, contact area, and temperature are presented. We also discuss and demonstrate the effects of nonspecific binding on separation performance. Metrics for evaluating cell separations are presented, along with methods of comparing separation techniques for cell isolation using affinity capture. © 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

CROSS-DISCIPLINARY PHYSICS AND RELATED AREAS OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY: Order parameters and synchronization of FitzHugh-Nagumo small-world networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Yan-Long; Ma, Jun; Zhang, Wei; Liu, Yan-Jun

2009-10-01

This paper numerically investigates the order parameter and synchronisation in the small world connected FitzHugh-Nagumo excitable systems. The simulations show that the order parameter continuously decreases with increasing D, the quality of the synchronisation worsens for large noise intensity. As the coupling intensity goes up, the quality of the synchronisation worsens, and it finds that the larger rewiring probability becomes the larger order parameter. It obtains the complete phase diagram for a wide range of values of noise intensity D and control parameter g.

A proposal for continuation of support for the application of remotely sensed data to state and regional problems. Part 1: Technical proposal

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1981-01-01

The objectives, procedures, accomplishments, plans, and ultimate uses of information from current projects at the Mississippi Remote Sensing Center are discussed for the following applications: (1) land use planning; (2) strip mine inventory and reclamation; (3) biological management for white tailed deer; (4) forest habitats in potential lignite areas; (5) change discrimination in gravel operations; (6) discrimination of freshwater wetlands for inventory and monitoring; and (7) remote sensing data analysis support systems. The initiation of a conceptual design for a LANDSAT based, state wide information system is proposed.

A study on the utilization of forest policy to review from the aspect of climate change

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ardhana, I. Putu Gede

2017-11-01

The purpose of this study was to review the utilization of forests from the policy aspects of climate change. This was then associated with the implementation of governmental commitment to carry out REDD+ to cope with the impact of climate change and to achieve sustainable development. Firstly, the author studied this problem from data and information about vast forest areas and conservative water areas in Indonesia. According to provincial governments, there have been several decision letters from the Minister of Forestry from different years ranging from 1999-2014. Comparing the forest areas in letters of 2005, 2008, and 2015, it can be suggested that the areas allocated as productive forest exceeded the areas of conserved or protected forest. This indicates that the utilization of forest as a development resource has occurred, and will continue to become an important element in Indonesia. Furthermore, Indonesian forests continue to suffer deforestation and forest degradation. Therefore, the author presented data and information about deforestation and forest degradation that occurred from forest damage and forest fires. Thirdly, the author presented data and information about the deforestation rate from 2000-2014. In 1989, rehabilitation activities were carried out for critical lands, and from 2012-2014, rehabilitation of forest and riverside areas occurred. This research uses descriptive methods with an approximation of legislation and an approach to librarianship. Then, this study is described in a narrative as well as an interpretive style, and compiled in the form of a working paper. From the results of this research, it can be concluded that Indonesian governmental policy regarding forest utilization has wide potential mitigations, and it is absolutely necessary to consistently implement a number of such programs related to climate change.

Effect of shading by the table coral Acropora Hyacinthus on understory corals. [Acropora; Pocillopora

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

Stimson, J.

1985-02-01

Field surveys at Enewetak Atoll, Marshall Islands, show that coral density and diversity is much lower beneath Acropora table corals than in adjacent unshaded areas. Additionally, the understory community is predominantly composed of massive and encrusting species, while branching Acropora and Pocillopora predominate in unshaded areas. Results of experiments in which coral fragments were transferred to the shade of table Acropora and to adjacent unshaded areas show that shading slows the growth and leads to higher mortality of branching species, while massive and encrusting species are unaffected. Light measurements made beneath table Acropora show that illumination and irradiance values fallmore » to levels at which most hermatypic corals do not occur. The fast-growing but fragile table Acropora are abundant in a wide variety of atoll habitats and grow rapidly to form a canopy approx. = 50 cm above the substrate. However, table Acropora also have high mortality rates, so that there is continuous production of unshaded areas. The growth and death of tables thus create local disturbances, and the resulting patchwork of recently shaded and unshaded areas may enhance coral diversity in areas of high coral cover.« less

Mt. Erebus, Antarctica

NASA Image and Video Library

2016-01-15

This image from NASA Terra spacecraft shows Mount Erebus, the world southernmost historically active volcano, overlooking the McMurdo research station on Ross Island. The 3794-m-high Erebus is the largest of three major volcanoes forming the crudely triangular Ross Island. An elliptical 500 x 600 m wide, 110-m-deep crater truncates the summit and contains an active lava lake within a 250-m-wide, 100-m-deep inner crater. The glacier-covered volcano was erupting when first sighted by Captain James Ross in 1841. Continuous lava-lake activity with minor explosions, punctuated by occasional larger strombolian explosions that eject bombs onto the crater rim, has been documented since 1972, but has probably been occurring for much of the volcano's recent history. The image was acquired December 31, 2013, covers an area of 63 x 73 km, and is located at 77.5 degrees south, 167.1 degrees east. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA20239

Sucrose esters as natural surfactants in drug delivery systems--a mini-review.

PubMed

Szűts, Angéla; Szabó-Révész, Piroska

2012-08-20

Sucrose esters (SEs) are widely used in the food and cosmetic industries and there has recently been great interest in their applicability in different pharmaceutical fields. They are natural and biodegradable excipients with well-known emulsifying and solubilizing behavior. Currently the most common pharmaceutical applications of SEs are for the enhancement of drug dissolution and drug absorption/permeation, and in controlled-release systems. Although the number of articles on SEs is continuously increasing, they have not yet been widely used in the pharmaceutical industry. The aim of this review is to discuss and summarize some of the findings and applications of SEs in different areas of drug delivery. The article highlights the main properties of SEs and focuses on their use in pharmaceutical technology and on their regulatory and toxicological status. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Beyond the Coral Triangle: high genetic diversity and near panmixia in Singapore's populations of the broadcast spawning sea star Protoreaster nodosus.

PubMed

Tay, Y C; Chng, M W P; Sew, W W G; Rheindt, F E; Tun, K P P; Meier, R

2016-08-01

The Coral Triangle is widely considered the most important centre of marine biodiversity in Asia while areas on its periphery such as the South China Sea, have received much less interest. Here, we demonstrate that a small population of the knobbly sea star Protoreaster nodosus in Singapore has similarly high levels of genetic diversity as comparable Indonesian populations from the Coral Triangle. The high genetic diversity of this population is remarkable because it is maintained despite decades of continued anthropogenic disturbance. We postulate that it is probably due to broadcast spawning which is likely to maintain high levels of population connectivity. To test this, we analysed 6140 genome-wide single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) loci for Singapore's populations and demonstrate a pattern of near panmixia. We here document a second case of high genetic diversity and low genetic structure for a broadcast spawner in Singapore, which suggests that such species have high resilience against anthropogenic disturbances. The study demonstrates the feasibility and power of using genome-wide SNPs for connectivity studies of marine invertebrates without a sequenced genome.

Vortex flow aerodynamics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Smith, J. H. B.; Campbell, J. F.; Young, A. D. (Editor)

1992-01-01

The principal emphasis of the meeting was to be on the understanding and prediction of separation-induced vortex flows and their effects on vehicle performance, stability, control, and structural design loads. This report shows that a substantial amount of the papers covering this area were received from a wide range of countries, together with an attendance that was even more diverse. In itself, this testifies to the current interest in the subject and to the appropriateness of the Panel's choice of topic and approach. An attempt is made to summarize each paper delivered, and to relate the contributions made in the papers and in the discussions to some of the important aspects of vortex flow aerodynamics. This reveals significant progress and important clarifications, but also brings out remaining weaknesses in predictive capability and gaps in understanding. Where possible, conclusions are drawn and areas of continuing concern are identified.

Use of computers in dysmorphology.

PubMed Central

Diliberti, J H

1988-01-01

As a consequence of the increasing power and decreasing cost of digital computers, dysmorphologists have begun to explore a wide variety of computerised applications in clinical genetics. Of considerable interest are developments in the areas of syndrome databases, expert systems, literature searches, image processing, and pattern recognition. Each of these areas is reviewed from the perspective of the underlying computer principles, existing applications, and the potential for future developments. Particular emphasis is placed on the analysis of the tasks performed by the dysmorphologist and the design of appropriate tools to facilitate these tasks. In this context the computer and associated software are considered paradigmatically as tools for the dysmorphologist and should be designed accordingly. Continuing improvements in the ability of computers to manipulate vast amounts of data rapidly makes the development of increasingly powerful tools for the dysmorphologist highly probable. PMID:3050092

Kinetic energy budgets in areas of intense convection

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fuelberg, H. E.; Berecek, E. M.; Ebel, D. M.; Jedlovec, G. J.

1980-01-01

A kinetic energy budget analysis of the AVE-SESAME 1 period which coincided with the deadly Red River Valley tornado outbreak is presented. Horizontal flux convergence was found to be the major kinetic energy source to the region, while cross contour destruction was the major sink. Kinetic energy transformations were dominated by processes related to strong jet intrusion into the severe storm area. A kinetic energy budget of the AVE 6 period also is presented. The effects of inherent rawinsonde data errors on widely used basic kinematic parameters, including velocity divergence, vorticity advection, and kinematic vertical motion are described. In addition, an error analysis was performed in terms of the kinetic energy budget equation. Results obtained from downward integration of the continuity equation to obtain kinematic values of vertical motion are described. This alternate procedure shows promising results in severe storm situations.

Status of NASA Satellite, Field Observations, and Numerical Modeling Addressing the Impact of Urbanization on Short and Long Term Precipitation Variability

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shepherd, J. Marshall; Manyin, Michael; Burian, Steve; Garza, Carlos

2004-01-01

Howard (1833a) made the first documented observation of a temperature difference between an urban area and its rural environment. Manley (1958) termed this contrast the "urban heat island (UHI)". The UHI has now become a widely acknowledged, observed, and researched phenomenon because of its broad implications. It is estimated that by the year 2025, 60% of the world's population will live in cities (UNFP, 1999). In the United States, the current urban growth rate is approximately 12.5%, with 80% currently living in urban areas. As cities continue to grow, urban sprawl creates unique problems related to land use, transportation, agriculture, housing, pollution, and development for policymakers. Urban expansion and its associated urban heat islands also have measurable impacts on weather and climate processes.

New developments in laser-heated diamond anvil cell with in situ synchrotron x-ray diffraction at High Pressure Collaborative Access Team

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

Meng, Yue; Hrubiak, Rostislav; Rod, Eric

An overview of the in situ laser heating system at the High Pressure Collaborative Access Team, with emphasis on newly developed capabilities, is presented. Since its establishment at the beamline 16-ID-B a decade ago, laser-heated diamond anvil cell coupled with in situ synchrotron x-ray diffraction has been widely used for studying the structural properties of materials under simultaneous high pressure and high temperature conditions. Recent developments in both continuous-wave and modulated heating techniques have been focusing on resolving technical issues of the most challenging research areas. Furthermore, the new capabilities have demonstrated clear benefits and provide new opportunities in researchmore » areas including high-pressure melting, pressure-temperature-volume equations of state, chemical reaction, and time resolved studies.« less

New developments in laser-heated diamond anvil cell with in situ synchrotron x-ray diffraction at High Pressure Collaborative Access Team

DOE PAGES

Meng, Yue; Hrubiak, Rostislav; Rod, Eric; ...

2015-07-17

An overview of the in situ laser heating system at the High Pressure Collaborative Access Team, with emphasis on newly developed capabilities, is presented. Since its establishment at the beamline 16-ID-B a decade ago, laser-heated diamond anvil cell coupled with in situ synchrotron x-ray diffraction has been widely used for studying the structural properties of materials under simultaneous high pressure and high temperature conditions. Recent developments in both continuous-wave and modulated heating techniques have been focusing on resolving technical issues of the most challenging research areas. Furthermore, the new capabilities have demonstrated clear benefits and provide new opportunities in researchmore » areas including high-pressure melting, pressure-temperature-volume equations of state, chemical reaction, and time resolved studies.« less

76 FR 45548 - Draft Site-Wide Environmental Impact Statement for the Continued Operation of the Department of...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-07-29

... geothermal energy demonstration project and research center. Reduced Operations Alternative The Reduced... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY National Nuclear Security Administration Draft Site-Wide Environmental Impact Statement for the Continued Operation of the Department of Energy/National Nuclear Security Administration...

Summary of the 2012 Wide Area Recovery and Resiliency Program (WARRP) Waste Management Workshop

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Workshop advanced the planning of federal, state and local officials in the area of waste management following a chemical, biological or radiological wide-area incident in the Denver, Colorado urban area.

An approach for mapping large-area impervious surfaces: Synergistic use of Landsat-7 ETM+ and high spatial resolution imagery

USGS Publications Warehouse

Yang, Limin; Huang, Chengquan; Homer, Collin G.; Wylie, Bruce K.; Coan, Michael

2003-01-01

A wide range of urban ecosystem studies, including urban hydrology, urban climate, land use planning, and resource management, require current and accurate geospatial data of urban impervious surfaces. We developed an approach to quantify urban impervious surfaces as a continuous variable by using multisensor and multisource datasets. Subpixel percent impervious surfaces at 30-m resolution were mapped using a regression tree model. The utility, practicality, and affordability of the proposed method for large-area imperviousness mapping were tested over three spatial scales (Sioux Falls, South Dakota, Richmond, Virginia, and the Chesapeake Bay areas of the United States). Average error of predicted versus actual percent impervious surface ranged from 8.8 to 11.4%, with correlation coefficients from 0.82 to 0.91. The approach is being implemented to map impervious surfaces for the entire United States as one of the major components of the circa 2000 national land cover database.

Investigation on large-area fabrication of vivid shark skin with superior surface functions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Huawei; Zhang, Xin; Ma, Lingxi; Che, Da; Zhang, Deyuan; Sudarshan, T. S.

2014-10-01

Shark skin has attracted worldwide attention because of its superior drag reduction, antifouling performance induced from its unique surface morphology. Although the vivid shark skin has been fabricated by a bio-replicated micro-imprinting approach in previous studies and superior drag reduction effect has been validated in water tunnel, continuous large-area fabrication is still an obstacle to wide apply. In this paper, one novel bio-replication coating technology is proposed for large-area transfer of shark skin based on rapid UV curable paint. Apart from design of coating system, bio-replication accuracy of surface morphology was validated about 97% by comparison between shark skin template and coating surface morphology. Finally, the drag reduction and anti-fouling function of coating surface were tested in water tunnel and open algae pond respectively. Drag reduction rate of coating surface was validated about 12% higher and anti-fouling was proved to about hundred times ameliorate, all of which are more excellent than simple 2D riblet surface.

Georgia's Ground-Water Resources and Monitoring Network, 2006

USGS Publications Warehouse

Nobles, Patricia L.

2006-01-01

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) ground-water network for Georgia currently consists of 170 wells in which ground-water levels are continuously monitored. Most of the wells are locatedin the Coastal Plain in the southern part of the State where ground-water pumping stress is high. In particular, there are large concentrations of wells in coastal and southwestern Georgia areas, where there are issues related to ground-water pumping, saltwater intrusion along the coast, and diminished streamflow in southwestern Georgia due to irrigation pumping. The map at right shows the USGS ground-water monitoring network for Georgia. Ground-water levels are monitored in 170 wells statewide, of which 19 transmit data in real time via satellite and posted on the World Wide Web at http://waterdata.usgs.gov/ga/nwis/current/?type=gw . A greater concentration of wells occurs in the Coastal Plain where there are several layers of aquifers and in coastal and southwestern Georgia areas, which are areas with specific ground-water issues.

ASTER Dunes

NASA Image and Video Library

2000-10-06

This image of Saudi Arabia shows a great sea of linear dunes in part of the Rub' al Khali, or the Empty Quarter. Acquired on June 25, 2000, the image covers an area 37 kilometers (23 miles) wide and 28 kilometers (17 miles) long in three bands of the reflected visible and infrared wavelength region. The dunes are yellow due to the presence of iron oxide minerals. The inter-dune area is made up of clays and silt and appears blue due to its high reflectance in band 1. The Rub' al Khali is the world's largest continuous sand desert. It covers about 650,000 square kilometers (250,966 square miles) and lies mainly in southern Saudi Arabia, though it does extend into the United Arab Emirates, Oman, and Yemen. One of the world's driest areas, it is uninhabited except for the Bedouin nomads who cross it. The first European to travel through the desert was Bertram Thomas in 1930. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA02656

Geomagnetic and Geoelectric Prospection on a Roman Iron Production Facility in Hüttenberg, Austria (Ferrum Noricum)

PubMed Central

Walach, Georg; Scholger, Robert; Cech, Brigitte

2011-01-01

Geophysical prospection has been applied in the Hüttenberg area (Carinthia, Austria), where important parts of the Roman iron production in the province of Noricum between the first century bc and the fourth century ad are located. A combination of geomagnetic, geoelectric and electromagnetic measurements at different scales yielded information about the extent of the industrial complex and the location of yet undiscovered subsurface monuments in the surrounding area of the Semlach-Eisner archaeological site. The vertical and lateral extension of a slag deposit from the smelting activities could be determined by means of geomagnetic mapping and multi-electrode geoelectric profiles. For the prediction of the continuation of walls in the subsurface outside the excavated area, the total horizontal derivative of the magnetic anomaly as well as geoelectric measurements were most suitable, whereas electromagnetic measurements were not successful owing to the high conductivity of widely spread pieces of slag. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. PMID:24436629

Multilength Scale Patterning of Functional Layers by Roll-to-Roll Ultraviolet-Light-Assisted Nanoimprint Lithography.

PubMed

Leitgeb, Markus; Nees, Dieter; Ruttloff, Stephan; Palfinger, Ursula; Götz, Johannes; Liska, Robert; Belegratis, Maria R; Stadlober, Barbara

2016-05-24

Top-down fabrication of nanostructures with high throughput is still a challenge. We demonstrate the fast (>10 m/min) and continuous fabrication of multilength scale structures by roll-to-roll UV-nanoimprint lithography on a 250 mm wide web. The large-area nanopatterning is enabled by a multicomponent UV-curable resist system (JRcure) with viscous, mechanical, and surface properties that are tunable over a wide range to either allow for usage as polymer stamp material or as imprint resist. The adjustable elasticity and surface chemistry of the resist system enable multistep self-replication of structured resist layers. Decisive for defect-free UV-nanoimprinting in roll-to-roll is the minimization of the surface energies of stamp and resist, and the stepwise reduction of the stiffness from one layer to the next is essential for optimizing the reproduction fidelity especially for nanoscale features. Accordingly, we demonstrate the continuous replication of 3D nanostructures and the high-throughput fabrication of multilength scale resist structures resulting in flexible polyethylenetherephtalate film rolls with superhydrophobic properties. Moreover, a water-soluble UV-imprint resist (JRlift) is introduced that enables residue-free nanoimprinting in roll-to-roll. Thereby we could demonstrate high-throughput fabrication of metallic patterns with only 200 nm line width.

A Microstrip Patch-Fed Short Backfire Antenna for the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System-Continuation (TDRSS-C) Multiple Access (MA) Array

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nessel, James A.; Kory, Carol L.; Lambert, Kevin M.; Acosta, Roberto J.

2006-01-01

Short Backfire Antennas (SBAs) are widely utilized for mobile satellite communications, tracking, telemetry, and wireless local area network (WLAN) applications due to their compact structure and excellent radiation characteristics [1-3]. Typically, these SBA s consist of an excitation element (i.e., a half-wavelength dipole), a reflective bottom plane, a planar sub-reflector located above the "exciter", and an outer circular rim. This configuration is capable of achieving gains on the order of 13-15 dBi, but with relatively narrow bandwidths (approx.3%-5%), making it incompatible with the requirements of the next generation enhanced Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System-Continuation (TDRSS-C) Multiple Access (MA) array [1]. Several attempts have been made to enhance the bandwidth performance of the common dipole-fed SBA by employing various other feeding mechanisms (e.g., waveguide, slot) with moderate success [4-5]. In this paper, a novel method of using a microstrip patch is employed for the first time to excite an SBA. The patch element is fed via two H-shaped slots electromagnetically coupled to a broadband hybrid coupler to maintain a wide bandwidth, as well as provide for dual circular polarization capabilities.

A comparison of confidence/credible interval methods for the area under the ROC curve for continuous diagnostic tests with small sample size.

PubMed

Feng, Dai; Cortese, Giuliana; Baumgartner, Richard

2017-12-01

The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve is frequently used as a measure of accuracy of continuous markers in diagnostic tests. The area under the ROC curve (AUC) is arguably the most widely used summary index for the ROC curve. Although the small sample size scenario is common in medical tests, a comprehensive study of small sample size properties of various methods for the construction of the confidence/credible interval (CI) for the AUC has been by and large missing in the literature. In this paper, we describe and compare 29 non-parametric and parametric methods for the construction of the CI for the AUC when the number of available observations is small. The methods considered include not only those that have been widely adopted, but also those that have been less frequently mentioned or, to our knowledge, never applied to the AUC context. To compare different methods, we carried out a simulation study with data generated from binormal models with equal and unequal variances and from exponential models with various parameters and with equal and unequal small sample sizes. We found that the larger the true AUC value and the smaller the sample size, the larger the discrepancy among the results of different approaches. When the model is correctly specified, the parametric approaches tend to outperform the non-parametric ones. Moreover, in the non-parametric domain, we found that a method based on the Mann-Whitney statistic is in general superior to the others. We further elucidate potential issues and provide possible solutions to along with general guidance on the CI construction for the AUC when the sample size is small. Finally, we illustrate the utility of different methods through real life examples.

Development of continuing nursing education offerings for the World Wide Web.

PubMed

Billings, D M; Rowles, C J

2001-01-01

Nurses are seeking continuing professional development that is easily accessible, convenient, and available at any time and any place. As nurses have increasing access to Internets and Intranets at home and their workplace, courses for continuing nursing education must be available to meet this need. This article discusses the planning, implementation, and evaluation of continuing nursing education (CNE) on the World Wide Web. The article explains how to develop a strategic plan, develop course offerings, select technology tools to support teaching and learning, and market and evaluate the courses.

The 2017 Periastron Passage of PSR J2032+4127 in GeV Gamma rays

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Johnson, Tyrel; Ray, Paul S.; Kerr, Matthew T.; Wood, Kent S.; Fermi Large Area Telescope Collaboration

2018-01-01

Pulsations from the 143 ms PSR J2032+4127 were discovered in 2008 using the Fermi Large Area Telescope (LAT) and subsequently detected in radio. Continued timing revealed it is in a wide and eccentric binary with the Be star MT91 213. With an orbital period of ~50 years, the periastron on 2017 November 13 is the only one we will observe in our lifetimes. By analogy with PSR B1259-63, a similar system, a GeV gamma-ray flare, from interactions of the Be star and pulsar winds, is expected near periastron. As part of a multi-wavelength campaign, we are continually monitoring the GeV emission from this system with the LAT. We will describe analysis and present preliminary results. Portions of this research performed at the US Naval Research Laboratory are sponsored by NASA DPR S-15633-Y and Fermi Guest Investigator Grant #16-Fermi10-0006.

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

PubMed

Scott, Bradley; Wilcock, Anne

2006-01-01

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

Multiple sources and extensive degradation of terrestrial sedimentary organic matter across an energetic, wide continental shelf

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhu, Chun; Wagner, Thomas; Pan, Jian-Ming; Pancost, Richard D.

2011-08-01

The fate of organic carbon in marine sediments is closely linked to atmospheric CO2 concentrations and thus to climate variability over geological time scales. The East China Sea (ECS) is characterized not only by massive terrestrial organic matter (TOM) inputs from the Yangtze (Changjiang) River but also by a shallow (<130 m) and broad (>500 km) continental shelf with widespread relict sands, such that it is distinct from other continental margins. We examine the diagenesis of sedimentary TOM and the impacts of relict sands on TOM in the ECS. The results reveal that bulk δ13Corg values correlate with terrestrial biomarker concentrations in muddy and accumulative areas; in contrast, depleted δ13Corg values around -24.5‰ co-occur with almost absent terrestrial biomarkers in sandy/erosional areas. We suggest that mixing of contemporary TOM and marine OM dominates in the muddy/accumulative shelf areas, whereas a putative relict OM, associated with relict sands, appears to be significant in many sandy/erosional shelf areas. Given the global occurrence of relict sands, a persistent amount of relict OC (e.g., 0.1%) may complicate TOM budget calculations. In addition, our observations reveal that TOM is extensively partitioned and degraded in the estuary and continues to be partitioned and degraded during the along-shore and across-shelf transport, which is reflected by decreases in terrestrial biomarker concentrations and increases in degradation indices. This study highlights the unique and dynamic role of shallow and wide continental shelves with massive relict sands on TOM cycling.

Evaluation of continuously reinforced hydraulic cement concrete pavement at Virginia's Smart Road.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2004-01-01

A two-lane continuously reinforced concrete pavement was built in Blacksburg, Virginia, as a part of Virginia's Smart Road. One of the lanes is 12 ft wide, and the other is 14 ft wide. The additional 2 ft was part of the shoulder. Below the concrete ...

An approach for characterizing the distribution of shrubland ecosystem components as continuous fields as part of NLCD

USGS Publications Warehouse

Xian, George Z.; Homer, Collin G.; Meyer, Debbie; Granneman, Brian J.

2013-01-01

Characterizing and quantifying distributions of shrubland ecosystem components is one of the major challenges for monitoring shrubland vegetation cover change across the United States. A new approach has been developed to quantify shrubland components as fractional products within National Land Cover Database (NLCD). This approach uses remote sensing data and regression tree models to estimate the fractional cover of shrubland ecosystem components. The approach consists of three major steps: field data collection, high resolution estimates of shrubland ecosystem components using WorldView-2 imagery, and coarse resolution estimates of these components across larger areas using Landsat imagery. This research seeks to explore this method to quantify shrubland ecosystem components as continuous fields in regions that contain wide-ranging shrubland ecosystems. Fractional cover of four shrubland ecosystem components, including bare ground, herbaceous, litter, and shrub, as well as shrub heights, were delineated in three ecological regions in Arizona, Florida, and Texas. Results show that estimates for most components have relatively small normalized root mean square errors and significant correlations with validation data in both Arizona and Texas. The distribution patterns of shrub height also show relatively high accuracies in these two areas. The fractional cover estimates of shrubland components, except for litter, are not well represented in the Florida site. The research results suggest that this method provides good potential to effectively characterize shrubland ecosystem conditions over perennial shrubland although it is less effective in transitional shrubland. The fractional cover of shrub components as continuous elements could offer valuable information to quantify biomass and help improve thematic land cover classification in arid and semiarid areas.

Wide area Hyperspectral Motion Imaging

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-02-03

LEXINGTON, MASSACHUSETTS 02420-9108 (781) 981-1343 3 February 2017 TO: FROM: Dr. Joseph Lin (joseph.lin@ll.mit.edu), Advanced Imager ...Technology SUBJECT: Wide-area Hyperspectral Motion Imaging Introduction Wide-area motion imaging (WAMI) has received increased attention in...fielded imaging spectrometers use either dispersive or interferometric techniques. A dispersive spectrometer uses a grating or prism to disperse the

Technical Report for the Demonstration of Wide Area ...

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Report The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in collaboration with the Department of Homeland Security conducted the “Wide-Area Urban Radiological Contaminant, Mitigation, and Cleanup Technology Demonstration” in Columbus, Ohio on June 22-25, 2015. Five wide-area radiological decontamination technologies (including strippable coatings, gels, and chemical foam technologies) were demonstrated on an urban building.

A Design Method for a State Feedback Microcomputer Controller of a Wide Bandwidth Analog Plant.

DTIC Science & Technology

1983-12-01

Il IIIz NAVAL POSTGRADUATE SCHOOLMonterey, California THESIS A A DESIGN METHOD FOR A STATE FEEDBACK MICROCOMPUTER CONTROLLER OF A WIDE BANDWIDTH...of a microcomputer regulator, continuous or discrete method can be applied. The o:bjective of this thesis is to provide a continuous controller ...estimation and control type problem. In this thesis , a wide bandwidth analog computer system is chosen as the plant so that the effect of transport

Wide area restoration following biological contamination

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Lynn; Hibbard, Wilthea; Edwards, Donna; Franco, David; Fruetel, Julie; Tucker, Mark; Einfeld, Wayne; Knowlton, Robert; Brown, Gary; Brockmann, John; Greenwalt, Robert; Miles, Robin; Raber, Ellen; Carlsen, Tina; Krauter, Paula; Dillon, Michael; MacQueen, Don; Intrepido, Tony; Hoppes, Bill; Wilson, Wendy; Mancieri, Sav

2008-04-01

Current understanding of how to restore a wide area that has been contaminated following a large biological attack is limited. The Department of Homeland Security and Department of Defense are executing a four-year collaborative program named the Interagency Biological Restoration Demonstration (IBRD) program. This program is aimed at developing technologies, methods, plans and policies necessary to restore a wide area, including military installations and critical infrastructures, in the event of a large outdoor aerosol release of anthrax. The IBRD program partner pilot city is the Seattle Urban Area to include Fort Lewis, WA and McChord Air Force Base. A front-end systems analysis was conducted as part of IBRD, to: 1) assess existing technologies and processes for wide area restoration; from this, 2) develop an "as-is" decision framework for wide area restoration; and 3) identify and prioritize capability gaps. Qualitative assessments and quantitative analyses, including sensitivity, timeline and case study analyses, were conducted to evaluate existing processes and rank capability gaps. This paper describes the approach and results from this front-end systems analysis.

An ethnobotanical survey of medicinal plants used by the people in Nhema communal area, Zimbabwe.

PubMed

Maroyi, Alfred

2011-06-22

This study documented the pharmaceutical importance of plant resources in Nhema communal area, particularly the significance of medicinal plants in primary healthcare. This is reflected in the great diversity of plants used for medical purposes as well as in their wide range of medicinal applications. Such rich ethnobotanical knowledge and repository of medicinal plants reinforces the need for an evaluation of their biological activity as a basis for developing future medicines. In order to document information on medicinal plants used for primary health care and to maximize the collection of indigenous knowledge in Nhema communal area, nine traditional healers were identified using the Participatory Rapid Appraisal (PRA) approach. Data was collected through open-ended interviews with traditional healers, between January and May 2008. A total of 61 plant species representing 45 genera and 28 families were found to be commonly used in the treatment of 34 different human health problems. More than a third of the plant species were used for diarrhoea, which is a prevalent disease in the study area. The root was the most commonly used plant part while decoction was the most common method of traditional drug preparation. Nhema communal area in the Midlands province, Zimbabwe is endowed with a strong culture of herbal medicine usage for primary healthcare. This is reflected in the number of medicinal plants used and the human ailments they treat. This preservation of indigenous knowledge is due to continued reliance on wild plant resources for primary healthcare by the local community. Deforestation and unsustainable rates of plant use are a serious threat on continued utilization of plant resources for primary healthcare. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Childrens' health, community networks, and the NII: making the connections

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Deutsch, Larry; Bronzino, Joseph D.; Farmer, Samuel J.

1996-02-01

To provide quality health care, clinicians need to be well informed. For health care to be cost effective and efficient, redundant services must be eliminated. Urban centers and rural areas need regional health information networks to ensure that primary health care is delivered with good continuity and coordination among providers. This paper describes the development of a city-wide computer-based pediatric health care network to improve decision-making and follow-through, and to provide aggregate data for public health purposes. The design criteria and process for this regional system are presented, addressing issues of network architecture, establishment of a uniform data base, and confidentiality.

Global occurrences of gas hydrate

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kvenvolden, K.A.; Lorenson, T.D.

2001-01-01

Natural gas hydrate is found worldwide in sediments of outer continental margins of all oceans and in polar areas with continuous permafrost. There are currently 77 localities identified globally where geophysical, geochemical and/or geological evidence indicates the presence of gas hydrate. Details concerning individual gas-hydrate occurrences are compiled at a new world-wide-web (www) site (http://walrus.wr.usgs.gov/globalhydrate). This site has been created to facilitate global gas-hydrate research by providing information on each of the localities where there is evidence for gas hydrate. Also considered are the implications of gas hydrate as a potential (1) energy resource, (2) factor in global climate change, and (3) geohazard.

Honing process optimization algorithms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kadyrov, Ramil R.; Charikov, Pavel N.; Pryanichnikova, Valeria V.

2018-03-01

This article considers the relevance of honing processes for creating high-quality mechanical engineering products. The features of the honing process are revealed and such important concepts as the task for optimization of honing operations, the optimal structure of the honing working cycles, stepped and stepless honing cycles, simulation of processing and its purpose are emphasized. It is noted that the reliability of the mathematical model determines the quality parameters of the honing process control. An algorithm for continuous control of the honing process is proposed. The process model reliably describes the machining of a workpiece in a sufficiently wide area and can be used to operate the CNC machine CC743.

Hanford Site Groundwater Monitoring for Fiscal Year 2000

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

Hartman, Mary J.; Morasch, Launa F.; Webber, William D.

2001-03-01

This report presents the results of groundwater and vadose zone monitoring and remediation for fiscal year 2000 on the U.S. Department of Energy's Hanford Site, Washington. The most extensive contaminant plumes are tritium, iodine-129, and nitrate, which all had multiple sources and are very mobile in groundwater. Carbon tetrachloride and associated organic constituents form a relatively large plume beneath the central part of the Site. Hexavalent chromium is present in smaller plumes beneath the reactor areas along the river and beneath the central part of the site. Strontium-90 exceeds standards beneath each of the reactor areas, and technetium-99 and uraniummore » are present in the 200 Areas. RCRA groundwater monitoring continued during fiscal year 2000. Vadose zone monitoring, characterization, remediation, and several technical demonstrations were conducted in fiscal year 2000. Soil gas monitoring at the 618-11 burial ground provided a preliminary indication of the location of tritium in the vadose zone and in groundwater. Groundwater modeling efforts focused on 1) identifying and characterizing major uncertainties in the current conceptual model and 2) performing a transient inverse calibration of the existing site-wide model. Specific model applications were conducted in support of the Hanford Site carbon tetrachloride Innovative Treatment Remediation Technology; to support the performance assessment of the Immobilized Low-Activity Waste Disposal Facility; and in development of the System Assessment Capability, which is intended to predict cumulative site-wide effects from all significant Hanford Site contaminants.« less

Optimal wide-area monitoring and nonlinear adaptive coordinating neurocontrol of a power system with wind power integration and multiple FACTS devices.

PubMed

Qiao, Wei; Venayagamoorthy, Ganesh K; Harley, Ronald G

2008-01-01

Wide-area coordinating control is becoming an important issue and a challenging problem in the power industry. This paper proposes a novel optimal wide-area coordinating neurocontrol (WACNC), based on wide-area measurements, for a power system with power system stabilizers, a large wind farm and multiple flexible ac transmission system (FACTS) devices. An optimal wide-area monitor (OWAM), which is a radial basis function neural network (RBFNN), is designed to identify the input-output dynamics of the nonlinear power system. Its parameters are optimized through particle swarm optimization (PSO). Based on the OWAM, the WACNC is then designed by using the dual heuristic programming (DHP) method and RBFNNs, while considering the effect of signal transmission delays. The WACNC operates at a global level to coordinate the actions of local power system controllers. Each local controller communicates with the WACNC, receives remote control signals from the WACNC to enhance its dynamic performance and therefore helps improve system-wide dynamic and transient performance. The proposed control is verified by simulation studies on a multimachine power system.

White Oak Creek Watershed: Melton Valley Area Remedial Investigation Report, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee: Volume 3 Appendix C

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

NONE

This report provides details on the baseline ecological risk assessment conducted in support of the Remedial Investigation (RI) Report for the Melton Valley areas of the White Oak Creek watershed (WOCW). The RI presents an analysis meant to enable the US Department of Energy (DOE) to pursue a series of remedial actions resulting in site cleanup and stabilization. The ecological risk assessment builds off of the WOCW screening ecological risk assessment. All information available for contaminated sites under the jurisdiction of the US Department of Energy`s Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act Federal Facilities Agreement within the White Oakmore » Creek (WOC) RI area has been used to identify areas of potential concern with respect to the presence of contamination posing a potential risk to ecological receptors within the Melton Valley area of the White Oak Creek watershed. The risk assessment report evaluates the potential risks to receptors within each subbasin of the watershed as well as at a watershed-wide scale. The WOC system has been exposed to contaminant releases from Oak Ridge National Laboratory and associated operations since 1943 and continues to receive contaminants from adjacent waste area groupings.« less

Geoglyphs of the Peruvian Coast

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ruggles, Clive L. N.

"Geoglyphs" in the form of lines, geometric designs, and zoomorphic figures were laid out across wide expanses of arid coastal desert ("pampa") near Nazca, in southern Peru. They represent an extraordinary cultural phenomenon but are also notorious for some of the outlandish theories purporting to explain them. Geoglyphs are also found in adjacent pampas as well as being scattered up and down coastal areas of Peru and northern Chile. The idea that they represented a vast "astronomy book", although continuing to be propagated to tourists, is long discredited. However, astronomical considerations may still help to explain a complex phenomenon that clearly stretched over a considerable geographical area and a significant time period. The broader context suggests that astronomy, and particularly observations of sunrise and sunset, may well have played a significant role in regulating a ritual calendar, but the archaeoastronomical evidence to connect this to geoglyph orientations is weak.

Establishing a baseline: the amphibians of Lower Suwannee National Wildlife Refuge, Dixie and Levy counties, Florida

USGS Publications Warehouse

Dodd, C. Kenneth; Barichivich, William J.; Johnson, Steve A.; Gunzburger Aresco, Margaret; Staiger, Jennifer S.

2018-01-01

recorded 23 amphibian species, 19 frogs and 4 salamanders. Species richness was lower than in other areas of the coastal Big Bend region to the north, perhaps due to a combination of proximity to the limits of species’ ranges, sampling techniques, times of year when sampling occurred, and variation in detection probabilities among years and regions. Amphibians occupied a wide variety of habitats and appeared tolerant of the generally acidic conditions of many of the wetlands. Small streams and the Suwannee River were less acidic and had greater conductivities and mineral concentrations than isolated ponds; concentrations of heavy metals varied and mercury was not detected. Although additional species may yet be found in LSNWR, this survey provides a historic baseline for assessing future status and trends of amphibian populations as areas adjacent to the refuge are disturbed and as restoration and multi-use management continue within its boundaries.

Deployment and Evaluation of the Helicopter In-Flight Tracking System (HITS)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Daskalakis, Anastasios; Martone, Patrick

2004-01-01

The Gulf of Mexico airspace has two major operating regions: low altitude offshore (below 7,000 ft) and high altitude oceanic (above 18,000 ft). Both regions suffer significant inefficiencies due to the lack of continuous surveillance during Instrument Flight Rules operations. Provision of surveillance in the offshore region is hindered by its low-altitude nature, which makes coverage by conventional radars economically infeasible. Significant portions of the oceanic sectors are inaccessible to shore-based sensors, as they are beyond line-of-sight. Two emerging surveillance technologies were assessed that are relatively low cost and can be deployed on offshore platforms Wide Area Multilateration and Automatic Dependent Surveillance Broadcast. Performance criteria were formulated using existing FAA specifications. Three configurations were developed and deployed representative of systems serving full-size and reduced-sized domestic terminal areas and an en-route/oceanic region. These configurations were evaluated during nine flight test periods using fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft.

Repainting of the VAB continues

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1998-01-01

Painters are suspended on platforms from the top of the 525-foot- high Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at KSC during repainting of the American flag and NASA logo. The flag spans an area 209 feet by 110 feet, or about 23,437 square feet, and will require 510 gallons of red, white and blue paint. Each stripe of the flag is 9 feet wide and each star is 6 feet in diameter. The previous Bicentennial Emblem on the right side of the VAB doors is being replaced by the NASA logo, honoring NASA's 40th anniversary (in October). The logo will cover an area 110 feet by 132 feet, or about 12,300 square feet. The painting platforms are operated by two electric motors and travel 35 feet per minute. Work is being done with rollers, with brushes being used for details. The paint was donated by ICI Devoe of Louisville, Ky. Work is expected to be completed in mid-September.

Telecardiology for effective healthcare services.

PubMed

Saxena, S C; Kumar, V; Giri, V K

2003-01-01

Continuous monitoring of the electrocardiogram (ECG) and other signals related to current heart activity are necessary for patients who are suffering from cardiac diseases. This paper deals with the work that has been carried out to transmit ECGs from remote sites. Software has been developed which enables the uploading of ECG data from a patient so that the physician can monitor the state of the patient from a distance and at the same time may consult other experts for a second opinion. Records can only be examined by the authorized physician after proper registration and diagnosis or prescription may be sent back to the referring site. Further consultation with the patient through a 'chat' facility is also possible. The suitability of the system over transport control protocol (TCP), internet protocol (IP), local area network (LAN), wide area network (WAN) and World Wide Web (WWW) has been assessed. The bandwidth, latency, availability, security and ubiquity have also been discussed. A study has also been undertaken in order to make the system compatible with available bandwidths and to find out which one out of a number of available techniques is most efficient for ECG data compression. The results indicate that the scheme is suitable for telecardiology and can form part of an overall telemedicine system in a health care network.

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

Hickerson, Jonathan W; Younkin, James R

Radio-frequency identification (RFID) technology has revolutionized the concept of asset tracking. By affixing an RFID tag to a valued asset, one can track the item throughout any facility where RIFD readers are in place, thereby alerting inspectors to theft, misuse, and misplacement of the tracked item. While not yet implemented for tracking very high value assets, RFID technology is already widely used in many industries as the standard for asset tracking. A subset of RFID technology exists called Ultra-Wide-Band (UWB) RFID. While traditional (sometimes called narrow-band) RFID technology transmits a continuous sine-wave signal of a narrow frequency range, UWB technologymore » works by transmitting signals as short pulses of a broad frequency range. This improves performance in several areas, namely, range, precision, and accuracy of motion detection. Because of the nature of the technology, it also performs well in close proximity to metal, which sets it apart from traditional RFID. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the current state of UWB RFID technology and research the areas where it already is being used. This is accomplished through study of publicly known uses of the technology as well as personal exploration of RFID hardware and software. This paper presents the findings in a general manner to facilitate their usefulness for diverse applications.« less

A future wide field-of-view TeV gamma-ray observatory in the Southern Hemisphere

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mostafa, Miguel; HAWC Collaboration

2017-01-01

High-energy gamma-ray observations are an essential probe of cosmic-ray acceleration. Detection of the highest energies and the shortest timescales of variability are key motivations when designing the next generation of gamma-ray experiments. The Milagro experiment was the first-generation of gamma-ray detectors based on the water-Cherenkov technique, and demonstrated that it is possible to continuously monitor a large fraction of the TeV sky. The second-generation water-Cherenkov experiment, the High Altitude Water Cherenkov observatory, consists of an array of 300 water-Cherenkov detectors covering an area of 22,000 m2 at 4,100 m a.s.l. The larger effective area, the higher altitude, and the optical isolation of the detectors led to a 15-fold increase in sensitivity relative to Milagro. Instruments with a wide field of view and large duty cycle are capable of surveying the TeV sky, mapping the diffuse emission, detecting emission from extended regions, and observing transient events such as gamma ray bursts. They also have the potential for discovering electromagnetic counterparts to gravitational waves and astrophysical neutrinos. I will present the preliminary design of a third-generation water-Cherenkov observatory located at very high altitude in South America.

Three decades of BGR airborne geophysical surveys over the polar regions - a review

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Damaske, Detlef

2013-04-01

The Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources (BGR) has been conducting geological polar research since 1979. A few years later BGR engaged in airborne geophysical projects. Investigation of the lithosphere of the continent and the continental margins was one of the key issues for BGR. Right from the beginning geophysical research was closely associated with the geological activities. The GANOVEX (German Antarctic North Victoria Land Expedition) program combined geological research with geophysical (mainly airborne) investigations. This proved to be a fruitful approach to many of the open questions regarding the tectonic development of the Ross Sea region. Aeromagnetic surveys evolved into a powerful tool for identifying geological structures and following them underneath the ice covered areas - not accessible to direct geological investigations. To achieve this aim it was essential to lay out these surveys with a relatively closely spaced line separation on the expense of covering large areas at the same time. Nevertheless, over many years of continues research areas of more than a just regional extent could be covered. This was, however, only possible through international collaboration. During the first years, working in the Ross Sea area, the cooperation with the US and Italian programs played a significant role, especially the GITARA (German-Italian Aeromagnetic Research in Antarctica) program has to be mentioned. GEOMAUD (Geoscientific Expedition to Dronning Maud Land) and the German-Australian joint venture PCMEGA (Prince Charles Mountains Expedition of Germany & Australia) expanded research activities to the East Antarctic shield area. In the International Polar Year (IPY), BGR played a leading role in the international project AGAP (Antarctica's GAmburtsev Province) as part of the main topic "Venture into Unknown Regions". AGAP was jointly conducted by the USA, Great Britain, Australia, China and Germany. While in the Ross Sea area even smaller scale surveys - getting close to industry standards - targeted specific geological questions, the reconnaissance type of aerogeophysical projects continued in Dronning Maud Land, now in close cooperation with the Alfred-Wegener-Institute (AWI). This very successful cooperation between the two German institutions - both working continuously in the polar regions - was already established in Arctic projects, namely in northern Greenland. Also, since the late 1990's BGR conducted together with Canada airborne surveys as part of PMAP (Polar Margins Aeromagnetic Program), thematically linked to the predominantly geological CASE (Circum Arctic Structural Events) program of BGR. A joint project of GSC (Geological Survey of Canada) and BGR in the Nares Strait was a highlight of combined geological and aeromagnetic research addressing the still widely discussed Wegener fault between Greenland and Ellesmere Island and the extent of tertiary basins in the Nares Strait itself. BGR intends to continue its successful combined geological-geophysical work in both polar regions. The increasing logistic and financial challenges to work in these extreme areas will demand not only a continuation but an intensification of national and international collaboration.

Using Remote Sensing Technology on the Delimitation of the Conservation Area for the Jianan Irrigation System Cultural Landsccape

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, C. H.

2015-08-01

In recent years the cultural landscape has become an important issue for cultural heritages throughout the world. It represents the "combined works of nature and of man" designated in Article 1 of the World Heritage Convention. When a landscape has a cultural heritage value, important features should be marked and mapped through the delimitation of a conservation area, which may be essential for further conservation work. However, a cultural landscape's spatial area is usually wider than the ordinary architectural type of cultural heritage, since various elements and impact factors, forming the cultural landscape's character, lie within a wide geographic area. It is argued that the conservation of a cultural landscape may be influenced by the delimitation of the conservation area, the corresponding land management measures, the limits and encouragements. The Jianan Irrigation System, an historical cultural landscape in southern Taiwan, was registered as a living cultural heritage site in 2009. However, the system's conservation should not be limited to just only the reservoir or canals, but expanded to irrigated areas where farmland may be the most relevant. Through the analysis process, only approximately 42,000 hectares was defined as a conservation area, but closely related to agricultural plantations and irrigated by the system. This is only half of the 1977 irrigated area due to urban sprawl and continuous industrial expansion.

Brazil Fire Characterization and Burn Area Estimation Using the Airborne Infrared Disaster Assessment (AIRDAS) System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Brass, J. A.; Riggan, P. J.; Ambrosia, V. G.; Lockwood, R. N.; Pereira, J. A.; Higgins, R. G.; Peterson, David L. (Technical Monitor)

1995-01-01

Remotely sensed estimations of regional and global emissions from biomass combustion have been used to characterize fire behavior, determine fire intensity, and estimate burn area. Highly temporal, low resolution satellite data have been used to calculate estimates of fire numbers and area burned. These estimates of fire activity and burned area have differed dramatically, resulting in a wide range of predictions on the ecological and environmental impacts of fires. As part of the Brazil/United States Fire Initiative, an aircraft campaign was initiated in 1992 and continued in 1994. This multi-aircraft campaign was designed to assist in the characterization of fire activity, document fire intensity and determine area burned over prescribed, agricultural and wildland fires in the savanna and forests of central Brazil. Using a unique, multispectral scanner (AIRDAS), designed specifically for fire characterization, a variety of fires and burned areas were flown with a high spatial and high thermal resolution scanner. The system was used to measure flame front size, rate of spread, ratio of smoldering to flaming fronts and fire intensity. In addition, long transects were flown to determine the size of burned areas within the cerrado and transitional ecosystems. The authors anticipate that the fire activity and burned area estimates reported here will lead to enhanced information for precise regional trace gas prediction.

Bill size variation in northern cardinals associated with anthropogenic drivers across North America.

PubMed

Miller, Colleen R; Latimer, Christopher E; Zuckerberg, Benjamin

2018-05-01

Allen's rule predicts that homeotherms inhabiting cooler climates will have smaller appendages, while those inhabiting warmer climates will have larger appendages relative to body size. Birds' bills tend to be larger at lower latitudes, but few studies have tested whether modern climate change and urbanization affect bill size. Our study explored whether bill size in a wide-ranging bird would be larger in warmer, drier regions and increase with rising temperatures. Furthermore, we predicted that bill size would be larger in densely populated areas, due to urban heat island effects and the higher concentration of supplementary foods. Using measurements from 605 museum specimens, we explored the effects of climate and housing density on northern cardinal bill size over an 85-year period across the Linnaean subspecies' range. We quantified the geographic relationships between bill surface area, housing density, and minimum temperature using linear mixed effect models and geographically weighted regression. We then tested whether bill surface area changed due to housing density and temperature in three subregions (Chicago, IL., Washington, D.C., and Ithaca, NY). Across North America, cardinals occupying drier regions had larger bills, a pattern strongest in males. This relationship was mediated by temperature such that birds in warm, dry areas had larger bills than those in cool, dry areas. Over time, female cardinals' bill size increased with warming temperatures in Washington, D.C., and Ithaca. Bill size was smaller in developed areas of Chicago, but larger in Washington, D.C., while there was no pattern in Ithaca, NY. We found that climate and urbanization were strongly associated with bill size for a wide-ranging bird. These biogeographic relationships were characterized by sex-specific differences, varying relationships with housing density, and geographic variability. It is likely that anthropogenic pressures will continue to influence species, potentially promoting microevolutionary changes over space and time.

The Sustainable Development Goal for Urban Sanitation: Africa's Statistical Tragedy Continues?

PubMed

Buckley, Robert M; Kallergis, Achilles

2018-06-01

Sanitation delivery in the urban areas of sub-Saharan African countries has been a chronic issue, particularly difficult to tackle. Under the Millennium Development Goals, the sanitation target in urban sub-Saharan Africa was missed by a wide margin and witnessed almost no improvement. After 2 years of review, the WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme published a new measure of access to sanitation as a baseline for the Sustainable Development Goals. There are a number of improvements in the new measure. However, despite the improvements, the new measure continues to be characterized by an important flaw: it continues to disregard how shared toilet facilities contribute towards the SDG sanitation target. As a result, the new measure does not indicate whether progress is being made in low-income urban areas where a large number of households rely on shared sanitation; nor does it provide a goal that can be achieved in cities of the poorest countries over the measurement period. But, its most egregious failing is that it directs resources towards investments which will often fail cost/benefit tests. In sum, it is not a surprise that a Working Group recommended that the measure should be changed to include some shared facilities. Following the Working Group's recommendation would have avoided the adverse consequences of continued reliance on a key component of the methodology used for monitoring sanitation improvements under the Millennium Development Goals. The paper discusses the limitations of this methodology in the context of urban sub-Saharan Africa, where current sanitation conditions are seriously lacking, and the significant future urban population growth will add more pressure for the delivery of vital sanitation services.

Beyond the Coral Triangle: high genetic diversity and near panmixia in Singapore's populations of the broadcast spawning sea star Protoreaster nodosus

PubMed Central

Tay, Y. C.; Chng, M. W. P.; Sew, W. W. G.; Rheindt, F. E.; Tun, K. P. P.

2016-01-01

The Coral Triangle is widely considered the most important centre of marine biodiversity in Asia while areas on its periphery such as the South China Sea, have received much less interest. Here, we demonstrate that a small population of the knobbly sea star Protoreaster nodosus in Singapore has similarly high levels of genetic diversity as comparable Indonesian populations from the Coral Triangle. The high genetic diversity of this population is remarkable because it is maintained despite decades of continued anthropogenic disturbance. We postulate that it is probably due to broadcast spawning which is likely to maintain high levels of population connectivity. To test this, we analysed 6140 genome-wide single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) loci for Singapore's populations and demonstrate a pattern of near panmixia. We here document a second case of high genetic diversity and low genetic structure for a broadcast spawner in Singapore, which suggests that such species have high resilience against anthropogenic disturbances. The study demonstrates the feasibility and power of using genome-wide SNPs for connectivity studies of marine invertebrates without a sequenced genome. PMID:27853600

The USNO-UKIRT K-band Hemisphere Survey

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dahm, Scott; Bruursema, Justice; Munn, Jeffrey A.; Vrba, Fred J.; Dorland, Bryan; Dye, Simon; Kerr, Tom; Varricatt, Watson; Irwin, Mike; Lawrence, Andy; McLaren, Robert; Hodapp, Klaus; Hasinger, Guenther

2018-01-01

We present initial results from the United States Naval Observatory (USNO) and UKIRT K-band Hemisphere Survey (U2HS), currently underway using the Wide Field Camera (WFCAM) installed on UKIRT on Maunakea. U2HS is a collaborative effort undertaken by USNO, the Institute for Astronomy, University of Hawaii, the Cambridge Astronomy Survey Unit (CASU) and the Wide Field Astronomy Unit (WFAU) in Edinburgh. The principal objective of the U2HS is to provide continuous northern hemisphere K-band coverage over a declination range of δ=0o – +60o by combining over 12,700 deg2 of new imaging with the existing UKIRT Infrared Deep Sky Survey (UKIDSS) Large Area Survey (LAS), Galactic Plane Survey (GPS) and Galactic Cluster Survey (GCS). U2HS will achieve a 5-σ point source sensitivity of K~18.4 mag (Vega), over three magnitudes deeper than the Two Micron All Sky Survey (2MASS). In this contribution we discuss survey design, execution, data acquisition and processing, photometric calibration and quality control. The data obtained by the U2HS will be made publicly available through the Wide Field Science Archive (WSA) maintained by the WFAU.

Wide-field in vivo neocortical calcium dye imaging using a convection-enhanced loading technique combined with simultaneous multiwavelength imaging of voltage-sensitive dyes and hemodynamic signals

PubMed Central

Ma, Hongtao; Harris, Samuel; Rahmani, Redi; Lacefield, Clay O.; Zhao, Mingrui; Daniel, Andy G. S.; Zhou, Zhiping; Bruno, Randy M.; Berwick, Jason; Schwartz, Theodore H.

2014-01-01

Abstract. In vivo calcium imaging is an incredibly powerful technique that provides simultaneous information on fast neuronal events, such as action potentials and subthreshold synaptic activity, as well as slower events that occur in the glia and surrounding neuropil. Bulk-loading methods that involve multiple injections can be used for single-cell as well as wide-field imaging studies. However, multiple injections result in inhomogeneous loading as well as multiple sites of potential cortical injury. We used convection-enhanced delivery to create smooth, continuous loading of a large area of the cortical surface through a solitary injection site and demonstrated the efficacy of the technique using confocal microscopy imaging of single cells and physiological responses to single-trial events of spontaneous activity, somatosensory-evoked potentials, and epileptiform events. Combinations of calcium imaging with voltage-sensitive dye and intrinsic signal imaging demonstrate the utility of this technique in neurovascular coupling investigations. Convection-enhanced loading of calcium dyes may be a useful technique to advance the study of cortical processing when widespread loading of a wide-field imaging is required. PMID:25525611

Wide-field in vivo neocortical calcium dye imaging using a convection-enhanced loading technique combined with simultaneous multiwavelength imaging of voltage-sensitive dyes and hemodynamic signals.

PubMed

Ma, Hongtao; Harris, Samuel; Rahmani, Redi; Lacefield, Clay O; Zhao, Mingrui; Daniel, Andy G S; Zhou, Zhiping; Bruno, Randy M; Berwick, Jason; Schwartz, Theodore H

2014-07-24

In vivo calcium imaging is an incredibly powerful technique that provides simultaneous information on fast neuronal events, such as action potentials and subthreshold synaptic activity, as well as slower events that occur in the glia and surrounding neuropil. Bulk-loading methods that involve multiple injections can be used for single-cell as well as wide-field imaging studies. However, multiple injections result in inhomogeneous loading as well as multiple sites of potential cortical injury. We used convection-enhanced delivery to create smooth, continuous loading of a large area of the cortical surface through a solitary injection site and demonstrated the efficacy of the technique using confocal microscopy imaging of single cells and physiological responses to single-trial events of spontaneous activity, somatosensory-evoked potentials, and epileptiform events. Combinations of calcium imaging with voltage-sensitive dye and intrinsic signal imaging demonstrate the utility of this technique in neurovascular coupling investigations. Convection-enhanced loading of calcium dyes may be a useful technique to advance the study of cortical processing when widespread loading of a wide-field imaging is required.

Seattle wide-area information for travelers (SWIFT) : architecture study

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1998-10-19

The SWIFT (Seattle Wide-area Information For Travelers) Field Operational Test was intended to evaluate the performance of a large-scale urban Advanced Traveler Information System (ATIS) deployment in the Seattle area. The unique features of the SWIF...

Design of integrated ship monitoring system using SAR, RADAR, and AIS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Chan-Su; Kim, Tae-Ho; Hong, Danbee; Ahn, Hyung-Wook

2013-06-01

When we talk about for the ship detection, identification and its classification, we need to go for the wide area of monitoring and it may be possible only through satellite based monitoring approach which monitors and covers coastal as well as the oceanic zone. Synthetic aperture radar (SAR) has been widely used to detect targets of interest with the advantage of the operating capability in all weather and luminance free condition (Margarit and Tabasco, 2011). In EU waters, EMSA(European Maritime Safety Agency) is operating the SafeSeaNet and CleanSeaNet systems which provide the current positions of all ships and oil spill monitoring information in and around EU waters in a single picture to Member States using AIS, LRIT and SAR images. In many countries, a similar system has been developed and the key of the matter is to integrate all available data. This abstract describes the preliminary design concept for an integration system of RADAR, AIS and SAR data for vessel traffic monitoring. SAR sensors are used to acquire image data over large coverage area either through the space borne or airborne platforms in UTC. AIS reports should be also obtained on the same date as of the SAR acquisition for the purpose to perform integration test. Land-based RADAR can provide ships positions detected and tracked in near real time. In general, SAR are used to acquire image data over large coverage area, AIS reports are obtained from ship based transmitter, and RADAR can monitor continuously ships for a limited area. In this study, we developed individual ship monitoring algorithms using RADAR(FMCW and Pulse X-band), AIS and SAR(RADARSAT-2 Full-pol Mode). We conducted field experiments two times for displaying the RADAR, AIS and SAR integration over the Pyeongtaek Port, South Korea.

Advanced time and wavelength division multiplexing for metropolitan area optical data communication networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Watford, M.; DeCusatis, C.

2005-09-01

With the advent of new regulations governing the protection and recovery of sensitive business data, including the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, there has been a renewed interest in business continuity and disaster recovery applications for metropolitan area networks. Specifically, there has been a need for more efficient bandwidth utilization and lower cost per channel to facilitate mirroring of multi-terabit data bases. These applications have further blurred the boundary between metropolitan and wide area networks, with synchronous disaster recovery applications running up to 100 km and asynchronous solutions extending to 300 km or more. In this paper, we discuss recent enhancements in the Nortel Optical Metro 5200 Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexing (DWDM) platform, including features recently qualified for data communication applications such as Metro Mirror, Global Mirror, and Geographically Distributed Parallel Sysplex (GDPS). Using a 10 Gigabit/second (Gbit/s) backbone, this solution transports significantly more Fibre Channel protocol traffic with up to five times greater hardware density in the same physical package. This is also among the first platforms to utilize forward error correction (FEC) on the aggregate signals to improve bit error rate (BER) performance beyond industry standards. When combined with encapsulation into wide area network protocols, the use of FEC can compensate for impairments in BER across a service provider infrastructure without impacting application level performance. Design and implementation of these features will be discussed, including results from experimental test beds which validate these solutions for a number of applications. Future extensions of this environment will also be considered, including ways to provide configurable bandwidth on demand, mitigate Fibre Channel buffer credit management issues, and support for other GDPS protocols.

Clinical outcome of dedifferentiated liposarcoma in the extremities: A retrospective case series of 7 patients.

PubMed

Kito, Munehisa; Yoshimura, Yasuo; Isobe, Ken'ichi; Aoki, Kaoru; Suzuki, Shuichiro; Tanaka, Atsushi; Okamoto, Masanori; Sano, Kenji; Kato, Hiroyuki

2016-09-01

Wide resection is the generally recommended surgical treatment for dedifferentiated liposarcoma (DDLPS) in the extremities. However, it may be appropriate to distinguish the surgical margin of low-grade atypical lipomatous tumor (ALT)/well-differentiated liposarcoma (WDLPS) area from the high-grade dedifferentiated area, because the low- and high-grade areas can be clearly separated, both radiologically and histologically. This study re-evaluated the details of surgical margin of DDLPS in the extremities, and aimed to investigate the optimal surgical margin and the usefulness of adjuvant therapy for DDLPS in the extremities. Seven patients diagnosed with DDLPS in the extremities and treated between 1995 and 2013 were analyzed. The use of adjuvant therapy before and after surgery was assessed, and the surgical margins for the ALT/WDLPS and dedifferentiated areas were re-evaluated by using the specimens resected at surgery. Subsequently, the recurrence rates, metastatic rates, and oncological outcomes were examined. Four and three patients had wide (adequate wide margin, n = 3; inadequate wide margin, n = 1) and marginal margins for the dedifferentiated area, respectively, while three and four patients had wide (adequate wide margin, n = 2; inadequate wide margin, n = 1) and marginal margins for the ALT/WDLPS area, respectively. Postoperative radiotherapy was performed in three patients with an inadequate wide margin or a marginal margin for the dedifferentiated area. No patient had local recurrence. Distant metastases occurred in two patients. These patients died of their disease. The other five patients were disease-free. The ALT/WDLPS and dedifferentiated areas in the tumor margin may be better to be considered separately in determining the appropriate resection extent for DDLPS in the extremities. Postoperative radiotherapy may provide good local control for cases with a narrow surgical margin. Copyright © 2016 The Japanese Orthopaedic Association. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Field and long-term demonstration of a wide area quantum key distribution network.

PubMed

Wang, Shuang; Chen, Wei; Yin, Zhen-Qiang; Li, Hong-Wei; He, De-Yong; Li, Yu-Hu; Zhou, Zheng; Song, Xiao-Tian; Li, Fang-Yi; Wang, Dong; Chen, Hua; Han, Yun-Guang; Huang, Jing-Zheng; Guo, Jun-Fu; Hao, Peng-Lei; Li, Mo; Zhang, Chun-Mei; Liu, Dong; Liang, Wen-Ye; Miao, Chun-Hua; Wu, Ping; Guo, Guang-Can; Han, Zheng-Fu

2014-09-08

A wide area quantum key distribution (QKD) network deployed on communication infrastructures provided by China Mobile Ltd. is demonstrated. Three cities and two metropolitan area QKD networks were linked up to form the Hefei-Chaohu-Wuhu wide area QKD network with over 150 kilometers coverage area, in which Hefei metropolitan area QKD network was a typical full-mesh core network to offer all-to-all interconnections, and Wuhu metropolitan area QKD network was a representative quantum access network with point-to-multipoint configuration. The whole wide area QKD network ran for more than 5000 hours, from 21 December 2011 to 19 July 2012, and part of the network stopped until last December. To adapt to the complex and volatile field environment, the Faraday-Michelson QKD system with several stability measures was adopted when we designed QKD devices. Through standardized design of QKD devices, resolution of symmetry problem of QKD devices, and seamless switching in dynamic QKD network, we realized the effective integration between point-to-point QKD techniques and networking schemes.

Seattle wide-area information for travelers (SWIFT) : consumer acceptance study

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1998-10-19

The Seattle Wide-area Information for Travelers (SWIFT) 0perational Test was intended to evaluate the performance of a large-scale, urban Advanced Traveler Information System (ATIS) deployment in the Seattle area. With the majority of the SWIFT syste...

Systems Health Care: daily measurement and lifestyle change

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nakajima, Hiroshi; Tsuchiya, Naoki; Shiga, Toshikazu; Hata, Yutaka

2012-06-01

Health is quite important to be realized in our daily life. However, its idea covers wide area and has individual dependency. Activities in health care have been widely developed by medical, drag, insurance, food, and other types of industries mainly centering diseases. In this article, systems approach named Systems Health Care is introduced and discussed to generate new and precious values based on measurements in daily life to change lifestyle habits for realizing each health. Firstly, issues related to health such as its definitions are introduced and discussed by centering health rather than disease. In response to the discussions on health, Home and Medical Care is continuously introduced to point out the important role causality between life style and vital signal such as exercise and blood pressure based on detailed sampling time. Systems approaches of Systems Health Care are discussed from various points of views. Real applications of devices and services are used to make the studies and discussions deeper on the subjects of the article.

The Receiver System for the Ooty Wide Field Array

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Subrahmanya, C. R.; Prasad, P.; Girish, B. S.; Somashekar, R.; Manoharan, P. K.; Mittal, A. K.

2017-03-01

The legacy Ooty Radio Telescope (ORT) is being reconfigured as a 264-element synthesis telescope, called the Ooty Wide Field Array (OWFA). Its antenna elements are the contiguous 1.92 m sections of the parabolic cylinder. It will operate in a 38-MHz frequency band centred at 326.5 MHz and will be equipped with a digital receiver including a 264-element spectral correlator with a spectral resolution of 48 kHz. OWFA is designed to retain the benefits of equatorial mount, continuous 9-hour tracking ability and large collecting area of the legacy telescope and use of modern digital techniques to enhance the instantaneous field-of-view by more than an order of magnitude. OWFA has unique advantages for contemporary investigations related to large scale structure, transient events and space weather watch. In this paper, we describe the RF subsystems, digitizers and fibre optic communication of OWFA and highlight some specific aspects of the system relevant for the observations planned during the initial operation.

Impact of prenatal technologies on the sex ratio in India: an overview.

PubMed

Madan, Kamlesh; Breuning, Martijn H

2014-06-01

The fact that techniques of prenatal diagnosis are used in India and China to selectively eliminate females is widely known. It has been extensively reported in the international media and in scientific publications since the 1990s. The publication of the Census of India 2011 shows that the ratio of girls to boys below the age of 6 years continues to decline at an alarming rate. Following that publication, this topic has again received international attention. The aim of this article is to better inform the human genetics community of the magnitude of this practice and its consequences in India.In this overview, we examine the impact of prenatal technology on the sex ratio in India. We present facts and figures from the Census of India and other publications that show that the practice is wide spread throughout India, in urban and rural areas, among the rich and the poor, and among the educated and the illiterate. We also briefly discuss the possible causes, consequences, and solutions.

The Role of APEX as a Pathfinder for AtLAST

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wyrowski, Friedrich

2018-01-01

Now more than 12 years in operation, the Atacama Pathfinder Experiment (APEX) 12 m submillimeter telescope has significantly contributed to a wide variety of submillimeter astronomy science areas, ranging from the discoveries of new molecules to large and deep imaging of the submillimeter sky. While ALMA operation is in full swing, APEX is strengthening its role not only as pathfinder for studying large source samples and spatial scales to prepare detailed high angular resolution ALMA follow ups, but also as fast response instruments to complement new results from ALMA. Furthermore, APEX ensures southern hemisphere access for submillimeter projects complementing archival Herschel research as well as new SOFIA science. With new broadband and multipixel receivers as well as large cameras for wide-field continuum imaging, APEX will pave the way towards the science envisioned with ATLAST. In this contribution, the current status and ongoing upgrades of APEX will be discussed, with an emphasis on the importance of continuous cutting edge science and state-of-the-art instrumentation that will bridge the gap towards ATLAST.

42 CFR 422.54 - Continuation of enrollment for MA local plans.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 42 Public Health 3 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Continuation of enrollment for MA local plans. 422... Enrollment § 422.54 Continuation of enrollment for MA local plans. (a) Definition. Continuation area means an additional area (outside the service area) within which the MA organization offering a local plan furnishes...

42 CFR 422.54 - Continuation of enrollment for MA local plans.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... 42 Public Health 3 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Continuation of enrollment for MA local plans. 422... Enrollment § 422.54 Continuation of enrollment for MA local plans. (a) Definition. Continuation area means an additional area (outside the service area) within which the MA organization offering a local plan furnishes...

42 CFR 422.54 - Continuation of enrollment for MA local plans.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... 42 Public Health 3 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Continuation of enrollment for MA local plans. 422..., and Enrollment § 422.54 Continuation of enrollment for MA local plans. (a) Definition. Continuation area means an additional area (outside the service area) within which the MA organization offering a...

42 CFR 422.54 - Continuation of enrollment for MA local plans.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... 42 Public Health 3 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Continuation of enrollment for MA local plans. 422..., and Enrollment § 422.54 Continuation of enrollment for MA local plans. (a) Definition. Continuation area means an additional area (outside the service area) within which the MA organization offering a...

42 CFR 422.54 - Continuation of enrollment for MA local plans.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... 42 Public Health 3 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Continuation of enrollment for MA local plans. 422..., and Enrollment § 422.54 Continuation of enrollment for MA local plans. (a) Definition. Continuation area means an additional area (outside the service area) within which the MA organization offering a...

Wireless Wide Area Networks for School Districts.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nair, Prakash

This paper considers a basic question that many schools districts face in attempting to develop affordable, expandable district-wide computer networks that are resistant to obsolescence: Should these wide area networks (WANs) employ wireless technology, stick to venerable hard-wired solutions, or combine both. This publication explores the…

Spatial genetic analyses reveal cryptic population structure and migration patterns in a continuously harvested grey wolf (Canis lupus) population in north-eastern Europe.

PubMed

Hindrikson, Maris; Remm, Jaanus; Männil, Peep; Ozolins, Janis; Tammeleht, Egle; Saarma, Urmas

2013-01-01

Spatial genetics is a relatively new field in wildlife and conservation biology that is becoming an essential tool for unravelling the complexities of animal population processes, and for designing effective strategies for conservation and management. Conceptual and methodological developments in this field are therefore critical. Here we present two novel methodological approaches that further the analytical possibilities of STRUCTURE and DResD. Using these approaches we analyse structure and migrations in a grey wolf (Canislupus) population in north-eastern Europe. We genotyped 16 microsatellite loci in 166 individuals sampled from the wolf population in Estonia and Latvia that has been under strong and continuous hunting pressure for decades. Our analysis demonstrated that this relatively small wolf population is represented by four genetic groups. We also used a novel methodological approach that uses linear interpolation to statistically test the spatial separation of genetic groups. The new method, which is capable of using program STRUCTURE output, can be applied widely in population genetics to reveal both core areas and areas of low significance for genetic groups. We also used a recently developed spatially explicit individual-based method DResD, and applied it for the first time to microsatellite data, revealing a migration corridor and barriers, and several contact zones.

The World Karst Aquifer Mapping project: concept, mapping procedure and map of Europe

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Zhao; Auler, Augusto S.; Bakalowicz, Michel; Drew, David; Griger, Franziska; Hartmann, Jens; Jiang, Guanghui; Moosdorf, Nils; Richts, Andrea; Stevanovic, Zoran; Veni, George; Goldscheider, Nico

2017-05-01

Karst aquifers contribute substantially to freshwater supplies in many regions of the world, but are vulnerable to contamination and difficult to manage because of their unique hydrogeological characteristics. Many karst systems are hydraulically connected over wide areas and require transboundary exploration, protection and management. In order to obtain a better global overview of karst aquifers, to create a basis for sustainable international water-resources management, and to increase the awareness in the public and among decision makers, the World Karst Aquifer Mapping (WOKAM) project was established. The goal is to create a world map and database of karst aquifers, as a further development of earlier maps. This paper presents the basic concepts and the detailed mapping procedure, using France as an example to illustrate the step-by-step workflow, which includes generalization, differentiation of continuous and discontinuous carbonate and evaporite rock areas, and the identification of non-exposed karst aquifers. The map also shows selected caves and karst springs, which are collected in an associated global database. The draft karst aquifer map of Europe shows that 21.6% of the European land surface is characterized by the presence of (continuous or discontinuous) carbonate rocks; about 13.8% of the land surface is carbonate rock outcrop.

Convergence

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Darcie, Thomas E.; Doverspike, Robert; Zirngibl, Martin; Korotky, Steven K.

2005-08-01

Call for Papers: Convergence The Journal of Optical Networking (JON) invites submissions to a special issue on Convergence. Convergence has become a popular theme in telecommunications, one that has broad implications across all segments of the industry. Continual evolution of technology and applications continues to erase lines between traditionally separate lines of business, with dramatic consequences for vendors, service providers, and consumers. Spectacular advances in all layers of optical networking-leading to abundant, dynamic, cost-effective, and reliable wide-area and local-area connections-have been essential drivers of this evolution. As services and networks continue to evolve towards some notion of convergence, the continued role of optical networks must be explored. One vision of convergence renders all information in a common packet (especially IP) format. This vision is driven by the proliferation of data services. For example, time-division multiplexed (TDM) voice becomes VoIP. Analog cable-television signals become MPEG bits streamed to digital set-top boxes. T1 or OC-N private lines migrate to Ethernet virtual private networks (VPNs). All these packets coexist peacefully within a single packet-routing methodology built on an optical transport layer that combines the flexibility and cost of data networks with telecom-grade reliability. While this vision is appealing in its simplicity and shared widely, specifics of implementation raise many challenges and differences of opinion. For example, many seek to expand the role of Ethernet in these transport networks, while massive efforts are underway to make traditional TDM networks more data friendly within an evolved but backward-compatible SDH/SONET (synchronous digital hierarchy and synchronous optical network) multiplexing hierarchy. From this common underlying theme follow many specific instantiations. Examples include the convergence at the physical, logical, and operational levels of voice and data, video and data, private-line and virtual private-line, fixed and mobile, and local and long-haul services. These trends have many consequences for consumers, vendors, and carriers. Faced with large volumes of low-margin data traffic mixed with traditional voice services, the need for capital conservation and operational efficiency drives carriers away from today's separate overlay networks for each service and towards "converged" platforms. For example, cable operators require transport of multiple services over both hybrid fiber coax (HFC) and DWDM transport technologies. Local carriers seek an economical architecture to deliver integrated services on optically enabled broadband-access networks. Services over wireless-access networks must coexist with those from wired networks. In each case, convergence of networks and services inspires an important set of questions and challenges, driven by the need for low cost, operational efficiency, service performance requirements, and optical transport technology options. This Feature Issue explores the various interpretations and implications of network convergence pertinent to optical networking. How does convergence affect the evolution of optical transport-layer and control approaches? Are the implied directions consistent with research vision for optical networks? Substantial challenges remain. Papers are solicited across the broad spectrum of interests. These include, but are not limited to: Architecture, design and performance of optical wide-area-network (WAN), metro, and access networks Integration strategies for multiservice transport platforms Access methods that bridge traditional and emerging services Network signaling and control methodologies All-optical packet routing and switching techniques

Convergence

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Darcie, Thomas E.; Doverspike, Robert; Zirngibl, Martin; Korotky, Steven K.

2005-06-01

Call for Papers: Convergence The Journal of Optical Networking (JON) invites submissions to a special issue on Convergence. Convergence has become a popular theme in telecommunications, one that has broad implications across all segments of the industry. Continual evolution of technology and applications continues to erase lines between traditionally separate lines of business, with dramatic consequences for vendors, service providers, and consumers. Spectacular advances in all layers of optical networking-leading to abundant, dynamic, cost-effective, and reliable wide-area and local-area connections-have been essential drivers of this evolution. As services and networks continue to evolve towards some notion of convergence, the continued role of optical networks must be explored. One vision of convergence renders all information in a common packet (especially IP) format. This vision is driven by the proliferation of data services. For example, time-division multiplexed (TDM) voice becomes VoIP. Analog cable-television signals become MPEG bits streamed to digital set-top boxes. T1 or OC-N private lines migrate to Ethernet virtual private networks (VPNs). All these packets coexist peacefully within a single packet-routing methodology built on an optical transport layer that combines the flexibility and cost of data networks with telecom-grade reliability. While this vision is appealing in its simplicity and shared widely, specifics of implementation raise many challenges and differences of opinion. For example, many seek to expand the role of Ethernet in these transport networks, while massive efforts are underway to make traditional TDM networks more data friendly within an evolved but backward-compatible SDH/SONET (synchronous digital hierarchy and synchronous optical network) multiplexing hierarchy. From this common underlying theme follow many specific instantiations. Examples include the convergence at the physical, logical, and operational levels of voice and data, video and data, private-line and virtual private-line, fixed and mobile, and local and long-haul services. These trends have many consequences for consumers, vendors, and carriers. Faced with large volumes of low-margin data traffic mixed with traditional voice services, the need for capital conservation and operational efficiency drives carriers away from today's separate overlay networks for each service and towards "converged" platforms. For example, cable operators require transport of multiple services over both hybrid fiber coax (HFC) and DWDM transport technologies. Local carriers seek an economical architecture to deliver integrated services on optically enabled broadband-access networks. Services over wireless-access networks must coexist with those from wired networks. In each case, convergence of networks and services inspires an important set of questions and challenges, driven by the need for low cost, operational efficiency, service performance requirements, and optical transport technology options. This Feature Issue explores the various interpretations and implications of network convergence pertinent to optical networking. How does convergence affect the evolution of optical transport-layer and control approaches? Are the implied directions consistent with research vision for optical networks? Substantial challenges remain. Papers are solicited across the broad spectrum of interests. These include, but are not limited to: Architecture, design and performance of optical wide-area-network (WAN), metro, and access networks Integration strategies for multiservice transport platforms Access methods that bridge traditional and emerging services Network signaling and control methodologies All-optical packet routing and switching techniques

Convergence

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Darcie, Thomas E.; Doverspike, Robert; Zirngibl, Martin; Korotky, Steven K.

2005-05-01

Call for Papers: Convergence The Journal of Optical Networking (JON) invites submissions to a special issue on Convergence. Convergence has become a popular theme in telecommunications, one that has broad implications across all segments of the industry. Continual evolution of technology and applications continues to erase lines between traditionally separate lines of business, with dramatic consequences for vendors, service providers, and consumers. Spectacular advances in all layers of optical networking-leading to abundant, dynamic, cost-effective, and reliable wide-area and local-area connections-have been essential drivers of this evolution. As services and networks continue to evolve towards some notion of convergence, the continued role of optical networks must be explored. One vision of convergence renders all information in a common packet (especially IP) format. This vision is driven by the proliferation of data services. For example, time-division multiplexed (TDM) voice becomes VoIP. Analog cable-television signals become MPEG bits streamed to digital set-top boxes. T1 or OC-N private lines migrate to Ethernet virtual private networks (VPNs). All these packets coexist peacefully within a single packet-routing methodology built on an optical transport layer that combines the flexibility and cost of data networks with telecom-grade reliability. While this vision is appealing in its simplicity and shared widely, specifics of implementation raise many challenges and differences of opinion. For example, many seek to expand the role of Ethernet in these transport networks, while massive efforts are underway to make traditional TDM networks more data friendly within an evolved but backward-compatible SDH/SONET (synchronous digital hierarchy and synchronous optical network) multiplexing hierarchy. From this common underlying theme follow many specific instantiations. Examples include the convergence at the physical, logical, and operational levels of voice and data, video and data, private-line and virtual private-line, fixed and mobile, and local and long-haul services. These trends have many consequences for consumers, vendors, and carriers. Faced with large volumes of low-margin data traffic mixed with traditional voice services, the need for capital conservation and operational efficiency drives carriers away from today's separate overlay networks for each service and towards "converged" platforms. For example, cable operators require transport of multiple services over both hybrid fiber coax (HFC) and DWDM transport technologies. Local carriers seek an economical architecture to deliver integrated services on optically enabled broadband-access networks. Services over wireless-access networks must coexist with those from wired networks. In each case, convergence of networks and services inspires an important set of questions and challenges, driven by the need for low cost, operational efficiency, service performance requirements, and optical transport technology options. This Feature Issue explores the various interpretations and implications of network convergence pertinent to optical networking. How does convergence affect the evolution of optical transport-layer and control approaches? Are the implied directions consistent with research vision for optical networks? Substantial challenges remain. Papers are solicited across the broad spectrum of interests. These include, but are not limited to: Architecture, design and performance of optical wide-area-network (WAN), metro, and access networks Integration strategies for multiservice transport platforms Access methods that bridge traditional and emerging services Network signaling and control methodologies All-optical packet routing and switching techniques

Convergence

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Darcie, Thomas E.; Doverspike, Robert; Zirngibl, Martin; Korotky, Steven K.

2005-04-01

Call for Papers: Convergence The Journal of Optical Networking (JON) invites submissions to a special issue on Convergence. Convergence has become a popular theme in telecommunications, one that has broad implications across all segments of the industry. Continual evolution of technology and applications continues to erase lines between traditionally separate lines of business, with dramatic consequences for vendors, service providers, and consumers. Spectacular advances in all layers of optical networking-leading to abundant, dynamic, cost-effective, and reliable wide-area and local-area connections-have been essential drivers of this evolution. As services and networks continue to evolve towards some notion of convergence, the continued role of optical networks must be explored. One vision of convergence renders all information in a common packet (especially IP) format. This vision is driven by the proliferation of data services. For example, time-division multiplexed (TDM) voice becomes VoIP. Analog cable-television signals become MPEG bits streamed to digital set-top boxes. T1 or OC-N private lines migrate to Ethernet virtual private networks (VPNs). All these packets coexist peacefully within a single packet-routing methodology built on an optical transport layer that combines the flexibility and cost of data networks with telecom-grade reliability. While this vision is appealing in its simplicity and shared widely, specifics of implementation raise many challenges and differences of opinion. For example, many seek to expand the role of Ethernet in these transport networks, while massive efforts are underway to make traditional TDM networks more data friendly within an evolved but backward-compatible SDH/SONET (synchronous digital hierarchy and synchronous optical network) multiplexing hierarchy. From this common underlying theme follow many specific instantiations. Examples include the convergence at the physical, logical, and operational levels of voice and data, video and data, private-line and virtual private-line, fixed and mobile, and local and long-haul services. These trends have many consequences for consumers, vendors, and carriers. Faced with large volumes of low-margin data traffic mixed with traditional voice services, the need for capital conservation and operational efficiency drives carriers away from today's separate overlay networks for each service and towards "converged" platforms. For example, cable operators require transport of multiple services over both hybrid fiber coax (HFC) and DWDM transport technologies. Local carriers seek an economical architecture to deliver integrated services on optically enabled broadband-access networks. Services over wireless-access networks must coexist with those from wired networks. In each case, convergence of networks and services inspires an important set of questions and challenges, driven by the need for low cost, operational efficiency, service performance requirements, and optical transport technology options. This Feature Issue explores the various interpretations and implications of network convergence pertinent to optical networking. How does convergence affect the evolution of optical transport-layer and control approaches? Are the implied directions consistent with research vision for optical networks? Substantial challenges remain. Papers are solicited across the broad spectrum of interests. These include, but are not limited to: Architecture, design and performance of optical wide-area-network (WAN), metro, and access networks Integration strategies for multiservice transport platforms Access methods that bridge traditional and emerging services Network signaling and control methodologies All-optical packet routing and switching techniques

Environmental Site Characterization for the Wide Area Mine Sensor Demonstration, Aberdeen Proving Ground, October 1988

DTIC Science & Technology

1991-05-01

AD-A237 045 MP I ENVIRONMENTAL SITE CHARACTERIZATION of EFOR THE WIDE AREA MINE SENSOR DEMONSTRATION, ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND , OCTOBER 1988 T- by...Wide Area Mine Sensor Demonstration, Aberdeen Proving Ground , October 1988 6. AUTHOR(S) Bruce M. Sabol, Thomas E. Berry, Ben L. Garnes 7. PERFORMING... Proving Ground (APG), Maryland. This report presents data that characterize terrain and environmental factors expected to affect WAN sensor performance

Warm Ocean Temperatures Blanket the Far-Western Pacific

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2001-01-01

These data, taken during a 10-day collection cycle ending March 9, 2001, show that above-normal sea-surface heights and warmer ocean temperatures(indicated by the red and white areas) still blanket the far-western tropical Pacific and much of the north (and south) mid-Pacific. Red areas are about 10centimeters (4 inches) above normal; white areas show the sea-surface height is between 14 and 32 centimeters (6 to 13 inches) above normal.

This build-up of heat dominating the Western Pacific was first noted by TOPEX/Poseidon oceanographers more than two years ago and has outlasted the El Nino and La Nina events of the past few years. See: http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/elnino/990127.html . This warmth contrasts with the Bering Sea, Gulf of Alaska and tropical Pacific where lower-than-normal sea levels and cool ocean temperatures continue (indicated by blue areas). The blue areas are between 5 and 13centimeters (2 and 5 inches) below normal, whereas the purple areas range from 14 to 18 centimeters (6 to 7 inches) below normal. Actually, the near-equatorial ocean cooled through the fall of 2000 and into mid-winter and continues almost La Nina-like.

Looking at the entire Pacific basin, the Pacific Decadal Oscillation's warm horseshoe and cool wedge pattern still dominates this sea-level height image. Most recent National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) sea-surface temperature data also clearly illustrate the persistence of this basin-wide pattern. They are available at http://psbsgi1.nesdis.noaa.gov:8080/PSB/EPS/SST/climo.html

The U.S.-French TOPEX/Poseidon mission is managed by JPL for NASA's Earth Science Enterprise, Washington, D.C. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. For more information on the TOPEX/Poseidon project, see: http://topex-www.jpl.nasa.gov

Cleaning conveyor belts in the chicken-cutting area of a poultry processing plant with 45°c water.

PubMed

Soares, V M; Pereira, J G; Zanette, C M; Nero, L A; Pinto, J P A N; Barcellos, V C; Bersot, L S

2014-03-01

Conveyor belts are widely used in food handling areas, especially in poultry processing plants. Because they are in direct contact with food and it is a requirement of the Brazilian health authority, conveyor belts are required to be continuously cleaned with hot water under pressure. The use of water in this procedure has been questioned based on the hypothesis that water may further disseminate microorganisms but not effectively reduce the organic material on the surface. Moreover, reducing the use of water in processing may contribute to a reduction in costs and emission of effluents. However, no consistent evidence in support of removing water during conveyor belt cleaning has been reported. Therefore, the objective of the present study was to compare the bacterial counts on conveyor belts that were or were not continuously cleaned with hot water under pressure. Superficial samples from conveyor belts (cleaned or not cleaned) were collected at three different times during operation (T1, after the preoperational cleaning [5 a.m.]; T2, after the first work shift [4 p.m.]; and T3, after the second work shift [1:30 a.m.]) in a poultry meat processing facility, and the samples were subjected to mesophilic and enterobacterial counts. For Enterobacteriaceae, no significant differences were observed between the conveyor belts, independent of the time of sampling or the cleaning process. No significant differences were observed between the counts of mesophilic bacteria at the distinct times of sampling on the conveyor belt that had not been subjected to continuous cleaning with water at 45°C. When comparing similar periods of sampling, no significant differences were observed between the mesophilic counts obtained from the conveyor belts that were or were not subjected to continuous cleaning with water at 45°C. Continuous cleaning with water did not significantly reduce microorganism counts, suggesting the possibility of discarding this procedure in chicken processing.

Successful long-term maintenance following Nutrition Care Process Terminology implementation across a state-wide health-care system.

PubMed

Vivanti, Angela; O'Sullivan, Therese A; Porter, Jane; Hogg, Marion

2017-09-01

Three years following a state-wide Nutrition Care Process Terminology (NCPT) implementation project, the present study aimed to (i) assess changes in NCPT knowledge and attitudes, (ii) identify implementation barriers and enablers and (iii) seek managers' opinions post-implementation. Pre-implementation and three years post-implementation, all Queensland Government hospitals state-wide were invited to repeat a validated NCPT survey. Additionally, a separate survey sought dietetic managers' opinions regarding NCPT's use and acceptance, usefulness for patient care, role in service planning and continued use. A total of 238 dietitians completed the survey in 2011 and 82 dietitians in 2014. Use of diagnostic statement in the previous six months improved (P < 0.001). Perceptions of NCPT's importance (P < 0.020) and benefits of incorporating NCPT into practice (P = 0.029) increased. Time to complete NCPT documentation (P < 0.013) and access to mentors decreased (P < 0.001). Other areas including enhanced attitudes, familiarity, confidence, views, knowledge and incorporation into practice were sustained (P > 0.05). Key elements in sustaining NCPT implementation over three years included ongoing management support, workshops/tutorials, discussion and mentor and peer support. The most valued resources were pocket guides, ongoing workshops/tutorials and mentor support. Dietetic managers held many positive NCPT views, however, opinions differed around the usefulness of service planning, safer practice, improving patient care and facilitating communication. Some managers would not support NCPT unless it was recommended for practice. Immediate improvements following the NCPT implementation project were sustained over three years. Moving forward, a professional focus on continuing to incorporate NCPT into standard practice will provide structure for process and outcomes assessment. © 2017 State of Queensland. Nutrition and Dietetics © 2017 Dietitians Association of Australia.

Large area silicon sheet by EFG

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kalejs, J. P.

1982-01-01

Work carried out on the JPL Flat Plate Solar Array Project, for the purpose of developing a method for silicon ribbon production by Edge-defined Film-fed Growth (EEG) for use as low-cost substrate material in terrestrial solar cell manufacture, is described. A multiple ribbon furnace unit that is designed to operate on a continuous basis for periods of at least one week, with melt replenishment and automatic ribbon width control, and to produce silicon sheet at a rate of one square meter per hour, was constructed. Program milestones set for single ribbon furnace operation to demonstrate basic EEG system capabilities with respect to growth speed, thickness and cell performance were achieved for 10 cm wide ribbon: steady-state growth at 4 cm/min and 200 micron thickness over periods of an hour and longer was made routine, and a small area cell efficiency of 13+% demonstrated. Large area cells of average efficiency of 10 to 11%, with peak values of 11 to 12% were also achieved. The integration of these individual performance levels into multiple ribbon furnace operation was not accomplished.

Determining a membrane's shear modulus, independent of its area-dilatation modulus, via capsule flow in a converging micro-capillary.

PubMed

Dimitrakopoulos, P; Kuriakose, S

2015-04-14

Determination of the elastic properties of the membrane of artificial capsules is essential for the better design of the various devices that are utilized in their engineering and biomedical applications. However this task is complicated owing to the combined effects of the shear and area-dilatation moduli on the capsule deformation. Based on computational investigation, we propose a new methodology to determine a membrane's shear modulus, independent of its area-dilatation modulus, by flowing strain-hardening capsules in a converging micro-capillary of comparable size under Stokes flow conditions, and comparing the experimental measurements of the capsule elongation overshooting with computational data. The capsule prestress, if any, can also be determined with the same methodology. The elongation overshooting is practically independent of the viscosity ratio for low and moderate viscosity ratios, and thus a wide range of capsule fluids can be employed. Our proposed experimental device can be readily produced via glass fabrication while owing to the continuous flow in the micro-capillary, the characterization of a large number of artificial capsules is possible.

Interview with Paul W. Kruse on the Early History of HgCdTe, Conducted on October 22, 1980

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Reine, Marion B.

2015-09-01

This paper presents an interview with Dr Paul W. Kruse (1927-2012) on the early history of the semiconductor alloy mercury cadmium telluride (HgCdTe or Hg1- x Cd x Te) at the Honeywell Corporate Research Center near Minneapolis, Minnesota. Conducted on October 22, 1980, the interview covers two main areas. One area is the story of how the HgCdTe research effort came about at the Honeywell Research Center in the early 1960s, what technical choices were made and when, and what technical challenges were overcome and how. The other area is the organization, culture, environment and personnel at the Honeywell Research Center that made the early HgCdTe research programs so successful. HgCdTe has emerged as the highest-performance, most widely applicable infrared detector material. HgCdTe continues to satisfy a broad variety of advanced military and space applications. It is illustrative to look back on the early history of this remarkable semiconductor alloy to help to understand why its technological development as an infrared detector has been so successful.

Triangles in ROC space: History and theory of "nonparametric" measures of sensitivity and response bias.

PubMed

Macmillan, N A; Creelman, C D

1996-06-01

Can accuracy and response bias in two-stimulus, two-response recognition or detection experiments be measured nonparametrically? Pollack and Norman (1964) answered this question affirmatively for sensitivity, Hodos (1970) for bias: Both proposed measures based on triangular areas in receiver-operating characteristic space. Their papers, and especially a paper by Grier (1971) that provided computing formulas for the measures, continue to be heavily cited in a wide range of content areas. In our sample of articles, most authors described triangle-based measures as making fewer assumptions than measures associated with detection theory. However, we show that statistics based on products or ratios of right triangle areas, including a recently proposed bias index and a not-yetproposed but apparently plausible sensitivity index, are consistent with a decision process based on logistic distributions. Even the Pollack and Norman measure, which is based on non-right triangles, is approximately logistic for low values of sensitivity. Simple geometric models for sensitivity and bias are not nonparametric, even if their implications are not acknowledged in the defining publications.

A 5 x 40 cm rectangular-beam multipole ion source

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Robinson, R. S.; Kaufman, H. R.; Haynes, C. M.

1981-01-01

A rectangular ion source particularly suited for the continuous sputter processing of materials over a wide area is discussed. A multipole magnetic field configuration was used to design an ion source with a 5 x 40 cm beam area, while a three-grid ion optics system was used to maximize ion current density at the design ion energy of 500 eV. An average extracted current density of about 4 mA/sq cm could be obtained from 500 eV Ar ions. The difference between the experimental performance and the design value of 6 mA/sq cm is attributed to grid misalignment due to thermal expansion. The discharge losses at typical operating conditions ranged from about 600 to 1000 eV/ion, in reasonable agreement with the design value of 800 eV/ion. The use of multiple rectangular-beam ion sources to process wider areas than would be possible with a single source was also studied, and the most uniform coverage was found to be obtainable with a 0 to 2 cm overlap.

Area-wide control of insects with screwworm as an example

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Screwworms, Cochliomyia hominivorax (Coquerel), are devastating pests of warm blooded animals. They have been eradicated from continental North America using the sterile insect technique (SIT). Proper implementation of SIT is an example of the requirements of area-wide control of insect pests. Area-...

Human area MT+ shows load-dependent activation during working memory maintenance with continuously morphing stimulation.

PubMed

Galashan, Daniela; Fehr, Thorsten; Kreiter, Andreas K; Herrmann, Manfred

2014-07-11

Initially, human area MT+ was considered a visual area solely processing motion information but further research has shown that it is also involved in various different cognitive operations, such as working memory tasks requiring motion-related information to be maintained or cognitive tasks with implied or expected motion.In the present fMRI study in humans, we focused on MT+ modulation during working memory maintenance using a dynamic shape-tracking working memory task with no motion-related working memory content. Working memory load was systematically varied using complex and simple stimulus material and parametrically increasing retention periods. Activation patterns for the difference between retention of complex and simple memorized stimuli were examined in order to preclude that the reported effects are caused by differences in retrieval. Conjunction analysis over all delay durations for the maintenance of complex versus simple stimuli demonstrated a wide-spread activation pattern. Percent signal change (PSC) in area MT+ revealed a pattern with higher values for the maintenance of complex shapes compared to the retention of a simple circle and with higher values for increasing delay durations. The present data extend previous knowledge by demonstrating that visual area MT+ presents a brain activity pattern usually found in brain regions that are actively involved in working memory maintenance.

Ground Testing of Prototype Hardware and Processing Algorithms for a Wide Area Space Surveillance System (WASSS)

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-09-01

Ground testing of prototype hardware and processing algorithms for a Wide Area Space Surveillance System (WASSS) Neil Goldstein, Rainer A...at Magdalena Ridge Observatory using the prototype Wide Area Space Surveillance System (WASSS) camera, which has a 4 x 60 field-of-view , < 0.05...objects with larger-aperture cameras. The sensitivity of the system depends on multi-frame averaging and a Principal Component Analysis based image

Stable Nighttime Light Decreased in Protected Area of California: Findings from DMSP-OLS Observations and the Importance for Protected Area Policy Making

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jia, S.; Gillespie, T. W.

2016-12-01

Stable nighttime light, an indicator of persisting human activity and light pollution is a well-recognized disturbance to the wilderness of protected areas (PAs). Mostly supported by in situ observations, very limited studies of light pollution for PAs focused at a regional level and on a continuous time span to support policy making effectively. DMSP-OLS stable nighttime series provide continuous observation of nightlight and have been widely applied in studies focusing on human activities. In this study, we employed inter-calibrated DMSP-OLS nightlight series from 1992 to 2012 to evaluate the change of intensity and extension of stable nighttime light inside California PAs. We observed a decrease of stable nighttime light and a shrinkage in spatial extent in PAs located in all ecoregions from 1992 to 2012, especially before 2004. Such decrease and shrinkage occurred mostly in southern California and the Bay Area where mega metropolitan clusters locate. The successful application of protecting strategies in PAs and the improved technologies of lighting may contribute to the relieving of light pollution in PAs. However, the stable nighttime light slightly increased since 2004, when there was limited room for stricter protective regulations and the pressure from population growth persisted. Population density explained most spatial distribution of nightlight in years with census tract level demographic data available, except PAs with the highest wilderness such as Sierra Nevada Mts. We anticipate to improve the models with the newest remote sensing nighttime product from NASA Suomi-NPP and annually updated demographic data from American Community Survey at census tract level in the future to provide a cost-effective evaluation on protecting strategies. Such evaluation will support land managers of PAs and local policy-makers for modification and proposal of policies.

Quality assessment of DInSAR deformation measurements in volcanic areas by comparing GPS and SBAS results

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bonforte, A.; Casu, F.; de Martino, P.; Guglielmino, F.; Lanari, R.; Manzo, M.; Obrizzo, F.; Puglisi, G.; Sansosti, E.; Tammaro, U.

2009-04-01

Differential Synthetic Aperture Radar Interferometry (DInSAR) is a methodology able to measure ground deformation rates and time series of relatively large areas. Several different approaches have been developed over the past few years: they all have in common the capability to measure deformations on a relatively wide area (say 100 km by 100 km) with a high density of the measuring points. For these reasons, DInSAR represents a very useful tool for investigating geophysical phenomena, with particular reference to volcanic areas. As for any measuring technique, the knowledge of the attainable accuracy is of fundamental importance. In the case of DInSAR technology, we have several error sources, such as orbital inaccuracies, phase unwrapping errors, atmospheric artifacts, effects related to the reference point selection, thus making very difficult to define a theoretical error model. A practical way to obtain assess the accuracy is to compare DInSAR results with independent measurements, such as GPS or levelling. Here we present an in-deep comparison between the deformation measurement obtained by exploiting the DInSAR technique referred to as Small BAseline Subset (SBAS) algorithm and by continuous GPS stations. The selected volcanic test-sites are Etna, Vesuvio and Campi Flegrei, in Italy. From continuous GPS data, solutions are computed at the same days SAR data are acquired for direct comparison. Moreover, three dimensional GPS displacement vectors are projected along the radar line of sight of both ascending and descending acquisition orbits. GPS data are then compared with the coherent DInSAR pixels closest to the GPS station. Relevant statistics of the differences between the two measurements are computed and correlated to some scene parameter that may affect DInSAR accuracy (altitude, terrain slope, etc.).

Integrated Approach to Malaria Control

PubMed Central

Shiff, Clive

2002-01-01

Malaria draws global attention in a cyclic manner, with interest and associated financing waxing and waning according to political and humanitarian concerns. Currently we are on an upswing, which should be carefully developed. Malaria parasites have been eliminated from Europe and North America through the use of residual insecticides and manipulation of environmental and ecological characteristics; however, in many tropical and some temperate areas the incidence of disease is increasing dramatically. Much of this increase results from a breakdown of effective control methods developed and implemented in the 1960s, but it has also occurred because of a lack of trained scientists and control specialists who live and work in the areas of endemic infection. Add to this the widespread resistance to the most effective antimalarial drug, chloroquine, developing resistance to other first-line drugs such as sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine, and resistance of certain vector species of mosquito to some of the previously effective insecticides and we have a crisis situation. Vaccine research has proceeded for over 30 years, but as yet there is no effective product, although research continues in many promising areas. A global strategy for malaria control has been accepted, but there are critics who suggest that the single strategy cannot confront the wide range of conditions in which malaria exists and that reliance on chemotherapy without proper control of drug usage and diagnosis will select for drug resistant parasites, thus exacerbating the problem. An integrated approach to control using vector control strategies based on the biology of the mosquito, the epidemiology of the parasite, and human behavior patterns is needed to prevent continued upsurge in malaria in the endemic areas. PMID:11932233

Design and development of a compact lidar/DIAL system for aerial surveillance of urban areas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gaudio, P.; Gelfusa, M.; Malizia, A.; Richetta, M.; Antonucci, A.; Ventura, P.; Murari, A.; Vega, J.

2013-10-01

Recently surveying large areas in an automatic way, for early detection of harmful chemical agents, has become a strategic objective of defence and public health organisations. The Lidar-Dial techniques are widely recognized as a cost-effective alternative to monitor large portions of the atmosphere but, up to now, they have been mainly deployed as ground based stations. The design reported in this paper concerns the development of a Lidar-Dial system compact enough to be carried by a small airplane and capable of detecting sudden releases in air of harmful and/or polluting substances. The proposed approach consists of continuous monitoring of the area under surveillance with a Lidar type measurement. Once a significant increase in the density of backscattering substances is revealed, it is intended to switch to the Dial technique to identify the released chemicals and to determine its concentration. In this paper, the design of the proposed system is described and the simulations carried out to determine its performances are reported. For the Lidar measurements, commercially available Nd- YAG laser sources have already been tested and their performances, in combination with avalanche photodiodes, have been experimentally verified to meet the required specifications. With regard to the DIAL measurements, new compact CO2 laser sources are being investigated. The most promising candidate presents an energy per pulse of about 50 mJ typical, sufficient for a range of at least 500m. The laser also provides the so called "agile tuning" option that allows to quickly tune the wavelength. To guarantee continuous, automatic surveying of large areas, innovative solutions are required for the data acquisition, self monitoring of the system and data analysis. The results of the design, the simulations and some preliminary tests illustrate the potential of the chosen, integrated approach.

Understanding Microplastic Distribution: A Global Citizen Monitoring Effort

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barrows, A.

2016-02-01

Understanding distribution and abundance of microplastics in the world's oceans will continue to help inform global law-making. Through recruiting and training over 500 volunteers our study has collected over 1000 samples from remote and populated areas world-wide. Samples include water collected at the sea surface and throughout the water column. Surface to depth sampling has provided insight into vertical plastic distribution. The development of unique field and laboratory methodology has enabled plastics to be quantified down to 50 µm. In 2015, the study expanded to include global freshwater systems. By understanding plastic patterns, distribution and concentration in large and small watersheds we will better understand how freshwater systems are contributing to marine microplastic pollution.

Helmet-mounted display systems for flight simulation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Haworth, Loren A.; Bucher, Nancy M.

1989-01-01

Simulation scientists are continually improving simulation technology with the goal of more closely replicating the physical environment of the real world. The presentation or display of visual information is one area in which recent technical improvements have been made that are fundamental to conducting simulated operations close to the terrain. Detailed and appropriate visual information is especially critical for nap-of-the-earth helicopter flight simulation where the pilot maintains an 'eyes-out' orientation to avoid obstructions and terrain. This paper describes visually coupled wide field of view helmet-mounted display (WFOVHMD) system technology as a viable visual presentation system for helicopter simulation. Tradeoffs associated with this mode of presentation as well as research and training applications are discussed.

Spatially-Aware Temporal Anomaly Mapping of Gamma Spectra

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Reinhart, Alex; Athey, Alex; Biegalski, Steven

2014-06-01

For security, environmental, and regulatory purposes it is useful to continuously monitor wide areas for unexpected changes in radioactivity. We report on a temporal anomaly detection algorithm which uses mobile detectors to build a spatial map of background spectra, allowing sensitive detection of any anomalies through many days or months of monitoring. We adapt previously-developed anomaly detection methods, which compare spectral shape rather than count rate, to function with limited background data, allowing sensitive detection of small changes in spectral shape from day to day. To demonstrate this technique we collected daily observations over the period of six weeks on a 0.33 square mile research campus and performed source injection simulations.

Thermal Inspection of Composite Honeycomb Structures

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zalameda, Joseph N.; Parker, F. Raymond

2014-01-01

Composite honeycomb structures continue to be widely used in aerospace applications due to their low weight and high strength advantages. Developing nondestructive evaluation (NDE) inspection methods are essential for their safe performance. Pulsed thermography is a commonly used technique for composite honeycomb structure inspections due to its large area and rapid inspection capability. Pulsed thermography is shown to be sensitive for detection of face sheet impact damage and face sheet to core disbond. Data processing techniques, using principal component analysis to improve the defect contrast, are presented. In addition, limitations to the thermal detection of the core are investigated. Other NDE techniques, such as computed tomography X-ray and ultrasound, are used for comparison to the thermography results.

Safety and survival in an earthquake

USGS Publications Warehouse

,

1969-01-01

Many earth scientists in this country and abroad are focusing their studies on the search for means of predicting impending earthquakes, but, as yet, an accurate prediction of the time and place of such an event cannot be made. From past experience, however, one can assume that earthquakes will continue to harass mankind and that they will occur most frequently in the areas where they have been relatively common in the past. In the United States, earthquakes can be expected to occur most frequently in the western states, particularly in Alaska, California, Washington, Oregon, Nevada, Utah, and Montana. The danger, however, is not confined to any one part of the country; major earthquakes have occurred at widely scattered locations.

Network survivability performance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

1993-11-01

This technical report has been developed to address the survivability of telecommunications networks including services. It responds to the need for a common understanding of, and assessment techniques for network survivability, availability, integrity, and reliability. It provides a basis for designing and operating telecommunications networks to user expectations for network survivability and a foundation for continuing industry activities in the subject area. This report focuses on the survivability of both public and private networks and covers a wide range of users. Two frameworks are established for quantifying and categorizing service outages, and for classifying network survivability techniques and measures. The performance of the network survivability techniques is considered; however, recommended objectives are not established for network survivability performance.

Proceedings of the 1988 International Meeting on Reduced Enrichment for Research and Test Reactors

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

Not Available

1993-07-01

The international effort to develop and implement new research reactor fuels utilizing low-enriched uranium, instead of highly- enriched uranium, continues to make solid progress. This effort is the cornerstone of a widely shared policy aimed at reducing, and possibly eliminating, international traffic in highly-enriched uranium and the nuclear weapon proliferation concerns associated with this traffic. To foster direct communication and exchange of ideas among the specialists in this area, the Reduced Enrichment Research and Test Reactor (RERTR) Program, at Argonne National Laboratory, sponsored this meeting as the eleventh of a series which began 1978. Individual papers presented at the meetingmore » have been cataloged separately.« less

Geostatistical analysis of allele presence patterns among American black bears in eastern North Carolina

USGS Publications Warehouse

Thompson, L.M.; Van Manen, F.T.; King, T.L.

2005-01-01

Highways are one of the leading causes of wildlife habitat fragmentation and may particularly affect wide-ranging species, such as American black bears (Ursus americanus). We initiated a research project in 2000 to determine potential effects of a 4-lane highway on black bear ecology in Washington County, North Carolina. The research design included a treatment area (highway construction) and a control area and a pre- and post-construction phase. We used data from the pre-construction phase to determine whether we could detect scale dependency or directionality among allele occurrence patterns using geostatistics. Detection of such patterns could provide a powerful tool to measure the effects of landscape fragmentation on gene flow. We sampled DNA from roots of black bear hair at 70 hair-sampling sites on each study area for 7 weeks during fall of 2000. We used microsatellite analysis based on 10 loci to determine unique multi-locus genotypes. We examined all alleles sampled at ???25 sites on each study area and mapped their presence or absence at each hair-sample site. We calculated semivariograms, which measure the strength of statistical correlation as a function of distance, and adjusted them for anisotropy to determine the maximum direction of spatial continuity. We then calculated the mean direction of spatial continuity for all examined alleles. The mean direction of allele frequency variation was 118.3?? (SE = 8.5) on the treatment area and 172.3?? (SE = 6.0) on the control area. Rayleigh's tests showed that these directions differed from random distributions (P = 0.028 and P < 0.001, respectively), indicating consistent directional patterns for the alleles we examined in each area. Despite the small spatial scale of our study (approximately 11,000 ha for each study area), we observed distinct and consistent patterns of allele occurrence, suggesting different directions of gene flow between the study areas. These directions seemed to coincide with the primary orientation of the best habitat areas. Furthermore, the patterns we observed suggest directions of potential source populations beyond the 2 study areas. Indeed, nearby areas classified as core black bear habitat exist in the directions indicated by our analysis. Geostatistical analysis of allele occurrence patterns may provide a useful technique to identify potential barriers to gene flow among bear populations.

Large Area Silicon Sheet by EFG. [quality control and productivity of edge-defined film-fed growth of ribbons

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1979-01-01

Influences on ribbon quality which might be caused by various materials of construction which are used in the growth furnace were assessed. At the present level of ribbon quality, which has produced 8.5% to 9.5% efficient solar cells, no particular influence of any furnace part was detected. The experiments led to the suspicion that the general environment and the somewhat unoptimized materials handling procedures might be responsible for the current variations in ribbon quality and that, therefore, continuous work with this furnace under rather more stringent environmental conditions and operating procedures could perhaps improve materials quality to some extent. The work on the multiple furnace was continued with two multiple growth runs being performed. In these runs, the melt replenishment system performed poorly and extensive modifications to it were designed to make reliable melt feeding for five ribbon growth possible. Additional characterization techniques for wide ribbons, stress measurements, and growth dynamics experiments are reported.

Aboriginal mitogenomes reveal 50,000 years of regionalism in Australia.

PubMed

Tobler, Ray; Rohrlach, Adam; Soubrier, Julien; Bover, Pere; Llamas, Bastien; Tuke, Jonathan; Bean, Nigel; Abdullah-Highfold, Ali; Agius, Shane; O'Donoghue, Amy; O'Loughlin, Isabel; Sutton, Peter; Zilio, Fran; Walshe, Keryn; Williams, Alan N; Turney, Chris S M; Williams, Matthew; Richards, Stephen M; Mitchell, Robert J; Kowal, Emma; Stephen, John R; Williams, Lesley; Haak, Wolfgang; Cooper, Alan

2017-04-13

Aboriginal Australians represent one of the longest continuous cultural complexes known. Archaeological evidence indicates that Australia and New Guinea were initially settled approximately 50 thousand years ago (ka); however, little is known about the processes underlying the enormous linguistic and phenotypic diversity within Australia. Here we report 111 mitochondrial genomes (mitogenomes) from historical Aboriginal Australian hair samples, whose origins enable us to reconstruct Australian phylogeographic history before European settlement. Marked geographic patterns and deep splits across the major mitochondrial haplogroups imply that the settlement of Australia comprised a single, rapid migration along the east and west coasts that reached southern Australia by 49-45 ka. After continent-wide colonization, strong regional patterns developed and these have survived despite substantial climatic and cultural change during the late Pleistocene and Holocene epochs. Remarkably, we find evidence for the continuous presence of populations in discrete geographic areas dating back to around 50 ka, in agreement with the notable Aboriginal Australian cultural attachment to their country.

Nuclear cardiology: Myocardial perfusion and function

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

Seldin, D.W.

1991-08-01

Myocardial perfusion studies continue to be a major focus of research, with new investigations of the relationship of exercise-redistribution thallium imaging to diagnosis, prognosis, and case management. The redistribution phenomenon, which seemed to be fairly well understood a few years ago, is now recognized to be much more complex than originally thought, and various strategies have been proposed to clarify the meaning of persistent defects. Pharmacologic intervention with dipyridamole and adenosine has become available as an alternative to exercise, and comparisons with exercise imaging and catheterization results have been described. Thallium itself is no longer the sole single-photon perfusion radiopharmaceutical;more » two new technetium agents are now widely available. In addition to perfusion studies, advances in the study of ventricular function have been made, including reports of studies performed in conjunction with technetium perfusion studies, new insights into cardiac physiology, and the prognostic and case-management information that function studies provide. Finally, work has continued with monoclonal antibodies for the identification of areas of myocyte necrosis. 41 references.« less

Web-Based Instruction and Learning: Responding to K-14 Customer Needs

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

McCarthy, Marianne; Grabowski, Barbara; Koszalka, Tiffany; Peck, Christa

2003-01-01

A follow-up working conference was held at Lewis Research Center (now Glenn Research Center) on September 23-25, 1997, to continue discussing issues related to the development of Web-based education materials for the K-14 community. The conference continued the collaboration among the NASA aerospace technology Centers (Ames, Dryden, Langley, and Lewis [now Glenn]), NASA Headquarters, the University of Idaho and the Pennsylvania State University. The conference consisted of presentations by the Aeronautics Cooperative Agreement teams, and working sessions that addressed issues related to the conference theme, responding to the K-14 customers needs. The group identified the most significant issues by consensus. The issues addressed were: classroom access, World Wide Web resources, teacher training, different teaching and learning styles, interactivity, and education standards. The working sessions produced observations and recommendations in each of these areas in order to work toward the goal of making NASA sponsored Web-based educational resources useful to teachers and students.

Newmark local time stepping on high-performance computing architectures

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

Rietmann, Max, E-mail: max.rietmann@erdw.ethz.ch; Institute of Geophysics, ETH Zurich; Grote, Marcus, E-mail: marcus.grote@unibas.ch

In multi-scale complex media, finite element meshes often require areas of local refinement, creating small elements that can dramatically reduce the global time-step for wave-propagation problems due to the CFL condition. Local time stepping (LTS) algorithms allow an explicit time-stepping scheme to adapt the time-step to the element size, allowing near-optimal time-steps everywhere in the mesh. We develop an efficient multilevel LTS-Newmark scheme and implement it in a widely used continuous finite element seismic wave-propagation package. In particular, we extend the standard LTS formulation with adaptations to continuous finite element methods that can be implemented very efficiently with very strongmore » element-size contrasts (more than 100x). Capable of running on large CPU and GPU clusters, we present both synthetic validation examples and large scale, realistic application examples to demonstrate the performance and applicability of the method and implementation on thousands of CPU cores and hundreds of GPUs.« less

Zone-boundary optimization for direct laser writing of continuous-relief diffractive optical elements.

PubMed

Korolkov, Victor P; Nasyrov, Ruslan K; Shimansky, Ruslan V

2006-01-01

Enhancing the diffraction efficiency of continuous-relief diffractive optical elements fabricated by direct laser writing is discussed. A new method of zone-boundary optimization is proposed to correct exposure data only in narrow areas along the boundaries of diffractive zones. The optimization decreases the loss of diffraction efficiency related to convolution of a desired phase profile with a writing-beam intensity distribution. A simplified stepped transition function that describes optimized exposure data near zone boundaries can be made universal for a wide range of zone periods. The approach permits a similar increase in the diffraction efficiency as an individual-pixel optimization but with fewer computation efforts. Computer simulations demonstrated that the zone-boundary optimization for a 6 microm period grating increases the efficiency by 7% and 14.5% for 0.6 microm and 1.65 microm writing-spot diameters, respectively. The diffraction efficiency of as much as 65%-90% for 4-10 microm zone periods was obtained experimentally with this method.

Life sciences today and tomorrow: emerging biotechnologies.

PubMed

Williamson, E Diane

2017-08-01

The purpose of this review is to survey current, emerging and predicted future biotechnologies which are impacting, or are likely to impact in the future on the life sciences, with a projection for the coming 20 years. This review is intended to discuss current and future technical strategies, and to explore areas of potential growth during the foreseeable future. Information technology approaches have been employed to gather and collate data. Twelve broad categories of biotechnology have been identified which are currently impacting the life sciences and will continue to do so. In some cases, technology areas are being pushed forward by the requirement to deal with contemporary questions such as the need to address the emergence of anti-microbial resistance. In other cases, the biotechnology application is made feasible by advances in allied fields in biophysics (e.g. biosensing) and biochemistry (e.g. bio-imaging). In all cases, the biotechnologies are underpinned by the rapidly advancing fields of information systems, electronic communications and the World Wide Web together with developments in computing power and the capacity to handle extensive biological data. A rationale and narrative is given for the identification of each technology as a growth area. These technologies have been categorized by major applications, and are discussed further. This review highlights: Biotechnology has far-reaching applications which impinge on every aspect of human existence. The applications of biotechnology are currently wide ranging and will become even more diverse in the future. Access to supercomputing facilities and the ability to manipulate large, complex biological datasets, will significantly enhance knowledge and biotechnological development.

Comparative development of knowledge-based bioeconomy in the European Union and Turkey.

PubMed

Celikkanat Ozan, Didem; Baran, Yusuf

2014-09-01

Biotechnology, defined as the technological application that uses biological systems and living organisms, or their derivatives, to create or modify diverse products or processes, is widely used for healthcare, agricultural and environmental applications. The continuity in industrial applications of biotechnology enables the rise and development of the bioeconomy concept. Bioeconomy, including all applications of biotechnology, is defined as translation of knowledge received from life sciences into new, sustainable, environment friendly and competitive products. With the advanced research and eco-efficient processes in the scope of bioeconomy, more healthy and sustainable life is promised. Knowledge-based bioeconomy with its economic, social and environmental potential has already been brought to the research agendas of European Union (EU) countries. The aim of this study is to summarize the development of knowledge-based bioeconomy in EU countries and to evaluate Turkey's current situation compared to them. EU-funded biotechnology research projects under FP6 and FP7 and nationally-funded biotechnology projects under The Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TUBITAK) Academic Research Funding Program Directorate (ARDEB) and Technology and Innovation Funding Programs Directorate (TEYDEB) were examined. In the context of this study, the main research areas and subfields which have been funded, the budget spent and the number of projects funded since 2003 both nationally and EU-wide and the gaps and overlapping topics were analyzed. In consideration of the results, detailed suggestions for Turkey have been proposed. The research results are expected to be used as a roadmap for coordinating the stakeholders of bioeconomy and integrating Turkish Research Areas into European Research Areas.

SETI reloaded: Next generation radio telescopes, transients and cognitive computing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Garrett, Michael A.

2015-08-01

The Search for Extra-terrestrial Intelligence (SETI) using radio telescopes is an area of research that is now more than 50 years old. Thus far, both targeted and wide-area surveys have yet to detect artificial signals from intelligent civilisations. In this paper, I argue that the incidence of co-existing intelligent and communicating civilisations is probably small in the Milky Way. While this makes successful SETI searches a very difficult pursuit indeed, the huge impact of even a single detection requires us to continue the search. A substantial increase in the overall performance of radio telescopes (and in particular future wide-field instruments such as the Square Kilometre Array - SKA), provide renewed optimism in the field. Evidence for this is already to be seen in the success of SETI researchers in acquiring observations on some of the world's most sensitive radio telescope facilities via open, peer-reviewed processes. The increasing interest in the dynamic radio sky, and our ability to detect new and rapid transient phenomena such as Fast Radio Bursts (FRB) is also greatly encouraging. While the nature of FRBs is not yet fully understood, I argue they are unlikely to be the signature of distant extra-terrestrial civilisations. As astronomers face a data avalanche on all sides, advances made in related areas such as advanced Big Data analytics, and cognitive computing are crucial to enable serendipitous discoveries to be made. In any case, as the era of the SKA fast approaches, the prospects of a SETI detection have never been better.

Effects of habitat fragmentation on wild mammal infection by Trypanosoma cruzi.

PubMed

Vaz, V C; D'Andrea, P S; Jansen, A M

2007-11-01

Expansion of human activities frequently results in habitat fragmentation, a phenomenon that has been widely recognized in the last decades as one of the major threats to world's biodiversity. The transformation of a continuous forest into a fragmented area results in a hyper-dynamic landscape with unpredictable consequences to overall ecosystem health. The effect of the fragmentation process on Trypanosoma cruzi infection among small wild mammals was studied in an Atlantic Rain Forest landscape. Comparing continous forest to fragmented habitat, marsupials were less abundant than rodents in the continuous landscape. An overall decrease in small wild mammal richness was observed in the smaller fragments. An anti-T. cruzi seroprevalence of 18% (82/440) was deteced by immunofluorescence assay. Moreover, this seroprevalence was higher in the fragmented habitat than in the continuous forest. According to the collected data, 3 main factors seem to modulate infection by T. cruzi in small wild mammals: (i) habitat fragmentation; (ii) biodiversity loss; (iii) increase of marsupial abundance in mammal communities. Furthermore, an extremely mild controlled infection by T. cruzi was detected since no patent parasitaemia could be detected in fresh blood samples, and no parasites were isolated by haemoculture.

Interprofessional mental health training in rural primary care: findings from a mixed methods study.

PubMed

Heath, Olga; Church, Elizabeth; Curran, Vernon; Hollett, Ann; Cornish, Peter; Callanan, Terrence; Bethune, Cheri; Younghusband, Lynda

2015-05-01

The benefits of interprofessional care in providing mental health services have been widely recognized, particularly in rural communities where access to health services is limited. There continues to be a need for more continuing interprofessional education in mental health intervention in rural areas. There have been few reports of rural programs in which mental health content has been combined with training in collaborative practice. The current study used a sequential mixed-method and quasi-experimental design to evaluate the impact of an interprofessional, intersectoral education program designed to enhance collaborative mental health capacity in six rural sites. Quantitative results reveal a significant increase in positive attitudes toward interprofessional mental health care teams and self-reported increases in knowledge and understanding about collaborative mental health care delivery. The analysis of qualitative data collected following completion of the program, reinforced the value of teaching mental health content within the context of collaborative practice and revealed practice changes, including more interprofessional and intersectoral collaboration. This study suggests that imbedding explicit training in collaborative care in content focused continuing professional education for more complex and chronic health issues may increase the likelihood that professionals will work together to effectively meet client needs.

Vortex Lattice UXO Mobility Model for Reef-Type Range Environments

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-07-01

unexploded ordnance WAA Wide Area Assessment 10...of a given underwater UXO field. By using the upgraded UXO MM to develop an initial Wide Area Assessment (WAA), that subdivides a UXO field into... areas outside of human contact and b) areas where UXO are fully stabilized and pose little risk to humans. Further consideration of the risks presented

76 FR 54385 - Fisheries of the Northeastern United States; Atlantic Herring Fishery; Regulatory Amendment

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-09-01

... herring catch against the stock- wide herring annual catch limit (ACL) and herring management area sub... by a stock-wide ACL that is divided among three management areas, one of which has two sub-areas... 95 percent of a management area sub-ACL, NMFS implements a 2,000-lb (907.2-kg) possession limit for...

Seismic evidence for mass-transport deposits and BSR occurrence on the forearc region along the central Ryukyu Islands, Japan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Komatsu, Y.; Kobayashi, T.; Fujii, T.

2017-12-01

Mass-transport deposits (MTDs) are widely observed from many continental margins and are a significant component of both slope and basin-floor settings. Although MTDs are typically mud-prone, some MTDs above certain porosity thresholds can act as important hydrocarbon reservoirs. MTDs associated with gas hydrate occurrence in the Ulleung basin were documented. The recovery of gas hydrate by drilling and piston coring has confirmed the gas hydrate accumulations in the basin. Gas hydrate dissociation may have played a role in the slide-initiation at the Storegga Slide offshore Norway. In this study, to identify the gas hydrate reservoir potential of MTDs, we focus on seismic characteristics (seismic facies, attributes, and velocity) of MTDs associated with bottom simulating reflectors (BSR). Our study area is in the forearc region along the central Ryukyu Islands (southeast Japan). In this area, BSR have been widely observed. However, the studies were insufficient for the evaluation of gas hydrate due to poor-quality 2-D seismic data. We use high-quality 3-D seismic volumes in water depths ranging from approximately 150 to 2000 m between Okinawa Island and Miyako Island. BSR in the eastern region of the study area was interpreted within Neogene to Quaternary MTDs. Strata in MTDs are correlated with the upper Shimajiri group based on the characteristics of well data outside of the seismic exploration area and stratigraphy of land areas. The Shimajiri group is composed of homogeneous siltstone intercalated with lenticular, thin-bedded, fine sandstone. Their group is water-dissolved gas reservoir in Okinawa Island and Miyako Island. On our seismic data, MTDs are shown as chaotic, poorly discontinuous strata of low amplitude, partially continuous moderate- to high-amplitude reflections. The seismic velocity profile shows a relative increase in MTD intervals above the BSR, similar to gas hydrate-bearing sediments. It is also indicative of over-consolidation that was result of compression caused by slumping.

Geomorphodiversity index: Quantifying the diversity of landforms and physical landscape.

PubMed

Melelli, Laura; Vergari, Francesca; Liucci, Luisa; Del Monte, Maurizio

2017-04-15

The physical landscape is the mosaic resulting from a wide spectrum of environmental components. The landforms define the variety, or diversity, of the geomorphological component: the geomorphodiversity. Landforms are usually represented in thematic maps where the scale and the graphic solutions are widely heterogeneous. Since geomorphological maps are not always easy to obtain and standardize, topography might be used as a proxy to infer the morphological signature. To recognize, evaluate, and in some cases promote the geomorphodiversity of an area, a numerical assessment is preferable. Through the use of quantitative approaches, indexes can be defined which quantitatively characterize the physical landscape in a discretized space consisting of continuous and regular cells. In this approach each cell is labelled with an algebraic value, which increases with the diversity degree. In this paper a quantitative index for geomorphodiversity is estimated stressing the topographic variables derived from Digital Elevation Models in a GIS environment. The resulting index is the sum of the variety of each terrain parameter taken into account. The areas characterized by the highest value of geomorphodiversity index show a good correspondence with well-known situations in the region where not always the geological heritage is properly acknowledged. The areas characterized by the lowest value of geodiversity correspond to the center of some intermountain basins of the region. Being the index strictly related to the topographic variety, this result is quite obvious but not easily predictable since in some flat areas the index is higher. Comparing the results with the geomorphological map of the area performs a validation procedure for the method. A positive correlation is found between the index calculated and the presence/absence of landforms. The paper shows that the index is a useful and simple tool for the identification, analysis and promotion of the geological heritage. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Development of a Multi-Agent m-Health Application Based on Various Protocols for Chronic Disease Self-Management.

PubMed

Park, Hyun Sang; Cho, Hune; Kim, Hwa Sun

2016-01-01

The purpose of this study was to develop and evaluate a mobile health application (Self-Management mobile Personal Health Record: "SmPHR") to ensure the interoperability of various personal health devices (PHDs) and electronic medical record systems (EMRs) for continuous self-management of chronic disease patients. The SmPHR was developed for Android 4.0.3, and implemented according to the optimized standard protocol for each interface of healthcare services adopted by the Continua Health Alliance (CHA). That is, the Personal Area Network (PAN) interface between the application and PHD implements ISO/IEEE 11073-20,601, 10,404, 10,407, 10,415, 10,417, and Bluetooth Health Device Profile (HDP), and EMRs with a wide area network (WAN) interface implement HL7 V2.6; the Health Record Network (HRN) interface implements Continuity of Care Document (CCD) and Continuity of Care Record (CCR). Also, for SmPHR, we evaluated the transmission error rate between the interface using four PHDs and personal health record systems (PHRs) from previous research, with 611 users and elderly people after receiving institutional review board (IRB) approval. In the evaluation, the PAN interface showed 15 (2.4 %) errors, and the WAN and HRN interface showed 13 (2.1 %) errors in a total of 611 transmission attempts. Also, we received opinions regarding SmPHR from 15 healthcare professionals who took part in the clinical trial. Thus, SmPHR can be provided as an interconnected PHR mobile health service to patients, allowing 'plug and play' of PHDs and EMRs through various standard protocols.

A strategic approach to public health workforce development and capacity building.

PubMed

Dean, Hazel D; Myles, Ranell L; Spears-Jones, Crystal; Bishop-Cline, Audriene; Fenton, Kevin A

2014-11-01

In February 2010, CDC's National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, Sexually Transmitted Disease (STD), and Tuberculosis (TB) Prevention (NCHHSTP) formally institutionalized workforce development and capacity building (WDCB) as one of six overarching goals in its 2010-2015 Strategic Plan. Annually, workforce team members finalize an action plan that lays the foundation for programs to be implemented for NCHHSTP's workforce that year. This paper describes selected WDCB programs implemented by NCHHSTP during the last 4 years in the three strategic goal areas: (1) attracting, recruiting, and retaining a diverse and sustainable workforce; (2) providing staff with development opportunities to ensure the effective and innovative delivery of NCHHSTP programs; and (3) continuously recognizing performance and achievements of staff and creating an atmosphere that promotes a healthy work-life balance. Programs have included but are not limited to an Ambassador Program for new hires, career development training for all staff, leadership and coaching for mid-level managers, and a Laboratory Workforce Development Initiative for laboratory scientists. Additionally, the paper discusses three overarching areas-employee communication, evaluation and continuous review to guide program development, and the implementation of key organizational and leadership structures to ensure accountability and continuity of programs. Since 2010, many lessons have been learned regarding strategic approaches to scaling up organization-wide public health workforce development and capacity building. Perhaps the most important is the value of ensuring the high-level strategic prioritization of this issue, demonstrating to staff and partners the importance of this imperative in achieving NCHHSTP's mission. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Incidence of Domestic Violence Against Pregnant Females After the Great East Japan Earthquake in Miyagi Prefecture: The Japan Environment and Children's Study.

PubMed

Sakurai, Kasumi; Nishigori, Hidekazu; Nishigori, Toshie; Mizuno, Satoshi; Obara, Taku; Iwama, Noriyuki; Watanabe, Zen; Ishikuro, Mami; Tatsuta, Nozomi; Nishijima, Ichiko; Sugawara, Junichi; Fujiwara, Ikuma; Arima, Takahiro; Kuriyama, Shinichi; Metoki, Hirohito; Takahashi, Fumiaki; Nakai, Kunihiko; Yaegashi, Nobuo

2017-04-01

This study aimed to clarify the correlation between the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and domestic violence (DV) against pregnant females after the disaster in Miyagi Prefecture, an area damaged by the earthquake and tsunami. We analyzed 7600 pregnant females from June to December 2011. The incidence of physical and mental DV and the proportions in the inland, north coastal, and south coastal areas of Miyagi Prefecture and nationwide were calculated, and a chi-square test was conducted for comparison. The risk factors for DV were estimated with multivariate logistic regression analyses on a prefecture-wide basis. The incidence levels for physical DV were found to be 5.9% in the north coastal area, which was significantly higher than in the inland area (1.3%, P=0.0007) and nationwide (1.5%, P<0.0001). There were no significant differences in the incidence of mental DV between the 3 areas in Miyagi Prefecture (inland 15.2%, north coast 15.7%, and south coast 18.8%) or nationwide (13.8%). Experiencing disease or injury in someone close and changes in the family structure were significantly associated with mental DV in Miyagi Prefecture. Continuous monitoring and support for pregnant females may be necessary to address this issue in disaster-affected areas. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2017;11:216-226).

National Airspace System : observations on the wide area augmentation system

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1997-10-01

This congressional testimony by Gerald L. Dillingham, Associate Director, : Transportation Issues Resources, Community, and Economic Development Division : discusses the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) Wide Area Augmentation : System (WAAS) p...

The nature of crustal boundaries: combined interpretation of wide-angle and normal-incidence seismic data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Long, Roger E.; Matthews, Patricia A.; Graham, Daniel P.

1994-04-01

After a few seconds two-way traveltime, normal-incidence seismic reflection sections are composed mainly of assemblages of short reflections. Very rarely are seen continuous reflections that might correspond to the Moho or a mid-crustal discontinuity. The inferred continuity of these boundaries has traditionally come from refraction seismology. There is now a body of high quality, coincident wide-angle and normal-incidence seismic data that have been recorded with 50-100 m shot spacing and with high frequency sources (e.g. MOBIL, BABEL). The complexity and characteristics of the wide-angle arrivals seen on these data suggest that they do not originate from continuous boundaries. It is suggested that these arrivals are reflections from the same assemblage of short length reflectors that are responsible for normal-incidence reflections. Seismic velocities below the middle crust may (1) change corresponding to normal-incidence reflectivity, or (2) generally increase with depth with localised sills or lens structures of different velocity accounting for the observed reflections. Wide-angle arrivals that have traditionally been identified as reflections from crustal boundaries (e.g. the mid-crust and Moho) and which were considered indicative of a sharp velocity discontinuity from continuous boundaries, may instead result from a concentration of lamellae.

Massive sediment bypassing on the lower shoreface offshore of a wide tidal inlet: Cat Island Pass, Louisiana

USGS Publications Warehouse

Jaffe, B.E.; List, J.H.; Sallenger, A.H.

1997-01-01

Analysis of a series of historical bathymetric and shoreline surveys along the Louisiana coast west of the Mississippi River mouth detected a large area of deposition in water depths of 2.0–8.5 m offshore of a 9-km-wide tidal inlet, the Cat Island Pass/Wine Island Pass system. A 59.9 · 106 m3 sandy deposit formed from the 1930s–1980s, spanning 27 km in the alongshore direction, delineating the transport pathway for sediment bypassing offshore of the inlet on the shoreface. Bypassing connected the shorefaces of two barrier island systems, the Isles Dernieres and the Bayou Lafourche.The processes responsible for formation of this deposit are not well understood, but sediment-transport modeling suggests that sediment is transported primarily by wind-driven coastal currents during large storms and hurricanes. Deposition appears to be related to changes in shoreline orientation, closing of transport pathways into a large bay to the east and the presence of tidal inlets. This newly documented type of bypassing, an offshore bypassing of the inlet system, naturally nourished the immediate downdrift area, the eastern Isles Dernieres, where shoreface and shoreline erosion rates are about half of pre-bypassing rates. Erosion rates remained the same farther downdrift, where bypassing has not yet reached. As this offshore bypassing continues, the destruction of the Isles Dernieres will be slowed.

Air-Lubricated Thermal Processor For Dry Silver Film

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Siryj, B. W.

1980-09-01

Since dry silver film is processed by heat, it may be viewed on a light table only seconds after exposure. On the other hand, wet films require both bulky chemicals and substantial time before an image can be analyzed. Processing of dry silver film, although simple in concept, is not so simple when reduced to practice. The main concern is the effect of film temperature gradients on uniformity of optical film density. RCA has developed two thermal processors, different in implementation but based on the same philosophy. Pressurized air is directed to both sides of the film to support the film and to conduct the heat to the film. Porous graphite is used as the medium through which heat and air are introduced. The initial thermal processor was designed to process 9.5-inch-wide film moving at speeds ranging from 0.0034 to 0.008 inch per second. The processor configuration was curved to match the plane generated by the laser recording beam. The second thermal processor was configured to process 5-inch-wide film moving at a continuously variable rate ranging from 0.15 to 3.5 inches per second. Due to field flattening optics used in this laser recorder, the required film processing area was plane. In addition, this processor was sectioned in the direction of film motion, giving the processor the capability of varying both temperature and effective processing area.

Seattle wide-area information for travelers (SWIFT) : communications study

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1998-10-19

This document discusses the rationale, procedures, results, discussion and conclusions of the Seattle Wide-area Information for Travelers (SWIFT) Communications Study evaluation that was conducted for the Washington State Department of Transportation...

Open Access to Research Articles and Data: Library Roles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Joseph, Heather

2015-08-01

Over the past decade, a handful of key developments have caused scholars and researchers to rethink not only the way they conduct their work, but also the way in which they communicate it to others. The advent of the Internet has provided unprecedented opportunities for immediate, cost effective global connectivity, opening up new possibilities for collaboration and communication. This has resulted in scholarship increasingly being conducted in the online environment, and a vast amount of new digital information being generated and made widely available to those interested in using it. Additionally, the Internet is a dynamic environment, with new channels for producing and sharing information in a myriad of formats emerging frequently.In higher education, the momentum of the burgeoning movement towards "open" sharing of information of all kinds continues to gain traction. In particular, advancements in the areas of opening up access to articles and reserch data are increasingly visible. In both of these areas, academic and research libraries are playing important, central roles in promoting the awareness of the potential costs and benefits of a more open research environment, as well as defining new roles for libraries in this digital environment.As this push for grater openness continues, these fronts are intersecting in interesting and potentially transformative ways. The Open Access and Open Data movements share fundamental philosophical commonalities that make collaboration a natural outcome. Both movements place a premium on reducing barriers to discovering and accessing pertinent digital information. Perhaps even more significantly, both explicitly recognize that enabling productive use of digital information is key to unlocking its full value. As a result of these shared priorities, there are a wide variety of common strategies that libraries can take to help advance research, presenting new opportunities for deeper collaboration to take place.This talk will explore what is happening in these "open" movements from both a practical and policy standpoint; how this might directly impact academia, the research community, and especially, libraries.

A review of sarcocystosis in camels and redescription of Sarcocystis cameli and Sarcocystis ippeni sarcocysts from the one-humped camel (Camelus dromedarius).

PubMed

Dubey, J P; Hilali, M; Van Wilpe, E; Calero-Bernal, R; Verma, S K; Abbas, I E

2015-10-01

There is considerable confusion concerning Sarcocystis species in camels. Five species: Sarcocystis cameli, Sarcocystis ippeni, Sarcocystis camelicanis, Sarcocystis camelocanis and Sarcocystis miescheri were named with inadequate descriptions and no type specimens. Here, we review literature on sarcocystosis in camels worldwide and redescribe structure of S. cameli and S. ippeni sarcocysts by light- and transmission electron microscopy (LM and TEM). Eight sarcocysts from the oesophagi of two camels (Camelus dromedarius) from Egypt were studied. By LM, all sarcocysts were thin-walled with barely visible projections on the cyst walls. By TEM, two structurally distinct sarcocysts were recognized by unique villar protrusions (vp) not found in sarcocysts from any other host. Sarcocysts of S. cameli had vp of type 9 j. The sarcocyst wall had upright slender vp, up to 3.0 µM long and 0.5 µM wide; the total thickness of the sarcocyst wall with ground substance (gs) layer was 3.5 µM. On each vp, there were rows of knob-like protrusions that appeared to be interconnected. The vp had microtubules that originated at midpoint of the gs and continued up to the tip; microtubules were smooth, without any granules or dense areas. Bradyzoites were approximately 14-15 × 3-4 µM in size with typical organelles. Sarcocystis ippeni sarcocysts had type 32 sarcocyst wall characterized by conical vp with an electron dense knob. The total thickness of the sarcocyst wall (from the base of gs to vp tip) was 2.3-3.0 µM. The vp were up to 1.2 µM wide at the base and 0.25 µM at the tip. Microtubules in vp originated at midpoint of gs and continued up to tip; microtubules were criss-crossed, smooth and without granules or dense areas. Bradyzoites were 12.0-13.5 × 2.0-3.0 µM in size. Sarcocystis camelicanis, S. camelocanis and S. miescheri are considered invalid.

Supplement Analysis for the Site-Wide Environmental Impact Statement for Continued Operation of Los Alamos National Laboratory -- Recovery and Storage of Strontium-90 Fueled Radioisotope Thermal Electric Generators at Los Alamos National Laboratory

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

N /A

2004-01-22

This Supplement Analysis (SA) has been prepared to determine if the Site-Wide Environmental Impact Statement for Continued Operations of Los Alamos National Laboratory (SWEIS) (DOE/EIS-0238) adequately addresses the environmental effects of recovery and storage for disposal of six strontium-90 (Sr-90) fueled radioisotope thermal electric generators (RTGs) at the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) Technical Area (TA)-54, Area G, or if the SWEIS needs to be supplemented. DOE's National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) proposed to recover and store six Sr-90 RTGs from the commercial sector as part of its Offsite-Source Recovery Project (OSRP). The OSRP focuses on the proactive recovery andmore » storage of unwanted radioactive sealed sources exceeding the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) limits for Class C low-level waste (also known as Greater than Class C waste, or GTCC). In response to the events of September 11, 2001, NRC conducted a risk-based evaluation of potential vulnerabilities to terrorist threats involving NRC-licensed nuclear facilities and materials. NRC's evaluation concluded that possession of unwanted radioactive sealed sources with no disposal outlet presents a potential vulnerability (NRC 2002). In a November 25, 2003 letter to the manager of the NNSA's Los Alamos Site Office, the NRC Office of Nuclear Security and Incident Response identified recovery of several Sr-90 RTGs as the highest priority and requested that DOE take whatever actions necessary to recovery these sources as soon as possible. This SA specifically compares key impact assessment parameters of this proposal to the offsite source recovery program evaluated in the SWEIS and a subsequent SA that evaluated a change to the approach of a portion of the recovery program. It also provides an explanation of any differences between the Proposed Action and activities described in the previous SWEIS and SA analyses.« less

Wildlife connectivity approaches and best practices in U.S. state wildlife action plans.

PubMed

Lacher, Iara; Wilkerson, Marit L

2014-02-01

As habitat loss and fragmentation threaten biodiversity on large geographic scales, creating and maintaining connectivity of wildlife populations is an increasingly common conservation objective. To assess the progress and success of large-scale connectivity planning, conservation researchers need a set of plans that cover large geographic areas and can be analyzed as a single data set. The state wildlife action plans (SWAPs) fulfill these requirements. We examined 50 SWAPs to determine the extent to which wildlife connectivity planning, via linkages, is emphasized nationally. We defined linkage as connective land that enables wildlife movement. For our content analysis, we identified and quantified 6 keywords and 7 content criteria that ranged in specificity and were related to linkages for wide-ranging terrestrial vertebrates and examined relations between content criteria and statewide data on focal wide-ranging species, spending, revenue, and conserved land. Our results reflect nationwide disparities in linkage conservation priorities and highlight the continued need for wildlife linkage planning. Only 30% or less of the 50 SWAPs fulfilled highly specific content criteria (e.g., identifying geographic areas for linkage placement or management). We found positive correlations between our content criteria and statewide data on percent conserved land, total focal species, and spending on parks and recreation. We supplemented our content analysis with interviews with 17 conservation professionals to gain specific information about state-specific context and future directions of linkage conservation. Based on our results, relevant literature, and interview responses, we suggest the following best practices for wildlife linkage conservation plans: collect ecologically meaningful background data; be specific; establish community-wide partnerships; and incorporate sociopolitical and socioeconomic information. © 2013 Society for Conservation Biology.

#LancerHealth: Using Twitter and Instagram as a tool in a campus wide health promotion initiative

PubMed Central

Santarossa, Sara; Woodruff, Sarah J.

2018-01-01

The present study aimed to explore using popular technology that people already have/use as a health promotion tool, in a campus wide social media health promotion initiative, entitled #LancerHealth. During a two-week period the university community was asked to share photos on Twitter and Instagram of What does being healthy on campus look like to you?, while tagging the image with #LancerHealth. All publically tagged media was collected using the Netlytic software and analysed. Text analysis (N=234 records, Twitter; N=141 records, Instagram) revealed that the majority of the conversation was positive and focused on health and the university. Social network analysis, based on five network properties, showed a small network with little interaction. Lastly, photo coding analysis (N=71 unique image) indicated that the majority of the shared images were of physical activity (52%) and on campus (80%). Further research into this area is warranted. Significance for public healthAs digital media continues to become a popular tool among both public health organizations and those in academia, it is important to understand how, why, and which platforms individuals are using in regards to their health. This campus wide, social media health promotion initiative found that people will use popular social networking sites like Twitter and Instagram to share their healthy behaviours. Online social networks, created through social networking sites, can play a role in social diffusion of public health information and health behaviours. In this study, however, social network analysis revealed that there needs to be influential and highly connected individuals sharing information to generate social diffusion. This study can help guide future public health research in the area of social media and its potential influence on health promotion. PMID:29780763

Formation of short high-power laser radiation pulses in excimer mediums

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Losev, V. F., Sr.; Ivanov, N. G.; Panchenko, Yu. N.

2007-06-01

Presently an excimer mediums continue are examined as one of variants for formation of powerful and over powerful pulses of laser radiation with duration from units of nanosecond up to tens femtosecond. The researches on such powerful installations as "NIKE" (USA) and << SUPER ASHURA >>, Japan) proceed in this direction. The main advantage of excimer mediums is the opportunity to work in a frequency mode, absence of restriction on the size of active area, high uniformity of a gas working medium, high efficiency (up to 10 %) and wide spectral range of laser radiation (KrF, XeCl ~ 2nm, XeF (C-A), Xe IICl ~ 50-100 nanometers). Research in area of high quality laser beams formation in excimer mediums and its amplification in high power amplifiers are carried out the long time in Institute of High Current Electronics SB RAS, Tomsk, Russia. The wide aperture XeCl laser system of MELS-4k is used for these investigations. Last time we take part in program on development of high power excimer laser system with a petawatt level of power. This system supposes the formation and amplification high quality laser beams with different pulse duration from units of nanosecond up to tens femtosecond. We research the possibility of laser beams formation in excimer mediums with ps-ns pulse duration having the low noise and divergence near to diffraction limit. In other hand, we are developing the wide aperture XeF(C-A) amplifier with optical pump on base electron accelerator. According to our estimations of the XeF(C-A) amplifier based on the converter of e-beam energy to the Xe II* fluorescence at 172 nm will allow to obtain up to 100 TW peak power in a 30 fs pulse.

Wildlife connectivity approaches and best practices in U.S. state wildlife action plans

USGS Publications Warehouse

Lacher, Iara; Wilkerson, Marit L.

2014-01-01

As habitat loss and fragmentation threaten biodiversity on large geographic scales, creating and maintaining connectivity of wildlife populations is an increasingly common conservation objective. To assess the progress and success of large-scale connectivity planning, conservation researchers need a set of plans that cover large geographic areas and can be analyzed as a single data set. The state wildlife action plans (SWAPs) fulfill these requirements. We examined 50 SWAPs to determine the extent to which wildlife connectivity planning, via linkages, is emphasized nationally. We defined linkage as connective land that enables wildlife movement. For our content analysis, we identified and quantified 6 keywords and 7 content criteria that ranged in specificity and were related to linkages for wide-ranging terrestrial vertebrates and examined relations between content criteria and statewide data on focal wide-ranging species, spending, revenue, and conserved land. Our results reflect nationwide disparities in linkage conservation priorities and highlight the continued need for wildlife linkage planning. Only 30% or less of the 50 SWAPs fulfilled highly specific content criteria (e.g., identifying geographic areas for linkage placement or management). We found positive correlations between our content criteria and statewide data on percent conserved land, total focal species, and spending on parks and recreation. We supplemented our content analysis with interviews with 17 conservation professionals to gain specific information about state-specific context and future directions of linkage conservation. Based on our results, relevant literature, and interview responses, we suggest the following best practices for wildlife linkage conservation plans: collect ecologically meaningful background data; be specific; establish community-wide partnerships; and incorporate sociopolitical and socioeconomic information.

A rapid decision sampling plan for implementing area-wide management of the red palm weevil, Rhynchophorus ferrugineus, in coconut plantations of India.

PubMed

Faleiro, J R; Ashok Kumar, J

2008-01-01

The red palm weevil Rhynchophorus ferrugineus Olivier (Curculionidae/Rhynchophoridae/Dryophthoridae) is a lethal pest of young coconut palms, Cocos nucifera L. (Arecales: Arecaceae), with a highly aggregated population distribution pattern. R. ferrugineus is managed in several coconut growing countries using area-wide pheromone based programmes that need a substantial commitment of funds over a period of time. Often, decisions to implement area-wide management of R. ferrugineus are based on pheromone trap captures in surveillance traps and or infestation reports. Implementing area-wide management of this pest on the basis of such data can be inaccurate, as it may either under or over estimate the pest intensity in the field. This study presents sampling plans for rapid and accurate classification of R. ferrugineus infestation in coconut plantations of India by inspecting palms to detect infestation in a sequence until a decision to either implement or not to initiate area-wide management of R. ferrugineus can be made. The sampling plans are based on a common aggregation index of 3.45, assumed action threshold values of either 1.0 (plan A) or 0.5 (plan B) per cent infested palms and a risk factor of making the wrong decision set at 0.05. Using plans A and B, if the cumulative number of infested palms in a young 1 hectare coconut plantation is zero out of 150 palms for both plans, then area-wide management is not required, while on the other hand, if the cumulative number of infested palms for the same area is 6 (plan A), or 5 (plan B), then area-wide management of R. ferrugineus is essential. The proposed sampling plans are efficient tools in decision making, particularly at very low and high levels of infestation and can also be used to assess the performance of R. ferrugineus IPM programmes that are in progress. These plans not only save time and money as only a small area needs to be sampled to arrive at a correct decision, but are also efficient in rating the infestation level accurately.

13 CFR 101.406 - What are the Administrator's responsibilities in interstate situations?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... financial assistance and direct SBA development that have an impact on interstate areas; (b) Notifying... activity; (c) Making efforts to identify and notify the affected state, area-wide, regional, and local...) Using the procedures of § 101.405 if a recommendation of a designated area-wide agency is transmitted by...

Library Applications of a Wide Area Network: Promoting JANET to UK Academic Libraries.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

MacColl, John A.

1990-01-01

Describes Project Jupiter, which was developed to promote the United Kingdom's Joint Academic Network (JANET) to its member libraries. Library uses of JANET are described, including online catalogs, commercial services, and electronic mail; the convergence of local area networks (LANs) and wide area networks (WANs) is discussed; and future…

SHOK—The First Russian Wide-Field Optical Camera in Space

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lipunov, V. M.; Gorbovskoy, E. S.; Kornilov, V. G.; Panasyuk, M. I.; Amelushkin, A. M.; Petrov, V. L.; Yashin, I. V.; Svertilov, S. I.; Vedenkin, N. N.

2018-02-01

Onboard the spacecraft Lomonosov is established two fast, fixed, very wide-field cameras SHOK. The main goal of this experiment is the observation of GRB optical emission before, synchronously, and after the gamma-ray emission. The field of view of each of the cameras is placed in the gamma-ray burst detection area of other devices located onboard the "Lomonosov" spacecraft. SHOK provides measurements of optical emissions with a magnitude limit of ˜ 9-10m on a single frame with an exposure of 0.2 seconds. The device is designed for continuous sky monitoring at optical wavelengths in the very wide field of view (1000 square degrees each camera), detection and localization of fast time-varying (transient) optical sources on the celestial sphere, including provisional and synchronous time recording of optical emissions from the gamma-ray burst error boxes, detected by the BDRG device and implemented by a control signal (alert trigger) from the BDRG. The Lomonosov spacecraft has two identical devices, SHOK1 and SHOK2. The core of each SHOK device is a fast-speed 11-Megapixel CCD. Each of the SHOK devices represents a monoblock, consisting of a node observations of optical emission, the electronics node, elements of the mechanical construction, and the body.

Extending the multimedia patient record across the wide area network.

PubMed Central

Dayhoff, R. E.; Kuzmak, P. M.; Frank, S. A.; Kirin, G.; Saddler, C.

1996-01-01

The Dept. of Veterans Affairs is developing and testing a wide area medical network with multimedia capabilities for coordination and consolidation of medical services across locations. The system is composed of multimedia information systems at individual medical centers connected by a high speed wide area network. The DHCP Imaging System, which has been in clinical use for six years, provides storage management and workstation acquisition and display of the multimedia data. Teleconsulting capability using a variety of mechanisms' is being prototyped and tested to meet medical staffing and consultation needs. PMID:8947747

Extending the multimedia patient record across the wide area network.

PubMed

Dayhoff, R E; Kuzmak, P M; Frank, S A; Kirin, G; Saddler, C

1996-01-01

The Dept. of Veterans Affairs is developing and testing a wide area medical network with multimedia capabilities for coordination and consolidation of medical services across locations. The system is composed of multimedia information systems at individual medical centers connected by a high speed wide area network. The DHCP Imaging System, which has been in clinical use for six years, provides storage management and workstation acquisition and display of the multimedia data. Teleconsulting capability using a variety of mechanisms' is being prototyped and tested to meet medical staffing and consultation needs.

Mapping Vineyard Leaf Area Using Mobile Terrestrial Laser Scanners: Should Rows be Scanned On-the-Go or Discontinuously Sampled?

PubMed Central

del-Moral-Martínez, Ignacio; Rosell-Polo, Joan R.; Company, Joaquim; Sanz, Ricardo; Escolà, Alexandre; Masip, Joan; Martínez-Casasnovas, José A.; Arnó, Jaume

2016-01-01

The leaf area index (LAI) is defined as the one-side leaf area per unit ground area, and is probably the most widely used index to characterize grapevine vigor. However, LAI varies spatially within vineyard plots. Mapping and quantifying this variability is very important for improving management decisions and agricultural practices. In this study, a mobile terrestrial laser scanner (MTLS) was used to map the LAI of a vineyard, and then to examine how different scanning methods (on-the-go or discontinuous systematic sampling) may affect the reliability of the resulting raster maps. The use of the MTLS allows calculating the enveloping vegetative area of the canopy, which is the sum of the leaf wall areas for both sides of the row (excluding gaps) and the projected upper area. Obtaining the enveloping areas requires scanning from both sides one meter length section along the row at each systematic sampling point. By converting the enveloping areas into LAI values, a raster map of the latter can be obtained by spatial interpolation (kriging). However, the user can opt for scanning on-the-go in a continuous way and compute 1-m LAI values along the rows, or instead, perform the scanning at discontinuous systematic sampling within the plot. An analysis of correlation between maps indicated that MTLS can be used discontinuously in specific sampling sections separated by up to 15 m along the rows. This capability significantly reduces the amount of data to be acquired at field level, the data storage capacity and the processing power of computers. PMID:26797618

Mapping Vineyard Leaf Area Using Mobile Terrestrial Laser Scanners: Should Rows be Scanned On-the-Go or Discontinuously Sampled?

PubMed

del-Moral-Martínez, Ignacio; Rosell-Polo, Joan R; Company, Joaquim; Sanz, Ricardo; Escolà, Alexandre; Masip, Joan; Martínez-Casasnovas, José A; Arnó, Jaume

2016-01-19

The leaf area index (LAI) is defined as the one-side leaf area per unit ground area, and is probably the most widely used index to characterize grapevine vigor. However, LAI varies spatially within vineyard plots. Mapping and quantifying this variability is very important for improving management decisions and agricultural practices. In this study, a mobile terrestrial laser scanner (MTLS) was used to map the LAI of a vineyard, and then to examine how different scanning methods (on-the-go or discontinuous systematic sampling) may affect the reliability of the resulting raster maps. The use of the MTLS allows calculating the enveloping vegetative area of the canopy, which is the sum of the leaf wall areas for both sides of the row (excluding gaps) and the projected upper area. Obtaining the enveloping areas requires scanning from both sides one meter length section along the row at each systematic sampling point. By converting the enveloping areas into LAI values, a raster map of the latter can be obtained by spatial interpolation (kriging). However, the user can opt for scanning on-the-go in a continuous way and compute 1-m LAI values along the rows, or instead, perform the scanning at discontinuous systematic sampling within the plot. An analysis of correlation between maps indicated that MTLS can be used discontinuously in specific sampling sections separated by up to 15 m along the rows. This capability significantly reduces the amount of data to be acquired at field level, the data storage capacity and the processing power of computers.

NASA Technology Investments in Electric Propulsion: New Directions in the New Millennium

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sankovic, John M.

2002-01-01

The last decade was a period of unprecedented acceptance of NASA developed electric propulsion by the user community. The benefits of high performance electric propulsion systems are now widely recognized, and new technologies have been accepted across the commonly. NASA clearly recognizes the need for new, high performance, electric propulsion technologies for future solar system missions and is sponsoring aggressive efforts in this area. These efforts are mainly conducted under the Office of Aerospace Technology. Plans over the next six years include the development of next generation ion thrusters for end of decade missions. Additional efforts are planned for the development of very high power thrusters, including magnetoplasmadynamic, pulsed inductive, and VASIMR, and clusters of Hall thrusters. In addition to the in-house technology efforts, NASA continues to work closely with both supplier and user communities to maximize the acceptance of new technology in a timely and cost-effective manner. This paper provides an overview of NASA's activities in the area of electric propulsion with an emphasis on future program directions.

Scientific and Technological Foundations for Scaling Production of Nanostructured Metals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lowe, Terry C.; Davis, Casey F.; Rovira, Peter M.; Hayne, Mathew L.; Campbell, Gordon S.; Grzenia, Joel E.; Stock, Paige J.; Meagher, Rilee C.; Rack, Henry J.

2017-05-01

Severe Plastic Deformation (SPD) has been explored in a wide range of metals and alloys. However, there are only a few industrial scale implementations of SPD for commercial alloys. To demonstrate and evolve technology for producing ultrafine grain metals by SPD, a Nanostructured Metals Manufacturing Testbed (NMMT) has been established in Golden, Colorado. Machines for research scale and pilot scale Equal Channel Angular Pressing-Conform (ECAP-C) technology have been configured in the NMMT to systematically evaluate and evolve SPD processing and advance the foundational science and technology for manufacturing. We highlight the scientific and technological areas that are critical for scale up of continuous SPD of aluminum, copper, magnesium, titanium, and iron-based alloys. Key areas that we will address in this presentation include the need for comprehensive analysis of starting microstructures, data on operating deformation mechanisms, high pressure thermodynamics and phase transformation kinetics, tribological behaviors, temperature dependence of lubricant properties, adaptation of tolerances and shear intensity to match viscoplastic behaviors, real-time process monitoring, and mechanics of billet/tooling interactions.

Recent advances in understanding dengue

PubMed Central

Yacoub, Sophie; Mongkolsapaya, Juthathip; Screaton, Gavin

2016-01-01

Dengue is an emerging threat to billions of people worldwide. In the last 20 years, the incidence has increased four-fold and this trend appears to be continuing. Caused by one of four viral serotypes, dengue can present as a wide range of clinical phenotypes with the severe end of the spectrum being defined by a syndrome of capillary leak, coagulopathy, and organ impairment. The pathogenesis of severe disease is thought to be in part immune mediated, but the exact mechanisms remain to be defined. The current treatment of dengue relies on supportive measures with no licensed therapeutics available to date. There have been recent advances in our understanding of a number of areas of dengue research, of which the following will be discussed in this review: the drivers behind the global dengue pandemic, viral structure and epitope binding, risk factors for severe disease and its pathogenesis, as well as the findings of recent clinical trials including therapeutics and vaccines. We conclude with current and future dengue control measures and key areas for future research. PMID:26918159

Resistance characterization of nickel sulfide electrodes in LiCl-containing molten salt electrolytes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Redey, L.; Vissers, D. R.

The electrode kinetics of a high area loading: (545.6 mAh/cm(2) for the Ni reversible NiS transition), porous nickel sulfide electrode were studied under one-dimensional current distribution in a half-cell-type test arrangement. Area-specific resistance values (ASR/sub t/) were measured under wide variety of conditions: temperature, 450 to 490(0)C; current density, 0.01 to 3A/cm(2); and mechanical stress, 0.11 to 1.68 kg/cm(2). The ASR/sub t/ values were used for quantitative characterization of the ohmic-related and electrochemical-related resistances of the electrode bed. When cycled in the Ni reversible NiS transition range, the electrode showed good utilization and excellent power characteristics in an all-lithium-cation (LiF-LiCl-LiBr) electrolyte. Capability of continuous cycling at high rates (up to 800 mA/cm(12) was demonstrated. The performance of the electrode was also found to be dependent on the mechanical stress developed in the electrode.

Effectiveness of the Area-wide Pest Management Program to Control Asian Tiger Mosquito in New Jersey: Evidence from a Household Survey

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Households’ behaviors can both mitigate and measure the spread of urban mosquitos. Beginning in 2009, a comprehensive area-wide pest management (AWPM) project to control Aedes albopictus was implemented in 4 areas in Monmouth and Mercer Counties, New Jersey. Including other activities, the project f...

Effectiveness of the area wide pest management program to control asian tiger mosquito in New Jersey: evidence from a household survey

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Households’ behaviors can both mitigate and measure the spread of urban mosquito species. Beginning in 2009, an area-wide pest management (AWPM) project to control Ae. Albopictus was implemented in 6 areas in Monmouth and Mercer counties, NJ. Including other activities, the project focused on increa...

Cost-benefit analysis of an area-wide pest management program to control Asian tiger mosquito in New Jersey

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Area-wide pest management (AWPM) is recommended to control urban mosquitoes, such as Aedes albopictus (Asian tiger mosquito), which limit outdoor activities. We conducted a cost-benefit analysis for an AWPM in Mercer and Monmouth counties, New Jersey, as part of a controlled design with matched area...

75 FR 42633 - Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-07-22

... event of a wide-scale disruption affecting such entities' trading or clearing operations. These proposed... objective, in the event of a wide-scale disruption. The proposed amendments also revise application guidance... overall resilience of the U.S. financial system in the event of a wide-scale disruption, and is the...

Mars Rocks Continue to Fascinate

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2005-01-01

Proving once again that Mars is a complex and fascinating place, NASA's Opportunity rover has entered new terrain and is providing scientists with more discoveries and puzzles to solve. 'One of the things we've been wondering,' said principal investigator Steve Squyres, 'is whether the rounded concretions we call 'blueberries' are the same everywhere. It turns out they're not. The berries are more numerous here, and some seem to be smaller than any we've ever seen.'

This microscopic image of a drill hole cut into a martian rock nicknamed 'Ice Cream' by the rover's rock abrasion tool shows cross sections of round concretions 1 to 2 millimeters (0.04 to 0.08 inches) wide. Science team members are debating whether the grayish-looking smudges that are not as round are concretions or some other feature.

Opportunity is now almost 4 kilometers (2.5 miles) south of 'Endurance Crater,' where the rover spent from May through December of 2004 reading the story of a watery past recorded in the martian rocks. After exiting 'Endurance' on martian day, or sol, 316 (Dec. 13, 2004), Opportunity turned south and continued the trek across land where no human has trod, demonstrating that endurance is more than just a name.

Opportunity took this mosaic of images with its microscopic imager on sol 546 (Aug. 6, 2005). The area shown is approximately 6 centimeters (2.4 inches) wide. The shaded portions on the left side of each quadrangle in the mosaic are silhouettes of the rover's robotic arm.

Financial impact of the GFC: health care spending across the OECD.

PubMed

Morgan, David; Astolfi, Roberto

2015-01-01

Since the onset of the global financial crisis (GFC), health spending has slowed markedly or fallen in many OECD countries after years of continuous growth. However, health spending patterns across the 34 countries of the OECD have been affected to varying degrees. This article examines in more detail the observed downturn in health expenditure growth, analysing which countries and which sectors of health spending have been most affected. In addition, using more recent preliminary data for a subset of countries, this article tries to shed light on the prospects for health spending trends. Given that public sources account for around three-quarters of total spending on health on average across the OECD, and, in an overall context of managing public deficits, the article focuses on the specific areas of public spending that have been most affected. This study also tries to link the observed trends with some of the main policy measures and instruments put in place by countries. The investigation finds that while nearly all OECD countries have seen health spending growth decrease since 2009, there is wide variation as to the extent of the slowdown, with some countries outside of Europe continuing to see significant growth in health spending. While all sectors of spending appear to have been affected, initial analysis appears to show the greatest decreases has been experienced in pharmaceutical spending and in areas of public health and prevention.

Quantifying seasonal variation of leaf area index using near-infrared digital camera in a rice paddy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hwang, Y.; Ryu, Y.; Kim, J.

2017-12-01

Digital camera has been widely used to quantify leaf area index (LAI). Numerous simple and automatic methods have been proposed to improve the digital camera based LAI estimates. However, most studies in rice paddy relied on arbitrary thresholds or complex radiative transfer models to make binary images. Moreover, only a few study reported continuous, automatic observation of LAI over the season in rice paddy. The objective of this study is to quantify seasonal variations of LAI using raw near-infrared (NIR) images coupled with a histogram shape-based algorithm in a rice paddy. As vegetation highly reflects the NIR light, we installed NIR digital camera 1.8 m above the ground surface and acquired unsaturated raw format images at one-hour intervals between 15 to 80 º solar zenith angles over the entire growing season in 2016 (from May to September). We applied a sub-pixel classification combined with light scattering correction method. Finally, to confirm the accuracy of the quantified LAI, we also conducted direct (destructive sampling) and indirect (LAI-2200) manual observations of LAI once per ten days on average. Preliminary results show that NIR derived LAI agreed well with in-situ observations but divergence tended to appear once rice canopy is fully developed. The continuous monitoring of LAI in rice paddy will help to understand carbon and water fluxes better and evaluate satellite based LAI products.

Review of methods to prevent and reduce the risk of Lyme disease.

PubMed

Lindsay, L R; Ogden, N H; Schofield, S W

2015-06-04

Cases of Lyme disease and areas with self-sustaining populations of vector ticks are increasing in Canada. This trend is expected to continue. Preventing Lyme disease will therefore become relevant to an increasing number of Canadians. To summarize methods for reducing the risk of tick bites and preventing transmission once a tick is feeding. A literature search was conducted to identify methods to reduce the risk of tick bites and the abundance of vector ticks, as well as the risk of becoming infected with the Lyme disease pathogen, Borrelia burgdorferi (BB), if bitten by a vector tick. Current approaches to reducing the risk of tick bites or preventing infection with BB once bitten are largely reliant on the individual. They include use of topical repellents, use of protective clothing, avoidance of risk areas and removing ticks soon (ideally within a day) after they attach. These methods are efficacious, but constrained by user adherence. Other approaches such as landscape modification or the use of acaricides to control ticks, have shown promise in other countries, but have not been widely adopted in Canada. Lyme disease will continue to present a threat in Canada. In additional to the existing interventions for prevention of tick bites and Lyme disease, there is a need for new tools to help reduce the risk of Lyme disease to Canadians.

Computational systems chemical biology.

PubMed

Oprea, Tudor I; May, Elebeoba E; Leitão, Andrei; Tropsha, Alexander

2011-01-01

There is a critical need for improving the level of chemistry awareness in systems biology. The data and information related to modulation of genes and proteins by small molecules continue to accumulate at the same time as simulation tools in systems biology and whole body physiologically based pharmacokinetics (PBPK) continue to evolve. We called this emerging area at the interface between chemical biology and systems biology systems chemical biology (SCB) (Nat Chem Biol 3: 447-450, 2007).The overarching goal of computational SCB is to develop tools for integrated chemical-biological data acquisition, filtering and processing, by taking into account relevant information related to interactions between proteins and small molecules, possible metabolic transformations of small molecules, as well as associated information related to genes, networks, small molecules, and, where applicable, mutants and variants of those proteins. There is yet an unmet need to develop an integrated in silico pharmacology/systems biology continuum that embeds drug-target-clinical outcome (DTCO) triplets, a capability that is vital to the future of chemical biology, pharmacology, and systems biology. Through the development of the SCB approach, scientists will be able to start addressing, in an integrated simulation environment, questions that make the best use of our ever-growing chemical and biological data repositories at the system-wide level. This chapter reviews some of the major research concepts and describes key components that constitute the emerging area of computational systems chemical biology.

Computational Systems Chemical Biology

PubMed Central

Oprea, Tudor I.; May, Elebeoba E.; Leitão, Andrei; Tropsha, Alexander

2013-01-01

There is a critical need for improving the level of chemistry awareness in systems biology. The data and information related to modulation of genes and proteins by small molecules continue to accumulate at the same time as simulation tools in systems biology and whole body physiologically-based pharmacokinetics (PBPK) continue to evolve. We called this emerging area at the interface between chemical biology and systems biology systems chemical biology, SCB (Oprea et al., 2007). The overarching goal of computational SCB is to develop tools for integrated chemical-biological data acquisition, filtering and processing, by taking into account relevant information related to interactions between proteins and small molecules, possible metabolic transformations of small molecules, as well as associated information related to genes, networks, small molecules and, where applicable, mutants and variants of those proteins. There is yet an unmet need to develop an integrated in silico pharmacology / systems biology continuum that embeds drug-target-clinical outcome (DTCO) triplets, a capability that is vital to the future of chemical biology, pharmacology and systems biology. Through the development of the SCB approach, scientists will be able to start addressing, in an integrated simulation environment, questions that make the best use of our ever-growing chemical and biological data repositories at the system-wide level. This chapter reviews some of the major research concepts and describes key components that constitute the emerging area of computational systems chemical biology. PMID:20838980

New iGrav superconducting gravimeter: accuracy, drift and first results

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Le Moigne, N.; Champollion, C.; Warburton, R. J.; Bayer, R.; Deville, S.; Doerflinger, E.; chery, J.; Vernant, P.; Boudin, F.; Collard, P.

2011-12-01

A GWR iGrav superconducting gravimeter has been installed in the Larzac karstic area (Southern France near the Mediterranean Sea, elevation 800m, karst thickness 200m). Continuous sub-μGal gravity measurements are needed to study water storage and transfer in the non-saturated zone of the karstic area. The GWR iGrav is a new generation of superconducting gravimeter of reduced size (Dewar 15L) with simplified installation. At first, the specifications of the iGrav site will be presented, then the drift behaviour and the data processing. The drift quickly decreases to less than 0.1 μGal per day and only a few offsets are observed in the data. In order to look at the stability of the iGrav over a wide time period, a FG5 gravimeter is used for bi-monthly absolute gravity measurements and for frequent calibrations. As a result of the installation, the iGrav allows sub-μGal gravity monitoring only a few weeks after the beginning of the installation. After having discussed the instrumental and data processing points of view, preliminary results on the local karstic water storage will be presented and interpreted by combining different geophysical data. Continuous gravity data allow to study processes at different timescale such as summer evapotranspiration or high precipitating event characteristic of the Mediterranean autumn.

Integrated phased array for wide-angle beam steering.

PubMed

Yaacobi, Ami; Sun, Jie; Moresco, Michele; Leake, Gerald; Coolbaugh, Douglas; Watts, Michael R

2014-08-01

We demonstrate an on-chip optical phased array fabricated in a CMOS compatible process with continuous, fast (100 kHz), wide-angle (51°) beam-steering suitable for applications such as low-cost LIDAR systems. The device demonstrates the largest (51°) beam-steering and beam-spacing to date while providing the ability to steer continuously over the entire range. Continuous steering is enabled by a cascaded phase shifting architecture utilizing, low power and small footprint, thermo-optic phase shifters. We demonstrate these results in the telecom C-band, but the same design can easily be adjusted for any wavelength between 1.2 and 3.5 μm.

Monitoring of infrastructural sites by means of advanced multi-temporal DInSAR methods

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vollrath, Andreas; Zucca, Francesco; Stramondo, Salvatore

2013-10-01

With the launch of Sentinel-1, advanced interferometric measurements will become more applicable then ever. The foreseen standard Wide Area Product (WAP), with its higher spatial and temporal resolution than comparable SAR missions, will provide the basement for the use of new wide scale and multitemporal analysis. By now the use of SAR interferometry methods with respect to risk assessment are mainly conducted for active tectonic zones, plate boundaries, volcanoes as well as urban areas, where local surface movement rates exceed the expected error and enough pixels per area contain a relatively stable phase. This study, in contrast, aims to focus on infrastructural sites that are located outside cities and are therefore surrounded by rural landscapes. The stumbling bock was given by the communication letter by the European Commission with regard to the stress tests of nuclear power plants in Europe in 2012. It is mentioned that continuously re-evaluated risk and safety assessments are necessary to guarantee highest possible security to the European citizens and environment. This is also true for other infrastructural sites, that are prone to diverse geophysical hazards. In combination with GPS and broadband seismology, multitemporal Differential Interferometric SAR approaches demonstrated great potential in contributing valuable information to surface movement phenomenas. At this stage of the project, first results of the Stamps-MTI approach (combined PSInSAR and SBAS) will be presented for the industrial area around Priolo Gargallo in South East Sicily by using ENVISAT ASAR IM mode data from 2003-2010. This area is located between the Malta Escarpment fault system and the Hyblean plateau and is prone to earthquake and tsunami risk. It features a high density of oil refineries that are directly located at the coast. The general potential of these techniques with respect to the SENTINEL-1 mission will be shown for this area and a road-map for further improvements is given in order to overcome limitations that refer to the influence of the atmosphere, orbit or DEM errors. Further steps will also include validation and tectonic modeling for risk assessment.

On providing the fault-tolerant operation of information systems based on open content management systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kratov, Sergey

2018-01-01

Modern information systems designed to service a wide range of users, regardless of their subject area, are increasingly based on Web technologies and are available to users via Internet. The article discusses the issues of providing the fault-tolerant operation of such information systems, based on free and open source content management systems. The toolkit available to administrators of similar systems is shown; the scenarios for using these tools are described. Options for organizing backups and restoring the operability of systems after failures are suggested. Application of the proposed methods and approaches allows providing continuous monitoring of the state of systems, timely response to the emergence of possible problems and their prompt solution.

Sclerotherapy with bleomycin for recurrent massive inguinal lymphoceles following partial vulvectomy and bilateral lymphadenectomy-Case report and literature review.

PubMed

Elsandabesee, D; Sharma, B; Preston, J; Ostrowski, J; Nieto, J

2004-02-01

Formation of lymphoceles following radical vulvectomy presents a formidable problem that is associated with high degree of morbidity. A variety of approaches have been described in the literature to treat this condition. An 82-year-old woman developed massive inguinal lymphoceles following partial vulvectomy and inguinal lymphadenectomy for cancer vulva. The lymphoceles involved wide surface areas extending to both flanks, and accumulation of lymph was very rapid at a rate of 1 l daily. The condition failed to respond to continuous drainage and compression for 6 weeks, but responded quickly to sclerotherapy using bleomycin without any significant side effects. Intracavitary bleomycin could be used safely and effectively in huge rapidly accumulating lymphoceles.

Solar pond

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Miller, C. G.; Stephens, J. B. (Inventor)

1978-01-01

Shallow pools of liquid to collect low-temperature solar generated thermal energy are described. Narrow elongated trenches, grouped together over a wide area, are lined with a heat-absorbing black liner. The heat-absorbing liquid is kept separate from the thermal energy removing fluid by means such as clear polyethylene material. The covering for the pond may be a fluid or solid. If the covering is a fluid, fire fighting foam, continuously generated, or siloons are used to keep the surface covering clean and insulated. If the thermal energy removing fluid is a gas, a fluid insulation layer contained in a flat polyethlene tubing is used to cover the pond. The side of the tube directed towards the sun is treated to block out ultraviolet radiation and trap in infrared radiation.

PCB residues in the adipose tissue of the population of Barcelona (Spain)

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

Gomez-Catalan, J.; Sabroso, M.; To-Figueras, J.

1991-10-01

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are a class of aryl halides widely distributed in the environment. Although production has virtually ceased, and most industrial applications (capacitors, transformers, hydraulic fluids, lubricants, etc) are severely restricted, they are one of the most ubiquitous and persistent environmental pollutants. Several toxic effects caused by PCBs have been described including: liver enlargement, hepatomegalocytosis, acne, lymphoid atrophy, immunosuppression, tumor promotion, porphyria. This work continues the authors' previous reports about organochlorine residues in human tissues of some Spanish populations, that showed high levels of some residues, specially of hexachlorobenzene (HCB). PCBs pattern and concentration in the adipose tissue ofmore » the inhabitants of an urban and industrial area (Barcelona) were determined.« less

Addressing the Influence of Space Weather on Airline Navigation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sparks, Lawrence

2012-01-01

The advent of satellite-based augmentation systems has made it possible to navigate aircraft safely using radio signals emitted by global navigation satellite systems (GNSS) such as the Global Positioning System. As a signal propagates through the earth's ionosphere, it suffers delay that is proportional to the total electron content encountered along the raypath. Since the magnitude of this total electron content is strongly influenced by space weather, the safety and reliability of GNSS for airline navigation requires continual monitoring of the state of the ionosphere and calibration of ionospheric delay. This paper examines the impact of space weather on GNSS-based navigation and provides an overview of how the Wide Area Augmentation System protects its users from positioning error due to ionospheric disturbances

TACtic- A Multi Behavioral Agent for Trading Agent Competition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Khosravi, Hassan; Shiri, Mohammad E.; Khosravi, Hamid; Iranmanesh, Ehsan; Davoodi, Alireza

Software agents are increasingly being used to represent humans in online auctions. Such agents have the advantages of being able to systematically monitor a wide variety of auctions and then make rapid decisions about what bids to place in what auctions. They can do this continuously and repetitively without losing concentration. To provide a means of evaluating and comparing (benchmarking) research methods in this area the trading agent competition (TAC) was established. This paper describes the design, of TACtic. Our agent uses multi behavioral techniques at the heart of its decision making to make bidding decisions in the face of uncertainty, to make predictions about the likely outcomes of auctions, and to alter the agent's bidding strategy in response to the prevailing market conditions.

Continuous stacking computational approach based automated microscope slide scanner

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Murali, Swetha; Adhikari, Jayesh Vasudeva; Jagannadh, Veerendra Kalyan; Gorthi, Sai Siva

2018-02-01

Cost-effective and automated acquisition of whole slide images is a bottleneck for wide-scale deployment of digital pathology. In this article, a computation augmented approach for the development of an automated microscope slide scanner is presented. The realization of a prototype device built using inexpensive off-the-shelf optical components and motors is detailed. The applicability of the developed prototype to clinical diagnostic testing is demonstrated by generating good quality digital images of malaria-infected blood smears. Further, the acquired slide images have been processed to identify and count the number of malaria-infected red blood cells and thereby perform quantitative parasitemia level estimation. The presented prototype would enable cost-effective deployment of slide-based cyto-diagnostic testing in endemic areas.

2004 research briefs :Materials and Process Sciences Center.

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

Cieslak, Michael J.

2004-01-01

This report is the latest in a continuing series that highlights the recent technical accomplishments associated with the work being performed within the Materials and Process Sciences Center. Our research and development activities primarily address the materials-engineering needs of Sandia's Nuclear-Weapons (NW) program. In addition, we have significant efforts that support programs managed by the other laboratory business units. Our wide range of activities occurs within six thematic areas: Materials Aging and Reliability, Scientifically Engineered Materials, Materials Processing, Materials Characterization, Materials for Microsystems, and Materials Modeling and Simulation. We believe these highlights collectively demonstrate the importance that a strong materials-sciencemore » base has on the ultimate success of the NW program and the overall DOE technology portfolio.« less

New developments in corneal and external disease--LASIK.

PubMed

Dhaliwal, Deepinder K; Mather, Rookaya

2003-03-01

Lamellar refractive surgery has evolved into LASIK, which is a widely performed, versatile procedure with a high patient acceptance. In this chapter, the two main components of LASIK were discussed: flap creation and stromal ablation. In each of these areas, the authors explored current technology and new advances, including the femtosecond laser and wavefront-guided ablations. Expanded indications and therapeutic application of LASIK also have come to the forefront. The treatment of anisomyopic amblyopia in the pediatric population is a prime example and was discussed fully in this chapter. The field of refractive surgery has never been stagnant. Surgeons and scientists continue to explore new modalities to increase safety, to improve results, and to broaden applications that benefit the patient population.

Roll-to-roll slot-die coating of 400 mm wide, flexible, transparent Ag nanowire films for flexible touch screen panels

PubMed Central

Kim, Dong-Ju; Shin, Hae-In; Ko, Eun-Hye; Kim, Ki-Hyun; Kim, Tae-Woong; Kim, Han-Ki

2016-01-01

We report fabrication of large area Ag nanowire (NW) film coated using a continuous roll-to-roll (RTR) slot die coater as a viable alternative to conventional ITO electrodes for cost-effective and large-area flexible touch screen panels (TSPs). By controlling the flow rate of shear-thinning Ag NW ink in the slot die, we fabricated Ag NW percolating network films with different sheet resistances (30–70 Ohm/square), optical transmittance values (89–90%), and haze (0.5–1%) percentages. Outer/inner bending, twisting, and rolling tests as well as dynamic fatigue tests demonstrated that the mechanical flexibility of the slot-die coated Ag NW films was superior to that of conventional ITO films. Using diamond-shape patterned Ag NW layer electrodes (50 Ohm/square, 90% optical transmittance), we fabricated 12-inch flexible film-film type and rigid glass-film-film type TSPs. Successful operation of flexible TSPs with Ag NW electrodes indicates that slot-die-coated large-area Ag NW films are promising low cost, high performance, and flexible transparent electrodes for cost-effective large-area flexible TSPs and can be substituted for ITO films, which have high sheet resistance and are brittle. PMID:27677410

Roll-to-roll slot-die coating of 400 mm wide, flexible, transparent Ag nanowire films for flexible touch screen panels.

PubMed

Kim, Dong-Ju; Shin, Hae-In; Ko, Eun-Hye; Kim, Ki-Hyun; Kim, Tae-Woong; Kim, Han-Ki

2016-09-28

We report fabrication of large area Ag nanowire (NW) film coated using a continuous roll-to-roll (RTR) slot die coater as a viable alternative to conventional ITO electrodes for cost-effective and large-area flexible touch screen panels (TSPs). By controlling the flow rate of shear-thinning Ag NW ink in the slot die, we fabricated Ag NW percolating network films with different sheet resistances (30-70 Ohm/square), optical transmittance values (89-90%), and haze (0.5-1%) percentages. Outer/inner bending, twisting, and rolling tests as well as dynamic fatigue tests demonstrated that the mechanical flexibility of the slot-die coated Ag NW films was superior to that of conventional ITO films. Using diamond-shape patterned Ag NW layer electrodes (50 Ohm/square, 90% optical transmittance), we fabricated 12-inch flexible film-film type and rigid glass-film-film type TSPs. Successful operation of flexible TSPs with Ag NW electrodes indicates that slot-die-coated large-area Ag NW films are promising low cost, high performance, and flexible transparent electrodes for cost-effective large-area flexible TSPs and can be substituted for ITO films, which have high sheet resistance and are brittle.

Roll-to-roll slot-die coating of 400 mm wide, flexible, transparent Ag nanowire films for flexible touch screen panels

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Dong-Ju; Shin, Hae-In; Ko, Eun-Hye; Kim, Ki-Hyun; Kim, Tae-Woong; Kim, Han-Ki

2016-09-01

We report fabrication of large area Ag nanowire (NW) film coated using a continuous roll-to-roll (RTR) slot die coater as a viable alternative to conventional ITO electrodes for cost-effective and large-area flexible touch screen panels (TSPs). By controlling the flow rate of shear-thinning Ag NW ink in the slot die, we fabricated Ag NW percolating network films with different sheet resistances (30-70 Ohm/square), optical transmittance values (89-90%), and haze (0.5-1%) percentages. Outer/inner bending, twisting, and rolling tests as well as dynamic fatigue tests demonstrated that the mechanical flexibility of the slot-die coated Ag NW films was superior to that of conventional ITO films. Using diamond-shape patterned Ag NW layer electrodes (50 Ohm/square, 90% optical transmittance), we fabricated 12-inch flexible film-film type and rigid glass-film-film type TSPs. Successful operation of flexible TSPs with Ag NW electrodes indicates that slot-die-coated large-area Ag NW films are promising low cost, high performance, and flexible transparent electrodes for cost-effective large-area flexible TSPs and can be substituted for ITO films, which have high sheet resistance and are brittle.

Use of the paca, Cuniculus paca (Rodentia: Agoutidae) in the Sierra de Tabasco State Park, Mexico.

PubMed

Gallina, Sonia; Pérez-Torres, Jairo; Guzmán-Aguirre, Carlos César

2012-09-01

Cuniculus paca is widely distributed throughout the Neotropics. Known as the paca, it is the largest rodent in the Mexican tropical forests, and one of the most used as a subsistence species for its meat. Since colonial times, this species has been subject of an unreported hunting pressure. For this reason, the aim of this work was to describe the use of the paca by the inhabitants of the Sierra de Tabasco State Park (STSP) using sampling areas in a matrix of vegetation with different degrees of disturbance, and different types of land use. We included both preserved areas: owing to the presence of large continuous areas of fragmented rainforest and areas that are not preserved, with smaller rainforest fragments and more isolated. To obtain information about paca use, we interviewed 176 people (>18 years old) who live in the STSP. All those interviewed had eaten paca meat, and indicated that this species is most frequently observed in the rainforest during the dry season. Hunting and trapping were the most common ways to obtain pacas, rather than gifting or purchasing, and firearms and dogs are used to hunt them. We estimated that these interviewed group had hunted a total of 488 paca in the year prior to the study.

Assessing Wide Area Multilateration and ADS-B as alternative surveillance technology

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2005-09-26

The Helicopter In-Flight Tracking System (HITS) program evaluated both Wide Area Multilateration (WAM) and Automatic Dependent Surveillance Broadcast (ADS-B) as alternative surveillance technologies for both the terminal and en route domains in t...

Quantifying the erosion of natural darkness in the global protected area system.

PubMed

Gaston, Kevin J; Duffy, James P; Bennie, Jonathan

2015-08-01

The nighttime light environment of much of the earth has been transformed by the introduction of electric lighting. This impact continues to spread with growth in the human population and extent of urbanization. This has profound consequences for organismal physiology and behavior and affects abundances and distributions of species, community structure, and likely ecosystem functions and processes. Protected areas play key roles in buffering biodiversity from a wide range of anthropogenic pressures. We used a calibration of a global satellite data set of nighttime lights to determine how well they are fulfilling this role with regard to artificial nighttime lighting. Globally, areas that are protected tend to be darker at night than those that are not, and, with the exception of Europe, recent regional declines in the proportion of the area that is protected and remains dark have been small. However, much of these effects result from the major contribution to overall protected area coverage by the small proportion of individual protected areas that are very large. Thus, in Europe and North America high proportions of individual protected areas (>17%) have exhibited high levels of nighttime lighting in all recent years, and in several regions (Europe, Asia, South and Central America) high proportions of protected areas (32-42%) have had recent significant increases in nighttime lighting. Limiting and reversing the erosion of nighttime darkness in protected areas will require routine consideration of nighttime conditions when designating and establishing new protected areas; establishment of appropriate buffer zones around protected areas where lighting is prohibited; and landscape level reductions in artificial nighttime lighting, which is being called for in general to reduce energy use and economic costs. © 2015 Society for Conservation Biology.

A Rapid Decision Sampling Plan for Implementing Area—Wide Management of the Red Palm Weevil, Rhynchophorus ferrugineus, in Coconut Plantations of India

PubMed Central

Faleiro, J. R.; Ashok Kumar, J.

2008-01-01

The red palm weevil Rhynchophorus ferrugineus Olivier (Curculionidae/Rhynchophoridae/Dryophthoridae) is a lethal pest of young coconut palms, Cocos nucifera L. (Arecales: Arecaceae), with a highly aggregated population distribution pattern. R. ferrugineus is managed in several coconut growing countries using area-wide pheromone based programmes that need a substantial commitment of funds over a period of time. Often, decisions to implement area-wide management of R. ferrugineus are based on pheromone trap captures in surveillance traps and or infestation reports. Implementing area-wide management of this pest on the basis of such data can be inaccurate, as it may either under or over estimate the pest intensity in the field. This study presents sampling plans for rapid and accurate classification of R. ferrugineus infestation in coconut plantations of India by inspecting palms to detect infestation in a sequence until a decision to either implement or not to initiate area-wide management of R. ferrugineus can be made. The sampling plans are based on a common aggregation index of 3.45, assumed action threshold values of either 1.0 (plan A) or 0.5 (plan B) per cent infested palms and a risk factor of making the wrong decision set at 0.05. Using plans A and B, if the cummulative number of infested palms in a young 1 hectare coconut plantation is zero out of 150 palms for both plans, then area-wide management is not required, while on the other hand, if the cummulative number of infested palms for the same area is 6 (plan A), or 5 (plan B), then area-wide management of R. ferrugineus is essential. The proposed sampling plans are efficient tools in decision making, particularly at very low and high levels of infestation and can also be used to assess the performance of R. ferrugineus IPM programmes that are in progress. These plans not only save time and money as only a small area needs to be sampled to arrive at a correct decision, but are also efficient in rating the infestation level accurately. PMID:20337561

Enabling technologies to improve area-wide integrated pest management programmes for the control of screwworms.

PubMed

Robinson, A S; Vreysen, M J B; Hendrichs, J; Feldmann, U

2009-06-01

The economic devastation caused in the past by the New World screwworm fly Cochliomyia hominivorax (Coquerel) (Diptera: Calliphoridae) to the livestock industry in the U.S.A., Mexico and the rest of Central America was staggering. The eradication of this major livestock pest from North and Central America using the sterile insect technique (SIT) as part of an area-wide integrated pest management (AW-IPM) programme was a phenomenal technical and managerial accomplishment with enormous economic implications. The area is maintained screwworm-free by the weekly release of 40 million sterile flies in the Darien Gap in Panama, which prevents migration from screwworm-infested areas in Columbia. However, the species is still a major pest in many areas of the Caribbean and South America and there is considerable interest in extending the eradication programme to these countries. Understanding New World screwworm fly populations in the Caribbean and South America, which represent a continuous threat to the screwworm-free areas of Central America and the U.S.A., is a prerequisite to any future eradication campaigns. The Old World screwworm fly Chrysomya bezziana Villeneuve (Diptera: Calliphoridae) has a very wide distribution ranging from Southern Africa to Papua New Guinea and, although its economic importance is assumed to be less than that of its New World counterpart, it is a serious pest in extensive livestock production and a constant threat to pest-free areas such as Australia. In the 1980s repeated introductions and an expansion of Old World screwworm populations were reported in the Middle East; in the 1990s it invaded Iraq and since late 2007 it has been reported in Yemen, where a severe outbreak of myiasis occurred in 2008. Small-scale field trials have shown the potential of integrating the SIT in the control of this pest and various international organizations are considering using the release of sterile insects as part of an AW-IPM approach on a much wider scale. Wohlfahrtia magnifica (Schiner) (Diptera: Sarcophagidae) is a screwworm of temperate regions, which, although of limited agricultural importance, has invaded several new locations in the past few years. This special issue reports on the results of a 6-year project funded by the Joint Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations/International Atomic Energy Agency (FAO/IAEA) Programme of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture entitled 'Enabling Technologies for the Expansion of the SIT for Old and New World Screwworm'. A major goal of the project was to better understand population genetic variation in screwworms as an aid to the identification of isolated populations. The project also addressed issues related to genetic sexing, cuticular hydrocarbons, population dynamics, genetic transformation and chromosome analysis.

Aeromagnetic map compilation: Procedures for merging and an example from Washington

USGS Publications Warehouse

Finn, C.

1999-01-01

Rocks in Antarctica and offshore have widely diverse magnetic properties. Consequently, aeromagnetic data collected there can improve knowledge of the geologic, tectonic and geothermal characteristics of the region. Aeromagnetic data can map concealed structures such as faults, folds and dikes, ascertain basin thickness and locate buried volcanic, as well as some intrusive and metamorphic rocks. Gridded, composite data sets allow a view of continental-scale trends that individual data sets do not provide and link widely-separated areas of outcrop and disparate geologic studies. Individual magnetic surveys must be processed so that they match adjacent surveys prior to merging. A consistent representation of the Earth's magnetic field (International Geomagnetic Reference Field (IGRF)) must be removed from each data set. All data sets need to be analytically continued to the same flight elevation with their datums shifted to match adjacent data. I advocate minimal processing to best represent the individual surveys in the merged compilation. An example of a compilation of aeromagnetic surveys from Washington illustrates the utility of aeromagnetic maps for providing synoptic views of regional tectonic features.

Exploring Relationships between Host Genome and Microbiome: New Insights from Genome-Wide Association Studies

PubMed Central

Abdul-Aziz, Muslihudeen A.; Cooper, Alan; Weyrich, Laura S.

2016-01-01

As our understanding of the human microbiome expands, impacts on health and disease continue to be revealed. Alterations in the microbiome can result in dysbiosis, which has now been linked to subsequent autoimmune and metabolic diseases, highlighting the need to identify factors that shape the microbiome. Research has identified that the composition and functions of the human microbiome can be influenced by diet, age, sex, and environment. More recently, studies have explored how human genetic variation may also influence the microbiome. Here, we review several recent analytical advances in this new research area, including those that use genome-wide association studies to examine host genome–microbiome interactions, while controlling for the influence of other factors. We find that current research is limited by small sample sizes, lack of cohort replication, and insufficient confirmatory mechanistic studies. In addition, we discuss the importance of understanding long-term interactions between the host genome and microbiome, as well as the potential impacts of disrupting this relationship, and explore new research avenues that may provide information about the co-evolutionary history of humans and their microorganisms. PMID:27785127

Direct-to-consumer genetic testing: good, bad or benign?

PubMed

Caulfield, T; Ries, N M; Ray, P N; Shuman, C; Wilson, B

2010-02-01

A wide variety of genetic tests are now being marketed and sold in direct-to-consumer (DTC) commercial transactions. However, risk information revealed through many DTC testing services, especially those based on emerging genome wide-association studies, has limited predictive value for consumers. Some commentators contend that tests are being marketed prematurely, while others support rapid translation of genetic research findings to the marketplace. The potential harms and benefits of DTC access to genetic testing are not yet well understood, but some large-scale studies have recently been launched to examine how consumers understand and use genetic risk information. Greater consumer access to genetic tests creates a need for continuing education for health care professionals so they can respond to patients' inquiries about the benefits, risks and limitations of DTC services. Governmental bodies in many jurisdictions are considering options for regulating practices of DTC genetic testing companies, particularly to govern quality of commercial genetic tests and ensure fair and truthful advertising. Intersectoral initiatives involving government regulators, professional bodies and industry are important to facilitate development of standards to govern this rapidly developing area of personalized genomic commerce.

Lightning protection design external tank /Space Shuttle/

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Anderson, A.; Mumme, E.

1979-01-01

The possibility of lightning striking the Space Shuttle during liftoff is considered and the lightning protection system designed by the Martin Marietta Corporation for the external tank (ET) portion of the Shuttle is discussed. The protection system is based on diverting and/or directing a lightning strike to an area of the spacecraft which can sustain the strike. The ET lightning protection theory and some test analyses of the system's design are reviewed including studies of conductivity and thermal/stress properties in materials, belly band feasibility, and burn-through plug grounding and puncture voltage. The ET lightning protection system design is shown to be comprised of the following: (1) a lightning rod on the forward most point of the ET, (2) a continually grounded, one inch wide conductive strip applied circumferentially at station 371 (belly band), (3) a three inch wide conductive belly band applied over the TPS (i.e. the insulating surface of the ET) and grounded to a structure with eight conductive plugs at station 536, and (4) a two inch thick TPS between the belly bands which are located over the weld lands.

Use of NTRIP for optimizing the decoding algorithm for real-time data streams.

PubMed

He, Zhanke; Tang, Wenda; Yang, Xuhai; Wang, Liming; Liu, Jihua

2014-10-10

As a network transmission protocol, Networked Transport of RTCM via Internet Protocol (NTRIP) is widely used in GPS and Global Orbiting Navigational Satellite System (GLONASS) Augmentation systems, such as Continuous Operational Reference System (CORS), Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS) and Satellite Based Augmentation Systems (SBAS). With the deployment of BeiDou Navigation Satellite system(BDS) to serve the Asia-Pacific region, there are increasing needs for ground monitoring of the BeiDou Navigation Satellite system and the development of the high-precision real-time BeiDou products. This paper aims to optimize the decoding algorithm of NTRIP Client data streams and the user authentication strategies of the NTRIP Caster based on NTRIP. The proposed method greatly enhances the handling efficiency and significantly reduces the data transmission delay compared with the Federal Agency for Cartography and Geodesy (BKG) NTRIP. Meanwhile, a transcoding method is proposed to facilitate the data transformation from the BINary EXchange (BINEX) format to the RTCM format. The transformation scheme thus solves the problem of handing real-time data streams from Trimble receivers in the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System indigenously developed by China.

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

Chellini, R.

French industry has played a major role in supplying surface equipment for the exploitation of the N`Kossa oil field, located in deep waters (150-300 m) some 60 km offshore the Congo Coast. This immense reservoir (7 km long, 4 km wide, 3000 m under the seabed) was discovered in 1984, and production of oil and LPG started recently. Production of crude oil, which will peak 5 million tons in 1998, and LPG, reaching 300000 tons in 1999, is expected to continue for a period of 30 years. The NKP floating barge used for production is considered a world first inmore » many aspects. It was designed by CTIP Geoproduction (TPG) for the operator, ELF Congo, and was constructed in Marseilles. The barge, which features a prestressed concrete hull, has a bearing capacity of 330000 tons. It is 220 long and 46 m wide, providing a deck area of one hectare. All production facilities as well as living quarters for 160 people are housed on the barge which, for construction purposes, was subdivided into six modules. This paper describes the design of the power generation module. 3 figs.« less

Analysis of area-wide management of insect pests based on sampling

Treesearch

David W. Onstad; Mark S. Sisterson

2011-01-01

The control of invasive species greatly depends on area-wide pest management (AWPM) in heterogeneous landscapes. Decisions about when and where to treat a population with pesticide are based on sampling pest abundance. One of the challenges of AWPM is sampling large areas with limited funds to cover the cost of sampling. Additionally, AWPM programs are often confronted...

Seattle wide-area information for travelers (SWIFT) : institutional issues study

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1998-10-19

The Seattle Wide-area Information for Travelers (SWIFT) project was a highly successful Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) Field Operational Test (FOT) that was conducted over a four-year period from 1993 to 1997. The purpose of the project was ...

Seattle wide-area information for travelers (SWIFT) : deployment cost study

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1998-10-19

The Seattle Wide-area Information For Travelers (SWIFT) project was a highly successful Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) Field Operational Test (FOT) that was conducted over a four-year period from 1993 to 1997. The purpose of the project was ...

Standards for efficient employment of wide-area motion imagery (WAMI) sensors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Randall, L. Scott; Maenner, Paul F.

2013-05-01

Airborne Wide Area Motion Imagery (WAMI) sensors provide the opportunity for continuous high-resolution surveillance of geographic areas covering tens of square kilometers. This is both a blessing and a curse. Data volumes from "gigapixel-class" WAMI sensors are orders of magnitude greater than for traditional "megapixel-class" video sensors. The amount of data greatly exceeds the capacities of downlinks to ground stations, and even if this were not true, the geographic coverage is too large for effective human monitoring. Although collected motion imagery is recorded on the platform, typically only small "windows" of the full field of view are transmitted to the ground; the full set of collected data can be retrieved from the recording device only after the mission has concluded. Thus, the WAMI environment presents several difficulties: (1) data is too massive for downlink; (2) human operator selection and control of the video windows may not be effective; (3) post-mission storage and dissemination may be limited by inefficient file formats; and (4) unique system implementation characteristics may thwart exploitation by available analysis tools. To address these issues, the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency's Motion Imagery Standards Board (MISB) is developing relevant standard data exchange formats: (1) moving target indicator (MTI) and tracking metadata to support tipping and cueing of WAMI windows using "watch boxes" and "trip wires"; (2) control channel commands for positioning the windows within the full WAMI field of view; and (3) a full-field-of-view spatiotemporal tiled file format for efficient storage, retrieval, and dissemination. The authors previously provided an overview of this suite of standards. This paper describes the latest progress, with specific concentration on a detailed description of the spatiotemporal tiled file format.

Building large area CZT imaging detectors for a wide-field hard X-ray telescope—ProtoEXIST1

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hong, J.; Allen, B.; Grindlay, J.; Chammas, N.; Barthelemy, S.; Baker, R.; Gehrels, N.; Nelson, K. E.; Labov, S.; Collins, J.; Cook, W. R.; McLean, R.; Harrison, F.

2009-07-01

We have constructed a moderately large area (32cm), fine pixel (2.5 mm pixel, 5 mm thick) CZT imaging detector which constitutes the first section of a detector module (256cm) developed for a balloon-borne wide-field hard X-ray telescope, ProtoEXIST1. ProtoEXIST1 is a prototype for the High Energy Telescope (HET) in the Energetic X-ray imaging Survey Telescope (EXIST), a next generation space-borne multi-wavelength telescope. We have constructed a large (nearly gapless) detector plane through a modularization scheme by tiling of a large number of 2cm×2cm CZT crystals. Our innovative packaging method is ideal for many applications such as coded-aperture imaging, where a large, continuous detector plane is desirable for the optimal performance. Currently we have been able to achieve an energy resolution of 3.2 keV (FWHM) at 59.6 keV on average, which is exceptional considering the moderate pixel size and the number of detectors in simultaneous operation. We expect to complete two modules (512cm) within the next few months as more CZT becomes available. We plan to test the performance of these detectors in a near space environment in a series of high altitude balloon flights, the first of which is scheduled for Fall 2009. These detector modules are the first in a series of progressively more sophisticated detector units and packaging schemes planned for ProtoEXIST2 & 3, which will demonstrate the technology required for the advanced CZT imaging detectors (0.6 mm pixel, 4.5m area) required in EXIST/HET.

Development of Continuing Nursing Education Offerings for the World Wide Web.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Billings, Diane M.; Rowles, Connie J.

2001-01-01

Describes steps for web-based continuing education courses in terms of planning (strategic plan, website development, resource team, marketing plan), implementing (course design, web-based tools, copyright and intellectual property), and evaluating (pilot test, formative/summative evaluation, continuous quality improvement). (Contains 16…

Microbial flora analysis for the degradation of beta-cypermethrin.

PubMed

Qi, Zhang; Wei, Zhang

2017-03-01

In the Xinjiang region of Eurasia, sustained long-term and continuous cropping of cotton over a wide expanse of land is practiced, which requires application of high levels of pyrethroid and other classes of pesticides-resulting in high levels of pesticide residues in the soil. In this study, soil samples were collected from areas of long-term continuous cotton crops with the aim of obtaining microbial resources applicable for remediation of pyrethroid pesticide contamination suitable for the soil type and climate of that area. Soil samples were first used to culture microbial flora capable of degrading beta-cypermethrin using an enrichment culture method. Structural changes and ultimate microbial floral composition during enrichment were analyzed by high-throughput sequencing. Four strains capable of degrading beta-cypermethrin were isolated and preliminarily classified. Finally, comparative rates and speeds of degradation of beta-cypermethrin between relevant microbial flora and single strains were determined. After continuous subculture for 3 weeks, soil sample microbial flora formed a new type of microbial flora by rapid succession, which showed stable growth by utilizing beta-cypermethrin as the sole carbon source (GXzq). This microbial flora mainly consisted of Pseudomonas, Hyphomicrobium, Dokdonella, and Methyloversatilis. Analysis of the microbial flora also permitted separation of four additional strains; i.e., GXZQ4, GXZQ6, GXZQ7, and GXZQ13 that, respectively, belonged to Streptomyces, Enterobacter, Streptomyces, and Pseudomonas. Under culture conditions of 37 °C and 180 rpm, the degradation rate of beta-cypermethrin by GXzq was as high as 89.84% within 96 h, which exceeded that achieved by the single strains GXZQ4, GXZQ6, GXZQ7, and GXZQ13 and their derived microbial flora GXh.

What drives health policy formulation: insights from the Nepal maternity incentive scheme?

PubMed

Ensor, Tim; Clapham, Susan; Prasai, Devi Prasad

2009-05-01

Although maternal health outcomes have improved considerably in Nepal, continued low levels of skilled attendance and unequal access to safe emergency obstetric care continues to be central policy concern. The financial costs of delivery exacerbated are thought to continue to represent a major barrier to care to accessing services. Policy interest in this area moved swiftly. Skilled birth attendance came under the spotlight in 2001 while research on costs was commissioned in 2003. The resulting conclusions suggested substantial costs particularly on the demand side in the form of transport costs. After the research was completed the Government moved quickly to develop policy on financial barriers to skilled attendance leading to the Maternity Incentive Scheme that was implemented in 2005. We explored the reasons for policy acceptance and implementation based on recent studies in this area and a series of key informant interviews in the country. A variety of reasons can be shown to be important in ensuring that the research was utilised quickly. The conduct of the research process was importance, particularly by ensuring that results were communicated widely in a way that responded to both technical and political policy-making concerns. A convergence of political interests that meant that the policy became an ideal vehicle for improving the flagging fortunes of the government was also seen as crucial in expediting policy change although it also meant that the policy had to be adjusted to cater to political rather purely technical concerns. The experience also underlines the importance of political champions within or close to government in advocating a strong policy line through channels that researchers can rarely access.

A Proposed Robotic Astronomy Mission to the Lunar South Polar Regions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lowman, Paul D., Jr.

2003-01-01

This paper outlines a possible mission to emplace a robotic infrared / submillimeter wave interferometer array near the lunar south pole. This region has now been investigated by the Clementine and Lunar Prospector missions, and by Earth-based radar, and its topography and thermal environment are fairly well-known. The area would be exceptionally suitable for infrared / submillimeter astronomy because of the continually low temperatures, approaching that of liquid nitrogen (77K) in some places. A submillimeter spaceborne interferometer mission, Submillimeter Probe of the Evolution of the Cosmic Structure (SPECS) has been proposed by John Mather and others, covering the 40 - 500 micron region with 3 formation flying telescopes. The present paper proposes a lunar adaptation of the SPECS concept, LSPECS. This adaptation would involve landing 4 telescopes on the area north of Shackleton crater at zero degrees longitude. This is in nearly year round darkness but is continually radar visible from Earth. The landed payload of LSPECS would include a telerobotic rover, 4 three meter submm telescopes, a solar power array to be emplaced on the continually sunlit north rim of Shackleton crater, and an S-band antenna for data relay to Earth. Passive cooling without the use of expendable cryogenics. might be possible, trading long exposure time for instrument temperatures above that of liquid helium. The LSPECS would permit long-term study of an extremely wide range of cosmic and solar system phenomena in the southern celestial hemisphere. For complete sky coverage, a similar installation near the north pole would be required. The LSPECS site would also be suitable other types of observation, such as optical interferometry or centimeter wavelength radio astronomy. The lunar south pole is also of great interest because of its extensive ice deposits, which may represent cometary infall with pre-biotic compounds.

Migrant decision-making in a frontier landscape

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Salerno, Jonathan

2016-04-01

Across the tropics, rural farmers and livestock keepers use mobility as an adaptive livelihood strategy. Continued migration to and within frontier areas is widely viewed as a driver of environmental decline and biodiversity loss. Recent scholarship advances our understanding of migration decision-making in the context of changing climate and environments, and in doing so it highlights the variation in migration responses to primarily economic and environmental factors. Building on these insights, this letter investigates past and future migration decisions in a frontier landscape of Tanzania, East Africa. Combining field observations and household data within a multilevel modeling framework, the letter analyzes the explicit importance of social factors relative to economic and environmental factors in driving decisions to migrate or remain. Results indeed suggest that local community ties and non-local social networks drive both immobility and anticipated migration, respectively. In addition, positive interactions with local protected natural resource areas promote longer-term residence. Findings shed new light on how frontier areas transition to human dominated landscapes. This highlights critical links between migration behavior and the conservation of biodiversity and management of natural resources, as well as how migrants evolve to become integrated into communities.

Influence the condition land subsidence and groundwater impact of Jakarta coastal area

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rahman, S.; Sumotarto, U.; Pramudito, H.

2018-01-01

Jakarta has been experiencing land subsidence for ten years due toerecting weight building and intensive extraction of groundwater for society drink water through ground water wells. Many groundwater extraction for drinkingwater has caused intensive scouring of land rock and further triggering land subsidence developed widely in coastal area of Jakarta. Measurement of the land subsidence has been performed by various experts and institutes. Between 1974 to 2010 subsidence has happened between 3 to 4.1 meters especially in Jakarta coastal area. Two major causes of the subsidence are identified. The first major cause is a result of erecting weight building such as hotels, appartments, and various human activities buildings. The second major cause is extracting ground water from aquifers bellow Jakarta land due to water deep wells down to the aquifer and traditional shallow water well of shallow or subsurface uncovered ground water. Weighter building and higher debit of water flow from deep water wells has fastened and deepened the land subsidence. Continuous measurement of land subsidence by means of geodetic as well as geophysical earth behaviour measurements need to be performed to monitor the rate, location as well as mapping of the land subsidence.

Malaria in Europe: emerging threat or minor nuisance?

PubMed

Piperaki, E T; Daikos, G L

2016-06-01

Malaria was eradicated from Europe in the 1970s through a combination of insecticide spraying, drug therapy and environmental engineering. Since then, it has been mostly imported into the continent by international travellers and immigrants from endemic regions. Despite the substantial number of imported malaria cases and the documented presence of suitable anopheline vectors, autochthonous transmission has not been widely observed in Europe, probably as a result of early diagnosis and treatment, afforded by efficient healthcare systems. Current climatic conditions are conducive to malaria transmission in several areas of Southern Europe, and climate change might favour mosquito proliferation and parasite development, further facilitating malaria transmission. Moreover, the continuing massive influx of refugee and migrant populations from endemic areas could contribute to building up of an infectious parasite reservoir. Although the malariogenic potential of Europe is currently low, particularly in the northern and western parts of the continent, strengthening of disease awareness and maintaining robust public health infrastructures for surveillance and vector control are of the utmost importance and should be technically and financially supported to avert the possibility of malaria transmission in Europe's most vulnerable areas. Copyright © 2016 European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

7 CFR 1948.81 - State Investment Strategy for Energy Impacted Areas.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 13 2011-01-01 2009-01-01 true State Investment Strategy for Energy Impacted Areas..., DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE (CONTINUED) PROGRAM REGULATIONS (CONTINUED) RURAL DEVELOPMENT Section 601 Energy Impacted Area Development Assistance Program § 1948.81 State Investment Strategy for Energy Impacted Areas...

7 CFR 1948.81 - State Investment Strategy for Energy Impacted Areas.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 13 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false State Investment Strategy for Energy Impacted Areas..., DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE (CONTINUED) PROGRAM REGULATIONS (CONTINUED) RURAL DEVELOPMENT Section 601 Energy Impacted Area Development Assistance Program § 1948.81 State Investment Strategy for Energy Impacted Areas...

7 CFR 1948.81 - State Investment Strategy for Energy Impacted Areas.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 13 2010-01-01 2009-01-01 true State Investment Strategy for Energy Impacted Areas..., DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE (CONTINUED) PROGRAM REGULATIONS (CONTINUED) RURAL DEVELOPMENT Section 601 Energy Impacted Area Development Assistance Program § 1948.81 State Investment Strategy for Energy Impacted Areas...

50 CFR 17.103 - Establishment of protection areas.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... WILDLIFE AND PLANTS (CONTINUED) ENDANGERED AND THREATENED WILDLIFE AND PLANTS (CONTINUED) Manatee...) Whether the area is to be a manatee sanctuary or refuge. (1) If the area is to be a manatee sanctuary, the...

Map showing seismicity and sandblows in the vicinity of New Madrid, Missouri

USGS Publications Warehouse

Rhea, B. Susan; Tarr, Arthur C.; Wheeler, Russell L.

1994-01-01

This is one of a series of five seismotectic maps of the seismically active New Madrid, Missouri, area (table 1; Wheeler and others, 1992). The map area centers near the sites of three great earthquakes that struck during the winter of 1811-12 (Fuller, 1912; Nuttli, 1973). These earthquakes and continuing subsequent seismicity rank the New Madrid area with Cherlevoix, Quebec, as the two most seismically active areas in North America east of the Rocky Mountains. The threat posed by New Madrid seismicity to the central United States makes the area the focus of many investigations (for examples, Heyl and McKeown, 1978; McKeown and Pakiser, 1982; Algemissen and Hopper, 1984; Hamilton and Johnston, 1990; Applied Technology Council, 1991; Johnston and others, 1992). The map area includes the most intense seismic activity in the New Madrid region. A seismotectic map shows some of the geologic and geophysical information needed to assess seismic hazard (Hadley and Devine, 1974; Pavoni, 1985). A previous seismotectonic map of the central Mississippi River valley (Heyl and McKeown, 1978) has had wide use for planning field surveys, as a base map for plotting data collected during single investigations, and for compiling a range of information. Since 1978 numcrous researchers have greatly advanced our knowledge of the geology and geophysics of the central Mississippi Valley. The New Madrid seismotectonic map folio updates approximately the south-central sixth of the central Mississippi Valley seismotectonic map of Heyl and McKeown (1978).

Continuous Seismic Threshold Monitoring

DTIC Science & Technology

1992-05-31

Continuous threshold monitoring is a technique for using a seismic network to monitor a geographical area continuously in time. The method provides...area. Two approaches are presented. Site-specific monitoring: By focusing a seismic network on a specific target site, continuous threshold monitoring...recorded events at the site. We define the threshold trace for the network as the continuous time trace of computed upper magnitude limits of seismic

A numerical model for the solution of the Shallow Water equations in composite channels with movable bed

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

minatti, L.

2013-12-01

A finite volume model solving the shallow water equations coupled with the sediments continuity equation in composite channels with irregular geometry is presented. The model is essentially 1D but can handle composite cross-sections in which bedload transport is considered to occur inside the main channel only. This assumption is coherent with the observed behavior of rivers on short time scales where main channel areas exhibit more relevant morphological variations than overbanks. Furthermore, such a model allows a more precise prediction of thalweg elevation and cross section shape variations than fully 1D models where bedload transport is considered to occur uniformly over the entire cross section. The coupling of the equations describing water and sediments dynamics results in a hyperbolic non-conservative system that cannot be solved numerically with the use of a conservative scheme. Therefore, a path-conservative scheme, based on the approach proposed by Pares and Castro (2004) has been devised in order to account for the coupling with the sediments continuity equation and for the concurrent presence of bottom elevation and breadth variations of the cross section. In order to correctly compute numerical fluxes related to bedload transport in main channel areas, a special treatment of the equations is employed in the model. The resulting scheme is well balanced and fully coupled and can accurately model abrupt time variations of flow and bedload transport conditions in wide rivers, characterized by the presence of overbank areas that are less active than the main channel. The accuracy of the model has been first tested in fixed bed conditions by solving problems with a known analytical solution: in these tests the model proved to be able to handle shocks and supercritical flow conditions properly(see Fig. 01). A practical application of the model to the Ombrone river, southern Tuscany (Italy) is shown. The river has shown relevant morphological changes during the last fifteen years, most of them related to the occurrence of high flow rates. The employment of the model allowed to perform a detailed flood hazard assessment where potential risks associated to bedload transport,such as sediments filling of manufacts, excessive erosion or aggradation rates have been evaluated, together with the more 'classical' evaluation of water levels. The whole process also led to the identification of sensitive reaches of the river that require monitoring thus allowing better management practices of the public money allocated for river maintenance. Solution of the Riemann problem for a 10 m wide rectangular XS. The dotted lines represent the numerical solution, while the continuous ones represent the analytical solution

Area-Wide Ground Applications of Bacillus thuringiensis var. israelensis for the Control of Aedes albopictus in Residential Neighborhoods: From Optimization to Operation

PubMed Central

Williams, Gregory M.; Faraji, Ary; Unlu, Isik; Healy, Sean P.; Farooq, Muhammad; Gaugler, Randy; Hamilton, George; Fonseca, Dina M.

2014-01-01

The increasing range of Aedes albopictus, the Asian tiger mosquito, in the USA and the threat of chikungunya and dengue outbreaks vectored by this species have necessitated novel approaches to control this peridomestic mosquito. Conventional methods such as adulticiding provide temporary relief, but fail to manage this pest on a sustained basis. We explored the use of cold aerosol foggers and misting machines for area-wide applications of Bacillus thuringiensis var. israelensis (VectoBac WDG) as a larvicide targeting Aedes albopictus. During 2010–2013 we performed initially open field trials and then 19 operational area-wide applications in urban and suburban residential areas in northeastern USA to test three truck-mounted sprayers at two application rates. Area-wide applications of WDG in open field conditions at 400 and 800 g/ha killed on average 87% of tested larvae. Once techniques were optimized in residential areas, applications with a Buffalo Turbine Mist Sprayer at a rate of 800 g/ha, the best combination, consistently provided over 90% mortality. Importantly, there was no significant decrease in efficacy with distance from the spray line even in blocks of row homes with trees and bushes in the backyards. Under laboratory conditions Bti deposition in bioassay cups during the operational trials resulted in over 6 weeks of residual control. Our results demonstrate that area-wide truck mounted applications of WDG can effectively suppress Ae. albopictus larvae and should be used in integrated mosquito management approaches to control this nuisance pest and disease vector. PMID:25329314

Area-wide ground applications of Bacillus thuringiensis var. israelensis for the control of Aedes albopictus in residential neighborhoods: from optimization to operation.

PubMed

Williams, Gregory M; Faraji, Ary; Unlu, Isik; Healy, Sean P; Farooq, Muhammad; Gaugler, Randy; Hamilton, George; Fonseca, Dina M

2014-01-01

The increasing range of Aedes albopictus, the Asian tiger mosquito, in the USA and the threat of chikungunya and dengue outbreaks vectored by this species have necessitated novel approaches to control this peridomestic mosquito. Conventional methods such as adulticiding provide temporary relief, but fail to manage this pest on a sustained basis. We explored the use of cold aerosol foggers and misting machines for area-wide applications of Bacillus thuringiensis var. israelensis (VectoBac WDG) as a larvicide targeting Aedes albopictus. During 2010-2013 we performed initially open field trials and then 19 operational area-wide applications in urban and suburban residential areas in northeastern USA to test three truck-mounted sprayers at two application rates. Area-wide applications of WDG in open field conditions at 400 and 800 g/ha killed on average 87% of tested larvae. Once techniques were optimized in residential areas, applications with a Buffalo Turbine Mist Sprayer at a rate of 800 g/ha, the best combination, consistently provided over 90% mortality. Importantly, there was no significant decrease in efficacy with distance from the spray line even in blocks of row homes with trees and bushes in the backyards. Under laboratory conditions Bti deposition in bioassay cups during the operational trials resulted in over 6 weeks of residual control. Our results demonstrate that area-wide truck mounted applications of WDG can effectively suppress Ae. albopictus larvae and should be used in integrated mosquito management approaches to control this nuisance pest and disease vector.

Activity and function recognition for moving and static objects in urban environments from wide-area persistent surveillance inputs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Levchuk, Georgiy; Bobick, Aaron; Jones, Eric

2010-04-01

In this paper, we describe results from experimental analysis of a model designed to recognize activities and functions of moving and static objects from low-resolution wide-area video inputs. Our model is based on representing the activities and functions using three variables: (i) time; (ii) space; and (iii) structures. The activity and function recognition is achieved by imposing lexical, syntactic, and semantic constraints on the lower-level event sequences. In the reported research, we have evaluated the utility and sensitivity of several algorithms derived from natural language processing and pattern recognition domains. We achieved high recognition accuracy for a wide range of activity and function types in the experiments using Electro-Optical (EO) imagery collected by Wide Area Airborne Surveillance (WAAS) platform.

Spectral-decomposition techniques for the identification of radon anomalies temporally associated with earthquakes occurring in the UK in 2002 and 2008.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Crockett, R. G. M.; Gillmore, G. K.

2009-04-01

During the second half of 2002, the University of Northampton Radon Research Group operated two continuous hourly-sampling radon detectors 2.25 km apart in Northampton, in the (English) East Midlands. This period included the Dudley earthquake (22/09/2002) which was widely noticed by members of the public in the Northampton area. Also, at various periods during 2008 the Group has operated another pair of continuous hourly-sampling radon detectors similar distances apart in Northampton. One such period included the Market Rasen earthquake (27/02/2008) which was also widely noticed by members of the public in the Northampton area. During each period of monitoring, two time-series of radon readings were obtained, one from each detector. These have been analysed for evidence of simultaneous similar anomalies: the premise being that big disturbances occurring at big distances (in relation to the detector separation) should produce simultaneous similar anomalies but that simultaneous anomalies occurring by chance will be dissimilar. As previously reported, cross-correlating the two 2002 time-series over periods of 1-30 days duration, rolled forwards through the time-series at one-hour intervals produced two periods of significant correlation, i.e. two periods of simultaneous similar behaviour in the radon concentrations. One of these periods corresponded in time to the Dudley earthquake, the other corresponded in time to a smaller earthquake which occurred in the English Channel (26/08/2002). We here report subsequent investigation of the 2002 time-series and the 2008 time-series using spectral-decomposition techniques. These techniques have revealed additional simultaneous similar behaviour in the two radon concentrations, not revealed by the rolling correlation on the raw data. These correspond in time to the Manchester earthquake swarm of October 2002 and the Market Rasen earthquake of February 2008. The spectral-decomposition techniques effectively ‘de-noise' the data, and also remove lower-frequency variations (e.g. tidal variations), revealing the simultaneous similarities. Whilst this is very much work in progress, there is the potential that such techniques enhance the possibility that simultaneous real-time monitoring of radon levels - for short-term simultaneous anomalies - at several locations in earthquake areas might provide the core of an earthquake prediction method. Keywords: Radon; earthquakes; time series; cross-correlation; spectral-decomposition; real-time simultaneous monitoring.

Twenty-five years since the Shearman Report: How far have we come? Are we there yet?

PubMed

Catling, Christine J; Homer, Caroline S E

2016-02-01

In 1989, the first major state-wide report into maternity services, known as the Shearman Report after its author, was released in New South Wales, the most populous state in Australia. This paper reflects upon the report and tracks the progress of five of its key recommendations. The recommendations are still some of the major issues facing maternity services across the country. These are: community-based maternity care, rural maternity services, hospital visiting rights for privately practising midwives, obstetric intervention, and midwifery continuity of maternity care. In some ways, much has changed in 25 years including the terminology used in the report, the importance of midwifery continuity of care and the woman-centred nature of many services. However, in other ways, there is still a long way to go to address these major issues. Despite more than a quarter of a century, many recommendations have not been fulfilled, especially access to care in rural areas, rates of obstetric intervention, and the issue of visiting rights for privately practising midwives which has gone backwards. A continued and renewed effort is needed to ensure that the forward thinking recommendations of the Shearman Report are ultimately realised for all women and their families. Crown Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Field verification for the effectiveness of continuity diaphragms for skewed continuous P/C P/S concrete girder bridges : tech summary.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2009-10-01

The majority of highway bridges are built as cast-in-place reinforced concrete slabs and prestressed concrete : girders. The simple-span precast, prestressed concrete girders made continuous through cast-in-place decks : and diaphragms have been wide...

40 CFR 147.3009 - Area of review.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 22 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Area of review. 147.3009 Section 147.3009 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) WATER PROGRAMS (CONTINUED... Mountain Ute, and All Other New Mexico Tribes § 147.3009 Area of review. The area of review shall be...

High power continuous operation of a widely tunable quantum cascade laser with an integrated amplifier

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

Slivken, S.; Sengupta, S.; Razeghi, M., E-mail: razeghi@eecs.northwestern.edu

2015-12-21

Wide electrical tuning and high continuous output power is demonstrated from a single mode quantum cascade laser emitting at a wavelength near 4.8 μm. This is achieved in a space efficient manner by integrating an asymmetric sampled grating distributed feedback tunable laser with an optical amplifier. An initial demonstration of high peak power operation in pulsed mode is demonstrated first, with >5 W output over a 270 nm (113 cm{sup −1}) spectral range. Refinement of the geometry leads to continuous operation with a single mode spectral coverage of 300 nm (120 cm{sup −1}) and a maximum continuous power of 1.25 W. The output beam is shown tomore » be nearly diffraction-limited, even at high amplifier current.« less

7 CFR 1940.959 - Area plan.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... Regulations of the Department of Agriculture (Continued) RURAL HOUSING SERVICE, RURAL BUSINESS-COOPERATIVE SERVICE, RURAL UTILITIES SERVICE, AND FARM SERVICE AGENCY, DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE (CONTINUED) PROGRAM REGULATIONS (CONTINUED) GENERAL System for Delivery of Certain Rural Development Programs § 1940.959 Area plan...

7 CFR 1940.959 - Area plan.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... Regulations of the Department of Agriculture (Continued) RURAL HOUSING SERVICE, RURAL BUSINESS-COOPERATIVE SERVICE, RURAL UTILITIES SERVICE, AND FARM SERVICE AGENCY, DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE (CONTINUED) PROGRAM REGULATIONS (CONTINUED) GENERAL System for Delivery of Certain Rural Development Programs § 1940.959 Area plan...

7 CFR 1940.959 - Area plan.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... Regulations of the Department of Agriculture (Continued) RURAL HOUSING SERVICE, RURAL BUSINESS-COOPERATIVE SERVICE, RURAL UTILITIES SERVICE, AND FARM SERVICE AGENCY, DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE (CONTINUED) PROGRAM REGULATIONS (CONTINUED) GENERAL System for Delivery of Certain Rural Development Programs § 1940.959 Area plan...

7 CFR 1940.959 - Area plan.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... Regulations of the Department of Agriculture (Continued) RURAL HOUSING SERVICE, RURAL BUSINESS-COOPERATIVE SERVICE, RURAL UTILITIES SERVICE, AND FARM SERVICE AGENCY, DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE (CONTINUED) PROGRAM REGULATIONS (CONTINUED) GENERAL System for Delivery of Certain Rural Development Programs § 1940.959 Area plan...

Building a School District's Wide Area Network.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mastel, Vern L.

1996-01-01

Describes the development of a wide area network (WAN) in the Bismarck Public School District (North Dakota). Topics include design goals, network infrastructure, implementing library access, sharing resources across platforms, electronic mail, dial-in access, Internet access, adhering to software licenses, shareware and freeware, and monitoring…

Wide-area situation awareness in electric power grid

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Greitzer, Frank L.

2010-04-01

Two primary elements of the US energy policy are demand management and efficiency and renewable sources. Major objectives are clean energy transmission and integration, reliable energy transmission, and grid cyber security. Development of the Smart Grid seeks to achieve these goals by lowering energy costs for consumers, achieving energy independence and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The Smart Grid is expected to enable real time wide-area situation awareness (SA) for operators. Requirements for wide-area SA have been identified among interoperability standards proposed by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and the National Institute of Standards and Technology to ensure smart-grid functionality. Wide-area SA and enhanced decision support and visualization tools are key elements in the transformation to the Smart Grid. This paper discusses human factors research to promote SA in the electric power grid and the Smart Grid. Topics that will be discussed include the role of human factors in meeting US energy policy goals, the impact and challenges for Smart Grid development, and cyber security challenges.

The Australian response: pandemic influenza preparedness.

PubMed

Horvath, John S; McKinnon, Moira; Roberts, Leslee

2006-11-20

Australia's preparedness for a potential influenza pandemic involves many players, from individual health carers to interdepartmental government committees. It embraces a wide number of strategies from the management of the disease to facilitating business continuity. The key strategy underlying Australia's planned response is an intensive effort to reduce transmission of the virus. This includes actions to reduce the likelihood of entry of the virus into the country and to contain outbreaks when they occur. Containment will provide time to allow production of a matched vaccine. The health strategies are outlined in the Australian health management plan for pandemic influenza. The plan is accompanied by technical annexes setting out key considerations and guidelines in the areas of clinical management and infection control. National plans present overall strategies and guidance, but the operational details can only be determined by individual states and territories, regions, and the services themselves. Primary health care practices will be on the frontline of an influenza pandemic. Every practice needs a plan that defines the roles of staff, incorporates infection control and staff protection measures, and considers business continuity. Most importantly, a practice needs to know how to implement that plan.

Annual Research Briefs: 1995

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1995-01-01

This report contains the 1995 annual progress reports of the Research Fellows and students of the Center for Turbulence Research (CTR). In 1995 CTR continued its concentration on the development and application of large-eddy simulation to complex flows, development of novel modeling concepts for engineering computations in the Reynolds averaged framework, and turbulent combustion. In large-eddy simulation, a number of numerical and experimental issues have surfaced which are being addressed. The first group of reports in this volume are on large-eddy simulation. A key finding in this area was the revelation of possibly significant numerical errors that may overwhelm the effects of the subgrid-scale model. We also commissioned a new experiment to support the LES validation studies. The remaining articles in this report are concerned with Reynolds averaged modeling, studies of turbulence physics and flow generated sound, combustion, and simulation techniques. Fundamental studies of turbulent combustion using direct numerical simulations which started at CTR will continue to be emphasized. These studies and their counterparts carried out during the summer programs have had a noticeable impact on combustion research world wide.

Application of facies analysis to improve gas reserve growth in Fluvial Frio Reservoirs, La Gloria Field, South Texas

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

Ambrose, W.A.; Jackson, M.L.W.; Finley, R.J.

1988-01-01

Geologically based infill-drilling strategies hold great potential for extension of domestic gas resources. Traditional gas-well drilling and development have often assumed homogeneous and continuous reservoirs; uniform gas-well spacing has resulted in numerous untapped reservoirs isolated from other productive sand bodies. Strategically located infill wells drilled into these undrained reservoirs may ultimately contact an additional 20% of original gas in place in Texas gas fields. Tertiary formations in the Texas Gulf Coast commonly exhibit multiple fluvial and fluvial-deltaic reservoirs that contain vertical and horizontal permeability barriers. For example, the Frio La Gloria field (Jim Wells and Brooks Counties, Texas) contains isolatedmore » and compartmentalized reservoirs that can be related to the irregular distribution of heterogeneous facies. Net-sand and log-facies maps in areas of dense well spacing delineate relatively continuous pay defined by lenticular point-bar and channel-fill deposits 1,500-2,500 ft wide. These point-bar deposits are flanked laterally by sand-poor levee and splay facies that isolate the reservoirs into narrow, dip-elongate bands.« less

Statistical Analysis of the First Passage Path Ensemble of Jump Processes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

von Kleist, Max; Schütte, Christof; Zhang, Wei

2018-02-01

The transition mechanism of jump processes between two different subsets in state space reveals important dynamical information of the processes and therefore has attracted considerable attention in the past years. In this paper, we study the first passage path ensemble of both discrete-time and continuous-time jump processes on a finite state space. The main approach is to divide each first passage path into nonreactive and reactive segments and to study them separately. The analysis can be applied to jump processes which are non-ergodic, as well as continuous-time jump processes where the waiting time distributions are non-exponential. In the particular case that the jump processes are both Markovian and ergodic, our analysis elucidates the relations between the study of the first passage paths and the study of the transition paths in transition path theory. We provide algorithms to numerically compute statistics of the first passage path ensemble. The computational complexity of these algorithms scales with the complexity of solving a linear system, for which efficient methods are available. Several examples demonstrate the wide applicability of the derived results across research areas.

Use of a Doppler pulmonary artery catheter for continuous measurement of right ventricular pump function and contractility during single lung transplantation.

PubMed

Heerdt, P M; Pond, C G; Kussman, M K; Triantafillou, A N

1993-01-01

Despite numerous technologic advances in intraoperative monitoring, the only methods routinely available for assessment of right ventricular function in lung transplant recipients are continuous measurement of right heart pressures and intermittent thermodilution determination of cardiac output and ejection fraction. Additional data may now be obtained with transesophageal echocardiography, although this technology is expensive and not widely available and requires diverting attention from a potentially unstable patient for data acquisition and analysis. Recently, a Doppler pulmonary artery catheter was introduced that measures beat-to-beat pulmonary artery blood flow-velocity, cross sectional area, and volume flow. Because of data indicating that acceleration of blood in the pulmonary artery (measured as the first derivative of either the velocity or flow waveform) is a sensitive indicator of right ventricular contractility, we have used waveforms obtained with the catheter for assessment of right ventricular pump function (stroke volume and peak pulmonary artery flow rate) and contractility in heart surgery patients. We report here our experience with this method in two patients undergoing left single lung transplantation.

Fully integrated three-dimensional electrodes for electrochemical detection in microchips: fabrication, characterization, and applications.

PubMed

Pai, Rekha S; Walsh, Kevin M; Crain, Mark M; Roussel, Thomas J; Jackson, Douglas J; Baldwin, Richard P; Keynton, Robert S; Naber, John F

2009-06-15

A scalable and rather inexpensive solution to producing microanalytical systems with "on-chip" three-dimensional (3D) microelectrodes is presented in this study, along with applicability to practical electrochemical (EC) detection scenarios such as preconcentration and interferant removal. This technique to create high-aspect-ratio (as much as 4:1) gold microstructures in constrained areas involved the modification of stud bump geometry with microfabricated silicon molds via an optimized combination of temperature, pressure, and time. The microelectrodes that resulted consisted of an array of square pillars approximately 18 microm tall and 20 microm wide on each side, placed at the end of a microfabricated electrophoresis channel. This technique increased the active surface area of the microelectrodes by as much as a factor of 50, while mass transfer and, consequently, preconcentration collection efficiencies were increased to approximately 100%, compared to approximately 30% efficiency for planar nonmodified microelectrodes (samples that were used included the neurotransmitters dopamine and catechol). The 3D microelectrodes were used both in a stand-alone configuration, for direct EC detection of model catecholamine analytes, and, more interestingly, in dual electrode configurations for EC sample processing prior to detection downstream at a second planar electrode. In particular, the 3D electrodes were shown to be capable of performing coulometry or complete (100%) redox conversion of analyte species over a wide range of concentrations, from 4.3 microM to 4.4 mM, in either plug-flow or continuous-flow formats.

The rapid size- and shape-controlled continuous hydrothermal synthesis of metal sulphide nanomaterials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dunne, Peter W.; Starkey, Chris L.; Gimeno-Fabra, Miquel; Lester, Edward H.

2014-01-01

Continuous flow hydrothermal synthesis offers a cheap, green and highly scalable route for the preparation of inorganic nanomaterials which has predominantly been applied to metal oxide based materials. In this work we report the first continuous flow hydrothermal synthesis of metal sulphide nanomaterials. A wide range of binary metal sulphides, ZnS, CdS, PbS, CuS, Fe(1-x)S and Bi2S3, have been synthesised. By varying the reaction conditions two different mechanisms may be invoked; a growth dominated route which permits the formation of nanostructured sulphide materials, and a nucleation driven process which produces nanoparticles with temperature dependent size control. This offers a new and industrially viable route to a wide range of metal sulphide nanoparticles with facile size and shape control.Continuous flow hydrothermal synthesis offers a cheap, green and highly scalable route for the preparation of inorganic nanomaterials which has predominantly been applied to metal oxide based materials. In this work we report the first continuous flow hydrothermal synthesis of metal sulphide nanomaterials. A wide range of binary metal sulphides, ZnS, CdS, PbS, CuS, Fe(1-x)S and Bi2S3, have been synthesised. By varying the reaction conditions two different mechanisms may be invoked; a growth dominated route which permits the formation of nanostructured sulphide materials, and a nucleation driven process which produces nanoparticles with temperature dependent size control. This offers a new and industrially viable route to a wide range of metal sulphide nanoparticles with facile size and shape control. Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available: Experimental details, refinement procedure, fluorescence spectra of ZnS samples. See DOI: 10.1039/c3nr05749f

Genome Sequencing of Ralstonia solanacearum CQPS-1, a Phylotype I Strain Collected from a Highland Area with Continuous Cropping of Tobacco

PubMed Central

Liu, Ying; Tang, Yuanman; Qin, Xiyun; Yang, Liang; Jiang, Gaofei; Li, Shili; Ding, Wei

2017-01-01

Ralstonia solanacearum, an agent of bacterial wilt, is a highly variable species with a broad host range and wide geographic distribution. As a species complex, it has extensive genetic diversity and its living environment is polymorphic like the lowland and the highland area, so more genomes are needed for studying population evolution and environment adaptation. In this paper, we reported the genome sequencing of R. solanacearum strain CQPS-1 isolated from wilted tobacco in Pengshui, Chongqing, China, a highland area with severely acidified soil and continuous cropping of tobacco more than 20 years. The comparative genomic analysis among different R. solanacearum strains was also performed. The completed genome size of CQPS-1 was 5.89 Mb and contained the chromosome (3.83 Mb) and the megaplasmid (2.06 Mb). A total of 5229 coding sequences were predicted (the chromosome and megaplasmid encoded 3573 and 1656 genes, respectively). A comparative analysis with eight strains from four phylotypes showed that there was some variation among the species, e.g., a large set of specific genes in CQPS-1. Type III secretion system gene cluster (hrp gene cluster) was conserved in CQPS-1 compared with the reference strain GMI1000. In addition, most genes coding core type III effectors were also conserved with GMI1000, but significant gene variation was found in the gene ripAA: the identity compared with strain GMI1000 was 75% and the hrpII box promoter in the upstream had significantly mutated. This study provided a potential resource for further understanding of the relationship between variation of pathogenicity factors and adaptation to the host environment. PMID:28620361

Noise Pollution in Irbid City — Jordan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Odat, Sana'A.

2015-09-01

Noise defined as any sound that annoys or disturbs humans or that causes or tends to cause an adverse psychological and physiological effect on humans. Irbid is one of the most populated cities in Jordan. It is environmentally noise polluted due to the rapid and widespread introduction of mechanical methods for production and for their transportation. L10, L50, L90 and LAeq noise levels were measured during the day time and night time to assess and evaluate the noise levels from mosques, schools, celebration halls, streets, building works, industrial areas and commercial areas. The results of the investigation showed that the measured noise levels from all the selected sources were high during the day time and the noise problem is not only limited to day time, but continues in night time in this city. These noise levels were higher than those set by Jordanian limits during day time and night time. A significant correlation between the measured statistical noise levels L10, L50 and L90 and equivalent continuous noise level LAeq were also detected. The mean value of industrial noise source was motors of large vehicles and engines. Whereas the presence of slow moving vehicles, low speed and honking of horns during traffic ingestion periods lead to an increase in noise levels in commercial areas. The noise from building machines and equipment (dredges, concrete mixers, concrete pumps and jackhammers) is quite different from that of traditional equipment. The construction machines have engines that produce a loud, fluctuating noise with varying frequencies that can propagate the sound for a long distance. The noise produced by these engines is particularly disturbing due to the wide variations in frequency and volume.

Identification of Quarries Rehabilitation Scenarios: A Case Study Within the Metropolitan Area of Bari (Italy)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dal Sasso, Pasquale; Ottolino, Maria Antonella; Caliandro, Lucia Patrizia

2012-06-01

This paper addresses quarries rehabilitation issue within a Metropolitan Area. Areas where mining activity is carried out have been subjected to physical and environmental degradation linked both to pursue the building materials extraction and to the city expansion continuously asking for new areas to be developed with residential and service functions. These changes also occurred where environmental and landscape values are present. It has been therefore pointed out the issue of such areas redevelopment that, to be functionally reintegrated, must be consistently linked to the activities and the territorial local contexts characteristics. In this paper the quarries reuse issue is carried out through parameters identification able to define the quarries relationship with the neighboring towns and with their surroundings besides to identify their physical, environmental and landscaping characteristics. Quarry reuse alternatives have been identified among those consistent with the rehabilitation goals, as defined by the planning sector and internationally approved, while their selection is derived from the application of a two-step methodology: a multi-criteria analysis related to punctual parameters at a "site-specific" level, followed by a further territorial indicators checking over the wide area. This application has led to socially accepted results identifying the examined quarries for reuses ranging from agricultural-forestry and urban to functional or naturalistic. The proposed method has also proved to be suitable to address the abandoned quarries reuse problem with a systemic and consultative approach, as it is able to correlate the many variables present in the social and spatial complexity of the Metropolitan Areas.

Wide Area Information Servers: An Executive Information System for Unstructured Files.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kahle, Brewster; And Others

1992-01-01

Describes the Wide Area Information Servers (WAIS) system, an integrated information retrieval system for corporate end users. Discussion covers general characteristics of the system, search techniques, protocol development, user interfaces, servers, selective dissemination of information, nontextual data, access to other servers, and description…

7 CFR 1944.410 - Processing preapplications, applications, and completing grant dockets.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... SERVICE AGENCY, DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE (CONTINUED) PROGRAM REGULATIONS (CONTINUED) HOUSING Self-Help... about the amount of the grant funds being requested, area(s) to be served, need for self-help housing in the area(s), the number of self-help units proposed to be built, rehabilitated or repaired during the...

Wide Area Assessment Demonstration of LiDAR and Orthophotography at Borrego Maneuver Area, Phase II Innovative Multi-Sensor Airborne Wide Area Assessment of UXO Sites, Version 2.0

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-12-03

and reference datums, in addition to other field positioning tasks. 3.5.3. Navigation Systems An Applanix 510 A/V POS system was co-mounted with...Cal and POS EO from Applanix Corp. lmageStation Suite from Z/1 Imaging Images: Camera and Data Recorder · I SAT Aerial Triangulation Software

The Wide-area Energy Management System Phase 2 Final Report

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

Lu, Ning; Makarov, Yuri V.; Weimar, Mark R.

2010-08-31

The higher penetration of intermittent generation resources (including wind and solar generation) in the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) and California Independent System Operator (CAISO) balancing authorities (BAs) raises issue of requiring expensive additional fast grid balancing services in response to additional intermittency and fast up and down power ramps in the electric supply system. The overall goal of the wide-area energy management system (WAEMS) project is to develop the principles, algorithms, market integration rules, a functional design, and a technical specification for an energy storage system to help cope with unexpected rapid changes in renewable generation power output. The resultingmore » system will store excess energy, control dispatchable load and distributed generation, and utilize inter-area exchange of the excess energy between the California ISO and Bonneville Power Administration control areas. A further goal is to provide a cost-benefit analysis and develop a business model for an investment-based practical deployment of such a system. There are two tasks in Phase 2 of the WAEMS project: the flywheel field tests and the battery evaluation. Two final reports, the Wide-area Energy Management System Phase 2 Flywheel Field Tests Final Report and the Wide-area Energy Storage and Management System Battery Storage Evaluation, were written to summarize the results of the two tasks.« less

Motion Trajectories for Wide-area Surveying with a Rover-based Distributed Spectrometer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tunstel, Edward; Anderson, Gary; Wilson, Edmond

2006-01-01

A mobile ground survey application that employs remote sensing as a primary means of area coverage is highlighted. It is distinguished from mobile robotic area coverage problems that employ contact or proximity-based sensing. The focus is on a specific concept for performing mobile surveys in search of biogenic gases on planetary surfaces using a distributed spectrometer -- a rover-based instrument designed for wide measurement coverage of promising search areas. Navigation algorithms for executing circular and spiral survey trajectories are presented for widearea distributed spectroscopy and evaluated based on area covered and distance traveled.

Nanocellulose in spun continuous fibers: A review and future outlook

Treesearch

Craig Clemons

2016-01-01

Continuous fibers are commonly manufactured for a wide variety of uses such as filters, textiles, and composites. For example, most fibrous reinforcements (e.g., carbon fiber, glass fiber) for advanced composites are continuous fibers or yarns, fabrics, and preforms made from them. This allows broad flexibility in design and manufacturing approaches by controlling...

Using Dentistry as a Case Study to Examine Continuing Education and Its Impact on Practice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bullock, Alison; Firmstone, Vickie; Frame, John; Thomas, Hywel

2010-01-01

Continuing education is a defining characteristic of work in the professions. Yet the approach various professional groups take to continuing professional development (CPD) differs widely in terms of regulatory frameworks and requirements, modes of delivery and funding. Importantly, little is understood about how CPD impacts on practice. This…

AEL Continuous School Improvement Questionnaire. User Manual and Technical Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Meehan, Merrill L.; Cowley, Kimberly S.; Craig, James R.; Balow, Nancy; Childers, Robert D.

The Continuous School Improvement Questionnaire (CSIQ) developed by the AEL helps a school staff gauge its performance on six dimensions related to continuous school improvement. Each member of the staff responds to the CSIQ individually. Although results might be used at the district or regional level, the most widely intended unit for applying…

Morphostructural characterization of the Charco basin and its surrounding areas in the Chihuahua segment of north Mexican Basin and Range Province

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Troiani, Francesco; Menichetti, Marco

2014-05-01

The Chihuahua Basin and Range (CBR) is the eastern branch of the northern Mexican Basin and Range Province that, from a morphostructural point of view, presently is one amongst the lesser-known zones of the southern portion of the North America Basin and Range Province. The study area covers an approximately 800 km2-wide portion of the CBR and encompasses the fault-bounded Charco basin and its surrounding areas. The bedrock of the area pertains to the large siliceous-igneous province of the Sierra Madre Occidental and consists of volcanoclastic rocks including Oligocene dacite, rhyolite, rhyolitic tuffs, and polimitic conglomerates. The region is characterized by a series of NW-SE oriented valleys delimited by tilted monoclinal blocks bounded by high angle, SW-dipping, normal faults. Abrupt changes in elevation, alternating between narrow faulted mountain chains and flat arid valleys or basins are the main morphological elements of the area. The valleys correspond to structural grabens filled with Plio-Pleistocene continental sediments. These grabens are about 10 km wide, while the extensional fault system extend over a distance of more than 15 km. The mountain ranges are in most cases continuous over distances that range from 10 to 70 km including different branches of the extensional and transfer faults. The morphogenesis is mainly erosive in character: erosional landforms (such as rocky scarps, ridges, strath-terraces, erosional pediment, reverse slopes, landslide scar zones, litho-structural flat surfaces) dominate the landscape. In contrast, Quaternary depositional landforms are mainly concentrated within the flat valleys or basins. The Quaternary deposits consist of wide alluvial fans extending to the foot of the main ridges, fluvial and debris-slope deposits. The morphostructural characterization of the area integrated different methodologies, including: i) geomorphological and structural field analyses; ii) remote sensing and geo-morphometric investigations based on aerial photos and Digital Elevation Models (a 28x28 m DEM and high-resolution LIDAR dataset in key sites), and iii) geophysical investigations (high resolution reflection seismic profiling combined with refraction seismic tomography). The main outputs of this research are as follows: i) the Charco basin master-faults and their conjugate extensional system were geometrically characterized and their main associated landforms mapped and described; ii) the morphostratigraphic correlations amongst both deformed and tectonically unaffected Quaternary deposits revealed that the Charco basin master fault has been inactive over the Holocene; iii) the main extensional fault system is associated with conjugate faults, oriented approximately SSW-NNE, that segmented the Charco basin master faults and favored the deposition of the most recent piedmont fans along the eastern margin of the basin; iv) the local morphostructures had played a dominant influence on the Quaternary evolution of both drainage network and relief landforms.

28 CFR 83.630 - Debarment.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... from participating in Federal Government procurement contracts and covered nonprocurement transactions... procurement contracts (48 CFR part 9, subpart 9.4) and the common rule, Government-wide Debarment and... Administration DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE (CONTINUED) GOVERNMENT-WIDE REQUIREMENTS FOR DRUG-FREE WORKPLACE (GRANTS...

Integrating Multiple Geophysical Methods to Quantify Alpine Groundwater- Surface Water Interactions: Cordillera Blanca, Peru

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Glas, R. L.; Lautz, L.; McKenzie, J. M.; Baker, E. A.; Somers, L. D.; Aubry-Wake, C.; Wigmore, O.; Mark, B. G.; Moucha, R.

2016-12-01

Groundwater- surface water interactions in alpine catchments are often poorly understood as groundwater and hydrologic data are difficult to acquire in these remote areas. The Cordillera Blanca of Peru is a region where dry-season water supply is increasingly stressed due to the accelerated melting of glaciers throughout the range, affecting millions of people country-wide. The alpine valleys of the Cordillera Blanca have shown potential for significant groundwater storage and discharge to valley streams, which could buffer the dry-season variability of streamflow throughout the watershed as glaciers continue to recede. Known as pampas, the clay-rich, low-relief valley bottoms are interfingered with talus deposits, providing a likely pathway for groundwater recharged at the valley edges to be stored and slowly released to the stream throughout the year by springs. Multiple geophysical methods were used to determine areas of groundwater recharge and discharge as well as aquifer geometry of the pampa system. Seismic refraction tomography, vertical electrical sounding (VES), electrical resistivity tomography (ERT), and horizontal-to-vertical spectral ratio (HVSR) seismic methods were used to determine the physical properties of the unconsolidated valley sediments, the depth to saturation, and the depth to bedrock for a representative section of the Quilcayhuanca Valley in the Cordillera Blanca. Depth to saturation and lithological boundaries were constrained by comparing geophysical results to continuous records of water levels and sediment core logs from a network of seven piezometers installed to depths of up to 6 m. Preliminary results show an average depth to bedrock for the study area of 25 m, which varies spatially along with water table depths across the valley. The conceptual model of groundwater flow and storage derived from these geophysical data will be used to inform future groundwater flow models of the area, allowing for the prediction of groundwater resources for the region in the absence of glacial meltwater.

Can NMR solve some significant challenges in metabolomics?

PubMed Central

Gowda, G.A. Nagana; Raftery, Daniel

2015-01-01

The field of metabolomics continues to witness rapid growth driven by fundamental studies, methods development, and applications in a number of disciplines that include biomedical science, plant and nutrition sciences, drug development, energy and environmental sciences, toxicology, etc. NMR spectroscopy is one of the two most widely used analytical platforms in the metabolomics field, along with mass spectrometry (MS). NMR's excellent reproducibility and quantitative accuracy, its ability to identify structures of unknown metabolites, its capacity to generate metabolite profiles using intact biospecimens with no need for separation, and its capabilities for tracing metabolic pathways using isotope labeled substrates offer unique strengths for metabolomics applications. However, NMR's limited sensitivity and resolution continue to pose a major challenge and have restricted both the number and the quantitative accuracy of metabolites analyzed by NMR. Further, the analysis of highly complex biological samples has increased the demand for new methods with improved detection, better unknown identification, and more accurate quantitation of larger numbers of metabolites. Recent efforts have contributed significant improvements in these areas, and have thereby enhanced the pool of routinely quantifiable metabolites. Additionally, efforts focused on combining NMR and MS promise opportunities to exploit the combined strength of the two analytical platforms for direct comparison of the metabolite data, unknown identification and reliable biomarker discovery that continue to challenge the metabolomics field. This article presents our perspectives on the emerging trends in NMR-based metabolomics and NMR's continuing role in the field with an emphasis on recent and ongoing research from our laboratory. PMID:26476597

Can NMR solve some significant challenges in metabolomics?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nagana Gowda, G. A.; Raftery, Daniel

2015-11-01

The field of metabolomics continues to witness rapid growth driven by fundamental studies, methods development, and applications in a number of disciplines that include biomedical science, plant and nutrition sciences, drug development, energy and environmental sciences, toxicology, etc. NMR spectroscopy is one of the two most widely used analytical platforms in the metabolomics field, along with mass spectrometry (MS). NMR's excellent reproducibility and quantitative accuracy, its ability to identify structures of unknown metabolites, its capacity to generate metabolite profiles using intact bio-specimens with no need for separation, and its capabilities for tracing metabolic pathways using isotope labeled substrates offer unique strengths for metabolomics applications. However, NMR's limited sensitivity and resolution continue to pose a major challenge and have restricted both the number and the quantitative accuracy of metabolites analyzed by NMR. Further, the analysis of highly complex biological samples has increased the demand for new methods with improved detection, better unknown identification, and more accurate quantitation of larger numbers of metabolites. Recent efforts have contributed significant improvements in these areas, and have thereby enhanced the pool of routinely quantifiable metabolites. Additionally, efforts focused on combining NMR and MS promise opportunities to exploit the combined strength of the two analytical platforms for direct comparison of the metabolite data, unknown identification and reliable biomarker discovery that continue to challenge the metabolomics field. This article presents our perspectives on the emerging trends in NMR-based metabolomics and NMR's continuing role in the field with an emphasis on recent and ongoing research from our laboratory.

Crustal structure of a transform plate boundary: San Francisco Bay and the central California continental margin

USGS Publications Warehouse

Holbrook, W.S.; Brocher, T.M.; ten Brink, Uri S.; Hole, J.A.

1996-01-01

Wide-angle seismic data collected during the Bay Area Seismic Imaging Experiment provide new glimpses of the deep structure of the San Francisco Bay Area Block and across the offshore continental margin. San Francisco Bay is underlain by a veneer (<300 m) of sediments, beneath which P wave velocities increase rapidly from 5.2 km/s to 6.0 km/s at 7 km depth, consistent with rocks of the Franciscan subduction assemblage. The base of the Franciscan at-15-18 km depth is marked by a strong wide-angle reflector, beneath which lies an 8- to 10-km-thick lower crust with an average velocity of 6.75??0.15 km/s. The lower crust of the Bay Area Block may be oceanic in origin, but its structure and reflectivity indicate that it has been modified by shearing and/or magmatic intrusion. Wide-angle reflections define two layers within the lower crust, with velocities of 6.4-6.6 km/s and 6.9-7.3 km/s. Prominent subhorizontal reflectivity observed at near-vertical incidence resides principally in the lowermost layer, the top of which corresponds to the "6-s reflector" of Brocher et al. [1994]. Rheological modeling suggests that the lower crust beneath the 6-s reflector is the weakest part of the lithosphere; the horizontal shear zone suggested by Furlong et al. [1989] to link the San Andreas and Hayward/Calaveras fault systems may actually be a broad zone of shear deformation occupying the lowermost crust. A transect across the continental margin from the paleotrench to the Hayward fault shows a deep crustal structure that is more complex than previously realized. Strong lateral variability in seismic velocity and wide-angle reflectivity suggests that crustal composition changes across major transcurrent fault systems. Pacific oceanic crust extends 40-50 km landward of the paleotrench but, contrary to prior models, probably does not continue beneath the Salinian Block, a Cretaceous arc complex that lies west of the San Andreas fault in the Bay Area. The thickness (10 km) and high lower-crustal velocity of Pacific oceanic crust suggest that it was underplated by magmatism associated with the nearby Pioneer seamount. The Salinian Block consists of a 15-km-thick layer of velocity 6.0-6.2 km/s overlying a 5-km-thick, high-velocity (7.0 km/s) lower crust that may be oceanic crust, Cretaceous arc-derived lower crust, or a magmatically underplated layer. The strong structural variability across the margin attests to the activity of strike-slip faulting prior to and during development of the transcurrent Pacific/North American plate boundary around 29 Ma. Copyright 1996 by the American Geophysical Union.

USDA area-wide project for annual grasses: outcomes and impacts

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

This document provides a record of the research, outreach, education and technology transfer that was completed as part of the area-wide project for invasive annual grasses from 2007-2012. The overall goal of the project was to catalyze a holistic integrated management program for invasive annual g...

47 CFR 69.111 - Tandem-switched transport and tandem charge.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

..., geographically averaged on a study-area-wide basis, that the incumbent local exchange carrier experiences based... exchange carrier experiences based on the prior year's annual use. Tandem-switched transport transmission..., geographically averaged on a study-area-wide basis, that the incumbent local exchange carrier experiences based...

Polynyas and Ice Production Evolution in the Ross Sea (PIPERS)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ackley, S. F.

2017-12-01

One focus of the PIPERS cruise into the Ross Sea ice cover during April-June 2017 was the Terra Nova Bay (TNB) polynya where joint measurements of air-ice-ocean wave interaction were conducted over twelve days. In Terra Nova Bay, measurements were made in three katabatic wind events each with sustained winds over 35 ms-1 and air temperatures below -15C. Near shore, intense wave fields with wave amplitudes of over 2m and 7-9 sec periods built and large amounts of frazil ice crystals grew. The frazil ice gathered initially into short and narrow plumes that eventually were added laterally to create longer and wider streaks or bands. Breaking waves within these wider streaks were dampened which appeared to enhance the development of pancake ice. Eventually, the open water areas between the streaks sealed off, developing a complete ice cover of 100 percent concentration (80-90 percent pancakes, 20-10 percent frazil) over a wide front (30km). The pancakes continued to grow in diameter and thickness as waves alternately contracted and expanded the ice cover, with the thicker larger floes further diminishing the wave field and lateral motion between pancakes until the initial pancake ice growth ceased. The equilibrium thickness of the ice was 20-30cm in the pancake ice. While the waves had died off however, katabatic wind velocities were sustained and resulted in a wide area of concentrated, rafted, pancake ice that was rapidly advected downstream until the end of the katabatic event. High resolution TerraSar-X radar satellite imagery showed the length of the ice area produced in one single event extended over 300km or ten times the length of the open water area during one polynya event. The TNB polynya is therefore an "ice factory" where frazil ice is manufactured into pancake ice floes that are then pushed out of the assembly area and advected, rafted (and occasionally piled up into "dragon skin" ice), until the katabatic wind dies off at the coastal source.

The Effects of Terrain Properties on Determining Crater Model Ages of Lunar Surfaces

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kirchoff, M. R.; Marchi, S.

2017-12-01

Analyzing crater size-frequency distributions (SFDs) and using them to determine model ages of surfaces is an important technique for understanding the Moon's geologic history and evolution. Small craters with diameters (D) < 1 km are frequently used, especially given the very high resolution imaging now available from Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Narrow and Wide Angle Cameras (LROC-NAC/WAC) and the Selene Terrain Camera. However, for these diameters, final crater sizes and shapes are affected by the properties of the terrains on which they are formed [1], which alters crater SFD shapes [2]. We use the Model Production Function (MPF; [2]), which includes terrain properties in computing crater production functions, to explore how incorporating terrain properties affects the estimation of crater model ages. First, crater SFDs are compiled utilizing LROC-WAC/NAC images to measure craters with diameters from 10 m up to 20 km (size of largest crater measured depends on the terrain). A nested technique is used to obtain this wide diameter range: D ≥ 0.5 km craters are measured in the largest area, D = 0.09-0.5 km craters are measured in a smaller area within the largest area, and D = 0.01-0.1 km craters are measured in the smallest area located in both of the larger areas. Then, we quantitatively fit the crater SFD with distinct MPFs that use broadly different terrain properties. Terrain properties are varied through coarsely altering the parameters in the crater scaling law [1] that represent material type (consolidated, unconsolidated, porous), material tensile strength, and material density (for further details see [2]). We also discuss the effect of changing terrain properties with depth (i.e., layering). Finally, fits are used to compute the D = 1 km crater model ages for the terrains. We discuss the new constraints on how terrain properties affect crater model ages from our analyses of a variety of lunar terrains from highlands to mare and impact melt to continuous ejecta deposits. References: [1] Holsapple, K. A & Housen, K. R., Icarus 187, 345-356, 2007. [2] Marchi, S., et al., AJ 137, 4936-4948, 2009.

Improving the Discipline of Cost Estimation and Analysis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Piland, William M.; Pine, David J.; Wilson, Delano M.

2000-01-01

The need to improve the quality and accuracy of cost estimates of proposed new aerospace systems has been widely recognized. The industry has done the best job of maintaining related capability with improvements in estimation methods and giving appropriate priority to the hiring and training of qualified analysts. Some parts of Government, and National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in particular, continue to need major improvements in this area. Recently, NASA recognized that its cost estimation and analysis capabilities had eroded to the point that the ability to provide timely, reliable estimates was impacting the confidence in planning man), program activities. As a result, this year the Agency established a lead role for cost estimation and analysis. The Independent Program Assessment Office located at the Langley Research Center was given this responsibility.

LANL Institutional Decision Support By Process Modeling and Analysis Group (AET-2)

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

Booth, Steven Richard

2016-04-04

AET-2 has expertise in process modeling, economics, business case analysis, risk assessment, Lean/Six Sigma tools, and decision analysis to provide timely decision support to LANS leading to continuous improvement. This capability is critical during the current tight budgetary environment as LANS pushes to identify potential areas of cost savings and efficiencies. An important arena is business systems and operations, where processes can impact most or all laboratory employees. Lab-wide efforts are needed to identify and eliminate inefficiencies to accomplish Director McMillan’s charge of “doing more with less.” LANS faces many critical and potentially expensive choices that require sound decision supportmore » to ensure success. AET-2 is available to provide this analysis support to expedite the decisions at hand.« less

STRESS - STEREO TRansiting Exoplanet and Stellar Survey

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sangaralingam, Vinothini; Stevens, Ian R.; Spreckley, Steve; Debosscher, Jonas

2010-02-01

The Heliospheric Imager (HI) instruments on board the two STEREO (Solar TErrestrial RElations Observatory) spacecraft provides an excellent opportunity for space based stellar photometry. The HI instruments provide a wide area coverage (20° × 20° for the two HI-1 instruments and 70° × 70° for the two HI-2 instruments) and long continuous periods of observations (20 days and 70 days respectively). Using HI-1A which has a pass band of 6500Å to 7500Å and a cadence of 40 minutes, we have gathered photometric information for more than a million stars brighter than 12th magnitude for a period of two years. Here we present some early results from this study on a range of variable stars and the future prospects for the data.

Computing, Information and Communications Technology (CICT) Website

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hardman, John; Tu, Eugene (Technical Monitor)

2002-01-01

The Computing, Information and Communications Technology Program (CICT) was established in 2001 to ensure NASA's Continuing leadership in emerging technologies. It is a coordinated, Agency-wide effort to develop and deploy key enabling technologies for a broad range of mission-critical tasks. The NASA CICT program is designed to address Agency-specific computing, information, and communications technology requirements beyond the projected capabilities of commercially available solutions. The areas of technical focus have been chosen for their impact on NASA's missions, their national importance, and the technical challenge they provide to the Program. In order to meet its objectives, the CICT Program is organized into the following four technology focused projects: 1) Computing, Networking and Information Systems (CNIS); 2) Intelligent Systems (IS); 3) Space Communications (SC); 4) Information Technology Strategic Research (ITSR).

Repainting of the VAB continues

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1998-01-01

The Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) gets a facelift with the repainting of the American flag and replacing of the bicentennial emblem with the NASA logo. The painting honors NASA's 40th anniversary on Oct. 1 and is expected to be complete in mid- September. The flag spans an area 209 feet by 110 feet, or about 23, 437 square feet. Each stripe is 9 feet wide and each star is 6 feet in diameter. The logo, also known as the 'meatball,' will measure 110 feet by 132 feet, or about 12,300 square feet. Workers, suspended on platforms from the top of the 525-foot-high VAB, are using rollers and brushes to do the painting. The entire fleet of orbiters is also receiving the addition of the NASA logo on their wings and sidewalls.

Compression-RSA: New approach of encryption and decryption method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hung, Chang Ee; Mandangan, Arif

2013-04-01

Rivest-Shamir-Adleman (RSA) cryptosystem is a well known asymmetric cryptosystem and it has been applied in a very wide area. Many researches with different approaches have been carried out in order to improve the security and performance of RSA cryptosystem. The enhancement of the performance of RSA cryptosystem is our main interest. In this paper, we propose a new method to increase the efficiency of RSA by shortening the number of plaintext before it goes under encryption process without affecting the original content of the plaintext. Concept of simple Continued Fraction and the new special relationship between it and Euclidean Algorithm have been applied on this newly proposed method. By reducing the number of plaintext-ciphertext, the encryption-decryption processes of a secret message can be accelerated.

Disaster imminent--Hurricane Hugo.

PubMed

Guynn, J B

1990-04-01

Response to a disaster situation depends upon the type of circumstances presented. In situations where the disaster is the type that affects the hospital as well as a wide surrounding area directly, the hospital and pharmacy itself may be called upon to continue functioning for some period of time without outside assistance. The ability to function for prolonged periods of time requires the staff to focus on the job at hand and the administrative staff to provide security, compassion, and flexibility. Plans for a disaster of the nature of a hurricane require that attention be paid to staffing, medication inventories, supplies, and services being rendered. Recognition of the singular position occupied by a hospital in the community and the expectations of the local population require that hospitals and the pharmacy department have the ability to respond appropriately.

Adolescent pregnancy: networking and the interdisciplinary approach.

PubMed

Canada, M J

1986-01-01

The networking approach to providing needed services to pregnant and parenting teenagers has numerous merits. An historical overview of the formation of the Brooklyn Teen Pregnancy Network highlights service agency need for information and resource sharing, and improved client referral systems as key factors in the genesis of the Network. The borough-wide approach and its spread as an agency model throughout New York City's other boroughs and several other northeastern cities is also attributed to its positive client impact, including: improved family communication and cooperation; early prenatal care with its concomitant improved pregnancy outcomes; financial support for teens; continued teen education; and parenting skills development. Resource information is provided regarding networks operating in the Greater New York metropolitan area. A planned Eastern Regional network initiative is under development.

The Global Ecology and Epidemiology of West Nile Virus

PubMed Central

Rios, Maria

2015-01-01

Since its initial isolation in Uganda in 1937 through the present, West Nile virus (WNV) has become an important cause of human and animal disease worldwide. WNV, an enveloped virus of the genus Flavivirus, is naturally maintained in an enzootic cycle between birds and mosquitoes, with occasional epizootic spillover causing disease in humans and horses. The mosquito vectors for WNV are widely distributed worldwide, and the known geographic range of WNV transmission and disease has continued to increase over the past 77 years. While most human infections with WNV are asymptomatic, severe neurological disease may develop resulting in long-term sequelae or death. Surveillance and preventive measures are an ongoing need to reduce the public health impact of WNV in areas with the potential for transmission. PMID:25866777

Organocatalyzed Photocontrolled Radical Polymerization of Semifluorinated (Meth)acrylates Driven by Visible Light.

PubMed

Gong, Honghong; Zhao, Yucheng; Shen, Xianwang; Lin, Jun; Chen, Mao

2018-01-02

Fluorinated polymers are important materials that are widely used in many areas. Herein, we report the development of a metal-free photocontrolled radical polymerization of semifluorinated (meth)acrylates with a new visible-light-absorbing organocatalyst. This method enabled the production of a variety of semifluorinated polymers with narrow molar-weight distributions from semifluorinated trithiocarbonates or perfluoroalkyl iodides. The high performance of "ON/OFF" control and chain-extension experiments further demonstrate the utility and reliability of this method. Furthermore, to streamline the preparation of semifluorinated polymers, a scalable continuous-flow approach has been developed. Given the broad interest in fluorinated materials and photopolymerization, we expect that this method will facilitate the development of advanced materials with unique properties. © 2018 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

40 CFR 792.49 - Laboratory operation areas.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 31 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 true Laboratory operation areas. 792.49 Section 792.49 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) TOXIC SUBSTANCES CONTROL ACT (CONTINUED) GOOD LABORATORY PRACTICE STANDARDS Facilities § 792.49 Laboratory operation areas...

47 CFR 52.19 - Area code relief.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... Telecommunication FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION (CONTINUED) COMMON CARRIER SERVICES (CONTINUED) NUMBERING... commissions may perform any or all functions related to initiation and development of area code relief plans... paragraph (b)(2) of this section. For the purposes of this paragraph, initiation and development of area...

47 CFR 52.19 - Area code relief.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... Telecommunication FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION (CONTINUED) COMMON CARRIER SERVICES (CONTINUED) NUMBERING... commissions may perform any or all functions related to initiation and development of area code relief plans... paragraph (b)(2) of this section. For the purposes of this paragraph, initiation and development of area...

47 CFR 52.19 - Area code relief.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... Telecommunication FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION (CONTINUED) COMMON CARRIER SERVICES (CONTINUED) NUMBERING... commissions may perform any or all functions related to initiation and development of area code relief plans... paragraph (b)(2) of this section. For the purposes of this paragraph, initiation and development of area...

EPA Library Disaster Response and Continuity of Operations (COOP) Procedures

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

To establish Agency-wide procedures for the EPA National Library Network libraries to mitigate, prepare for, respond to, and recover from disasters in EPA libraries and provide continuing operations during and after a disaster.

Extreme heat in India and anthropogenic climate change

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

van Oldenborgh, Geert Jan; Philip, Sjoukje; Kew, Sarah; van Weele, Michiel; Uhe, Peter; Otto, Friederike; Singh, Roop; Pai, Indrani; Cullen, Heidi; AchutaRao, Krishna

2018-01-01

On 19 May 2016 the afternoon temperature reached 51.0 °C in Phalodi in the northwest of India - a new record for the highest observed maximum temperature in India. The previous year, a widely reported very lethal heat wave occurred in the southeast, in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, killing thousands of people. In both cases it was widely assumed that the probability and severity of heat waves in India are increasing due to global warming, as they do in other parts of the world. However, we do not find positive trends in the highest maximum temperature of the year in most of India since the 1970s (except spurious trends due to missing data). Decadal variability cannot explain this, but both increased air pollution with aerosols blocking sunlight and increased irrigation leading to evaporative cooling have counteracted the effect of greenhouse gases up to now. Current climate models do not represent these processes well and hence cannot be used to attribute heat waves in this area. The health effects of heat are often described better by a combination of temperature and humidity, such as a heat index or wet bulb temperature. Due to the increase in humidity from irrigation and higher sea surface temperatures (SSTs), these indices have increased over the last decades even when extreme temperatures have not. The extreme air pollution also exacerbates the health impacts of heat. From these factors it follows that, from a health impact point of view, the severity of heat waves has increased in India. For the next decades we expect the trend due to global warming to continue but the surface cooling effect of aerosols to diminish as air quality controls are implemented. The expansion of irrigation will likely continue, though at a slower pace, mitigating this trend somewhat. Humidity will probably continue to rise. The combination will result in a strong rise in the temperature of heat waves. The high humidity will make health effects worse, whereas decreased air pollution would decrease the impacts.

Enamel defects and dental caries in 9-year-old children living in fluoridated and nonfluoridated areas of Auckland, New Zealand.

PubMed

Kanagaratnam, Sathananthan; Schluter, Philip; Durward, Callum; Mahood, Robyn; Mackay, Tim

2009-06-01

This epidemiological study aims to investigate the developmental enamel defects and dental caries among 9-year-old children resident in fluoridated and nonfluoridated regions in Auckland, New Zealand. A stratified, two-stage random selection design where strata were defined by fluoridation status, school size, and school decile. After informed consent was obtained, parents completed oral health questionnaires and children underwent dental examinations at school clinics. 612 children from 38 schools participated in the study. Overall, 175 (29%) children had lived continuously in fluoridated areas, 149 (24%) had lived continuously in nonfluoridated areas, and 288 (47%) had resided intermittently in fluoridated areas. Diffuse opacities were present in 117 (19%) children and deciduous teeth dental caries was seen in 370 (60%) children. After adjustment for covariates, a strong dose-response relationship between diffuse opacity and fluoridation status was found, with children who lived continuously in fluoridated areas being 4.17 times as likely to have diffuse opacities as children who lived continuously in nonfluoridated areas (P < 0.001). Conversely, a strong protective dose-response relationship between caries experience and fluoridation status was seen, with children who lived continuously in fluoridated areas being 0.42 times as likely to have dental caries as children who lived continuously in nonfluoridated areas (P < 0.001). Reticulated water fluoridation in Auckland reduces the risk of dental caries but increases the risk of diffuse opacities in 9-year-old children. Guidelines and health-promotion strategies that enable children to minimize their risk to diffuse opacities yet reduce their risk of dental caries should be reviewed.

Population trends of Mariana Crow Corvus kubaryi on Rota, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands

USGS Publications Warehouse

Plentovich, S.; Morton, J.M.; Bart, J.; Camp, R.J.; Lusk, M.; Johnson, N.; VanderWerf, E.

2005-01-01

Endemic to the islands of Guam and Rota in the Mariana Islands, Mariana Crow Corvus kubaryi is the only corvid in Micronesia. Currently, it survives on Guam only because of translocation of individuals from Rota (1999-2003). Island-wide surveys in 1982 and 1995 on Rota yielded population estimates of 1,348 and 592 respectively, indicating a 56% decrease in only 13 years. A sharp decline in the only viable Mariana Crow population has serious implications for conservation efforts on Rota and for efforts to re-establish the Guam population. However, the validity of the apparent decline has been debated among scientists and government management agencies. We augmented the 1982 and 1995 island-wide VCP surveys with (1) an additional island-wide survey conducted in 1998, and (2) roadside surveys conducted during 1991-1993 and again during 1999-2002. We also outline historical changes in Rota's limestone forest based on aerial photographs and historical information. Data from all surveys indicate a significant decline in the Mariana Crow population. Declines occurred especially along the north-central coast and in the area east of the airport known as As Dudo in the 1990s, but the data indicate an island-wide decline over the entire span of the surveys. introduced predators, human persecution, and habitat loss and degradation by anthropogenic and natural causes have all contributed to the decline. Long-term preservation of this species will require effective brown treesnake Boiga irregularis control, habitat protection, continued monitoring and research, and increased public education and awareness of Rota's rare and endangered species. ?? BirdLife International 2005.

Distributed feedback laser diode integrated with distributed Bragg reflector for continuous-wave terahertz generation.

PubMed

Kim, Namje; Han, Sang-Pil; Ryu, Han-Cheol; Ko, Hyunsung; Park, Jeong-Woo; Lee, Donghun; Jeon, Min Yong; Park, Kyung Hyun

2012-07-30

A widely tunable dual mode laser diode with a single cavity structure is demonstrated. This novel device consists of a distributed feedback (DFB) laser diode and distributed Bragg reflector (DBR). Micro-heaters are integrated on the top of each section for continuous and independent wavelength tuning of each mode. By using a single gain medium in the DFB section, an effective common optical cavity and common modes are realized. The laser diode shows a wide tunability of the optical beat frequency, from 0.48 THz to over 2.36 THz. Continuous wave THz radiation is also successfully generated with low-temperature grown InGaAs photomixers from 0.48 GHz to 1.5 THz.

Convergence

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Darcie, Thomas E.; Doverspike, Robert; Zirngibl, Martin; Korotky, Steven K.

2005-09-01

Call for Papers: Convergence The Journal of Optical Networking (JON) invites submissions to a special issue on Convergence. Convergence has become a popular theme in telecommunications, one that has broad implications across all segments of the industry. Continual evolution of technology and applications continues to erase lines between traditionally separate lines of business, with dramatic consequences for vendors, service providers, and consumers. Spectacular advances in all layers of optical networking-leading to abundant, dynamic, cost-effective, and reliable wide-area and local-area connections-have been essential drivers of this evolution. As services and networks continue to evolve towards some notion of convergence, the continued role of optical networks must be explored. One vision of convergence renders all information in a common packet (especially IP) format. This vision is driven by the proliferation of data services. For example, time-division multiplexed (TDM) voice becomes VoIP. Analog cable-television signals become MPEG bits streamed to digital set-top boxes. T1 or OC-N private lines migrate to Ethernet virtual private networks (VPNs). All these packets coexist peacefully within a single packet-routing methodology built on an optical transport layer that combines the flexibility and cost of data networks with telecom-grade reliability. While this vision is appealing in its simplicity and shared widely, specifics of implementation raise many challenges and differences of opinion. For example, many seek to expand the role of Ethernet in these transport networks, while massive efforts are underway to make traditional TDM networks more data friendly within an evolved but backward-compatible SDH/SONET (synchronous digital hierarchy and synchronous optical network) multiplexing hierarchy. From this common underlying theme follow many specific instantiations. Examples include the convergence at the physical, logical, and operational levels of voice and data, video and data, private-line and virtual private-line, fixed and mobile, and local and long-haul services. These trends have many consequences for consumers, vendors, and carriers. Faced with large volumes of low-margin data traffic mixed with traditional voice services, the need for capital conservation and operational efficiency drives carriers away from today's separate overlay networks for each service and towards "converged" platforms. For example, cable operators require transport of multiple services over both hybrid fiber coax (HFC) and DWDM transport technologies. Local carriers seek an economical architecture to deliver integrated services on optically enabled broadband-access networks. Services over wireless-access networks must coexist with those from wired networks. In each case, convergence of networks and services inspires an important set of questions and challenges, driven by the need for low cost, operational efficiency, service performance requirements, and optical transport technology options. This Feature Issue explores the various interpretations and implications of network convergence pertinent to optical networking. How does convergence affect the evolution of optical transport-layer and control approaches? Are the implied directions consistent with research vision for optical networks? Substantial challenges remain. Papers are solicited across the broad spectrum of interests. These include, but are not limited to: Architecture, design and performance of optical wide-area-network (WAN), metro, and access networks Integration strategies for multiservice transport platforms Access methods that bridge traditional and emerging services Network signaling and control methodologies All-optical packet routing and switching techniques To submit to this special issue, follow the normal procedure for submission to JON, indicating "Convergence feature" in the "Comments" field of the online submission form. For all other questions relating to this feature issue, please send an e-mail to jon@osa.org, subject line "Convergence." Additional information can be found on the JON website: http://www.osa-jon.org/submission/ Submission Deadline: 1 October 2005

Convergence

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Darcie, Thomas E.; Doverspike, Robert; Zirngibl, Martin; Korotky, Steven K.

2004-12-01

Convergence has become a popular theme in telecommunications, one that has broad implications across all segments of the industry. Continual evolution of technology and applications continues to erase lines between traditionally separate lines of business, with dramatic consequences for vendors, service providers, and consumers. Spectacular advances in all layers of optical networking-leading to abundant, dynamic, cost-effective, and reliable wide-area and local-area connections-have been essential drivers of this evolution. As services and networks continue to evolve towards some notion of convergence, the continued role of optical networks must be explored. One vision of convergence renders all information in a common packet (especially IP) format. This vision is driven by the proliferation of data services. For example, time-division multiplexed (TDM) voice becomes VoIP. Analog cable-television signals become MPEG bits streamed to digital set-top boxes. T1 or OC-N private lines migrate to Ethernet virtual private networks (VPNs). All these packets coexist peacefully within a single packet-routing methodology built on an optical transport layer that combines the flexibility and cost of data networks with telecom-grade reliability. While this vision is appealing in its simplicity and shared widely, specifics of implementation raise many challenges and differences of opinion. For example, many seek to expand the role of Ethernet in these transport networks, while massive efforts are underway to make traditional TDM networks more data friendly within an evolved but backward-compatible SDH/SONET (synchronous digital hierarchy and synchronous optical network) multiplexing hierarchy. From this common underlying theme follow many specific instantiations. Examples include the convergence at the physical, logical, and operational levels of voice and data, video and data, private-line and virtual private-line, fixed and mobile, and local and long-haul services. These trends have many consequences for consumers, vendors, and carriers. Faced with large volumes of low-margin data traffic mixed with traditional voice services, the need for capital conservation and operational efficiency drives carriers away from today's separate overlay networks for each service and towards "converged" platforms. For example, cable operators require transport of multiple services over both hybrid fiber coax (HFC) and DWDM transport technologies. Local carriers seek an economical architecture to deliver integrated services on optically enabled broadband-access networks. Services over wireless-access networks must coexist with those from wired networks. In each case, convergence of networks and services inspires an important set of questions and challenges, driven by the need for low cost, operational efficiency, service performance requirements, and optical transport technology options. This Feature Issue explores the various interpretations and implications of network convergence pertinent to optical networking. How does convergence affect the evolution of optical transport-layer and control approaches? Are the implied directions consistent with research vision for optical networks? Substantial challenges remain. Papers are solicited across the broad spectrum of interests. These include, but are not limited to:

• Architecture, design and performance of optical wide-area-network (WAN), metro, and access networks
• Integration strategies for multiservice transport platforms
• Access methods that bridge traditional and emerging services
• Network signaling and control methodologies
• All-optical packet routing and switching techniques

Manuscript Submission

Surface deformation analysis over Vrancea seismogenic area through radar and GPS geospatial data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zoran, Maria A.; Savastru, Roxana S.; Savastru, Dan M.; Serban, Florin S.; Teleaga, Delia M.; Mateciuc, Doru N.

2017-10-01

Time series analysis of GPS (Global Positioning Systems) and InSAR (Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar) data are important tools for Earth's surface deformation assessment, which can result from a wide range of geological phenomena like as earthquakes, landslides or ground water level changes. The aim of this paper was to identify several types of earthquake precursors that might be observed from geospatial data in Vrancea seismogenic region in Romania. Continuous GPS Romanian network stations and few field campaigns data recorded between 2005-2012 years revealed a displacement of about 5 or 6 millimeters per year in horizontal direction relative motion, and a few millimeters per year in vertical direction. In order to assess possible deformations due to earthquakes and respectively for possible slow deformations, have been used also time series Sentinel 1 satellite data available for Vrancea zone during October 2014 till October 2016 to generate two types of interferograms (short-term and medium- term). During investigated period were not recorded medium or strong earthquakes, so interferograms over test area revealed small displacements on vertical direction (subsidence or uplifts) of 5-10 millimeters per year. Based on GPS continuous network data and satellite Sentinel 1 results, different possible tectonic scenarios were developed. The localization of horizontal and vertical motions, fault slip, and surface deformation of the continental blocks provides new information, in support of different geodynamic models for Vrancea tectonic active region in Romania and Europe.

Proactive AP Selection Method Considering the Radio Interference Environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Taenaka, Yuzo; Kashihara, Shigeru; Tsukamoto, Kazuya; Yamaguchi, Suguru; Oie, Yuji

In the near future, wireless local area networks (WLANs) will overlap to provide continuous coverage over a wide area. In such ubiquitous WLANs, a mobile node (MN) moving freely between multiple access points (APs) requires not only permanent access to the Internet but also continuous communication quality during handover. In order to satisfy these requirements, an MN needs to (1) select an AP with better performance and (2) execute a handover seamlessly. To satisfy requirement (2), we proposed a seamless handover method in a previous study. Moreover, in order to achieve (1), the Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI) is usually employed to measure wireless link quality in a WLAN system. However, in a real environment, especially if APs are densely situated, it is difficult to always select an AP with better performance based on only the RSSI. This is because the RSSI alone cannot detect the degradation of communication quality due to radio interference. Moreover, it is important that AP selection is completed only on an MN, because we can assume that, in ubiquitous WLANs, various organizations or operators will manage APs. Hence, we cannot modify the APs for AP selection. To overcome these difficulties, in the present paper, we propose and implement a proactive AP selection method considering wireless link condition based on the number of frame retransmissions in addition to the RSSI. In the evaluation, we show that the proposed AP selection method can appropriately select an AP with good wireless link quality, i.e., high RSSI and low radio interference.

Surface CO2 Flux in Weekly Time Resolution Over the Globe Inferred From CONTRAIL Data set

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Taguchi, S.; Machida, T.; Matsueda, H.; Sawa, Y.

2008-12-01

Concentrations of CO2 observed on passenger aircrafts are ready for data assimilation in biogeochemical models. Five auto measurement system called the continuous CO2 measuring Equipments (CME) are installed on Boeing 747 and 777 and are measuring CO2 in every 10 second in ascending and descending mode and every 1 minute during level flight (Machida et al., doi:10.1175/2008JTECHA1082.1). The measurement system, named comprehensive observation network for trace gases by airliner (CONTRAIL) has been tested in 2006 and is in full operation since November 2006. In this presentation, we will show a preliminary result of inverse calculation to estimate weekly sources and sinks of CO2 in 2007 at 64 surface areas on the globe. About 30000 data world wide extending from 3km to 11 km in 2007 were selected from full data set due to a limitation of our solver. A global atmospheric transport model driven with a meteorological data set of ECMWF was used to derive a gain matrix which represents a response at a sampling point of concentrations from a continuous release of CO2 for a week at individual area. Fluxes in 56 weeks starting from 5th December 2006 were estimated. The root mean squared error between concentrations simulated using weekly fluxes and CONTRAIL was 1.6ppm which improved 12 percent from that of concentrations simulated using monthly fluxes estimated from other data set.

Preliminary report on the geology and ground-water supply of the Newark, New Jersey, area

USGS Publications Warehouse

Herpers, Henry; Barksdale, Henry C.

1951-01-01

In the Newark area, ground water is used chiefly for industrial cooling, air-conditioning, general processing, and for sanitary purposes. A small amount is used in the manufacture of beverages. Total ground-water pumpage in Newark is estimated at not less than 20,000,000 gallons daily. The Newark area is underlain by formations of Recent, Pleistocene and Triassic age, and the geology and hydrologic properties of these formations are discussed. Attention is called to the important influence of a buried valley in the rock floor beneath the Newark area on the yield of wells located within it. Data on the fluctuation of the water levels and the variation in pumpage are presented, and their significance discussed. The results of a pumping test made during the investigation were inconclusive. The beneficial results of artificially recharging the aquifers in one part of the area are described. The intrusion of salt water into certain parts of the ground-water body is described and graphically portrayed by a map showing the chloride concentration of the ground water in various parts of the City. Insofar as available data permit, the chemical quality of the ground water is discussed and records are given of the ground-water temperatures in various parts of the City. There has been marked lowering of the water table in the eastern part of the area, accompanied by salt water intrusion, indicating that the safe yield of the formations in this part of Newark has probably been exceeded. It is recommended that the study of the ground-water resources of this area be continued, and that artificial recharging of the aquifers be increased over as wide an area as possible.

Built-up Areas Extraction in High Resolution SAR Imagery based on the method of Multiple Feature Weighted Fusion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, X.; Zhang, J. X.; Zhao, Z.; Ma, A. D.

2015-06-01

Synthetic aperture radar in the application of remote sensing technology is becoming more and more widely because of its all-time and all-weather operation, feature extraction research in high resolution SAR image has become a hot topic of concern. In particular, with the continuous improvement of airborne SAR image resolution, image texture information become more abundant. It's of great significance to classification and extraction. In this paper, a novel method for built-up areas extraction using both statistical and structural features is proposed according to the built-up texture features. First of all, statistical texture features and structural features are respectively extracted by classical method of gray level co-occurrence matrix and method of variogram function, and the direction information is considered in this process. Next, feature weights are calculated innovatively according to the Bhattacharyya distance. Then, all features are weighted fusion. At last, the fused image is classified with K-means classification method and the built-up areas are extracted after post classification process. The proposed method has been tested by domestic airborne P band polarization SAR images, at the same time, two groups of experiments based on the method of statistical texture and the method of structural texture were carried out respectively. On the basis of qualitative analysis, quantitative analysis based on the built-up area selected artificially is enforced, in the relatively simple experimentation area, detection rate is more than 90%, in the relatively complex experimentation area, detection rate is also higher than the other two methods. In the study-area, the results show that this method can effectively and accurately extract built-up areas in high resolution airborne SAR imagery.

MSAT wide-area fleet management: End-user requirements and applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pedersen, Allister

1995-01-01

MSAT (Mobile SATellite) Services will become a reality in North America in 1995. MSAT will provide wide-area voice, data and fax services to land, marine and aeronautical mobile users anywhere in North America including 200 nautical miles off the coasts and into the Arctic waters. MSAT will also convey GPS position information from mobiles to dispatch centers. One broad application of MSAT is Wide Area Fleet Management (WAFM). This paper defines WAFM, outlines end-user requirements and identifies potential applications of MSAT WAFM. The paper draws from information obtained in several preMSAT WAFM field trials in land, marine and aeronautical mobile environments. The paper concludes with an outline of the potential benefits of MSAT WAFM.

40 CFR 52.2230 - Attainment dates for national standards.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

.... 52.2230 Section 52.2230 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) AIR PROGRAMS (CONTINUED) APPROVAL AND PROMULGATION OF IMPLEMENTATION PLANS (CONTINUED) Tennessee § 52.2230...: Bristol and Kingsport nonattainment areas 1 d d c c b b d b. Campbell County nonattainment areas 1 d d c c...

Annual and seasonal mass balances of Chhota Shigri Glacier (benchmark glacier, Western Himalaya), India

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mandal, Arindan; Ramanathan, Alagappan; Farooq Azam, Mohd; Wagnon, Patrick; Vincent, Christian; Linda, Anurag; Sharma, Parmanand; Angchuk, Thupstan; Bahadur Singh, Virendra; Pottakkal, Jose George; Kumar, Naveen; Soheb, Mohd

2015-04-01

Several studies on Himalayan glaciers have been recently initiated as they are of particular interest in terms of future water supply, regional climate change and sea-level rise. In 2002, a long-term monitoring program was initiated on Chhota Shigri Glacier (15.7 square km, 9 km long, 6263-4050 m a.s.l.) located in Lahaul and Spiti Valley, Himachal Pradesh, India. This glacier lies in the monsoon-arid transition zone (western Himalaya) and is a representative glacier in Lahaul and Spiti Valley. While annual mass balances have been measured continuously since 2002 using the glaciological method, seasonal scale observations began in 2009. The annual and seasonal mass balances were then analyzed along with meteorological conditions in order to understand the role of winter and summer balances on annual glacier-wide mass balance of Chhota Shigri glacier. During the period 2002-2013, the glacier experienced a negative glacier-wide mass balance of -0.59±0.40 m w.e. a-1 with a cumulative glaciological mass balance of -6.45 m w.e. Annual glacier-wide mass balances were negative except for four years (2004/05, 2008/09, 2009/10 and 2010/11) where it was generally close to balanced conditions. Equilibrium line altitude (ELA) for steady state condition is calculated as 4950 m a.s.l. corresponding to an accumulation area ratio (AAR) of 62% using annual glacier-wide mass balance, ELA and AAR data between 2002 and 2013. The winter glacier-wide mass balance between 2009 and 2013 ranges from a maximum value of 1.38 m w.e. in 2009/10 to a minimum value of 0.89 in 2012/13 year whereas the summer glacier-wide mass balance varies from the highest value of -0.95 m w.e. in 2010/11 to the lowest value of -1.72 m w.e. in 2011/12 year. The mean vertical mass balance gradient between 2002 and 2013 was 0.66 m w.e. (100 m)-1 quite similar to Alps, Nepalese Himalayas etc. Over debris covered area, the gradients are highly variable with a negative mean value of -2.15 m w.e. (100 m)-1 over 2002-2013 observation period. The negative gradients can be explained by the thickness of debris cover that increases with decrease in altitude, thus protecting the glacier more efficiently at lower altitudes. Mass balance is strongly dependent on debris cover, exposure (solar radiation) and the shading effect of surrounding steep slopes.

[First evidence for breeding Aedes aegypti L in the area of Greater Sochi and in some towns of Abkhasia].

PubMed

Iunicheva, Iu V; Riabova, T E; Markovich, N Ia; Bezzhonova, O V; Ganushkina, L A; Semenov, V B; Tarkhov, G A; Vasilenko, L E; Guzeeva, T M; Shevereva, T V; Sergiev, V P

2008-01-01

A preliminary survey of some widely spaced settlements in Greater Sochi (and in the city of Sochi) in a period of late July to early October 2007 has revealed man-biting females and swarming males of Aedes aegypti females indoors and outdoors. Man-biting Ae. aegypti females, like males swarming nearby, were also present in the town of Gudauta under study in September (the males and females of this species were found on one-day youngsters in the animal houses) and in the suburbs of the town of Sukhumi (Republic of Abkhazia). Ae. aegypti breeding places and larvae were revealed at the back of houses in Gudauta. Detection of not only males, but also females and preimagoes of this species suggests that a local breeding Ae. aegypti population is available in this area. The findings show that a local breeding population of Ae. aegypti mosquitoes has reemerged in the inspected area of the Black Sea coast (Tuapse-Sukhumi) with a humid Mediterranean climate after 35-40-year absence. Prevention of outbreaks of menacing human arbovirus diseases in the importation of their pathogens to the health resort-tourist area of the Caucasian Black-Sea coast requires urgent organization of a continuous entomological service for environmental monitoring, organization, and implementation of measures to eradicate Ae. aegypti.

The UKIRT Hemisphere Survey: definition and J-band data release

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dye, S.; Lawrence, A.; Read, M. A.; Fan, X.; Kerr, T.; Varricatt, W.; Furnell, K. E.; Edge, A. C.; Irwin, M.; Hambly, N.; Lucas, P.; Almaini, O.; Chambers, K.; Green, R.; Hewett, P.; Liu, M. C.; McGreer, I.; Best, W.; Zhang, Z.; Sutorius, E.; Froebrich, D.; Magnier, E.; Hasinger, G.; Lederer, S. M.; Bold, M.; Tedds, J. A.

2018-02-01

This paper defines the UK Infra-Red Telescope (UKIRT) Hemisphere Survey (UHS) and release of the remaining ∼12 700 deg2 of J-band survey data products. The UHS will provide continuous J- and K-band coverage in the Northern hemisphere from a declination of 0° to 60° by combining the existing Large Area Survey, Galactic Plane Survey and Galactic Clusters Survey conducted under the UKIRT Infra-red Deep Sky Survey (UKIDSS) programme with this new additional area not covered by UKIDSS. The released data include J-band imaging and source catalogues over the new area, which, together with UKIDSS, completes the J-band UHS coverage over the full ∼17 900 deg2 area. 98 per cent of the data in this release have passed quality control criteria. The remaining 2 per cent have been scheduled for re-observation. The median 5σ point source sensitivity of the released data is 19.6 mag (Vega). The median full width at half-maximum of the point spread function across the data set is 0.75 arcsec. In this paper, we outline the survey management, data acquisition, processing and calibration, quality control and archiving as well as summarizing the characteristics of the released data products. The data are initially available to a limited consortium with a world-wide release scheduled for 2018 August.

Sustainable Management of Subterranean Termite Populations (Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae) in Armstrong Park, New Orleans, With Durable Baits.

PubMed

Su, Nan-Yao; Guidry, Eric; Cottone, Carrie

2016-03-27

Durable baits, Recruit HD, were installed in 45 Sentricon stations between September 2010 and July 2014 in the 32-acre Armstrong Park, New Orleans. After eliminating all detectable termite colonies in the Park, 6-12 mo elapsed before new activity was detected. Newly invading termite colonies were usually found near the Park border or were smaller colonies that originated from recently paired alates. After colony elimination, Recruit HD baits were left in the stations to intercept newly invading colonies of subterranean termites, leading to their elimination, and multiple cycles of such interception and elimination events were recorded. Because the presence of Recruit HD baits continues to eliminate incoming colonies with little effort in maintaining and resupplying baits in the target areas, the bait system offers an economically sustainable option for managing subterranean termite populations in a large area. The 32-acre Armstrong Park is a manageable size to carry out an area-wide (AW) project. If the number of such AW projects is gradually increased over time in selected metro areas of New Orleans, we predict that we may be able to turn the tide against the ever-increasing populations ofC. formosanusin the entire city. © The Authors 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Entomological Society of America. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

First results from a temporary seismological network in the Southern Dead Sea area

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Braeuer, B.; Asch, G.; Hofstetter, A.; Haberland, C.; Darwish, J.; El-Kelani, R.; Weber, M.

2008-12-01

Within the framework of the international project DESIRE (Dead Sea Integrated Research Project) a local seismological network was operated in the Southern Dead Sea area as a co-operation between the GFZ Germany, GII Israel, NRA Jordan and An-Najah National Univer-sity Palestine. From October 2006 to March 2008 about 65 short period (38) and broadband (27) instruments recorded continuously the seismicity of the Dead Sea basin. This investiga-tion aims in studying the deeper structure of the Dead Sea area based on the distribution of the local seismicity. About 500 local events have been recorded and more than 300 have been processed up to now. A dominant feature in this first part of the dataset we found a cluster of 78 earthquakes, occurring in February 2007, including multiplets. We determined a 1D-reference model of P- and S-velocities using Velest (Kissling et al., 1994). The model shows a high velocity increase between 6 and 10 km depth. This could be related to a prominent reflector found in the results of the wide angle reflection experiment in the area in 2006 (Mechie et al., 2008). The station corrections suggest a 2D structure with the basin in the middle and the shoulders on the east and west. Additionally the results are compared with receiver function and magnetotelluric studies, part of the DESIRE project.

Innovation in Continuing Education Provision, Teaching and Learning: Research Perspectives. Papers from a Conference (Lancaster, England, United Kingdom, April 27, 1995).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hamilton, Mary, Ed.; Withnall, Alexandra, Ed.

The following conference papers cover a wide spectrum of issues in continuing education: "Introduction" (Katherine Leni Oglesby); "Footprints in the Sand?--The Legacy of the University Funding Council's Support for Research in Continuing Education" (Chris Duke); "Thinking Fragments: Learning, Life Histories and the…

Wide-Area Soil Moisture Estimation Using the Propagation of Lightning Generated Low-Frequency Electromagnetic Signals 1977

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Land surface moisture measurements are central to our understanding of the earth’s water system, and are needed to produce accurate model-based weather/climate predictions. Currently, there exists no in-situ network capable of estimating wide-area soil moisture. In this paper, we explore an alterna...

Willingness-to-pay for an area-wide integrated Pest Managment Program to control the Asian Tiger Mosquito in New Jersey.

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Using contingent valuation, the perceived value of an area-wide, integrated pest management program for the Asian tiger mosquito, Aedes albopictus, implemented in Monmouth and Mercer Counties, New Jersey, was estimated. The residents’ maximum willingness-to-pay (WTP) and payment modality was estimat...

13 CFR 101.404 - How does the Administrator receive comments?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... of contact is not obligated to transmit comments from state, area-wide, regional, or local officials... transmitted by a single point of contact, all comments from state, area-wide, regional, and local officials... single point of contact between a state process and all Federal agencies; and (2) That office or official...

Economic evaluation of area-wide pest management program to control asian tiger mosquito in New Jersey

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Area-wide pest management (AWPM) is recommended to control urban mosquitoes, such as Aedes albopictus, which limit outdoor activities. While several evaluations of effectiveness exist, information on costs is lacking. Economic evaluation of such a program is important to help inform policy makers an...

Evaluation of the USDA Northeast Area-wide Tick Control Project by Meta-analysis

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

As part of the Northeast Area-wide Tick Control Project (NEATCP), meta-analyses were performed using pooled data on the extent of tick-vector control achieved through seven concurrent studies, conducted within five states, using USDA ‘4-Poster’ devices to deliver targeted-acaricide to white-tailed d...

Government success in partnership: the USDA-ARS area-wide ecologically based invasive annual grass management program

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

As new research is conducted and new methods for solving problems are developed, the USDAARS has a program that allocates substantial funding to ensure these improved strategies and techniques are adopted by those who can benefit from them. These programs are called Area-wide demonstrations. A partn...

The melon fruit fly, Bactrocera cucurbitae: A review of its biology and management

PubMed Central

Dhillon, M.K.; Singh, Ram; Naresh, J.S.; Sharma, H.C.

2005-01-01

The melon fruit fly, Bactrocera cucurbitae (Coquillett) (Diptera: Tephritidae) is distributed widely in temperate, tropical, and sub-tropical regions of the world. It has been reported to damage 81 host plants and is a major pest of cucurbitaceous vegetables, particularly the bitter gourd (Momordica charantia), muskmelon (Cucumis melo), snap melon (C. melo var. momordica), and snake gourd (Trichosanthes anguina). The extent of losses vary between 30 to 100%, depending on the cucurbit species and the season. Its abundance increases when the temperatures fall below 32° C, and the relative humidity ranges between 60 to 70%. It prefers to infest young, green, soft-skinned fruits. It inserts the eggs 2 to 4 mm deep in the fruit tissues, and the maggots feed inside the fruit. Pupation occurs in the soil at 0.5 to 15 cm below the soil surface. Keeping in view the importance of the pest and crop, melon fruit fly management could be done using local area management and wide area management. The melon fruit fly can successfully be managed over a local area by bagging fruits, field sanitation, protein baits, cue-lure traps, growing fruit fly-resistant genotypes, augmentation of biocontrol agents, and soft insecticides. The wide area management program involves the coordination of different characteristics of an insect eradication program (including local area options) over an entire area within a defensible perimeter, and subsequently protected against reinvasion by quarantine controls. Although, the sterile insect technique has been successfully used in wide area approaches, this approach needs to use more sophisticated and powerful technologies in eradication programs such as insect transgenesis and geographical information systems, which could be deployed over a wide area. Various other options for the management of fruit fly are also discussed in relation to their bio-efficacy and economics for effective management of this pest. PMID:17119622

Germanium-Assisted Direct Growth of Graphene on Arbitrary Dielectric Substrates for Heating Devices

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

Wang, Ziwen; Xue, Zhongying; Zhang, Miao

Direct growth of graphene on dielectric substrates is a prerequsite for the development of graphene-based electronic and optoelectronic devices. However, the current graphene synthesis directly on dielectric substrates always involves metal contamination problem, and the direct production of graphene patterns still remains unattainable and challenging. We propose herein a semiconducting Ge-assisted chemical vapor deposition approach to directly grow monolayer graphene on arbitrary dielectric substrates. By pre-patterning of catalytic Ge layer, the graphene with desired pattern can be achieved with extreme ease. Due to the catalysis of Ge, monolayer graphene is able to form on Ge covered dielectric substrates including SiOmore » 2/Si, quartz glass and sapphire substrates. Optimization of the process parameters leads to the complete sublimation of catalytic Ge layer during or immediately after monolayer graphene formation, thus resulting in direct deposition of large-area continuous graphene on dielectric substrates. The large-area, highly conductive graphene synthesized on transparent dielectric substrate using the proposed approach has exhibited wide applications, e.g., in defogger and in thermochromic displays, with both devices possessing excellent performances.« less

Germanium-Assisted Direct Growth of Graphene on Arbitrary Dielectric Substrates for Heating Devices

DOE PAGES

Wang, Ziwen; Xue, Zhongying; Zhang, Miao; ...

2017-05-31

Direct growth of graphene on dielectric substrates is a prerequsite for the development of graphene-based electronic and optoelectronic devices. However, the current graphene synthesis directly on dielectric substrates always involves metal contamination problem, and the direct production of graphene patterns still remains unattainable and challenging. We propose herein a semiconducting Ge-assisted chemical vapor deposition approach to directly grow monolayer graphene on arbitrary dielectric substrates. By pre-patterning of catalytic Ge layer, the graphene with desired pattern can be achieved with extreme ease. Due to the catalysis of Ge, monolayer graphene is able to form on Ge covered dielectric substrates including SiOmore » 2/Si, quartz glass and sapphire substrates. Optimization of the process parameters leads to the complete sublimation of catalytic Ge layer during or immediately after monolayer graphene formation, thus resulting in direct deposition of large-area continuous graphene on dielectric substrates. The large-area, highly conductive graphene synthesized on transparent dielectric substrate using the proposed approach has exhibited wide applications, e.g., in defogger and in thermochromic displays, with both devices possessing excellent performances.« less

Tuberculosis inequalities and socio-economic deprivation in Portugal.

PubMed

Apolinário, D; Ribeiro, A I; Krainski, E; Sousa, P; Abranches, M; Duarte, R

2017-07-01

To analyse the geographical distribution of tuberculosis (TB) in Portugal and estimate the association between TB and socio-economic deprivation. An ecological study at the municipality level using TB notifications for 2010-2014 was conducted. Spatial Bayesian models were used to calculate smoothed standardised notification rates, identify high- and low-risk areas and estimate the association between TB notification and the European Deprivation Index (EDI) for Portugal and its component variables. Standardised notification rates ranged from 4.41 to 76.44 notifications per 100 000 population. Forty-one high-risk and 156 low-risk municipalities were identified. There was no statistically significant association between TB notification rate and the EDI, but some of its variables, such as the proportion of manual workers and the percentage unemployed, were significantly and directly associated with TB notification, whereas the variable 'proportion of residents with low education level' showed an inverse relationship. Wide inequalities in TB notification rates were observed, and some areas continued to exhibit high TB notification rates. We found significant associations between TB and some socio-economic factors of the EDI.

Quantitative NDE of Composite Structures at NASA

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cramer, K. Elliott; Leckey, Cara A. C.; Howell, Patricia A.; Johnston, Patrick H.; Burke, Eric R.; Zalameda, Joseph N.; Winfree, William P.; Seebo, Jeffery P.

2015-01-01

The use of composite materials continues to increase in the aerospace community due to the potential benefits of reduced weight, increased strength, and manufacturability. Ongoing work at NASA involves the use of the large-scale composite structures for spacecraft (payload shrouds, cryotanks, crew modules, etc). NASA is also working to enable the use and certification of composites in aircraft structures through the Advanced Composites Project (ACP). The rapid, in situ characterization of a wide range of the composite materials and structures has become a critical concern for the industry. In many applications it is necessary to monitor changes in these materials over a long time. The quantitative characterization of composite defects such as fiber waviness, reduced bond strength, delamination damage, and microcracking are of particular interest. The research approaches of NASA's Nondestructive Evaluation Sciences Branch include investigation of conventional, guided wave, and phase sensitive ultrasonic methods, infrared thermography and x-ray computed tomography techniques. The use of simulation tools for optimizing and developing these methods is also an active area of research. This paper will focus on current research activities related to large area NDE for rapidly characterizing aerospace composites.

GNSS Positioning by CORS and EGM2008 in Jilin Province, China

PubMed Central

Wu, Qiong; Kang, Jingyu; Li, Shuwen; Zhen, Jianing; Li, Hongqing

2015-01-01

The Continuously Operating Reference Station (CORS) technique has been widely applied in land resource management, surveying, mapping, deformation monitoring, precise navigation, etc. This article analyzed the positioning method using EGM2008 and CORS of Jilin Province, China. The vertical transformation of EGM2008 from WGS84 to China’s CGCS2000 datum and the horizontal coordinate transformation from CGCS2000 to a triangulation coordinate system were discussed. The results indicated that a local geoid with respect to CGCS2000 can be transferred from EGM2008 with the same accuracy, and the geoid correction between CGCS2000 and WGS84 varied from 0.023 m to 0.111 m. The coordinate transformation method based on the curve surface approximation method indicated that the theoretical error was less than 0.09 m in the grid within 10° longitudinal and 5° latitudinal, and less than 0.3 m in large area and 0.1 m in small area in field validation. The method proposed in this article expanded the positioning result and its application for JLCORS and other CORS with local datum. PMID:26690150

Body area network--a key infrastructure element for patient-centered telemedicine.

PubMed

Norgall, Thomas; Schmidt, Robert; von der Grün, Thomas

2004-01-01

The Body Area Network (BAN) extends the range of existing wireless network technologies by an ultra-low range, ultra-low power network solution optimised for long-term or continuous healthcare applications. It enables wireless radio communication between several miniaturised, intelligent Body Sensor (or actor) Units (BSU) and a single Body Central Unit (BCU) worn at the human body. A separate wireless transmission link from the BCU to a network access point--using different technology--provides for online access to BAN components via usual network infrastructure. The BAN network protocol maintains dynamic ad-hoc network configuration scenarios and co-existence of multiple networks.BAN is expected to become a basic infrastructure element for electronic health services: By integrating patient-attached sensors and mobile actor units, distributed information and data processing systems, the range of medical workflow can be extended to include applications like wireless multi-parameter patient monitoring and therapy support. Beyond clinical use and professional disease management environments, private personal health assistance scenarios (without financial reimbursement by health agencies / insurance companies) enable a wide range of applications and services in future pervasive computing and networking environments.

GNSS Positioning by CORS and EGM2008 in Jilin Province, China.

PubMed

Wu, Qiong; Kang, Jingyu; Li, Shuwen; Zhen, Jianing; Li, Hongqing

2015-12-04

The Continuously Operating Reference Station (CORS) technique has been widely applied in land resource management, surveying, mapping, deformation monitoring, precise navigation, etc. This article analyzed the positioning method using EGM2008 and CORS of Jilin Province, China. The vertical transformation of EGM2008 from WGS84 to China's CGCS2000 datum and the horizontal coordinate transformation from CGCS2000 to a triangulation coordinate system were discussed. The results indicated that a local geoid with respect to CGCS2000 can be transferred from EGM2008 with the same accuracy, and the geoid correction between CGCS2000 and WGS84 varied from 0.023 m to 0.111 m. The coordinate transformation method based on the curve surface approximation method indicated that the theoretical error was less than 0.09 m in the grid within 10° longitudinal and 5° latitudinal, and less than 0.3 m in large area and 0.1 m in small area in field validation. The method proposed in this article expanded the positioning result and its application for JLCORS and other CORS with local datum.

Potential of SENTINEL-1A for Nation-Wide Routine Updates of Active Landslide Maps

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lazecky, M.; Canaslan Comut, F.; Nikolaeva, E.; Bakon, M.; Papco, J.; Ruiz-Armenteros, A. M.; Qin, Y.; de Sousa, J. J. M.; Ondrejka, P.

2016-06-01

Slope deformation is one of the typical geohazards that causes an extensive economic damage in mountainous regions. As such, they are usually intensively monitored by means of modern expertise commonly by national geological or emergency services. Resulting landslide susceptibility maps, or landslide inventories, offer an overview of areas affected by previously activated landslides as well as slopes known to be unstable currently. Current slope instabilities easily transform into a landslide after various triggering factors, such as an intensive rainfall or a melting snow cover. In these inventories, the majority of the existing landslide-affected slopes are marked as either stable or active, after a continuous investigative work of the experts in geology. In this paper we demonstrate the applicability of Sentinel-1A satellite SAR interferometry (InSAR) to assist by identifying slope movement activity and use the information to update national landslide inventories. This can be done reliably in cases of semi-arid regions or low vegetated slopes. We perform several analyses based on multitemporal InSAR techniques of Sentinel-1A data over selected areas prone to landslides.

Emerging Science and Research Opportunities for Metals and Metallic Nanostructures: A Report on the NSF MMN Workshop

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pollock, Tresa; Handwerker, Carol

In the next decade, fundamental research in metals and metallic nanostructures (MMN) has the potential to continue to transform science into innovative materials, devices, and systems. This talk summarizes the findings of a workshop to identify emerging and potentially transformative research areas in MMN. The metals and metallic nanostructures (MMNs) workshop aimed to identify significant research trends, scientific fundamentals, and recent breakthroughs that can enable new or enhanced MMN performance, either alone or in a more complex materials system, for a wide range of applications. Additionally, the role that MMN research can play in high-priority research and development (R&D) areas such as the U.S. Materials Genome Initiative, the National Nanotechnology Initiative, the Advanced Manufacturing Initiative, and other similar initiatives that exist internationally was assessed. The workshop also addressed critical issues related to materials research instrumentation and the cyberinfrastructure for materials science research and education, as well as science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) workforce development, with emphasis on the United States but with an appreciation that similar challenges and opportunities for the materials community exist internationally.

Seasonal variation of air-sea CO2 fluxes in the Terra Nova Bay of the Ross Sea, Antarctica, based on year-round pCO2 observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zappa, C. J.; Rhee, T. S.; Kwon, Y. S.; Choi, T.; Yang, E. J.; Kim, J.

2017-12-01

The polar oceans are rapidly changing in response to climate variability. In particular, augmented inflow of glacial melt water and shrinking sea-ice extent impacts the polar coastal oceans, which may in turn shift the biogeochemistry into an unprecedented paradigm not experienced previously. Nonetheless, most research in the polar oceans is limited to the summer season. Here, we present the first direct observations of ocean and atmospheric pCO2 measured near the coast of Terra Nova Bay in the Ross Sea, Antarctica, ongoing since February, 2015 at Jang Bogo Station. The coastal area is covered by landfast sea-ice from spring to fall while continually exposed to the atmosphere during summer season only. The pCO2 in seawater swung from 120 matm in February to 425 matm in early October. Although sea-ice still covers the coastal area, pCO2 already started decreasing after reaching the peak in October. In November, the pCO2 suddenly dropped as much as 100 matm in a week. This decrease of pCO2 continued until late February when the sea-ice concentration was minimal. With growing sea ice, the pCO2 increased logarithmically reaching the atmospheric concentration in June/July, depending on the year, and continued to increase until October. Daily mean air-sea CO2 flux in the coastal area widely varied from -70 mmol m-2 d-1 to 20 mmol m-2 d-1. Based on these observations of pCO2 in Terra Nova Bay, the annual uptake of CO2 is 8 g C m-2, estimated using the fraction of sea-ice concentration estimated from AMSR2 microwave emission imagery. Extrapolating to all polynyas surrounding Antarctica, we expect the annual uptake of 8 Tg C in the atmosphere. This is comparable to the amount of CO2 degassed into the atmosphere south of the Antarctic Polar Front (62°S).

Integration of the White Sands Complex into a Wide Area Network

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Boucher, Phillip Larry; Horan, Sheila, B.

1996-01-01

The NASA White Sands Complex (WSC) satellite communications facility consists of two main ground stations, an auxiliary ground station, a technical support facility, and a power plant building located on White Sands Missile Range. When constructed, terrestrial communication access to these facilities was limited to copper telephone circuits. There was no local or wide area communications network capability. This project incorporated a baseband local area network (LAN) topology at WSC and connected it to NASA's wide area network using the Program Support Communications Network-Internet (PSCN-I). A campus-style LAN is configured in conformance with the International Standards Organization (ISO) Open Systems Interconnect (ISO) model. Ethernet provides the physical and data link layers. Transmission Control Protocol and Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) are used for the network and transport layers. The session, presentation, and application layers employ commercial software packages. Copper-based Ethernet collision domains are constructed in each of the primary facilities and these are interconnected by routers over optical fiber links. The network and each of its collision domains are shown to meet IEEE technical configuration guidelines. The optical fiber links are analyzed for the optical power budget and bandwidth allocation and are found to provide sufficient margin for this application. Personal computers and work stations attached to the LAN communicate with and apply a wide variety of local and remote administrative software tools. The Internet connection provides wide area network (WAN) electronic access to other NASA centers and the world wide web (WWW). The WSC network reduces and simplifies the administrative workload while providing enhanced and advanced inter-communications capabilities among White Sands Complex departments and with other NASA centers.

Non-invasive continuous imaging of drug release from soy-based skin equivalent using wide-field interferometry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gabai, Haniel; Baranes-Zeevi, Maya; Zilberman, Meital; Shaked, Natan T.

2013-04-01

We propose an off-axis interferometric imaging system as a simple and unique modality for continuous, non-contact and non-invasive wide-field imaging and characterization of drug release from its polymeric device used in biomedicine. In contrast to the current gold-standard methods in this field, usually based on chromatographic and spectroscopic techniques, our method requires no user intervention during the experiment, and only one test-tube is prepared. We experimentally demonstrate imaging and characterization of drug release from soy-based protein matrix, used as skin equivalent for wound dressing with controlled anesthetic, Bupivacaine drug release. Our preliminary results demonstrate the high potential of our method as a simple and low-cost modality for wide-field imaging and characterization of drug release from drug delivery devices.

Design, fabrication and test of prototype furnace for continuous growth of wide silicon ribbon

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Duncan, C. S.; Seidensticker, R. G.

1976-01-01

A program having the overall objective of growing wide, thin silicon dendritic web crystals quasi-continuously from a semi-automated facility is discussed. The design considerations and fabrication of the facility as well as the test and operation phase are covered; detailed engineering drawings are included as an appendix. During the test and operation phase of the program, more than eighty growth runs and numerous thermal test runs were performed. At the conclusion of the program, 2.4 cm wide web was being grown at thicknesses of 100 to 300 micrometers. As expected, the thickness and growth rate are closely related. Solar cells made from this material were tested at NASA-Lewis and found to have conversion efficiencies comparable to devices fabricated from Czochralski material.

[Sensibility of the abdomen after high superior tension abdominoplasty].

PubMed

Castus, P; Grandjean, F-X; Tourbach, S; Heymans, O

2009-12-01

Patients who undergo an abdominoplasty frequently complain about the loss of sensibility of the abdominal wall. In this study, we analyze this sensibility after the high tension abdominoplasty. This is a prospective study of 23 females operated between July 2003 and January 2005. The abdominoplasty technique used in our study combines extensive liposuccion, limited undermining centered on the linea alba and traction sutures. The sensibilty tests are carried out preoperatively, as well as at 3 and 6 months postoperatively. The three components of the skin sensibility -tactile, algesic and thermic- are evaluated in four differents areas of the abdomen. In the lateral areas of the abdomen (liposucted only), the thermoalgesic sensibility is diminished at 3 months and completely recovers at 6 months. At 3 months postoperatively, the tactile sensibility is even better than the preoperative one and continues to improve by 6 months. The postoperative hypogastric area is widely undermined during surgery. In this area, the three types of sensibility are heavily altered at 3 months and only partially recover at 6 months. The undermining of the postoperative epigastric area is limited. In this zone, the postoperative thermoalgesic sensibility is diminished at 3 months, but completely recovers at 6 months. At 3 months, the tactile sensibility is less than the preoperative one, but it improves with time to even exceed the preoperative values at 6 months. The high tension abdominoplasty only needs a limited undermining and largely preserves the innervation of the abdominal flap. Only the hypogastric area, largely undermined, presents a sensitivity loss. These results are better than those previously reported in the literature.

Key technologies and concepts for beyond-3G networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pehkonen, Kari; Uskela, Sami; Kalliojarvi, Kari; Oksanen, Lauri; Rikkinen, Kari

2001-10-01

Standardization of 3rd Generation (3G) mobile communication systems has produced the first specification releases and the commercial deployment of the 3G systems has started. Whereas 1G and 2G focused on efficiently providing voice services, in 3G a lot of attention has been devoted to solutions that support both Circuit Switched (CS) and Packet Switched (PS) communication. That has called for very flexible air interface and network solutions. 3G will continue to evolve and there are already on-going standardization activities that will, for example, boost the peak data rates up to 5-10 Mbps and improve spectral efficiency by 2-4 times. In the future, 3G evolution will be going towards 10/100 Mbps peak data rates in wide/local are coverage, respectively. This will take place partly because of technical improvements of 3G radio interface solutions, but also due to network evolution which will allow the integration other radio access methods like radio LANs into the 3G system. In longer term the 3G network evolution will be going towards ALL-IP networks. As 3G evolution seems to be going towards 10 Mbps/100 Mbps peak data rates and ALL-IP networks any beyond 3G air interface or network solution should be clearly better in order to justify its technical and commercial feasibility. Given the long evolution time of 3G and integration of other radio access schemes with 3G radio we may not even see a new, complete beyond 3G system being developed. Maybe we will just witness the emergence of a new, more advanced radio access solution which will then be connected to the evolving 3G network. As 3G evolution will continue for several years to come the research targets for any beyond 3G solutions must be set very high. When it comes to air interface, we should aim at 100 Mbps peak data rates for wide area access with high mobility, and at 1 Gbps for local area access with low mobility. Regarding possible commercial launches of any beyond 3G systems or solutions they could then take place around year 2010 or even later.

Area-wide suppression of the Mediterranean fruit fly, Ceratitis capitata, and the Oriental fruit fly, Bactrocera dorsalis, in Kamuela, Hawaii.

PubMed

Vargas, Roger I; Piñero, Jaime C; Mau, Ronald F L; Jang, Eric B; Klungness, Lester M; McInnis, Donald O; Harris, Ernest B; McQuate, Grant T; Bautista, Renato C; Wong, Lyle

2010-01-01

The United States Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Research Service initiated an area-wide fruit fly management program in Hawaii in 2000. The first demonstration site was established in Kamuela, Hawaii, USA. This paper documents suppression of the Mediterranean fruit fly, Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann), and the oriental fruit fly, Bactrocera dorsalis (Hendel) (Diptera: Tephritidae), in a 40 km2 area containing urban, rural and agricultural zones during a 6 year period. The suppression techniques included sanitation, GF-120 NF Naturalyte Fruit Fly Bait sprays, male annihilation, Biolure traps, and parasitoids against C. capitata and B. dorsalis. In addition, small numbers of sterile males were released against B. dorsalis. Substantial reductions in fruit infestation levels were achieved for both species (90.7 and 60.7% for C. capitata and B. dorsalis, respectively) throughout the treatment period. Fruit fly captures in the 40 km2 treatment area were significantly lower during the 6 year period than those recorded in three non-treated areas. The strategy of combining suppression techniques in an area-wide approach is discussed.

Area-Wide Suppression of the Mediterranean Fruit Fly, Ceratitis capitata, and the Oriental Fruit Fly, Bactrocera dorsalis, in Kamuela, Hawaii

PubMed Central

Vargas, Roger I.; Piñero, Jaime C.; Mau, Ronald F. L.; Jang, Eric B.; Klungness, Lester M.; McInnis, Donald O.; Harris, Ernest B.; McQuate, Grant T.; Bautista, Renato C.; Wong, Lyle

2010-01-01

The United States Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Research Service initiated an area-wide fruit fly management program in Hawaii in 2000. The first demonstration site was established in Kamuela, Hawaii, USA. This paper documents suppression of the Mediterranean fruit fly, Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann), and the oriental fruit fly, Bactrocera dorsalis (Hendel) (Diptera: Tephritidae), in a 40 km2 area containing urban, rural and agricultural zones during a 6 year period. The suppression techniques included sanitation, GF-120 NF Naturalyte Fruit Fly Bait sprays, male annihilation, Biolure® traps, and parasitoids against C. capitata and B. dorsalis. In addition, small numbers of sterile males were released against B. dorsalis. Substantial reductions in fruit infestation levels were achieved for both species (90.7 and 60.7% for C. capitata and B. dorsalis, respectively) throughout the treatment period. Fruit fly captures in the 40 km2 treatment area were significantly lower during the 6 year period than those recorded in three non-treated areas. The strategy of combining suppression techniques in an area-wide approach is discussed. PMID:20883128

40 CFR 146.63 - Area of review.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 24 2013-07-01 2013-07-01 false Area of review. 146.63 Section 146.63 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) WATER PROGRAMS (CONTINUED) UNDERGROUND... wells shall be a 2-mile radius around the well bore. The Director may specify a larger area of review...

40 CFR 146.63 - Area of review.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 23 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false Area of review. 146.63 Section 146.63 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) WATER PROGRAMS (CONTINUED) UNDERGROUND... wells shall be a 2-mile radius around the well bore. The Director may specify a larger area of review...

40 CFR 146.63 - Area of review.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 23 2014-07-01 2014-07-01 false Area of review. 146.63 Section 146.63 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) WATER PROGRAMS (CONTINUED) UNDERGROUND... wells shall be a 2-mile radius around the well bore. The Director may specify a larger area of review...

40 CFR 146.63 - Area of review.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 24 2012-07-01 2012-07-01 false Area of review. 146.63 Section 146.63 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) WATER PROGRAMS (CONTINUED) UNDERGROUND... wells shall be a 2-mile radius around the well bore. The Director may specify a larger area of review...

40 CFR 146.63 - Area of review.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 22 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Area of review. 146.63 Section 146.63 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) WATER PROGRAMS (CONTINUED) UNDERGROUND... wells shall be a 2-mile radius around the well bore. The Director may specify a larger area of review...

Library Continuing Education in South Central Pennsylvania: The SPACE Council Needs Assessment.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Townley, Charles; Hollinger, James

A survey of a sample of 141 of the 423 academic and public libraries, information centers, and media centers in its operating area was conducted by the Southeastern Pennsylvania Area Continuing Education (SPACE) Council to identify library continuing education priorities for both professional and nonprofessional staff. Questionnaires were sent to…

40 CFR 52.1392 - Federal Implementation Plan for the Billings/Laurel Area.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 4 2013-07-01 2013-07-01 false Federal Implementation Plan for the Billings/Laurel Area. 52.1392 Section 52.1392 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) AIR PROGRAMS (CONTINUED) APPROVAL AND PROMULGATION OF IMPLEMENTATION PLANS (CONTINUED) Montana § 52.1392 Federal Implementation Plan for...

40 CFR 52.1392 - Federal Implementation Plan for the Billings/Laurel Area.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 4 2012-07-01 2012-07-01 false Federal Implementation Plan for the Billings/Laurel Area. 52.1392 Section 52.1392 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) AIR PROGRAMS (CONTINUED) APPROVAL AND PROMULGATION OF IMPLEMENTATION PLANS (CONTINUED) Montana § 52.1392 Federal Implementation Plan for...

40 CFR 52.1392 - Federal Implementation Plan for the Billings/Laurel Area.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 4 2014-07-01 2014-07-01 false Federal Implementation Plan for the Billings/Laurel Area. 52.1392 Section 52.1392 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) AIR PROGRAMS (CONTINUED) APPROVAL AND PROMULGATION OF IMPLEMENTATION PLANS (CONTINUED) Montana § 52.1392 Federal Implementation Plan for...

40 CFR 52.1392 - Federal Implementation Plan for the Billings/Laurel Area.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 4 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false Federal Implementation Plan for the Billings/Laurel Area. 52.1392 Section 52.1392 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) AIR PROGRAMS (CONTINUED) APPROVAL AND PROMULGATION OF IMPLEMENTATION PLANS (CONTINUED) Montana § 52.1392 Federal Implementation Plan for...

Advancing translational research with the Semantic Web.

PubMed

Ruttenberg, Alan; Clark, Tim; Bug, William; Samwald, Matthias; Bodenreider, Olivier; Chen, Helen; Doherty, Donald; Forsberg, Kerstin; Gao, Yong; Kashyap, Vipul; Kinoshita, June; Luciano, Joanne; Marshall, M Scott; Ogbuji, Chimezie; Rees, Jonathan; Stephens, Susie; Wong, Gwendolyn T; Wu, Elizabeth; Zaccagnini, Davide; Hongsermeier, Tonya; Neumann, Eric; Herman, Ivan; Cheung, Kei-Hoi

2007-05-09

A fundamental goal of the U.S. National Institute of Health (NIH) "Roadmap" is to strengthen Translational Research, defined as the movement of discoveries in basic research to application at the clinical level. A significant barrier to translational research is the lack of uniformly structured data across related biomedical domains. The Semantic Web is an extension of the current Web that enables navigation and meaningful use of digital resources by automatic processes. It is based on common formats that support aggregation and integration of data drawn from diverse sources. A variety of technologies have been built on this foundation that, together, support identifying, representing, and reasoning across a wide range of biomedical data. The Semantic Web Health Care and Life Sciences Interest Group (HCLSIG), set up within the framework of the World Wide Web Consortium, was launched to explore the application of these technologies in a variety of areas. Subgroups focus on making biomedical data available in RDF, working with biomedical ontologies, prototyping clinical decision support systems, working on drug safety and efficacy communication, and supporting disease researchers navigating and annotating the large amount of potentially relevant literature. We present a scenario that shows the value of the information environment the Semantic Web can support for aiding neuroscience researchers. We then report on several projects by members of the HCLSIG, in the process illustrating the range of Semantic Web technologies that have applications in areas of biomedicine. Semantic Web technologies present both promise and challenges. Current tools and standards are already adequate to implement components of the bench-to-bedside vision. On the other hand, these technologies are young. Gaps in standards and implementations still exist and adoption is limited by typical problems with early technology, such as the need for a critical mass of practitioners and installed base, and growing pains as the technology is scaled up. Still, the potential of interoperable knowledge sources for biomedicine, at the scale of the World Wide Web, merits continued work.

Advancing translational research with the Semantic Web

PubMed Central

Ruttenberg, Alan; Clark, Tim; Bug, William; Samwald, Matthias; Bodenreider, Olivier; Chen, Helen; Doherty, Donald; Forsberg, Kerstin; Gao, Yong; Kashyap, Vipul; Kinoshita, June; Luciano, Joanne; Marshall, M Scott; Ogbuji, Chimezie; Rees, Jonathan; Stephens, Susie; Wong, Gwendolyn T; Wu, Elizabeth; Zaccagnini, Davide; Hongsermeier, Tonya; Neumann, Eric; Herman, Ivan; Cheung, Kei-Hoi

2007-01-01

Background A fundamental goal of the U.S. National Institute of Health (NIH) "Roadmap" is to strengthen Translational Research, defined as the movement of discoveries in basic research to application at the clinical level. A significant barrier to translational research is the lack of uniformly structured data across related biomedical domains. The Semantic Web is an extension of the current Web that enables navigation and meaningful use of digital resources by automatic processes. It is based on common formats that support aggregation and integration of data drawn from diverse sources. A variety of technologies have been built on this foundation that, together, support identifying, representing, and reasoning across a wide range of biomedical data. The Semantic Web Health Care and Life Sciences Interest Group (HCLSIG), set up within the framework of the World Wide Web Consortium, was launched to explore the application of these technologies in a variety of areas. Subgroups focus on making biomedical data available in RDF, working with biomedical ontologies, prototyping clinical decision support systems, working on drug safety and efficacy communication, and supporting disease researchers navigating and annotating the large amount of potentially relevant literature. Results We present a scenario that shows the value of the information environment the Semantic Web can support for aiding neuroscience researchers. We then report on several projects by members of the HCLSIG, in the process illustrating the range of Semantic Web technologies that have applications in areas of biomedicine. Conclusion Semantic Web technologies present both promise and challenges. Current tools and standards are already adequate to implement components of the bench-to-bedside vision. On the other hand, these technologies are young. Gaps in standards and implementations still exist and adoption is limited by typical problems with early technology, such as the need for a critical mass of practitioners and installed base, and growing pains as the technology is scaled up. Still, the potential of interoperable knowledge sources for biomedicine, at the scale of the World Wide Web, merits continued work. PMID:17493285

Biodegradable Polyphosphazene Biomaterials for Tissue Engineering and Delivery of Therapeutics

PubMed Central

Baillargeon, Amanda L.; Mequanint, Kibret

2014-01-01

Degradable biomaterials continue to play a major role in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine as well as for delivering therapeutic agents. Although the chemistry of polyphosphazenes has been studied extensively, a systematic review of their applications for a wide range of biomedical applications is lacking. Polyphosphazenes are synthesized through a relatively well-known two-step reaction scheme which involves the substitution of the initial linear precursor with a wide range of nucleophiles. The ease of substitution has led to the development of a broad class of materials that have been studied for numerous biomedical applications including as scaffold materials for tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. The objective of this review is to discuss the suitability of poly(amino acid ester)phosphazene biomaterials in regard to their unique stimuli responsive properties, tunable degradation rates and mechanical properties, as well as in vitro and in vivo biocompatibility. The application of these materials in areas such as tissue engineering and drug delivery is discussed systematically. Lastly, the utility of polyphosphazenes is further extended as they are being employed in blend materials for new applications and as another method of tailoring material properties. PMID:24883323

ULTRA-WIDE-FIELD FUNDUS AUTOFLUORESCENCE FINDINGS IN PATIENTS WITH ACUTE ZONAL OCCULT OUTER RETINOPATHY.

PubMed

Shifera, Amde Selassie; Pennesi, Mark E; Yang, Paul; Lin, Phoebe

2017-06-01

To determine whether ultra-wide-field fundus autofluorescence (UWFFAF) findings in acute zonal occult outer retinopathy correlated well with perimetry, optical coherence tomography, and electroretinography findings. Retrospective observational study on 16 eyes of 10 subjects with AZOOR seen at a single referral center from October 2012 to March 2015 who had UWFFAF performed. Chi-square analysis was performed to compare categorical variables, and Mann-Whitney U test used for comparisons of nonparametric continuous variables. All eyes examined within 3 months of symptom onset (five of the five eyes) had diffusely hyperautofluorescent areas on UWFFAF. The remaining eyes contained hypoautofluorescent lesions with hyperautofluorescent borders. In 11/16 (68.8%) eyes, UWFFAF showed the full extent of lesions that would not have been possible with standard fundus autofluorescence centered on the fovea. There were 3 patterns of spread: centrifugal spread (7/16, 43.8%), centripetal spread (5/16, 31.3%), and centrifugal + centripetal spread (4/16, 25.0%). The UWFFAF lesions corresponded well with perimetric, optical coherence tomography, and electroretinography abnormalities. The UWFFAF along with optical coherence tomography can be useful in the evaluation and monitoring of acute zonal occult outer retinopathy patients.

ULTRA-WIDE-FIELD FUNDUS AUTOFLUORESCENCE FINDINGS IN PATIENTS WITH ACUTE ZONAL OCCULT OUTER RETINOPATHY

PubMed Central

Shifera, Amde Selassie; Pennesi, Mark E.; Yang, Paul; Lin, Phoebe

2016-01-01

Purpose To determine if ultra-wide-field fundus autofluorescence (UWFFAF) findings in acute zonal occult outer retinopathy (AZOOR) correlated well with perimetry, optical coherence tomography (OCT), and electroretinography (ERG) findings. Methods Retrospective observational study on 16 eyes of 10 subjects with AZOOR seen at a single referral center from October 2012 to March 2015 who had UWFFAF performed. Chi-square analysis was performed to compare categorical variables and Mann-Whitney U-test used for comparisons of non-parametric continuous variables. Results All eyes examined within 3 months of symptom onset (5 of 5 eyes) had diffusely hyperautofluorescent areas on UWFFAF. The remaining eyes contained hypoautofluorescent lesions with hyperautofluorescent borders. In 11/16 (68.8%) eyes, UWFFAF showed the full extent of lesions that would not have been possible with standard FAF centered on the fovea. There were 3 patterns of spread: centrifugal spread (7/16, 43.8%), centripetal spread (5/16, 31.3%), and centrifugal + centripetal spread (4/16, 25.0%). UWFFAF lesions corresponded well with perimetric, OCT, and ERG abnormalities. Conclusions UWFFAF along with OCT can be useful in the evaluation and monitoring of AZOOR patients. PMID:27755372

Developing a culture of lifelong learning in a library environment.

PubMed Central

Giuse, N B; Kafantaris, S R; Huber, J T; Lynch, F; Epelbaum, M; Pfeiffer, J

1999-01-01

Between 1995 and 1996, the Annette and Irwin Eskind Biomedical Library (EBL) at Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) radically revised the model of service it provides to the VUMC community. An in-depth training program was developed for librarians, who began to migrate to clinical settings and establish clinical librarianship and information brokerage services beyond the library's walls. To ensure that excellent service would continue within the library, EBL's training program was adapted for library assistants, providing them with access to information about a wide variety of work roles and processes over a four to eight-month training period. Concurrently, customer service areas were reorganized so that any question--whether reference or circulation--could be answered at any of four service points, eliminating the practice of passing customers from person to person between the reference and circulation desks. To provide an incentive for highly trained library assistants to remain at EBL, management and library assistants worked together to redesign the career pathway based on defined stages of achievement, self-directed participation in library-wide projects, and demonstrated commitment to lifelong learning. Education and training were the fundamental principles at the center of all this activity. Images PMID:9934526

XNAT Central: Open sourcing imaging research data.

PubMed

Herrick, Rick; Horton, William; Olsen, Timothy; McKay, Michael; Archie, Kevin A; Marcus, Daniel S

2016-01-01

XNAT Central is a publicly accessible medical imaging data repository based on the XNAT open-source imaging informatics platform. It hosts a wide variety of research imaging data sets. The primary motivation for creating XNAT Central was to provide a central repository to host and provide access to a wide variety of neuroimaging data. In this capacity, XNAT Central hosts a number of data sets from research labs and investigative efforts from around the world, including the OASIS Brains imaging studies, the NUSDAST study of schizophrenia, and more. Over time, XNAT Central has expanded to include imaging data from many different fields of research, including oncology, orthopedics, cardiology, and animal studies, but continues to emphasize neuroimaging data. Through the use of XNAT's DICOM metadata extraction capabilities, XNAT Central provides a searchable repository of imaging data that can be referenced by groups, labs, or individuals working in many different areas of research. The future development of XNAT Central will be geared towards greater ease of use as a reference library of heterogeneous neuroimaging data and associated synthetic data. It will also become a tool for making data available supporting published research and academic articles. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Winter sky brightness and cloud cover at Dome A, Antarctica

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moore, Anna M.; Yang, Yi; Fu, Jianning; Ashley, Michael C. B.; Cui, Xiangqun; Feng, Long Long; Gong, Xuefei; Hu, Zhongwen; Lawrence, Jon S.; Luong-Van, Daniel M.; Riddle, Reed; Shang, Zhaohui; Sims, Geoff; Storey, John W. V.; Tothill, Nicholas F. H.; Travouillon, Tony; Wang, Lifan; Yang, Huigen; Yang, Ji; Zhou, Xu; Zhu, Zhenxi

2013-01-01

At the summit of the Antarctic plateau, Dome A offers an intriguing location for future large scale optical astronomical observatories. The Gattini Dome A project was created to measure the optical sky brightness and large area cloud cover of the winter-time sky above this high altitude Antarctic site. The wide field camera and multi-filter system was installed on the PLATO instrument module as part of the Chinese-led traverse to Dome A in January 2008. This automated wide field camera consists of an Apogee U4000 interline CCD coupled to a Nikon fisheye lens enclosed in a heated container with glass window. The system contains a filter mechanism providing a suite of standard astronomical photometric filters (Bessell B, V, R) and a long-pass red filter for the detection and monitoring of airglow emission. The system operated continuously throughout the 2009, and 2011 winter seasons and part-way through the 2010 season, recording long exposure images sequentially for each filter. We have in hand one complete winter-time dataset (2009) returned via a manned traverse. We present here the first measurements of sky brightness in the photometric V band, cloud cover statistics measured so far and an estimate of the extinction.

A Review of Studies on the System-Wide Implementation of Evidence-Based Psychotherapies for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder in the Veterans Health Administration.

PubMed

Rosen, C S; Matthieu, M M; Wiltsey Stirman, S; Cook, J M; Landes, S; Bernardy, N C; Chard, K M; Crowley, J; Eftekhari, A; Finley, E P; Hamblen, J L; Harik, J M; Kehle-Forbes, S M; Meis, L A; Osei-Bonsu, P E; Rodriguez, A L; Ruggiero, K J; Ruzek, J I; Smith, B N; Trent, L; Watts, B V

2016-11-01

Since 2006, the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) has instituted policy changes and training programs to support system-wide implementation of two evidence-based psychotherapies (EBPs) for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). To assess lessons learned from this unprecedented effort, we used PubMed and the PILOTS databases and networking with researchers to identify 32 reports on contextual influences on implementation or sustainment of EBPs for PTSD in VHA settings. Findings were initially organized using the exploration, planning, implementation, and sustainment framework (EPIS; Aarons et al. in Adm Policy Ment Health Health Serv Res 38:4-23, 2011). Results that could not be adequately captured within the EPIS framework, such as implementation outcomes and adopter beliefs about the innovation, were coded using constructs from the reach, effectiveness, adoption, implementation, maintenance (RE-AIM) framework (Glasgow et al. in Am J Public Health 89:1322-1327, 1999) and Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR; Damschroder et al. in Implement Sci 4(1):50, 2009). We highlight key areas of progress in implementation, identify continuing challenges and research questions, and discuss implications for future efforts to promote EBPs in large health care systems.

Defense strategies for cloud computing multi-site server infrastructures

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

Rao, Nageswara S.; Ma, Chris Y. T.; He, Fei

We consider cloud computing server infrastructures for big data applications, which consist of multiple server sites connected over a wide-area network. The sites house a number of servers, network elements and local-area connections, and the wide-area network plays a critical, asymmetric role of providing vital connectivity between them. We model this infrastructure as a system of systems, wherein the sites and wide-area network are represented by their cyber and physical components. These components can be disabled by cyber and physical attacks, and also can be protected against them using component reinforcements. The effects of attacks propagate within the systems, andmore » also beyond them via the wide-area network.We characterize these effects using correlations at two levels using: (a) aggregate failure correlation function that specifies the infrastructure failure probability given the failure of an individual site or network, and (b) first-order differential conditions on system survival probabilities that characterize the component-level correlations within individual systems. We formulate a game between an attacker and a provider using utility functions composed of survival probability and cost terms. At Nash Equilibrium, we derive expressions for the expected capacity of the infrastructure given by the number of operational servers connected to the network for sum-form, product-form and composite utility functions.« less

Migration and winter distributions of canvasbacks staging on the Upper Mississippi River

USGS Publications Warehouse

Serie, J.R.; Trauger, D.L.; Sharp, D.E.

1983-01-01

Fall and winter distribution patterns of canvasbacks (Aythya valisineria) staging on the upper Mississippi River near LaCrosse, Wisconsin (navigational Pools 7 and 8) and Keokuk, Iowa (Pool 19) were studied during 1973-77. Sightings and recoveries obtained from 1,488 color-marked males during 1973-75 and 3,789 banded males and females during 1973-77 suggested 2 principal migration corridors: 1 extending eastward from Pools 7 and 8 to the eastern Great Lakes and southeast to the Mid-Atlantic Region and another southward from Pools 7 and 8 to the lower Mississippi Valley, Gulf Coast, and east Texas regions. These discrete populations stage concurrently on Pools 7 and 8 during the fall, but winter in different areas of the Atlantic, Mississippi, and Central flyways. Populations staging on Pool 19 were not discrete from those staging on Pools 7 and 8. A continual turnover of birds passing through these staging areas was indicated. Canvasbacks wintering in the Mississippi and Central flyways were widely dispersed among a variety of habitats, whereas canvasbacks wintering in the Atlantic Flyway were concentrated in a few traditional habitats. Canvasbacks exhibited strong fidelity to wintering areas. Distribution patterns and population attributes of canvasbacks during fall and winter may be explained by the predictability of natural foods and their ability to exploit these foods.

High-Sensitivity Encoder-Like Micro Area-Changed Capacitive Transducer for a Nano-g Micro Accelerometer

PubMed Central

Zheng, Panpan; Liu, Jinquan; Li, Zhu; Liu, Huafeng

2017-01-01

Encoder-like micro area-changed capacitive transducers are advantageous in terms of their better linearity and larger dynamic range compared to gap-changed capacitive transducers. Such transducers have been widely applied in rectilinear and rotational position sensors, lab-on-a-chip applications and bio-sensors. However, a complete model accounting for both the parasitic capacitance and fringe effect in area-changed capacitive transducers has not yet been developed. This paper presents a complete model for this type of transducer applied to a high-resolution micro accelerometer that was verified by both simulations and experiments. A novel optimization method involving the insertion of photosensitive polyimide was used to reduce the parasitic capacitance, and the capacitor spacing was decreased to overcome the fringe effect. The sensitivity of the optimized transducer was approximately 46 pF/mm, which was nearly 40 times higher than that of our previous transducer. The displacement detection resolution was measured as 50 pm/√Hz at 0.1 Hz using a precise capacitance detection circuit. Then, the transducer was applied to a sandwich in-plane micro accelerometer, and the measured level of the accelerometer was approximately 30 ng/√Hz at 1Hz. The earthquake that occurred in Taiwan was also detected during a continuous gravity measurement. PMID:28930176

Socio-economic and ecological impacts of global protected area expansion plans

PubMed Central

Visconti, Piero; Bakkenes, Michel; Smith, Robert J.; Joppa, Lucas; Sykes, Rachel E.

2015-01-01

Several global strategies for protected area (PA) expansion have been proposed to achieve the Convention on Biological Diversity's Aichi target 11 as a means to stem biodiversity loss, as required by the Aichi target 12. However, habitat loss outside PAs will continue to affect habitats and species, and PAs may displace human activities into areas that might be even more important for species persistence. Here we measure the expected contribution of PA expansion strategies to Aichi target 12 by estimating the extent of suitable habitat available for all terrestrial mammals, with and without additional protection (the latter giving the counterfactual outcome), under different socio-economic scenarios and consequent land-use change to 2020. We found that expanding PAs to achieve representation targets for ecoregions under a Business-as-usual socio-economic scenario will result in a worse prognosis than doing nothing for more than 50% of the world's terrestrial mammals. By contrast, targeting protection towards threatened species can increase the suitable habitat available to over 60% of terrestrial mammals. Even in the absence of additional protection, an alternative socio-economic scenario, adopting progressive changes in human consumption, leads to positive outcomes for mammals globally and to the largest improvements for wide-ranging species. PMID:26460136

Integrated Assessment of Climate Change Impacts on Maize Farms and Farm Household Incomes in South India: A Case Study from Tamil Nadu. 9; Chapter

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ponnusamy, Paramasivam; Vellingiri, Geethalakshmi; Danda, Raji Reddy; Arunachalam, Lakshmanan; Murthy, Dakshina; Prema, Sunandini; Gade, Sreenivas; McDermid, Sonali P.; Valdivia, Roberto O.

2015-01-01

South India is characterized by a wide variety of landscapes, soils and climatic zones. It is comprised of tropical, semi-arid, humid-moist, and high-altitude environments, which support a diversity of agricultural systems. Our study focused on the state of Tamil Nadu, which is characterized by a generally tropical climate, and receive rainfall during both the southwest monsoon season (SWM, June to September) and the northeast monsoon (NEM, September to December). Agriculture continues to be an important sector in the state economy, as more than 56 of the people depend on agriculture and allied sectors for their livelihood. Analysis of land-use patterns in Tamil Nadu reveals that in the past decade there has been a reduction in net sown area and current fallow, while the share of cultivable wastelands has increased. The area under cereals, pulses, and oilseeds had marginally declined, although area under commercial crops like turmeric, sugar-cane, banana, fruits, and vegetables has shown an increasing trend. The production performance of major crops like cereals, pulses, and oilseeds has not shown any significant increase. Demand and supply gap of important crops in Tamil Nadu for the year 2010 indicates that the state is lagging far behind in the production of various crops.

Seafloor geology of the Monterey Bay area continental shelf

USGS Publications Warehouse

Eittreim, S.L.; Anima, R.J.; Stevenson, A.J.

2002-01-01

Acoustic swath-mapping of the greater Monterey Bay area continental shelf from Point An??o Nuevo to Point Sur reveals complex patterns of rock outcrops on the shelf, and coarse-sand bodies that occur in distinct depressions on the inner and mid-shelves. Most of the rock outcrops are erosional cuestas of dipping Tertiary rocks that make up the bedrock of the surrounding lands. A mid-shelf mud belt of Holocene sediment buries the Tertiary rocks in a continuous, 6-km-wide zone on the northern Monterey Bay shelf. Rock exposures occur on the inner shelf, near tectonically uplifting highlands, and on the outer shelf, beyond the reach of the mud depositing on the mid-shelf since the Holocene sea-level rise. The sediment-starved shelf off the Monterey Peninsula and south to Point Sur has a very thin cover of Holocene sediment, and bedrock outcrops occur across the whole shelf, with Salinian granite outcrops surrounding the Monterey Peninsula. Coarse-sand deposits occur both bounded within low-relief rippled scour depressions, and in broad sheets in areas like the Sur Platform where fine sediment sources are limited. The greatest concentrations of coarse-sand deposits occur on the southern Monterey Bay shelf and the Sur shelf. ?? 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

Spatial-temporal travel pattern mining using massive taxi trajectory data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zheng, Linjiang; Xia, Dong; Zhao, Xin; Tan, Longyou; Li, Hang; Chen, Li; Liu, Weining

2018-07-01

Deep understanding of residents' travel patterns would provide helpful insights into the mechanisms of many socioeconomic phenomena. With the rapid development of location-aware computing technologies, researchers have easy access to large quantities of travel data. As an important data source, taxi trajectory data are featured by their high quality, good continuity and wide distribution, making it suitable for travel pattern mining. In this paper, we use taxi trajectory data to study spatial-temporal characterization of urban residents' travel patterns from two aspects: attractive areas and hot paths. Firstly, a framework of trajectory preprocessing, including data cleaning and extracting the taxi passenger pick-up/drop-off points, is presented to reduce the noise and redundancy in raw trajectory data. Then, a grid density based clustering algorithm is proposed to discover travel attractive areas in different periods of a day. On this basis, we put forward a spatial-temporal trajectory clustering method to discover hot paths among travel attractive areas. Compared with previous algorithms, which only consider the spatial constraint between trajectories, temporal constraint is also considered in our method. Through the experiments, we discuss how to determine the optimal parameters of the two clustering algorithms and verify the effectiveness of the algorithms using real data. Furthermore, we analyze spatial-temporal characterization of Chongqing residents' travel pattern.

Socio-economic and ecological impacts of global protected area expansion plans.

PubMed

Visconti, Piero; Bakkenes, Michel; Smith, Robert J; Joppa, Lucas; Sykes, Rachel E

2015-11-05

Several global strategies for protected area (PA) expansion have been proposed to achieve the Convention on Biological Diversity's Aichi target 11 as a means to stem biodiversity loss, as required by the Aichi target 12. However, habitat loss outside PAs will continue to affect habitats and species, and PAs may displace human activities into areas that might be even more important for species persistence. Here we measure the expected contribution of PA expansion strategies to Aichi target 12 by estimating the extent of suitable habitat available for all terrestrial mammals, with and without additional protection (the latter giving the counterfactual outcome), under different socio-economic scenarios and consequent land-use change to 2020. We found that expanding PAs to achieve representation targets for ecoregions under a Business-as-usual socio-economic scenario will result in a worse prognosis than doing nothing for more than 50% of the world's terrestrial mammals. By contrast, targeting protection towards threatened species can increase the suitable habitat available to over 60% of terrestrial mammals. Even in the absence of additional protection, an alternative socio-economic scenario, adopting progressive changes in human consumption, leads to positive outcomes for mammals globally and to the largest improvements for wide-ranging species. © 2015 The Author(s).

Implications from XMM and Chandra Source Catalogs for Future Studies with Lynx

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ptak, Andrew

2018-01-01

Lynx will perform extremely sensitive X-ray surveys by combining very high-resolution imaging over a large field of view with a high effective area. These will include deep planned surveys and serendipitous source surveys. Here we discuss implications that can be gleaned from current Chandra and XMM-Newton serendipitous source surveys. These current surveys have discovered novel sources such as tidal disruption events, binary AGN, and ULX pulsars. In addition these surveys have detected large samples of normal galaxies, low-luminosity AGN and quasars due to the wide-area coverage of the Chandra and XMM-Newton source catalogs, allowing the evolution of these phenonema to be explored. The wide area Lynx surveys will probe down further in flux and will be coupled with very sensitive wide-area surveys such as LSST and SKA, allowing for detailed modeling of their SEDs and the discovery of rare, exotic sources and transient events.

The rapid size- and shape-controlled continuous hydrothermal synthesis of metal sulphide nanomaterials.

PubMed

Dunne, Peter W; Starkey, Chris L; Gimeno-Fabra, Miquel; Lester, Edward H

2014-02-21

Continuous flow hydrothermal synthesis offers a cheap, green and highly scalable route for the preparation of inorganic nanomaterials which has predominantly been applied to metal oxide based materials. In this work we report the first continuous flow hydrothermal synthesis of metal sulphide nanomaterials. A wide range of binary metal sulphides, ZnS, CdS, PbS, CuS, Fe(1-x)S and Bi2S3, have been synthesised. By varying the reaction conditions two different mechanisms may be invoked; a growth dominated route which permits the formation of nanostructured sulphide materials, and a nucleation driven process which produces nanoparticles with temperature dependent size control. This offers a new and industrially viable route to a wide range of metal sulphide nanoparticles with facile size and shape control.

An intelligent factory-wide optimal operation system for continuous production process

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ding, Jinliang; Chai, Tianyou; Wang, Hongfeng; Wang, Junwei; Zheng, Xiuping

2016-03-01

In this study, a novel intelligent factory-wide operation system for a continuous production process is designed to optimise the entire production process, which consists of multiple units; furthermore, this system is developed using process operational data to avoid the complexity of mathematical modelling of the continuous production process. The data-driven approach aims to specify the structure of the optimal operation system; in particular, the operational data of the process are used to formulate each part of the system. In this context, the domain knowledge of process engineers is utilised, and a closed-loop dynamic optimisation strategy, which combines feedback, performance prediction, feed-forward, and dynamic tuning schemes into a framework, is employed. The effectiveness of the proposed system has been verified using industrial experimental results.

Economic evaluation of an area-wide integrated pest management program to control the Asian tiger mosquito in New Jersey

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Aedes albopictus is the most invasive mosquito in the world, an important disease vector, and a biting nuisance that limits outdoor activities. Area-wide integrated pest management (AW-IPM) is the recommended control strategy. We conducted an economic evaluation of the AW-IPM project in Mercer and ...

A Distribution Level Wide Area Monitoring System for the Electric Power Grid–FNET/GridEye

DOE PAGES

Liu, Yong; You, Shutang; Yao, Wenxuan; ...

2017-02-09

The wide area monitoring system (WAMS) is considered a pivotal component of future electric power grids. As a pilot WAMS that has been operated for more than a decade, the frequency monitoring network FNET/GridEye makes use of hundreds of global positioning system-synchronized phasor measurement sensors to capture the increasingly complicated grid behaviors across the interconnected power systems. In this paper, the FNET/GridEye system is overviewed and its operation experiences in electric power grid wide area monitoring are presented. Particularly, the implementation of a number of data analytics applications will be discussed in details. FNET/GridEye lays a firm foundation for themore » later WAMS operation in the electric power industry.« less

MAP Fault Localization Based on Wide Area Synchronous Phasor Measurement Information

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Yagang; Wang, Zengping

2015-02-01

In the research of complicated electrical engineering, the emergence of phasor measurement units (PMU) is a landmark event. The establishment and application of wide area measurement system (WAMS) in power system has made widespread and profound influence on the safe and stable operation of complicated power system. In this paper, taking full advantage of wide area synchronous phasor measurement information provided by PMUs, we have carried out precise fault localization based on the principles of maximum posteriori probability (MAP). Large numbers of simulation experiments have confirmed that the results of MAP fault localization are accurate and reliable. Even if there are interferences from white Gaussian stochastic noise, the results from MAP classification are also identical to the actual real situation.

Performance of a GM tube based environmental dose rate monitor operating in the Time-To-Count mode

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

Zickefoose, J.; Kulkarni, T.; Martinson, T.

The events at the Fukushima Daiichi power plant in the aftermath of a natural disaster underline the importance of a large array of networked environmental monitors to cover areas around nuclear power plants. These monitors should meet a few basic criteria: have a uniform response over a wide range of gamma energies, have a uniform response over a wide range of incident angles, and have a large dynamic range. Many of these criteria are met if the probe is qualified to the international standard IEC 60532 (Radiation protection instrumentation - Installed dose rate meters, warning assemblies and monitors - Xmore » and gamma radiation of energy between 50 keV and 7 MeV), which specifically deals with energy response, angle of incidence, dynamic range, response time, and a number of environmental characteristics. EcoGamma is a dual GM tube environmental gamma radiation monitor designed specifically to meet the requirements of IEC 60532 and operate in the most extreme conditions. EcoGamma utilizes two energy compensated GM tubes operating with a Time-To-Count (TTC) collection algorithm. The TTC algorithm extends the lifetime and range of a GM tube significantly and allows the dual GM tube probe to achieve linearity over approximately 10 decades of gamma dose rate (from the Sv/hr range to 100 Sv/hr). In the TTC mode of operation, the GM tube is not maintained in a biased condition continuously. This is different from a traditional counting system where the GM tube is held at a constant bias continuously and the total number of strikes that the tube registers are counted. The traditional approach allows for good sensitivity, but does not lend itself to a long lifetime of the tube and is susceptible to linearity issues at high count rates. TTC on the other hand only biases the tube for short periods of time and in effect measures the time between events, which is statistically representative of the total strike rate. Since the tube is not continually biased, the life of the tube is extended and the linearity is greatly improved. Testing has been performed at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) in the USA and confirms compliance to IEC 60532 as well as linearity (± 10%) up to 100 Sv/hr. Furthermore, a network of EcoGamma probes may be linked through available supervisory software to provide a dose rate map of an area. This allows for real time monitoring of dose rates from one (or multiple) remote locations. (authors)« less

Updating the 2001 National Land Cover Database land cover classification to 2006 by using Landsat imagery change detection methods

USGS Publications Warehouse

Xian, George; Homer, Collin G.; Fry, Joyce

2009-01-01

The recent release of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) National Land Cover Database (NLCD) 2001, which represents the nation's land cover status based on a nominal date of 2001, is widely used as a baseline for national land cover conditions. To enable the updating of this land cover information in a consistent and continuous manner, a prototype method was developed to update land cover by an individual Landsat path and row. This method updates NLCD 2001 to a nominal date of 2006 by using both Landsat imagery and data from NLCD 2001 as the baseline. Pairs of Landsat scenes in the same season in 2001 and 2006 were acquired according to satellite paths and rows and normalized to allow calculation of change vectors between the two dates. Conservative thresholds based on Anderson Level I land cover classes were used to segregate the change vectors and determine areas of change and no-change. Once change areas had been identified, land cover classifications at the full NLCD resolution for 2006 areas of change were completed by sampling from NLCD 2001 in unchanged areas. Methods were developed and tested across five Landsat path/row study sites that contain several metropolitan areas including Seattle, Washington; San Diego, California; Sioux Falls, South Dakota; Jackson, Mississippi; and Manchester, New Hampshire. Results from the five study areas show that the vast majority of land cover change was captured and updated with overall land cover classification accuracies of 78.32%, 87.5%, 88.57%, 78.36%, and 83.33% for these areas. The method optimizes mapping efficiency and has the potential to provide users a flexible method to generate updated land cover at national and regional scales by using NLCD 2001 as the baseline.

An automated microreactor for semi-continuous biosensor measurements.

PubMed

Buffi, Nina; Beggah, Siham; Truffer, Frederic; Geiser, Martial; van Lintel, Harald; Renaud, Philippe; van der Meer, Jan Roelof

2016-04-21

Living bacteria or yeast cells are frequently used as bioreporters for the detection of specific chemical analytes or conditions of sample toxicity. In particular, bacteria or yeast equipped with synthetic gene circuitry that allows the production of a reliable non-cognate signal (e.g., fluorescent protein or bioluminescence) in response to a defined target make robust and flexible analytical platforms. We report here how bacterial cells expressing a fluorescence reporter ("bactosensors"), which are mostly used for batch sample analysis, can be deployed for automated semi-continuous target analysis in a single concise biochip. Escherichia coli-based bactosensor cells were continuously grown in a 13 or 50 nanoliter-volume reactor on a two-layered polydimethylsiloxane-on-glass microfluidic chip. Physiologically active cells were directed from the nl-reactor to a dedicated sample exposure area, where they were concentrated and reacted in 40 minutes with the target chemical by localized emission of the fluorescent reporter signal. We demonstrate the functioning of the bactosensor-chip by the automated detection of 50 μgarsenite-As l(-1) in water on consecutive days and after a one-week constant operation. Best induction of the bactosensors of 6-9-fold to 50 μg l(-1) was found at an apparent dilution rate of 0.12 h(-1) in the 50 nl microreactor. The bactosensor chip principle could be widely applicable to construct automated monitoring devices for a variety of targets in different environments.

[Changes of soil physical properties during the conversion of cropland to agroforestry system].

PubMed

Wang, Lai; Gao, Peng Xiang; Liu, Bin; Zhong, Chong Gao; Hou, Lin; Zhang, Shuo Xin

2017-01-01

To provide theoretical basis for modeling and managing agroforestry systems, the influence of conversion of cropland to agroforestry system on soil physical properties was investigated via a walnut (Juglans regia)-wheat (Triticum aestivum) intercropping system, a wide spreading local agroforestry model in northern Weihe River of loess area, with the walnut and wheat monoculture systems as the control. The results showed that the improvement of the intercropping system on soil physical properties mainly appeared in the 0-40 cm soil layer. The intercropping system could prevent soil bulk density rising in the surface soil (0-20 cm), and the plow pan in the 20-40 cm soil layer could be significantly alleviated. The intercropping system had conti-nuous improvement on soil field capacity in each soil layer with the planting age increase, and the soil field capacity was higher than that of each monoculture system in each soil layer (except 20-40 cm soil layer) since the 5th year after planting. The intercropping system had continuous improvement on soil porosity in each soil layer, but mainly in the 0-20 and 20-40 cm soil layer, and the ratio of capillary porosity was also improved. The soil bulk density, field capacity and soil porosity obtained continuous improvement during the conversion of cropland to agroforestry system, and the improvement on soil physical properties was stronger in shallow soil layer than in deep soil.

Water security - Nation state and international security implications

USGS Publications Warehouse

Tindall, James A.; Andrew A. Campbell,

2009-01-01

A terrorist attack such as poisoning and sabotage of the national water supply and water-quality infrastructure of the continental United States or any country, could disrupt the delivery of vital human services, threaten both public health and the environment, potentially cause mass casualties and pose grave public concern for homeland security. Most significantly, an attack on water resources would weaken social cohesion and trust in government. A threat to continuity of services is a potential threat to continuity of government since both are necessary for continuity of operations. Water infrastructure is difficult to protect, as it extends over vast areas across the U.S. and for which ownership is overwhelmingly nonfederal (approximately 85 percent). Since the 9111 attacks, federal dam operators and water and wastewater utilities have established counter measures. Similar measures have been taken in countries around the world. These include enhanced physical security, improved coordination between corporate ownership, Department of Homeland Security, and local law enforcement, and research into risk assessment and vulnerability analysis to ensure greater system safety. A key issue is the proportionate additional resources directed at public and private sector specific priorities. Agencies that have the scientific and technological ability to leverage resources, exploit integrated science approaches, focus on interdisciplinary practices, utilize informatics expertise and employ a wide use of evolving technologies should play a key role in water security and related issues.

Point-Source and Area-Wide Field Studies of Pyriproxyfen Autodissemination Against Urban Container-Inhabiting Mosquitoes

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-04-05

trials by Itoh (1994) and subsequently confirmed by Chism and Apperson (2003), Devine et al. (2009) demonstrated in field experiments in Peru that...105 ha in area (Fig. 2), whereas, the control site was in Union Beach , NJ (40.2650 lat., - 74.71026 long.) and spanned 181 ha. Both the treatment and...people/km2) than Union Beach (1384.7 people/km2). We initially intended to assess pyriproxyfen-based area-wide autodissemination by treating 25% of an

Judgement of discrete and continuous quantity in adults: number counts!

PubMed

Nys, Julie; Content, Alain

2012-01-01

Three experiments involving a Stroop-like paradigm were conducted. In Experiment 1, adults received a number comparison task in which large sets of dots, orthogonally varying along a discrete dimension (number of dots) and a continuous dimension (cumulative area), were presented. Incongruent trials were processed more slowly and with less accuracy than congruent trials, suggesting that continuous dimensions such as cumulative area are automatically processed and integrated during a discrete quantity judgement task. Experiment 2, in which adults were asked to perform area comparison on the same stimuli, revealed the reciprocal interference from number on the continuous quantity judgements. Experiment 3, in which participants received both the number and area comparison tasks, confirmed the results of Experiments 1 and 2. Contrasting with earlier statements, the results support the view that number acts as a more salient cue than continuous dimensions in adults. Furthermore, the individual predisposition to automatically access approximate number representations was found to correlate significantly with adults' exact arithmetical skills.

Barrier Displacement on a Neutral Landscape: Toward a Theory of Continental Biogeography.

PubMed

Albert, James S; Schoolmaster, Donald R; Tagliacollo, Victor; Duke-Sylvester, Scott M

2017-03-01

Macroevolutionary theory posits three processes leading to lineage diversification and the formation of regional biotas: dispersal (species geographic range expansion), speciation (species lineage splitting), and extinction (species lineage termination). The Theory of Island Biogeography (TIB) predicts species richness values using just two of these processes; dispersal and extinction. Yet most species on Earth live on continents or continental shelves, and the dynamics of evolutionary diversification at regional and continental scales are qualitatively different from those that govern the formation of species richness on biogeographic islands. Certain geomorphological processes operating perennially on continental platforms displace barriers to gene flow and organismal dispersal, and affect all three terms of macroevolutionary diversification. For example, uplift of a dissected landscape and river capture both merge and separate portions of adjacent areas, allowing dispersal and larger geographic ranges, vicariant speciation and smaller geographic ranges, and extinction when range sizes are subdivided below a minimum persistence threshold. The TIB also does not predict many biogeographic and phylogenetic patterns widely observed in continentally distributed taxa, including: (i) power function-like species-area relationships; (ii) log-normal distribution of species geographic range sizes, in which most species have restricted ranges (are endemic) and few species have broad ranges (are cosmopolitan); (iii) mid-domain effects with more species toward the geographic center, and more early-branching, species-poor clades toward the geographic periphery; (iv) exponential rates of net diversification with log-linear accumulation of lineages through geological time; and (v) power function-like relationships between species-richness and clade diversity, in which most clades are species-poor and few clades are species-rich. Current theory does not provide a robust mechanistic framework to connect these seemingly disparate patterns. Here we present SEAMLESS (Spatially Explicit Area Model of Landscape Evolution by SimulationS) that generates clade diversification by moving geographic barriers on a continuous, neutral landscape. SEAMLESS is a neutral Landscape Evolution Model (LEM) that treats species and barriers as functionally equivalent with respect to model parameters. SEAMLESS differs from other model-based biogeographic methods (e.g., Lagrange, GeoSSE, BayArea, and BioGeoBEARS) by modeling properties of dispersal barriers rather than areas, and by modeling the evolution of species lineages on a continuous landscape, rather than the evolution of geographic ranges along branches of a phylogeny. SEAMLESS shows how dispersal is required to maintain species richness and avoid clade-wide extinction, demonstrates that ancestral range size does not predict species richness, and provides a unified explanation for the suite of commonly observed biogeographic and phylogenetic patterns listed above. SEAMLESS explains how a simple barrier-displacement mechanism affects lineage diversification under neutral conditions, and is advanced here toward the formulation of a general theory of continental biogeography. [Diversification, extinction, geodispersal, macroevolution, river capture, vicariance.]. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Society of Systematic Biologists 2016. This work is written by a US Government employee and is in the public domain in the US.

Ultra-wide-field angiography improves the detection and classification of diabetic retinopathy.

PubMed

Wessel, Matthew M; Aaker, Grant D; Parlitsis, George; Cho, Minhee; D'Amico, Donald J; Kiss, Szilárd

2012-04-01

To evaluate patients with diabetic retinopathy using ultra-wide-field fluorescein angiography and to compare the visualized retinal pathology with that seen on an overly of conventional 7 standard field (7SF) imaging. Two hundred and eighteen eyes of 118 diabetic patients who underwent diagnostic fluorescein angiography using the Optos Optomap Panoramic 200A imaging system were included. The visualized area of the retina, retinal nonperfusion, retinal neovascularization, and panretinal photocoagulation were quantified by two independent masked graders. The respective areas identified on the ultra-wide-field fluorescein angiography image were compared with an overly of a modified 7SF image as outlined in the Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study. Ultra-wide-field fluorescein angiograms imaging, on average, demonstrated 3.2 times more total retinal surface area than 7SF. When compared with 7SF, ultra-wide-field fluorescein angiography showed 3.9 times more nonperfusion (P < 0.001), 1.9 times more neovascularization (P = 0.036), and 3.8 times more panretinal photocoagulation (P < 0.001). In 22 eyes (10%), ultra-wide-field fluorescein angiography demonstrated retinal pathology (including nonperfusion and neovascularization) not evident in an 7SF overly. Compared with conventional 7SF imaging, ultra-wide-field fluorescein angiography reveals significantly more retinal vascular pathology in patients with diabetic retinopathy. Improved retinal visualization may alter the classification of diabetic retinopathy and may therefore influence follow-up and treatment of these patients.

Voluntary Professional Credentialing Programs. A Resource Handbook for Continuing Educators.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hanniford, Barbara, Ed.

This handbook describes 77 voluntary programs offering professional credentialing for people in a wide range of professional and occupational fields. Each description lists credentials, organization offering credentials, initial credentialing requirements, credential renewal requirements (if any), continuing education approval process, and other…

40 CFR 52.63 - PM10 State Implementation Plan development in group II areas.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... development in group II areas. 52.63 Section 52.63 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) AIR PROGRAMS (CONTINUED) APPROVAL AND PROMULGATION OF IMPLEMENTATION PLANS Alabama § 52.63 PM10 State Implementation Plan development in group II areas. On March 15, 1989, the State submitted a...

40 CFR 52.331 - Committal SIP for the Colorado Group II PM10 areas.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... PM10 areas. 52.331 Section 52.331 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) AIR PROGRAMS (CONTINUED) APPROVAL AND PROMULGATION OF IMPLEMENTATION PLANS Colorado § 52.331 Committal SIP for the Colorado Group II PM10 areas. On April 14, 1989, the Governor submitted a Committal SIP...

40 CFR 52.331 - Committal SIP for the Colorado Group II PM10 areas.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... PM10 areas. 52.331 Section 52.331 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) AIR PROGRAMS (CONTINUED) APPROVAL AND PROMULGATION OF IMPLEMENTATION PLANS Colorado § 52.331 Committal SIP for the Colorado Group II PM10 areas. On April 14, 1989, the Governor submitted a Committal SIP...

40 CFR 52.331 - Committal SIP for the Colorado Group II PM10 areas.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... PM10 areas. 52.331 Section 52.331 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) AIR PROGRAMS (CONTINUED) APPROVAL AND PROMULGATION OF IMPLEMENTATION PLANS Colorado § 52.331 Committal SIP for the Colorado Group II PM10 areas. On April 14, 1989, the Governor submitted a Committal SIP...

40 CFR 52.331 - Committal SIP for the Colorado Group II PM10 areas.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... PM10 areas. 52.331 Section 52.331 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) AIR PROGRAMS (CONTINUED) APPROVAL AND PROMULGATION OF IMPLEMENTATION PLANS Colorado § 52.331 Committal SIP for the Colorado Group II PM10 areas. On April 14, 1989, the Governor submitted a Committal SIP...

40 CFR 52.881 - PM10 State implementation plan development in group II areas.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... development in group II areas. 52.881 Section 52.881 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) AIR PROGRAMS (CONTINUED) APPROVAL AND PROMULGATION OF IMPLEMENTATION PLANS Kansas § 52.881 PM10 State implementation plan development in group II areas. The state has submitted a committal SIP for...

40 CFR 52.63 - PM10 State Implementation Plan development in group II areas.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... development in group II areas. 52.63 Section 52.63 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) AIR PROGRAMS (CONTINUED) APPROVAL AND PROMULGATION OF IMPLEMENTATION PLANS Alabama § 52.63 PM10 State Implementation Plan development in group II areas. On March 15, 1989, the State submitted a...

40 CFR 52.63 - PM10 State Implementation Plan development in group II areas.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... development in group II areas. 52.63 Section 52.63 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) AIR PROGRAMS (CONTINUED) APPROVAL AND PROMULGATION OF IMPLEMENTATION PLANS Alabama § 52.63 PM10 State Implementation Plan development in group II areas. On March 15, 1989, the State submitted a...

40 CFR 52.935 - PM10 State implementation plan development in group II areas.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... development in group II areas. 52.935 Section 52.935 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) AIR PROGRAMS (CONTINUED) APPROVAL AND PROMULGATION OF IMPLEMENTATION PLANS Kentucky § 52.935 PM10 State implementation plan development in group II areas. On July 7, 1988, the State submitted a...

40 CFR 52.935 - PM10 State implementation plan development in group II areas.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... development in group II areas. 52.935 Section 52.935 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) AIR PROGRAMS (CONTINUED) APPROVAL AND PROMULGATION OF IMPLEMENTATION PLANS Kentucky § 52.935 PM10 State implementation plan development in group II areas. On July 7, 1988, the State submitted a...

40 CFR 52.935 - PM10 State implementation plan development in group II areas.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... development in group II areas. 52.935 Section 52.935 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) AIR PROGRAMS (CONTINUED) APPROVAL AND PROMULGATION OF IMPLEMENTATION PLANS Kentucky § 52.935 PM10 State implementation plan development in group II areas. On July 7, 1988, the State submitted a...

40 CFR 52.881 - PM10 State implementation plan development in group II areas.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... development in group II areas. 52.881 Section 52.881 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) AIR PROGRAMS (CONTINUED) APPROVAL AND PROMULGATION OF IMPLEMENTATION PLANS Kansas § 52.881 PM10 State implementation plan development in group II areas. The state has submitted a committal SIP for...

40 CFR 52.935 - PM10 State implementation plan development in group II areas.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... development in group II areas. 52.935 Section 52.935 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) AIR PROGRAMS (CONTINUED) APPROVAL AND PROMULGATION OF IMPLEMENTATION PLANS Kentucky § 52.935 PM10 State implementation plan development in group II areas. On July 7, 1988, the State submitted a...

40 CFR 52.881 - PM10 State implementation plan development in group II areas.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... development in group II areas. 52.881 Section 52.881 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) AIR PROGRAMS (CONTINUED) APPROVAL AND PROMULGATION OF IMPLEMENTATION PLANS Kansas § 52.881 PM10 State implementation plan development in group II areas. The state has submitted a committal SIP for...

40 CFR 52.331 - Committal SIP for the Colorado Group II PM10 areas.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... PM10 areas. 52.331 Section 52.331 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) AIR PROGRAMS (CONTINUED) APPROVAL AND PROMULGATION OF IMPLEMENTATION PLANS Colorado § 52.331 Committal SIP for the Colorado Group II PM10 areas. On April 14, 1989, the Governor submitted a Committal SIP...