The Hatu gold anomaly, Xinjiang-Uygur Autonomous Region, China - testing the hypothesis of aeolian transport of gold

USGS Publications Warehouse

Smith, D.B.; Theobald, P.K.; Shiquan, S.; Tianxiang, R.; Zhihui, H.

1993-01-01

In 1987, a cooperative project between the U.S. Geological Survey and the Institute of Geophysical and Geochemical Exploration was initiated to evaluate the origin of the Hatu gold anomaly. The anomaly is located in the Hatu mining district in the northwest corner of Xinjiang-Uygur Autonomous Region in northwest China. The climate is semiarid to arid and wind erosion predominates. A regional soil survey of the Hatu district, based on samples collected on a 200 by 500 m grid and composited prior to chemical analysis to a density of one sample per square km, delineated a series of south-southeast-trending Au anomalies. Anomalous Au values range from 5 ppb to more than 700 ppb. The Hatu anomaly, the most prominent of these anomalies, is more than 30 km long and about 5 km wide. The mining town of Hatu and the economic gold deposits of Qiqu 1 and Qiqu 2 are at the northern end of this anomaly. The axis of the Hatu anomaly cuts across mapped structure and stratigraphy in the district, but is parallel to the prevailing wind direction. This observation led to the hypothesis that the Hatu anomaly is the result of acolian dispersion of gold from the vicinity of Qiqu 1 and Qiqu 2. The alternative interpretation, that the anomalies reflected additional primary gold occurrences, was not consistent with existing information on the known occurrences and the geology. The investigation led to the identification of three types of gold in heavy-mineral concentrates derived from stream sediments that were collected along the axis of the Hatu anomaly: (1) free gold, (2) gold in pyrite, and (3) gold included in quartz. Gold in quartz was only observed within 2 km of Qiqu 1. The size of the gold particles and the number of gold particles in these samples did not decrease with distance from Qiqu 1 as would be expected from aeolian or fluvial dispersion from a point source. Instead, both the size and amount of gold increased significantly at a distance of 3.5 km from Qiqu 1 and this

Decreased expression of the ATM gene linked to poor prognosis for gastric cancer of different nationalities in Xinjiang.

PubMed

Han, Mei; Ma, Lanying; Qu, Yanli; Tang, Yong

2017-08-01

To explore the clinicopathological significance of ATM gene in the occurrence and prognosis of gastric cancer (GC) from different nationalities in Xinjiang. The expression of ATM in 385 patients with GC (including 98 Uygurs, 231 Hans and 56 Kazaks) and its corresponding adjacent tissues were examined by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) and immunohistochemistry assay to, analyze its correlations with clinicopathological features and prognosis of GC. The ATM expression in GC tissues was significantly decreased when compared to that in adjacent normal tissues of Uygur, Han and Kazak patients in Xinjiang, while Uygurs and Kazaks were much lower than Hans in the ATM expression of GC tissues (all P<0.05). Kaplan-Meier analysis showed that Uygur and Kazak patients with ATM-negative tumors had a markedly lower survival rate than patients in Hans (P=0.028), and GC patients with ATM negative expression presented more unfavorable overall survival rate than those with positive expression among the three different nationalities (all P<0.05). Multivariate Cox regression analysis revealed that nationality, ATM expression, TNM staging, depth of invasion, and lymph node metastasis were independent factors affecting the prognosis of GC patients in Xinjiang (all P<0.05). ATM was downregulated in GC patients in Xinjiang, especially for Uygurs and Kazaks, which suggested ATM to be an independent indicator of prognosis for GC therapy. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

[Strategic environmental assessment on land use programming of Shaya County, Xinjiang Uygur Automous Region].

PubMed

Zhang, Fei; Tashpolat, Tiyip; Ding, Jian-Li; Tian, Yuan; Mamat, Sawut

2009-02-01

With the establishment and implement of national and regional land use programming, to approach the technology and methodology of environmental assessment appropriate for the overall land use programming is of great significance. By using the theories of strategic environmental assessment and taking ecosystem services value as an evaluation index, a comprehensive assessment on the potential eco-environmental effects of 1996-2010 land use programming of Shaya County in Xinjiang Uygur Automous Region was made. The results showed that from 1996 to 2010, the total ecosystem services value of the County increased from 69.33 x 10(8) Yuan to 70.81 x 10(8) Yuan, with an annual increment of 0.15%, which suggested that this programming was basically reasonable. However, the common land expansion should be controlled strictly. The increase rate of eco-value was higher than that of GDP, indicating that Shaya County was of eco-value gaining. There were still some shortages in the programming; e.g., the area ratio of unutilized land (desert) would be 83.95% in 2010, and thus, the programming should be emended to increase the eco-benefit of land use.

[Correlation between interleukin-10 polymorphisms and susceptibility to chronic periodontitis among Uygur adults in the Moyu area].

PubMed

Yuhui, Zhang; Ping, Huang; Jing, Lin; Jin, Zhao

2017-10-01

This study aims to investigate the association between interleukin (IL)-10-597 (C/A) single-nucleotide polymorphisms and chronic periodontitis of Moyu Uygur population in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region of China. In accordance with the inclusion and exclusion criteria, the buccal swabs of 300 subjects were randomly selected from the epidemiological investigation of Uygur adults in Moyu county on April and May 2013. The study was conducted on a healthy control group, a mild chronic periodontitis group, and a moderate-to-severe chronic periodontitis group, with each comprising 100 samples. The IL-10-597(C/A) site in the promoter sequences was analyzed using the tetra-primer amplification refractory mutation system-polymerase chain reaction method to test the genotype and allele distributions. Statistical analysis was performed using Chi-squared test and ordinal classification Logistic regression analysis. The genotype and allele frequencies of the IL-10-597(C/A) site in the healthy control group, mild chronic periodontitis group, and moderate-to-severe chronic periodontitis group exhibited no significant difference (P>0.05). The age of all the samples was associated with chronic periodontitis. The risk of chronic periodontitis in the people of 55-65 years old was 25 times in the people under the age of 35 (OR=25.56, P<0.001). The IL-10-597 (C/A) single-nucleotide polymorphisms in the gene promoter are not associated with chronic periodontitis in Uygur adult population.

Vitamin D Deficiency in Uygurs and Kazaks Is Associated with Polymorphisms in CYP2R1 and DHCR7/NADSYN1 Genes

PubMed Central

Xu, Xinjuan; Mao, Jiangfeng; Zhang, Mingchen; Liu, Haiming; Li, Haixia; Lei, Hong; Han, Lu; Gao, Min

2015-01-01

Background Our study is aimed to 1) clarify the vitamin D status in Uygur and Kazak ethnic populations and 2) elucidate the relationship between 14 SNPs (in 5 vitamin D-related genes) and vitamin D deficiency in these 2 ethnic populations. Material/Methods A multistage-cluster sampling survey was carried out for residents with Uygur or Kazak ethnicity in Xinjiang, China. Anthropometric measurements were taken and the concentrations of 25OHD were measured. Fourteen common variants in VDR, GC, CYP2R1, CYP27B1, and DHCR7/NADSYN1 were genotyped by using multiple SNaPshot assay. Logistic regression analysis was performed to identify the possible risk factors for vitamin D deficiency, after adjusting for several environmental and biological factors. The pattern of SNP associations was distinct between Uygurs and Kazaks. Results Anthropometric measurements and the concentrations of 25OHD were obtained from 1873 participants (945 Uygur ethnic and 928 Kazak ethnic). The genotypes of 14 SNPs were measured for 300 Uygurs and 300 Kazaks. The median 25OHD concentration was as low as 10.4 ng/ml in Uygurs and 16.2ng/ml in Kazaks. In Uygurs, the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency, in-sufficiency, and sufficiency was 91.2%, 5.8%, and 3.0%, respectively. CYP2R1-rs10766197 was significantly associated with the presence of vitamin D deficiency in the Uygur ethnic population (P=0.019, OR=6.533, 95%C.I.: 361–31.357), while DHCR7/NADSYN1-rs12785878 was significantly associated with the presence of vitamin D deficiency in the Kazak ethnic population (P=0.011, OR=2.442, 95%C.I.: 1.224–4.873). Of 10 SNPs in VDR and GC genes, none was associated with vitamin D status in these 2 ethnic populations. Conclusions Vitamin D insufficiency is highly prevalent in Uygurs and Kazaks living in Xinjiang, China. Polymorphisms in CYP2R1-rs10766197 and DHCR7/NADSYN1-rs12785878 are associated with vitamin D deficiency in Uygur and Kazak ethnic populations. PMID:26149120

[Epidemiology and etiology of bacillary dysentery in Xinjiang Uigur Autonomous Region, 2004-2014].

PubMed

Zhang, J; Mahemuti, Mahemuti; Xia, Y D; Mutalifu, Mutalifu; Muheyati, Muheyati; Li, F; Gu, B S; Li, X L

2016-11-10

Objective: To understand the epidemiological and etiological characteristics of bacillary dysentery in Xinjiang Uigur Autonomous Region (Xinjiang) during 2004-2014, and provide evidence for the prevention and control of bacillary dysentery. Methods: Descriptive epidemiological analysis was conducted by using the incidence data of bacillary dysentery in Xinjiang during 2004-2014 and the serotyping and the antibiotic susceptibility test of the pathogens isolated were performed. Results: A total of 123 238 cases of bacillary dysentery were reported in Xinjiang from 2004 to 2014. The average annual incidence of bacillary dysentery ranged from 25.91 per 100 000 to 76.04 per 100 000 and the average annual mortality ranged from 0.00 to 46.90 per 100 000. The incidence of bacillary dysentery was higher in eastern Xinjiang than other areas. The incidence peak was during July-September. The incidence of bacillary dysentery in males was higher than that in females. The incidence was highest in infants and young children under five years old. Most cases were children outside child care settings, farmers and students. Shigella flexneri was the predominant pathogen and F2a was the most frequently detected subtype. The isolated strains were highly resistant to streptomycin, penicillin, doxycycline and tetracycline. The resistant rates to penicillin, tetracycline, doxycycline and streptomycin increased with year. Up to 71.43% of the strains were resistant to more than five antibiotics. Conclusion: The incidence of bacillary dysentery was in decrease in Xinjiang from 2004 to 2014, but in some area, the incidence of bacterial dysentery was higher than national average level. It is necessary to strengthen the surveillance and conduct targeted prevention and control in areas and population at high risk and in season with high incidence. The serious drug resistance and multi drug resistance of the pathogens have posed challenge to the prevention and treatment of bacillary dysentery in

Differences of prevalence of dyslipidemia and risk factors related to LDL-c in the patients with abnormal fasting glucose between Uygur and Han in Xinjiang.

PubMed

Quan, Li; Hu, Lin; Zhang, Li; Jiang, Sheng

2015-01-01

To evaluate the incidence of dyslipidemia among Uygur and Han patients with impaired fasting glucose (IFG). To investigate the influence factors on LDL-c in this population. This cross-sectional study included a total of 4709 participants, consisting of Uygurs patients (n=2053) and Han patients (n=2656) from Xinjiang province, who were screened for diabetes mellitus. A stratified multistage sampling design was used to collect the participants. The influence factors on LDL-c were analyzed by Logistic regression analysis. Among the IFG patients (n=1757), Uighur IFG group had a higher prevalence of dyslipidemia than that of Han IFG group, 99.8% vs. 63.7%, P<0.05. Similar trends were existed in the prevalence of hypercholesteremia, hypertriglyceridemia, high LDL-c and low HDL-c (all P<0.05). Among the Uighur groups, IFG group had higher dyslipidemia rate than that of euglycemia group (74%). However, there was no such difference in the Han groups. Logistic regression analysis revealed that risk factors associated with LDL-c were age, total cholesterol and 2 h postprandial blood glucose for the Uighur IFG patients. However, gender and total cholesterol were risk factors for Han IFG patients. Uighur IFG patients had higher incidence of dyslipidemia than that of Han IFG patients. For Uyghur IFG patients, closing follow-up of total cholesterol and 2 h postprandial blood glucose were necessary. As to the Han IFG patients, we should pay more attention to male and total cholesterol in order to lower LDL-c levels. So, appropriately preventive and therapeutic measures should be chosen based on the characteristics of abnormal lipid profiles in different nationality.

[Association of vitamin D receptor gene polymorphisms with mild cognitive impairment among elderly ethnic Uygurs].

PubMed

Zhou, Xiaohui; Zhu, Meisheng; Ma, Li; Miao, Haijun

2015-12-01

To assess the association of vitamin D receptor gene (VDR) Apa I, Bsm I genotypes and allele frequencies and mild cognitive impairment (MCI) among elderly ethnic Uygurs from Xinjiang, China. The polymorphisms of the VDR genotypes (Apa I and Bsm I) were analyzed by the SNaPshot method in 124 MCI patients and 124 controls. Factors which can increase the risk for MCI have included the A allele of the Apa I polymorphism [OR=1.62, 95%CI(1.13-2.31)] and the AA genotype [OR=3.49, 95% CI(1.57-7.74)], the T allele of the Bsm I polymorphism [OR=1.94, 95%CI(1.24-3.05)], higher triglyceride and systolic blood pressure levels. Polymorphisms of the VDR gene including the A allele and AA genotype of Apa I, and the T allele of Bsm I are probably associated with MCI among elderly ethnic Uygurs, and so are higher levels of triglyceride and systolic blood pressure.

[Association between the types of obesity and the 10-year-coronary heart disease risk, in Tibet Autonomous Region and Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region].

PubMed

Zheng, C Y; Wang, Z W; Chen, Z; Zhang, L F; Wang, X; Dong, Y; Nie, J Y; Wang, J L; Shao, L; Tian, Y

2017-06-10

Objective: To investigate the association between types of obesity and the 10-year-coronary heart disease risk in Tibet and Xinjiang of China. Methods: Using the multi-stage random sampling method, 7 631 participants aged 35 or older were examined under the International Standardized Examination process but with only 5 802 were eligible for analysis, in the 2015-2016 season. Results: The prevalence rates of general obesity, central obesity, visceral obesity and compound obesity were 0.53 % , 12.62 % , 10.08 % and 42.35 % , respectively. Out of all the compound obesity cases, 58.65 % (1 441/2 457) of them appeared as having all types of obesity in our study. Risk related to the 10-year-coronary heart disease was higher in men than in women [(3.05±4.14) % vs. (1.42±2.37) % , P <0.000 1. Compound obesity (30.16 % ) showed the highest proportion on the risk of 10-year-coronary heart disease than central obesity (28.01 % ), visceral obesity (18.46 % ) or the general obesity (19.35 % ). After adjustment for confounding factors, results from the multivariate analysis showed the risk in compound obesity was higher than central obesity, visceral obesity or general obesity and was associated with the highest risk on the 10-year-coronary heart disease ( OR =2.889, 95 %CI : 2.525-3.305). People with anomalous BMI and WC seemed to have had the higher risk ( OR =3.168, 95 %CI : 2.730-3.677). Conclusions: Obesity was popular in the residents of Tibet and Xinjiang areas of China. Men and people with compound obesity (especially both BMI and WC were abnormal) seemed to carry greater risk on the 10-year-coronary heart disease.

The Epidemic History of HIV-1 CRF07_BC in Hetian Prefecture and the Role of It on HIV Spreading in China.

PubMed

Wu, Jianjun; Guo, Hongxiong; Zhang, Jing; Liu, Xiaoming; Ayoupu, Aideaierli; Shen, Yuelan; Miao, Lifeng; Tang, Jihai; Lei, Yanhua; Su, Bin

2017-04-01

CRF07_BC is one of the most prevalent HIV-1 strains in China, and Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region has ever been considered to be a second epidemic center after Yunnan Province in previous studies. Here we use HIV-1 pol gene sequences identified from Hetian Prefecture located in Xinjiang Autonomous Region to reconstruct the epidemic history of HIV CRF07_BC strain circulating in this region. We found that CRF07_BC is the predominant HIV-1 form in Hetian Prefecture, and the estimated tMRCA analysis shows that there is no enough evidence supporting Xinjiang Autonomous Region as a second epidemic center of spreading HIV-1. It may imply that every city may be only a point among the HIV spreading network because of the frequent migration of population in the whole country nowadays.

[Association of the genetic variations of bone morphogenetic protein 7 gene with diabetes and insulin resistance in Xinjiang Uygur population].

PubMed

Yan, Zhi-tao; Li, Nan-fang; Guo, Yan-ying; Yao, Xiao-guang; Wang, Hong-mei; Hu, Jun-li

2011-06-01

To investigate the association between the genetic variations of the functional region in bone morphogenetic protein gene (BMP7) with type 2 diabetes mellitus in Chinese Uygur individuals. A case-control study was conducted based on epidemiological investigation. A total of 717 Uygur subjects (276 males and 441 females) were selected and divided into two groups: diabetes mellitus group (n = 502, 191 males and 311 females) and control group (n = 215, 85 males and 130 females). All exons, flanking introns and the promoter regions of (BMP7) gene were sequenced in 48 Uygur diabetics. Representative variations were selected according to the minor allele frequency (MAF) and linkage disequilibrium and genotyped using the TaqMan polymerase chain reaction method in 717 Uygur individuals, a relatively isolated general population in a relatively homogeneous environment and a case-control study was conducted to test the association between the genetic variations of (BMP7) gene and type 2 diabetes mellitus. Five novel and 8 known variations in the (BMP7) gene were identified. All genotype distributions were tested for deviations from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium (P> 0.05). There was significant difference of genotype distribution of rs6025422 between type 2 diabetes mellitus and control groups in the male population (P< 0.05, P adjusted > 0.05), but there was no difference in total and female population (P> 0.05). And the means of fasting blood glucose (FBG), fasting insulin and HOMA-index significantly decreased in individuals with AA, AG and GG genotypes of rs6025422 in male population (P< 0.05), but not in total and female population (P> 0.05). The logistic regression analysis showed that GG genotype of rs6025422 variation might be a protective factor for diabetes in male (OR= 0.637, 95% confidence interval 0.439-0.923, P< 0.05). The present study suggests that the rs6025422 polymorphism in (BMP7) gene may be associated with diabetes mellitus and insulin resistance in Uygur

Prevalence of Isolated Diastolic Hypertension and Associated Risk Factors among Different Ethnicity Groups in Xinjiang, China.

PubMed

Liu, Fen; Adi, Dilare; Xie, Xiang; Li, Xiao-Mei; Fu, Zhen-Yan; Shan, Chun-Fang; Huang, Ying; Chen, Bang-Dang; Gai, Min-Tao; Gao, Xiao-Ming; Ma, Yi-Tong; Yang, Yi-Ning

2015-01-01

Little is known about isolated diastolic hypertension (IDH) among different ethnicity groups. We aimed to investigate the prevalence and risk factors for IDH among the major ethnicity population i.e. Han, Uygur and Kazakh in Xinjiang, northwestern part of China. In total, 14,618 adult participants (7,799 males, 6,819 females) were recruited from the Cardiovascular Risk Survey conducted during 2007 and 2010. Blood pressure, body mass index and standard lipid profile and fasting glucose level from plasma were measured. The overall prevalence of IDH was 10.8% in the Han, 4.5% in the Uygur and 8.7% in the Kazakh populations. When stratified by gender, IDH prevalence was 9.8% in men and 6.8% in women (P<0.001). The prevalence of IDH also varied significantly with age and it was highest in those aged 35-44 yrs old (9.7%) and lowest in those over 75 yrs old (4.1%, P<0.001). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that overweight (OR = 1.179, 95%CI: 1.015-1.369) or obesity (OR = 1.202, 95%CI: 1.015-1.424), smoking (OR = 1.362, 95%CI: 1.156-1.604) and high total cholesterol (TC) hyperlipidemia (OR = 1.237, 95%CI: 1.074-1.423) were significantly associated with a higher prevalence of IDH. Identified risk factors for IDH differed among ethnicity groups with male gender, young age (35-44 yrs old), more coffee or tea consumption and high TC hyperlipidemia in the Han; smoking and often coffee or tea consumption in the Uygur and male gender and overweight or obesity in the Kazakh populations. IDH prevalence in the Han population is higher than that in the Uygur and Kazak populations in Xinjiang, northwestern part of China. Male gender, middle age, overweight or obesity, smoking and high TC hyperlipidemia appear to be relevant risk factors of IDH in adults. Different ethnicity background had different sets of risk factors for IDH.

Source, evolution and emplacement of Permian Tarim Basalts: Evidence from U-Pb dating, Sr-Nd-Pb-Hf isotope systematics and whole rock geochemistry of basalts from the Keping area, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous region, northwest China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Dayu; Zhou, Taofa; Yuan, Feng; Jowitt, Simon M.; Fan, Yu; Liu, Shuai

2012-04-01

Permian basalts distribute at least 250,000 km2, and underlie the southwest Tarim Basin in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous region, northwest China. This vast accumulation of basalt is the main part of the Tarim Large Igneous Province (LIP). The basaltic units in the Lower Permian Kupukuziman and Kaipaizileike Formations in the Keping area, Tarim Basin; were the best exposure of the Permian basalt sequence in the basin. LA-ICP-MS U-Pb dating of zircon from the basal basaltic unit in the section gives an age of 291.9 ± 2.2 Ma (MSWD = 0.30, n = 17); this age, combined with previously published geochronological data, indicates that the basalts in the Tarim Basin were emplaced between 292 Ma and 272 Ma, with about 90% of the basalts being emplaced between 292 and 287 Ma. Basalts from the Keping area have high FeOT (10.8-18.6 wt.%), low Mg#s (0.26-0.60), and exhibit primitive mantle normalized patterns with positive Pb, P and Ti but negative Zr, Y and Ta anomalies. The basalts from both formations have similar 206Pb/204Pb (18.192-18.934), 207Pb/204Pb (15.555-15.598) and 208Pb/204Pb (38.643-38.793) ratios. The basalts also have high ɛSr(t) (45.7-62.1), low ɛNd(t) (-3.6 to -2.2) and low zircon ɛHf(t) (-4.84 to -0.65) values. These characteristics are typical of alkali basalts and suggest that the basalts within the Tarim Basin were derived from an OIB-type mantle source and interacted with enriched mantle (EMI-type) before emplacement. Rare earth element systematics indicate that the parental melts for the basalts were high-degree partial melts derived from garnet lherzolite mantle at the base of the lithosphere. Prior to emplacement, the Tarim Permian Basalts (TPB) underwent fractional crystallization and assimilated crustal material; the basalts were finally emplaced during crustal extension in an intra-plate setting. The wide distribution, deep source and high degree partial melting of the TPB was consistent with a mantle plume origin. The TPB and other coeval igneous

Paleozoic–early Mesozoic gold deposits of the Xinjiang Autonomous Region, northwestern China

USGS Publications Warehouse

Rui, Zongyao; Goldfarb, Richard J.; Qiu, Yumin; Zhou, T.; Chen, R.; Pirajno, Franco; Yun, Grace

2002-01-01

The late Paleozoic–early Mesozoic tectonic evolution of Xinjiang Autonomous Region, northwestern China provided a favorable geological setting for the formation of lode gold deposits along the sutures between a number of the major Eastern Asia cratonic blocks. These sutures are now represented by the Altay Shan, Tian Shan, and Kunlun Shan ranges, with the former two separated by the Junggar basin and the latter two by the immense Tarim basin. In northernmost Xinjiang, final growth of the Altaid orogen, southward from the Angara craton, is now recorded in the remote mid- to late Paleozoic Altay Shan. Accreted Early to Middle Devonian oceanic rock sequences contain typically small, precious-metal bearing Fe–Cu–Zn VMS deposits (e.g. Ashele). Orogenic gold deposits are widespread along the major Irtysh (e.g. Duyolanasayi, Saidi, Taerde, Kabenbulake, Akexike, Shaerbulake) and Tuergen–Hongshanzui (e.g. Hongshanzui) fault systems, as well as in structurally displaced terrane slivers of the western Junggar (e.g. Hatu) and eastern Junggar areas. Geological and geochronological constraints indicate a generally Late Carboniferous to Early Permian episode of gold deposition, which was coeval with the final stages of Altaid magmatism and large-scale, right-lateral translation along older terrane-bounding faults. The Tian Shan, an exceptionally gold-rich mountain range to the west in the Central Asian republics, is only beginning to be recognized for its gold potential in Xinjiang. In this easternmost part to the range, northerly- and southerly-directed subduction/accretion of early to mid-Paleozoic and mid- to late Paleozoic oceanic terranes, respectively, to the Precambrian Yili block (central Tian Shan) was associated with 400 to 250 Ma arc magmatism and Carboniferous through Early Permian gold-forming hydrothermal events. The more significant resulting deposits in the terranes of the southern Tian Shan include the Sawayaerdun orogenic deposit along the Kyrgyzstan

Effect of GSTP1 and ABCC2 Polymorphisms on Treatment Response in Patients with Advanced Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Undergoing Platinum-Based Chemotherapy: A Study in a Chinese Uygur Population.

PubMed

Han, Zhi-Gang; Tao, Jie; Yu, Ting-Ting; Shan, Li

2017-04-26

BACKGROUND Gene polymorphisms are associated with sensitivity to platinum drugs. This study aimed to investigate the polymorphisms of GSTP1 rs1695 locus and ABCC2 rs717620 locus, and the sensitivity of patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) to platinum drugs in a Xinjiang Uygur population. MATERIAL AND METHODS The gene polymorphisms of GSTP1 rs1695 and ABCC2 rs717620 of Uygur NSCLC patients were assessed by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP). The relationship between the prognosis of advanced NSCLC Uygur patients and the gene polymorphisms of GSTP1 rs1695 and ABCC2 rs717620 was analyzed using progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) as the major outcome indicators. RESULTS The median PFS of patients with advanced NSCLC was 6.9 months and the OS of Uygur patients with advanced NSCLC was 10.8 months. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis indicated that survival time of patients with GSTP1 AG + GG was significantly longer than in patients with AA gene (P<0.05), and survival time of patients with ABCC2 CT + TT was significantly longer than in patients with the CC gene (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS Polymorphisms of GSTP1 rs1695 and ABCC2 rs717620 can be used to predict the outcomes of Uygur patients with advanced NSCLC who have received platinum-based chemotherapy. Additionally, this information could be used to guide the individualized treatment of Uygur patients with advanced NSCLC.

[Correlation of matrix metalloproteinase-9 polymorphisms with chronic periodontitis in Uygur adults].

PubMed

Ma, T; Li, D D; Huang, P; Zhao, J

2017-06-09

Objective: To investigate the association between matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) polymorphisms and chronic periodontitis in Uygur adults. Methods: A total of 196 patients with chronic periodontitis and 97 healthy controls were selected from 2 500 Uygur people. Buccal swab samples were taken, the genomic DNA was extracted and the genotype distribution and allele frequency of MMP-9 were determined by PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP). The distribution of genotypes, allele frequencies and risk factors were analyzed by chi-square test and multiple logistic regression. Results: Significant difference was found between healthy controls and the mild periodontitis and moderate to severe periodontitis in the MMP-9 1562C/T CC genotype expression (χ(2)=9.901, P= 0.002; χ(2)=13.397, P< 0.001), and detectable rate of MMP-9 1562C/T CC genotype in the three groups was 31.3%(30/96), 53.5% (53/99), 27.8%(27/97), respectively. The detectable rate of CT genotype expression in the three groups were 65.6% (63/96), 45.5% (45/99), 69.1% (67/97) respectively and there was significant difference between healthy controls and mild periodontitis and between the mild periodontitis and moderate to severe periodontitis (χ(2)=8.025, P= 0.005; χ(2)=11.159, P< 0.001). There was also significant difference in allele frequency between healthy controls and mild periodontitis and between mild periodontitis and moderate to severe periodontitis (χ(2)=6.270, P= 0.012; χ(2)=8.184, P= 0.004). Logistic analysis showed that age under 35 years old was the protective factor of chronic periodontitis ( OR= 0.061, 95% CI =0.035-0.108, P< 0.001) while the male and CT genotype were the risk factors of chronic periodontitis ( OR= 2.392, 95% CI =1.496-3.819, P< 0.001; OR= 1.280, 95% CI =0.794-2.067, P= 0.031). Conclusions: The susceptibility to chronic periodontitis in Uygur adults in Moyu county of Xinjiang is related to the age and gender and polymorphism of MMP-9. The age over 35

Gut microbiome analysis of type 2 diabetic patients from the Chinese minority ethnic groups the Uygurs and Kazaks.

PubMed

Wang, Ye; Luo, Xin; Mao, Xinmin; Tao, Yicun; Ran, Xinjian; Zhao, Haixia; Xiong, Jianhui; Li, Linlin

2017-01-01

The gut microbiome may have an important influence on the development of diabetes mellitus type 2 (DM2). To better understand the DM2 pandemic in ethnic minority groups in China, we investigated and compared the composition and richness of the gut microbiota of healthy, normal glucose tolerant (NGT) individuals and DM2 patients from two ethnic minority groups in Xinjiang, northwest China, the Uygurs and Kazaks. The conserved V6 region of the 16S rRNA gene was amplified by PCR from the isolated DNA. The amplified DNA was sequenced and analyzed. An average of 4047 high quality reads of unique tag sequences were obtained from the 40 Uygurs and Kazaks. The 3 most dominant bacterial families among all participants, both healthy and DM2 patients, were the Ruminococcaceae, Lachnospiraceae, and Enterobacteriaceae. Significant differences in intestinal microbiota were found between the NGT individuals and DM2 patients, as well as between the two ethnic groups. Our findings shed new light on the gut microbiome in relation to DM2. The differentiated microbiota data may be used for potential biomarkers for DM2 diagnosis and prevention.

[The optimal cutoff point of waist-to-hip ratio for screening Uyghur population aged 35 years and over at high-risk of cardiovascular diseases in Xinjiang].

PubMed

Abudukeremu, Nuremanguli; Pan, Shuo; Ma, Yitong; Yang, Yining; Ma, Xiang; Li, Xiaomei; Fu, Zhenyan; Huang, Ying; Xie, Xiang; Liu, Fen; Chen, Bangdang; Yu, Zixiang; Chen, You; He, Chunhui; Zheng, Yingying; Li, Shuangshuang; Jia, Lin; Wang, Yongtao

2015-02-01

To explore the appropriate waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) cutoffs to identify people at high risk of cardiovascular disease of Uygur population aged 35 years and over in Xinjiang. The cardiovascular risk survey (CRS) in Xinjiang was conducted from October 2007 to March 2010, using 4-stagestratified random sampling method and 14 618 representative participated this survey, and the questionnaire survey, anthropometric data, blood pressure, serum total cholesterol, triglyceride, low density lipoprotein (LDL-C), high density lipoprotein (HDL-C) and fasting glucose were measured. A total of 4 657 participants aged 35 years and over with complete anthropometric data were analyzed. The sensitivity, specificity and distance on the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve of different WHR levels predicting risk factors of cardiovascular disease were calculated. The analysis method of ROC curve was used to determine the optimum cut-off point of WHR predicting risk factors of cardiovascular disease. (1) There were significantly differences in prevalence of hypertension, diabetes mellitus, hypercholesterolemia, low HDL-C level, and hypertriglyceridemia between WHR < 0.75,0.75 ≤ WHR < 0.80,0.80 ≤ WHR < 0.85,0.85 ≤ WHR < 0.90,0.90 ≤ WHR < 0.95,0.95 ≤ WHR < 1.00, WHR ≥ 1.00 in male participants (P < 0.01 or 0.05), LDL-C level was similar among groups in males (P = 0.139). There were significantly differences in prevalence of hypertension, diabetes mellitus, hypercholesterolemia and hypertriglyceridemia between WHR < 0.75,0.75 ≤ WHR < 0.80,0.80 ≤ WHR < 0.85,0.85 ≤ WHR < 0.90,0.90 ≤ WHR < 0.95,0.95 ≤ WHR < 1.00, WHR ≥ 1.00 in female participants (all P < 0.01), and there were no significantly differences in prevalence of high LDL-C level and low HDL-C level among groups in females (both P > 0.05). (2) ROC analysis for hypertension, dyslipidemia, diabetes and ≥ 2 of these risk factors suggested a WHR cutoff of 0.92 for men and 0.90 for women as the optimal

[Study on gay identity status and its association with sexual behaviors among men who has sex with men in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region].

PubMed

Ni, Mingjian; Hu, Xiaomin; Li, Zhijun; Ma, Yuanyuan; Chen, Xueling; Hu, Xiaoyuan

2014-11-01

To investigate gay identity status of men who have sex with men(MSM) in Xinjiang, and analyze its association with sexual behaviors. From May to August in 2013, an anonymous questionnaire survey with convenience sampling was conducted among MSM in Urumqi, Kashgar, Aksu and Yining cities of Xinjiang. Those who were ≥ 16 years of age and claimed to have male-to-male sex behaviors were eligible for the survey. A total of 1 467 participants were recruited. Chi square analysis was performed for examining the association between ego-identity, social-identity and relevant sexual behaviors. Selected variables associated with ego-identity, social-identity in the univariate analysis were subsequently assessed in a multivariate analysis using logistic regression. The MSM with positive ego-identity accounted for 44.7% (656/1 467), and positive social-identity accounted for 29.1% (427/1 467). For ego-identity, Uyghur MSM were less positive than Han MSM (OR (95%CI) was 0.43 (0.32-0.58) ) ; those who were over 20 years of age when accepting their sexual orientation were less positive than those who were younger than 20 years of age when accepting their sexual orientation (OR (95%CI) was 0.61 (0.47-0.80) );and homosexuals were more positive than bisexuals (OR (95%CI) was 1.98 (1.50-2.61) ). For social-identity, Hui MSM were less positive than Han MSM (OR (95%CI) was 0.61 (0.42-0.88) ); those whose education level was higher than college were less positive than those with junior high education (OR (95%CI) was 0.60 (0.40-0.89) ); famers/herdsmen were more positive than students (OR (95%CI) was 4.17 (2.13-8.17) ); the divorced/widowed were more positive than the singles (OR (95%CI) was 2.40 (1.34-4.29) ); those who were over 20 years of age when accepting their sexual orientation were less positive than those who were younger than 20 years of age when accepting their sexual orientation (OR (95%CI) was 0.59 (0.44-0.81) ). Among the MSM with negative ego-identity and negative social

Modelling Seasonal Brucellosis Epidemics in Bayingolin Mongol Autonomous Prefecture of Xinjiang, China, 2010–2014

PubMed Central

Lou, Pengwei; Wang, Lei; Zhang, Xueliang; Xu, Jiabo

2016-01-01

Brucellosis is one of the severe public health problems; the cumulative number of new human brucellosis cases reached 211515 from 2010 to 2014 in China. Bayingolin Mongol Autonomous Prefecture is situated in the southeast of Xinjiang, where brucellosis infection occurs every year. Based on the reported data of newly acute human brucellosis cases for each season in Bayingolin Mongol Autonomous Prefecture, we proposed a susceptible, exposed, infected, and vaccinated (SEIV) model with periodic transmission rates to investigate the seasonal brucellosis transmission dynamics among sheep/cattle and from sheep/cattle to humans. Compared with the criteria of MAPE and RMSPE, the model simulations agree to the data on newly acute human brucellosis. We predict that the number of newly acute human brucellosis is increasing and will peak 15325 [95% CI: 11920–18242] around the summer of 2023. We also estimate the basic reproduction number R 0 = 2.5524 [95% CI: 2.5129–2.6225] and perform some sensitivity analysis of the newly acute human brucellosis cases and the basic reproduction number R 0 in terms of model parameters. Our study demonstrates that reducing the birth number of sheep/cattle, raising the slaughter rate of infected sheep/cattle, increasing the vaccination rate of susceptible sheep/cattle, and decreasing the loss rate of vaccination are effective strategies to control brucellosis epidemic. PMID:27872852

Uyghur Muslim Ethnic Separatism in Xinjiang, China

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-01-01

distinction within an autonomous relationship with China, and others are integrating into the Chinese system. There is no single Uyghur agenda.  The...the Uyghur groups make claims that are difficult to substantiate. Nonetheless, the Uyghur grievances against the Chinese government have old roots...multiple “strike hard” campaigns by the central Chinese government in Xinjiang simultaneously tamps down violence in the short- run but fuels a sense of

Adipose Tissues Characteristics of Normal, Obesity, and Type 2 Diabetes in Uygurs Population

PubMed Central

Zhang, Jun; Zhang, Zhiwei; Ding, Yulei; Xu, Peng; Wang, Tingting; Xu, Wenjing; Lu, Huan; Li, Jun; Wang, Yan; Li, Siyuan; Liu, Zongzhi; An, Na; Yang, Li; Xie, Jianxin

2015-01-01

Our results showed that, at the same BMI level, Uygurs have greater WHR values, abdominal visceral fat content, and diabetes risks than Kazaks. In addition, values of HDL-C in Uygur subjects were lower than those in Kazak subjects, and values of creatinine, uric acid, diastolic blood pressure, blood glucose, and fructosamine in Uygur male subjects were lower than those in Kazak male subjects. In contrast, systolic blood pressure values in Uygur subjects were greater than those in Kazak subjects, and blood glucose values were greater in Uygur female subjects than in Kazak female subjects. Additionally, in Uygurs, visceral adipose tissue expression levels of TBX1 and TCF21 were greater in obesity group than in normal and T2DM groups and lower in T2DM group than in normal group (P < 0.01). The visceral adipose tissue expression levels of APN in normal group was greater than those in obesity and T2DM groups, and visceral adipose tissue expression levels of TNF-α and MCP-1 in normal group were lower than those in obesity and T2DM groups (P < 0.01). In conclusion, T2DM in Uygurs was mainly associated with not only distribution of adipose tissue in body, but also change in metabolic activity and adipocytokines secretion of adipose tissue. PMID:26273678

Incidence of gastroesophageal reflux disease in Uygur and Han Chinese adults in Urumqi

PubMed Central

Niu, Chun-Yan; Zhou, Yong-Li; Yan, Rong; Mu, Ni-La; Gao, Bao-Hua; Wu, Fang-Xiong; Luo, Jin-Yan

2012-01-01

AIM: To investigate the incidence of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and its related risk factors in Uygur and Han Chinese adult in Urumqi, China. METHODS: A population-based cross-sectional survey was undertaken in a total of 972 Uygur (684 male and 288 female) aged from 24 to 61 and 1023 Han Chinese (752 male and 271 female) aged from 23 to 63 years. All participants were recruited from the residents who visited hospital for health examination from November 2011 to May 2012. Each participant signed an informed consent and completed a GERD questionnaire (Gerd Q) and a lifestyle-food frequency questionnaire survey. Participants whose Gerd Q score was ≥ 8 and met one of the following requirements would be enrolled into this research: (1) being diagnosed with erosive esophagitis (EE) or Barrett’s esophagus (BE) by endoscopy; (2) negative manifestation under endoscopy (non-erosive reflux disease, NERD) with abnormal acid reflux revealed by 24-h esophageal pH monitoring; and (3) suffering from typical heartburn and regurgitation with positive result of proton pump inhibitor test. RESULTS: According to Gerd Q scoring criteria, 340 cases of Uygur and 286 cases of Han Chinese were defined as GERD. GERD incidence in Uygur was significantly higher than in Han Chinese (35% vs 28%, χ2 = 11.09, P < 0.005), Gerd Q score in Uygur was higher than in Han Chinese (7.85 ± 3.1 vs 7.15 ± 2.9, P < 0.005), and Gerd Q total score in Uygur male was higher than in female (8.15 ± 2.8 vs 6.85 ± 2.5, P < 0.005). According to normalized methods, 304 (31%) cases of Uygur were diagnosed with GERD, including 89 cases of EE, 185 cases of NERD and 30 cases of BE; 256 (25%) cases of Han Chinese were diagnosed with GERD, including 90 cases of EE, 140 cases of NERD and 26 cases of BE. GERD incidence in Uygur was significantly higher than in Han Chinese (31% vs 25%, χ2 = 9.34, P < 0.005) while the incidences were higher in males of both groups than in females (26% vs 5% in Uygur, χ2

Circulation of multiple serotypes of highly divergent enterovirus C in the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region of China

PubMed Central

Zhang, Yong; Sun, Qiang; Cui, Hui; Yan, Dongmei; Fan, Qin; Song, Yang; Zhu, Shuangli; Li, Xiaolei; Huang, Guohong; Ji, Tianjiao; Hu, Lan; Wang, Dongyan; Yang, Qian; Xu, Wenbo

2016-01-01

Poliomyelitis associated with circulating vaccine-derived polioviruses (cVDPVs) is a serious public health issue in the post-eradication era, and the occurrence of recombinant cVDPVs emphasizes the need to elucidate enterovirus C (EV-C) epidemiology. Stool samples were collected from 826 healthy children in Southern Xinjiang in 2011 to investigate EV-C circulation and epidemiology. Thirty-six EV-Cs were isolated and assigned to eight EV-C serotypes by molecular serotyping, suggesting the circulation of diverse EV-Cs in Xinjiang. Phylogenetic analysis showed that the Xinjiang EV-C strains had larger variation compared to the prototype and other modern strains. Additionally, the results showed unique characteristics of Xinjiang EV-Cs, such as the cytopathicity of CV-A1 strains to RD cells; the high divergence in CV-A11, CV-A13, CV-A17, and CV-A20 strains; the divergence of Xinjiang CV-A24 from AHC-related CV-A24 variant stains distributed worldwide; and the circulation of two novel EV-C serotypes (EV-C96 and EV-C99). Evaluations of this dense and diverse EV-C ecosystem will help elucidate the processes shaping enteroviral biodiversity. This study will improve our understanding of the evolution of enteroviruses and the recombination potential between polioviruses and other EV-Cs. PMID:27642136

Expression and significance of molecular biomarkers in esophageal carcinoma in different nationalities patients in Xinjiang.

PubMed

Zhang, L; Sun, J; Zhang, J Q; Yang, M; Bai, G; Ma, X L

2014-07-24

This study aimed to explore some useful biomarkers to focus on the diagnosis and therapy response judgment in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma in Xinjiang. We used enzyme-linked immunosorbent method and immunohistochemistry to detect the expression of VEGF, EGFR, ES, HER-2, and NF-κBp in the serum and tissue with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma, and to analyze the relationship between biomarkers and clinical pathology and curative effects. Our findings were as follows: 1. The serum levels of VEGF and ES in Han patients were obviously higher than those of Uygur and Kazakh patients (P < 0.05). The VEGF positive rate in patients at a later clinical stage was higher than that of the patients at an earlier clinical stage (stages II-IV were 14.29, 50.00, and 50.00%, respectively, P < 0.05), meanwhile it was higher than that of patients without lymph node metastases (78.13 vs 25.00%, P < 0.05). The curative effective rate of patients with negative expression of VEGF was higher than that of patients with positive expression of VEGF (74.67 vs 41.40%, P < 0.05). 2. The expression of EGFR protein in male patients was higher than that of female patients (69.77 vs 35.29%, P < 0.05). Before treatment, the serum EGFR level in patients was higher than the normal group (P < 0.05). 3. The serum ES level in patients before and after treatment was significantly higher than in the normal group (P < 0.05). 4. The HER-2 positive rate in higher differentiated tumor tissue was lower than that in lower differentiated tumor tissue. (The positive rate of I, II, III grade was 70.00, 30.00, and 20.00%, respectively, P < 0.05). 5. The NF-κB positive rate in patients with lymph node metastases was higher than that of patients without lymph node metastases (65.63 vs 39.27%, P < 0.05), meanwhile median survival in the latter group was higher than that of the former group (P < 0.05). Our data suggest that the expression of VEGF and ES were different in Uygur, Han, and Kazakh patients in

[A comparative study on characterizations of genetic recombination hotspots in PPARG gene between Kirgiz and Uyghur ethnic groups in Xinjiang].

PubMed

Zohra, Rozi; Song, M S; Iliham, Nizam; Dolikun, Mamatyusupu

2016-08-16

To investigate the characterizations of genetic recombination hotspots and linkage disequilibrium (LD) patterns in peroxisome proliferative activated receptor gamma (PPARG) gene in Kirgiz and Uyghur ethnic groups. Blood samples were collected from 100 Kirgiz (50 healthy controls and 50 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus) residents in Halajun County, Artux City, Kizilsu Kirgiz Autonomous Prefecture, Xinjiang in August 2013, and 50 healthy Uyghur residents in Hotan Prefecture of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in May 2012.Thirty-one tagSNPs in PPARG gene were genotyped using Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption/Ionization Time of Flight Mass Spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS) method.The recombination hotspots and LD patterns within the PPARG gene were estimated by analyzing the SNP genotying data using the Hotspot Fisher program and Haploview software, respectively. Eighteen tagSNPs (rs1151999, rs1175540, rs1875796, rs1899951, rs2292101, rs2921190, rs2938397, rs2959272, rs2959273, rs2972162, rs3856806, rs4135247, rs4135275, rs709151, rs4135354, rs6805419, rs17036700 and rs4135304) were same with relatively higher recombination rates between the patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and healthy controls of Kirgiz ethnic group, and healthy controls of Uyghur ethnic group.Five haplotype blocks with LD coefficient D' value of 1, indicating no genetic recombination occurred within the region, were observed in the healthy controls of Kirgiz ethnic groups, whereas five haplotype blocks with LD coefficient D' value less than 1 were observed in the Kirgiz patients with T2DM, indicating historical recombination events occurred within the region.Four haplotype blocks with LD coefficient D' value of 1 were observed in the Uyghur healthy controls, indicating no genetic recombination occurred within the region.There were significantly different recombination hotspot profiles between the Kirgiz, Uyghur, Utah residents with Northern and Western European ancestry (CEU), Yoruban in

Correlation between polymorphism of FTO gene and type 2 diabetes mellitus in Uygur people from northwest China.

PubMed

Xiao, Shan; Zeng, Xiaoyun; Quan, Li; Zhu, Jun

2015-01-01

To explore the correlation between FTO (fat mass and obesity associated) gene, which is associated with 3 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) of fat mass and obesity, type 2 diabetes and body mass index (BMI) in the Uygur population in northwest China. A total of 849 Uygur patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus were selected from the hospitalized patients in the First Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University, the First People's Hospital of Kashi and the hospitals in the Turpan areas. At the same time, 873 cases of healthy persons who conducted a medical checkup in the physical examination centre of the above hospitals were enrolled as controls. The present investigation used the case-control research method, and physical examination and biochemical index determination were carried out. The Sequenom MassARRAY technology was employed in the detection of 3 SNP loci of the FTO gene. The representative population of each SNP in the control group was analyzed by Hardy-Weinberg law. The differences of each clinical parameter in the two groups were analyzed by t-test analysis. The differences of genotype and allele of each SNP in the two groups were analyzed by χ(2) test. BMI, waistline (WL), systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), fasting blood glucose (FBG), total cholesterol (TC), aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) in the type 2 diabetes group were higher than those in the control group, while the high density lipoprotein (HDL) and low density lipoprotein (LDL) were lower than those of the control group; 2. The allele frequency of A of rs8050136 and rs9939609 in the type 2 diabetes mellitus group was higher than that of the control group. The BMI of the whole population and type 2 diabetes group with genotype C/A+A/A of rs8050136 was higher than that in C/C group, and the BMI with genotype T/A+A/A of rs9939609 was higher than that in group T/T. Stratification was conducted on BMI according to the

Independent evaluation of a canine Echinococcosis Control Programme in Hobukesar County, Xinjiang, China

PubMed Central

van Kesteren, Freya; Qi, Xinwei; Tao, Jiang; Feng, Xiaohui; Mastin, Alexander; Craig, Philip S.; Vuitton, Dominique A.; Duan, Xinyu; Chu, Xiangdong; Zhu, Jinlong; Wen, Hao

2015-01-01

The Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in northwest China is one of the world's most important foci for cystic echinococcosis. Domestic dogs are the main source for human infection, and previous studies in Xinjiang have found a canine Echinococcus spp. coproELISA prevalence of between 36% and 41%. In 2010 the Chinese National Echinococcosis Control Programme was implemented in Xinjiang, and includes regular dosing of domestic dogs with praziquantel. Six communities in Hobukesar County, northwest Xinjiang were assessed in relation to the impact of this control programme through dog necropsies, dog Echinococcus spp. coproantigen surveys based on Lot Quality Assurance Sampling (LQAS) and dog owner questionnaires. We found that 42.1% of necropsied dogs were infected with Echinococcus granulosus, and coproELISA prevalences were between 15% and 70% in the communities. Although approximately half of all dog owners reported dosing their dogs within the 12 months prior to sampling, coproELISA prevalence remained high. Regular praziquantel dosing of owned dogs in remote and semi-nomadic communities such as those in Hobukesar County is logistically very difficult and additional measures should be considered to reduce canine echinococcosis. PMID:25661801

Independent evaluation of a canine Echinococcosis Control Programme in Hobukesar County, Xinjiang, China.

PubMed

van Kesteren, Freya; Qi, Xinwei; Tao, Jiang; Feng, Xiaohui; Mastin, Alexander; Craig, Philip S; Vuitton, Dominique A; Duan, Xinyu; Chu, Xiangdong; Zhu, Jinlong; Wen, Hao

2015-05-01

The Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in northwest China is one of the world's most important foci for cystic echinococcosis. Domestic dogs are the main source for human infection, and previous studies in Xinjiang have found a canine Echinococcus spp. coproELISA prevalence of between 36% and 41%. In 2010 the Chinese National Echinococcosis Control Programme was implemented in Xinjiang, and includes regular dosing of domestic dogs with praziquantel. Six communities in Hobukesar County, northwest Xinjiang were assessed in relation to the impact of this control programme through dog necropsies, dog Echinococcus spp. coproantigen surveys based on Lot Quality Assurance Sampling (LQAS) and dog owner questionnaires. We found that 42.1% of necropsied dogs were infected with Echinococcus granulosus, and coproELISA prevalences were between 15% and 70% in the communities. Although approximately half of all dog owners reported dosing their dogs within the 12 months prior to sampling, coproELISA prevalence remained high. Regular praziquantel dosing of owned dogs in remote and semi-nomadic communities such as those in Hobukesar County is logistically very difficult and additional measures should be considered to reduce canine echinococcosis. Copyright © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Correlation between facial morphology and gene polymorphisms in the Uygur youth population.

PubMed

He, Huiyu; Mi, Xue; Zhang, Jiayu; Zhang, Qin; Yao, Yuan; Zhang, Xu; Xiao, Feng; Zhao, Chunping; Zheng, Shutao

2017-04-25

Human facial morphology varies considerably among individuals and can be influenced by gene polymorphisms. We explored the effects of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) on facial features in the Uygur youth population of the Kashi area in Xinjiang, China. Saliva samples were collected from 578 volunteers, and 10 SNPs previously associated with variations in facial physiognomy were genotyped. In parallel, 3D images of the subjects' faces were obtained using grating facial scanning technology. After delimitation of 15 salient landmarks, the correlation between SNPs and the distances between facial landmark pairs was assessed. Analysis of variance revealed that ENPP1 rs7754561 polymorphism was significantly associated with RAla-RLipCn and RLipCn-Sbn linear distances (p = 0.044 and p = 0.012, respectively) as well as RLipCn-Stm curve distance (p = 0.042). The GHR rs6180 polymorphism correlated with RLipCn-Stm linear distance (p = 0.04), while the GHR rs6184 polymorphism correlated with RLipCn-ULipP curve distance (p = 0.047). The FGFR1 rs4647905 polymorphism was associated with LLipCn-Nsn linear distance (p = 0.042). These results reveal that ENPP1 and FGFR1 influence lower anterior face height, the distance from the upper lip to the nasal floor, and lip shape. FGFR1 also influences the lower anterior face height, while GHR is associated with the length and width of the lip.

Genetic polymorphisms, forensic efficiency and phylogenetic analysis of 15 autosomal STR loci in the Kazak population of Ili Kazak Autonomous Prefecture, northwestern China.

PubMed

Feng, Chunmei; Wang, Xin; Wang, Xiaolong; Yu, Hao; Zhang, Guohua

2018-03-01

We investigated the frequencies of 15 autosomal STR loci in the Kazak population of the Ili Kazak Autonomous Prefecture with the aim of expanding the available population information in human genetic databases and for forensic DNA analysis. Genetic polymorphisms of 15 autosomal short tandem repeat (STR) loci were analysed in 456 individuals of the Kazak population from Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture, northwestern China. A total of 173 alleles at 15 autosomal STR loci were found; the allele frequencies ranged from 0.5022-0.0011. The combined power of discrimination and exclusion statistics for the 15 STR loci were 0.999 999 999 85 and 0.999 998 800 65, respectively. In addition, phylogenetic analysis involving the Ili Uygur population and other relevant populations was carried out. A neighbour-joining tree and multidimensional scaling plot were generated based on Nei's standard genetic distance. Results of the population comparison indicated that the Ili Uygur population was most closely related genetically to the Uygur populations from other regions in China. These findings are consistent with the historical and geographic backgrounds of these populations.

A broad-range survey of ticks from livestock in Northern Xinjiang: changes in tick distribution and the isolation of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto.

PubMed

Wang, Yuan-Zhi; Mu, Lu-Meng; Zhang, Ke; Yang, Mei-Hua; Zhang, Lin; Du, Jing-Yun; Liu, Zhi-Qiang; Li, Yong-Xiang; Lu, Wei-Hua; Chen, Chuang-Fu; Wang, Yan; Chen, Rong-Gui; Xu, Jun; Yuan, Li; Zhang, Wan-Jiang; Zuo, Wei-Ze; Shao, Ren-Fu

2015-09-04

Borreliosis is highly prevalent in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, China. However, little is known about the presence of Borrelia pathogens in tick species in this region, in addition Borrelia pathogens have not been isolated from domestic animals. We collected adult ticks from domestic animals at 19 sampling sites in 14 counties in northern Xinjiang from 2012 to 2014. Ticks were identified to species by morphology and were molecularly analysed by sequences of mitochondrial 16S rDNA gene; 4-8 ticks of each species at every sampling site were sequenced. 112 live adult ticks were selected for each species in every county, and were used to culture Borrelia pathogens; the genotypes were then determined by sequences of the 5S-23S rRNA intergenic spacer and the outer surface protein A (ospA) gene. A total of 5257 adult ticks, belonging to four genera and seven species, were collected. Compared with three decades ago, the abundance of the five common tick species during the peak ixodid tick season has changed. Certain tick species, such as Rhipicephalus turanicus (Rh. turanicus), was found at Jimusaer, Yining, Fukang, and Chabuchaer Counties for the first time. Additionally, the sequence analyses showed that the Hyalomma asiaticum (Hy. asiaticum), Haemaphysalis punctata (Ha. punctata), and Dermacentor marginatus (D. marginatus) that were collected from different sampling sites (≥3 sites) shared identical 16S rDNA sequences respectively. For the tick species that were collected from the same county, such as Hy. asiaticum from Shihezi County and Rh. turanicus from Yining County, their 16S rDNA sequences showed genetic diversity. In addition, sixteen Borrelia isolates were found in Hy. asiaticum, Ha. punctata, D. marginatus and Rh. turanicus, which infested cattle, sheep, horse and camel in Yining, Chabuchaer, Shihezi and Shawan Counties. All of the isolates were genetically identified as B. Burgdorferi sensu stricto. Warmer and wetter climate may have contributed to the

Ethnic stratification amid China's economic transition: evidence from the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region.

PubMed

Wu, Xiaogang; Song, Xi

2014-03-01

This paper analyzes a sample from the 2005 mini-census of Xinjiang to examine ethnic stratification in China's labor markets, with a special focus on how ethnic earnings inequality varies by employment sector. We show that Han and Uyghur Chinese dominated different economic sectors. Excluding those in agriculture, Uyghurs were more likely to work in government or institutions than either Han locals or migrants, and also more likely to become self-employed. The Han-Uyghur earnings gap was negligible within government/public institutions, but increased with the marketization of the employment sector. It was the largest among the self-employed, followed by employees in private enterprises and then employees in public enterprises. Han migrants in economic sectors enjoyed particular earnings advantages and hukou registration status had no impact on earnings attainment except in government/public institutions. These findings have important implications for understanding social and economic sources of increasing ethnic conflicts in Xinjiang in recent years. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Effect of Job Strain on Job Burnout, Mental Fatigue and Chronic Diseases among Civil Servants in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region of China.

PubMed

Guan, Suzhen; Xiaerfuding, Xiadiya; Ning, Li; Lian, Yulong; Jiang, Yu; Liu, Jiwen; Ng, Tzi Bun

2017-08-03

Job strain is a major concern in view of its effects among civil servants associated with job burnout, mental fatigue and chronic diseases. The objective of this study was to assess the job strain level among civil servants and examine the effect of job strain on job burnout, mental fatigue and the resulting chronic diseases. A cross-sectional study with a representative sample consisting of 5000 civil servants was conducted from March to August 2014. Using a structured questionnaire, the job strain level, job burnout and mental fatigue were measured by using the Personal Strain Questionnaire (PSQ), Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) and Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory (MFI-20), respectively. Overall, 33.8% of the civil servants were found to be afflicted with high and moderate job strain. The characteristics of most of the civil servants with a higher-job strain level were as follows: female, Uygur, lower educational level and job title rank, shorter working experience, married marital status, and lower income level. Civil servants suffering from chronic disease mainly had hypertension and coronary heart disease, which accounted for 18.5% of the diseases. Civil servants with a high-job strain level exhibited higher rates of burnout, mental fatigue scores and incidence of chronic diseases. There was a multiple linear regression model composed of three predictor variables in job burnout, which accounted for 45.0% of its occurrence: female gender, lower-income level, higher-job strain in civil servants, the greater the rate of job burnout was. Four factors-male gender, lower-job title rank, higher-job strain, shorter-job tenure of civil servants-explained 25.0% of the mental fatigue model. Binary logistic regression showed that intermediate-rank employees (OR = 0.442, 95% CI: 0.028-0.634; p < 0.05), job tenure of 10-20 years (OR = 0.632, 95% CI: 0.359-0.989; p < 0.05), and low-job strain (OR = 0.657, 95% CI: 0.052-0.698; p < 0.05) were all associated with

Prevalence, awareness, treatment and control of dyslipidemia among adults in Northwestern China: the cardiovascular risk survey

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Aim The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence, awareness, treatment, and control of dyslipidemia in Xinjiang, China. Method Stratified sampling method was used to select a representative sample of the general population including Chinese Han, Uygur, and Kazak in this geographic area. Seven cities were chosen. Based on the government records of registered residences, one participant was randomly selected from each household. The eligibility criterion for the study was ≥ 35 years of age. Results A total of 14,618 participants (5,757 Han, 4,767 Uygur, and 4,094 Kazak), were randomly selected from 26 villages in 7 cities. The prevalence of dyslipidemia was 52.72% in the all participants. The prevalence of dyslipidemia was higher in Han than that in the other two ethnic (58.58% in Han, 48.27% in Uygur, and 49.60% in Kazak, P < 0.000). The prevalence of dyslipidemia was higher in men than that in women (56.4% vs. 49.3%, P < 0.000). Among the participants with dyslipidemia, the proportion of those who aware, treat, control of dyslipidemia were 53.67%, 22.51%, 17.09% in Han, 42.19%, 27.78%, 16.20% in Uygur, 37.02%, 21.11%, 17.77% in Kazak. Conclusion Dyslipidemia is highly prevalent in Xinjiang. The proportion of participants with dyslipidemia who were aware, treated, and controlled is unacceptably low. These results underscore the urgent need to develop national strategies to improve the prevention, detection, and treatment of dyslipidemia in Xinjiang. PMID:24393232

Effect of Job Strain on Job Burnout, Mental Fatigue and Chronic Diseases among Civil Servants in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region of China

PubMed Central

Guan, Suzhen; Xiaerfuding, Xiadiya; Ning, Li; Lian, Yulong; Jiang, Yu; Liu, Jiwen; Ng, Tzi Bun

2017-01-01

Job strain is a major concern in view of its effects among civil servants associated with job burnout, mental fatigue and chronic diseases. The objective of this study was to assess the job strain level among civil servants and examine the effect of job strain on job burnout, mental fatigue and the resulting chronic diseases. A cross-sectional study with a representative sample consisting of 5000 civil servants was conducted from March to August 2014. Using a structured questionnaire, the job strain level, job burnout and mental fatigue were measured by using the Personal Strain Questionnaire (PSQ), Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) and Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory (MFI-20), respectively. Overall, 33.8% of the civil servants were found to be afflicted with high and moderate job strain. The characteristics of most of the civil servants with a higher-job strain level were as follows: female, Uygur, lower educational level and job title rank, shorter working experience, married marital status, and lower income level. Civil servants suffering from chronic disease mainly had hypertension and coronary heart disease, which accounted for 18.5% of the diseases. Civil servants with a high-job strain level exhibited higher rates of burnout, mental fatigue scores and incidence of chronic diseases. There was a multiple linear regression model composed of three predictor variables in job burnout, which accounted for 45.0% of its occurrence: female gender, lower-income level, higher-job strain in civil servants, the greater the rate of job burnout was. Four factors—male gender, lower-job title rank, higher-job strain, shorter-job tenure of civil servants—explained 25.0% of the mental fatigue model. Binary logistic regression showed that intermediate-rank employees (OR = 0.442, 95% CI: 0.028–0.634; p < 0.05), job tenure of 10–20 years (OR = 0.632, 95% CI: 0.359–0.989; p < 0.05), and low-job strain (OR = 0.657, 95% CI: 0.052–0.698; p < 0.05) were all associated with

Iodine nutrition status and thyroid disorders: a cross-sectional study from the Xinjiang Autonomous Region of China.

PubMed

Guo, Y; Zynat, J; Xu, Z; Wang, X; Osiman, R; Zhao, H; Tuhuti, A; Abdunaimu, M; Wang, H; Jin, X; Xing, S

2016-11-01

Iodine nutritional status and its influence on thyroid function have been thoroughly investigated in many places in China, but little is known about Xinjiang province, where multiple minorities are living in a special geographical location and have different lifestyles compared with people from other parts of China. The aim of this study was to evaluate iodine status and thyroid disorders in two major ethnic groups living in the Xinjiang region of China. A total of 2253 residents over the age of 18 years who had lived in Xinjiang for more than 3 years were enrolled. Urinary iodine concentration (UIC), serum thyroid hormone concentrations and thyroid autoantibodies were measured, and thyroid ultrasonography was performed. The median UIC was 130.7 μg/l in adults. Among the subjects, those with deficient UIC levels were 34.4%. The prevalence of overt hyper- and hypothyroidism in the iodine-deficient group was higher than in the iodine-sufficient group (1.3% vs 0%, χ 2 =3.891, P=0.049; 4.8% vs 2.8%, χ 2 =8.715, P=0.003, respectively), and subclinical hypothyroidism was more frequent in the iodine-deficient group than in the iodine-excess group (19.6% vs 12.5%, χ 2 =4.529, P=0.033). One-third of the population is still iodine deficient in Xinjiang. Uyghur females are more susceptible to hypothyroidism and thyroid autoimmune diseases. Thyroid disorders, especially hyper/hypothyroidism and subclinical hypothyroidism, are more likely to be prevalent in an iodine-deficient population.

DNA methylation of tumor necrosis factor-α, monocyte chemoattractant protein-1, and adiponectin genes in visceral adipose tissue is related to type 2 diabetes in the Xinjiang Uygur population.

PubMed

Zhang, Jun; Wang, Cuizhe; Ha, Xiaodan; Li, Wei; Xu, Peng; Gu, Yajuan; Wang, Tingting; Wang, Yan; Xie, Jianxin

2017-07-01

The higher probability of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in the Uygur population is due to a greater waist:  hip ratio and visceral fat. This study investigated DNA methylation of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF), monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP1), and adiponectin (ADIPOQ) in visceral adipose tissue in T2DM. Visceral adipose tissue was collected from Uygur individuals and divided into normal control (NC; n = 50), obese (Ob; n = 48), and T2DM (n = 26) groups. Expression of TNF, ADIPOQ, and MCP1 mRNA and DNA methylation status were quantified by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and denaturing HPLC. The respective methylation-positive rate for ADIPOQ increased gradually from the NC to Ob to T2DM groups (34.0 %, 47.9 %, and 65.4 %; P < 0.05), decreased gradually for TNF (70.0 %, 47.9 %, and 26.9 %; P < 0.01), and did not differ significantly for MCP1 (0 %, 2.08 %, and 0 %). Compared with the NC group, ADIPOQ mRNA expression was significantly lower in the Ob and T2DM groups (median 0.7162 vs 0.4244 and 0.4093, respectively; P < 0.05), whereas TNF and MCP1 expression was significantly higher (median TNF expression: 0.0250 vs 0.1096 and 0.0734 respectively; median MCP1 expression 0.1588 vs 0.1937 and 0.1983, respectively; P < 0.05 for all). Expression of ADIPOQ and TNF was significantly lower in methylation-negative (median 0.7870 and 0.1988, respectively) than methylation-positive (median 0.2700 and 0.0542, respectively) groups (P < 0.01). Lower ADIPOQ and higher TNF and MCP1 mRNA expression in visceral adipose tissue may be correlated with obesity and T2DM in the Uygur population. Promoter DNA methylation affects expression of ADIPOQ and TNF. © 2016 Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine and John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.

Impacts of climate change on growth period and planting boundaries of winter wheat in China under RCP4.5 scenario

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sun, Z.; Jia, S. F.; Lv, A. F.; Yang, K. J.; Svensson, J.; Gao, Y. C.

2015-10-01

This paper advances understanding of the impacts of climate change on crops in China by moving from ex-post analysis to forecasting, and by demonstrating how the effects of climate change will affect the growth period and the planting boundaries of winter wheat. Using a multiple regression model based on agricultural meteorological observations and the IPCC AR5 GCMs simulations, we find that the sowing date of winter wheat in the base period, 2040s and 2070s, shows a gradually delayed trend from north to south and the growth period of winter wheat in China will be shortened under climate change. The simulation results also show that (i) the north planting boundaries of winter wheat in China will likely move northward and expand westward in the future, while the south planting boundary will rise and spread in south Hainan and Taiwan; and (ii) the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region and the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region will have the largest increases in planting areas in 2040s and 2070s. Our simulation implies that Xinjiang and Inner Mongolia are more sensitive to climate change than other regions in China and priority should be given to design adaptation strategies for winter wheat planting for these provinces.

Patterns and Environmental Determinants of Medicinal Plant : Vascular Plant Ratios in Xinjiang, Northwest China

PubMed Central

Zhang, Bengang; Xiao, Peigen; Qi, Yaodong; Zhang, Zhao; Liu, Haitao; Li, Xiaojin; Wang, Guoping; Terwei, André

2016-01-01

With both a full collection of native vascular plant distributions and a full checklist of source plants of the Chinese Materia Medica (CMM), the Uygur Medicine (UM), and the Kazak Medicine (KM) for the Xinjiang region, we defined medicinal plant: vascular plant ratios (simplified as medicinal plant ratios hereafter) as the value of medicinal plant richness divided by vascular plant richness. We aimed to find whether the ratios are constant or change in different environments, which environmental variables determine medicinal plant ratios, and whether the ratios are more influenced by human or by natural environments. Finally, suggestions for medicinal plant conservation were addressed. We found that (1) medicinal plant ratios were not constant, and they were high in the Tarim Basin which was largely covered by desert, while they were relatively low in mountainous areas, especially in the Tianshan Mountains where the general species richness was high; (2) medicinal plant ratios were not significantly influenced by human activities, indicated by human population density distributions, but they were highly correlated with plant species richness and climate, i.e. ratios decreased with plant species richness and MAP, and were related quadratically with MAT; (3) CMM ratio and UM ratio were more influenced by plant richness than by climate, while KM ratio was more influenced by climate. We concluded that the percentages of plants used as medicines were not influenced by distances from human settlements, but were determined by species richness or climate. We suggest that (1), in general, the medicinal plant ratio could be a complementary indicator for medicinal plant conservation planning and (2), for the region of Xinjiang, not only high diversity areas, but also some extreme environments should be considered as compensation for a better protection of medicinal plants. PMID:27391239

Patterns and Environmental Determinants of Medicinal Plant : Vascular Plant Ratios in Xinjiang, Northwest China.

PubMed

Li, Liping; Zhang, Bengang; Xiao, Peigen; Qi, Yaodong; Zhang, Zhao; Liu, Haitao; Li, Xiaojin; Wang, Guoping; Terwei, André

2016-01-01

With both a full collection of native vascular plant distributions and a full checklist of source plants of the Chinese Materia Medica (CMM), the Uygur Medicine (UM), and the Kazak Medicine (KM) for the Xinjiang region, we defined medicinal plant: vascular plant ratios (simplified as medicinal plant ratios hereafter) as the value of medicinal plant richness divided by vascular plant richness. We aimed to find whether the ratios are constant or change in different environments, which environmental variables determine medicinal plant ratios, and whether the ratios are more influenced by human or by natural environments. Finally, suggestions for medicinal plant conservation were addressed. We found that (1) medicinal plant ratios were not constant, and they were high in the Tarim Basin which was largely covered by desert, while they were relatively low in mountainous areas, especially in the Tianshan Mountains where the general species richness was high; (2) medicinal plant ratios were not significantly influenced by human activities, indicated by human population density distributions, but they were highly correlated with plant species richness and climate, i.e. ratios decreased with plant species richness and MAP, and were related quadratically with MAT; (3) CMM ratio and UM ratio were more influenced by plant richness than by climate, while KM ratio was more influenced by climate. We concluded that the percentages of plants used as medicines were not influenced by distances from human settlements, but were determined by species richness or climate. We suggest that (1), in general, the medicinal plant ratio could be a complementary indicator for medicinal plant conservation planning and (2), for the region of Xinjiang, not only high diversity areas, but also some extreme environments should be considered as compensation for a better protection of medicinal plants.

Was Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus introduced into China via the ancient Silk Road? An evolutionary perspective.

PubMed

Liu, Zhenqiu; Fang, Qiwen; Zuo, Jialu; Minhas, Veenu; Wood, Charles; He, Na; Zhang, Tiejun

2017-10-01

Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) has become widely dispersed worldwide since it was first reported in 1994, but the seroprevalence of KSHV varies geographically. KSHV is relatively ubiquitous in Mediterranean areas and the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, China. The origin of KSHV has long been puzzling. In the present study, we collected and analysed 154 KSHV ORF-K1 sequences obtained from samples originating from Xinjiang, Italy, Greece, Iran and southern Siberia using Bayesian evolutionary analysis in BEAST to test the hypothesis that KSHV was introduced into Xinjiang via the ancient Silk Road. According to the phylogenetic analysis, 72 sequences were subtype A and 82 subtype C, with C2 (n = 56) being the predominant subtype. The times to the most recent common ancestors (tMRCAs) of KSHV were 29,872 years (95% highest probability density [HPD], 26,851-32,760 years) for all analysed sequences and 2037 years (95% HPD, 1843-2229 years) for Xinjiang sequences in particular. The tMRCA of Xinjiang KSHV was exactly matched with the time period of the ancient Silk Road approximately two thousand years ago. This route began in Chang'an, the capital of the Han dynasty of China, and crossed Central Asia, ending in the Roman Empire. The evolution rate of KSHV was slow, with 3.44 × 10 -6 substitutions per site per year (95% HPD, 2.26 × 10 -6 to 4.71 × 10 -6 ), although 11 codons were discovered to be under positive selection pressure. The geographic distances from Italy to Iran and Xinjiang are more than 4000 and 7000 kilometres, respectively, but no explicit relationship between genetic distance and geographic distance was detected.

Effect of temperature on the occurrence and distribution of colorado potato beetle (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) in China.

PubMed

Li, Chao; Liu, Huai; Huang, Fangneng; Cheng, Deng-Fa; Wang, Jin-Jun; Zhang, Yun-Hui; Sun, Jin-Rui; Guo, Wen-Chao

2014-04-01

Colorado potato beetle, Leptinotarsa decemlineata (Say), is the most destructive pest of potato in many countries of the world. It first invaded China from Kazakhstan in 1990s and now is a major pest of potato in many areas of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region (Xinjiang). The objective of this study was to determine the effect of temperature on the spread of Colorado potato beetle in China after its invasion. Cold temperature in winter (December) and high temperature in summer (July) were analyzed in accordance with the absence and presence of Colorado potato beetle in Xinjiang. The boundary between the absence and presence of Colorado potato beetle in Xinjiang nearly coincided with the -8°C isotherm of monthly mean minimum temperature in winter. The stress of the low temperature in winter for Colorado potato beetle basically disappeared in the southeastern Hexi Corridor in Gansu Province of China, suggesting that the Hexi Corridor is the best channel to prevent any long-distance invasions of Colorado potato beetle into the Central Plains region. However, in Turpan City in northeastern Xinjiang, the extremely hot weather in the summer prevents the local colonization of Colorado potato beetle. Furthermore, according to our monitoring, high temperature in summer also limited Colorado potato beetle to diffuse eastward through Turpan. Results of this study suggest that it is essential to strengthen inspection and quarantine measures to prevent any artificial transmissions of Colorado potato beetle spreading eastward and thus to ensure the sustainable production of potato and other Solanaceae crops in northwest regions of China.

When and how did Bos indicus introgress into Mongolian cattle?

PubMed

Yue, Xiangpeng; Li, Ran; Liu, Li; Zhang, Yunsheng; Huang, Jieping; Chang, Zhenhua; Dang, Ruihua; Lan, Xianyong; Chen, Hong; Lei, Chuzhao

2014-03-10

The Mongolian cattle are one of the most widespread breeds with strictly Bos taurus morphological features in northern China. In our current study, we presented a diversity of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) D-loop region and Y chromosome SNP markers in 25 male and 8 female samples of Mongolian cattle from the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region in Western China, and detected 21 B. taurus and four Bos indicus (zebu) mtDNA haplotypes. Among four B. indicus mtDNA haplotypes, two haplotypes belonged to I1 haplogroup and the remaining two haplotypes belonged to I2 haplogroup. In contrast, all 25 male Mongolian cattle samples revealed B. taurus Y chromosome haplotype and no B. indicus haplotypes were found. Historical and archeological records indicate that B. taurus was introduced to Xinjiang during the second millennium BC and B. indicus appeared in this region by the second century AD. The two types of cattle coexisted for many centuries in Xinjiang, as depicted in clay and wooden figurines unearthed in the Astana cemetery in Turfan (3rd-8th century AD). Multiple lines of evidence suggest that the earliest B. indicus introgression in the Mongolian cattle may have occurred during the 2nd-7th centuries AD through the Silk Road around the Xinjiang region. This conclusion differs from the previous hypothesis that zebu introgression to Mongolian cattle happened during the Mongol Empire era in the 13th century. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Transmission of measles among healthcare Workers in Hospital W, Xinjiang Autonomous Region, China, 2016.

PubMed

Jia, Haimei; Ma, Chao; Lu, Mengting; Fu, Jianping; Rodewald, Lance E; Su, Qiru; Wang, Huaqin; Hao, Lixin

2018-01-12

As China approaches the elimination of measles, outbreaks of measles continue to occur. Healthcare workers (HCWs) are known to be at high risk of infection and transmission of measles virus. A measles outbreak occurred in a hospital in Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region of the People's Republic of China. We report an investigation of this outbreak and its implications for measles elimination and outbreak preparedness. We conducted a retrospective search for measles cases using hospital records. Information on cases was collected by interview, and was used to determine epidemiological linkages. We surveyed HCWs to determine their demographic characteristics, disease history and vaccination status, and knowledge about measles. We identified 19 cases, ages 18 to 45 years, in Hospital W between December 2015 and January 2016; 14 were laboratory-confirmed, and 5 were epidemiologically linked. The primary case was a 25-year-old neurology department nurse who developed a rash on 22 December 2015 that was reported on 11 January 2016. She continued working and living with her workmates in a dormitory during her measles transmission period. Among the 19 infected HCWs, 2 had received a dose of measles-containing vaccine (MCV) before the outbreak, and 16 had unknown vaccination status. Outbreak response immunization activities were started on 8 January in a non-selective manner by offering vaccine regardless of vaccination history; 605(68%) of 890 HCWs were vaccinated. The HCW survey had a 73% response rate (646/890); 41% of HCWs reported that they had received MCV before outbreak, and 56% exhibited good knowledge of measles symptoms, transmission, complications, and vaccination. Low MCV coverage, low measles knowledge among HCWs, delayed reporting of measles cases, and absence of proper case management were associated with this outbreak. Training and vaccinating HCWs against measles are essential activities to prevent measles virus transmission among HCWs.

What is New in the “New Rural Co-operative Medical System”? An Assessment in One Kazak County of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region*

PubMed Central

Klotzbücher, Sascha; Lässig, Peter; Jiangmei, Qin; Weigelin-Schwiedrzik, Susanne

2011-01-01

In 2002, the Chinese leadership announced a change in national welfare policy: Voluntary medical schemes at county level, called the “New Rural Co-operative Medical System” should cover all counties by 2010. This article addresses the main characteristics of this system, analyses the introduction of local schemes based on our own field studies in one Kazak county of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region since 2006, and argues that the fast progressing of the local scheme and the flexibility shown by local administrators in considering structural and procedural adjustments are not the result of central directives but of local initiatives. Recentralization from the township governments to functional departments in the provincial and the central state administration is only one aspect of current rural governance. Complementary forms of locally embedded responsiveness to the needs of health care recipients are crucial in restructuring the administration and discharge of health care. These new modes of governance are different from the hierarchical control and institutionalized representation of interests of the local population. PMID:22058584

First report on the occurrence of Theileria sp. OT3 in China.

PubMed

Tian, Zhancheng; Liu, Guangyuan; Yin, Hong; Xie, Junren; Wang, Suyan; Yuan, Xiaosong; Wang, Fangfang; Luo, Jin

2014-04-01

Theileria sp. OT3 was firstly detected and identified from clinically healthy sheep in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region of China (XUAR) through comparing the complete 18S rDNA gene sequences available in GenBank database and the phylogenetic status based on the internal transcribed spacers (ITS1, ITS2) as well as the intervening 5.8S coding region of the rRNA gene by the methods of a partitioned multi-locus analysis in BEAST and Maximum likelihood analysis in PhyML. Moreover, the findings were confirmed by the species-specific PCR for Theileria sp. OT3 and the prevalence of Theileria sp. OT3 was 14.9% in the north of XUAR. This study is the first report on the occurrence of Theileria sp. OT3 in China. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Distribution of Candida albicans in the oral cavity of children aged 3-5 years of Uygur and Han nationality and their genotype in caries-active groups.

PubMed

Wu, N; Lin, J; Wu, L; Zhao, J

2015-01-30

We analyzed the distribution of Candida albicans in the oral cavity of 3-5-year-old children of Uygur and Han nationalities as well as their genotypes in caries-active groups in the Urumqi municipality. CHROMagar Candida was separately cultivated, and we identified 359 Uygur and Han children aged 3-5 years. We randomly selected 20 Han children and 20 Uygur children for this study. We chose a bacterial strain for polymerase chain reaction (PCR) 25S rDNA genotyping and random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) genotyping. The rate of caries-active in Han children was higher than that in Uygur children, with values of 39.6 and 24.3%, respectively. The detection rate of C. albicans was closely correlated to the caries filling index classification (X(2) = 31.037, P = 0.000, r = 0.421; X(2) = 80.454, P = 0.000, r = 0.497). PCR of 25S rDNA from 40 strains of Han and Uygur children revealed 3 genotypes, while RAPD analysis revealed 5 genotypes. The distribution of 25S rDNA genotyping of Han children from PCR differed from that of Uygur children (X(2) = 7.697, P = 0.021), both of which were mainly the A type. RAPD genotyping of both Han and Uygur children showed similar results (X(2) = 1.573, P = 0.814). There were differences in the distributions of C. albicans in children of different nationalities. C. albicans is a key factor causing caries. The PCR 25S rDNA genotyping method is simple and sensitive, while the RAPD genotyping method is reliable and comprehensive.

[Epidemics and risk factors of plague in Junggar Basin, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, 2007-2016].

PubMed

Zhang, Y J; Wang, C; Luo, T; Guo, R; Meng, W W

2017-10-10

Objective: To explore the epidemic situation of animal plague in Junggar Basin natural plague foci. Methods: Data on epidemics of plague and on population involved, as well as results on antibodies and pathogens, were analyzed. Samples on animals and vectors were collected from 18 counties in Junggar Basin plague natural foci between 2007 and 2016. Results: The density of Rhombomys (R.) opimus was temporally fluctuant, from 2.1/hm(2) to 22.6/hm(2) respectively. However, the spatial distribution appeared asymmetrical, with the highest seen in Kelamayi and Wumuqi-midong counties, as 14.2/hm(2) and 13.0/hm(2) respectively. Rates of capture on nocturnal rodents were from 4.2 % to 10.1 % , with the highest rate as 10.1 % in 2014. Meriones meridianus appeared the dominant species in the nocturnal community of rodents, which accounted for 81.9 % . Regarding the spatial and temporal distributions, rates of R. opimus with fleas appeared fluctuant, with an average rate as 90.7 % and the average total flea index was 10.44. In flea community of R. opimus , Xenopsylla (X.) skrjabini was found the dominant species, popular in distribution and accounted for 47.8 % . The average rate of nocturnal rodents with flea was 20.2 % , with total flea index as 1.20 and the dominant fleas were X. conformis conformis and Nosopsyllus laeviceps . A total of 13 species with 9 087 serum samples from rodents were detected as having Y. pestis antibody by IHA, with 617 positive samples. Of them, the positive rate of having R. opimus appeared the highest (9.4 % ), followed by D. sagitta (1.1 % ). Spatially, two clustered areas were found, with one in the eastern Junggar Basin from Changji to Mulei county, with the antibody positive rates of R. opimus as 14.3 % . The other one was in the central area of Junggar Basin, including Kelamayi, Shawan and Wusu counties, with the antibody positive rate as 13.6 % . The prevalence of plague on R. opimus was fluctuant, with the lowest seen in 2008, with the average antibody positive rate of R. opimus as 1.0 % and the highest as 19.3 % in 2013. A total of 18 strains were isolated from 2007 to 2016. However, most of the strains were isolated from R. opimus and parasitic fleas, accounted for 8/9, in Kelamayi, Wulumuqi-midong and Jimusaer, respectively. Conclusions: Complex ecosystem was seen in the Junggar Basin natural plague foci, with the multiple composition of species and different community structure of hosts and vectors, plus the flustering prevalence. Animal plague was seen in the whole region with succession of the plague nature foci. Passive transmission of plague between human beings and animals through close contacts was seen which was driven by economic benefits to some degree.

[Prospective cohort study on the occupational stress and mental disorder among the oilfield workers in Xinjiang Autonomous Region in 2013-2015].

PubMed

Han, Rui; Shi, Haohua; Chen, Yulu; Lian, Yulong; Liu, Jiwen

2018-01-01

To explore the relationship between occupational stress and psychological disorder among oilfield workers. In 2013, 1485 psychological normal oilfield workers using the stratified cluster sampling in Xinjiang Autonomous Region were investigated, and the follow-up was conducted in 2015. Occupational stress and mental health status were assessed by questionnaire for the occupation stress and self-rating symptom. The people with mental disorder was 556, the incidence rate was40. 29%. The level of occupational stress level low-high group( RR = 2. 689, 95% CI1. 342-5. 391) and middle-high group( RR = 2. 878, 95% CI 1. 205-6. 875) of mental disorder were higher than the low-low group, the level of Personal Strain Questionnaire low-middle group( RR = 2. 500, 95% CI 1. 700-3. 763) and low-high group( RR =3. 907, 95% CI 1. 955-7. 651) and middle-middle group( RR = 2. 141, 95% CI 1. 016-4. 512) of mental disorder were higher than low-low group. Without drinking( RR =0. 779, 95% CI = 0. 622-0. 976) was protective factor for mental disorders. Occupational stress and drinking are the risk factors of mental disorder, it is more practical to multiple measurement of the psychological disorder of occupational stress exposure than single one.

Molecular characterization of enteroviruses including a new type EV-C99 isolated from Xinjiang students in Shandong, China in 2011.

PubMed

Tao, Zexin; Yuan, Qun; Lin, Xiaojuan; Wang, Suting; Liu, Yao; Ji, Feng; Xiong, Ping; Cui, Ning; Song, Lizhi; Wang, Mei; Xu, Aiqiang

2014-10-09

The last case of infection with wild-type poliovirus indigenous to China was reported in 1994. In 2011, a poliomyelitis outbreak caused by imported wide-type poliovirus occurred in Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region. Here, we report the results of enterovirus (EV) isolation from Xinjiang students that returned to school in Shandong after summer vacation during this outbreak. Stool specimens from 376 students were collected and 10 EV strains were isolated including 4 polioviruses (All Sabin strains), 1 coxsackievirus (CV) A13, 3 CVA17 and 2 EV-C99. VP1 sequence analysis revealed these CVA13, CVA17 and EV-C99 strains had 71.3-81.8%, 76.5-84.6% and 74.2-82.9% nucleotide similarity with strains from other countries within a serotype, respectively. EV-C99 strains had 82.7-92.8% VP1 similarity with two previously reported Xinjiang strains. Complete genome analysis on EV-C99 strains revealed intra-serotypic genetic recombination events. These findings reflect great genetic divergence between Chinese strains and strains from other countries of the three types, and provide valuable information on monitoring EV transmission over long distance.

The dominant role of climate change in determining changes in evapotranspiration in Xinjiang, China from 2001 to 2012

PubMed Central

Bai, Jie; Li, Longhui

2017-01-01

The Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of China has experienced significant land cover and climate change since the beginning of the 21st century. However, a reasonable simulation of evapotranspiration (ET) and its response to environmental factors are still unclear. For this study, to simulate ET and its response to climate and land cover change in Xinjiang, China from 2001 to 2012, we used the Common Land Model (CoLM) by adding irrigation effects for cropland and modifying root distributions and the root water uptake process for shrubland. Our results indicate that mean annual ET from 2001 to 2012 was 131.22 (±21.78) mm/year and demonstrated no significant trend (p = 0.12). The model simulation also indicates that climate change was capable of explaining 99% of inter-annual ET variability; land cover change only explained 1%. Land cover change caused by the expansion of croplands increased annual ET by 1.11 mm while climate change, mainly resulting from both decreased temperature and precipitation, reduced ET by 21.90 mm. Our results imply that climate change plays a dominant role in determining changes in ET, and also highlight the need for appropriate land-use strategies for managing water sources in dryland ecosystems within Xinjiang. PMID:28841645

The dominant role of climate change in determining changes in evapotranspiration in Xinjiang, China from 2001 to 2012.

PubMed

Yuan, Xiuliang; Bai, Jie; Li, Longhui; Kurban, Alishir; De Maeyer, Philippe

2017-01-01

The Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of China has experienced significant land cover and climate change since the beginning of the 21st century. However, a reasonable simulation of evapotranspiration (ET) and its response to environmental factors are still unclear. For this study, to simulate ET and its response to climate and land cover change in Xinjiang, China from 2001 to 2012, we used the Common Land Model (CoLM) by adding irrigation effects for cropland and modifying root distributions and the root water uptake process for shrubland. Our results indicate that mean annual ET from 2001 to 2012 was 131.22 (±21.78) mm/year and demonstrated no significant trend (p = 0.12). The model simulation also indicates that climate change was capable of explaining 99% of inter-annual ET variability; land cover change only explained 1%. Land cover change caused by the expansion of croplands increased annual ET by 1.11 mm while climate change, mainly resulting from both decreased temperature and precipitation, reduced ET by 21.90 mm. Our results imply that climate change plays a dominant role in determining changes in ET, and also highlight the need for appropriate land-use strategies for managing water sources in dryland ecosystems within Xinjiang.

Polymorphisms and phenotypic analysis of cytochrome P450 3A4 in the Uygur population in northwest China.

PubMed

Jin, Tianbo; Yang, Hua; Zhang, Jiayi; Yunus, Zulfiya; Sun, Qiang; Geng, Tingting; Chen, Chao; Yang, Jie

2015-01-01

Genetic polymorphisms in CYP3A4 can change its activity to a certain degree, thus leading to differences among different populations in drug efficacy or adverse drug reactions. The study was intended to validate the genetic polymorphisms in CYP3A4 in Uygur Chinese population, we sequenced and screened for genetic variants including 5'UTR, promoters, exons, introns, and 3'UTR region of the whole CYP3A4 gene in 100 unrelated, healthy. Twenty-one genetic polymorphisms in CYP3A4, and nine of them were novel. We detected CYP3A4*8, a putative poor-metabolizer allele, with the frequency of 0.5% in Uygur population. Tfsitescan revealed that the density of transcription factor varied in the different promoter regions, among which some were key regions for transcription factor binding. our results provide basic information about CPY3A4 alleles in Uygur and suggest that the enzymatic activities of CPY3A4 may differ among the diverse ethnic populations of China.

Polymorphisms and phenotypic analysis of cytochrome P450 3A4 in the Uygur population in northwest China

PubMed Central

Jin, Tianbo; Yang, Hua; Zhang, Jiayi; Yunus, Zulfiya; Sun, Qiang; Geng, Tingting; Chen, Chao; Yang, Jie

2015-01-01

Purpose: Genetic polymorphisms in CYP3A4 can change its activity to a certain degree, thus leading to differences among different populations in drug efficacy or adverse drug reactions. Methods: The study was intended to validate the genetic polymorphisms in CYP3A4 in Uygur Chinese population, we sequenced and screened for genetic variants including 5’UTR, promoters, exons, introns, and 3’UTR region of the whole CYP3A4 gene in 100 unrelated, healthy. Results: Twenty-one genetic polymorphisms in CYP3A4, and nine of them were novel. We detected CYP3A4*8, a putative poor-metabolizer allele, with the frequency of 0.5% in Uygur population. Tfsitescan revealed that the density of transcription factor varied in the different promoter regions, among which some were key regions for transcription factor binding. Conclusion: our results provide basic information about CPY3A4 alleles in Uygur and suggest that the enzymatic activities of CPY3A4 may differ among the diverse ethnic populations of China. PMID:26261601

The Uyghur Insurgency in Xinjiang: The Success Potential

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-06-12

Kazakhstan.46 The valley is broad, fertile, well watered, and has historically been the grassland for pastoral nomads . The...confederation of pastoral nomads , lived in modern day Xinjiang for centuries.64 The Han Empire of the Tang Dynasty ruled over parts of Xinjiang from

Time Prediction Models for Echinococcosis Based on Gray System Theory and Epidemic Dynamics.

PubMed

Zhang, Liping; Wang, Li; Zheng, Yanling; Wang, Kai; Zhang, Xueliang; Zheng, Yujian

2017-03-04

Echinococcosis, which can seriously harm human health and animal husbandry production, has become an endemic in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region of China. In order to explore an effective human Echinococcosis forecasting model in Xinjiang, three grey models, namely, the traditional grey GM(1,1) model, the Grey-Periodic Extensional Combinatorial Model (PECGM(1,1)), and the Modified Grey Model using Fourier Series (FGM(1,1)), in addition to a multiplicative seasonal ARIMA(1,0,1)(1,1,0)₄ model, are applied in this study for short-term predictions. The accuracy of the different grey models is also investigated. The simulation results show that the FGM(1,1) model has a higher performance ability, not only for model fitting, but also for forecasting. Furthermore, considering the stability and the modeling precision in the long run, a dynamic epidemic prediction model based on the transmission mechanism of Echinococcosis is also established for long-term predictions. Results demonstrate that the dynamic epidemic prediction model is capable of identifying the future tendency. The number of human Echinococcosis cases will increase steadily over the next 25 years, reaching a peak of about 1250 cases, before eventually witnessing a slow decline, until it finally ends.

Time Prediction Models for Echinococcosis Based on Gray System Theory and Epidemic Dynamics

PubMed Central

Zhang, Liping; Wang, Li; Zheng, Yanling; Wang, Kai; Zhang, Xueliang; Zheng, Yujian

2017-01-01

Echinococcosis, which can seriously harm human health and animal husbandry production, has become an endemic in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region of China. In order to explore an effective human Echinococcosis forecasting model in Xinjiang, three grey models, namely, the traditional grey GM(1,1) model, the Grey-Periodic Extensional Combinatorial Model (PECGM(1,1)), and the Modified Grey Model using Fourier Series (FGM(1,1)), in addition to a multiplicative seasonal ARIMA(1,0,1)(1,1,0)4 model, are applied in this study for short-term predictions. The accuracy of the different grey models is also investigated. The simulation results show that the FGM(1,1) model has a higher performance ability, not only for model fitting, but also for forecasting. Furthermore, considering the stability and the modeling precision in the long run, a dynamic epidemic prediction model based on the transmission mechanism of Echinococcosis is also established for long-term predictions. Results demonstrate that the dynamic epidemic prediction model is capable of identifying the future tendency. The number of human Echinococcosis cases will increase steadily over the next 25 years, reaching a peak of about 1250 cases, before eventually witnessing a slow decline, until it finally ends. PMID:28273856

Development of urbanization in arid and semi arid regions based on the water resource carrying capacity -- a case study of Changji, Xinjiang

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xiao, H.; Zhang, L.; Chai, Z.

2017-07-01

The arid and semiarid region in China where have a relatively weak economic foundation, independent development capacity, and the low-level of urbanization. The new urbanization within these regions is facing severe challenges brought by the constraints of resources. In this paper, we selected the Changji Hui Autonomous Prefecture, Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region as study area. We found that agricultural planting structure is the key water consumption index based on the research about the main water demands of domestic, agriculture and industry. Finally, we suggest that more attentions should be paid to the rational utilization of water resources, population carrying capacity, and adjust and upgrade the industrial structure, with the purpose of coordination with the Silk Road Economic Belt.

[Daytime hypercapnia in patients with obstructive sleep apnea hypopnea syndrome in Han and Uygur nationality].

PubMed

He, Z M; Jiang, X L; Da, Piliqing; Ye, Z; Li, J P; Zhang, Q L; Chen, Y; Shi, J; Li, M; Han, F

2016-11-29

Objective: To evaluate the incidence and factors related to daytime hypercapnia in Han and Uygur patients with obstructive sleep apnea hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS). Methods: There were 221 patients with OSAHS (include 179 Han patients and 42 Uygur patients) in Sleep Center of Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine of Karamay Central Hospital from 2015, Jan to Dec. All the patients underwent polysomnography (PSG), nocturnal oximetry, daytime blood gas analysis, pulmonary function test and Mouth occlusion pressure (P 0.1 ) results were recorded. The features of hypercapnia was analyzed for patients with OSAHS, and linear regression analysis was used to evaluate the arterial carbon dioxide partial pressure (PaCO 2 ) levels and related factors. Results: Daytime hypercapnia occurred in 16.7% (37/221) of the 221 patients with OSAHS. Compare with no hypercapnia groups, the body mass [(31.6±5.6) vs (27.9±1.7) kg/m 2 ], sleep apnea index (AHI) [(40.9±26.3) vs (32.2±20.1) times/h], the percentage of time spent at oxygen saturation below 90 (SIT 90 ) [(38.6±31.9)% vs (23.9±23.6)%], P 0.1 [(3.08±2.86) vs (2.03±1.20) mmHg, 1 mmHg=0.133 kPa] were higher in hypercapnia groups, but the mean nocturnal arterial oxygen saturation (MSaO 2 ) [(86.0±15.5)% vs (92.0±3.0)%], the nadir arterial oxygen saturation (LSaO 2 ) [(68.9±13.0)% vs (75.3±9.9)%] and arterial partial pressure of oxygen (PaO 2 ) [(74.5±23.0) vs (86.1±14.8) were lower in hypercapnia groups (all P <0.05). Compare with Han patients with OSAHS, MSaO 2 and LSaO 2 was lower, PaCO 2 and P 0.1 was higher in Uygur patients (all P <0.05). Conclusions: Uygur OSAHS patients with hypercapnia have a higher daytime PaCO 2 than the Han counterparts. BMI, AHI, MSaO 2 , P 0.1 level are all related with daytime hypercapnia in OSAHS.

[Impacts of electroacupuncture on left hippocampus NAA/Cr for patients of Uygur and Han nationality with mild cognitive impairment].

PubMed

Liu, Zhi-Yan; Guo, Hui; Zhang, Xiao-Lin; Liu, Juan; Qu, Hong-Yan; Peng, Wei; Bao, Yi-Mei; Yin, Li-Li; Song, Yi-Xing

2011-09-01

To observe the clinical efficacy of electroacupuncture (EA) on mild cognitive impairment (MCI) for patients of Uygur and Han nationality and explore the national diversity among the patients with MCI. Twenty-five cases were divided into Han nationality group (15 cases) and Uygur nationality group (10 cases) according to patient's nationality. In either group, EA was applied to Baihui (GV 20), Fengchi (GB 20), Xuanzhong (GB 39), Fuliu (KI 7), Sanyinjiao (SP 6) and Taixi (KI 3), once per day, 15 treatments made one session and there were 5 days at the interval among the sessions. Totally, 3 sessions of treatment were required. The proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H-MRS) was used to observe the changes in the ratio of N-acetylaspartate and creatine (NAA/Cr) on the left hippocampus for the patients in two groups before and after treatment as well as the changes in the results of the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) separately. NAA/Cr in Uygur nationality group was higher than that in Han nationality group before treatment (1.659 +/- 0.418 vs 1.137 +/- 0.190, P < 0.05). After treatment, MMSE and MoCA scores all increased apparently as compared with those before treatment in two groups (P < 0.05, P < 0.01), and NAA/Cr on the left hippocampus in either group was up-regulated as compared with that before treatment (both P < 0.01). EA can improve the overall cognitive function for the patients with MCI. There is the national diversity in the partial brain metabolite level between Uygur patients and Han patients with MCI.

Correlation of A2bAR and KLF4/KLF15 with Obesity-Dyslipidemia Induced Inflammation in Uygur Population

PubMed Central

Wang, Cuizhe; Ha, Xiaodan; Li, Wei; Xu, Peng; Gu, Yajuan; Wang, Tingting; Wang, Yan; Xie, Jianxin; Zhang, Jun

2016-01-01

In this paper, the researchers collected visceral adipose tissue from the Uygur population, which were divided into two groups: the normal control group (NC, n = 50, 18.0 kg/m2 ≤ BMI ≤ 23.9 kg/m2) and the obese group (OB, n = 45, BMI ≥ 28 kg/m2), and then use real-time PCR to detect the mRNA expression level of key genes involved in inflammation signaling pathway. The findings suggest that, in obese status, the lower expression level of A2bAR, KLF4, and KLF15 of visceral adipose tissue may correlate with obese-dyslipidemia induced inflammation in Uygur population. PMID:27199507

Timing and Spatial Distribution of Loess in Xinjiang, NW China.

PubMed

Li, Yun; Song, Yougui; Yan, Libin; Chen, Tao; An, Zhisheng

2015-01-01

Central Asia is one of the most significant loess regions on Earth, with an important role in understanding Quaternary climate and environmental change. However, in contrast to the widely investigated loess deposits in the Chinese Loess Plateau, the Central Asian loess-paleosol sequences are still insufficiently known and poorly understood. Through field investigation and review of the previous literature, the authors have investigated the distribution, thickness and age of the Xinjiang loess, and analyzed factors that control these parameters in the Xinjiang in northwest China, Central Asia. The loess sediments cover river terraces, low uplands, the margins of deserts and the slopes of the Tianshan Mountains and Kunlun Mountains and are also present in the Ili Basin. The thickness of the Xinjiang loess deposits varies from several meters to 670 m. The variation trend of the sand fraction (>63 μm) grain-size contour can indicate the local major wind directions, so we conclude that the NW and NE winds are the main wind directions in the North and South Xinjiang, and the westerly wind mainly transport dust into the Ili basin. We consider persistent drying, adequate regional wind energy and well-developed river terraces to be the main factors controlling the distribution, thickness and formation age of the Xinjiang loess. The well-outcropped loess sections have mainly developed since the middle Pleistocene in Xinjiang, reflecting the appearance of the persistent drying and the present air circulation system. However, the oldest loess deposits are as old as the beginning of the Pliocene in the Tarim Basin, which suggests that earlier aridification occurred in the Tarim Basin rather than in the Ili Basin and the Junggar Basin.

A novel polymorphism of the CYP2J2 gene is associated with coronary artery disease in Uygur population in China.

PubMed

Zhu, Qing; Fu, Zhenyan; Ma, Yitong; Yang, Hong; Huang, Ding; Xie, Xiang; Liu, Fen; Zheng, Yingying; Cha, Erdenbat

2013-08-01

Cytochrome P450 (CYP) 2J2 is expressed in the vascular endothelium and metabolizes arachidonic acid to biologically active epoxyeicosatrienoic acids (EETs). The EETs are potent endogenous vasodilators and inhibitors of vascular inflammation. The aim of the present study was to assess the association between the human CYP2J2 gene polymorphism and coronary artery disease (CAD) in a Han and Uygur population of China. We use two independent case-control studies: a Han population (206 CAD patients and 262 control subjects) and an Uygur population (336 CAD patients and 448 control subjects). All CAD patients and controls were genotyped for the same three single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) (rs890293, rs11572223 and rs2280275) of CYP2J2 gene by a real-time PCR instrument. In the Uygur population, for total, the distribution of SNP3 (rs2280275) genotypes showed a significant difference between CAD and control participants (P=0.048). For total and men, the distribution of SNP3 (rs2280275) alleles and the dominant model (CC vs CT+TT) showed a significant difference between CAD and control participants (for allele: P=0.014 and P=0.035, respectively; for dominant model: P=0.014 and P=0.034, respectively). The significant difference in dominant model was retained after adjustment for covariates (OR: 0.279, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.176-0.440, P=0.001; OR: 0.240, 95% CI: 0.128-0.457, P=0.001, respectively). The CC genotype of rs2280275 in CYP2J2 gene could be a protective genetic marker of CAD and T allele may be a risk genetic marker of CAD in men of Uygur population in China. Copyright © 2013 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

[Traditional Chinese medicine syndrome factors of patients with HIV infection or AIDS in China].

PubMed

Jiang, Feng; Fu, Lin-chun; Ma, Jian-ping; Zhou, Qing; Peng, Bo; Xie, Shi-ping; Guo, Hui-jun; Dong, Yong-xin; Ma, Xiu-lan; Guo, Xuan-xian; Xie, Zhong-li; Hu, Yan-ping; Li, Qing-ya; Li, Hua-wei; Jin, Yan-tao

2011-09-01

To study the characteristics of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) syndrome factors of patients from different areas of China with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). A cross-sectional investigation study was conducted in Henan, Guangdong and Yunnan Provinces and Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region of China from October 2008 to August 2010. Based on literature review and expert opinion, a clinical questionnaire of TCM syndromes was drawn up. This survey was carried out after the investigators were professionally trained. Wenfeng III Auxiliary Diagnosis and Treat System of TCM was used to analyze the frequencies of AIDS patients' signs and symptoms with scores above 70 of syndrome factors respectively. Based on this work, syndrome factors of AIDS were analyzed in different areas. There were 608 HIV/AIDS cases investigated from October 2008 to August 2010 in total; among them, 276 cases were from Henan, 126 cases from Guangdong, 120 cases from Xinjiang and 86 cases from Yunnan. The results of syndrome factor analysis indicated that the syndromes of four provinces were similar. HIV/AIDS patients in the four areas exhibited qi deficiency, blood deficiency, yin deficiency, yang deficiency, dampness, phlegm, qi stagnation and essence deficiency syndromes. Patients in each area also had their own characteristics, such as that the scores of dampness of Guangdong and yin deficiency of Xinjiang were higher than the other syndromes, whereas the scores of Henan Province were higher than the other areas. AIDS patients had higher scores of syndromes than HIV-infected patients. HIV/AIDS patients from different areas had similar syndrome elements. The theory of "AIDS toxin injuring primordial qi" can sum up the TCM etiology and pathogenesis of HIV/AIDS.

Study on water vapor characteristic of typical heavy snowstorm case in Northern Xinjiang

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cui, C.; Zhang, J.

2017-12-01

Using the daily precipitation at 51 weather stations in the Northern Xinjiang from November to March during 2000—2012 and daily water vapor of NCEP/NCAR 6 h 1°×1° reanalysis data, the water vapor characteristics of 11 typical heavy snowstorm cases were studied. The result shows that the 11 cases are classified into 3 types: West of Northern Xinjiang and along Tianshan edge, north and east of Northern Xinjiang, west of Northern Xinjiang and west Tianshan. There are two main water vapor sources: Near the Mediterranean Sea, the Red Sea or near the Persian Gulf. There are two water vapor transport routes which are west, southwest and northwest, respectively. Water vapor from southwest route is more, that from northwest route is less. The top of water vapor is close to 300 hPa. The strongest water vapor transport level is between 650-750 hPa. Before the every occurrence of 11 heavy snowstorm processes, there are water vapor convergence between 600-1000 hPa in Northern Xinjiang.There are positive correlations between the snowstorm intensity and water vapor convergence between 600-1000 hPa, as well as the convergence strength, rang and duration time in Northern Xinjiang. Hence, some lowest values of the strongest water vapor transport, water vapor convergence and the upper and lower level jet streams are resented also and gave useful references for accurate heavy snowstorm forecasting.

Genotypic characteristics of Mycobacterium tuberculosis circulating in Xinjiang, China.

PubMed

Yuan, Li; Mi, Ligu; Li, Yongxiang; Zhang, Hui; Zheng, Fang; Li, Zhuoya

2016-02-01

Tuberculosis (TB), a chronic infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB), poses a serious threat to human health. We investigated the genotypes of MTB in the high prevalence province Xinjiang, China. From March 2010 to May 2013, 381 MTB isolates from patients with pulmonary TB were analyzed by molecular typing of 24 mycobacterial interspersed repetitive unit-variable number tandem repeat loci and PCR detection of the deleted regions of difference of the Beijing/W lineage and its sublineages. These isolates were shown to be highly polymorphic and to be composed of 345 unique genotypes, including 30 genotype clusters consisting of 2 or 3 strains and 315 individual genotypes. The genotype clustering rate was 17.32% and recent transmission index was low (9.45%). The Beijing/W lineage strains accounted for 57.48% of the isolates, and this predominant family strain was further subdivided into four sublineages: 181 (69.86%), 207 (14.61%), 105 (10.96%), and 150 (4.56%). The Beijing/W lineage (especially sublineage 181) strains were predominant and were associated with the transmissibility of TB in Xinjiang. Based on our data, we hypothesize that the circulating MTB strains in Xinjiang have significant genetic diversity and that the majority of the TB in Xinjiang may be explained by non-recent transmission emerging by endogenous reactivation. The possibility of outbreak is low, and current measures to control TB should first focus on standardized treatment of TB patients to prevent reactivation of latent infections.

Risk assessment of precipitation extremes in northern Xinjiang, China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Jun; Pei, Ying; Zhang, Yanwei; Ge, Quansheng

2018-05-01

This study was conducted using daily precipitation records gathered at 37 meteorological stations in northern Xinjiang, China, from 1961 to 2010. We used the extreme value theory model, generalized extreme value (GEV) and generalized Pareto distribution (GPD), statistical distribution function to fit outputs of precipitation extremes with different return periods to estimate risks of precipitation extremes and diagnose aridity-humidity environmental variation and corresponding spatial patterns in northern Xinjiang. Spatiotemporal patterns of daily maximum precipitation showed that aridity-humidity conditions of northern Xinjiang could be well represented by the return periods of the precipitation data. Indices of daily maximum precipitation were effective in the prediction of floods in the study area. By analyzing future projections of daily maximum precipitation (2, 5, 10, 30, 50, and 100 years), we conclude that the flood risk will gradually increase in northern Xinjiang. GEV extreme value modeling yielded the best results, proving to be extremely valuable. Through example analysis for extreme precipitation models, the GEV statistical model was superior in terms of favorable analog extreme precipitation. The GPD model calculation results reflect annual precipitation. For most of the estimated sites' 2 and 5-year T for precipitation levels, GPD results were slightly greater than GEV results. The study found that extreme precipitation reaching a certain limit value level will cause a flood disaster. Therefore, predicting future extreme precipitation may aid warnings of flood disaster. A suitable policy concerning effective water resource management is thus urgently required.

Forecast Model Analysis for the Morbidity of Tuberculosis in Xinjiang, China

PubMed Central

Zheng, Yan-Ling; Zhang, Li-Ping; Zhang, Xue-Liang; Wang, Kai; Zheng, Yu-Jian

2015-01-01

Tuberculosis is a major global public health problem, which also affects economic and social development. China has the second largest burden of tuberculosis in the world. The tuberculosis morbidity in Xinjiang is much higher than the national situation; therefore, there is an urgent need for monitoring and predicting tuberculosis morbidity so as to make the control of tuberculosis more effective. Recently, the Box-Jenkins approach, specifically the autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) model, is typically applied to predict the morbidity of infectious diseases; it can take into account changing trends, periodic changes, and random disturbances in time series. Autoregressive conditional heteroscedasticity (ARCH) models are the prevalent tools used to deal with time series heteroscedasticity. In this study, based on the data of the tuberculosis morbidity from January 2004 to June 2014 in Xinjiang, we establish the single ARIMA (1, 1, 2) (1, 1, 1)12 model and the combined ARIMA (1, 1, 2) (1, 1, 1)12-ARCH (1) model, which can be used to predict the tuberculosis morbidity successfully in Xinjiang. Comparative analyses show that the combined model is more effective. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to establish the ARIMA model and ARIMA-ARCH model for prediction and monitoring the monthly morbidity of tuberculosis in Xinjiang. Based on the results of this study, the ARIMA (1, 1, 2) (1, 1, 1)12-ARCH (1) model is suggested to give tuberculosis surveillance by providing estimates on tuberculosis morbidity trends in Xinjiang, China. PMID:25760345

Landsat and SPOT data for oil exploration in North-Western China

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

Nishidai, Takashi

1996-07-01

Satellite remote sensing technology has been employed by Japex to provide information related to oil exploration programs for many years. Since the beginning of the 1980`s, regional geological interpretation through to advanced studies using satellite imagery with high spectral and spatial resolutions (such as Landsat TM and SPOT HRV), have been carried out, for both exploration programs and for scientific research. Advanced techniques (including analysis of airborne hyper-multispectral imaging sensor data) as well as conventional photogeological techniques were used throughout these programs. The first program using remote sensing technology in China focused on the Tarim Basin, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region,more » and was carried out using Landsat MSS data. Landsat MSS imagery allows us to gain useful preliminary geological information about an area of interest, prior to field studies. About 90 Landsat scenes cover the entire Xinjiang Uygru Autonomous Region, this allowed us to give comprehensive overviews of 3 hydrocarbon-bearing basins (Tarim, Junggar, and Turpan-Hami) in NW China. The overviews were based on the interpretations and assessments of the satellite imagery and on a synthesis of the most up-to-date accessible geological and geophysical data as well as some field works. Pairs of stereoscopic SPOT HRV images were used to generate digital elevation data with a 40 in grid cover for part of the Tarim Basin. Topographic contour maps, created from this digital elevation data, at scales of 1:250,000 and 1:100,000 with contour intervals of 100 m and 50 m, allowed us to make precise geological interpretation, and to carry out swift and efficient geological field work. Satellite imagery was also utilized to make medium scale to large scale image maps, not only to interpret geological features but also to support field workers and seismic survey field operations.« less

An ecology-oriented exploitation mode of groundwater resources in the northern Tianshan Mountains, China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shang, Haimin; Wang, Wenke; Dai, Zhenxue; Duan, Lei; Zhao, Yaqian; Zhang, Jing

2016-12-01

In recent years, ecological degradation caused by irrational groundwater exploitation has been of growing concern in arid and semiarid regions. To address the groundwater-ecological issues, this paper proposes a groundwater-resource exploitation mode to evaluate the tradeoff between groundwater development and ecological environment in the northern Tianshan Mountains, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. Field surveys and remote sensing studies were conducted to analyze the relation between the distribution of hydrological conditions and the occurrence of ecological types. The results show that there is a good correlation between groundwater depth and the supergene ecological type. Numerical simulations and ecological assessment models were applied to develop an ecology-oriented exploitation mode of groundwater resources. The mode allows the groundwater levels in different zones to be regulated by optimizing groundwater exploitation modes. The prediction results show that the supergene ecological quality will be better in 2020 and even more groundwater can be exploited in this mode. This study provides guidance for regional groundwater management, especially in regions with an obvious water scarcity.

An ecology-oriented exploitation mode of groundwater resources in the northern foot of Tianshan Mountain, China

DOE PAGES

Shang, Haimin; Wang, Wenke; Dai, Zhenxue; ...

2016-10-10

In recent years, ecological degradation caused by irrational groundwater exploitation has been of growing concern in arid and semiarid regions. To address the groundwater-ecological issues, this paper proposes a groundwater-resource exploitation mode to evaluate the tradeoff between groundwater development and ecological environment in the northern Tianshan Mountains, northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. Field surveys and remote sensing studies were conducted to analyze the relation between the distribution of hydrological conditions and the occurrence of ecological types. The results show that there is a good correlation between groundwater depth and the supergene ecological type. Numerical simulations and ecological assessment modelsmore » were applied to develop an ecology-oriented exploitation mode of groundwater resources. The mode allows the groundwater levels in different zones to be regulated by optimizing groundwater exploitation modes. The prediction results show that the supergene ecological quality will be better in 2020 and even more groundwater can be exploited in this mode. This study provides guidance for regional groundwater management, especially in regions with an obvious water scarcity.« less

An ecology-oriented exploitation mode of groundwater resources in the northern foot of Tianshan Mountain, China

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

Shang, Haimin; Wang, Wenke; Dai, Zhenxue

In recent years, ecological degradation caused by irrational groundwater exploitation has been of growing concern in arid and semiarid regions. To address the groundwater-ecological issues, this paper proposes a groundwater-resource exploitation mode to evaluate the tradeoff between groundwater development and ecological environment in the northern Tianshan Mountains, northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. Field surveys and remote sensing studies were conducted to analyze the relation between the distribution of hydrological conditions and the occurrence of ecological types. The results show that there is a good correlation between groundwater depth and the supergene ecological type. Numerical simulations and ecological assessment modelsmore » were applied to develop an ecology-oriented exploitation mode of groundwater resources. The mode allows the groundwater levels in different zones to be regulated by optimizing groundwater exploitation modes. The prediction results show that the supergene ecological quality will be better in 2020 and even more groundwater can be exploited in this mode. This study provides guidance for regional groundwater management, especially in regions with an obvious water scarcity.« less

Anaplasma infection of Bactrian camels (Camelus bactrianus) and ticks in Xinjiang, China.

PubMed

Li, Youquan; Yang, Jifei; Chen, Ze; Qin, Gege; Li, Yaqiong; Li, Qian; Liu, Junlong; Liu, Zhijie; Guan, Guiquan; Yin, Hong; Luo, Jianxun; Zhang, Lin

2015-06-10

To date, anaplasmosis has been reported to be a subclinical disease in Indian and Arabian one-humped camels (Camelus dromedarius) and llamas (Lama glama). However, no information on Anaplasma infection in two-humped Bactrian camels (Camelus bactrianus) in China has been published to date. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of Anaplasma spp. in domestic Bactrian camels and ticks in Xinjiang, China. A total of 382 ticks were collected from the Bactrian camels and from environmental sources. Of these, 84 were morphologically identified as belonging to the Rhipicephalus sanguineus group and genetically identified (12S rDNA, 16S rDNA and the cytochrome c oxidase 1 genes) as R. sanguineus group ticks (temporally designated as Rhipicephalus sp. Xinjiang). PCR testing showed that 7.2% (20/279) of the camels harbored Anaplasma platys DNA. However, microscopic examination revealed no A. platys inclusions in blood smears from the camels. The PCR prevalence of A. platys DNA was 9.5% (6/63) in Rhipicephalus sp. Xinjiang from the Bactrian camels and 14.3% (3/21) in Rhipicephalus sp. Xinjiang from the vegetation. A. platys DNA was not detected by PCR in other tick species (Hyalomma asiaticum, Dermacentor niveus and Hyalomma dromedarii), and no other Anaplasma species were detected in these samples. This is the first report of A. platys in Bactrian camels in Xinjiang, China. The moderate positivity observed indicates that these animals might be a natural host for this pathogen in China.

Chinese Teachers' Self-Reported Beliefs and Practices Related to Majority and Minority Students in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Newton, Hongyan Z.

2011-01-01

This study begins to address the questions of what beliefs Chinese teachers hold about teaching and learning, about different student groups, and how these beliefs and expectations mediate their daily instructional practices. A triangulated mixed methods design was used for this study. This is a type of design in which different but complementary…

Effects of sedentary occupations on type 2 diabetes and hypertension in different ethnic groups in North West China.

PubMed

Gao, Ying; Xie, Xiang; Wang, Shu-Xia; Li, Hui; Tang, Han-Zhou; Zhang, Jing; Yao, Hua

2017-07-01

This study investigated the effects of sedentary occupations on type 2 diabetes and hypertension in different ethnic groups in North West China. All subjects were civil servants who received health examinations in the First Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University from October 2010 to March 2014. A total of 46,612 participants (39,120 Han, 4148 Uygur, 2098 Hui, 877 Kazak and 369 other ethnicities) completed the examination. Overall, 16.4% of the Han, 14.4% of the Uygur, 15.9% of the Hui, 20.6% of the Kazak and 16.0% of other ethnicities had hypertension. Diabetes was found in 7.6% of the Han, 8.5% of the Uygur, 9.2% of the Hui, 7.4% of the Kazak, and 3.3% of other ethnicities. There was a significant difference between men and women in the prevalence of diabetes (4.3% in women vs 9.7% in men, p < 0.001) and hypertension (9.7% in women vs 21.0% in men, p < 0.001). Our results indicate that both diabetes and hypertension are highly prevalent in individuals with sedentary occupations.

Study on new energy development planning and absorptive capability of Xinjiang in China considering resource characteristics and demand prediction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shao, Hai; Miao, Xujuan; Liu, Jinpeng; Wu, Meng; Zhao, Xuehua

2018-02-01

Xinjiang, as the area where wind energy and solar energy resources are extremely rich, with good resource development characteristics, can provide a support for regional power development and supply protection. This paper systematically analyzes the new energy resource and development characteristics of Xinjiang and carries out the demand prediction and excavation of load characteristics of Xinjiang power market. Combing the development plan of new energy of Xinjiang and considering the construction of transmission channel, it analyzes the absorptive capability of new energy. It provides certain reference for the comprehensive planning of new energy development in Xinjiang and the improvement of absorptive capacity of new energy.

Assessment of Grassland Health Based on Spatial Information Technology in Changji Autonomous Prefecture, Xinjiang

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Du, M. J.; Zheng, J. H.; Mu, C.

2018-04-01

Based on the "pressure-state-response" (PSR) model, comprehensively applied GIS and RS techniques, 20 evaluation indicators were selected based on pressure, state and response, the entropy weight method was used to determine the weight of each index and build a grassland health evaluation system in Changji Prefecture, Xinjiang. Based on this, evaluation and dynamic analysis of grassland health in Changji Prefecture from 2000 to 2016, using GIS/RS technology, the trend of grassland health status in Changji is analyzed and studied. The results show that: 1) Grassland with low health leveld, lower health level, sub-health level, health level and high health level accounts for 1.46 %,27.67 %,38.35 %,29.21 % and 3.31 % of the total area of Changji. Qitai County, Hutubi County, and Manas County are lower health levels, Jimsar County, Changji City, and Mulei County are at a relatively high level, and Fukang City has a healthy level of health. 2) The level of grassland health in Changji County decreased slightly during the 17 years, accounting for 38.42 % of the total area. The area of 23,87 % showed a stable trend, and the improved area accounted for 37.31 % of the vertical surface area.

Variations of six transmembrane epithelial antigen of prostate 4 (STEAP4) gene are associated with metabolic syndrome in a female Uygur general population.

PubMed

Nanfang, Li; Yanying, Guo; Hongmei, Wang; Zhitao, Yan; Juhong, Zhang; Ling, Zhou; Wenli, Luo

2010-08-01

Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is linked with visceral obesity and is associated with a clustering of abnormalities (including impaired glucose tolerance, insulin resistance, dyslipidemia and hypertension). Six transmembrane epithelial antigen of prostate 4 (STEAP4) was associated with human obesity. STEAP4 gene represents a strong biological and positional candidate for a susceptibility factor for MetS. Uygur Chinese is a relatively isolated population with a relatively homogeneous environment and a high prevalence of MetS. We undertook this study to investigate the relationship between STEAP4 gene variations and MetS in a Uygur general population. The functional regions of STEAP4 gene were sequenced in Uygur patients with MetS. Four representative variations, rs1981529, rs34741656, rs8122 and 6031T/G (unsuccessfully genotyped), selected with a r² cutoff of 0.8 and minor allele frequency of >5%, were genotyped in 858 MetS and 687 non-MetS controls. Fourteen novel and six known single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) including 2 nonsynonymous SNPs in the STEAP4 gene were identified. SNPs rs8122 and rs1981529 were significantly associated with MetS phenotype in females [additive p = 0.032 and p = 0.011; ORs (95% CI) adjusted for age 0.772 (0.625-0.954) and 0.740 (0.582-0.941), respectively]. Two common haplotypes 1 (rs8122/rs1981529/rs34741656, G-A-G) and 2 (A-G-G) had significantly higher (permutation p = 0.044) and lower (permutation p = 0.009) frequency in MetS than that in controls in females. Multiple linear regression analysis revealed a significant association of the SNPs rs8122 and rs1981529 with HDL-c level in MetS cases (p = 0.001 and 0.024) and in a combined sample (p = 0.004 and 0.009). STEAP4 genetic variations are likely to be associated with metabolic syndrome in a female Uygur general population. Copyright © 2010 IMSS. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Burden and Correlates of Geriatric Depression in the Uyghur Elderly Population, Observation from Xinjiang, China

PubMed Central

Lu, Chen; Tang, Weiming; Mahapatra, Tanmay; Wang, Yu; Wang, Xihua; Ma, Ying; Ben, Yanli; Cao, Xiaolin; Mahapatra, Sanchita; Ling, Min; Gou, Anshuan; Wang, Yanmei; Xiao, Jiangqin; Hou, Ming; Wang, Xiuli; Lin, Bo; Chen, Ruoling; Wang, Faxing; Hu, Zhi

2014-01-01

Background With the gradual aging of the population, geriatric depression has become a major public health issue in China owing to its overall upward trend and associated negative socio-economic impact. Dearth of information regarding the burden and correlates of geriatric depression among Uyghur minority population in Xinjiang Autonomous Region, called for a comprehensive survey involving representative sample for designing efficient targeted intervention to control this disabling disease. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted among 1329 consenting Uyghur elderly in 2011 in six randomly selected communities/villages in Xinjiang. Information about socio-demographics, behavior, negative life-events, satisfaction regarding income/quality of life and other chronic diseases were collected while assessment of geriatric depression was done using Geriatric Mental State Schedule (GMS). Results Among these participants, majority were currently married, had attended elementary school or less, had an average annual family income of less than 3000 Yuan/person, had strong religious beliefs while 10.61% (2.77% in urban and 23.60% in rural area) had geriatric depression (5.91% among male and 14.58% among females). 61.83% were suffering from other chronic diseases, 96.16% could take care of themselves and 39.28% had experienced negative events during last two years. Religious belief (AOR = 3.92, 95% CI 1.18–13.03), satisfaction regarding quality of life (AOR = 0.53, 95% CI 0.37–0.84) and income (AOR = 0.75, 95% CI 0.35–1.60), suffering from more chronic diseases (AOR = 1.70, 95% CI 1.42–2.04), experiencing three or more negative events (AOR = 1.72, 95% CI 0.92–3.22) and lack of ability to take self-care (AOR = 2.20, 95% CI 1.09–4.48) were all associated with having geriatric depression with or without adjustment for gender, education and occupation. Conclusion High prevalence of geriatric depression among Uyghur elderly in Xinjiang

A comparison of the relationships between psychosocial factors, occupational strain, and work ability among 4 ethnic teacher groups in China.

PubMed

Lian, Yulong; Xiao, Jing; Zhang, Chen; Guan, Suzhen; Li, Fuye; Ge, Hua; Liu, Jiwen

2016-01-01

The present study compared the level of occupational strain and work ability among Han, Hui, Uygur, Hui, and Kazakh teachers, and explored ethnic differences based on the associations of psychosocial factors at work, occupational strain, and work ability. A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 2,941 teachers in primary and secondary schools in Xinjiang Province, China. Psychosocial factors, occupational strain, and work ability were measured using the Occupation Stress Inventory-Revised Edition (OSI-R) and Work Ability Index. Han and Hui teachers experienced reduced work ability compared with Uygur and Kazakh teachers, and this finding was caused, in part, by exposure to psychosocial factors at work. The vocational and psychological strains caused by these factors play an important role in reduced work ability among all ethnic teacher groups. The findings indicate the importance of taking action to reduce occupational strain for promoting teachers' work ability in multiethnic workplaces.

Plant conservation priorities of Xinjiang region, China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, L. P.; Cui, W. H.; Wang, T.; Tian, S.; Xing, W. J.; Yin, L. K.; Abdusalih, N.; Jiang, Y. M.

2017-02-01

As an important region in the Silk Road, Xinjiang is getting a good chance of developing economy. However at the same time, its natural environment is facing a big challenge. To better protect the plant diversity, it is urgent to make a thorough conservation plan. With a full database of vascular and medicinal plant distributions and nature reserve plant lists and boundaries in Xinjiang of China, we analysed the plant diversity hotspots, protection gaps and proposed the plant conservation priorities of this region. Differed from the widely accepted viewpoints that lots of plants were not included in nature reserves, we found that most of the plants ( > 90%) were actually included in the current nature reserves. We believe that compared with establishing more nature reserves, improving the management of the existing ones is also important. Furthermore, the very few unprotected plants ( < 10%) were distributed mostly in the regions of Aletai, Tacheng, Zhaosu, Manasi, Qitai and Hetian which could be the future conservation priorities.

Constituents and Antioxidant Activity of Bleeding Sap from Various Xinjiang Grapes.

PubMed

Le, Lv; Umar, Anwar; Iburaim, Arkin; Moore, Nicholas

2017-10-01

Wine grape sap or bleeding sap of grapes (GBS) is commonly used in Xinjiang (China) for therapeutic aims. Do variations in composition related to region and variety affect its properties? GBS samples originating in various parts of Xinjiang (Turpan, Hotan, Kashgar, and Atush) were tested for phenols and polyphenols, polysaccharides, saponin, proteins, individual amino acids, and minerals. Their antioxidant activity was measured using ascorbic acid as reference. Polyphenol content varied from 2.6 to 6.6 mg/L, polysaccharides 18.3-816 mg/L, saponin 6.25-106 mg/L, and protein 3.0-22.4 mg/L. Mineral elements and amino acids ranged from 6.20 to 201.2 mg/L and 0.06-118.7 mg/L, respectively. ·OH scavenging ability varied from 70% to over 90%, higher than Vitamin C. Grapes from Turpan had lower antioxidant activity than other grapes even though the polyphenol content was generally higher. Bleeding sap of Xinjiang grape is rich in amino acids, polysaccharides, polyphenols, and protein. The contents are different according to the origin, related possibly to species, climate, and environment. Antioxidant effects were not correlated with polyphenol content. Antioxidant activity of plants or plant extracts is often associated with polyphenolsBleeding sap of grapes has strong antioxidant propertiesBleeding sap from different grape varieties from different parts of Xinjiang (China) had different polyphenol concentrationsThere was no correlation of polyphenol concentrations with antioxidant activity. Abbreviations used: GBS: Bleeding sap of grapes; PITC: phenyl isothiocyanate.

Analysis of the cause of increased measles incidence in Xinjiang, China in 2004.

PubMed

Yu, Xuelian; Wang, Shaohua; Guan, Jing; Mahemuti; Purhati; Gou, Aili; Liu, Quanming; Jin, Xin; Ghildyal, Reena

2007-06-01

Increased number of measles cases were reported from Xinjiang province of China in 2004, relative to previous years. This study aimed to identify the direct cause for this increase in measles morbidity and the major reason for the relatively high measles incidence rate in Xinjiang. The epidemiologic and laboratory surveillance data for measles cases of 2004 were analyzed and a seroepidemiologic investigation involving 1024 subjects, mainly children aged less than 15 years, was conducted in Xinjiang. A questionnaire including demographic and vaccination data was completed by interview and blood samples drawn from surveillance subjects. Sera were analyzed for measles IgM (cases) and IgG (cases and surveillance). Data were assessed for their relationship with high measles incidence rate. 6271 measles cases were reported from Xinjiang in 2004 with a morbidity of 33.7 cases per 100,000 population. 83% of the cases were children less than 12-year-old. 50% of the serum samples were measles IgM positive and 69% were measles IgG positive. 2014 serum samples were collected in the seroepidemiologic survey. The overall IgG antibody seropositivity rate was 89%, preschool children having the lowest seropositivity rate (86%). There was a significant difference in IgG positive rates as well as IgG titers between unvaccinated and vaccinated subjects with each subsequent dose leading to further increase in titer. Low routine measles vaccine coverage was the major probable cause contributing to the increased measles cases in 2004 in Xinjiang and the high measles infection rate overall. The national 2-dose measles vaccination regimen is effective if delivered appropriately.

Forensic molecular genetic diversity analysis of Chinese Hui ethnic group based on a novel STR panel.

PubMed

Fang, Yating; Guo, Yuxin; Xie, Tong; Jin, Xiaoye; Lan, Qiong; Zhou, Yongsong; Zhu, Bofeng

2018-03-26

In present study, the genetic polymorphisms of 22 autosomal short tandem repeat (STR) loci were analyzed in 496 unrelated Chinese Xinjiang Hui individuals. These autosomal STR loci were multiplex amplified and genotyped based on a novel STR panel. There were 246 observed alleles with the allele frequencies ranging from 0.0010 to 0.3609. All polymorphic information content values were higher than 0.7. The combined power of discrimination and the combined probability of exclusion were 0.999999999999999999999999999426766 and 0.999999999860491, respectively. Based on analysis of molecular variance method, genetic differentiation analysis between the Xinjiang Hui and other reported groups were conducted at these 22 loci. The results indicated that there were no significant differences in statistics between Hui group and Northern Han group (including Han groups from Hebei, Henan, Shaanxi provinces), and significant deviations with Southern Han group (including those from Guangdong, Guangxi provinces) at 7 loci, and Uygur group at 10 loci. To sum up, these 22 autosomal STR loci were high genetic polymorphic in Xinjiang Hui group.

Genetic polymorphism analyses of a novel panel of 19 X-STR loci in the Chinese Uygur ethnic minority* #

PubMed Central

Guo, Yu-xin; Chen, Jian-gang; Wang, Yan; Yan, Jiang-wei; Chen, Jing; Yao, Tian-hua; Zhang, Li-ping; Yang, Guang; Meng, Hao-tian; Zhang, Yu-dang; Mei, Ting; Liu, Yao-shun; Dong, Qian; Zhu, Bo-feng

2016-01-01

The population genetic data and forensic parameters of 19 X-chromosome short tandem repeat (X-STR) loci in Chinese Uygur ethnic minority are presented. These loci were detected in a sample of 233 (94 males and 139 females) unrelated healthy individuals. We observed 238 alleles at the 19 X-STR loci, with the corresponding gene frequencies spanning the range from 0.0021 to 0.5644. After Bonferroni correction (P>0.0026), there were no significant deviations from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. The cumulative power of discrimination in females and males, and the probability of exclusion of the 19 X-STR loci were 0.999 999 999 999 999 999 998 091, 0.999 999 999 999 966, and 0.999 999 986 35, respectively. The cumulative mean exclusion chance was 0.999 999 992 849 in deficiency cases, 0.999 999 999 999 628 in normal trios, and 0.999 999 998 722 in duo cases. The high value of the forensic parameters mentioned above revealed that the novel panel of 19 loci had important values for forensic applications in the Uygur group. PMID:27143264

"Our Good Han Mothers": Observations from the Xinjiang Class at the Qingshan Superior Secondary School of Wuxi Municipality, Jiangsu Province

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tao, Jiaqing; Yang, Xiaohu

2010-01-01

Instrumental to the successful running of the Xinjiang Classes are its teachers, many of whom are Han Chinese. This article explores the important roles teachers of the Xinjiang Class play in the lives of Xinjiang Class students inside and outside of the classroom. From homesickness, to hygiene, to scholastic endeavors, Han teacher-mothers…

Genetic diversities of cytochrome B in Xinjiang Uyghur unveiled its origin and migration history

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background Uyghurs are one of the many populations of Central Eurasia that is considered to be genetically related to Eastern and Western Eurasian populations. However, there are some different opinions on the relative importance of the degree of Eastern and Western Eurasian genetic influence. In addition, the genetic diversity of the Uyghur in different geographic locations has not been clearly studied. Results In this study, we are the first to report on the DNA polymorphism of cytochrome B in the Uyghur population located in Xinjiang in northwest China. We observed a total of 102 mutant sites in the 240 samples that were studied. The average number of mutated nucleotides in the samples was 5.126. A total of 93 different haplotypes were observed. The gene diversity and discrimination power were 0.9480 and 0.9440, respectively. There were founder and bottleneck haplotypes observed in Xinjiang Uyghurs. Xinjiang Uyghurs are more genetically related to Chinese population in genetics than to Caucasians. Moreover, there was genetic diversity between Uyghurs from the southern and northern regions. There was significance in genetic distance between the southern Xinjiang Uyghurs and Chinese population, but not between the northern Xinjiang Uyghurs and Chinese. The European vs. East Asian contribution to the ten regional Uyghur groups varies among the groups and the European contribution to the Uyghur increases from north to south geographically. Conclusion This study is the first report on DNA polymorphisms of cytochrome B in the Uyghur population. The study also further confirms that there are significant genetic differences among the Uyghurs in different geographical locations. PMID:24103151

Rapid Characterization of Constituents in Tribulus terrestris from Different Habitats by UHPLC/Q-TOF MS.

PubMed

Zheng, Wei; Wang, Fangxu; Zhao, Yang; Sun, Xinguang; Kang, Liping; Fan, Ziquan; Qiao, Lirui; Yan, Renyi; Liu, Shuchen; Ma, Baiping

2017-11-01

A strategy for rapid identification of the chemical constituents from crude extracts of Tribulus terrestris was proposed using an informatics platform for the UHPLC/Q-TOF MS E data analyses. This strategy mainly utilizes neutral losses, characteristic fragments, and in-house library to rapidly identify the structure of the compounds. With this strategy, rapid characterization of the chemical components of T. terrestris from Beijing, China was successfully achieved. A total of 82 steroidal saponins and nine flavonoids were identified or tentatively identified from T. terrestris. Among them, 15 new components were deduced based on retention times and characteristic MS fragmentation patterns. Furthermore, the chemical components of T. terrestris, including the other two samples from Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous region, China, and Rome, Italy, were also identified with this strategy. Altogether, 141 chemical components were identified from these three samples, of which 39 components were identified or tentatively identified as new compounds, including 35 groups of isomers. It demonstrated that this strategy provided an efficient protocol for the rapid identification of chemical constituents in complex samples such as traditional Chinese medicines (TCMs) by UHPLC/Q-TOF MS E with informatics platform. Graphical Abstract ᅟ.

Rapid Characterization of Constituents in Tribulus terrestris from Different Habitats by UHPLC/Q-TOF MS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zheng, Wei; Wang, Fangxu; Zhao, Yang; Sun, Xinguang; Kang, Liping; Fan, Ziquan; Qiao, Lirui; Yan, Renyi; Liu, Shuchen; Ma, Baiping

2017-08-01

A strategy for rapid identification of the chemical constituents from crude extracts of Tribulus terrestris was proposed using an informatics platform for the UHPLC/Q-TOF MSE data analyses. This strategy mainly utilizes neutral losses, characteristic fragments, and in-house library to rapidly identify the structure of the compounds. With this strategy, rapid characterization of the chemical components of T. terrestris from Beijing, China was successfully achieved. A total of 82 steroidal saponins and nine flavonoids were identified or tentatively identified from T. terrestris. Among them, 15 new components were deduced based on retention times and characteristic MS fragmentation patterns. Furthermore, the chemical components of T. terrestris, including the other two samples from Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous region, China, and Rome, Italy, were also identified with this strategy. Altogether, 141 chemical components were identified from these three samples, of which 39 components were identified or tentatively identified as new compounds, including 35 groups of isomers. It demonstrated that this strategy provided an efficient protocol for the rapid identification of chemical constituents in complex samples such as traditional Chinese medicines (TCMs) by UHPLC/Q-TOF MSE with informatics platform. [Figure not available: see fulltext.

Analysis of the Nonlinear Trends and Non-Stationary Oscillations of Regional Precipitation in Xinjiang, Northwestern China, Using Ensemble Empirical Mode Decomposition

PubMed Central

Guo, Bin; Chen, Zhongsheng; Guo, Jinyun; Liu, Feng; Chen, Chuanfa; Liu, Kangli

2016-01-01

Changes in precipitation could have crucial influences on the regional water resources in arid regions such as Xinjiang. It is necessary to understand the intrinsic multi-scale variations of precipitation in different parts of Xinjiang in the context of climate change. In this study, based on precipitation data from 53 meteorological stations in Xinjiang during 1960–2012, we investigated the intrinsic multi-scale characteristics of precipitation variability using an adaptive method named ensemble empirical mode decomposition (EEMD). Obvious non-linear upward trends in precipitation were found in the north, south, east and the entire Xinjiang. Changes in precipitation in Xinjiang exhibited significant inter-annual scale (quasi-2 and quasi-6 years) and inter-decadal scale (quasi-12 and quasi-23 years). Moreover, the 2–3-year quasi-periodic fluctuation was dominant in regional precipitation and the inter-annual variation had a considerable effect on the regional-scale precipitation variation in Xinjiang. We also found that there were distinctive spatial differences in variation trends and turning points of precipitation in Xinjiang. The results of this study indicated that compared to traditional decomposition methods, the EEMD method, without using any a priori determined basis functions, could effectively extract the reliable multi-scale fluctuations and reveal the intrinsic oscillation properties of climate elements. PMID:27007388

A new strain of Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus isolated from Xinjiang, China.

PubMed

Guo, Rong; Shen, Shu; Zhang, Yanfang; Shi, Junming; Su, Zhengyuan; Liu, Dan; Liu, Jinliang; Yang, Juan; Wang, Qiguo; Hu, Zhihong; Zhang, Yujiang; Deng, Fei

2017-02-01

Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus (CCHFV) is a highly pathogenic tick-borne virus with a fatality rate of up to 50% in humans. CCHFV is widely distributed in countries around the world. Outbreaks of CCHFV infection in humans have occurred in prior years in Xinjiang Province, China. Epidemiological surveys have detected CCHFV RNA in ticks and animals; however, few isolates were identified. In this study, we identified and isolated a new CCHFV strain from Hyalomma asiaticum asiaticum ticks collected from north of Tarim Basin in Xinjiang, China. A preliminary investigation of infection and antigens expression of CCHFV was performed in newborn mice. The target tissues for CCHFV replication in newborn mice were identified. The analysis of the phylogenetic relationships with other Chinese strains suggested that diverse genotypes of CCHFV have circulated in Xinjiang for years. These findings provide important insights into our understanding of CCHFV infection and evolution as well as disease prevention and control for local residents.

Association between variation in the genes DDAH1 and DDAH2 and hypertension among Uygur, Kazakh and Han ethnic groups in China.

PubMed

Wang, Zhong; Chen, Shaoze; Zhang, Lina; Lu, Guilin; Zhou, Chengming; Wang, Dao Wen; Wang, Li; Badengmu, Bayinbate; Zhai, Zhihong; Qin, Lian

2016-01-19

Dimethylarginine dimethylaminohydrolase enzymes (DDAH), which are encoded by the genes DDAH1 and DDAH2, play a fundamental role in maintaining endothelial function. We conducted a case-control study on a Chinese population that included three ethnic groups (Han, Kazakh and Uygur), to systemically investigate associations between variations in the genes DDAH1 and DDAH2 and hypertension. Experimental study at the Department of Internal Medicine and Genetic Diagnosis, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology. This case-control study included 1,224 patients with hypertension and 967 healthy unrelated individuals as controls. DDAH1 -396 4N (GCGT) del>ins, rs3087894, rs805304 and rs9267551 were genotyped using the TaqMan 5' nuclease assay. The G/C genotype of rs3087894 in DDAH1 was a risk factor for hypertension in the Kazakh group in the co-dominant model (G/C versus G/G) (OR 1.39; 95% CI: 1.02-1.88; P < 0.05), with the same result in the dominant model (G/C + C/C versus G/G) (OR 1.38; 95% CI: 1.03-1.84; P < 0.05). In contrast, the C/C genotype of rs3087894 seemed to be a protective factor against hypertension in the Uygur group in the recessive model (C/C versus G/G + G/C) (OR 0.62; 95% CI: 0.39- 0.97; P < 0.05). Similar findings for rs3087894 were also observed after adjusting the variable for the age covariate. Our results indicated that the C-allele of rs3087894 in DDAH1 was a risk factor for hypertension in the Kazakh group but a protective factor in the Uygur group.

Climate and its change over the Tibetan Plateau and its Surroundings in 1963-2015

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ding, J.; Cuo, L.

2017-12-01

Tibetan Plateau and its surroundings (TPS, 23°-43°N, 73°-106°E) lies in the southwest of China and includes Tibet Autonomous Region, Qinghai Province, southern Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, part of Gansu Province, western Sichuan Province, and northern Yunnan Province. The region is of strategic importance in water resources because it is the headwater of ten large rivers that support more than 16 billion population. In this study, we use daily temperature maximum and minimum, precipitation and wind speed in 1963-2015 obtained from Climate Data Center of China Meteorological Administration and Qinghai Meteorological Bureau to investigate extreme climate conditions and their changes over the TPS. The extreme events are selected based on annual extreme values and percentiles. Annual extreme value approach produces one value each year for all variables, which enables us to examine the magnitude of extreme events; whereas percentile approach selects extreme values by setting 95th percentile as thresholds for maximum temperature, precipitation and wind speed, and 5th percentile for minimum temperature. Percentile approach not only enables us to investigate the magnitude but also frequency of the extreme events. Also, Mann-Kendall trend and mutation analysis were applied to analyze the changes in mean and extreme conditions. The results will help us understand more about the extreme events during the past five decades on the TPS and will provide valuable information for the upcoming IPCC reports on climate change.

Effect of heating rate on thermal cracking characteristics and kinetics of Xinjiang oil sand bitumen by TG-FTIR

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hao, Junhui; Zhang, Jinhong; Qiao, Yingyun; Tian, Yuanyu

2017-08-01

This work was aimed to investigate effects of heating rate on thermal cracking behaviors, distribution of gaseous products and activation energy of the thermal cracking process of Xinjiang oil sand bitumen (OSB). The thermal cracking experiments of Xinjiang OSB were performed by using thermogravimetric analyzer (TGA) at various heating rates of 10, 20, 50, 80 and 120 K/min. The evolving characteristic of gaseous products produced from the thermal cracking process was evaluated by the Fourier transform infrared spectrometry (FTIR) connected with TG. The kinetic parameters of the thermal cracking process of Xinjiang OSB at each of heating rate were determined by the Coats-Redfern model. The result show that the temperature intervals of DE volatilization stage and main reaction stage, the ((dw/dt) max and Tmax in thermal cracking process of Xinjiang OSB all increased with the increasing heating rate. While the heating rate has not obvious effect on the coke yield of Xinjiang OSB. Furthermore, the maximum absorbance of gaseous products and corresponding temperature became larger as the heating rate increases. The activation energy of this two stage both presented increasing trend with the rising heating rate, while the increasing content of that of DE volatilization stage was weaker compared to that of main reaction stage.

Temporal and spatial variation of maximum wind speed days during the past 20 years in major cities of Xinjiang

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baidourela, Aliya; Jing, Zhen; Zhayimu, Kahaer; Abulaiti, Adili; Ubuli, Hakezi

2018-04-01

Wind erosion and sandstorms occur in the neighborhood of exposed dust sources. Wind erosion and desertification increase the frequency of dust storms, deteriorate air quality, and damage the ecological environment and agricultural production. The Xinjiang region has a relatively fragile ecological environment. Therefore, the study of the characteristics of maximum wind speed and wind direction in this region is of great significance to disaster prevention and mitigation, the management of activated dunes, and the sustainable development of the region. Based on the latest data of 71 sites in Xinjiang, this study explores the temporal evolution and spatial distribution of maximum wind speed in Xinjiang from 1993 to 2013, and highlights the distribution of annual and monthly maximum wind speed and the characteristics of wind direction in Xinjiang. Between 1993 and 2013, Ulugchat County exhibited the highest number of days with the maximum wind speed (> 17 m/s), while Wutian exhibited the lowest number. In Xinjiang, 1999 showed the highest number of maximum wind speed days (257 days), while 2013 showed the lowest number (69 days). Spring and summer wind speeds were greater than those in autumn and winter. There were obvious differences in the direction of maximum wind speed in major cities and counties of Xinjiang. East of the Tianshan Mountains, maximum wind speeds are mainly directed southeast and northeast. North and south of the Tianshan Mountains, they are mainly directed northwest and northeast, while west of the Tianshan Mountains, they are mainly directed southeast and northwest.

Prevalence of Hydatid Cysts in Livestock Animals in Xinjiang, China

PubMed Central

Qingling, Meng; Guanglei, Wang; Xinquan, Zhu; Tianli, Liu; Xuemei, Song; Jinsheng, Zhang; Huisheng, Wang; Kuojun, Cai; Chuangfu, Chen

2014-01-01

Hydatid worms, hosted by humans and animals, impose serious human health risk and cause significant livestock production loss. To better understand the disease infection status in Xinjiang, China, we investigated the disease epidemics in 4 livestock animals, i.e., cattle, sheep (both sheep and goat), camels, and horses, slaughtered at the abattoirs in Urumqi, Yining, Tacheng, and Altay areas. The results showed that the animals were infected at different rates, in the order of sheep (9.8%), cattle (8.4%), camels (6.8%), and horses (4.3%). The infection rates were found to be different between the abattoirs in various regions even for the same animals. For sheep, the rates increased significantly as the animals grew older. It was 1.9% before 1 year of age and increased to 8.2% in the age of 1-2 years, and further increased to 12.3% when the animals were 3-4 years old, and reached 17.2% when they were 5-6 year old. Sheep older than 6 years had an infection rate of 19.5%. This study demonstrates that the 4 livestock animals in the pastoral areas in Xinjiang were infected by the parasites to various extend. This study is the first systematic investigation of the hydatid worms in various livestock animals in Xinjiang, China, which provides epidemiological information about the infection of hydatid worms in livestock, and is valuable in developing strategies for prevention and control of the hydatid disease. PMID:25031478

Phylogenetic Characterizations of Highly Mutated EV-B106 Recombinants Showing Extensive Genetic Exchanges with Other EV-B in Xinjiang, China.

PubMed

Song, Yang; Zhang, Yong; Fan, Qin; Cui, Hui; Yan, Dongmei; Zhu, Shuangli; Tang, Haishu; Sun, Qiang; Wang, Dongyan; Xu, Wenbo

2017-02-23

Human enterovirus B106 (EV-B106) is a new member of the enterovirus B species. To date, only three nucleotide sequences of EV-B106 have been published, and only one full-length genome sequence (the Yunnan strain 148/YN/CHN/12) is available in the GenBank database. In this study, we conducted phylogenetic characterisation of four EV-B106 strains isolated in Xinjiang, China. Pairwise comparisons of the nucleotide sequences and the deduced amino acid sequences revealed that the four Xinjiang EV-B106 strains had only 80.5-80.8% nucleotide identity and 95.4-97.3% amino acid identity with the Yunnan EV-B106 strain, indicating high mutagenicity. Similarity plots and bootscanning analyses revealed that frequent intertypic recombination occurred in all four Xinjiang EV-B106 strains in the non-structural region. These four strains may share a donor sequence with the EV-B85 strain, which circulated in Xinjiang in 2011, indicating extensive genetic exchanges between these strains. All Xinjiang EV-B106 strains were temperature-sensitive. An antibody seroprevalence study against EV-B106 in two Xinjiang prefectures also showed low titres of neutralizing antibodies, suggesting limited exposure and transmission in the population. This study contributes the whole genome sequences of EV-B106 to the GenBank database and provides valuable information regarding the molecular epidemiology of EV-B106 in China.

Terrestrial water storage changes over Xinjiang extracted by combining Gaussian filter and multichannel singular spectrum analysis from GRACE

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guo, Jinyun; Li, Wudong; Chang, Xiaotao; Zhu, Guangbin; Liu, Xin; Guo, Bin

2018-04-01

Water resource management is crucial for the economic and social development of Xinjiang, an arid area located in the Northwest China. In this paper, the time variations of gravity recovery and climate experiment (GRACE)-derived monthly gravity field models from 2003 January to 2013 December are analysed to study the terrestrial water storage (TWS) changes in Xinjiang using the multichannel singular spectrum analysis (MSSA) with a Gaussian smoothing radius of 400 km. As an extended singular spectrum analysis (SSA), MSSA is more flexible to deal with multivariate time-series in terms of estimating periodic components and trend, reducing noise and identifying patterns of similar spatiotemporal behaviour thanks to the data-adaptive nature of the base functions. Combining MSSA and Gaussian filter can not only obviously remove the north-south striping errors in the GRACE solutions but also reduce the leakage errors, which can increase the signal-to-noise ratio by comparing with the traditional procedure, that is, empirical decorrelation method followed with the Gaussian filtering. The spatiotemporal characteristics of TWS changes in Xinjiang were validated against the Global Land Dynamics Assimilation System, the Climate Prediction Center and in-situ precipitation data. The water storage in Xinjiang shows the relatively large fluctuation from 2003 January to 2013 December, with a drop from 2006 January to 2008 December due to the drought event and an obvious rise from 2009 January to 2010 December because of the high precipitation. Spatially, the TWS has been increasing in the south Xinjiang, but decreasing in the north Xinjiang. The minimum rate of water storage change is -4.4 mm yr-1 occurring in the central Tianshan Mountain.

Phylogenetic Characterizations of Highly Mutated EV-B106 Recombinants Showing Extensive Genetic Exchanges with Other EV-B in Xinjiang, China

PubMed Central

Song, Yang; Zhang, Yong; Fan, Qin; Cui, Hui; Yan, Dongmei; Zhu, Shuangli; Tang, Haishu; Sun, Qiang; Wang, Dongyan; Xu, Wenbo

2017-01-01

Human enterovirus B106 (EV-B106) is a new member of the enterovirus B species. To date, only three nucleotide sequences of EV-B106 have been published, and only one full-length genome sequence (the Yunnan strain 148/YN/CHN/12) is available in the GenBank database. In this study, we conducted phylogenetic characterisation of four EV-B106 strains isolated in Xinjiang, China. Pairwise comparisons of the nucleotide sequences and the deduced amino acid sequences revealed that the four Xinjiang EV-B106 strains had only 80.5–80.8% nucleotide identity and 95.4–97.3% amino acid identity with the Yunnan EV-B106 strain, indicating high mutagenicity. Similarity plots and bootscanning analyses revealed that frequent intertypic recombination occurred in all four Xinjiang EV-B106 strains in the non-structural region. These four strains may share a donor sequence with the EV-B85 strain, which circulated in Xinjiang in 2011, indicating extensive genetic exchanges between these strains. All Xinjiang EV-B106 strains were temperature-sensitive. An antibody seroprevalence study against EV-B106 in two Xinjiang prefectures also showed low titres of neutralizing antibodies, suggesting limited exposure and transmission in the population. This study contributes the whole genome sequences of EV-B106 to the GenBank database and provides valuable information regarding the molecular epidemiology of EV-B106 in China. PMID:28230168

Spatiotemporal properties of growing season indices during 1961-2010 and possible association with agroclimatological regionalization of dominant crops in Xinjiang, China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ci, Hui; Zhang, Qiang; Singh, Vijay P.; Xiao, Mingzhong; Liu, Lin

2016-08-01

Variations of frost days and growing season length (GSL) have been drawing increasing attention due to their impact on agriculture. The Xinjiang region in China is climatically an arid region and plays an important role in agriculture development. In this study, the GSL and frost events are analyzed in both space and time, based on the daily minimum, mean and maximum air surface temperature data covering a period of 1961-2010. Results indicate that: (1) a significant lengthening of GSL is detected during 1961-2010 in Xinjiang, China. The increasing rate of GSL over Xinjiang is about 2.5 days per decade. Besides, the starting time of growing season is 0.7 days earlier per decade and the ending time is 1.6 days later per decade. Generally, GSL in southern Xinjiang has larger increasing magnitude when compared to other regions of Xinjiang; (2) longer GSL and larger changing magnitude of growing season start (GSS), growing season end (GSE) and GSL in southern Xinjiang implies higher sensitivity of the growing season response to climate warming. Besides, GSL is in close relation with latitude, and higher latitude usually corresponds to later start and earlier end of growing season, and hence shorter GSL. In general, a northward increase of 1° latitude triggers an 8-day delay of the starting time of growing season, 6-day advance of the ending time of growing season, and thus the GSL is 14 days shorter; (3) GSL under different rates can reflect light and heat resources over Xinjiang. The GSL related to 80 % guarantee rate is 5-14 days shorter than the long-term annual mean GSL; (4) Lengthening of GSL has the potential to increase agricultural production. However, negative influences by climate warming, such as enhanced evapotranspiration, increasing weeds, insects, and pathogen-mediated plant diseases, should also be considered in planning, management and development of agriculture in Xinjiang.

Protracted Counterinsurgency Chinese COIN Strategy in Xinjiang

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-05-22

does not display a currently valid OMB control number . PLEASE DO NOT RETURN YOUR FORM TO THE ABOVE ADDRESS. 1. REPORT DATE (DD-MM-YYYY) 22-05-2008...2. REPORT TYPE Monograph 3. DATES COVERED (From - To) July 2007 – May 2008 5a. CONTRACT NUMBER 5b. GRANT NUMBER 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE...Protracted Counterinsurgency: Chinese COIN Strategy in Xinjiang 5c. PROGRAM ELEMENT NUMBER 5d. PROJECT NUMBER 5e. TASK NUMBER 6. AUTHOR(S

Genetic diversity of volatile components in Xinjiang Wild Apple (Malus sieversii).

PubMed

Chen, Xuesen; Feng, Tao; Zhang, Yanmin; He, Tianming; Feng, Jianrong; Zhang, Chunyu

2007-02-01

To evaluate genetic relationships using qualitative and/or quantitative differentiation of volatile components in Xinjiang Wild Apple (Malus sieversii (Lebed.) Roem.) and to acquire basic data for the conservation and utilization of the species, aroma components in ripe fruit of M. sieversii obtained from 30 seedlings at Mohe, Gongliu County, Xinjiang Autonomic Region, China, and in ripe fruit of 4 M. pumila cultivars ('Ralls', 'Delicious', 'Golden Delicious', and 'Fuji') were analyzed using head space-solid phase microextraction and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The results indicated that the values of similarity coefficient concerning volatile types between the two species were in accordance with the evolution of M. pumila cultivars (forms), and that M. sieversii seedlings showed considerable genetic variations in these aspects: the total content of volatile components, the classes and contents of each compound classes, the segregation ratio, and content of main components. The results showed significant difference among seedlings and wide genetic diversity within the populations. Comparison of the volatile components in M. sieversii with those in M. pumila cultivars showed that the common compounds whose number were larger than five with the contents over 0.04 mg/L simultaneously between M. sieversii and M. pumila cultivars belonged to esters, alcohols, aldehydes or ketones. This suggests fundamental identity in main volatile components of M. sieversii and M. pumila cultivars. The results above sustained the conclusion "M. sieversii is probably the ancestor of M. pumila". However, there were 48 compounds present in M. pumila that were not detected in M. sieversii, including 6 character impact components (i.e., propyl acetate, (Z)-3-hexenal, 2-methyl-1-butanol acetate, pentyl acetate, 3-furanmethanol, and benzene acetaldehyde). This suggested that in the domestication of M. pumila, introgression of other apple species, except for M. sieversii, by

Complementary feeding patterns among ethnic groups in rural western China.

PubMed

Qu, Peng-Fei; Zhang, Ya; Li, Jia-Mei; Zhang, Ruo; Yang, Jiao-Mei; Lei, Fang-Liang; Li, Shan-Shan; Liu, Dan-Meng; Dang, Shao-Nong; Yan, Hong

This study investigated complementary feeding practices among four ethnic groups (Han, Uygur, Tibetan, and Zhuang) based on a cross-sectional survey in rural western China. In 2005, a stratified multistage cluster random sampling method was used to recruit 9712 children (7411 Han, 1032 Uygur, 678 Tibetan, and 591 Zhuang) between 6 and 35 months of age and their mothers from 45 counties in 10 provinces (autonomous regions, municipalities) in western China. The rates of early introduction (before 6 months) of complementary foods in four ethnic groups (Han, Uygur, Tibetan, and Zhuang) were 71.30%, 95.95%, 82.40%, and 72.30%, respectively. The Infant and Child Feeding Index (ICFI) for Uygur and Tibetan children was lower than that for Han children at all age groups. Uygur children were more likely to have unqualified ICFI compared with Han children in a multivariate logistic regression (odds ratio (OR)=5.138, 95% confidence interval (CI): 4.340-6.084). A higher level of maternal education, greater family wealth, and the availability of complementary feeding educational materials decreased the likelihood of an unqualified ICFI. The nutritional status of children (Han, Tibetan, and Zhuang) with qualified ICFI was better than that for children with unqualified ICFI. Appropriate interventions are required to improve complementary feeding practices in rural western China.

The study on facial soft tissue thickness using Han population in Xinjiang.

PubMed

Wang, Jierui; Zhao, Xi; Mi, Congbo; Raza, Iqbal

2016-09-01

Facial profile is an important aspect in physical anthropology, forensic science, and cosmetic research. Thus, facial soft tissue measurement technology plays a significant role in facial restoration. A considerable amount of work has investigated facial soft tissue thickness, which significantly varies according to gender, age, and race. However, only few studies have considered the nutritional status of the investigated individuals. Moreover, no sufficient research among Chinese ethnic groups, particularly Xinjiang population in China, is currently available. Hence, the current study investigated the adaptability of facial soft tissue to the underlying hard tissue among young adults of Han population in Xinjiang, China; the analysis was performed on the basis of gender, skeletal class, and body mass index (BMI). Measurements were obtained from the lateral cephalometric radiographs of 256 adults aged 18-26 years old. Differences in soft tissue thickness were observed between genders and among skeletal classes. With regard to gender, significant differences in soft tissue thickness were found at rhinion, glabella, subnasale, stomion, labrale superius, pogonion, and gnathion among different BMI groups. Thus, nutritional status should be considered when reconstructing an individual's facial profile. Results showed that the thinnest and thickest craniofacial soft tissues existed in rhinion and lip regions, respectively. Overall, this research provides valuable data for forensic facial reconstruction and identification of young adults in Xinjiang, China. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Appropriate body mass index and waist circumference cutoffs for categorization of overweight and central adiposity among Uighur adults in Xinjiang.

PubMed

Pan, Shuo; Yu, Zi-Xiang; Ma, Yi-Tong; Liu, Fen; Yang, Yi-Ning; Ma, Xiang; Fu, Zhen-Yan; Li, Xiao-Mei; Xie, Xiang; Chen, You; Chen, Bangdang; He, Chun-Hui

2013-01-01

The current overweight and central adiposity guidelines based on Western populations were not consistent with many studied based on the Asian populations. Uighur people live in Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region which is located in the center of Asia. Their overweight and central cutoffs were largely unknown. We aimed to identify cutoffs for body mass index (BMI; in kg/m(2)) and waist circumference (WC; in cm) for categorization of overweight and central adiposity among Uighur adults in Xinjiang. 4767 Uighur participants were selected from the Cardiovascular Risk Survey (CRS) which was carried out from October 2007 to March 2010. The age of the participants were from 35 to 101 years old with the mean age of 50.09 years. Anthropometric data, blood pressure, serum concentration of serum total cholesterol, triglyceride, low density lipoprotein (LDL), high density lipoprotein (HDL) and fasting glucose were documented. The prevalence, sensitivity, specificity and distance on the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve of each BMI and waist circumference values were calculated. The prevalence of hypertension, hypercholesterolemia and hypertriglyceridemia were higher with higher BMI for both men and women. The prevalence of hypertension and hypercholesterolemia were higher with higher waist circumference for both men and women. In women, the prevalence of hypertriglyceridemia was noticed to increase as the waist circumference increased. The shortest distance in the receiver operating characteristic curves for hypertension, dyslipidemia, diabetes, or ≥ 2 of these risk factors suggested a BMI cutoff of 26 and a waist circumference cutoff of 90 cm for both men and women. Higher cutoffs for BMI and waist circumference are needed in the identification of Uighur patients at high risk of cardiovascular disease.

Uyghurs in Xinjiang: United or Divided Against the PRC?

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-09-01

rule in Xinjiang, this thesis asks whether or not the policies have increased or decreased Uyghur political consolidation. Three inter- related ...send a significant influx of refugees into neighboring countries, destabilizing bilateral relations . There is also concern for increased terrorist...advocate that Uyghurs master the Mandarin language, arguing that only through the Mandarin language and secular education will the Uyghurs become

Temporal and Spatial Distribution of Ecological Security in Arid Region Based on GIS: A Case Study in Xinjiang

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Q.; Song, W.; Yang, J.

2017-12-01

Ecological security is close related to the people's survival and development. In the context of the global warming, with the increasingly frequent human activities, ecological and environmental problems have become increasingly prominent. Ecological security has aroused widespread concern, especially in the arid region. It has an important role in national security as well as political security, military security, economic security, social security. Taken Xinjiang as the research area, which is a typical arid region in China, this study establishes an ecological safety assessment indicator system from perspective of the generic process and the formation mechanism of the ecosystem. The framework is based on natural resources dimensions, natural environment dimensions and human disturbance dimensions. Water is the restrictive factor for the development of arid region, so the water resources carrying capacity is the main natural resource of the study area. The natural environment includes SPI(standardized precipitation index), dryness index, landscape vulnerability, NDVI. Human disturbance includes urbanization rate, population density, afforestation area, per capita GDP, water-saving irrigation area, fertilizer and pesticide application, agriculture Mechanical power, energy consumption. The expert scoring method and the coefficient of variation method are used to determine the weight of each indicator, and finally a comprehensive index is constructed to evaluate the ecological security of Xinjiang, that is, the ecological security index. The results indicate that the ecological security of Xinjiang is 0.43, which is in the critical area. The ecological security of Hami, Turpan and Karamay is the lowest, and the ecological security of the Arabian and Yili is the highest. The ecological security of the south in the Xinjiang is higher than that in the north. In short, ecological environment of Xinjiang is in a sensitive period. Effective ecological protection policy

Response of ESV to Climate Change and Human Activities in the Yanqi Basin, Xinjiang, China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rusuli, Yusufujiang; Sidik, Halida; Gupur, Adila; Hong, Jiang; Kadir, Rayila

2016-04-01

decreased initially and increased afterwards taking 2004 as a turning point following the trend of increased precipitation and decreased evaporation. Combined effects of climate change and human activities are main cause of ESV variations in the past 40 years in Yanqi basin. The main reasons for increased ESV in plain oasis include enlarging the artificial oasis due to intensified human activities, and supporting favorable climate change (increased precipitation and decreased evaporation). Key words: Climate change; Human activities; Ecosystem Service Value; Yanqi basin Acknowledgements: This work was supported jointly by the Natural Sciences Foundation of China (No.41161007, No. 41461006), the Doctoral Start-up Foundation of Xinjiang Normal University (No.XJNUBS1528) and the Special funds for Key Laboratory of Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (No.2014KL016).

Identification and control of a poliomyelitis outbreak in Xinjiang, China.

PubMed

Luo, Hui-Ming; Zhang, Yong; Wang, Xin-Qi; Yu, Wen-Zhou; Wen, Ning; Yan, Dong-Mei; Wang, Hua-Qing; Wushouer, Fuerhati; Wang, Hai-Bo; Xu, Ai-Qiang; Zheng, Jing-Shan; Li, De-Xin; Cui, Hui; Wang, Jian-Ping; Zhu, Shuang-Li; Feng, Zi-Jian; Cui, Fu-Qiang; Ning, Jing; Hao, Li-Xin; Fan, Chun-Xiang; Ning, Gui-Jun; Yu, Hong-Jie; Wang, Shi-Wen; Liu, Da-Wei; Wang, Dong-Yan; Fu, Jian-Ping; Gou, Ai-li; Zhang, Guo-Min; Huang, Guo-Hong; Chen, Yuan-Sheng; Mi, Sha-Sha; Liu, Yan-Min; Yin, Da-Peng; Zhu, Hui; Fan, Xin-Chun; Li, Xin-Lan; Ji, Yi-Xin; Li, Ke-Li; Tang, Hai-Shu; Xu, Wen-Bo; Wang, Yu; Yang, Wei-Zhong

2013-11-21

The last case of infection with wild-type poliovirus indigenous to China was reported in 1994, and China was certified as a poliomyelitis-free region in 2000. In 2011, an outbreak of infection with imported wild-type poliovirus occurred in the province of Xinjiang. We conducted an investigation to guide the response to the outbreak, performed sequence analysis of the poliovirus type 1 capsid protein VP1 to determine the source, and carried out serologic and coverage surveys to assess the risk of viral propagation. Surveillance for acute flaccid paralysis was intensified to enhance case ascertainment. Between July 3 and October 9, 2011, investigators identified 21 cases of infection with wild-type poliovirus and 23 clinically compatible cases in southern Xinjiang. Wild-type poliovirus type 1 was isolated from 14 of 673 contacts of patients with acute flaccid paralysis (2.1%) and from 13 of 491 healthy persons who were not in contact with affected persons (2.6%). Sequence analysis implicated an imported wild-type poliovirus that originated in Pakistan as the cause of the outbreak. A public health emergency was declared in Xinjiang after the outbreak was confirmed. Surveillance for acute flaccid paralysis was enhanced, with daily reporting from all public and private hospitals. Five rounds of vaccination with live, attenuated oral poliovirus vaccine (OPV) were conducted among children and adults, and 43 million doses of OPV were administered. Trivalent OPV was used in three rounds, and monovalent OPV type 1 was used in two rounds. The outbreak was stopped 1.5 months after laboratory confirmation of the index case. The 2011 outbreak in China showed that poliomyelitis-free countries remain at risk for outbreaks while the poliovirus circulates anywhere in the world. Global eradication of poliomyelitis will benefit all countries, even those that are currently free of poliomyelitis.

Preliminary simulation study on regional climate change in Xinjiang, China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yuan, Chunqiong; Guo, Qingyu; Xie, Hongbing; Pan, Xiaoling; Anabiek, Subai

2004-01-01

Under the conditions of global warming, the degenerated ecological environment has threatened human survival. Therefore, people will gradually pay more attention to the environmental problem of climate change. This paper analyzes the distribution features of air temperature, relative humidity (precipitation), and the horizontal stream field in Xinjiang for July 1997. In order to do the integration of one month (July, 1997) we ran the model NCAP/PENN MM5V3. Data from WLCCD (the latest World Land Cover Characteristics Database) was used to relate the two research domains of the model, and also to replace the vegetation in the MM5. The data in the WWLCD depends on the actual land surface characteristics. It was found that the general law of air temperature, relative humidity (precipitation) and the horizontal stream field of 1000hPa in Xinjiang in July of 1997 by means of the model. The mean regional data for July helped prefect the theory that humans are controlling the ecological environment in order to prevent and control desertification. Among these results, the simulated air temperature was the best.

Occurrence, Distribution, and Risk Assessment of Perfluoroalkyl Acids (PFAAs) in Muscle and Liver of Cattle in Xinjiang, China

PubMed Central

Wang, Gehui; Lu, Jianjiang; Xing, Zhenni; Li, Shanman; Liu, Zilong; Tong, Yanbin

2017-01-01

Despite risks associated with perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs) in many regions, little is known about their prevalence in Xinjiang. We determined the presence of 13 PFAAs in 293 beef muscle and liver samples collected in 22 cities covering northern, southern, and eastern Xinjiang using liquid chromatography, coupled with tandem mass spectrometry. Overall, the average values for PFAAs were relatively low compared with previous studies. Liver presented higher mean levels of total PFAAs at 1.632 ng/g, which was over 60-fold higher than in muscle (0.026 ng/g). Among the PFAAs analyzed, medium-chain compounds were dominant, accounting for more than 70% of the total. Perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) was highly prevalent in the liver with the highest mean concentration (0.617 ng/g) and detection frequency (80%). When comparing the three regions of Xinjiang, we found differences in PFAA profiles, with the northern region showing the highest levels. Furthermore, the average daily intake and hazard ratios of PFOS and perfluorooctanoic acid varied by region, urban/rural environment, gender, ethnicity, and age. The highest risk value of 13 PFAAs was estimated to be 0.837 × 10−3, which is far below 1, indicating that there is no health risk posed by eating beef muscle and liver in Xinjiang. PMID:28846636

Chinese students' science-related experiences: Comparison of the ROSE study in Xinjiang and Shanghai

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yeung, Yau-yuen; Li, Yufeng

2015-05-01

Background: Students' daily-life experiences may render favorable effects on the students' affective domain like interest, enthusiasm, motivation, joy, curiosity, awareness, and eagerness to learn science as not commonly found in the classroom environment. However, no rigorous research has been reported on those aspects in Mainland China despite many recent studies done in various Western countries. Purpose: This paper aims to report and compare the science-related experiences of ninth-graders from two places (in Urumqi City of Xinjiang province and Shanghai) in China through a large-scale survey of their junior secondary three students. Sample: The sample consists of 4115 students in Urumqi City (from 28 schools) and Shanghai (from 25 schools). Design and methods: This study adopted a Likert scale questionnaire instrument, as translated from the international Relevance Of Science Education (ROSE) Project. From a confirmatory factor analysis of the data, we identify and focus on six factors which are directly correlated with students' science-related experiences outside school environment in Xinjiang and Shanghai and employ relevant factor scores to compare the gender, regional, and socioeconomic effects. Results: As revealed by the t-test, gender and regional differences were statistically significant in affecting (1) students' outdoor living experience, (2) hands-on experience of transportation, and (3) their daily-life experience with do-it-yourself tools and models. In all three aspects, boys and Xinjiang students possessed richer experiences than girls and Shanghai students, respectively. Conclusions: Based on ANOVA tests, Shanghai students' out-of-school science-related experiences were more often significantly affected by various socioeconomic variables (including their parents' education and occupation and their family income) than Xinjiang students. From cross-regional comparison, Chinese students had much fewer science-related experiences than those of

High prevalence and low cure rate of tuberculosis among patients with HIV in Xinjiang, China.

PubMed

Maimaiti, Rena; Zhang, Yuexin; Pan, Kejun; Mijiti, Peierdun; Wubili, Maimaitiali; Musa, Maimaitijiang; Andersson, Rune

2017-01-05

Tuberculosis and HIV co-epidemics are problems in many parts of the world. Xinjiang is a high tuberculosis and HIV prevalence area in China. We aimed to investigate the prevalence and cure rate of tuberculosis among HIV positive patients in Xinjiang. In a retrospective study between 2006 and 2011, clinical and laboratory data on 333 patients with HIV and tuberculosis were compared to 2668 patients with HIV only. There were 31 HIV positive patients with no data on tuberculosis. The prevalence of tuberculosis co-infection among the HIV positive patients was 11% (95% CI 10-12%), significantly higher than the national figure in China of 2%. In most cases HIV was diagnosed late, with advanced immunodeficiency. The use of isoniazid preventive therapy was only 57.9% in patients without tuberculosis who fulfilled the criteria for receiving this prevention. The cure rate one year after diagnosis was 69.2%, which was lower than the officially reported 91.4% in all tuberculosis cases in Xinjiang in 2011. The hazard of not surviving over the five years was significantly higher in patients with HIV + tuberculosis compared to HIV only after adjusting for sex and Intravenous drug use with HR = 1.84 (95% CI 1.43-2.35; p < 0.0001). The prevalence of tuberculosis among HIV positive patients in Xinjiang was higher than in China taken as a whole, and HIV was diagnosed late, with underuse of isoniazid preventive therapy. The low cure rate and reduced survival can be due to late diagnosis of HIV and no testing for antibiotic resistance, together with insufficient control of adherence to the treatment regimens for tuberculosis and HIV.

Appropriate Body Mass Index and Waist Circumference Cutoffs for Categorization of Overweight and Central Adiposity among Uighur Adults in Xinjiang

PubMed Central

Ma, Yi-Tong; Liu, Fen; Yang, Yi-Ning; Ma, Xiang; Fu, Zhen-Yan; Li, Xiao-Mei; Xie, Xiang; Chen, You; Chen, Bangdang; He, Chun-Hui

2013-01-01

Objective The current overweight and central adiposity guidelines based on Western populations were not consistent with many studied based on the Asian populations. Uighur people live in Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region which is located in the center of Asia. Their overweight and central cutoffs were largely unknown. We aimed to identify cutoffs for body mass index (BMI; in kg/m2) and waist circumference (WC; in cm) for categorization of overweight and central adiposity among Uighur adults in Xinjiang. Methods 4767 Uighur participants were selected from the Cardiovascular Risk Survey (CRS) which was carried out from October 2007 to March 2010. The age of the participants were from 35 to 101 years old with the mean age of 50.09 years. Anthropometric data, blood pressure, serum concentration of serum total cholesterol, triglyceride, low density lipoprotein (LDL), high density lipoprotein (HDL) and fasting glucose were documented. The prevalence, sensitivity, specificity and distance on the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve of each BMI and waist circumference values were calculated. Results The prevalence of hypertension, hypercholesterolemia and hypertriglyceridemia were higher with higher BMI for both men and women. The prevalence of hypertension and hypercholesterolemia were higher with higher waist circumference for both men and women. In women, the prevalence of hypertriglyceridemia was noticed to increase as the waist circumference increased. The shortest distance in the receiver operating characteristic curves for hypertension, dyslipidemia, diabetes, or ≥ 2 of these risk factors suggested a BMI cutoff of 26 and a waist circumference cutoff of 90 cm for both men and women. Conclusions Higher cutoffs for BMI and waist circumference are needed in the identification of Uighur patients at high risk of cardiovascular disease. PMID:24244645

An investigation into psychological stress and its determinants in Xinjiang desert oil workers

PubMed Central

Ning, Li; Guan, Suzhen; Liu, Jiwen

2018-01-01

Abstract The present study aims to investigate psychological stress and its determinants in Xinjiang field oil workers. Specifically, we aim to elucidate the mechanisms underlying psychological stress by comprehensively and quantitatively evaluating the processes involved in psychological stress, the factors which influence it, and their relationship. The participants were 1200 field oil workers in Xinjiang who had been in service for at least 1 year. A structural equation model based on data from the symptom checklist, social support research scale, personality questionnaire, occupational burnout questionnaire, and occupational stress questionnaire was constructed to investigate the social (environmental) factors that influence physiological stress and the interplay among these factors. The positive incidence of psychological stress in the field oil workers in Xinjiang was 12.54%. The structural equation model indicated that the main factors that influenced psychological stress in these workers included social support (0.077), occupational role (0.165), personal strain response (0.139), personality (0.189), and occupational burnout (0.380). Among these factors, occupational role, personality, and occupational burnout had a relatively strong predictive power for psychological stress reactions. The cortisol level in workers with positive psychological stress was significantly higher than that in workers with negative psychological stress. Occupational stress, personality, and occupational burnout exert an impact on psychological stress in field oil workers. Therefore, interventions to address these factors should be taken to reduce the incidence of psychological stress. PMID:29642166

Comparison of immunogenicity between inactivated and live attenuated hepatitis A vaccines: a single-blind, randomized, parallel-group clinical trial among children in Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region, China.

PubMed

Liu, Xue-En; Wushouer, Fuerhati; Gou, Aili; Kuerban, Mahemuti; Li, Xinlan; Sun, Yubo; Zhang, Jiamin; Liu, Yan; Li, Jie; Zhuang, Hui

2013-07-01

To compare immunogenicity among an inactivated hepatitis A vaccine (Healive(®)) with one-dose and two-dose regimens, and three kinds of live attenuated vaccines in children. A single-blind, randomized, parallel-group clinical trial was conducted among healthy children aged 1.5-6 y in Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region, China. Subjects were randomly assigned to 5 groups. Two groups were administered one-dose or two-dose inactivated vaccine and the remaining groups were immunized with one of three kinds of attenuated vaccines, respectively. Serum samples were collected at 6- and 12-mo follow-ups. Anti-HAV IgG was measured with a microparticle enzyme immunoassay. No significant differences were observed in seroconversion rates (seroprotection rates) among the five groups at 6 or 12 mo (p>0.05). The geometric mean concentration (GMC) of anti-HAV IgG was significantly higher in the two-dose Healive(®) group than in the one-dose Healive(®) group and the attenuated vaccine groups at 12 mo (932.4 vs. 112.7, 135.8, 203.3, 212.8 mIU/ml, respectively, p<0.05). In the one-dose Healive(®) group, the GMC was significantly lower than that in the attenuated vaccine B and C groups at 6 mo (152.6 vs. 212, 204 mIU/ml, p<0.05) and at 12 mo (112.7 vs. 203.3, 212.8, p<0.05), but was similar to the attenuated vaccine A group at 12 mo (112.7 vs. 135.8 mIU/ml, p>0.05). The GMCs were significantly higher in the 1-2 y of age group than in the 3-6 y of age group for all types of vaccines except the attenuated vaccine C (p<0.05) at 12 mo. A higher GMC of anti-HAV IgG was induced in the two-dose Healive(®) than in the one-dose and the attenuated vaccines at 12 mo. The attenuated vaccine B or C produced higher GMCs than the one-dose Healive(®) at 6-12 mo after vaccination.

A Dynamic Model of Human and Livestock Tuberculosis Spread and Control in Urumqi, Xinjiang, China

PubMed Central

Liu, Shan; Li, Aiqiao; Feng, Xiaomei; Zhang, Xueliang

2016-01-01

We establish a dynamical model for tuberculosis of humans and cows. For the model, we firstly give the basic reproduction number R 0. Furthermore, we discuss the dynamical behaviors of the model. By epidemiological investigation of tuberculosis among humans and livestock from 2007 to 2014 in Urumqi, Xinjiang, China, we estimate the parameters of the model and study the transmission trend of the disease in Urumqi, Xinjiang, China. The reproduction number in Urumqi for the model is estimated to be 0.1811 (95% confidence interval: 0.123–0.281). Finally, we perform some sensitivity analysis of several model parameters and give some useful comments on controlling the transmission of tuberculosis. PMID:27525034

Signal of Acceleration and Physical Mechanism of Water Cycle in Xinjiang, China

PubMed Central

Feng, Guo-Lin; Wu, Yong-Ping

2016-01-01

Global warming accelerates water cycle with features of regional difference. However, little is known about the physical mechanism behind the phenomenon. To reveal the links between water cycle and climatic environment, we analyzed the changes of water cycle elements and their relationships with climatic and environmental factors. We found that when global warming was significant during the period of 1986-2003, the precipitation in Tarim mountains as well as Xinjiang increased rapidly except for Tarim plains, which indicated that there existed a signal of acceleration for water cycle in Xinjiang. The speed of water cycle is mainly affected by altitude, latitude, longitude, slope direction, and the most fundamental element is temperature. Moreover, according to Clausius-Kela Bai Lung relation, we found that the climate change induced the increase of temperature and accelerated the local water cycle only for the wet places. Our results provide a possible physical mechanisms of water cycle and thus well link the climate change to water circulation. PMID:27907078

Signal of Acceleration and Physical Mechanism of Water Cycle in Xinjiang, China.

PubMed

Feng, Guo-Lin; Wu, Yong-Ping

2016-01-01

Global warming accelerates water cycle with features of regional difference. However, little is known about the physical mechanism behind the phenomenon. To reveal the links between water cycle and climatic environment, we analyzed the changes of water cycle elements and their relationships with climatic and environmental factors. We found that when global warming was significant during the period of 1986-2003, the precipitation in Tarim mountains as well as Xinjiang increased rapidly except for Tarim plains, which indicated that there existed a signal of acceleration for water cycle in Xinjiang. The speed of water cycle is mainly affected by altitude, latitude, longitude, slope direction, and the most fundamental element is temperature. Moreover, according to Clausius-Kela Bai Lung relation, we found that the climate change induced the increase of temperature and accelerated the local water cycle only for the wet places. Our results provide a possible physical mechanisms of water cycle and thus well link the climate change to water circulation.

Near-surface air temperature lapse rates in Xinjiang, northwestern China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Du, Mingxia; Zhang, Mingjun; Wang, Shengjie; Zhu, Xiaofan; Che, Yanjun

2018-02-01

Lapse rates of near-surface (2 m) air temperature are important parameters in hydrologic and climate simulations, especially for the mountainous areas without enough in-situ observations. In Xinjiang, northwestern China, the elevations range from higher than 7000 m to lower than sea level, but the existing long-term meteorological measurements are limited and distributed unevenly. To calculate lapse rates in Xinjiang, the daily data of near-surface air temperature ( T min, T ave, and T max) were measured by automatic weather stations from 2012 to 2014. All the in situ observation stations were gridded into a network of 1.5° (latitude) by 1.5° (longitude), and the spatial distribution and the daily, monthly, seasonal variations of lapse rates for T min, T ave, and T max in Xinjiang are analyzed. The Urumqi River Basin has been considered as a case to study the influence of elevation, aspect, and the wet and dry air conditions to the T min, T ave, and T max lapse rates. Results show that (1) the lapse rates for T min, T ave, and T max vary spatially during the observation period. The spatial diversity of T min lapse rates is larger than that of T ave, and that of T max is the smallest. For each season, T max lapse rates have more negative values than T ave lapse rates which are steeper than T min lapse rates. The weakest spatial diversity usually appears in July throughout a year. (2) The comparison for the three subregions (North, Middle, and South region) exhibits that lapse rates have similar day-to-day and month-to-month characteristics which present shallower values in winter months and steeper values in summer months. The T ave lapse rates in North region are shallower than those in Middle and South region, and the steepest T ave lapse rates of the three regions all appear in April. T min lapse rates are shallower than T max lapse rates. The maximum medians of T min and T max lapse rates for each grid in the three regions all appear in January, whereas the

Association of TCF7L2 Genetic Polymorphisms with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus in the Uygur Population of China.

PubMed

Yao, Hua; Wang, Zhiqiang; Wang, Tingting; Ma, Yan; Su, Yinxia; Ma, Qi; Wang, Li; Zhu, Jun

2015-09-18

Genetic polymorphisms of the transcription factor 7-like 2 (TCF7L2) gene have been reported to be strongly associated with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in Icelandic, Danish and American populations and further replicated in other European populations, African Americans, Mexican Americans, and Asian populations. The aim of the present study was to investigate the association of TCF7L2 gene polymorphisms with T2DM in a Uygur population of China. 877 T2DM patients and 871 controls were selected for the present study. Two single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) (rs12255372 and rs7901695) were genotyped by using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometry. The associations of SNPs and haplotypes with T2DM and linkage disequilibrium (LD) structure of the TCF7L2 gene were analyzed. For total participants and male, the distribution of rs12255372 alleles and the dominant model (Guanine Guanine (GG) genotype vs. Guanine Thymine (GT) genotype + Thymine Thymine (TT) genotype) showed significant difference between T2DM and control subjects (for allele: p = 0.013 and p = 0.002, respectively; for dominant model: p = 0.028 and p = 0.008, respectively). The distribution of rs7901695 alleles and the dominant model (TT genotype vs. Thymine Cytosine (TC) genotype + Cytosine Cytosine (CC) genotype) for total participants and male showed significant difference between T2DM and control subjects (for allele: both p = 0.001; for dominant model: p = 0.006 and p = 0.008, respectively). Our data suggested that the genetic polymorphisms of the TCF7L2 gene were associated with T2DM in the Uygur population of China.

Earth observations taken from shuttle Discovery during STS-85 mission

NASA Image and Video Library

1997-09-02

STS085-503-061 (7 - 19 August 1997) --- Lakes Balkhash and Alakol, southern uplands of Kazakhstan, central Asia. The long, 600 kilometers arc of Lake Balkhash occupies the center of this clear west-looking view. The left of the view shows clearly the westernmost Dzungarian Basin in the autonomous region of Xinjiang Uygur (Sinkiang), China. Kazakhstan's capital city Almaty (Alma-Ata) lies out of sight behind the boom. The Dzungarian Gate is the straight, fault-bounded valley cutting through the Dzhungarskiy Alatau Range. The Gate has acted as a major pass for centuries, allowing access between east Asia and central Asia (the valley floor is about 1,500 feet, whereas peaks reach 15,000 feet on the west and about 10,000 feet on the east side) -- it was one of the routes used by the Mongols when they began their invasion of central Asia and Europe in the 13th century. Lake Ebinur is the bright area beneath the dust plume (left center); strong north winds from the steppes of Kazakhstan and Russia are funneled through the Dzungarian Gate where they pick up sediment from dry lakebeds and blow it into China. The Ili River flows westward, parallel to the Dzhungarskiy Alatau Range, through Kapchagay Lake (partially visible beneath boom), then northwest across a large delta plain and into Lake Balkhash.

Comparative analyses of the mitochondrial genome of the sheep ked Melophagus ovinus (Diptera: Hippoboscidae) from different geographical origins in China.

PubMed

Tang, Jia-Min; Li, Fen; Cheng, Tian-Yin; Duan, De-Yong; Liu, Guo-Hua

2018-05-22

The sheep ked Melophagus ovinus is mainly found in Europe, Northwestern Africa, and Asia. Although M. ovinus is an important ectoparasite of sheep in many countries, the population genetics, molecular biology, and systematics of this ectoparasite remain poorly understood. Herein, we determined the mitochondrial (mt) genome of M. ovinus from Gansu Province, China (MOG) and compared with that of M. ovinus Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, China (MOX). The mt genome sequence (15,044 bp) of M. ovinus MOG was significantly shorter (529 bp) than M. ovinus MOX. Nucleotide sequence difference in the whole mt genome except for non-coding region was 0.37% between M. ovinus MOG and MOX. For the 13 protein-coding genes, comparison revealed sequence divergences at both the nucleotide (0-1.1%) and amino acid (0-0.59%) levels between M. ovinus MOG and MOX, respectively. Interestingly, the cox1 gene of M. ovinus MOX is predicted to employ unusual mt start codons AAA, which has not been predicted previously for any parasite genome. Phylogenetic analyses showed that M. ovinus (Hippoboscoidea) is related to the superfamilies Oestroidea + Muscoidea. Our results have also indicated the paraphylies of the four families (Anthomyiidae, Calliphoridae, Muscidae, and Oestridae) and two superfamilies (Oestroidea and Muscoidea). This mt genome of M. ovinus provides useful molecular markers for studies into the population genetics, molecular biology, and systematics of this ectoparasite.

Cognitive Impairment and Risk Factors in Elderly People Living in Fluorosis Areas in China.

PubMed

Li, Mang; Gao, Yanhui; Cui, Jing; Li, Yuanyuan; Li, Bingyun; Liu, Yang; Sun, Jing; Liu, Xiaona; Liu, Hongxu; Zhao, Lijun; Sun, Dianjun

2016-07-01

Residents living in fluorosis areas generally experienced long-term exposure to excessive fluoride in drinking water. The adverse effects of high fluoride levels on the nervous system have been studied; however, the effect of fluoride exposure on cognitive functions of elderly people in fluorosis areas is rarely reported. This study was aimed to find out the potential risk factors of cognitive impairment among elderly people who lived in fluorosis areas of China. A total of 511 subjects, aged 60 years or above, were investigated in fluorosis areas of Heilongjiang Province, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Qinghai Province, and Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. The Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) was used to examine cognitive functions of the study subjects. Based on the MMSE scores, the study subjects were divided into normal group and cognitive impairment group that consisted of mild, moderate, and severe groups. Multivariable logistic regression showed that a higher risk of cognitive impairment was associated with increased age and decreased education levels. Multiple linear regression analysis revealed that MMSE scores were negatively associated with serum homocysteine (Hcy) levels. However, both urinary fluoride and serum Hcy levels in the normal group were not the lowest among the four groups. Spearman's correlation analysis showed that urinary fluoride levels were positively correlated with serum Hcy (r s = 0.209, P < 0.01). Our study suggests that people with cognitive impairment in fluorosis areas have elevated serum Hcy levels, which was positively correlated with urinary fluoride concentrations. A certain low dose of fluoride intake may play a potential protective rather than harmful role in cognitive functions; however, high fluoride exposure is a potential risk factor for cognitive impairment.

The characteristics of phosphorus adsorption and desorption in gray desert soil of Xinjiang, China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, B.; Sun, J. S.; Liu, H.; Ma, Y. B.

2017-07-01

The characteristics of phosphorus (P) adsorption and desorption in Xinjiang gray desert soil (0 - 200 mm) of China in the long-term fertilization condition is affected by the level of soil P content which studied through an isothermal adsorption and desorption experiments of P. The results stated that within the experimental concentration range, with the increase of the amount of outer-source phosphorus, P adsorption, desorption and desorption rate increased and adsorption rate decreased gradually in different Olsen-P levels of gray desert soil in Xinjiang, China. Olsen-P content is significantly correlated with the P adsorption saturation (DPS) of gray desert soil. The maximum adsorption capacity (Xm ) of the treatments followed an extremely significant decreasing order of CK>NPK≈NPKM>PK≈NPKS. The maximum buffer capacity (MBC) and adsorption constant (K) of the NPK treatment was much higher than NPKM, NPKS, PK and CK treatments. And, MBC value of CK treatment was extremely higher than NPKS and PK, however, the differences between NPKM and CK, NPKS and PK were not significant. The comparison between NPKM, NPKS, PK and CK treatments showed no significant difference in K value, but these four showed significantly lower than NPK treatments. The value of soil easy desorption P (RDP) of NPKS and NPKM was significantly higher than NPK and PK, and the chemical fertilizer with organic fertilizer was a best way to release the phosphorus for Xinjiang agricultural production, China.

Optimal cutoff of the waist-to-hip ratio for detecting cardiovascular risk factors among Han adults in Xinjiang.

PubMed

Li, Shuang-Shuang; Pan, Shuo; Ma, Yi-Tong; Yang, Yi-Ning; Ma, Xiang; Li, Xiao-Mei; Fu, Zhen-Yan; Xie, Xiang; Liu, Fen; Chen, You; Chen, Bang-Dang; Yu, Zi-Xiang; He, Chun-Hui; Zheng, Ying-Ying; Abudukeremu, Nuremanguli; Abuzhalihan, Jialin; Wang, Yong-Tao

2014-07-29

The optimal cutoff of the waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) among Han adults in Xinjiang, which is located in the center of Asia, is unknown. We aimed to examine the relationship between different WHRs and cardiovascular risk factors among Han adults in Xinjiang, and determine the optimal cutoff of the WHR. The Cardiovascular Risk Survey was conducted from October 2007 to March 2010. A total of 14618 representative participants were selected using a four-stage stratified sampling method. A total of 5757 Han participants were included in the study. The present statistical analysis was restricted to the 5595 Han subjects who had complete anthropometric data. The sensitivity, specificity, and distance on the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve in each WHR level were calculated. The shortest distance in the ROC curves was used to determine the optimal cutoff of the WHR for detecting cardiovascular risk factors. In women, the WHR was positively associated with systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, and serum concentrations of serum total cholesterol. The prevalence of hypertension and hypertriglyceridemia increased as the WHR increased. The same results were not observed among men. The optimal WHR cutoffs for predicting hypertension, diabetes, dyslipidemia and ≥ two of these risk factors for Han adults in Xinjiang were 0.92, 0.92, 0.91, 0.92 in men and 0.88, 0.89, 0.88, 0.89 in women, respectively. Higher cutoffs for the WHR are required in the identification of Han adults aged ≥ 35 years with a high risk of cardiovascular diseases in Xinjiang.

Cloud removing method for daily snow mapping over Central Asia and Xinjiang, China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yu, Xiaoqi; Qiu, Yubao; Guo, Huadong; Chen, Lijuan

2017-02-01

Central Asia and Xinjiang, China are conjunct areas, located in the hinterland of the Eurasian continent, where the snowfall is an important water resource supplement form. The induced seasonal snow cover is vita factors to the regional energy and water balance, remote sensing plays a key role in the snow mapping filed, while the daily remote sensing products are normally contaminated by the occurrence of cloud, that obviously obstacles the utility of snow cover parameters. In this paper, based on the daily snow product from Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS A1), a cloud removing method was developed by considering the regional snow distribution characteristics with latitude and altitude dependence respectively. In the end, the daily cloud free products was compared with the same period of eight days MODIS standard product, revealing that the cloud free snow products are reasonable, while could provide higher temporal resolution, and more details over Center Asia and Xinjiang Province.

Copy number variations and genetic admixtures in three Xinjiang ethnic minority groups

PubMed Central

Lou, Haiyi; Li, Shilin; Jin, Wenfei; Fu, Ruiqing; Lu, Dongsheng; Pan, Xinwei; Zhou, Huaigu; Ping, Yuan; Jin, Li; Xu, Shuhua

2015-01-01

Xinjiang is geographically located in central Asia, and it has played an important historical role in connecting eastern Eurasian (EEA) and western Eurasian (WEA) people. However, human population genomic studies in this region have been largely underrepresented, especially with respect to studies of copy number variations (CNVs). Here we constructed the first CNV map of the three major ethnic minority groups, the Uyghur, Kazakh and Kirgiz, using Affymetrix Genome-Wide Human SNP Array 6.0. We systematically compared the properties of CNVs we identified in the three groups with the data from representatives of EEA and WEA. The analyses indicated a typical genetic admixture pattern in all three groups with ancestries from both EEA and WEA. We also identified several CNV regions showing significant deviation of allele frequency from the expected genome-wide distribution, which might be associated with population-specific phenotypes. Our study provides the first genome-wide perspective on the CNVs of three major Xinjiang ethnic minority groups and has implications for both evolutionary and medical studies. PMID:25026903

Copy number variations and genetic admixtures in three Xinjiang ethnic minority groups.

PubMed

Lou, Haiyi; Li, Shilin; Jin, Wenfei; Fu, Ruiqing; Lu, Dongsheng; Pan, Xinwei; Zhou, Huaigu; Ping, Yuan; Jin, Li; Xu, Shuhua

2015-04-01

Xinjiang is geographically located in central Asia, and it has played an important historical role in connecting eastern Eurasian (EEA) and western Eurasian (WEA) people. However, human population genomic studies in this region have been largely underrepresented, especially with respect to studies of copy number variations (CNVs). Here we constructed the first CNV map of the three major ethnic minority groups, the Uyghur, Kazakh and Kirgiz, using Affymetrix Genome-Wide Human SNP Array 6.0. We systematically compared the properties of CNVs we identified in the three groups with the data from representatives of EEA and WEA. The analyses indicated a typical genetic admixture pattern in all three groups with ancestries from both EEA and WEA. We also identified several CNV regions showing significant deviation of allele frequency from the expected genome-wide distribution, which might be associated with population-specific phenotypes. Our study provides the first genome-wide perspective on the CNVs of three major Xinjiang ethnic minority groups and has implications for both evolutionary and medical studies.

Local spatial variations analysis of smear-positive tuberculosis in Xinjiang using Geographically Weighted Regression model.

PubMed

Wei, Wang; Yuan-Yuan, Jin; Ci, Yan; Ahan, Alayi; Ming-Qin, Cao

2016-10-06

The spatial interplay between socioeconomic factors and tuberculosis (TB) cases contributes to the understanding of regional tuberculosis burdens. Historically, local Poisson Geographically Weighted Regression (GWR) has allowed for the identification of the geographic disparities of TB cases and their relevant socioeconomic determinants, thereby forecasting local regression coefficients for the relations between the incidence of TB and its socioeconomic determinants. Therefore, the aims of this study were to: (1) identify the socioeconomic determinants of geographic disparities of smear positive TB in Xinjiang, China (2) confirm if the incidence of smear positive TB and its associated socioeconomic determinants demonstrate spatial variability (3) compare the performance of two main models: one is Ordinary Least Square Regression (OLS), and the other local GWR model. Reported smear-positive TB cases in Xinjiang were extracted from the TB surveillance system database during 2004-2010. The average number of smear-positive TB cases notified in Xinjiang was collected from 98 districts/counties. The population density (POPden), proportion of minorities (PROmin), number of infectious disease network reporting agencies (NUMagen), proportion of agricultural population (PROagr), and per capita annual gross domestic product (per capita GDP) were gathered from the Xinjiang Statistical Yearbook covering a period from 2004 to 2010. The OLS model and GWR model were then utilized to investigate socioeconomic determinants of smear-positive TB cases. Geoda 1.6.7, and GWR 4.0 software were used for data analysis. Our findings indicate that the relations between the average number of smear-positive TB cases notified in Xinjiang and their socioeconomic determinants (POPden, PROmin, NUMagen, PROagr, and per capita GDP) were significantly spatially non-stationary. This means that in some areas more smear-positive TB cases could be related to higher socioeconomic determinant regression

Ancient DNA reveals a migration of the ancient Di-qiang populations into Xinjiang as early as the early Bronze Age.

PubMed

Gao, Shi-Zhu; Zhang, Ye; Wei, Dong; Li, Hong-Jie; Zhao, Yong-Bin; Cui, Yin-Qiu; Zhou, Hui

2015-05-01

Xinjiang is at the crossroads between East and West Eurasia, and it harbors a relatively complex genetic history. In order to better understand the population movements and interactions in this region, mitochondrial and Y chromosome analyses on 40 ancient human remains from the Tianshanbeilu site in eastern Xinjiang were performed. Twenty-nine samples were successfully assigned to specific mtDNA haplogroups, including the west Eurasian maternal lineages of U and W and the east Eurasian maternal lineages of A, C, D, F, G, Z, M7, and M10. In the male samples, two Y chromosome haplogroups, C* and N1 (xN1a, N1c), were successfully assigned. Our mitochondrial and Y-chromosomal DNA analyses combined with the archaeological studies revealed that the Di-qiang populations from the Hexi Corridor had migrated to eastern Xinjiang and admixed with the Eurasian steppe populations in the early Bronze Age. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Differential Expression and Clinical Significance of DNA Methyltransferase 3B (DNMT3B), Phosphatase and Tensin Homolog (PTEN) and Human MutL Homologs 1 (hMLH1) in Endometrial Carcinomas.

PubMed

Li, Wenting; Wang, Ying; Fang, Xinzhi; Zhou, Mei; Li, Yiqun; Dong, Ying; Wang, Ruozheng

2017-02-21

BACKGROUND The aim of this study was to investigate the expression and the clinicopathologic significance of DNA methyltransferase 3B (DNMT3B), phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN) and human MutL homologs 1 (hMLH1) in endometrial carcinomas between Han and Uygur women in Xinjiang. MATERIAL AND METHODS The expression of DNMT3B, PTEN, and hMLH1 in endometrial carcinomas were assessed by immunohistochemistry, followed by an analysis of their relationship to clinical-pathological features and prognosis. RESULTS There were a 61.7% (95/154) overexpression of DNMT3B, 50.0% (77/154) loss of PTEN expression and 18.2% (28/154) loss of hMLH1 expression. The expression of DNMT3B and PTEN in endometrial carcinomas was statistically significantly different between Uygur women and Han women (p=0.001, p=0.010, respectively). DNMT3B expression was statistically significant based on the grade of endometrial carcinomas (p=0.031). PTEN loss was statistically significant between endometrioid carcinomas (ECs) and non endometrioid carcinomas (NECs) (p=0.040). DNMT3B expression was statistically significant in different myometrial invasion groups in Uygur women (p=0.010). Furthermore, the correlation of DNMT3B and PTEN expression was significant in endometrial carcinomas (p=0.021). PTEN expression was statistically significant in the overall survival (OS) rate of women with endometrial cancers (p=0.041). CONCLUSIONS Our findings suggest that PTEN and DNMT3B possess common regulation features as well as certain ethnic differences in expression between Han women and Uygur women. An interaction may exist in the pathogenesis of endometrial carcinoma. DNMT3B was expressed differently in cases of myometrial invasion and PTEN was associated with OS, which suggested that these molecular markers may be useful in the evaluation of the biological behavior of endometrial carcinomas and may be useful indicators of prognosis in women with endometrial carcinomas.

Differential Expression and Clinical Significance of DNA Methyltransferase 3B (DNMT3B), Phosphatase and Tensin Homolog (PTEN) and Human MutL Homologs 1 (hMLH1) in Endometrial Carcinomas

PubMed Central

Li, Wenting; Wang, Ying; Fang, Xinzhi; Zhou, Mei; Li, Yiqun; Dong, Ying; Wang, Ruozheng

2017-01-01

Background The aim of this study was to investigate the expression and the clinicopathologic significance of DNA methyltransferase 3B (DNMT3B), phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN) and human MutL homologs 1 (hMLH1) in endometrial carcinomas between Han and Uygur women in Xinjiang. Material/Methods The expression of DNMT3B, PTEN, and hMLH1 in endometrial carcinomas were assessed by immunohistochemistry, followed by an analysis of their relationship to clinical-pathological features and prognosis. Results There were a 61.7% (95/154) overexpression of DNMT3B, 50.0% (77/154) loss of PTEN expression and 18.2% (28/154) loss of hMLH1 expression. The expression of DNMT3B and PTEN in endometrial carcinomas was statistically significantly different between Uygur women and Han women (p=0.001, p=0.010, respectively). DNMT3B expression was statistically significant based on the grade of endometrial carcinomas (p=0.031). PTEN loss was statistically significant between endometrioid carcinomas (ECs) and non endometrioid carcinomas (NECs) (p=0.040). DNMT3B expression was statistically significant in different myometrial invasion groups in Uygur women (p=0.010). Furthermore, the correlation of DNMT3B and PTEN expression was significant in endometrial carcinomas (p=0.021). PTEN expression was statistically significant in the overall survival (OS) rate of women with endometrial cancers (p=0.041). Conclusions Our findings suggest that PTEN and DNMT3B possess common regulation features as well as certain ethnic differences in expression between Han women and Uygur women. An interaction may exist in the pathogenesis of endometrial carcinoma. DNMT3B was expressed differently in cases of myometrial invasion and PTEN was associated with OS, which suggested that these molecular markers may be useful in the evaluation of the biological behavior of endometrial carcinomas and may be useful indicators of prognosis in women with endometrial carcinomas. PMID:28220037

Optimal cutoff of the waist-to-hip ratio for detecting cardiovascular risk factors among Han adults in Xinjiang

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background The optimal cutoff of the waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) among Han adults in Xinjiang, which is located in the center of Asia, is unknown. We aimed to examine the relationship between different WHRs and cardiovascular risk factors among Han adults in Xinjiang, and determine the optimal cutoff of the WHR. Methods The Cardiovascular Risk Survey was conducted from October 2007 to March 2010. A total of 14618 representative participants were selected using a four-stage stratified sampling method. A total of 5757 Han participants were included in the study. The present statistical analysis was restricted to the 5595 Han subjects who had complete anthropometric data. The sensitivity, specificity, and distance on the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve in each WHR level were calculated. The shortest distance in the ROC curves was used to determine the optimal cutoff of the WHR for detecting cardiovascular risk factors. Results In women, the WHR was positively associated with systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, and serum concentrations of serum total cholesterol. The prevalence of hypertension and hypertriglyceridemia increased as the WHR increased. The same results were not observed among men. The optimal WHR cutoffs for predicting hypertension, diabetes, dyslipidemia and ≥ two of these risk factors for Han adults in Xinjiang were 0.92, 0.92, 0.91, 0.92 in men and 0.88, 0.89, 0.88, 0.89 in women, respectively. Conclusions Higher cutoffs for the WHR are required in the identification of Han adults aged ≥ 35 years with a high risk of cardiovascular diseases in Xinjiang. PMID:25074400

New observations of the early land plant Eocooksonia Doweld from the Pridoli (Upper Silurian) of Xinjiang, China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xue, Jinzhuang; Wang, Qi; Wang, Deming; Wang, Yi; Hao, Shougang

2015-04-01

As an early land plant previously reported from the Upper Silurian (Pridoli) of Xinjiang, Northwest China and Central Kazakhstan, the circumscription of Eocooksonia sphaerica (Senkevitsch) Doweld remains ill-defined because of the paucity of specimens and poor preservation in marine deposits. New specimens of this plant are described from the Pridoli-aged Wutubulake Formation of the Junggar Basin, Xinjiang. New observations and comparisons with the type material from Kazakhstan confirm the pseudomonopodial branching pattern, which forms an apparent main axis with lateral dichotomously branching systems. Our specimens demonstrate that the terminal sporangia of Eocooksonia Doweld consist of a central body and a border with four to eight elongate-triangular emergences, a character shown in the published illustrations of the type material but not mentioned in the original diagnosis. Eocooksonia may be close to Cooksonia Lang and Pertonella Fanning, Edwards et Richardson in affinities, particularly to the latter that has terminal discoidal sporangia with spiny emergences. It is deduced that the sporangial central body of Eocooksonia contains sporogenous tissues, which are covered by a distal surface wall with radiated emergences. One sporangium specimen of an unnamed plant is also described from the Wutubulake Formation of Xinjiang; it shows a central body with a wide border lacking emergences, and represents a taxon superficially similar to Eocooksonia.

Characterization of the expression and clinical features of epidermal growth factor receptor and vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-2 in esophageal carcinoma

PubMed Central

NIYAZ, MADINIYAT; ANWER, JURAT; LIU, HUI; ZHANG, LIWEI; SHAYHEDIN, ILYAR; AWUT, IDIRIS

2015-01-01

The present study aimed to understand the expression characteristics of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-2 (VEGFR-2) in individuals of Uygur, Han and Kazak ethnicity with esophageal carcinoma in Xinjiang (China) and their interrelation analysis, and to investigate the expression differences in these genes between esophageal carcinoma and pericarcinoma tissue samples, and between the three ethnic groups. The expression levels of EGFR and VEGFR-2 from 119 pairs of esophageal carcinoma tissue and corresponding pericarcinoma tissue from Uygur, Han and Kazak patients with esophageal carcinoma were detected by immunohistochemistry following surgical resection, and an additional five carcinoma in situ specimens were also tested. The relative expression was analyzed among the ethnic groups and clinicopathological parameters. The positive rate of EGFR in esophageal carcinoma tissue from patients of Uygur, Han and Kazak heritage was 70.73, 68.42 and 67.5%, respectively. For VEGFR-2 the positive rate was 73.17, 68.42 and 67.5%, respectively. No significant difference was detected in their expression between the three ethnic groups (P>0.05); however, EGFR and VEGFR-2 overexpression were correlated with lymph node metastasis (P<0.05). VEGF expression was also correlated with the expression of VEGFR-2 in esophageal carcinoma tissues. EGFR was positive in carcinoma in situ samples, while VEGFR-2 was negative. The overexpression of EGFR is therefore an early event and may have a significant role in the progression of esophageal carcinoma pathogenesis. EGFR overexpression may correlate with the expression of VEGFR-2 in esophageal cancer. These results may aid the early diagnosis of esophageal cancer, and the development of individual target treatment in the future. PMID:26788193

Genetic History of Xinjiang's Uyghurs Suggests Bronze Age Multiple-Way Contacts in Eurasia.

PubMed

Feng, Qidi; Lu, Yan; Ni, Xumin; Yuan, Kai; Yang, Yajun; Yang, Xiong; Liu, Chang; Lou, Haiyi; Ning, Zhilin; Wang, Yuchen; Lu, Dongsheng; Zhang, Chao; Zhou, Ying; Shi, Meng; Tian, Lei; Wang, Xiaoji; Zhang, Xi; Li, Jing; Khan, Asifullah; Guan, Yaqun; Tang, Kun; Wang, Sijia; Xu, Shuhua

2017-10-01

The Uyghur people residing in Xinjiang, a territory located in the far west of China and crossed by the Silk Road, are a key ethnic group for understanding the history of human dispersion in Eurasia. Here we assessed the genetic structure and ancestry of 951 Xinjiang's Uyghurs (XJU) representing 14 geographical subpopulations. We observed a southwest and northeast differentiation within XJU, which was likely shaped jointly by the Tianshan Mountains, which traverses from east to west as a natural barrier, and gene flow from both east and west directions. In XJU, we identified four major ancestral components that were potentially derived from two earlier admixed groups: one from the West, harboring European (25-37%) and South Asian ancestries (12-20%), and the other from the East, with Siberian (15-17%) and East Asian (29-47%) ancestries. By using a newly developed method, MultiWaver, the complex admixture history of XJU was modeled as a two-wave admixture. An ancient wave was dated back to ∼3,750 years ago (ya), which is much earlier than that estimated by previous studies, but fits within the range of dating of mummies that exhibited European features that were discovered in the Tarim basin, which is situated in southern Xinjiang (4,000-2,000 ya); a more recent wave occurred around 750 ya, which is in agreement with the estimate from a recent study using other methods. We unveiled a more complex scenario of ancestral origins and admixture history in XJU than previously reported, which further suggests Bronze Age massive migrations in Eurasia and East-West contacts across the Silk Road. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Molecular Biology and Evolution. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

[Paying attention to different health needs of different ethnic groups in process health for all program].

PubMed

Li, T G; Wang, M

2017-06-10

In recent years, great effort has been made in the promotion of health for all in China. Articles on column on chronic and non-communicable disease risk factors in Uighur population, analysis based on the investigation results of Uygur population health status in the Kashi area of Xinjiang of China and similar domestic and foreign studies showed that the health data in different countries are different. The differences in health related data exist in different ethnic groups even in same country or same ethnic group in different areas. Only by fully understanding the differences in disease and related factors among different ethnic groups, developing individualized health indicators and conducting targeted intervention, the goal of health for all can be achieved.

A camerate-rich late carboniferous (Moscovian) crinoid fauna from volcanic conglomerate, Xinjiang, People's Republic of China

USGS Publications Warehouse

Lane, N.G.; Waters, J.A.; Maples, C.G.; Marcus, S.A.; Liao, Z.-T.

1996-01-01

A low-diversity camerate-rich crinoid fauna from the Qijiagou Formation, Taoshigo Valley near Turpan, Xinjiang-Uygar Autonomous Region, China was collected during field work in May, 1993. The crinoid fauna is dominated by species of Platycrinites. Other camerate crinoids include a species in the Paragaricocrinidae, Actinocrinites, a hexacrinitid, and an acrocrinoid. The only other non-North American occurrence of this latter family is Springeracrocrinus from the Moscovian of Russia. In addition to the camerates, there are several advanced cladid inadunates more typical of Upper Carboniferous crinoid faunas, including an erisocrinoid (possibly Sinocrinus), Graphiocrinus, ?Cromyocrinus, and an agassizocrinoid (Petschoracrinus) represented by partly fused infrabasal cones. A single radial plate with angustary facet may represent a cyathocrinoid, There also is a catillocrinoid, assigned here to Paracatillocrinus. The fauna, which resembles Moscovian crinoids described from Russia, is preserved in graded volcanic conglomeratic debris flows that overlie a carbonate mound and contain clasts up to 3 m in dimension. The crinoids are fragmentary, with many calyces seemingly torn into two or three pieces and dumped in with the pyroclastic debris. Camerates are represented by large thecal scraps consisting of numerous plates, or by large individual plates or circlets. Other fossils include rare solitary rugose corals, tabular bryozoans, Neospirifer, and other fragmentary brachiopods. We suspect that the crinoids may have been swept off of a nearby carbonate mound and deposited as debris-flow bedload.

Effects of changing climate on reference crop evapotranspiration over 1961-2013 in Xinjiang, China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yao, Ning; Li, Yi; Sun, Changfeng

2018-01-01

To know the importance of different climate variables on reference crop evapotranspiration ( ET o), a step-by-step sensitivity analysis of ET o to single, two, and multi-climate variables ( C) was conducted. ET o in north, south, and entire Xinjiang Province, China, over 1961-2013 was estimated using the Penman-Monteith equation. Trends in the involved six Cs (i.e., minimum temperature— T min, average temperature— T ave, maximum temperature— T max, wind speed at 2 m— U 2, sunshine hour— n, and relative humidity— RH) were detected by the modified Mann-Kendall test. Nineteen scenarios of changed Cs were preset to obtain recalculated ET o values considering the actual trend in each C and the Pearson's correlation relationship between ET o and Cs. The results showed that ET o was mostly sensitive to T max, U 2, and n. Sensitivity of ET o to the two overlapped changes of T min and T max caused larger increases in ET o than T max and T ave, T ave and T max, T max and (- n), T max and RH, T max and (- U 2), and T min and T ave, but the overlapped changes (- U 2) and (- n) caused larger decreases in ET o than the other two C scenarios. The simultaneously increased T max, T min, T ave, and RH plus decreased U 2 and n had caused the actual decreases in ET o in Xinjiang. In general, the effects of decreased U 2 and n on decreasing ET o compensated the effects of increased T max on decreasing ET o in Xinjiang.

Lop Nur, Xinjiang, China

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-06-24

NASA image acquired May 17, 2011 Located in China’s resource-rich but moisture-poor Xinjiang autonomous region, Lop Nur is an uninviting location for any kind of agriculture. It sits at the eastern end of the Taklimakan Desert, where marching sand dunes can reach heights of 200 meters (650 feet), and dust storms rage across the landscape. Yet for all it lacks in agricultural appeal, Lop Nur offers something valuable to farmers the world over: potash. This potassium salt provides a major nutrient required for plant growth, making it a key ingredient in fertilizer. The discovery of potash at Lop Nur in the mid-1990s turned the area into a large-scale mining operation. The Advanced Land Imager (ALI) on NASA’s Earth Observing-1 (EO-1) satellite captured this natural-color image of Lop Nur on May 17, 2011. The rectangular shapes in this image show the bright colors characteristic of solar evaporation ponds. Around the evaporation ponds are the earth tones typical of sandy desert. During the early and middle Pleistocene epoch, this area held a large brackish lake. Uplift of the northern part of the lake in the late Pleistocene created hollows that became receptacles for potash deposition. The main potash deposits found at Lop Nur today are brine potash, and this site is the second-largest source of potash in China. Lop Nur slowly dried up in the Holocene. The area now receives average annual precipitation of just 31.2 millimeters (1.2 inches), and experiences annual evaporation of 2,901 millimeters (114 inches), according to a study published in 2008. The study found, however, that this area has experienced seven major climate changes since the end of the Pleistocene, including climatic conditions far more favorable to farming and settlement than today. Examination of plant and mollusk remains at the lake, as well as studies of sediments, indicate that the Lop Nur region experienced a severe drought about 3,000 years ago, followed by wetter conditions. Between 1

A set of autosomal multiple InDel markers for forensic application and population genetic analysis in the Chinese Xinjiang Hui group.

PubMed

Xie, Tong; Guo, Yuxin; Chen, Ling; Fang, Yating; Tai, Yunchun; Zhou, Yongsong; Qiu, Pingming; Zhu, Bofeng

2018-07-01

In recent years, insertion/deletion (InDel) markers have become a promising and useful supporting tool in forensic identification cases and biogeographic research field. In this study, 30 InDel loci were explored to reveal the genetic diversities and genetic relationships between Chinese Xinjiang Hui group and the 25 previously reported populations using various biostatistics methods such as forensic statistical parameter analysis, phylogenetic reconstruction, multi-dimensional scaling, principal component analysis, and STRUCTURE analysis. No deviations from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium tests were found at all 30 loci in the Chinese Xinjiang Hui group. The observed heterozygosity and expected heterozygosity ranged from 0.1971 (HLD118) to 0.5092 (HLD92), 0.2222 (HLD118) to 0.5000 (HLD6), respectively. The cumulative probability of exclusion and combined power of discrimination were 0.988849 and 0.99999999999378, respectively, which indicated that these 30 loci could be qualified for personal identification and used as complementary genetic markers for paternity tests in forensic cases. The results of present research based on the different methods of population genetic analysis revealed that the Chinese Xinjiang Hui group had close relationships with most Chinese groups, especially Han populations. In spite of this, for a better understanding of genetic background of the Chinese Xinjiang Hui group, more molecular genetic markers such as ancestry informative markers, single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), and copy number variations will be conducted in future studies. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

An ethnopharmacological study of aromatic Uyghur medicinal plants in Xinjiang, China.

PubMed

Zhao, Lu; Tian, Shuge; Wen, E; Upur, Halmuart

2017-12-01

An ethnobotanical survey was completed in a remote village and surrounding country of Xinjiang, where most Uyghur medicinal plants could be collected. This work clarifies and increases ethnobotanical data. We surveyed and organized aromatic medicinal plants that are commonly used in clinical settings to provide a significant reference for studying new medical activities. In the survey, informants who have traditional knowledge on aromatic Uyghur medicinal plants were interviewed between March 2014 and September 2014. Aromatic medicinal plant species and pertinent information were collected. Some therapeutic methods and modes of preparation of traditional aromatic medicinal plants were found. A total of 86 aromatic medicinal plant species belonging to 36 families were included in our study. We identified 34 plant species introduced from different regions such as Europe, India and Mediterranean areas. Fruits and whole plants were the most commonly used parts of plant, and most aromatic medicinal plants could be applied as medicine and food. We assigned the medicinal plants a use value (UV). Knowing the UV of species is useful in determining the use reliability and pharmacological features of related plants. Xinjiang is an area in which indigenous aromatic medicinal plants are diversely used and has therefore established a sound dimensional medical healthcare treatment system. Some aromatic Uyghur medicinal plants are on the verge of extinction. Hence, further strategies for the conservation of these aromatic medicinal plants should be prioritized.

Remote Sensing Image Change Detection Based on NSCT-HMT Model and Its Application.

PubMed

Chen, Pengyun; Zhang, Yichen; Jia, Zhenhong; Yang, Jie; Kasabov, Nikola

2017-06-06

Traditional image change detection based on a non-subsampled contourlet transform always ignores the neighborhood information's relationship to the non-subsampled contourlet coefficients, and the detection results are susceptible to noise interference. To address these disadvantages, we propose a denoising method based on the non-subsampled contourlet transform domain that uses the Hidden Markov Tree model (NSCT-HMT) for change detection of remote sensing images. First, the ENVI software is used to calibrate the original remote sensing images. After that, the mean-ratio operation is adopted to obtain the difference image that will be denoised by the NSCT-HMT model. Then, using the Fuzzy Local Information C-means (FLICM) algorithm, the difference image is divided into the change area and unchanged area. The proposed algorithm is applied to a real remote sensing data set. The application results show that the proposed algorithm can effectively suppress clutter noise, and retain more detailed information from the original images. The proposed algorithm has higher detection accuracy than the Markov Random Field-Fuzzy C-means (MRF-FCM), the non-subsampled contourlet transform-Fuzzy C-means clustering (NSCT-FCM), the pointwise approach and graph theory (PA-GT), and the Principal Component Analysis-Nonlocal Means (PCA-NLM) denosing algorithm. Finally, the five algorithms are used to detect the southern boundary of the Gurbantunggut Desert in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region of China, and the results show that the proposed algorithm has the best effect on real remote sensing image change detection.

Remote Sensing Image Change Detection Based on NSCT-HMT Model and Its Application

PubMed Central

Chen, Pengyun; Zhang, Yichen; Jia, Zhenhong; Yang, Jie; Kasabov, Nikola

2017-01-01

Traditional image change detection based on a non-subsampled contourlet transform always ignores the neighborhood information’s relationship to the non-subsampled contourlet coefficients, and the detection results are susceptible to noise interference. To address these disadvantages, we propose a denoising method based on the non-subsampled contourlet transform domain that uses the Hidden Markov Tree model (NSCT-HMT) for change detection of remote sensing images. First, the ENVI software is used to calibrate the original remote sensing images. After that, the mean-ratio operation is adopted to obtain the difference image that will be denoised by the NSCT-HMT model. Then, using the Fuzzy Local Information C-means (FLICM) algorithm, the difference image is divided into the change area and unchanged area. The proposed algorithm is applied to a real remote sensing data set. The application results show that the proposed algorithm can effectively suppress clutter noise, and retain more detailed information from the original images. The proposed algorithm has higher detection accuracy than the Markov Random Field-Fuzzy C-means (MRF-FCM), the non-subsampled contourlet transform-Fuzzy C-means clustering (NSCT-FCM), the pointwise approach and graph theory (PA-GT), and the Principal Component Analysis-Nonlocal Means (PCA-NLM) denosing algorithm. Finally, the five algorithms are used to detect the southern boundary of the Gurbantunggut Desert in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region of China, and the results show that the proposed algorithm has the best effect on real remote sensing image change detection. PMID:28587299

The correlation between pulmonary fibrosis and methylation of peripheral Smad3 in cases of pigeon breeder's lung in a Chinese Uygur population.

PubMed

Wu, Chao; Ding, Wei; Li, Qifeng; Wang, Wenyi; Deng, Mingqin; Jin, Rong; Pang, Baosen; Yang, Xiaohong

2017-06-27

Smad3 is a key protein in the transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β)/Smad signaling pathway, which is involved in fibrosis in many organs. We investigated the relationship between Smad3 gene methylation and pulmonary fibrosis in pigeon breeder's lung (PBL). Twenty Uygur PBL patients with pulmonary fibrosis in Kashi between October 2015 and March 2016 were enrolled. Twenty PBL-free pigeon breeders and 20 healthy non-pigeon breeders enrolled during the same period constituted the negative and normal control groups, respectively. Participants' data and peripheral blood samples were collected, and three Smad3 CpG loci were examined. Distributions of CpG_2 and CpG_4 methylation rates did not differ across groups, whereas distributions of CpG_3 methylation rates were significantly different among the three groups. The CpG_3 methylation rate was significantly lower in the patient group than in the negative control group. Smad3 mRNA expression was significantly higher in the patient group than in the negative control group but did not differ between the two control groups. TGF-βlevels were significantly higher in the patient group than in either control group (both P<0.01). Smad3 gene methylation and Smad3 mRNA expression were negatively correlated, with a correlation coefficient of -0.84. The number of pigeons bred during the preceding three months was positively correlated with Smad3 mRNA expression, with a correlation coefficient of 0.77. Smad3 gene hypomethylation might promote pulmonary fibrosis in Uygur PBL patients via increased Smad3 mRNA expression. Smad3 methylation, Smad3 mRNA expression and TGF-β level were correlated with the number of pigeons bred by patients.

Comparing interpolation techniques for annual temperature mapping across Xinjiang region

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ren-ping, Zhang; Jing, Guo; Tian-gang, Liang; Qi-sheng, Feng; Aimaiti, Yusupujiang

2016-11-01

Interpolating climatic variables such as temperature is challenging due to the highly variable nature of meteorological processes and the difficulty in establishing a representative network of stations. In this paper, based on the monthly temperature data which obtained from the 154 official meteorological stations in the Xinjiang region and surrounding areas, we compared five spatial interpolation techniques: Inverse distance weighting (IDW), Ordinary kriging, Cokriging, thin-plate smoothing splines (ANUSPLIN) and Empirical Bayesian kriging(EBK). Error metrics were used to validate interpolations against independent data. Results indicated that, the ANUSPLIN performed best than the other four interpolation methods.

Providing winter bases for transhumant herders in Altai, Xinjiang China: Some consequences and lessons learned

Treesearch

Stephen G. Reynolds

2006-01-01

This case study from Altai in Xinjiang, N.W. China looks at a traditional transhumant system where for centuries Kazakh herders have moved with their livestock from low desert areas, where they winter, to high pastures for rich summer grazing. A project (from 1988 to 1997) introduced winter bases with permanent housing and irrigated forages and cash crops. A 1999/2000...

Assessing Dryland Ecosystem Services in Xinjiang, Northwest China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Siew, T. F.; Brauman, K. A.; Zuo, L.; Doll, P. M.

2014-12-01

Dryland ecosystems, including grassland, forest, and irrigated cropland, cover about 41% of earth's land area and are inhabited by over two billion people. In drylands, particularly arid and semiarid areas, the production of ecosystem services is primarily constrained by freshwater availability. Often, water allocated to production by one ecosystem or of one ecosystem service negatively impacts other ecosystems or ecosystem services (ESS). The challenge is to determine how much water should be allocated to which ecosystems (natural and manmade) such that multiple ESS are maximized, thus improving overall well-being. This strategic management decision must be supported by knowledge about spatial and temporal availability of water and its relationship to production (location and scale) of ESS that people receive. We assess the spatial and temporal relationships between water availability and ESS production in Xinjiang, Northwest China. We address four questions: (1) What services are produced by which ecosystems with water available? (2) Where are these services produced? (3) Who uses the services produced? (4) How the production of services changes with variability of water available? Using existing global, national, and regional spatial and statistical data, we assess food, fiber, livestock, and wood production as well as unique forest landscapes (as a proxy for aesthetic appreciation and habitats for unique animals and plants) and protection from dust storms. Irrigation is necessary for crop production in Xinjiang. The production of about 4.2 million tons of wheat and 500,000 tons of cotton requires more than 2 km3 of water each year. This is an important source of food and income for local residents, but the diverted water has negative and potentially costly impacts on downstream forests that potentially provide aesthetic services and protection from dust. Our analyses also show that cropland had increased by about 1.6 million ha from 1987 to 2010, while

Autonomous and Autonomic Swarms

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hinchey, Michael G.; Rash, James L.; Truszkowski, Walter F.; Rouff, Christopher A.; Sterritt, Roy

2005-01-01

A watershed in systems engineering is represented by the advent of swarm-based systems that accomplish missions through cooperative action by a (large) group of autonomous individuals each having simple capabilities and no global knowledge of the group s objective. Such systems, with individuals capable of surviving in hostile environments, pose unprecedented challenges to system developers. Design and testing and verification at much higher levels will be required, together with the corresponding tools, to bring such systems to fruition. Concepts for possible future NASA space exploration missions include autonomous, autonomic swarms. Engineering swarm-based missions begins with understanding autonomy and autonomicity and how to design, test, and verify systems that have those properties and, simultaneously, the capability to accomplish prescribed mission goals. Formal methods-based technologies, both projected and in development, are described in terms of their potential utility to swarm-based system developers.

Nocardioides litorisoli sp. nov., isolated from lakeside soil.

PubMed

Wang, Yu; Xu, Ding; Luo, Anna; Wang, Gejiao; Zheng, Shixue

2017-10-01

A Gram-stain-positive, rod-shaped, non-spore-forming bacterium, designated as x-2 T , was isolated from lakeside soil of Sayram in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, PR China. On the basis of 16S rRNA gene sequences, strain x-2 T belongs to the genus Nocardioides in the family Nocardioidaceae, being most closely related to Nocardioides panacisoli Gsoil 346 T (97.36 % 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity). Strain x-2 T was characterized chemotaxonomically and found to have ll-diaminopimelic acid in the cell-wall peptidoglycan, phosphatidylglycerol, diphosphatidylglycerol, glycolipids and another three unknown phospholipids as the major polar lipids, MK-8(H4) as the predominant menaquinone and C18 : 1ω9c, iso-C16 : 0, C17 : 1ω8c and C16 : 0 as the major fatty acids. The genomic DNA G+C content of the novel strain was 71.1 mol%. The level of DNA-DNA relatedness between strain x-2 T and N. panacisoli KCTC 19470 T (=Gsoil 346 T ) was 29.8 %. These chemotaxonomic characters support the position of strain x-2 T within the genus Nocardioides. The results of physiological and biochemical tests, as well as phylogenetic analysis, suggest that strain x-2 T represents a novel species of the genus Nocardioides, for which the name Nocardioides litorisoli sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is x-2 T (=KCTC 39845 T =CCTCCAB 2016255 T ).

[Comparison of human papilloma virus infection status between men who have sex with men recruited from gay bathhouses and HIV voluntary counseling and testing clinics respectively in Urumqi].

PubMed

Tian, T; Cai, A J; Huang, B X; Abidan, Ainiwaer; Wang, H; Dai, J H

2017-01-10

Objective: To understand the human papilloma virus (HPV) infection status in men who have sex with men (MSM) recruited from gay bathhouses and HIV voluntary counseling and testing (VCT) clinics in Urumqi, Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, and identify the associated risk factors. Methods: A total of 200 MSM aged ≥18 years were recruited by using the " snowballing" sampling method from gay bathhouses and VCT clinics in Urumqi during March-May, 2016. The MSM recruited completed questionnaires after filling in the informed consent form. The information about their demographic characteristics and sexual behaviors were collected, and anal swabs were collected from them for HPV genotyping. Results: The overall HPV infection rate was 54.0 % . The HPV infection rate was 66.7 % (74/111) in MSM from gay bathhouses and 38.2 % (34/89) in MSM from VCT clinics and the high risk type HPV infection rate was 39.6 % (44/111) in MSM from gay bathhouses and 14.6 % (13/89) in MSM from VCT clinics, the differences were significant ( χ (2)=16.112, P <0.05; χ (2)=15.190, P <0.05). Multiple logistic regression analysis indicated that the major risk factors for HPV infection included activity in gay bathhouse ( OR =3.732, 95 % CI : 1.950-7.141) and anal sexual behavior ( OR =2.555, 95 %CI : 1.329-4.912). Conclusion: The prevalence of HPV in MSM from gay bathhouses was higher than that in MSM from VCT clinics, indicating that close attention should be paid to the behavior intervention in MSM.

Impact of comprehensive psychological training on mental health of recruits in Xinjiang.

PubMed

Lv, Shi-ying; Zhang, Lan

2015-04-01

To examine the effect of comprehensive psychological training on the mental health of recruits and to provide basis for promoting mental health among recruits in Xinjiang. From September to December, 2013, a convenience sampling was used to select 613 recruits from Xinjiang. These recruits were assigned to the training group (n=306) and the control group (n=307). The Simplified Coping Style Questionnaire,the Questionnaire of Armymen's Emotion Regulation Types and the Chinese Military Personnel Social Support Scale were used to evaluate the levels of mental health at the baseline and at the end of comprehensive psychological training. After comprehensive psychological training, the negative coping style score of the training group were significantly lower than the control group (P=0.000), and there were difference in cognitive focus (P=0.000) and behavior restrain (P=0.005); also, there was significant difference in social support scale (P<0.05). The coping style showed positive correlation with emotion regulation and all factors (P<0.05). Social support and all factors was positively correlated with positive coping style (P<0.05) and negatively correlated with negative coping style (P<0.05). Social support and all factors showed positive correlation with affective appeal and self comfort (P<0.05) and negative correlation with congnitive focus and behavior restrain (P<0.05). As shown by stepwise regression analysis,the positive and negative coping styles had statistically significant impacts on cognitive focus, affective appeal, behavior restrain, and self comfort (all P<0.05). Comprehensive psychological training is useful in improving the mental health of recruits.

[Analysis of master degree thesis of otolaryngology head and neck surgery in Xinjiang].

PubMed

Ayiheng, Qukuerhan; Niliapaer, Alimu; Yalikun, Yasheng

2010-12-01

To understand the basic situation and development of knowledge structure and ability of master degree of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery in Xinjiang region in order to provide reference to further improve the quality of postgraduate students. Fourty-six papers of Otolaryngology master degree thesis were reviewed at randomly in terms of types, subject selection ranges as well as statistical methods during 1998-2009 in Xinjiang region in order to analyze and explore its advantages and characteristics and suggest a solution for its disadvantages. In 46 degree thesis, nine of them are scientific dissertations accounting for 19.57%, 37 are clinical professional degree thesis, accounting for 80.43%. Five are Experimental research papers, 30 are clinical research papers, 10 are clinical and experimental research papers, 1 of them is experimental epidemiology research paper; in this study, the kinds of diseases including every subject of ENT, various statistical methods are involved; references are 37.46 in average, 19.55 of them are foreign literatures references in nearly 5 years are 13.57; four ethnic groups are exist in postgraduate students with high teaching professional level of tutors. The clinical research should be focused in order to further research on ENT common diseases, the application of advanced research methods, the full application of the latest literature, tutors with high-level, training of students of various nationalities, basic research needs to be innovative and should be focus the subject characteristics, to avoid excessive duplication of research.

Design and implementation of the monitoring system for underground coal fires in Xinjiang region, China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li-bo, Dang; Jia-chun, Wu; Yue-xing, Liu; Yuan, Chang; Bin, Peng

2017-04-01

Underground coal fire (UCF) is serious in Xinjiang region of China. In order to deal with this problem efficiently, a UCF monitoring System, which is based on the use of wireless communication technology and remote sensing images, was designed and implemented by Xinjiang Coal Fire Fighting Bureau. This system consists of three parts, i.e., the data collecting unit, the data processing unit and the data output unit. For the data collecting unit, temperature sensors and gas sensors were put together on the sites with depth of 1.5 meter from the surface of coal fire zone. Information on these sites' temperature and gas was transferred immediately to the data processing unit. The processing unit was developed by coding based on GIS software. Generally, the processed datum were saved in the computer by table format, which can be displayed on the screen as the curve. Remote sensing image for each coal fire was saved in this system as the background for each monitoring site. From the monitoring data, the changes of the coal fires were displayed directly. And it provides a solid basis for analyzing the status of coal combustion of coal fire, the gas emission and possible dominant direction of coal fire propagation, which is helpful for making-decision of coal fire extinction.

Reproduction and Development of the Released Przewalski’s Horses (Equus przewalskii) in Xinjiang, China

PubMed Central

CHEN, Jinliang; WENG, Qiang; CHAO, Jie; HU, Defu; TAYA, Kazuyoshi

2008-01-01

In China, the first Przewalski’s horse (Equus przewalskii) group was released in Kalamaili Ungulate Protected Area in Xinjiang, in August 2001. The objective of this study was to investigate reproduction and development of released Przewalski’s horses in Xinjiang, China from 2002 to 2006. Twenty-four descendants were naturally born, average reproduction rate was 38.7%, and average survival rate of foals was 69.1% in this interim. Frequent alternation of the leading stallion and infertility in female horses due to environmental factors were main causes for the low reproduction rate. The infant mortality rate of released Przewalski’s horses was 25.0%, and 83.3% of death in infants was due to the leading stallion infanticide. The released Przewalski’s horses exhibited seasonal breeding, 70.8% of infants were born in May and June. The fertility rates were 8.3% in April and 37.5% in May, which were lower compared to those of the captive Przewalski’s horse groups (18.3% and 44.3%, respectively). Furthermore, the fertility rate in June was 33.3% and higher than the captive groups (18.3%). These findings showed that the breeding peak of the released Przewalski’s horse groups was later than the captive groups, and suggested that the altered survival environment and food supplies were the main reasons contributing to the delayed breeding peak. PMID:24833949

Agronomic threshold of soil available phosphorus in grey desert soils in Xinjiang, China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, B.; Liu, H.; Hao, X. Y.; Wang, X. H.; Sun, J. S.; Li, J. M.; Ma, Y. B.

2016-08-01

Based on 23 years of data, yields of maize, wheat and cotton were modelled under different fertilizer management practices and at different levels of available phosphorus (Olsen-P) in soil. Three types of threshold models were used, namely linear-linear (LL), linear- plateau (LP), and Mitscherlich type exponential (Exp). The agronomic thresholds of available phosphorus were 25.4 mgkg-1 for cotton, 14.8 mgkg-1 for wheat, 13.1 mgkg-1 for maize and 25.4 mgkg-1 for the grey desert soil regions of Xinjiang in China as a whole.

Relationship of Productivity to Species Richness in the Xinjiang Temperate Grassland

PubMed Central

2016-01-01

The relationship between species richness (SR) and aboveground net primary productivity (ANPP) is still a central and debated issue in community ecology. Previous studies have often emphasized the relationship of alpha diversity (number of species identity) to the mean ANPP with respect to the SR-ANPP relationship while neglecting the contribution of beta diversity (dissimilarity in species composition) to the mean ANPP and to the stability of ANPP (coefficient of ANPP: CV of ANPP). In this study, we used alpha and beta diversity, mean ANPP and the CV of ANPP collected from 159 sites and belonging to three vegetation types in the Xinjiang temperate grassland to first examine their trends along climatic factors and among different vegetation types and then test the relationship among alpha (beta) diversity and mean ANPP and the CV of ANPP. Our results showed that in the Xinjiang temperate grasslands, alpha diversity was positively and linearly correlated with MAP but unimodally correlated with MAT. Meanwhile, beta diversity was unimodally correlated with MAP but linearly correlated with MAT. Relative to desert steppe, meadow steppe and typical steppe had the highest alpha and beta diversity, respectively. Except for ANPP exhibiting a quadratic relationship with MAP, no significant relationship was found among ANPP, the CV of ANPP and climatic factors. ANPP and the CV of ANPP also exhibited no apparent patterns in variation among different vegetation types. Our results further showed that mean ANPP was closely associated with alpha diversity. Both linear and unimodal relationships were detected between alpha diversity and mean ANPP, but their particular form was texture-dependent. Meanwhile, the CV of ANPP was positively correlated with beta diversity. Our results indicated that in addition to incorporating alpha diversity and mean ANPP, incorporating beta diversity and the CV of ANPP could expand our understanding of the SR-ANPP relationship. PMID:27100676

Use of Satellite Imagery to Monitor the Oasis Agriculture in the Turpan Depression, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, People’s Republic of China--A Case Study.

DTIC Science & Technology

1981-05-01

drops at its lowest point to 154 meters below sea level and presents a varied natural panorama of desert, oasis, gorges and sand dunes. The chief...Febr’iarv each :ear AraiKawa. Ab’ . -. 25 Thermal conditions in the depression are similar to those in North China, but the amount of precipitation is

[Gender analysis on prenatal care in rural areas of Xinjiang and Anhui province].

PubMed

Yang, Li; Lv, Meng-Tao; Cui, Ying; Deng, Li-na; Tian, Xiao-bo

2009-10-01

To introduce the gender-specific view to the prenatal care and analysing the health behavior and its influencing factors. Random sampling in cluster was used to select those study population and face to face interview was carried out at their residence in Xinjiang and Anhui province. The overall socioeconomic status of women in rural areas of Xinjiang and Anhui province was low and 93.2% of the women had education level on junior middle school or below. Politically women were less interested in these issues with only 63.1% of them ever participated in the election program or voting. In household daily life, women's status was almost equal to or even higher than men, but men always called the shots when something important in family happened. Men still held the power of decision making. In 47.3% of the families, the husband played a decisive role on decision making. In 37.7% of the families, husbands controlled the money. When getting into expensive expenditure, 35.2% of the families having men made the final approval. When there were different opinions between the couples, husband usually made the final decision in 44.2% of all the families compared to 6.3% of the families that wives made the final decision. 73.9% of women under survey had undergone prenatal examination and the rate on household deliveries reached 30.3%. Both gender consciousness and educational level had influenced the effect on prenatal care. It is important to better prenatal health service in rural areas and to improve socioeconomic status on gender consciousness of women.

[Investigation of sleep patterns and sleep disorders in Uigur and Hui children in Xinjiang].

PubMed

Abuzhare, Tajiguli; Xu, Pei-Ru; Tiemuer, Amanguli; Zhang, Ji-Hong

2011-07-01

To study the sleep quality and quantity and their influencing factors in Uigur and Hui children in Xinjiang Province. From March to December of 2007, 912 Uigur and 1019 Hui school children (6 to 14 years) were randomly sampled from 6 cities of Xinjing Province. The questionnaire on children's sleep states and sleep environments was filled in by children's parents. The mean sleep time of Uigur and Hui children was 10.1±1.4 hrs. The sleep time in Uigur children was significantly less than that in Hui children (9.7±1.2 hrs vs 10.4±1.5 hrs; P<0.05). The mean incidence of sleep disorders was 23.56%. The Uigur children had a lower incidence of sleep disorders compared with the Hui children (18.42% vs 28.16%; P<0.001). Ethnic group, sleep latency, use of a swing bed, family history of snore, watching TV before sleeping, hypertrophy of tonsils, eating before sleeping, feeding patterns and recurrent upper respiratory tract infection were the factors associated with the sleep quality and quantity. The influencing factors of sleep quality and quantity are multifactorial in Uigur and Hui children in Xinjiang Province. Pediatrician, child health care doctors and parents should pay more attention to children's sleep. The incidence of sleep disorders is different between Uigur and Hui children, suggesting that more research for the prevention and treatment of sleep disorders should be performed in different ethic groups.

The Autonomic Symptom Profile: a new instrument to assess autonomic symptoms

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Suarez, G. A.; Opfer-Gehrking, T. L.; Offord, K. P.; Atkinson, E. J.; O'Brien, P. C.; Low, P. A.

1999-01-01

OBJECTIVE: To develop a new specific instrument called the Autonomic Symptom Profile to measure autonomic symptoms and test its validity. BACKGROUND: Measuring symptoms is important in the evaluation of quality of life outcomes. There is no validated, self-completed questionnaire on the symptoms of patients with autonomic disorders. METHODS: The questionnaire is 169 items concerning different aspects of autonomic symptoms. The Composite Autonomic Symptom Scale (COMPASS) with item-weighting was established; higher scores indicate more or worse symptoms. Autonomic function tests were performed to generate the Composite Autonomic Scoring Scale (CASS) and to quantify autonomic deficits. We compared the results of the COMPASS with the CASS derived from the Autonomic Reflex Screen to evaluate validity. RESULTS: The instrument was tested in 41 healthy controls (mean age 46.6 years), 33 patients with nonautonomic peripheral neuropathies (mean age 59.5 years), and 39 patients with autonomic failure (mean age 61.1 years). COMPASS scores correlated well with the CASS, demonstrating an acceptable level of content and criterion validity. The mean (+/-SD) overall COMPASS score was 9.8 (+/-9) in controls, 25.9 (+/-17.9) in the patients with nonautonomic peripheral neuropathies, and 52.3 (+/-24.2) in the autonomic failure group. Scores of symptoms of orthostatic intolerance and secretomotor dysfunction best predicted the CASS on multiple stepwise regression analysis. CONCLUSIONS: We describe a questionnaire that measures autonomic symptoms and present evidence for its validity. The instrument shows promise in assessing autonomic symptoms in clinical trials and epidemiologic studies.

Optimal cutoff of the triglyceride to high-density lipoprotein cholesterol  ratio to detect cardiovascular risk factors among Han adults in Xinjiang.

PubMed

Li, Hua-Yin; Chen, Bang-Dang; Ma, Yi-Tong; Yang, Yi-Ning; Ma, Xiang; Liu, Fen; Fu, Zhen-Yan; Xie, Xiang; Li, Xiao-Mei; Pan, Shuo; He, Chun-Hui; Zheng, Ying-Ying; Wu, Yun; Tao, Jing; Dong, Chun-Lan; Wu, Ting-Ting

2016-09-01

To determine whether TG/HDL-C ratio, which has been shown to be an indicator of the metabolic syndrome (MetS) and insulin resistance (IR), can predict cardiovascular risk factors in the Chinese Han population in Xinjiang. The cardiovascular risk survey (CRS) was conducted from October 2007 to March 2010. A total of 14,618 representative participants were selected using a four-stage stratified sampling method. A total of 5757 Han participants were included in the study. The present statistical analysis was restricted to the 5595 Han subjects who had complete anthropometric data. The sensitivity, specificity, and distance on the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve in each TG/HDL level were calculated. The shortest distance in the ROC curves was used to determine the optimal cutoff of the TG/HDL-C ratio for detecting cardiovascular risk factors. The prevalence of hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, and hypertriglyceridemia was higher with higher TG/HDL-C ratio for both men and women. The TG/HDL-C ratio was positively associated with systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, and serum concentrations of total cholesterol. The optimal TG/HDL-C ratio cutoffs for predicting hypertension, dyslipidemia, diabetes, and ≥2 of these risk factors for Han adults in Xinjiang were 1.3, 1.3, 1.4, and 1.4 in men and 0.9, 1.0, 1.0, and 1.1 in women, respectively. The evaluation of TG/HDL-C ratio should be considered for one of cardiovascular risk factor predictors among Han adults in Xinjiang.

Autonomic neuropathies

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Low, P. A.

1998-01-01

A limited autonomic neuropathy may underlie some unusual clinical syndromes, including the postural tachycardia syndrome, pseudo-obstruction syndrome, heat intolerance, and perhaps chronic fatigue syndrome. Antibodies to autonomic structures are common in diabetes, but their specificity is unknown. The presence of autonomic failure worsens prognosis in the diabetic state. Some autonomic neuropathies are treatable. Familial amyloid polyneuropathy may respond to liver transplantation. There are anecdotal reports of acute panautonomic neuropathy responding to intravenous gamma globulin. Orthostatic hypotension may respond to erythropoietin or midodrine.

Adenovirus36 infection expresses cellular APMI and Visfatin genes in overweight Uygur individuals

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Objective This study is to determine if Adenovirus type 36 (Ad36) infection is related to macrophage infiltration in the obese group and non-obese group and the related molecular mechanisms. Methods Ninety obesity patients and 95 non-obesity Uygur individuals were enrolled in this study. CD68 levels in abdominal subcutaneous and omental adipose tissues were detected by immunohistochemistry. The cytokine expression levels of adiponectin (APMI) and visfatin in serum were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Infection of 3T3-L1 cells with Ad36 was performed. Real-time PCR was performed to determine expression levels of APMI and Visfatin genes in the 3T3-L1 preadipocytes infected with Ad36. Results In the obese individuals infected with Ad36, the expression levels of adiponectin and visfatin in serum was elevated. For the individuals infected with Ad36, the macrophage infiltration (as indicated by CD68 level) in the obese group was also significantly higher than that in the non-obese group (P < 0.05) in both abdominal subcutaneous and omental adipose tissues. The real-time PCR results indicated that APMI mRNA levels and Visfatin mRNA levels in Ad36 infected cells were significantly increased. Conclusions Ad36 infection may be a factor related with macrophage infiltration in adipose tissues of the obese patients. The APMI and Visfatin genes may be involved in the mechanism underlying the effect of Ad36 infection on the obese patients. Virtual Slides The virtual slide(s) for this article can be found here: http://www.diagnosticpathology.diagnomx.eu/vs/1849614638119816 PMID:24739504

The autonomic laboratory

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Low, P. A.; Opfer-Gehrking, T. L.

1999-01-01

The autonomic nervous system can now be studied quantitatively, noninvasively, and reproducibly in a clinical autonomic laboratory. The approach at the Mayo Clinic is to study the postganglionic sympathetic nerve fibers of peripheral nerve (using the quantitative sudomotor axon reflex test [QSART]), the parasympathetic nerves to the heart (cardiovagal tests), and the regulation of blood pressure by the baroreflexes (adrenergic tests). Patient preparation is extremely important, since the state of the patient influences the results of autonomic function tests. The autonomic technologist in this evolving field needs to have a solid core of knowledge of autonomic physiology and autonomic function tests, followed by training in the performance of these tests in a standardized fashion. The range and utilization of tests of autonomic function will likely continue to evolve.

Transgenic potato plants expressing cry3A gene confer resistance to Colorado potato beetle.

PubMed

Mi, Xiaoxiao; Ji, Xiangzhuo; Yang, Jiangwei; Liang, Lina; Si, Huaijun; Wu, Jiahe; Zhang, Ning; Wang, Di

2015-07-01

The Colorado potato beetle (Leptinotarsa decemlineata Say, CPB) is a fatal pest, which is a quarantine pest in China. The CPB has now invaded the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region and is constantly spreading eastward in China. In this study, we developed transgenic potato plants expressing cry3A gene. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) analysis indicated that the cry3A gene expressed in leaves, stems and roots of the transgenic plants under the control of CaMV 35S promoter, while they expressed only in leaves and stems under the control of potato leaf and stem-specific promoter ST-LS1. The mortality of the larvae was higher (28% and 36%) on the transgenic plant line 35S1 on the 3rd and 4th days, and on ST3 (48%) on the 5th day after inoculation with instar larvae. Insect biomass accumulation on the foliage of the transgenic plant lines 35S1, 35S2 and ST3 was significantly lower (0.42%, 0.43% and 0.42%). Foliage consumption was lowest on transgenic lines 35S8 and ST2 among all plant foliage (7.47 mg/larvae/day and 12.46 mg/larvae/day). The different transgenic plant foliages had varied inhibition to larval growth. The survivors on the transgenic lines obviously were smaller than their original size and extremely weak. The transgenic potato plants with CPB resistance could be used to develop germplasms or varieties for controlling CPB damage and halting its spread in China. Copyright © 2015 Académie des sciences. Published by Elsevier SAS. All rights reserved.

Unintended consequence of managing the coupled humans and water: the irrigation efficiency paradox

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Y.

2015-12-01

Water shortage most severely restricts the socio-economic development of many arid and semi-arid regions in the world, for which water-saving technology is believed to be an effective solution. However, as a realworld case, the total water consumption of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region of China continued to increase as irrigation efficiency dramatically improved through the application of water-saving technology in the study period 1998-2010. This phenomenon, known as the irrigation efficiency paradox or Jevons paradox, is interpreted as an economic rebound effect. In this study, we explore the dynamic feedbacks between humans and water in this paradox through a socio-hydrological perspective. We analyze the co-evolutionary trajectory of coupled human-water dynamics from 1950 to 2010 to provide it a general context. A conceptual socio-hydrological model based on five key elements, namely, irrigation land, water-saving technology, water consumption, societal sensitivity to water scarcity, and the policy mix, is constructed. The policy mix to be adopted is determined by a social decision-making process mainly based on the societal sensitivity, which reflects the societal preference on two sorts of policies: (i) irrigation land control and (ii) water-saving technology promotion. Modeling results verify the hypothesized mechanism by successfully reproducing the observed dynamics including the emergence of the efficiency paradox. Our analysis indicates that the implementation of more adaptive rules may even eliminate the paradox. The effects of different initial policy mixes are also explored, and the results show that land control policies should be given equal priority when dealing with water scarcity. These findings point to a double-helix-type co-evolution of humans and water.

Autonomic headache with autonomic seizures: a case report.

PubMed

Ozge, Aynur; Kaleagasi, Hakan; Yalçin Tasmertek, Fazilet

2006-10-01

The aim of the report is to present a case of an autonomic headache associated with autonomic seizures. A 19-year-old male who had had complex partial seizures for 15 years was admitted with autonomic complaints and left hemicranial headache, independent from seizures, that he had had for 2 years and were provoked by watching television. Brain magnetic resonance imaging showed right hippocampal sclerosis and electroencephalography revealed epileptic activity in right hemispheric areas. Treatment with valproic acid decreased the complaints. The headache did not fulfil the criteria for the diagnosis of trigeminal autonomic cephalalgias, and was different from epileptic headache, which was defined as a pressing type pain felt over the forehead for several minutes to a few hours. Although epileptic headache responds to anti-epileptics and the complaints of the present case decreased with antiepileptics, it has been suggested that the headache could be a non-trigeminal autonomic headache instead of an epileptic headache.

A Novel Recombinant Enterovirus Type EV-A89 with Low Epidemic Strength in Xinjiang, China

PubMed Central

Fan, Qin; Zhang, Yong; Hu, Lan; Sun, Qiang; Cui, Hui; Yan, Dongmei; Sikandaner, Huerxidan; Tang, Haishu; Wang, Dongyan; Zhu, Zhen; Zhu, Shuangli; Xu, Wenbo

2015-01-01

Enterovirus A89 (EV-A89) is a novel member of the EV-A species. To date, only one full-length genome sequence (the prototype strain) has been published. Here, we report the molecular identification and genomic characterization of a Chinese EV-A89 strain, KSYPH-TRMH22F/XJ/CHN/2011, isolated in 2011 from a contact of an acute flaccid paralysis (AFP) patient during AFP case surveillance in Xinjiang China. This was the first report of EV-A89 in China. The VP1 coding sequence of this strain demonstrated 93.2% nucleotide and 99.3% amino acid identity with the EV-A89 prototype strain. In the P2 and P3 regions, the Chinese EV-A89 strain demonstrated markedly higher identity than the prototype strains of EV-A76, EV-A90, and EV-A91, indicating that one or more recombination events between EV-A89 and these EV-A types might have occurred. Long-term evolution of these EV types originated from the same ancestor provides the spatial and temporal circumstances for recombination to occur. An antibody sero-prevalence survey against EV-A89 in two Xinjiang prefectures demonstrated low positive rates and low titres of EV-A89 neutralization antibody, suggesting limited range of transmission and exposure to the population. This study provides a solid foundation for further studies on the biological and pathogenic properties of EV-A89. PMID:26685900

A Novel Recombinant Enterovirus Type EV-A89 with Low Epidemic Strength in Xinjiang, China.

PubMed

Fan, Qin; Zhang, Yong; Hu, Lan; Sun, Qiang; Cui, Hui; Yan, Dongmei; Sikandaner, Huerxidan; Tang, Haishu; Wang, Dongyan; Zhu, Zhen; Zhu, Shuangli; Xu, Wenbo

2015-12-21

Enterovirus A89 (EV-A89) is a novel member of the EV-A species. To date, only one full-length genome sequence (the prototype strain) has been published. Here, we report the molecular identification and genomic characterization of a Chinese EV-A89 strain, KSYPH-TRMH22F/XJ/CHN/2011, isolated in 2011 from a contact of an acute flaccid paralysis (AFP) patient during AFP case surveillance in Xinjiang China. This was the first report of EV-A89 in China. The VP1 coding sequence of this strain demonstrated 93.2% nucleotide and 99.3% amino acid identity with the EV-A89 prototype strain. In the P2 and P3 regions, the Chinese EV-A89 strain demonstrated markedly higher identity than the prototype strains of EV-A76, EV-A90, and EV-A91, indicating that one or more recombination events between EV-A89 and these EV-A types might have occurred. Long-term evolution of these EV types originated from the same ancestor provides the spatial and temporal circumstances for recombination to occur. An antibody sero-prevalence survey against EV-A89 in two Xinjiang prefectures demonstrated low positive rates and low titres of EV-A89 neutralization antibody, suggesting limited range of transmission and exposure to the population. This study provides a solid foundation for further studies on the biological and pathogenic properties of EV-A89.

The significance of mid-latitude rivers for weathering rates and chemical fluxes: Evidence from northern Xinjiang rivers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhu, Bingqi; Yu, Jingjie; Qin, Xiaoguang; Rioual, Patrick; Liu, Ziting; Zhang, YiChi; Jiang, Fengqing; Mu, Yan; Li, Hongwei; Ren, Xiaozong; Xiong, Heigang

2013-04-01

SummaryRivers draining the sedimentary platform of northern Xinjiang (the center of Asian continent) are characterized by low discharge under a temperate and arid climate. The influence of rock mineralogy, climate, relief and human activity on natural water composition and export as a result of weathering is a major scientific concern both at the local and the global scale. While comprehensive work on the controlling mechanism of chemical weathering has been less carried out in the sedimentary platform of northern Xinjiang. Thus, the effects of climate and rock weathering on the inorganic hydrogeochemical processes are not well quantified at this climatic extreme. To remedy this lack a comprehensive survey has been carried out of the geochemistry of the large, pristine rivers in northern Xinjiang, the Erlqis, Yili, Wulungu, Jingou and numerous lesser streams which has not experienced the pervasive effects of glaciation and subsequent anthropogenic impacts. The scale of the terrain sampled, in terms of area, is comparable to that of the Huanghe and includes a diverse range of geologic and climatic environments. In this paper the chemical fluxes from the stable sedimentary basin of the northern Xinjiang platform will be presented and compared to published results from analogous terrains in the monsoon basins of China and world. Overall, the fluvial geochemistry of northern Xinjiang in westerly climate is similar to that of the Chinese rivers (Huanghe and Yangtze) in the East-Asian monsoon Climate, both in property-property relationships and concentration magnitudes. The range in the chemical signatures of the various tributaries is large; this reflects that lithology exerts the dominant influence in determining the weathering yield from the sedimentary terrains rather than the weathering environment. The effect of different rock weathering ranges from rivers dominated by aluminosilicate weathering, mainly of granites, sandstones and shales, to those bearing the

[Analysis of essential oil extracted from Lactuca sativa seeds growing in Xinjiang by GC-MS].

PubMed

Xu, Fang; Wang, Qiang; Haji, Akber Aisa

2011-12-01

To analyze the components of essential oil from Lactuca sativa seeds growing in Xinjiang. The components of essential oil from Lactuca sativa seeds were analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). 62 components were identified from 71 separated peaks,amounting to total mass fraction 95.07%. The dominant compounds were n-Hexanol (36.31%), n-Hexanal (13.71%), trans-2-Octen-l-ol (8.09%) and 2-n-Pentylfuran (4.41%). The research provides a theoretical basis for the exploitation and use of Lactuca sativa seeds resource.

Underground Coal-Fires in Xinjiang, China: A Continued Effort in Applying Geophysics to Solve a Local Problem and to Mitigate a Global Hazard

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wuttke, M. W.; Halisch, M.; Tanner, D. C.; Cai, Z. Y.; Zeng, Q.; Wang, C.

2012-04-01

Spontaneous uncontrolled coal seam fires are a well known phenomenon that causes severe environmental problems and severe impact on natural coal reserves. Coal fires are a worldwide phenomenon, but in particular in Xinjiang, that covers 17.3 % of Chinas area and hosts approx 42 % of its coal resources. In Xinjiang since more than 50 years a rigorous strategy for fire fighting on local and regional scale is persued. The Xinjiang Coalfield Fire Fighting Bureau (FFB) has developed technologies and methods to deal with any known fire. Many fires have been extinguished already, but the problem is still there if not even growing. This problem is not only a problem for China due to the loss of valuable energy resources, but it is also a worldwide threat because of the generation of substantial amounts of greenhouse gases. Through the FFB, China is struggling to overcome this, but the activities could be much enhanced by the continuation of the already successful conjoint operations. The last ten years have seen two successful cooperative projects between China and Germany on the field of coal-fire fighting, namely the German Technical Cooperation Project on Coal Fire in Xinjiang and the Sino-German Coal Fire Research Initiative funded by the corresponding ministeries of both countries. A persistent task in the fire fighting is the identification and supervision of areas with higher risks for the ignition of coal fires, the exploration of already ignited fire zones to extinguish the fires and the monitoring of extinguished fires to detect as early as possible process that may foster re-ignition. This can be achieved by modeling both the structures and the processes that are involved. This has also been a promising part of the past cooperation projects, yet to be transformed into a standard application of fire fighting procedures. In this contribution we describe the plans for a new conjoint project between China and Germany where on the basis of field investigations and

Prospective Cohort Study to Elucidate the Correlation between Occupational Stress and Hypertension Risk in Oil Workers from Kelamayi City in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region of China.

PubMed

Li, Rong; Gao, Xiaoyan; Liu, Bo; Ge, Hua; Ning, Li; Zhao, Junling; Liu, Jiwen

2016-12-22

The purpose of this study was to assess the major risk factors for hypertension in oil workers, and investigate the effect of occupational stress on the incidence of hypertension after controlling for other risk factors. A prospective cohort approach was used following enrollment of 1354 oil workers. The occupational stress experienced by oil workers was higher than for the general population in China. By the end of the cohort study, 231 new cases of hypertension among the oil workers had been diagnosed. The cumulative incidence of hypertension was 17.06%. There were 44, 112, and 75 workers who developed hypertension in the low, intermediate, and high occupational stress groups, which represented a 12.0%, 15.6%, and 20.3% cumulative incidence, respectively (chi-square value = 9.812, p < 0.01). Multivariate Cox proportional hazard model analysis showed that type of work, cigarette smoking, excess body weight, and obesity were risk factors for hypertension ( p < 0.05). After risk factors such as type of work, cigarette smoking, alcohol consumption, and body mass index (BMI) were controlled, the hypertension risk (hazard ratio, HR) in the high occupational stress group was 1.549 (1.072-2.236) compared to the low exposure group, and 2.337 (1.191-4.585) in female subjects. Our study indicated that an increase in occupational stress was associated with an increased risk of hypertension after other factors were adjusted.

Prospective Cohort Study to Elucidate the Correlation between Occupational Stress and Hypertension Risk in Oil Workers from Kelamayi City in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region of China

PubMed Central

Li, Rong; Gao, Xiaoyan; Liu, Bo; Ge, Hua; Ning, Li; Zhao, Junling; Liu, Jiwen

2016-01-01

The purpose of this study was to assess the major risk factors for hypertension in oil workers, and investigate the effect of occupational stress on the incidence of hypertension after controlling for other risk factors. A prospective cohort approach was used following enrollment of 1354 oil workers. The occupational stress experienced by oil workers was higher than for the general population in China. By the end of the cohort study, 231 new cases of hypertension among the oil workers had been diagnosed. The cumulative incidence of hypertension was 17.06%. There were 44, 112, and 75 workers who developed hypertension in the low, intermediate, and high occupational stress groups, which represented a 12.0%, 15.6%, and 20.3% cumulative incidence, respectively (chi-square value = 9.812, p < 0.01). Multivariate Cox proportional hazard model analysis showed that type of work, cigarette smoking, excess body weight, and obesity were risk factors for hypertension (p < 0.05). After risk factors such as type of work, cigarette smoking, alcohol consumption, and body mass index (BMI) were controlled, the hypertension risk (hazard ratio, HR) in the high occupational stress group was 1.549 (1.072–2.236) compared to the low exposure group, and 2.337 (1.191–4.585) in female subjects. Our study indicated that an increase in occupational stress was associated with an increased risk of hypertension after other factors were adjusted. PMID:28025517

Changes in agricultural carbon emissions and factors that influence agricultural carbon emissions based on different stages in Xinjiang, China.

PubMed

Xiong, Chuanhe; Yang, Degang; Xia, Fuqiang; Huo, Jinwei

2016-11-10

Xinjiang's agricultural carbon emissions showed three stages of change, i.e., continued to rise, declined and continued to rise, during 1991-2014. The agriculture belonged to the "low emissions and high efficiency" agriculture category, with a lower agricultural carbon emission intensity. By using the logarithmic mean divisia index decomposition method, agricultural carbon emissions were decomposed into an efficiency factor, a structure factor, an economy factor, and a labour factor. We divided the study period into five stages based on the changes in efficiency factor and economy factor. Xinjiang showed different agricultural carbon emission characteristics at different stages. The degree of impact on agricultural carbon emissions at these stages depended on the combined effect of planting-animal husbandry carbon intensity and agricultural labour productivity. The economy factor was the critical factor to promote the increase in agricultural carbon emissions, while the main inhibiting factor for agricultural carbon emissions was the efficiency factor. The labour factor became more and more obvious in increasing agricultural carbon emissions. Finally, we discuss policy recommendations in terms of the main factors, including the development of agricultural science and technology (S&T), the establishment of three major mechanisms and transfer of rural labour in ethnic areas.

Autonomous multifunctional nanobrushes-autonomous materials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ghasemi-Nejhad, Mehrdad N.; Tius, Marcus A.

2007-04-01

In this work, taking advantage of carbon nanotubes' small size, and exceptional mechanical, chemical and electrical properties, we report on a series of nano-synthesis procedures that combine conventional chemical vapor deposition and selective substrate area growth followed by chemical functionalizations to fabricate functionalized nano-brushes from aligned carbon nanotube arrays and chemically selective functional groups. The high aspect ratio and small dimension, mechanical stability and flexibility, surface chemical and adhesive characteristics of carbon nanotubes provide opportunities to create nano-brushes with selected chemical functionalities. The nano-brushes are made from aligned multi-walled carbon nanotube bristles grafted onto long SiC fiber handles in various configurations and functionalized with various chemical functional groups. These nano-brushes can easily be manipulated physically, either manually or with the aid of motors. Here, we explain the autonomous characteristics of the functionalized nano-brushes employing functional chemical groups such that the nano-brush can potentially collect various metal particles, ions, and contaminants from liquid solutions and the air environment, autonomously. These functionalized multiwalled carbon nanotube based nano-brushes can work swiftly in both liquid and air environments. With surface modification and functionalization, the nanotube nano-brushes can potentially become a versatile nano-devices in many chemical and biological applications, where they can autonomously pick up the particles they encounter since they can be chemically programmed to function as Autonomous Chemical Nano Robots (ACNR).

Genetic autonomic disorders.

PubMed

Axelrod, Felicia B

2013-03-01

Genetic disorders affecting the autonomic nervous system can result in abnormal development of the nervous system or they can be caused by neurotransmitter imbalance, an ion-channel disturbance or by storage of deleterious material. The symptoms indicating autonomic dysfunction, however, will depend upon whether the genetic lesion has disrupted peripheral or central autonomic centers or both. Because the autonomic nervous system is pervasive and affects every organ system in the body, autonomic dysfunction will result in impaired homeostasis and symptoms will vary. The possibility of genetic confirmation by molecular testing for specific diagnosis is increasing but treatments tend to remain only supportive and directed toward particular symptoms. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Patients With Fibromyalgia Have Significant Autonomic Symptoms But Modest Autonomic Dysfunction.

PubMed

Vincent, Ann; Whipple, Mary O; Low, Phillip A; Joyner, Michael; Hoskin, Tanya L

2016-05-01

Research suggests that disordered autonomic function may be one contributor to deconditioning reported in fibromyalgia; however, no study to date has assessed these variables simultaneously with comprehensive measures. To characterize physical fitness and autonomic function with the use of clinically validated measures and subjective questionnaires between patients with fibromyalgia and healthy controls. Cross-sectional, observational, controlled study. Community sample of patients with fibromyalgia and healthy controls. Thirty patients with fibromyalgia and 30 pain and fatigue-free controls. Participants completed a battery of self-report questionnaires and physiological measures, including clinically validated measures of physical fitness and autonomic function. Six-Minute Walk Test total distance, maximal oxygen consumption as assessed by cardiopulmonary exercise testing, total steps using activity monitor, Composite Autonomic Scoring Scale as assessed by Autonomic Reflex Screen, total metabolic equivalents per week using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire, and self-reported autonomic symptoms via the 31-item Composite Autonomic Symptom Score questionnaire. Autonomic function, as assessed by self-report, was significantly different between patients and controls (P < .0001); in contrast, the only difference between patients and controls on the Autonomic Reflex Screen was in the adrenergic domain (P = .022), and these abnormalities were mild. Self-reported physical activity was not significantly different between patients and controls (P = .99), but levels of moderate and vigorous physical activity as measured by actigraphy were significantly lower in patients (P = .012 and P = .047, respectively). Exercise capacity (6-Minute Walk) was poorer in patients (P = .0006), but there was no significant difference in maximal volume of oxygen consumption (P = .07). Patients with fibromyalgia report more severe symptoms across all domains, including physical

Patients with Fibromyalgia Have Significant Autonomic Symptoms but Modest Autonomic Dysfunction

PubMed Central

Vincent, Ann; Whipple, Mary O.; Low, Phillip A.; Joyner, Michael; Hoskin, Tanya L.

2015-01-01

Background Research suggests that disordered autonomic function may be one contributor to deconditioning reported in fibromyalgia, however no study to date has simultaneously assessed these variables utilizing comprehensive measures. Objective To characterize physical fitness and autonomic function using clinically validated measures and subjective questionnaires between patients with fibromyalgia and healthy controls. Design Cross-sectional, observational, controlled study Setting Community sample of patients with fibromyalgia and healthy controls Participants 30 patients with fibromyalgia and 30 pain and fatigue-free controls Methods: Participants completed a battery of self-report questionnaires and physiological measures including clinically validated measures of physical fitness and autonomic function. Main Outcome Measurements 6 Minute Walk Test total distance, VO2 max as assessed by cardiopulmonary exercise testing, total steps using activity monitor, Composite Autonomic Scoring Scale as assessed by Autonomic Reflex Screen, total metabolic equivalents per week using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire and self-reported autonomic symptoms using the 31-item Composite Autonomic Symptom Score questionnaire. Results Autonomic function, as assessed by self-report, was significantly different between patients and controls (p<.0001); in contrast, the only difference between patients and controls on the Autonomic Reflex Screen was in the adrenergic domain (p=.022), and these abnormalities were mild. Self-reported physical activity was not significantly different between patients and controls (p=.99), but levels of moderate and vigorous physical activity as measured by actigraphy, were significantly lower in patients (p=.012 and p=.047, respectively). Exercise capacity (6 Minute Walk) was poorer in patients (p=.0006), but there was no significant difference in maximal volume of oxygen consumption (p=.07). Conclusions Patients with fibromyalgia report

Concentrating Solar Power Projects - Hami 50 MW CSP Project | Concentrating

Science.gov Websites

Solar Power | NREL Hami 50 MW CSP Project Status Date: April 6, 2018 Project Overview Project MW Status: Under construction Do you have more information, corrections, or comments? Background Technology: Power tower Status: Under construction Country: China City: Hami Region: Xinjiang Autonomous

Cardioprotective Effects of Total Flavonoids Extracted from Xinjiang Sprig Rosa rugosa against Acute Ischemia/Reperfusion-Induced Myocardial Injury in Isolated Rat Heart.

PubMed

Hou, Xuejiao; Han, Jichun; Yuan, Changsheng; Ren, Huanhuan; Zhang, Ya; Zhang, Tao; Xu, Lixia; Zheng, Qiusheng; Chen, Wen

2016-01-01

This study evaluated the antioxidative and cardioprotective effects of total flavonoids extracted from Xinjiang sprig Rosa rugosa on ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury using an isolated Langendorff rat heart model. The possible mechanism of Xinjiang sprig rose total flavonoid (XSRTF) against I/R injury was also studied. XSRTF (5, 10, and 20 µg/mL) dissolved in Krebs-Henseleit buffer was administered to isolated rat heart. The XSRTF showed remarkable scavenging effects against 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl, hydroxyl, and superoxide anion radicals in vitro. XSRTF pretreatment improved the heart rate, increased LVDP, and decreased CK and LDH levels in coronary flow. This pretreatment also increased SOD activity and GSH/GSSG ratio but decreased MDA, TNF-α, and CRP levels and IL-8 and IL-6 activities. The infarct size and cell apoptosis in the hearts from the XSRTF-treated group were lower than those in the hearts from the I/R group. Therefore, the cardioprotective effects of XSRTF may be attributed to its antioxidant, antiapoptotic, and anti-inflammatory activities.

Buried in Sands: Environmental Analysis at the Archaeological Site of Xiaohe Cemetery, Xinjiang, China

PubMed Central

Li, Jin-Feng; Abuduresule, Idelisi; Hueber, Francis M.; Li, Wen-Ying; Hu, Xin-Jun; Li, Yue-Zhuo; Li, Cheng-Sen

2013-01-01

Palynomorphs extracted from the mud coffins and plant remains preserved at the archaeological site of Xiaohe Cemetery (Cal. 3980 to 3540 years BP) in Lop Nur Desert of Xinjiang, China were investigated for the reconstruction of the ancient environments at the site. The results demonstrate that the Xiaohe People lived at a well-developed oasis, which was surrounded by extensive desert. The vegetation in the oasis consisted of Populus , Phragmites , Typha and probably of Gramineae, while the desert surrounding the oasis had some common drought-resistant plants dominated by Ephedra , Tamarix , Artemisia and Chenopodiaceae. This present work provides the first data of the environmental background at this site for further archaeological investigation. PMID:23894382

INL Autonomous Navigation System

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

2005-03-30

The INL Autonomous Navigation System provides instructions for autonomously navigating a robot. The system permits high-speed autonomous navigation including obstacle avoidance, waypoing navigation and path planning in both indoor and outdoor environments.

Autonomic Function in Infancy.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fox, Nathan A.; Fitzgerald, Hiram E.

1990-01-01

Reviews research that uses autonomic responses of human infants as dependent measures. Focuses on the history of research on the autonomic nervous system, measurement issues, and autonomic correlates of infant behavior and systems. (RJC)

Streptomyces xinjiangensis sp. nov., an actinomycete isolated from Lop Nur region.

PubMed

Cheng, Cong; Li, Yu-Qian; Asem, Mipeshwaree Devi; Lu, Chun-Yan; Shi, Xiao-Han; Chu, Xiao; Zhang, Wan-Qin; Di An, Deng-; Li, Wen-Jun

2016-10-01

A novel actinobacterial strain, designated LPA192(T), was isolated from a soil sample collected from Lop Nur, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Northwest China. A polyphasic approach was used to investigate the taxonomic position of strain LPA192(T). The isolate showed morphological and chemotaxonomic characteristics typical of members of the genus Streptomyces. Peptidoglycan was found to contain LL-diaminopimelic acid as the diagnostic diamino acid. The predominant menaquinones were MK-9(H6) and MK-10(H4). Polar lipids were phosphatidylethanolamine, diphosphatidylglycerol and phosphatidylinositol. Major cellular fatty acids consist of C16:0, anteiso-C15:0 and C18:1 ω9c. The sugar in whole-cell hydrolysates was mannose. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that strain LPA192(T) is closely related to Streptomyces tanashiensis LMG 20274(T) (99.3 %), Streptomyces gulbargensis DAS131(T) (99.3 %), Streptomyces nashvillensis NBRC 13064(T) (99.3 %), Streptomyces roseolus NBRC 12816(T) (99.2 %) and Streptomyces filamentosus NBRC 12767(T) (99.1 %) while showing below 98.5 % sequencing similarities with other validly published Streptomyces species. However, DNA-DNA relatedness values between LPA192(T) and the closely related type strains were below 40 %, which are much lower than 70 % threshold value for species delineation. The genomic DNA G + C content of strain LPA192(T) was 69.3 mol %. Based on the differences in genotypic and phenotypic characteristics from the closely related strains, strain LPA192(T) is considered to represent a novel species of the genus Streptomyces for which the name Streptomyces xinjiangensis sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is LPA192(T) (=KCTC 39601(T) = CGMCC 4.7288(T)).

Conservation of cultural heritage in minority ethnic regions in northwestern china—an exploration at Kuqa, Xinjiang

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, N.; Zhang, X.

2015-08-01

Kuqa, Xinjiang, is located at northwestern inland china. Traditionally a bridge between eastern and western civilizations, Kuqa had a history of cultural fusion and was left with abundant cultural heritage. As population increase, economic growth and social changes occurred, spontaneous renovation of the old city was affected, in which street fabric and scenes underwent damages. The paper demonstrates attempts made in various projects to achieve conservation of cultural heritage in agreement with economic development and improvement of living condition. The lessons learnt in these projects will be of value to development of other historic cities, especially in minority ethnic regions in China.

[Main Components of Xinjiang Lavender Essential Oil Determined by Partial Least Squares and Near Infrared Spectroscopy].

PubMed

Liao, Xiang; Wang, Qing; Fu, Ji-hong; Tang, Jun

2015-09-01

This work was undertaken to establish a quantitative analysis model which can rapid determinate the content of linalool, linalyl acetate of Xinjiang lavender essential oil. Totally 165 lavender essential oil samples were measured by using near infrared absorption spectrum (NIR), after analyzing the near infrared spectral absorption peaks of all samples, lavender essential oil have abundant chemical information and the interference of random noise may be relatively low on the spectral intervals of 7100~4500 cm(-1). Thus, the PLS models was constructed by using this interval for further analysis. 8 abnormal samples were eliminated. Through the clustering method, 157 lavender essential oil samples were divided into 105 calibration set samples and 52 validation set samples. Gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC-MS) was used as a tool to determine the content of linalool and linalyl acetate in lavender essential oil. Then the matrix was established with the GC-MS raw data of two compounds in combination with the original NIR data. In order to optimize the model, different pretreatment methods were used to preprocess the raw NIR spectral to contrast the spectral filtering effect, after analysizing the quantitative model results of linalool and linalyl acetate, the root mean square error prediction (RMSEP) of orthogonal signal transformation (OSC) was 0.226, 0.558, spectrally, it was the optimum pretreatment method. In addition, forward interval partial least squares (FiPLS) method was used to exclude the wavelength points which has nothing to do with determination composition or present nonlinear correlation, finally 8 spectral intervals totally 160 wavelength points were obtained as the dataset. Combining the data sets which have optimized by OSC-FiPLS with partial least squares (PLS) to establish a rapid quantitative analysis model for determining the content of linalool and linalyl acetate in Xinjiang lavender essential oil, numbers of hidden variables of two

The Religion of Learning English in "English": A Language Educator's Reading

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gao, Xuesong

2011-01-01

This essay is my reading of "English," a novel based on author Wang Gang's experiences in Urumqi, Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, Northwest China during the Cultural Revolution (1966-1976). As a language educator, I was particularly interested in the way that Wang describes learning English in the novel. The essay focuses on three…

A new xinjiangchelyid turtle from the Middle Jurassic of Xinjiang, China and the evolution of the basipterygoid process in Mesozoic turtles.

PubMed

Rabi, Márton; Zhou, Chang-Fu; Wings, Oliver; Ge, Sun; Joyce, Walter G

2013-09-22

Most turtles from the Middle and Late Jurassic of Asia are referred to the newly defined clade Xinjiangchelyidae, a group of mostly shell-based, generalized, small to mid-sized aquatic froms that are widely considered to represent the stem lineage of Cryptodira. Xinjiangchelyids provide us with great insights into the plesiomorphic anatomy of crown-cryptodires, the most diverse group of living turtles, and they are particularly relevant for understanding the origin and early divergence of the primary clades of extant turtles. Exceptionally complete new xinjiangchelyid material from the ?Qigu Formation of the Turpan Basin (Xinjiang Autonomous Province, China) provides new insights into the anatomy of this group and is assigned to Xinjiangchelys wusu n. sp. A phylogenetic analysis places Xinjiangchelys wusu n. sp. in a monophyletic polytomy with other xinjiangchelyids, including Xinjiangchelys junggarensis, X. radiplicatoides, X. levensis and X. latiens. However, the analysis supports the unorthodox, though tentative placement of xinjiangchelyids and sinemydids outside of crown-group Testudines. A particularly interesting new observation is that the skull of this xinjiangchelyid retains such primitive features as a reduced interpterygoid vacuity and basipterygoid processes. The homology of basipterygoid processes is confidently demonstrated based on a comprehensive review of the basicranial anatomy of Mesozoic turtles and a new nomenclatural system is introduced for the carotid canal system of turtles. The loss of the basipterygoid process and the bony enclosure of the carotid circulation system occurred a number of times independently during turtle evolution suggesting that the reinforcement of the basicranial region was essential for developing a rigid skull, thus paralleling the evolution of other amniote groups with massive skulls.

A new xinjiangchelyid turtle from the Middle Jurassic of Xinjiang, China and the evolution of the basipterygoid process in Mesozoic turtles

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background Most turtles from the Middle and Late Jurassic of Asia are referred to the newly defined clade Xinjiangchelyidae, a group of mostly shell-based, generalized, small to mid-sized aquatic froms that are widely considered to represent the stem lineage of Cryptodira. Xinjiangchelyids provide us with great insights into the plesiomorphic anatomy of crown-cryptodires, the most diverse group of living turtles, and they are particularly relevant for understanding the origin and early divergence of the primary clades of extant turtles. Results Exceptionally complete new xinjiangchelyid material from the ?Qigu Formation of the Turpan Basin (Xinjiang Autonomous Province, China) provides new insights into the anatomy of this group and is assigned to Xinjiangchelys wusu n. sp. A phylogenetic analysis places Xinjiangchelys wusu n. sp. in a monophyletic polytomy with other xinjiangchelyids, including Xinjiangchelys junggarensis, X. radiplicatoides, X. levensis and X. latiens. However, the analysis supports the unorthodox, though tentative placement of xinjiangchelyids and sinemydids outside of crown-group Testudines. A particularly interesting new observation is that the skull of this xinjiangchelyid retains such primitive features as a reduced interpterygoid vacuity and basipterygoid processes. Conclusions The homology of basipterygoid processes is confidently demonstrated based on a comprehensive review of the basicranial anatomy of Mesozoic turtles and a new nomenclatural system is introduced for the carotid canal system of turtles. The loss of the basipterygoid process and the bony enclosure of the carotid circulation system occurred a number of times independently during turtle evolution suggesting that the reinforcement of the basicranial region was essential for developing a rigid skull, thus paralleling the evolution of other amniote groups with massive skulls. PMID:24053145

Influences of removing linear and nonlinear trends from climatic variables on temporal variations of annual reference crop evapotranspiration in Xinjiang, China.

PubMed

Li, Yi; Yao, Ning; Chau, Henry Wai

2017-08-15

Reference crop evapotranspiration (ET o ) is a key parameter in field irrigation scheduling, drought assessment and climate change research. ET o uses key prescribed (or fixed or reference) land surface parameters for crops. The linear and nonlinear trends in different climatic variables (CVs) affect ET o change. This research aims to reveal how ET o responds after the related CVs were linearly and nonlinearly detrended over 1961-2013 in Xinjiang, China. The ET o -related CVs included minimum (T min ), average (T ave ), and maximum air temperatures (T max ), wind speed at 2m (U 2 ), relative humidity (RH) and sunshine hour (n). ET o was calculated using the Penman-Monteith equation. A total of 29 ET o scenarios, including the original scenario, 14 scenarios in Group I (ET o was recalculated after removing linear trends from single or more CVs) and 14 scenarios in Group II (ET o was recalculated after removing nonlinear trends from the CVs), were generated. The influence of U 2 was stronger than influences of the other CVs on ET o for both Groups I and II either in northern, southern or the entirety of Xinjiang. The weak influences of increased T min , T ave and T max on increasing ET o were masked by the strong effects of decreased U 2 &n and increased RH on decreasing ET o . The effects of the trends in CVs, especially U 2 , on changing ET o were clearly shown. Without the general decreases of U 2 , ET o would have increased in the past 53years. Due to the non-monotone variations of the CVs and ET o , the results of nonlinearly detrending CVs on changing ET o in Group II should be more plausible than the results of linearly detrending CVs in Group I. The decreasing ET o led to a general relief in drought, which was indicated by the recalculated aridity index. Therefore, there would be a slightly lower risk of water utilization in Xinjiang, China. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Response of vegetation NDVI to climatic extremes in the arid region of Central Asia: a case study in Xinjiang, China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yao, Junqiang; Chen, Yaning; Zhao, Yong; Mao, Weiyi; Xu, Xinbing; Liu, Yang; Yang, Qing

2018-02-01

Observed data showed the climatic transition from warm-dry to warm-wet in Xinjiang during the past 30 years and will probably affect vegetation dynamics. Here, we analyze the interannual change of vegetation index based on the satellite-derived normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) with temperature and precipitation extreme over the Xinjiang, using the 8-km NDVI third-generation (NDVI3g) from the Global Inventory Modelling and Mapping Studies (GIMMS) from 1982 to 2010. Few previous studies analyzed the link between climate extremes and vegetation response. From the satellite-based results, annual NDVI significantly increased in the first two decades (1981-1998) and then decreased after 1998. We show that the NDVI decrease over the past decade may conjointly be triggered by the increases of temperature and precipitation extremes. The correlation analyses demonstrated that the trends of NDVI was close to the trend of extreme precipitation; that is, consecutive dry days (CDD) and torrential rainfall days (R24) positively correlated with NDVI during 1998-2010. For the temperature extreme, while the decreases of NDVI correlate positively with warmer mean minimum temperature ( Tnav), it correlates negatively with the number of warmest night days ( Rwn). The results suggest that the climatic extremes have possible negative effects on the ecosystem.

Endemic characteristics of infantile visceral leishmaniasis in the People's Republic of China.

PubMed

Fu, Qing; Li, Shi-Zhu; Wu, Wei-Ping; Hou, Yan-Yan; Zhang, Song; Feng, Yu; Zhang, Li-Ping; Tang, Lin-Hua

2013-05-17

Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) was once a severe parasitic disease in China. Thanks to the great efforts of integrated control, VL was eliminated in most epidemic areas, except for certain western provinces (autonomous region) at the end of 1950s. From then on, VL gained less attention and has seemed to spread, especially in the last 15 years. Infants are the most important population threatened by VL. However, there have been few studies on the endemic characteristics of infantile VL in China. Infantile VL cases were collected from the online National Infectious Diseases Reporting System (NIDRS). Statistical description and inference was used to reveal the endemic characteristics in gender, age group, time and regionalism. Spatial analysis was carried out to explore the high risk area for infantile VL in China. A total of 1093 infantile VL cases were reported from 2006 to 2012. There was no statistically significant difference in gender over time. The minimum, maximum and mean age of these cases was 1.1, 35.9 and 13.8 months, respectively. Among them 86.92% were under 2 years of age, and there was a statistically significant difference among age groups over time. An incidence peak appeared in 2008-2009, most cases were distributed in the months September to December, and there was a tail-raising effect in the coming two months of the next year. More than 98% of cases were reported in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Gansu Province and Sichuan Province, accounting for 61.02%, 32.75% and 4.57%, respectively. A total of 56 counties reported infantile VL cases, with the cumulative incidence ranging from 0.02 to 24.57%. There were two main zones of high endemicity for infantile VL in China. The monthly incidence clearly coincides with the number of towns where infantile VL cases were reported. Three fatalities were reported during the study period, the case fatality rate was 2.75‰. The endemic situation of infantile VL is serious, and there are several active foci of

Endemic characteristics of infantile visceral leishmaniasis in the People’s Republic of China

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) was once a severe parasitic disease in China. Thanks to the great efforts of integrated control, VL was eliminated in most epidemic areas, except for certain western provinces (autonomous region) at the end of 1950s. From then on, VL gained less attention and has seemed to spread, especially in the last 15 years. Infants are the most important population threatened by VL. However, there have been few studies on the endemic characteristics of infantile VL in China. Methods Infantile VL cases were collected from the online National Infectious Diseases Reporting System (NIDRS). Statistical description and inference was used to reveal the endemic characteristics in gender, age group, time and regionalism. Spatial analysis was carried out to explore the high risk area for infantile VL in China. Results A total of 1093 infantile VL cases were reported from 2006 to 2012. There was no statistically significant difference in gender over time. The minimum, maximum and mean age of these cases was 1.1, 35.9 and 13.8 months, respectively. Among them 86.92% were under 2 years of age, and there was a statistically significant difference among age groups over time. An incidence peak appeared in 2008-2009, most cases were distributed in the months September to December, and there was a tail-raising effect in the coming two months of the next year. More than 98% of cases were reported in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Gansu Province and Sichuan Province, accounting for 61.02%, 32.75% and 4.57%, respectively. A total of 56 counties reported infantile VL cases, with the cumulative incidence ranging from 0.02 to 24.57%. There were two main zones of high endemicity for infantile VL in China. The monthly incidence clearly coincides with the number of towns where infantile VL cases were reported. Three fatalities were reported during the study period, the case fatality rate was 2.75‰. Conclusions The endemic situation of infantile VL is

[Epidemiology of human rabies in China, 2016].

PubMed

Li, Y R; Zhu, L L; Zhu, W Y; Tao, X Y

2018-01-10

Objective: To understand the epidemiological characteristics of human rabies in China in 2016 and provide evidence for the control and prevention of human rabies. Methods: The incidence data of human rabies in China in 2016 were collected from national infectious disease reporting information management system. The surveillance data were collected from provinces of Shandong, Guizhou, Anhui, Hunan, Jiangsu and Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. Excel 2013 software was used to process and summarize the data, the epidemiological characteristics of human rabies in China in 2016 were described by using indicators such as morbidity, mortality and constituent ratio. Results: A total of 644 human rabies cases were reported in 28 provinces in China in 2016, a decrease of 19.60% (157/801) compared with 2015. The provinces reporting high incidences of human rabies were Henan, Hunan, Guangxi and Guizhou, accounting for 39.44% (254/644) of the total cases. One case was reported in Qinghai province and Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region respectively. The male to female ratio of the cases was 2.14∶1 (439/205), and the majority of the patients were farmers (444/644). Surveillance points in 6 provinces reported 1 281 340 persons seeking post-exposure treatment, of whom 1 018 367 were treated for dog bite or scratch. A total of 764 234 persons completed the vaccination series, accounting for 63.90% (764 234/1 195 956) of the persons with grade Ⅱ and Ⅲ exposures, and 28.89% (165 677/573 571) of the persons with grade Ⅲ exposure were treated with passive immunization product. The average density of dogs in each surveillance area was 7.03/100 persons, the average canine immunization rate was 37.64%. Conclusion: The incidence of human rabies has remained decline in China in 2016, the number of the affected provinces has increased and that has the tendency of spreading to low-risk regions. The cases mainly occurred in men and farmers, and caused by dog bite or scratch. It is

Asteroid Exploration with Autonomic Systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Truszkowski, Walt; Rash, James; Rouff, Christopher; Hinchey, Mike

2004-01-01

NASA is studying advanced technologies for a future robotic exploration mission to the asteroid belt. The prospective ANTS (Autonomous Nano Technology Swarm) mission comprises autonomous agents including worker agents (small spacecra3) designed to cooperate in asteroid exploration under the overall authoriq of at least one ruler agent (a larger spacecraft) whose goal is to cause science data to be returned to Earth. The ANTS team (ruler plus workers and messenger agents), but not necessarily any individual on the team, will exhibit behaviors that qualify it as an autonomic system, where an autonomic system is defined as a system that self-reconfigures, self-optimizes, self-heals, and self-protects. Autonomic system concepts lead naturally to realistic, scalable architectures rich in capabilities and behaviors. In-depth consideration of a major mission like ANTS in terms of autonomic systems brings new insights into alternative definitions of autonomic behavior. This paper gives an overview of the ANTS mission and discusses the autonomic properties of the mission.

[Sequence of the ITS region of nuclear ribosomal DNA(nrDNA) in Xinjiang wild Dianthus and its phylogenetic relationship].

PubMed

Zhang, Lu; Cai, You-Ming; Zhuge, Qiang; Zou, Hui-Yu; Huang, Min-Ren

2002-06-01

Xinjiang is a center of distribution and differentiation of genus Dianthus in China, and has a great deal of species resources. The sequences of ITS region (including ITS-1, 5.8S rDNA and ITS-2) of nuclear ribosomal DNA from 8 species of genus Dianthus wildly distributed in Xinjiang were determined by direct sequencing of PCR products. The result showed that the size of the ITS of Dianthus is from 617 to 621 bp, and the length variation is only 4 bp. There are very high homogeneous (97.6%-99.8%) sequences between species, and about 80% homogeneous sequences between genus Dianthus and outgroup. The sequences of ITS in genus Dianthus are relatively conservative. In general, there are more conversion than transition in the variation sites among genus Dianthus. The conversion rates are relatively high, and the ratios of conversion/transition are 1.0-3.0. On the basis of phylogenetic analysis of nucleotide sequences the species of Dianthus in China would be divided into three sections. There is a distant relationship between sect. Barbulatum Williams and sect. Dianthus and between sect. Barbulatum Williams and sect. Fimbriatum Williams, and there is a close relationship between sect. Dianthus and sect. Fimbriatum Williams. From the phylogenetic tree of ITS it was found that the origin of sect. Dianthusis is earlier than that of sect. Fimbriatum Williams and sect. Barbulatum Williams.

Prevalence of Diabetes and Associated Factors in the Uyghur and Han Population in Xinjiang, China.

PubMed

Gong, Haiying; Pa, Lize; Wang, Ke; Mu, Hebuli; Dong, Fen; Ya, Shengjiang; Xu, Guodong; Tao, Ning; Pan, Li; Wang, Bin; Shan, Guangliang

2015-10-14

To estimate the prevalence of diabetes and identify risk factors in the Uyghur and Han population in Xinjiang, China. A cross-sectional study in urban and rural areas in Xinjiang, including 2863 members of the Uyghur population and 3060 of the Han population aged 20 to 80 years, was conducted from June 2013 to August 2013. Data on fasting plasma glucose (FPG) and personal history of diabetes were used to estimate the prevalence of diabetes. Data on demographic characteristics, lifestyle risk factors, and lipid profiles were collected to identify risks factors using the multivariate logistic regression model. In urban areas, the age- and gender-standardized prevalence of diabetes was 8.21%, and the age- and gender-standardized prevalence of diabetes was higher in the Uyghur population (10.47%) than in the Han population (7.36%). In rural areas, the age- and gender-standardized prevalence of diabetes was 6.08%, and it did not differ significantly between the Uyghur population (5.71%) and the Han population (6.59%). The results of the multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that older age, obesity, high triglycerides (TG), and hypertension were all associated with an increased risk of diabetes in the Uyghur and Han population. Urban residence and low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) were associated with an increased risk of diabetes in the Uyghur population. Being an ex-drinker was associated with an increased risk of diabetes and heavy physical activity was associated with a decreased risk of diabetes in the Han population. Our study indicates that diabetes is more prevalent in the Uyghur population compared with the Han population in urban areas. Strategies aimed at the prevention of diabetes require ethnic targeting.

[Detection of Cryptosporidium infection among HIV/AIDS patients with chronic diarrhea in Beijing, Henan and Xinjiang of China].

PubMed

Wang, Hui-zhu; Jiao, Bing-xin; Tian, Jing-hua; Li, Min; Guo, Jie; Liu, Ying; Li, Xing-wang; Wang, Yu-guang

2011-09-01

To investigate the Cryptosporidium infection and its epidemiological characteristics in HIV/AIDS patients with chronic diarrhea. Stool samples collected from HIV/AIDS confirmed patients with chronic diarrhea who lived in Beijing, Henan and Xinjiang. Samples were concentrated by Formalin-Ethyl Acetate Sedimentation technique and stained by modified acid-fast stain (AFS) for the identification of oocysts by microscopy. CD4(+)T cells count was performed by Flow Cytometry. The overall infection rate of Cryptosporidium in AIDS patients was 12.6% (32/253). The infection rates of oocysts in the area of Beijing, Henan and Xinjiang were 5.97% (4/67), 16.1% (24/149) and 10.8% (4/37) respectively. The infection rate of oocysts in the urban areas was 6.5% (7/104) while in the countryside it was 16.8% (25/149) and the difference was significantly different. However, there were no any differences discovered between the infection rates on patient's gender or on infection occurred in different seasons. The infectious rates of oocyst in patients on different stages of the disease were also significantly different (P < 0.01). AIDS patients infected by Cryptosporidium were not rarely seen in northern China. The rate of infection was not associated with patient's gender but was associated with patient's living environments. Patients living in the countryside, with lower lever of CD4(+)T cells counts and at the middle/late stage of the disease, Cryptosporidium infection appeared to be high.

Autonomous and Autonomic Systems: A Paradigm for Future Space Exploration Missions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Truszkowski, Walter F.; Hinchey, Michael G.; Rash, James L.; Rouff, Christopher A.

2004-01-01

NASA increasingly will rely on autonomous systems concepts, not only in the mission control centers on the ground, but also on spacecraft and on rovers and other assets on extraterrestrial bodies. Automomy enables not only reduced operations costs, But also adaptable goal-driven functionality of mission systems. Space missions lacking autonomy will be unable to achieve the full range of advanced mission objectives, given that human control under dynamic environmental conditions will not be feasible due, in part, to the unavoidably high signal propagation latency and constrained data rates of mission communications links. While autonomy cost-effectively supports accomplishment of mission goals, autonomicity supports survivability of remote mission assets, especially when human tending is not feasible. Autonomic system properties (which ensure self-configuring, self-optimizing self-healing, and self-protecting behavior) conceptually may enable space missions of a higher order into any previously flown. Analysis of two NASA agent-based systems previously prototyped, and of a proposed future mission involving numerous cooperating spacecraft, illustrates how autonomous and autonomic system concepts may be brought to bear on future space missions.

Assessment on Language Rights in Education Domain: Shift-Oriented, Maintenance-Oriented or Something Else?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ping, Wang

2016-01-01

There is a trend towards the shift of the Uyghur language as the language of instruction in schools in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of China. This article presents several examples of such a shift first and then it reviews the concept of language rights (LR) and applies them to the current situation of the Uyghur language in education…

Enterococcus Xinjiangensis sp. nov., Isolated from Yogurt of Xinjiang, China.

PubMed

Ren, Xiaopu; Li, Mingyang; Guo, Dongqi

2016-09-01

A Gram-strain-positive bacterial strain 48(T) was isolated from traditional yogurt in Xinjiang Province, China. The bacterium was characterized by a polyphasic approach, including 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis, polymerase α subunit (rpoA) gene sequence analysis, determination of DNA G+C content, DNA-DNA hybridization with the type strain of Enterococcus ratti and analysis of phenotypic features. Strain 48(T) accounted for 96.1, 95.8, 95.8, and 95.7 % with Enterococcus faecium CGMCC 1.2136(T), Enterococcus hirae ATCC 9790(T), Enterococcus durans CECT 411(T), and E. ratti ATCC 700914(T) in the 16S rRNA gene sequence similarities, respectively. The sequence of rpoA gene showed similarities of 99.0, 96.0, 96.0, and 96 % with that of E. faecium ATCC 19434(T), Enterococcus villorum LMG12287, E. hirae ATCC 9790(T), and E. durans ATCC 19432(T), respectively. Based upon of polyphasic characterization data obtained in the study, a novel species, Enterococcus xinjiangensis sp. nov., was proposed and the type strain was 48(T)(=CCTCC AB 2014041(T) = JCM 30200(T)).

Overview of the Autonomic Nervous System

MedlinePlus

... be reversible or progressive. Anatomy of the autonomic nervous system The autonomic nervous system is the part of ... organs they connect with. Function of the autonomic nervous system The autonomic nervous system controls internal body processes ...

An assessment of traditional Uighur medicine in current Xinjiang region (China).

PubMed

Ma, Zhi Qiao; Hu, Hao; He, Tian Tian; Guo, Hong; Zhang, Mao Yu; Chen, Mei Wan; Wang, Yi Tao

2014-01-01

The main objectives of this study were to assess the current research and development of traditional Uighur medicine in Xinjiang (China), and to evaluate the promising pharmacological products of traditional Uighur medicine for further studies. Traditional Uighur medicine data of medicine registry, patent, and academic publications was collected and analyzed. Data showed that, among the registered and studied traditional Uighur medicine, the main therapeutic areas of traditional Uighur medicine focused on skin disease, urogenital disease, rheumatism and digestive system disease. The representative traditional Uighur patent medicine included the following: BaixuanXiatare Tablets, Kaliziran Tincture and Vernoniaanthelmintica Injection (Psoriasis and vitiligo); Xi-payimazibiziLiquid (prostatitis); KursiKaknaq (urinary tract infection); Tongzhisurunjiang Capsules (anti-rheumatism medicine); HuganBuzure Granules (digestive system disease). Moreover, ten Uighur herbs were widely used, including: ResinaScammoniae, Folium FumicisDentati, HerbaDracocephali, Semen AmygdaliDulcis, HerbaChamomillae, FructusPimpinellaeanisi, Cortex Foeniculi, FructusVernoniae, FructusApii, and Radix AnacycliPyrethri. This study concluded by indicating that traditional Uighur medicine with excellent curative effect should be screened in details for their phytochemical properties and pharmacological activity to discover new bioactive constituents.

Implicit Trust between the Uyghur and the Han in Xinjiang, China

PubMed Central

Li, Xueting; Fang, Huizhen; Yang, Shengmin; Liu, Jia

2013-01-01

Trust is a vital lubricant that increases the sense of security in social interactions. In this study, we investigated the intergroup trust between the Uyghur and the Han, the two largest ethnic groups in Xinjiang, China, with a Go/No-Go Association Task. Specifically, we instructed Uyghur and Han participants to respond to ethnic faces (Uyghur vs. Han) and trust/distrust words and measured the strength of the automatic associations between the faces and words for both in-group and out-group pairs. As expected, both ethnic groups showed implicit in-group trust and out-group distrust, but the Han group demonstrated stronger in-group trust and out-group distrust toward the Uyghur than the Uyghur group toward the Han. However, the magnitude of distrust of the Han toward the Uyghur was small to medium as compared with that reported by other intergroup relationship research. In addition, participant geographic location was associated with out-group distrust. These findings offer implications for developing effective strategies to encourage trust between conflicting groups. PMID:23977155

Thermal Imaging of Subsurface Coal Fires by means of an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) in the Autonomous Province Xinjiang, PRC

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vasterling, Margarete; Schloemer, Stefan; Fischer, Christian; Ehrler, Christoph

2010-05-01

Spontaneous combustion of coal and resulting coal fires lead to very high temperatures in the subsurface. To a large amount the heat is transferred to the surface by convective and conductive transport inducing a more or less pronounced thermal anomaly. During the past decade satellite-based infrared-imaging (ASTER, MODIS) was the method of choice for coal fire detection on a local and regional scale. However, the resolution is by far too low for a detailed analysis of single coal fires which is essential prerequisite for corrective measures (i.e. fire fighting) and calculation of carbon dioxide emission based on a complex correlation between energy release and CO2 generation. Consequently, within the framework of the Sino-German research project "Innovative Technologies for Exploration, Extinction and Monitoring of Coal Fires in Northern China", a new concept was developed and successfully tested. An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) was equipped with a lightweight camera for thermografic (resolution 160 by 120 pixel, dynamic range -20 to 250°C) and for visual imaging. The UAV designed as an octocopter is able to hover at GPS controlled waypoints during predefined flight missions. The application of a UAV has several advantages. Compared to point measurements on the ground the thermal imagery quickly provides the spatial distribution of the temperature anomaly with a much better resolution. Areas otherwise not accessible (due to topography, fire induced cracks, etc.) can easily be investigated. The results of areal surveys on two coal fires in Xinjiang are presented. Georeferenced thermal and visual images were mosaicked together and analyzed. UAV-born data do well compared to temperatures measured directly on the ground and cover large areas in detail. However, measuring surface temperature alone is not sufficient. Simultaneous measurements made at the surface and in roughly 15cm depth proved substantial temperature gradients in the upper soil. Thus the temperature

Towards autonomous fuzzy control

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shenoi, Sujeet; Ramer, Arthur

1993-01-01

The efficient implementation of on-line adaptation in real time is an important research problem in fuzzy control. The goal is to develop autonomous self-organizing controllers employing system-independent control meta-knowledge which enables them to adjust their control policies depending on the systems they control and the environments in which they operate. An autonomous fuzzy controller would continuously observe system behavior while implementing its control actions and would use the outcomes of these actions to refine its control policy. It could be designed to lie dormant when its control actions give rise to adequate performance characteristics but could rapidly and autonomously initiate real-time adaptation whenever its performance degrades. Such an autonomous fuzzy controller would have immense practical value. It could accommodate individual variations in system characteristics and also compensate for degradations in system characteristics caused by wear and tear. It could also potentially deal with black-box systems and control scenarios. On-going research in autonomous fuzzy control is reported. The ultimate research objective is to develop robust and relatively inexpensive autonomous fuzzy control hardware suitable for use in real time environments.

Association Study of Klotho Gene Polymorphism With Calcium Oxalate Stones in The Uyghur Population of Xinjiang, China.

PubMed

Ali, Abdusamat; Tursun, Halmurat; Talat, Alim; Abla, Akpar; Muhtar, Erpan; Zhang, Tao; Mahmut, Murat

2017-01-18

The aim of the present study was to investigate the correlation between Klotho gene polymorphisms andcalcium oxalate stones in Xinjiang Uyghur people. We compared 128 patients with calcium oxalate stones (case group) and 94 healthypeople (control group), detected the genotype and allele distributions of single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs)of the Klotho gene (rs3752472, rs650439, and rs1207568) by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. The distributions of the genotype and allele frequencies of the SNPs were consistent with the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium in the two groups. There were statistically significant differences between the genotype andallele distributions of rs3752472 between the case and control groups; the allele frequencies in the case/controlgroups were C = 240 (93.7%)/151 (80.3%) and T = 16 (6.3%)/37 (19.7%). There was no statistically significantdifference in the genotype distribution of rs650439 between the case and control groups, but there was a differencein the allele distribution; the allele frequencies in the case/control groups were A = 202 (78.9%)/143 (57.2%) andT = 54 (21.1%)/107 (42.8%). There were no statistically significant differences in genotype and allele distributionsbetween the case and control groups of rs1207568; the allele frequencies in the case/control groups were C = 194(71.3%)/145 (77.1%) and T = 78 (28.7%)/43 (22.9%). In rs3752472, the risk for patients with the C and A allelesincreased by 3.675 and 2.799 times, respectively. The rs3752472 and rs650439 SNPs are related to the risk of calcium oxalate stones in Xinjiang Uyghurpeople, and might be one of the risk factors.

Effects of Uygur sand therapy on the mechanical properties of femurs in osteoarthritic rabbits.

PubMed

Maitirouzi, Julaiti; Yanna, Li; Abulizi, Adinaer; Aihemaitiniyazi, Aizezi; Kuerban, Shataer; Shaojun, Huang

2017-01-01

To investigate the effects of Uygur sand therapy on the mechanical properties of the femur bone of osteoarthritic rabbits. Sixteen rabbits were injected with papain in the right posterior femoral articular cavity on the first, fourth and seventh day to establish the osteoarthritis (OA) rabbit model. Animals were divided into the experimental group and control group (8 rabbits each). The experimental group was treated with sand therapy, and the control group received no sand therapy treatment. Computed tomography (CT) scanning was used to collect the data of the femur before modeling, after modeling and 14 and 28 days after sand treatment. A 3D model of the femur was generated with the MIMIC software the bone layer was divided according to the different gray values and the change of the bone volume was analyzed. The body mesh is divided, and the material properties are given, then the three-point bending simulation is performed in Ansys. Additionally, the three-point bending test was performed on all the rabbits' femur to obtain the deflection and maximum stress values. And the effects of the sand treatment on the volume and mechanical properties of the bone were analyzed. Finally, the simulation results are compared with the experimental results, and the effects of sand treatment on the volume and mechanical properties of the bone are analyzed. (1) there is a tendency in the control group to convert the hard bone into dense bone and soft bone, while in the experimental group, the soft bone is converted into dense bone and hard bone obviously; (2) the morphological parameters of the experimental group are lower than those of the control group, whereas the maximum load, maximum normal stress, maximum shear stress of the experimental group are higher than those of the control group. (3) The mechanical test of three-point bending test was carried out using the three dimensional finite element model of rabbit femur. The sand therapy has positive effects on the volume

Autonomous Navigation Using Celestial Objects

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Folta, David; Gramling, Cheryl; Leung, Dominic; Belur, Sheela; Long, Anne

1999-01-01

In the twenty-first century, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Enterprises envision frequent low-cost missions to explore the solar system, observe the universe, and study our planet. Satellite autonomy is a key technology required to reduce satellite operating costs. The Guidance, Navigation, and Control Center (GNCC) at the Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) currently sponsors several initiatives associated with the development of advanced spacecraft systems to provide autonomous navigation and control. Autonomous navigation has the potential both to increase spacecraft navigation system performance and to reduce total mission cost. By eliminating the need for routine ground-based orbit determination and special tracking services, autonomous navigation can streamline spacecraft ground systems. Autonomous navigation products can be included in the science telemetry and forwarded directly to the scientific investigators. In addition, autonomous navigation products are available onboard to enable other autonomous capabilities, such as attitude control, maneuver planning and orbit control, and communications signal acquisition. Autonomous navigation is required to support advanced mission concepts such as satellite formation flying. GNCC has successfully developed high-accuracy autonomous navigation systems for near-Earth spacecraft using NASA's space and ground communications systems and the Global Positioning System (GPS). Recently, GNCC has expanded its autonomous navigation initiative to include satellite orbits that are beyond the regime in which use of GPS is possible. Currently, GNCC is assessing the feasibility of using standard spacecraft attitude sensors and communication components to provide autonomous navigation for missions including: libration point, gravity assist, high-Earth, and interplanetary orbits. The concept being evaluated uses a combination of star, Sun, and Earth sensor measurements along with forward-link Doppler

Adaptive Perception for Autonomous Vehicles

DTIC Science & Technology

1994-05-02

AD-A282 780 Adaptive Perception for Autonomous Vehicles Alonzo Kelly CMU-RI-TR-94-1 8 D IC SELECTF - pUG01 �j ~G U The Robotics Inttt ’I 94-2i...way of doing range image perception. Adaptive Perception for Autonomous Vehicles page 1. LZ Commentary The throughput problem of autonomous navigaticn...idea will be applied to the problem of terrain mapping in outdoor rough terrain. Adaptive Perception for Autonomous Vehicles page 2. 2. Analytical

Towards an Autonomic Cluster Management System (ACMS) with Reflex Autonomicity

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Truszkowski, Walt; Hinchey, Mike; Sterritt, Roy

2005-01-01

Cluster computing, whereby a large number of simple processors or nodes are combined together to apparently function as a single powerful computer, has emerged as a research area in its own right. The approach offers a relatively inexpensive means of providing a fault-tolerant environment and achieving significant computational capabilities for high-performance computing applications. However, the task of manually managing and configuring a cluster quickly becomes daunting as the cluster grows in size. Autonomic computing, with its vision to provide self-management, can potentially solve many of the problems inherent in cluster management. We describe the development of a prototype Autonomic Cluster Management System (ACMS) that exploits autonomic properties in automating cluster management and its evolution to include reflex reactions via pulse monitoring.

Conditions for Fully Autonomous Anticipation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Collier, John

2006-06-01

Anticipation allows a system to adapt to conditions that have not yet come to be, either externally to the system or internally. Autonomous systems actively control the conditions of their own existence so as to increase their overall viability. This paper will first give minimal necessary and sufficient conditions for autonomous anticipation, followed by a taxonomy of autonomous anticipation. In more complex systems, there can be semi-autonomous subsystems that can anticipate and adapt on their own. Such subsystems can be integrated into a system's overall autonomy, typically with greater efficiency due to modularity and specialization of function. However, it is also possible that semi-autonomous subsystems can act against the viability of the overall system, and have their own functions that conflict with overall system functions.

Archaeobotanical Study of Ancient Food and Cereal Remains at the Astana Cemeteries, Xinjiang, China

PubMed Central

Chen, Tao; Wu, Yan; Zhang, Yongbing; Wang, Bo; Hu, Yaowu; Wang, Changsui; Jiang, Hongen

2012-01-01

Starch grain, phytolith and cereal bran fragments were analyzed in order to identify the food remains including cakes, dumplings, as well as porridge unearthed at the Astana Cemeteries in Turpan of Xinjiang, China. The results suggest that the cakes were made from Triticum aestivum while the dumplings were made from Triticum aestivum, along with Setaria italica. The ingredients of the porridge remains emanated from Panicum miliaceum. Moreover, direct macrobotantical evidence of the utilization of six cereal crops, such as Triticum aestivum, Hordeum vulgare var. coeleste, Panicum miliaceum, Setaria italica, Cannabis sativa, and Oryza sativa in the Turpan region during the Jin and Tang dynasties (about 3rd to 9th centuries) is also presented. All of these cereal crops not only provided food for the survival of the indigenous people, but also spiced up their daily life. PMID:23028807

Prevalence and predictors of anaemia in patients with HIV infection at the initiation of combined antiretroviral therapy in Xinjiang, China.

PubMed

Mijiti, Peierdun; Yuexin, Zhang; Min, Liu; Wubuli, Maimaitili; Kejun, Pan; Upur, Halmurat

2015-03-01

We retrospectively analysed routinely collected baseline data of 2252 patients with HIV infection registered in the National Free Antiretroviral Treatment Program in Xinjiang province, China, from 2006 to 2011 to estimate the prevalence and predictors of anaemia at the initiation of combined antiretroviral therapy. Anaemia was diagnosed using the criteria set forth by the World Health Organisation, and univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to determine its predictors. The prevalences of mild, moderate, and severe anaemia at the initiation of combined antiretroviral therapy were 19.2%, 17.1%, and 2.6%, respectively. Overall, 38.9% of the patients were anaemic at the initiation of combined antiretroviral therapy. The multivariate logistic regression analysis indicated that Uyghur ethnicity, female gender, lower CD4 count, lower body mass index value, self-reported tuberculosis infection, and oral candidiasis were associated with a higher prevalence of anaemia, whereas higher serum alanine aminotransferase level was associated with a lower prevalence of anaemia. The results suggest that the overall prevalence of anaemia at the initiation of combined antiretroviral therapy in patients with HIV infection is high in Xinjiang, China, but severe anaemia is uncommon. Patients in China should be routinely checked for anaemia prior to combined antiretroviral therapy initiation, and healthcare providers should carefully select the appropriate first-line combined antiretroviral therapy regimens for anaemic patients. © The Author(s) 2014 Reprints and permissions: sagepub.co.uk/journalsPermissions.nav.

Autonomous Soaring Flight Results

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Allen, Michael J.

2006-01-01

A viewgraph presentation on autonomous soaring flight results for Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV)'s is shown. The topics include: 1) Background; 2) Thermal Soaring Flight Results; 3) Autonomous Dolphin Soaring; and 4) Future Plans.

Development of a Commercially Viable, Modular Autonomous Robotic Systems for Converting any Vehicle to Autonomous Control

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Parish, David W.; Grabbe, Robert D.; Marzwell, Neville I.

1994-01-01

A Modular Autonomous Robotic System (MARS), consisting of a modular autonomous vehicle control system that can be retrofit on to any vehicle to convert it to autonomous control and support a modular payload for multiple applications is being developed. The MARS design is scalable, reconfigurable, and cost effective due to the use of modern open system architecture design methodologies, including serial control bus technology to simplify system wiring and enhance scalability. The design is augmented with modular, object oriented (C++) software implementing a hierarchy of five levels of control including teleoperated, continuous guidepath following, periodic guidepath following, absolute position autonomous navigation, and relative position autonomous navigation. The present effort is focused on producing a system that is commercially viable for routine autonomous patrolling of known, semistructured environments, like environmental monitoring of chemical and petroleum refineries, exterior physical security and surveillance, perimeter patrolling, and intrafacility transport applications.

Insights into the background of autonomic medicine.

PubMed

Laranjo, Sérgio; Geraldes, Vera; Oliveira, Mário; Rocha, Isabel

2017-10-01

Knowledge of the physiology underlying the autonomic nervous system is pivotal for understanding autonomic dysfunction in clinical practice. Autonomic dysfunction may result from primary modifications of the autonomic nervous system or be secondary to a wide range of diseases that cause severe morbidity and mortality. Together with a detailed history and physical examination, laboratory assessment of autonomic function is essential for the analysis of various clinical conditions and the establishment of effective, personalized and precise therapeutic schemes. This review summarizes the main aspects of autonomic medicine that constitute the background of cardiovascular autonomic dysfunction. Copyright © 2017 Sociedade Portuguesa de Cardiologia. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

Autonomic Nervous System Disorders

MedlinePlus

Your autonomic nervous system is the part of your nervous system that controls involuntary actions, such as the beating of your heart ... breathing and swallowing Erectile dysfunction in men Autonomic nervous system disorders can occur alone or as the result ...

A Robust Compositional Architecture for Autonomous Systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Brat, Guillaume; Deney, Ewen; Farrell, Kimberley; Giannakopoulos, Dimitra; Jonsson, Ari; Frank, Jeremy; Bobby, Mark; Carpenter, Todd; Estlin, Tara

2006-01-01

Space exploration applications can benefit greatly from autonomous systems. Great distances, limited communications and high costs make direct operations impossible while mandating operations reliability and efficiency beyond what traditional commanding can provide. Autonomous systems can improve reliability and enhance spacecraft capability significantly. However, there is reluctance to utilizing autonomous systems. In part this is due to general hesitation about new technologies, but a more tangible concern is that of reliability of predictability of autonomous software. In this paper, we describe ongoing work aimed at increasing robustness and predictability of autonomous software, with the ultimate goal of building trust in such systems. The work combines state-of-the-art technologies and capabilities in autonomous systems with advanced validation and synthesis techniques. The focus of this paper is on the autonomous system architecture that has been defined, and on how it enables the application of validation techniques for resulting autonomous systems.

Clinical characteristics of abnormal savda syndrome type in human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immune deficiency syndrome patients: A cross-sectional investigation in Xinjiang, China.

PubMed

Peierdun, Mi-ji-ti; Liu, Wen-xian; Renaguli, Ai-ze-zi; Nurmuhammat, Amat; Li, Xiao-chun; Gulibaier, Ka-ha-er; Ainivaer, Wu-la-mu; Halmurat, Upur

2015-12-01

To investigate the distribution of abnormal hilit syndromes in traditional Uighur medicine (TUM) among human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immune deficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) patients, and to find out the clinical characteristics of abnormal savda syndrome type HIV/AIDS patients. Between June and July in 2012, 307 eligible HIV/AIDS patients from in-patient department and out-patient clinics of Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region the Sixth People's Hospital in Urumqi were investigated. TUM syndrome differentiation was performed by a senior TUM physician. Each participant completed a Sign and Symptom Check-List for Persons Living with HIV/AIDS (SSC-HIV) questionnaire. Depression was evaluated by using Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression Questionnaire. Blood specimen was collected from each participant to test the levels of blood chemicals. Of 307 HIV/AIDS patients, 189 (61.6%) were abnormal savda syndrome type, 118 (38.4%) were non-abnormal-savda syndrome type. Mean CD4 counts of abnormal savda syndrome type patients was (227.61±192.93) cells/µL, and the prevalence of anemia, thrombocytopenia, and elevated cystatin C were 49.7%, 28.6%, and 44.7%, which were significantly higher than those in the non-abnormal-savda syndrome type patients (26.3%, 16.0% and 25.0%,P<0.05). In addition, depression (79.9%) and HIV/AIDS-related symptoms such as fatigue (42.3%), back aches (40.7%), lack of appetite (33.9%), night sweats (31.7%) were more common among abnormal savda syndrome patients (P<0.05). Abnormal savda syndrome is the dominant syndrome among HIV/AIDS patients, and they present a more sever clinical manifestation.

Terrain Navigation Concepts for Autonomous Vehicles,

DTIC Science & Technology

1984-06-01

AD-fi144 994 TERRAIN NAVIGATION CONCEPTS FOR AUTONOMOUS VEHICLES (U) i/i I ARMY ENGINEER OPOGRAPHIC LABS FORT BELVOIR VA R D LEIGHTY JUN 84 ETL-R@65...FUNCTIONS The pacing problem for developing autonomous vehicles that can efficiently move to designated locations in the real world in the perfor- mance...autonomous functions can serve as general terrain navigation requirements for our discussion of autonomous vehicles . LEIGHTY Can we build a vehicular system

Understanding the Complexity of Temperature Dynamics in Xinjiang, China, from Multitemporal Scale and Spatial Perspectives

PubMed Central

Chen, Yaning; Li, Weihong; Liu, Zuhan; Wei, Chunmeng; Tang, Jie

2013-01-01

Based on the observed data from 51 meteorological stations during the period from 1958 to 2012 in Xinjiang, China, we investigated the complexity of temperature dynamics from the temporal and spatial perspectives by using a comprehensive approach including the correlation dimension (CD), classical statistics, and geostatistics. The main conclusions are as follows (1) The integer CD values indicate that the temperature dynamics are a complex and chaotic system, which is sensitive to the initial conditions. (2) The complexity of temperature dynamics decreases along with the increase of temporal scale. To describe the temperature dynamics, at least 3 independent variables are needed at daily scale, whereas at least 2 independent variables are needed at monthly, seasonal, and annual scales. (3) The spatial patterns of CD values at different temporal scales indicate that the complex temperature dynamics are derived from the complex landform. PMID:23843732

Autonomic Computing: Freedom or a Threat?

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

Fink, Glenn A.; Frincke, Deb

2007-12-01

No longer is the question whether autonomic computing will gain general acceptance but when. Experts expect autonomic computing to be widely used within 10 years. When it does become mainstream, how will autonomics change system administration and corporations, and will the change be for better or worse? The answer depends on how well we anticipate the limitations of what autonomic systems are suited to do, whether we can collectively address the vulnerabilities of autonomic approaches as we draw upon the advantages, and whether administrators, companies, partners, and users are prepared for the transition. This article presents some design considerations tomore » address the first two issues and some suggested survival techniques for the third.« less

Essential Kinematics for Autonomous Vehicles

DTIC Science & Technology

1994-05-02

AD-.A282 456 Essential Kinematics for Autonomous Vehicles Alonzo Kelly DTICCMU-RI-TR-94- 14 AU 031994 F The Robotics Institute Carnegie Mellon...kit of concepts and techniques that will equip the reader to master a large class of kinematic modelling problems. Control of autonomous vehicles in 3D...transformation from system ’a’ to system b’. Essential Kinematics for Autonomous Vehicles page 1. The specification of derivatives will be necessarily

Enrichment and assessment of the health risks posed by heavy metals in PM1 in Changji, Xinjiang, China.

PubMed

Liu, Yu Y; Shen, Ya X; Liu, Cheng; Liu, Hao F

2017-04-16

The present study aims to investigate the influence of human activity on heavy metals in a typical arid urban area of China and assess human health risks posed by heavy metals in PM 1 (particles <1.0 μm in diameter) for different people. In this paper, Changji (Xinjiang, China) was selected as the study area, and samples were collected from March 2014 to March 2015. A total 14 elements in PM 1 were quantified using ICP-MS. An enrichment factor (EF) was used to assess the influence of human activity on the contamination of these metals. The results indicated that Mn was not enriched; Co, Cu, Cr, Ni, Tl, and V were slightly enriched; Mo, Pb, and Sb were moderately enriched; and Ag, As, and Cd were strongly enriched. To assess the health risks associated with inhaling PM 1 , the risk assessment code and loss in life expectancy based on the individual metals were calculated. The results showed that the elements Ag, Cu, Mo, Pb, Sb, Tl, and V in PM 1 posed low levels of non-carcinogenic risks, but these metals may still pose risks to certain susceptible populations. In addition, the results also showed that As, Co, and Cr posed an appreciable carcinogenic risk, while Cd and Ni posed low levels of carcinogenic risk. The total predicted loss of life expectancy caused by the three metals As, Co, and Ni was 63.67 d for the elderly, 30.95 d for adult males, 26.62 d for adult females, and 48.22 d for children. Therefore, the safety of the elderly and children exposed to PM 1 should be given more attention than the safety of adults. The results from this study demonstrate that the health risks posed by heavy metals in PM 1 in Changji, Xinjiang, China should be examined.

Why Computer-Based Systems Should be Autonomic

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sterritt, Roy; Hinchey, Mike

2005-01-01

The objective of this paper is to discuss why computer-based systems should be autonomic, where autonomicity implies self-managing, often conceptualized in terms of being self-configuring, self-healing, self-optimizing, self-protecting and self-aware. We look at motivations for autonomicity, examine how more and more systems are exhibiting autonomic behavior, and finally look at future directions.

Decentralized Control of Autonomous Vehicles

DTIC Science & Technology

2003-01-01

Autonomous Vehicles by John S. Baras, Xiaobo Tan, Pedram Hovareshti CSHCN TR 2003-8 (ISR TR 2003-14) Report Documentation Page Form ApprovedOMB No. 0704...AND SUBTITLE Decentralized Control of Autonomous Vehicles 5a. CONTRACT NUMBER 5b. GRANT NUMBER 5c. PROGRAM ELEMENT NUMBER 6. AUTHOR(S) 5d. PROJECT...Standard Form 298 (Rev. 8-98) Prescribed by ANSI Std Z39-18 Decentralized Control of Autonomous Vehicles ∗ John S. Baras, Xiaobo Tan, and Pedram

Public Health, Ethics, and Autonomous Vehicles

PubMed Central

2017-01-01

With the potential to save nearly 30 000 lives per year in the United States, autonomous vehicles portend the most significant advance in auto safety history by shifting the focus from minimization of postcrash injury to collision prevention. I have delineated the important public health implications of autonomous vehicles and provided a brief analysis of a critically important ethical issue inherent in autonomous vehicle design. The broad expertise, ethical principles, and values of public health should be brought to bear on a wide range of issues pertaining to autonomous vehicles. PMID:28207327

Public Health, Ethics, and Autonomous Vehicles.

PubMed

Fleetwood, Janet

2017-04-01

With the potential to save nearly 30 000 lives per year in the United States, autonomous vehicles portend the most significant advance in auto safety history by shifting the focus from minimization of postcrash injury to collision prevention. I have delineated the important public health implications of autonomous vehicles and provided a brief analysis of a critically important ethical issue inherent in autonomous vehicle design. The broad expertise, ethical principles, and values of public health should be brought to bear on a wide range of issues pertaining to autonomous vehicles.

Autonomous Commanding of the WIRE Spacecraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Prior, Mike; Walyus, Keith; Saylor, Rick

1999-01-01

This paper presents the end-to-end design architecture for an autonomous commanding capability to be used on the Wide Field Infrared Explorer (WIRE) mission for the uplink of command loads during unattended station contacts. The WIRE mission is the fifth and final mission of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center Small Explorer (SMEX) series to be launched in March of 1999. Its primary mission is the targeting of deep space fields using an ultra-cooled infrared telescope. Due to its mission design WIRE command loads are large (approximately 40 Kbytes per 24 hours) and must be performed daily. To reduce the cost of mission operations support that would be required in order to uplink command loads, the WIRE Flight Operations Team has implemented an autonomous command loading capability. This capability allows completely unattended operations over a typical two- day weekend period. The key factors driving design and implementation of this capability were: 1) Integration with already existing ground system autonomous capabilities and systems, 2) The desire to evolve autonomous operations capabilities based upon previous SMEX operations experience 3) Integration with ground station operations - both autonomous and man-tended, 4) Low cost and quick implementation, and 5) End-to-end system robustness. A trade-off study was performed to examine these factors in light of the low-cost, higher-risk SMEX mission philosophy. The study concluded that a STOL (Spacecraft Test and Operations Language) based script, highly integrated with other scripts used to perform autonomous operations, was best suited given the budget and goals of the mission. Each of these factors is discussed to provide an overview of the autonomous operations capabilities implemented for the mission. The capabilities implemented on the WIRE mission are an example of a low-cost, robust, and efficient method for autonomous command loading when implemented with other autonomous features of the ground system. They

[Trigemino-autonomic headache syndromes].

PubMed

Busch, V; May, A

2003-01-01

This review describes the characteristics of some rare severe primary headache syndromes without any structural lesions, which are summarized as the trigemino-autonomic headaches. Pain in these syndromes is associated with autonomic symptoms such as conjunctival injection, lacrimation, rhinorrhoe, ptosis or eyelid edema. This article summarizes the diagnostics, epidemiology and therapy of these conditions.

Autoimmune autonomic ganglionopathy

PubMed Central

Wang, Z.; Low, P.A.; Jordan, J.; Freeman, R.; Gibbons, C.H.; Schroeder, C.; Sandroni, P.; Vernino, S.

2008-01-01

Background Autoimmune autonomic ganglionopathy (AAG) is an acquired immune-mediated form of diffuse autonomic failure. Many patients have serum antibodies that bind to the ganglionic acetylcholine receptors (AChRs) that mediate fast synaptic transmission in autonomic ganglia. Previous clinical studies and observations in animal models suggest that AAG is an antibody-mediated neurologic disorder. Methods Using whole-cell patch clamp techniques, we recorded ganglionic AChR currents in cultured human IMR-32 cells and examined the effects of bath application of IgG derived from patients with AAG. Results IgG from seven patients with AAG all produced a progressive decline in whole-cell ganglionic AChR current, whereas IgG from control subjects had no effect. The effect was abolished at low temperature. Fab antibody fragments had no effect unless a secondary antibody was added concurrently. IgG from one patient also produced a more immediate reduction of ganglionic AChR current. Conclusions The characteristics of antibody-mediated inhibition of ganglionic acetylcholine receptor (AChR) current are consistent with modulation and blocking of the membrane AChR, analogous to the effects of muscle AChR antibodies in myasthenia gravis. Our observations demonstrate that antibodies in patients with autoimmune autonomic ganglionopathy (AAG) cause physiologic changes in ganglionic AChR function and confirm that AAG is an antibody-mediated disorder. PMID:17536048

Autonomic Computing for Spacecraft Ground Systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Li, Zhenping; Savkli, Cetin; Jones, Lori

2007-01-01

Autonomic computing for spacecraft ground systems increases the system reliability and reduces the cost of spacecraft operations and software maintenance. In this paper, we present an autonomic computing solution for spacecraft ground systems at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), which consists of an open standard for a message oriented architecture referred to as the GMSEC architecture (Goddard Mission Services Evolution Center), and an autonomic computing tool, the Criteria Action Table (CAT). This solution has been used in many upgraded ground systems for NASA 's missions, and provides a framework for developing solutions with higher autonomic maturity.

Current challenges in autonomous vehicle development

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Connelly, J.; Hong, W. S.; Mahoney, R. B., Jr.; Sparrow, D. A.

2006-05-01

The field of autonomous vehicles is a rapidly growing one, with significant interest from both government and industry sectors. Autonomous vehicles represent the intersection of artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics, combining decision-making with real-time control. Autonomous vehicles are desired for use in search and rescue, urban reconnaissance, mine detonation, supply convoys, and more. The general adage is to use robots for anything dull, dirty, dangerous or dumb. While a great deal of research has been done on autonomous systems, there are only a handful of fielded examples incorporating machine autonomy beyond the level of teleoperation, especially in outdoor/complex environments. In an attempt to assess and understand the current state of the art in autonomous vehicle development, a few areas where unsolved problems remain became clear. This paper outlines those areas and provides suggestions for the focus of science and technology research. The first step in evaluating the current state of autonomous vehicle development was to develop a definition of autonomy. A number of autonomy level classification systems were reviewed. The resulting working definitions and classification schemes used by the authors are summarized in the opening sections of the paper. The remainder of the report discusses current approaches and challenges in decision-making and real-time control for autonomous vehicles. Suggested research focus areas for near-, mid-, and long-term development are also presented.

Compact autonomous navigation system (CANS)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hao, Y. C.; Ying, L.; Xiong, K.; Cheng, H. Y.; Qiao, G. D.

2017-11-01

Autonomous navigation of Satellite and constellation has series of benefits, such as to reduce operation cost and ground station workload, to avoid the event of crises of war and natural disaster, to increase spacecraft autonomy, and so on. Autonomous navigation satellite is independent of ground station support. Many systems are developed for autonomous navigation of satellite in the past 20 years. Along them American MANS (Microcosm Autonomous Navigation System) [1] of Microcosm Inc. and ERADS [2] [3] (Earth Reference Attitude Determination System) of Honeywell Inc. are well known. The systems anticipate a series of good features of autonomous navigation and aim low cost, integrated structure, low power consumption and compact layout. The ERADS is an integrated small 3-axis attitude sensor system with low cost and small volume. It has the Earth center measurement accuracy higher than the common IR sensor because the detected ultraviolet radiation zone of the atmosphere has a brightness gradient larger than that of the IR zone. But the ERADS is still a complex system because it has to eliminate many problems such as making of the sapphire sphere lens, birefringence effect of sapphire, high precision image transfer optical fiber flattener, ultraviolet intensifier noise, and so on. The marginal sphere FOV of the sphere lens of the ERADS is used to star imaging that may be bring some disadvantages., i.e. , the image energy and attitude measurements accuracy may be reduced due to the tilt image acceptance end of the fiber flattener in the FOV. Besides Japan, Germany and Russia developed visible earth sensor for GEO [4] [5]. Do we have a way to develop a cheaper/easier and more accurate autonomous navigation system that can be used to all LEO spacecraft, especially, to LEO small and micro satellites? To return this problem we provide a new type of the system—CANS (Compact Autonomous Navigation System) [6].

First report of Rickettsia raoultii and R. slovaca in Melophagus ovinus, the sheep ked.

PubMed

Liu, Dan; Wang, Yuan-Zhi; Zhang, Huan; Liu, Zhi-Qiang; Wureli, Ha-Zi; Wang, Shi-Wei; Tu, Chang-Chun; Chen, Chuang-Fu

2016-11-25

Melophagus ovinus (Diptera: Hippoboscidae), a hematophagous ectoparasite, is mainly found in Europe, Northwestern Africa, and Asia. This wingless fly infests sheep, rabbits, and red foxes, and causes inflammation, wool loss and skin damage. Furthermore, this parasite has been shown to transmit diseases, and plays a role as a vector. Herein, we investigated the presence of various Rickettsia species in M. ovinus. In this study, a total of 95 sheep keds were collected in Kuqa County and Alaer City southern region of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, northwestern China. First, collected sheep keds were identified on the species level using morphological keys and molecular methods based on a fragment of the 18S ribosomal DNA gene (18S rDNA). Thereafter, to assess the presence of rickettsial DNA in sheep keds, the DNA of individual samples was screened by PCR based on six Rickettsia-specific gene fragments originating from six genes: the 17-kilodalton antigen gene (17-kDa), 16S rRNA gene (rrs), surface cell antigen 4 gene (sca4), citrate synthase gene (gltA), and outer membrane protein A and B genes (ompA and ompB). The amplified products were confirmed by sequencing and BLAST analysis ( https://blast.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/Blast.cgi?PROGRAM=blastn&PAGE_TYPE=BlastSearch&LINK_LOC=blasthome ). According to its morphology and results of molecular analysis, the species was identified as Melophagus ovinus, with 100% identity to M. ovinus from St. Kilda, Australia (FN666411). DNA of Rickettsia spp. were found in 12 M. ovinus samples (12.63%, 12/95). Rickettsia raoultii and R. slovaca were confirmed based on phylogenetic analysis, although the genetic markers of these two rickettsial agents amplified in this study showed molecular diversity. This is the first report of R. raoultii and R. slovaca DNA in M. ovinus. Rickettsia slovaca was found for the first time around the Taklimakan Desert located in China. This finding extends the geographical range of spotted fever group

First detection of Candidatus Rickettsia barbariae in the flea Vermipsylla alakurt from north-western China.

PubMed

Zhao, Shan-Shan; Li, Hong-Yu; Yin, Xiao-Ping; Liu, Zhi-Qiang; Chen, Chuang-Fu; Wang, Yuan-Zhi

2016-06-07

Vermipsylla is a genus of the family Vermipsyllidae within the order Siphonaptera of fleas. Vermipsylla alakurt is mainly distributed in alpine pastoral areas of Kazakhstan, Mongolia, China and Nepal, and infests sheep, yaks and horses, causing irritation, poor condition, anaemia and even death. However, to date, no rickettsial agents have been reported in V. alakurt. A total of 133 fleas were collected directly from the tails of three sheep flocks (n = 335) in Minfeng County, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, north-western China. Of these, 55 fleas were identified by morphological examination and molecular analysis of four loci (the ribosomal 18S and 28S rDNA genes and the mitochondrial genes cytochrome  c oxidase subunit II and elongation factor 1-alpha). Eight Rickettsia-specific gene fragments originated from seven genes: the 17-kilodalton antigen gene (17-kDa), citrate synthase gene (gltA), 16S rRNA gene (rrs), outer membrane protein A gene (ompA), surface cell antigen 1 gene (sca1), PS120 protein gene (gene D), and outer membrane protein B gene (ompB, two fragments), were used to identify the species of Rickettsia in 53 fleas. The amplified products were sequenced and included in a phylogenetic analysis to verify the taxonomic identification of the rickettsial agents. Based on morphological and molecular evidence, the flea was identified as Vermipsylla alakurt. Nine samples were positive (16.98 %, 9/53) for Rickettsia spp. The phylogenetic tree revealed that the rickettsial agents found in V. alakurt cluster with Candidatus Rickettsia barbariae. Our study suggests that: (i) V. alakurt may serve as a carrier for Candidatus R. barbariae; and (ii) Candidatus R. barbariae, previously reported in Israel, is the eighth newly discovered validated Rickettsia species in China. This finding extends our knowledge of the distribution of Candidatus R. barbariae and the profile of carriers, which not only comprise ticks but also fleas.

The spatial-temporal evolution law of microseismic activities in the failure process of deep rock masses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yuan-hui, Li; Gang, Lei; Shi-da, Xu; Da-wei, Wu

2018-07-01

Under high stress and blasting disturbance, the failure of deep rock masses is a complex, dynamic evolutionary process. To reveal the relation between macroscopic failure of deep rock masses and spatial-temporal evolution law of micro-cracking within, the initiation, extension, and connection of micro-cracks under blasting disturbance and the deformation and failure mechanism of deep rock masses were studied. The investigation was carried out using the microseismic (MS) monitoring system established in the deep mining area of Ashele Copper Mine (Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, China). The results showed that the failure of the deep rock masses is a dynamic process accompanied with stress release and stress adjustment. It is not only related to the blasting-based mining, but also associated with zones of stress concentration formed due to the mining. In that space, the concentrated area in the cloud chart for the distribution of MS event density before failure of the rocks shows the basically same pattern with the damaged rocks obtained through scanning of mined-out areas, which indicates that the cloud chart can be used to determine potential risk areas of rocks in the spatial domain. In the time domain, relevant parameters of MS events presented different changes before the failure of the rocks: the energy index decreased while the cumulative apparent volume gradually increased, the magnitude distribution of microseismic events decreased rapidly, and the fractal dimension decreased at first and then remained stable. This demonstrates that the different changes in relevant MS parameters allow researchers to predict the failure time of the rocks. By analysing the dynamic evolution process of the failure of the deep rock masses, areas at potential risk can be predicted spatially and temporally. The result provides guidance for those involved in the safe production and management of underground engineering and establishes a theoretical basis for the study on the

Precipitation alters plastic film mulching impacts on soil respiration in an arid area of northwest China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ming, Guanghui; Hu, Hongchang; Tian, Fuqiang; Peng, Zhenyang; Yang, Pengju; Luo, Yiqi

2018-05-01

Plastic film mulching (PFM) has widely been used around the world to save water and improve crop yield. However, the effect of PFM on soil respiration (Rs) remains unclear and could be further confounded by irrigation and precipitation. To address these topics, controlled experiments were conducted in mulched and non-mulched fields under drip irrigation from 2014 to 2016 in an arid area of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, northwest China. The spatio-temporal pattern of soil surface CO2 flux as an index of soil respiration under drip irrigation with PFM was investigated, and the confounded effects of PFM and irrigation/precipitation on soil respiration were explored. The main findings were as follows. (1) Furrows, planting holes, and plastic mulch are three important pathways of soil CO2 emissions in mulched fields, of which the planting hole efflux outweighs that from the furrow, with the largest values of 8.0 and 6.6 µmol m-2 s-1, respectively, and the plastic mulch itself can emit up to 3.6 µmol m-2 s-1 of CO2. (2) The frequent application of water (i.e. through irrigation and precipitation) elevates soil moisture and soil respiration and enhances their variation. The resultant higher variation of soil moisture further alleviates the sensitivity of soil respiration to soil temperature, leading to a weak correlation and lower Q10 values. (3) Soil CO2 effluxes from furrows and ridges in mulched fields outweigh the corresponding values in non-mulched fields in arid areas. However, this outweighing relation attenuates with increasing precipitation. Furthermore, by combining our results with those from the literature, we show that the difference in soil CO2 effluxes between non-mulched and mulched fields presents a linear relation with the amount of precipitation, which results in negative values in arid areas and positive values in humid areas. Therefore, whether PFM increases soil respiration or not depends on the amount of precipitation during the crop

Soil respiration in typical plant communities in the wetland surrounding the high-salinity Ebinur Lake

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Yanhong; Zhao, Mingliang; Li, Fadong

2018-03-01

Soil respiration in wetlands surrounding lakes is a vital component of the soil carbon cycle in arid regions. However, information remains limited on the soil respiration around highly saline lakes during the plant growing season. Here, we aimed to evaluate diurnal and seasonal variation in soil respiration to elucidate the controlling factors in the wetland of Ebinur Lake, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, western China. We used a soil carbon flux automatic analyzer (LI-840A) to measure soil respiration rates during the growing season (April to November) in two fields covered by reeds and tamarisk and one field with no vegetation (bare soil) from 2015 to 2016. The results showed a single peak in the diurnal pattern of soil respiration from 11:00 to 17:00 for plots covered in reeds, tamarisk, and bare soil, with minimum values being detected from 03:00 to 07:00. During the growing season, the soil respiration of reeds and tamarisk peaked during the thriving period (4.16 and 3.75 mmol•m-2•s-1, respectively), while that of bare soil peaked during the intermediate growth period (0.74 mmol•m-2•s-1). The soil respiration in all three plots was lowest during the wintering period (0.08, 0.09, and-0.87 mmol•m-2•s-1, respectively). Air temperature and relative humidity significantly influenced soil respiration. A significant linear relationship was detected between soil respiration and soil temperature for reeds, tamarisk, and bare soil. The average Q10 of reeds and tamarisk were larger than that of bare soil. However, soil moisture content was not the main factor controlling soil respiration. Soil respiration was negatively correlated with soil pH and soil salinity in all three plot types. In contrast, soil respiration was positively correlated with organic carbon. Overall, CO2 emissions and greenhouse gases had a relatively weak effect on the wetlands surrounding the highly saline Ebinur Lake.

Autonomous planetary rover

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Krotkov, Eric; Simmons, Reid; Whittaker, William

1992-02-01

This report describes progress in research on an autonomous robot for planetary exploration performed during 1991 at the Robotics Institute, Carnegie Mellon University. The report summarizes the achievements during calendar year 1991, and lists personnel and publications. In addition, it includes several papers resulting from the research. Research in 1991 focused on understanding the unique capabilities of the Ambler mechanism and on autonomous walking in rough, natural terrain. We also designed a sample acquisition system, and began to configure a successor to the Ambler.

Autonomous Flight Safety System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Simpson, James

2010-01-01

The Autonomous Flight Safety System (AFSS) is an independent self-contained subsystem mounted onboard a launch vehicle. AFSS has been developed by and is owned by the US Government. Autonomously makes flight termination/destruct decisions using configurable software-based rules implemented on redundant flight processors using data from redundant GPS/IMU navigation sensors. AFSS implements rules determined by the appropriate Range Safety officials.

Horse-mounted invaders from the Russo-Kazakh steppe or agricultural colonists from western Central Asia? A craniometric investigation of the Bronze Age settlement of Xinjiang.

PubMed

Hemphill, Brian E; Mallory, J P

2004-07-01

Numerous Bronze Age cemeteries in the oases surrounding the Täklamakan Desert of the Tarim Basin in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, western China, have yielded both mummified and skeletal human remains. A dearth of local antecedents, coupled with woolen textiles and the apparent Western physical appearance of the population, raised questions as to where these people came from. Two hypotheses have been offered by archaeologists to account for the origins of Bronze Age populations of the Tarim Basin. These are the "steppe hypothesis" and the "Bactrian oasis hypothesis." Eight craniometric variables from 25 Aeneolithic and Bronze Age samples, comprising 1,353 adults from the Tarim Basin, the Russo-Kazakh steppe, southern China, Central Asia, Iran, and the Indus Valley, are compared to test which, if either, of these hypotheses are supported by the pattern of phenetic affinities possessed by Bronze Age inhabitants of the Tarim Basin. Craniometric differences between samples are compared with Mahalanobis generalized distance (d2), and patterns of phenetic affinity are assessed with two types of cluster analysis (the weighted pair average linkage method and the neighbor-joining method), multidimensional scaling, and principal coordinates analysis. Results obtained by this analysis provide little support for either the steppe hypothesis or the Bactrian oasis hypothesis. Rather, the pattern of phenetic affinities manifested by Bronze Age inhabitants of the Tarim Basin suggests the presence of a population of unknown origin within the Tarim Basin during the early Bronze Age. After 1200 B.C., this population experienced significant gene flow from highland populations of the Pamirs and Ferghana Valley. These highland populations may include those who later became known as the Saka and who may have served as "middlemen" facilitating contacts between East (Tarim Basin, China) and West (Bactria, Uzbekistan) along what later became known as the Great Silk Road. Copyright

Analysis of autonomous vehicle policies.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2017-01-01

The rapid development and adoption of connected and autonomous vehicles will transform the U.S. transportation system over the next 30 years. Although the widespread use of fully connected and autonomous vehicles is still several years away, it is no...

Waist-to-Height Ratio and Triglycerides/High-Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol Were the Optimal Predictors of Metabolic Syndrome in Uighur Men and Women in Xinjiang, China.

PubMed

Chen, Bang-Dang; Yang, Yi-Ning; Ma, Yi-Tong; Pan, Shuo; He, Chun-Hui; Liu, Fen; Ma, Xiang; Fu, Zhen-Yan; Li, Xiao-Mei; Xie, Xiang; Zheng, Ying-Ying

2015-06-01

This study aimed to identify the best single predictor of metabolic syndrome by comparing the predictive ability of various anthropometric and atherogenic parameters among a Uighur population in Xinjiang, northwest China. A total of 4767 Uighur participants were selected from the Cardiovascular Risk Survey (CRS), which was carried out from October, 2007, to March, 2010. Anthropometric data, blood pressure, serum concentration of serum total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TGs), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), and fasting glucose were documented. Prevalence of metabolic syndrome and its individual components were confirmed according to International Diabetes Federation (IDF) criteria. Area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) of each variable for the presence of metabolic syndrome was compared. The sensitivity (Sen), specificity (Spe), distance in the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, and cutoffs of each variable for the presence of metabolic syndrome were calculated. In all, 23.7% of men had the metabolic syndrome, whereas 40.1% of women had the metabolic syndrome in a Uighur population in Xinjiang; the prevalence of metabolic syndrome in women was significantly higher than that in men (P<0.001). In men, the waist-to-height ratio (WHtR) had the highest AUC value (AUC=0.838); it was followed by TGs/HDL-C (AUC=0.826), body mass index (BMI) (AUC=0.812), waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) (AUC=0.781), and body adiposity index (BAI) (AUC=0.709). In women, the TGs/HDL-C had the highest AUC value (AUC=0.815); it was followed by WHtR (AUC=0.780), WHR (AUC=0.730), BMI (AUC=0.719), and BAI (AUC=0.699). Similarly, among all five anthropometric and atherogenic parameters, the WHtR had the shortest ROC distance of 0.32 (Sen=85.40%, Spe=71.6%), and the optimal cutoff for WHtR was 0.55 in men. In women, TGs/HDL-C had the shortest ROC distance of 0.35 (Sen=75.29%, Spe=75.18%), and the optimal cutoff

Cardiac Autonomic Balance vs. Cardiac Regulatory Capacity

PubMed Central

Berntson, Gary G.; Norman, Greg J.; Hawkley, Louise C.; Cacioppo, John T.

2013-01-01

The concept of autonomic balance views autonomic states along a bipolar continuum from sympathetic (S) to parasympathetic (P) dominance, whereas regulatory capacity models emphasize overall autonomic flexibility as a marker of the capacity for regulation. These two concepts were evaluated for their utility in characterizing patterns of autonomic control. Measures of P (high frequency heart rate variability, HF) and S (pre-ejection period, PEP) cardiac control were obtained. A measure of cardiac autonomic balance (CAB) was derived as the difference in the normalized P index minus the S index, and a measure of cardiac autonomic regulation (CAR) was derived as the normalized P index plus the S index. Results reveal that CAR, but not CAB, was a significant predictor of the prior occurrence of a myocardial infarction, net of demographic and other variables, whereas CAB, but not CAR, was a significant predictor of concurrent diabetes. PMID:18282204

Multi-organ autonomic dysfunction in Parkinson disease

PubMed Central

2010-01-01

Both pathologic and clinical studies of autonomic pathways have expanded the concept of Parkinson disease (PD) from a movement disorder to a multi-level widespread neurodegenerative process with non-motor features spanning several organ systems. This review integrates neuropathologic findings and autonomic physiology in PD as it relates to end organ autonomic function. Symptoms, pathology and physiology of the cardiovascular, skin/sweat gland, urinary, gastrointestinal, pupillary and neuroendocrine systems can be probed by autopsy, biopsy and non-invasive electrophysiological techniques in vivo which assess autonomic anatomy and function. There is mounting evidence that PD affects a chain of neurons in autonomic pathways. Consequently, autonomic physiology may serve as a window into non-motor PD progression and allow the development of mechanistically based treatment strategies for several non-motor features of PD. End-organ physiologic markers may be used to inform a model of PD pathophysiology and non-motor progression. PMID:20851033

Breast-feeding patterns of ethnic groups in rural western China.

PubMed

Qu, Pengfei; Wang, Ting; Liu, Fang; Dang, Shaonong; Zeng, Lengxia; Yan, Hong

2015-12-01

To determine the breast-feeding pattern of four main ethnic groups (the Han, Uygur, Tibetan and Zhuang) living in rural western China. The study utilized a cross-sectional design. Forty-five counties in ten provinces in western China in 2005. A sample of 11 783 children younger than 36 months old (8960 Han, 1281 Uygur, 792 Tibetan and 750 Zhuang) and their mothers were recruited using a stratified, multistage, cluster random sampling method. The rates of exclusive breast-feeding of children at 6 months of age in the Han, Uygur, Tibetan and Zhuang ethnic groups were 11.6 %, 0.8%, 4.4% and 13.8%, respectively. The rates of any breast-feeding for children at 24 months of age were 8.5%, 25.7%, 3.0% and 4.3% in the four ethnic groups, respectively. After adjusting for related factors, Zhuang children had a higher odds ratio of exclusive breast-feeding to 6 months compared with Han children, whereas Uygur and Tibetan children had lower odds ratio (Zhuang: OR=1.291; 95% CI 1.006, 1.657; Uugur: OR=0.062; 95% CI 0.032, 0.121; Tibetan: OR=0.323; 95% CI 0.220, 0.475). Uygur children had a lower hazard ratio of discontinued breast-feeding compared with Han children, whereas Tibetan children had a higher hazard ratio (Uygur: HR=0.368; 95% CI 0.333, 0.408; Tibetan: HR=1.366; 95% CI 1.244, 1.500). The breast-feeding pattern differed among the Han, Uygur, Tibetan and Zhuang ethnic groups. The results suggest that health education regarding the benefits of breast-feeding is needed in rural western China.

Screening and Characterization of Oleaginous Microalgal Species from Northern Xinjiang.

PubMed

Wu, Lei; Xu, Liangliang; Hu, Chunxiang

2015-06-01

A total of 646 strains, including green algae and diatoms, were isolated from 220 samples to screen microalgae with high lipid productivity (LP). The samples were obtained from nine habitats in Northern Xinjiang, China in June 2013. This study initially identified eight lipidrich strains, namely, Desmodesmus intermedius XJ-498, D. intermedius XJ-145, D. intermedius XJ- 99, Monoraphidium pusillum XJ-489, M. dybowskii XJ-435, M. dybowskii XJ-151, Mychonastes homosphaera XJ-488, and Podohedriella falcata XJ-176, based on 18S rDNA sequencing. The strains were cultured in a photobioreactor for the same period. Results showed that the specific growth rate (day(-1)) of M. pusillum XJ-489 was the highest (1.14 ± 0.06), and the biomass concentration (g/l) of D. intermedius XJ-99 was the highest (2.84 ± 0.3). Futhermore, the lipid content (%) of M. dybowskii XJ-151 was the highest (33.5 ± 4.38), and the lipid productivity (mg l(-1) day(-1)) of My. homosphaera XJ-488 was the highest (86.41 ± 9.04). C16 to C18 accounted for 86% to 98% of the total lipid, and the biodiesel qualities of the selected algae corresponded to international standards. This study suggests that My. homosphaera XJ-488, D. intermedius XJ-99, and M. dybowskii XJ-151 are the most potential strains for biodiesel production among all the isolated strains.

Expanded Perspectives on Autonomous Learners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Oxford, Rebecca L.

2015-01-01

This paper explores two general perspectives on autonomous learners: psychological and sociocultural. These perspectives introduce a range of theoretically grounded facets of autonomous learners, facets such as the self-regulated learner, the emotionally intelligent learner, the self-determined learner, the mediated learner, the socioculturally…

Autonomic symptoms following Zika virus infection.

PubMed

Rodríguez, Yhojan; Rojas, Manuel; Ramírez-Santana, Carolina; Acosta-Ampudia, Yeny; Monsalve, Diana M; Anaya, Juan-Manuel

2018-04-01

To determine if autonomic symptoms are associated with previous Zika virus infection. Case-control study including 35 patients with Zika virus infection without evidence of neurological disease and 105 controls. Symptoms of autonomic dysfunction were assessed with the composite autonomic symptom scale 31 (COMPASS-31). Patients with previous Zika virus infection had significantly higher COMPASS-31 score than controls regardless of age and sex (p = 0.007). The main drivers for the higher scores where orthostatic intolerance (p = 0.003), secretomotor (p = 0.04) and bladder symptoms (p < 0.001). Zika virus infection is associated with autonomic dysfunction. The mechanisms remain to be elucidated.

General autonomic components of motion sickness

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cowings, Patricia S.; Suter, Steve; Toscano, William B.; Kamiya, Joe; Naifeh, Karen

1986-01-01

This report refers to a body of investigations directed toward the examination of autonomic nervous system responses to motion sickness. Heart rate, respiration rate, finger pulse volume, and basal skin resistance were measured on 127 men and women before, during, and after exposure to a nauseogenic rotating chair test. Significant changes in all autonomic responses were observed across the tests (p less than .05). Significant differences in autonomic responses among groups divided according to motion sickness susceptibility were also observed (p less than .05). Results suggest that the examination of autonomic responses as an objective indicator of motion sickness malaise is warranted and may contribute to the overall understanding of the syndrome.

Physics Simulation Software for Autonomous Propellant Loading and Gas House Autonomous System Monitoring

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Regalado Reyes, Bjorn Constant

2015-01-01

1. Kennedy Space Center (KSC) is developing a mobile launching system with autonomous propellant loading capabilities for liquid-fueled rockets. An autonomous system will be responsible for monitoring and controlling the storage, loading and transferring of cryogenic propellants. The Physics Simulation Software will reproduce the sensor data seen during the delivery of cryogenic fluids including valve positions, pressures, temperatures and flow rates. The simulator will provide insight into the functionality of the propellant systems and demonstrate the effects of potential faults. This will provide verification of the communications protocols and the autonomous system control. 2. The High Pressure Gas Facility (HPGF) stores and distributes hydrogen, nitrogen, helium and high pressure air. The hydrogen and nitrogen are stored in cryogenic liquid state. The cryogenic fluids pose several hazards to operators and the storage and transfer equipment. Constant monitoring of pressures, temperatures and flow rates are required in order to maintain the safety of personnel and equipment during the handling and storage of these commodities. The Gas House Autonomous System Monitoring software will be responsible for constantly observing and recording sensor data, identifying and predicting faults and relaying hazard and operational information to the operators.

Architecture of autonomous systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dikshit, Piyush; Guimaraes, Katia; Ramamurthy, Maya; Agrawala, Ashok; Larsen, Ronald L.

1986-01-01

Automation of Space Station functions and activities, particularly those involving robotic capabilities with interactive or supervisory human control, is a complex, multi-disciplinary systems design problem. A wide variety of applications using autonomous control can be found in the literature, but none of them seem to address the problem in general. All of them are designed with a specific application in mind. In this report, an abstract model is described which unifies the key concepts underlying the design of automated systems such as those studied by the aerospace contractors. The model has been kept as general as possible. The attempt is to capture all the key components of autonomous systems. With a little effort, it should be possible to map the functions of any specific autonomous system application to the model presented here.

Architecture of autonomous systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dikshit, Piyush; Guimaraes, Katia; Ramamurthy, Maya; Agrawala, Ashok; Larsen, Ronald L.

1989-01-01

Automation of Space Station functions and activities, particularly those involving robotic capabilities with interactive or supervisory human control, is a complex, multi-disciplinary systems design problem. A wide variety of applications using autonomous control can be found in the literature, but none of them seem to address the problem in general. All of them are designed with a specific application in mind. In this report, an abstract model is described which unifies the key concepts underlying the design of automated systems such as those studied by the aerospace contractors. The model has been kept as general as possible. The attempt is to capture all the key components of autonomous systems. With a little effort, it should be possible to map the functions of any specific autonomous system application to the model presented here.

Supervised autonomous robotic soft tissue surgery.

PubMed

Shademan, Azad; Decker, Ryan S; Opfermann, Justin D; Leonard, Simon; Krieger, Axel; Kim, Peter C W

2016-05-04

The current paradigm of robot-assisted surgeries (RASs) depends entirely on an individual surgeon's manual capability. Autonomous robotic surgery-removing the surgeon's hands-promises enhanced efficacy, safety, and improved access to optimized surgical techniques. Surgeries involving soft tissue have not been performed autonomously because of technological limitations, including lack of vision systems that can distinguish and track the target tissues in dynamic surgical environments and lack of intelligent algorithms that can execute complex surgical tasks. We demonstrate in vivo supervised autonomous soft tissue surgery in an open surgical setting, enabled by a plenoptic three-dimensional and near-infrared fluorescent (NIRF) imaging system and an autonomous suturing algorithm. Inspired by the best human surgical practices, a computer program generates a plan to complete complex surgical tasks on deformable soft tissue, such as suturing and intestinal anastomosis. We compared metrics of anastomosis-including the consistency of suturing informed by the average suture spacing, the pressure at which the anastomosis leaked, the number of mistakes that required removing the needle from the tissue, completion time, and lumen reduction in intestinal anastomoses-between our supervised autonomous system, manual laparoscopic surgery, and clinically used RAS approaches. Despite dynamic scene changes and tissue movement during surgery, we demonstrate that the outcome of supervised autonomous procedures is superior to surgery performed by expert surgeons and RAS techniques in ex vivo porcine tissues and in living pigs. These results demonstrate the potential for autonomous robots to improve the efficacy, consistency, functional outcome, and accessibility of surgical techniques. Copyright © 2016, American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Effect of 5-HT2A Receptor Polymorphisms, Work Stressors, and Social Support on Job Strain among Petroleum Workers in Xinjiang, China.

PubMed

Jiang, Yu; Tang, Jinhua; Li, Rong; Zhao, Junling; Song, Zhixin; Ge, Hua; Lian, Yulong; Liu, Jiwen

2016-12-19

Previous studies have shown that work stressors and social support influence job strain. However, few studies have examined the impact of individual differences on job strain. In Xinjiang, there are a large number of petroleum workers in arid deserts. The present study investigated the effects of work stressors, social support, and 5-hydroxytryptamine receptor (5-HTR2A) genotype on the etiology of job strain among petroleum workers in Xinjiang. A cross-sectional study was carried out between January and August 2013. A total of 700 workers were selected by a three-stage stratified sampling method. 5-HTR2A genotypes were determined with the SNaPshot single nucleotide polymorphism assay. Work stressors and job strain were evaluated with the Occupational Stress Inventory-Revised questionnaire. Social support was assessed with the Chinese Social Support Rating Scale. Work overload and responsibility were significantly associated with job strain. Low social support was associated with severe vocational and interpersonal strain. High social support was a protective factor against job strain (odds ratio (OR) = 0.32, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.14-0.76). The CC genotype of rs6313 and the AA genotype of rs2070040 were linked to severe vocational strain. Ordinal logistic regression analysis revealed that the CC genotype of rs6313 was linked to higher risk of job strain than the TT genotype (OR = 1.88, 95% CI: 1.10-3.23). These data provide evidence that work stressors, low social support, and 5-HTR2A gene polymorphism contributes to the risk of job strain.

Effect of 5-HT2A Receptor Polymorphisms, Work Stressors, and Social Support on Job Strain among Petroleum Workers in Xinjiang, China

PubMed Central

Jiang, Yu; Tang, Jinhua; Li, Rong; Zhao, Junling; Song, Zhixin; Ge, Hua; Lian, Yulong; Liu, Jiwen

2016-01-01

Previous studies have shown that work stressors and social support influence job strain. However, few studies have examined the impact of individual differences on job strain. In Xinjiang, there are a large number of petroleum workers in arid deserts. The present study investigated the effects of work stressors, social support, and 5-hydroxytryptamine receptor (5-HTR2A) genotype on the etiology of job strain among petroleum workers in Xinjiang. A cross-sectional study was carried out between January and August 2013. A total of 700 workers were selected by a three-stage stratified sampling method. 5-HTR2A genotypes were determined with the SNaPshot single nucleotide polymorphism assay. Work stressors and job strain were evaluated with the Occupational Stress Inventory-Revised questionnaire. Social support was assessed with the Chinese Social Support Rating Scale. Work overload and responsibility were significantly associated with job strain. Low social support was associated with severe vocational and interpersonal strain. High social support was a protective factor against job strain (odds ratio (OR) = 0.32, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.14–0.76). The CC genotype of rs6313 and the AA genotype of rs2070040 were linked to severe vocational strain. Ordinal logistic regression analysis revealed that the CC genotype of rs6313 was linked to higher risk of job strain than the TT genotype (OR = 1.88, 95% CI: 1.10–3.23). These data provide evidence that work stressors, low social support, and 5-HTR2A gene polymorphism contributes to the risk of job strain. PMID:27999378

Autonomous Learner Model Resource Book

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Betts, George T.; Carey, Robin J.; Kapushion, Blanche M.

2016-01-01

"Autonomous Learner Model Resource Book" includes activities and strategies to support the development of autonomous learners. More than 40 activities are included, all geared to the emotional, social, cognitive, and physical development of students. Teachers may use these activities and strategies with the entire class, small groups, or…

Sustainable and Autonomic Space Exploration Missions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hinchey, Michael G.; Sterritt, Roy; Rouff, Christopher; Rash, James L.; Truszkowski, Walter

2006-01-01

Visions for future space exploration have long term science missions in sight, resulting in the need for sustainable missions. Survivability is a critical property of sustainable systems and may be addressed through autonomicity, an emerging paradigm for self-management of future computer-based systems based on inspiration from the human autonomic nervous system. This paper examines some of the ongoing research efforts to realize these survivable systems visions, with specific emphasis on developments in Autonomic Policies.

Autonomous software: Myth or magic?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Allan, A.; Naylor, T.; Saunders, E. S.

2008-03-01

We discuss work by the eSTAR project which demonstrates a fully closed loop autonomous system for the follow up of possible micro-lensing anomalies. Not only are the initial micro-lensing detections followed up in real time, but ongoing events are prioritised and continually monitored, with the returned data being analysed automatically. If the ``smart software'' running the observing campaign detects a planet-like anomaly, further follow-up will be scheduled autonomously and other telescopes and telescope networks alerted to the possible planetary detection. We further discuss the implications of this, and how such projects can be used to build more general autonomous observing and control systems.

Cybersecurity for aerospace autonomous systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Straub, Jeremy

2015-05-01

High profile breaches have occurred across numerous information systems. One area where attacks are particularly problematic is autonomous control systems. This paper considers the aerospace information system, focusing on elements that interact with autonomous control systems (e.g., onboard UAVs). It discusses the trust placed in the autonomous systems and supporting systems (e.g., navigational aids) and how this trust can be validated. Approaches to remotely detect the UAV compromise, without relying on the onboard software (on a potentially compromised system) as part of the process are discussed. How different levels of autonomy (task-based, goal-based, mission-based) impact this remote characterization is considered.

Autonomous control systems - Architecture and fundamental issues

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Antsaklis, P. J.; Passino, K. M.; Wang, S. J.

1988-01-01

A hierarchical functional autonomous controller architecture is introduced. In particular, the architecture for the control of future space vehicles is described in detail; it is designed to ensure the autonomous operation of the control system and it allows interaction with the pilot and crew/ground station, and the systems on board the autonomous vehicle. The fundamental issues in autonomous control system modeling and analysis are discussed. It is proposed to utilize a hybrid approach to modeling and analysis of autonomous systems. This will incorporate conventional control methods based on differential equations and techniques for the analysis of systems described with a symbolic formalism. In this way, the theory of conventional control can be fully utilized. It is stressed that autonomy is the design requirement and intelligent control methods appear at present, to offer some of the necessary tools to achieve autonomy. A conventional approach may evolve and replace some or all of the `intelligent' functions. It is shown that in addition to conventional controllers, the autonomous control system incorporates planning, learning, and FDI (fault detection and identification).

Characterization of cosmetic sticks at Xiaohe Cemetery in early Bronze Age Xinjiang, China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mai, Huijuan; Yang, Yimin; Abuduresule, Idelisi; Li, Wenying; Hu, Xingjun; Wang, Changsui

2016-01-01

Cosmetics have been studied for a long time in the society and culture research, and its consumption is regarded as a cultural symbol of human society. This paper focuses on the analysis of the red cosmetic sticks, found in Xiaohe Cemetery (1980-1450BC), Xinjiang, China. The structure of the red cosmetic sticks was disclosed by SR-μCT scanning (Synchrotron Radiation Micro-computed Tomography), while the chemical components were characterized by FTIR (Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy), Raman Spectroscopy and Proteomics. The results suggested that the cosmetic sticks were made from the cattle heart and covered with a layer of hematite powders as the pigment. Given the numerous red painted relics in Xiaohe Cemetery, this kind of cosmetic sticks might be used as a primitive form of crayon for makeup and painting. The usage of cattle hearts as cosmetic sticks is firstly reported up to our knowledge, which not only reveals the varied utilizations of cattle in Xiaohe Cemetery but also shows the distinctive religious function. Furthermore, these red cosmetic sticks were usually buried with women, implying that the woman may be the painter and play a special role in religious activities.

Characterization of cosmetic sticks at Xiaohe Cemetery in early Bronze Age Xinjiang, China

PubMed Central

Mai, Huijuan; Yang, Yimin; Abuduresule, Idelisi; Li, Wenying; Hu, Xingjun; Wang, Changsui

2016-01-01

Cosmetics have been studied for a long time in the society and culture research, and its consumption is regarded as a cultural symbol of human society. This paper focuses on the analysis of the red cosmetic sticks, found in Xiaohe Cemetery (1980–1450BC), Xinjiang, China. The structure of the red cosmetic sticks was disclosed by SR-μCT scanning (Synchrotron Radiation Micro-computed Tomography), while the chemical components were characterized by FTIR (Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy), Raman Spectroscopy and Proteomics. The results suggested that the cosmetic sticks were made from the cattle heart and covered with a layer of hematite powders as the pigment. Given the numerous red painted relics in Xiaohe Cemetery, this kind of cosmetic sticks might be used as a primitive form of crayon for makeup and painting. The usage of cattle hearts as cosmetic sticks is firstly reported up to our knowledge, which not only reveals the varied utilizations of cattle in Xiaohe Cemetery but also shows the distinctive religious function. Furthermore, these red cosmetic sticks were usually buried with women, implying that the woman may be the painter and play a special role in religious activities. PMID:26820435

Characterization of cosmetic sticks at Xiaohe Cemetery in early Bronze Age Xinjiang, China.

PubMed

Mai, Huijuan; Yang, Yimin; Abuduresule, Idelisi; Li, Wenying; Hu, Xingjun; Wang, Changsui

2016-01-28

Cosmetics have been studied for a long time in the society and culture research, and its consumption is regarded as a cultural symbol of human society. This paper focuses on the analysis of the red cosmetic sticks, found in Xiaohe Cemetery (1980-1450BC), Xinjiang, China. The structure of the red cosmetic sticks was disclosed by SR-μCT scanning (Synchrotron Radiation Micro-computed Tomography), while the chemical components were characterized by FTIR (Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy), Raman Spectroscopy and Proteomics. The results suggested that the cosmetic sticks were made from the cattle heart and covered with a layer of hematite powders as the pigment. Given the numerous red painted relics in Xiaohe Cemetery, this kind of cosmetic sticks might be used as a primitive form of crayon for makeup and painting. The usage of cattle hearts as cosmetic sticks is firstly reported up to our knowledge, which not only reveals the varied utilizations of cattle in Xiaohe Cemetery but also shows the distinctive religious function. Furthermore, these red cosmetic sticks were usually buried with women, implying that the woman may be the painter and play a special role in religious activities.

Connected and autonomous vehicles 2040 vision.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2014-07-01

The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) commissioned a one-year project, Connected and Autonomous : Vehicles 2040 Vision, with researchers at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) to assess the implications of connected and : autonomous ve...

Autonomous Operations System: Development and Application

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Toro Medina, Jaime A.; Wilkins, Kim N.; Walker, Mark; Stahl, Gerald M.

2016-01-01

Autonomous control systems provides the ability of self-governance beyond the conventional control system. As the complexity of mechanical and electrical systems increases, there develops a natural drive for developing robust control systems to manage complicated operations. By closing the bridge between conventional automated systems to knowledge based self-awareness systems, nominal control of operations can evolve into relying on safe critical mitigation processes to support any off-nominal behavior. Current research and development efforts lead by the Autonomous Propellant Loading (APL) group at NASA Kennedy Space Center aims to improve cryogenic propellant transfer operations by developing an automated control and health monitoring system. As an integrated systems, the center aims to produce an Autonomous Operations System (AOS) capable of integrating health management operations with automated control to produce a fully autonomous system.

Autonomous Power System intelligent diagnosis and control

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ringer, Mark J.; Quinn, Todd M.; Merolla, Anthony

1991-01-01

The Autonomous Power System (APS) project at NASA Lewis Research Center is designed to demonstrate the abilities of integrated intelligent diagnosis, control, and scheduling techniques to space power distribution hardware. Knowledge-based software provides a robust method of control for highly complex space-based power systems that conventional methods do not allow. The project consists of three elements: the Autonomous Power Expert System (APEX) for fault diagnosis and control, the Autonomous Intelligent Power Scheduler (AIPS) to determine system configuration, and power hardware (Brassboard) to simulate a space based power system. The operation of the Autonomous Power System as a whole is described and the responsibilities of the three elements - APEX, AIPS, and Brassboard - are characterized. A discussion of the methodologies used in each element is provided. Future plans are discussed for the growth of the Autonomous Power System.

Autonomous power system intelligent diagnosis and control

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ringer, Mark J.; Quinn, Todd M.; Merolla, Anthony

1991-01-01

The Autonomous Power System (APS) project at NASA Lewis Research Center is designed to demonstrate the abilities of integrated intelligent diagnosis, control, and scheduling techniques to space power distribution hardware. Knowledge-based software provides a robust method of control for highly complex space-based power systems that conventional methods do not allow. The project consists of three elements: the Autonomous Power Expert System (APEX) for fault diagnosis and control, the Autonomous Intelligent Power Scheduler (AIPS) to determine system configuration, and power hardware (Brassboard) to simulate a space based power system. The operation of the Autonomous Power System as a whole is described and the responsibilities of the three elements - APEX, AIPS, and Brassboard - are characterized. A discussion of the methodologies used in each element is provided. Future plans are discussed for the growth of the Autonomous Power System.

Autonomous Cryogenic Load Operations: KSC Autonomous Test Engineer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shrading, Nicholas J.

2012-01-01

The KSC Autonomous Test Engineer (KATE) program has a long history at KSC. Now a part of the Autonomous Cryogenic Load Operations (ACLO) mission, this software system has been sporadically developed over the past 20+ years. Originally designed to provide health and status monitoring for a simple water-based fluid system, it was proven to be a capable autonomous test engineer for determining sources of failure in. the system, As part.of a new goal to provide this same anomaly-detection capability for a complicated cryogenic fluid system, software engineers, physicists, interns and KATE experts are working to upgrade the software capabilities and graphical user interface. Much progress was made during this effort to improve KATE. A display ofthe entire cryogenic system's graph, with nodes for components and edges for their connections, was added to the KATE software. A searching functionality was added to the new graph display, so that users could easily center their screen on specific components. The GUI was also modified so that it displayed information relevant to the new project goals. In addition, work began on adding new pneumatic and electronic subsystems into the KATE knowledgebase, so that it could provide health and status monitoring for those systems. Finally, many fixes for bugs, memory leaks, and memory errors were implemented and the system was moved into a state in which it could be presented to stakeholders. Overall, the KATE system was improved and necessary additional features were added so that a presentation of the program and its functionality in the next few months would be a success.

The NASA/Army Autonomous Rotorcraft Project

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Whalley, M.; Freed, M.; Takahashi, M.; Christian, D.; Patterson-Hine, A.; Schulein, G.; Harris, R.

2002-01-01

An overview of the NASA Ames Research Center Autonomous Rotorcraft Project (ARP) is presented. The project brings together several technologies to address NASA and US Army autonomous vehicle needs, including a reactive planner for mission planning and execution, control system design incorporating a detailed understanding of the platform dynamics, and health monitoring and diagnostics. A candidate reconnaissance and surveillance mission is described. The autonomous agent architecture and its application to the candidate mission are presented. Details of the vehicle hardware and software development are provided.

GOATS 2008 Autonomous, Adaptive Multistatic Acoustic Sensing

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-09-30

To develop net-centric, autonomous underwater vehicle sensing concepts for littoral MCM and ASW, exploiting collaborative and environmentally...unlimited 13. SUPPLEMENTARY NOTES code 1 only 14. ABSTRACT To develop net-centric, autonomous underwater vehicle sensing concepts for littoral MCM and...of autonomous underwater vehicle networks as platforms for new sonar concepts exploring the full 3-D acoustic environment of shallow water (SW) and

Response of the phytoplankton community to water quality in a local alpine glacial lake of Xinjiang Tianchi, China: potential drivers and management implications.

PubMed

Lu, Xiaotian; Song, Shuai; Lu, Yonglong; Wang, Tieyu; Liu, Zhaoyang; Li, Qifeng; Zhang, Meng; Suriyanarayanan, Sarvajayakesavalu; Jenkins, Alan

2017-10-18

Eutrophication has become one of the most serious threats to aquatic ecosystems in the world. With the combined drivers of climate change and human activities, eutrophication has expanded from warm shallow lakes to cold-water lakes in relatively high latitude regions and has raised greater concerns over lake aquatic ecosystem health. A two-year field study was carried out to investigate water quality, phytoplankton characteristics and eutrophication status in a typical alpine glacial lake of Tianchi, a scenic area and an important drinking water source in the Xinjiang Autonomous Region of China, in 2014 and 2015. Clear seasonal and annual variations of nutrients and organic pollutants were found especially during rainy seasons. For the phytoplankton community, Bacillariophyta held the dominant position in terms of both species and biomass throughout the year, suggesting the dominant characteristics of diatoms in the phytoplankton structure in such a high-altitude cold-water lake. This was quite different from plain and warm lakes troubled with cyanobacterial blooming. Moreover, the dominant abundance of Cyclotella sp. in Tianchi might suggest regional warming caused by climate change, which might have profound effects on the local ecosystems and hydrological cycle. Based on water quality parameters, a comprehensive trophic level index TLI (Σ) was calculated to estimate the current status of eutrophication, and the results inferred emerging eutrophication in Tianchi. Results from Canonical Correspondence Analysis (CCA) and correlation analysis of phytoplankton genera and physico-chemical variables of water indicated that abiotic factors significantly influenced the phytoplankton community and its succession in Tianchi Lake. These abiotic factors could explain 77.82% of the total variance, and ammonium was identified as the most discriminant variable, which could explain 41% of the total variance followed by TP (29%). An estimation of annual nutrient loadings to

Autonomic neuropathy

MedlinePlus

... Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2016:chap 107. Shy ME. Peripheral neuropathies. In: Goldman L, Schafer AI, eds. Goldman-Cecil ... Editorial team. Autonomic Nervous System Disorders Read more Peripheral Nerve Disorders Read more NIH MedlinePlus Magazine Read more A. ...

Advancing Autonomous Operations for Deep Space Vehicles

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Haddock, Angie T.; Stetson, Howard K.

2014-01-01

Starting in Jan 2012, the Advanced Exploration Systems (AES) Autonomous Mission Operations (AMO) Project began to investigate the ability to create and execute "single button" crew initiated autonomous activities [1]. NASA Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) designed and built a fluid transfer hardware test-bed to use as a sub-system target for the investigations of intelligent procedures that would command and control a fluid transfer test-bed, would perform self-monitoring during fluid transfers, detect anomalies and faults, isolate the fault and recover the procedures function that was being executed, all without operator intervention. In addition to the development of intelligent procedures, the team is also exploring various methods for autonomous activity execution where a planned timeline of activities are executed autonomously and also the initial analysis of crew procedure development. This paper will detail the development of intelligent procedures for the NASA MSFC Autonomous Fluid Transfer System (AFTS) as well as the autonomous plan execution capabilities being investigated. Manned deep space missions, with extreme communication delays with Earth based assets, presents significant challenges for what the on-board procedure content will encompass as well as the planned execution of the procedures.

[Phylogeny and divergence time estimation of Schizothoracinae fishes in Xinjiang].

PubMed

Ayelhan, Haysa; Guo, Yan; Meng, Wei; Yang, Tianyan; Ma, Yanwu

2014-10-01

Based on combined data of mitochondrial COI, ND4 and 16S RNA genes, molecular phylogeny of 4 genera, 10 species or subspecies of Schizothoracinae fishes distributed in Xinjiang were analyzed. The molecular clock was calibrated by divergence time of Cyprininae and geological segregation event between the upper Yellow River and Qinghai Lake. Divergence time of Schizothoracinae fishes was calculated, and its relationship with the major geological events and the climate changes in surrounding areas of Tarim Basin was discussed. The results showed that genus Aspiorhynchus did not form an independent clade, but clustered with Schizothorax biddulphi and S. irregularis. Kimura 2-parameter model was used to calculate the genetic distance of COI gene, the genetic distance between genus Aspiorhynchus and Schizothorax did not reach genus level, and Aspiorhynchus laticeps might be a specialized species of genus Schizothorax. Cluster analysis showed a different result with morphological classification method, and it did not support the subgenus division of Schizothorax fishes. Divergence of two groups of primitive Schizothoracinae (8.18Ma) and divergence of Gymnodiptychus dybowskii and Diptychus maculates (7.67Ma) occurred in late Miocene, which might be related with the separation of Kunlun Mountain and north Tianshan Mountain River system that was caused by the uplift of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and Tianshan Mountain, and the aridification of Tarim Basin. The terrain of Tarim Basin that was affected by Quaternary Himalayan movement was high in west but low in east, as a result, Lop Nor became the center of surrounding mountain rivers in Tarim Basin, which shaped the distribution pattern of genus Schizothorax.

Information for Successful Interaction with Autonomous Systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Malin, Jane T.; Johnson, Kathy A.

2003-01-01

Interaction in heterogeneous mission operations teams is not well matched to classical models of coordination with autonomous systems. We describe methods of loose coordination and information management in mission operations. We describe an information agent and information management tool suite for managing information from many sources, including autonomous agents. We present an integrated model of levels of complexity of agent and human behavior, which shows types of information processing and points of potential error in agent activities. We discuss the types of information needed for diagnosing problems and planning interactions with an autonomous system. We discuss types of coordination for which designs are needed for autonomous system functions.

Autonomic control of the eye

PubMed Central

McDougal, David H.; Gamlin, Paul D.

2016-01-01

The autonomic nervous system influences numerous ocular functions. It does this by way of parasympathetic innervation from postganglionic fibers that originate from neurons in the ciliary and pterygopalatine ganglia, and by way of sympathetic innervation from postganglionic fibers that originate from neurons in the superior cervical ganglion. Ciliary ganglion neurons project to the ciliary body and the sphincter pupillae muscle of the iris to control ocular accommodation and pupil constriction, respectively. Superior cervical ganglion neurons project to the dilator pupillae muscle of the iris to control pupil dilation. Ocular blood flow is controlled both via direct autonomic influences on the vasculature of the optic nerve, choroid, ciliary body, and iris, as well as via indirect influences on retinal blood flow. In mammals, this vasculature is innervated by vasodilatory fibers from the pterygopalatine ganglion, and by vasoconstrictive fibers from the superior cervical ganglion. Intraocular pressure is regulated primarily through the balance of aqueous humor formation and outflow. Autonomic regulation of ciliary body blood vessels and the ciliary epithelium is an important determinant of aqueous humor formation; autonomic regulation of the trabecular meshwork and episcleral blood vessels is an important determinant of aqueous humor outflow. These tissues are all innervated by fibers from the pterygopalatine and superior cervical ganglia. In addition to these classical autonomic pathways, trigeminal sensory fibers exert local, intrinsic influences on many of these regions of the eye, as well as on some neurons within the ciliary and pterygopalatine ganglia. PMID:25589275

Autonomic neuropathy in an alcoholic population.

PubMed

Barter, F; Tanner, A R

1987-12-01

Autonomic nervous system integrity has been assessed in 30 alcoholic subjects and 30 age-sex matched controls using five simple tests of cardiovascular responses. There was evidence of parasympathetic neuropathy alone in five of the alcoholic subjects (16%) and of combined parasympathetic and sympathetic neuropathy in an additional six (20%). None of the controls showed any abnormality. Within the alcoholic group, those with autonomic neuropathy were older, were more likely to be female and to have established alcoholic liver disease. Symptoms were a poor guide to the presence or absence of autonomic neuropathy.

Development of Autonomous Aerobraking - Phase 2

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Murri, Daniel G.

2013-01-01

Phase 1 of the Development of Autonomous Aerobraking (AA) Assessment investigated the technical capability of transferring the processes of aerobraking maneuver (ABM) decision-making (currently performed on the ground by an extensive workforce and communicated to the spacecraft via the deep space network) to an efficient flight software algorithm onboard the spacecraft. This document describes Phase 2 of this study, which was a 12-month effort to improve and rigorously test the AA Development Software developed in Phase 1. Aerobraking maneuver; Autonomous Aerobraking; Autonomous Aerobraking Development Software; Deep Space Network; NASA Engineering and Safety Center

Autonomous Science Analysis with the New Millennium Program-Autonomous Sciencecraft Experiment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Doggett, T.; Davies, A. G.; Castano, R. A.; Baker, V. R.; Dohm, J. M.; Greeley, R.; Williams, K. K.; Chien, S.; Sherwood, R.

2002-12-01

The NASA New Millennium Program (NMP) is a testbed for new, high-risk technologies, including new software and hardware. The Autonomous Sciencecraft Experiment (ASE) will fly on the Air Force Research Laboratory TechSat-21 mission in 2006 is such a NMP mission, and is managed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology. TechSat-21 consists of three satellites, each equipped with X-band Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) that will occupy a 13-day repeat track Earth orbit. The main science objectives of ASE are to demonstrate that process-related change detection and feature identification can be conducted autonomously during space flight, leading to autonomous onboard retargeting of the spacecraft. This mission will observe transient geological and environmental processes using SAR. Examples of geologic processes that may be observed and investigated include active volcanism, the movement of sand dunes and transient features in desert environments, water flooding, and the formation and break-up of lake ice. Science software onboard the spacecraft will allow autonomous processing and formation of SAR images and extraction of scientific information. The subsequent analyses, performed on images formed onboard from the SAR data, will include feature identification using scalable feature "templates" for each target, change detection through comparison of current and archived images, and science discovery, a search for other features of interest in each image. This approach results in obtaining the same science return for a reduced amount of resource use (such as downlink) when compared to that from a mission operating without ASE technology. Redundant data is discarded. The science-driven goals of ASE will evolve during the ASE mission through onboard replanning software that can re-task satellite operations. If necessary, as a result of a discovery made autonomously by onboard science processing, existing observation sequences will be pre-empted to

[The burden of disease attributed to low bone mineral density among population aged ≥40 years old in China, 1990 and 2013].

PubMed

Zhao, Z P; Ai, H H; Li, Y C; Wang, L M; Yin, P; Zhang, M; Deng, Q; Huang, Z J; Liu, J M; Liu, Y N; Gao, Y J; Zhou, M G

2016-09-06

to low bone mineral density lost the most, were Zhejiang Province(2.6 per 100 000), Jiangsu Province(2.4 per 100 000), and Fujian Province(2.2 per 100 000). Compared to 1990, the standardized rate of DALY decreased in 27 provinces, while the DALY rate increased in only 6 provinces which included Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, Qinghai Province, Hebei Province, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, and Henan Province and Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. Conclusion: This study found that the burden of health losses attributed to it was higher in men than in women. Compared to 1990, DALY rates decreased in most of the provinces, however, the rates of losses of DALY which caused by transportation and accidental injury were still increasing.

Cooperative Autonomous Robots for Reconnaissance

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-03-06

REPORT Cooperative Autonomous Robots for Reconnaissance 14. ABSTRACT 16. SECURITY CLASSIFICATION OF: Collaborating mobile robots equipped with WiFi ...Cooperative Autonomous Robots for Reconnaissance Report Title ABSTRACT Collaborating mobile robots equipped with WiFi transceivers are configured as a mobile...equipped with WiFi transceivers are configured as a mobile ad-hoc network. Algorithms are developed to take advantage of the distributed processing

Advancing Autonomous Operations Technologies for NASA Missions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cruzen, Craig; Thompson, Jerry Todd

2013-01-01

This paper discusses the importance of implementing advanced autonomous technologies supporting operations of future NASA missions. The ability for crewed, uncrewed and even ground support systems to be capable of mission support without external interaction or control has become essential as space exploration moves further out into the solar system. The push to develop and utilize autonomous technologies for NASA mission operations stems in part from the need to reduce operations cost while improving and increasing capability and safety. This paper will provide examples of autonomous technologies currently in use at NASA and will identify opportunities to advance existing autonomous technologies that will enhance mission success by reducing operations cost, ameliorating inefficiencies, and mitigating catastrophic anomalies.

Advancing Autonomous Operations Technologies for NASA Missions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cruzen, Craig; Thompson, Jerry T.

2013-01-01

This paper discusses the importance of implementing advanced autonomous technologies supporting operations of future NASA missions. The ability for crewed, uncrewed and even ground support systems to be capable of mission support without external interaction or control has become essential as space exploration moves further out into the solar system. The push to develop and utilize autonomous technologies for NASA mission operations stems in part from the need to reduce cost while improving and increasing capability and safety. This paper will provide examples of autonomous technologies currently in use at NASA and will identify opportunities to advance existing autonomous technologies that will enhance mission success by reducing cost, ameliorating inefficiencies, and mitigating catastrophic anomalies

Trigeminal autonomic cephalgias

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Summary points 1. Trigeminal autonomic cephalgias (TACs) are headaches/facial pains classified together based on:a suspected common pathophysiology involving the trigeminovascular system, the trigeminoparasympathetic reflex and centres controlling circadian rhythms;a similar clinical presentation of trigeminal pain, and autonomic activation. 2. There is much overlap in the diagnostic features of individual TACs. 3. In contrast, treatment response is relatively specific and aids in establishing a definitive diagnosis. 4. TACs are often presentations of underlying pathology; all patients should be imaged. 5. The aim of the article is to provide the reader with a broad introduction to, and an overview of, TACs. The reading list is extensive for the interested reader. PMID:26516482

Adaptive Control Allocation for Fault Tolerant Overactuated Autonomous Vehicles

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-11-01

Tolerant Overactuated Autonomous Vehicles Casavola, A.; Garone, E. (2007) Adaptive Control Allocation for Fault Tolerant Overactuated Autonomous ...Adaptive Control Allocation for Fault Tolerant Overactuated Autonomous Vehicles 5a. CONTRACT NUMBER 5b. GRANT NUMBER 5c. PROGRAM ELEMENT NUMBER 6...Tolerant Overactuated Autonomous Vehicles 3.2 - 2 RTO-MP-AVT-145 UNCLASSIFIED/UNLIMITED Control allocation problem (CAP) - Given a virtual input v(t

Research Institute for Autonomous Precision Guided Systems

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-03-08

research on agile autonomous munitions, in direct support of the Air Force Research Laboratory Munitions Directorate (AFRL/MN). The grant was awarded with a...Flight had (5) research task areas: 1. Aeroforms and Actuation for Small and Micro Agile Air Vehicles 2. Sensing for Autonomous Control and...critical barriers in AAM, but are not covered in the scope of the AVCAAF (Vision-Based Control of Agile, Autonomous Micro Air Vehicles and Small UAVs

Autonomous Locator of Thermals (ALOFT) Autonomous Soaring Algorithm

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-04-03

estimator used on the NRL CICADA Mk 3 micro air vehicle [13]. An extended Kalman filter (EKF) was designed to estimate the airspeed sensor bias and...Boulder, 2007. ALOFT Autonomous Soaring Algorithm 31 13. A.D. Kahn and D.J. Edwards, “Navigation, Guidance and Control for the CICADA Expendable

[Biodiversity and enzymes of culturable facultative-alkaliphilic actinobacteria in saline-alkaline soil in Fukang, Xinjiang].

PubMed

Zhang, Yongguang; Liu, Qing; Wang, Hongfei; Zhang, Daofeng; Chen, Jiyue; Zhang, Yuanming; Li, Wenjun

2014-02-04

In order to analyze the biodiversity of cultivable facultative-alkaliphilic actinobacteria and the enzymes they produced. Total 10 soil samples were collected from saline-alkaline environments of Fukang, Xinjiang province. Facultative-alkaliphilic actinobacteria strains were isolated and identified by 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis. Enzymes including amylase, proteinase, xylanase, and cellulase were detected. Total 116 facultative-alkaliphilic actinobacterial strains and 4 alkali-tolerant actinobacterial strains were isolated from the samples, and those strains were distributed within 22 genera in 13 families and 8 orders of actinobacteria based on their 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis. The ratio of non-predominant Streptomyces and Nocardiopsis strains were 53.3%. The positive rates of amylase, proteinase, xylanase and cellulase were 35.8, 37.6, 28.3 and 17.5%, respectively. Diverse facultative-alkaliphilic actinobacteria were discovered from saline-alkaline environments of Fukang. Facultative-alkaliphilic actinobacteria are a potential source for enzymes. The study would facilitate the knowledge of the diversity of facultative-alkaliphilic actinobacteria, and provide the technical basis for exploration of facultative-alkaliphilic actinobacteria resources.

System Engineering of Autonomous Space Vehicles

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Watson, Michael D.; Johnson, Stephen B.; Trevino, Luis

2014-01-01

Human exploration of the solar system requires fully autonomous systems when travelling more than 5 light minutes from Earth. This autonomy is necessary to manage a large, complex spacecraft with limited crew members and skills available. The communication latency requires the vehicle to deal with events with only limited crew interaction in most cases. The engineering of these systems requires an extensive knowledge of the spacecraft systems, information theory, and autonomous algorithm characteristics. The characteristics of the spacecraft systems must be matched with the autonomous algorithm characteristics to reliably monitor and control the system. This presents a large system engineering problem. Recent work on product-focused, elegant system engineering will be applied to this application, looking at the full autonomy stack, the matching of autonomous systems to spacecraft systems, and the integration of different types of algorithms. Each of these areas will be outlined and a general approach defined for system engineering to provide the optimal solution to the given application context.

An introduction to autonomous control systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Antsaklis, Panos J.; Passino, Kevin M.; Wang, S. J.

1991-01-01

The functions, characteristics, and benefits of autonomous control are outlined. An autonomous control functional architecture for future space vehicles that incorporates the concepts and characteristics described is presented. The controller is hierarchical, with an execution level (the lowest level), coordination level (middle level), and management and organization level (highest level). The general characteristics of the overall architecture, including those of the three levels, are explained, and an example to illustrate their functions is given. Mathematical models for autonomous systems, including 'logical' discrete event system models, are discussed. An approach to the quantitative, systematic modeling, analysis, and design of autonomous controllers is also discussed. It is a hybrid approach since it uses conventional analysis techniques based on difference and differential equations and new techniques for the analysis of the systems described with a symbolic formalism such as finite automata. Some recent results from the areas of planning and expert systems, machine learning, artificial neural networks, and the area restructurable controls are briefly outlined.

Urbanization Process Monitoring in Northwest China based on DMSP/OLS Nighttime Light Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, K.; Bai, L. Y.; Feng, J. Z.

2017-02-01

In recent years, the DMSP/OLS nighttime light data have been widely applied to various fields such as monitoring and evaluation of urbanization, estimation of social economy, economical environment and health effects, hazards analysis, and fisheries research. The general urbanized level in China has rapidly developed since the 1990s, and the cities in northwest China, which were important population centres of the ancient silk road, have also been developed in a high speed thanks to China’s national strategy of Western Development. Given the Xinjiang autonomous region as a core area of One Belt and One Road, it is very necessary to study the urbanization processes and changes of its urban system and the whole northwest region of China. In this paper, we extracted built-up areas of the cities in northwest China in 1992, 1997, 2002, 2007, and 2012, evaluated urban expansion and spatial pattern through appropriate indexes, and also quantitatively analyzed the urbanized level of each city. The results showed that the cities in northwest China generally presented high strong and rapid expansion, but there were some large differences among cities. Urban expansion forms alternate with exterior expansion and interior filling, in general, the cities externally expandedafter 2002 and internally filledbefore 2002, meanwhile, there were a high positive correlation between urban built-up areas and population growth in Xinjiang autonomous.

Apoptosis and Self-Destruct: A Contribution to Autonomic Agents?

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sterritt, Roy; Hinchey, Mike

2004-01-01

Autonomic Computing (AC), a self-managing systems initiative based on the biological metaphor of the autonomic nervous system, is increasingly gaining momentum as the way forward in designing reliable systems. Agent technologies have been identified as a key enabler for engineering autonomicity in systems, both in terms of retrofitting autonomicity into legacy systems and designing new systems. The AC initiative provides an opportunity to consider other biological systems and principles in seeking new design strategies. This paper reports on one such investigation; utilizing the apoptosis metaphor of biological systems to provide a dynamic health indicator signal between autonomic agents.

Advanced Autonomous Systems for Space Operations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gross, A. R.; Smith, B. D.; Muscettola, N.; Barrett, A.; Mjolssness, E.; Clancy, D. J.

2002-01-01

New missions of exploration and space operations will require unprecedented levels of autonomy to successfully accomplish their objectives. Inherently high levels of complexity, cost, and communication distances will preclude the degree of human involvement common to current and previous space flight missions. With exponentially increasing capabilities of computer hardware and software, including networks and communication systems, a new balance of work is being developed between humans and machines. This new balance holds the promise of not only meeting the greatly increased space exploration requirements, but simultaneously dramatically reducing the design, development, test, and operating costs. New information technologies, which take advantage of knowledge-based software, model-based reasoning, and high performance computer systems, will enable the development of a new generation of design and development tools, schedulers, and vehicle and system health management capabilities. Such tools will provide a degree of machine intelligence and associated autonomy that has previously been unavailable. These capabilities are critical to the future of advanced space operations, since the science and operational requirements specified by such missions, as well as the budgetary constraints will limit the current practice of monitoring and controlling missions by a standing army of ground-based controllers. System autonomy capabilities have made great strides in recent years, for both ground and space flight applications. Autonomous systems have flown on advanced spacecraft, providing new levels of spacecraft capability and mission safety. Such on-board systems operate by utilizing model-based reasoning that provides the capability to work from high-level mission goals, while deriving the detailed system commands internally, rather than having to have such commands transmitted from Earth. This enables missions of such complexity and communication` distances as are not

A Primer on Autonomous Aerial Vehicle Design

PubMed Central

Coppejans, Hugo H. G.; Myburgh, Herman C.

2015-01-01

There is a large amount of research currently being done on autonomous micro-aerial vehicles (MAV), such as quadrotor helicopters or quadcopters. The ability to create a working autonomous MAV depends mainly on integrating a simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) solution with the rest of the system. This paper provides an introduction for creating an autonomous MAV for enclosed environments, aimed at students and professionals alike. The standard autonomous system and MAV automation are discussed, while we focus on the core concepts of SLAM systems and trajectory planning algorithms. The advantages and disadvantages of using remote processing are evaluated, and recommendations are made regarding the viability of on-board processing. Recommendations are made regarding best practices to serve as a guideline for aspirant MAV designers. PMID:26633410

A Primer on Autonomous Aerial Vehicle Design.

PubMed

Coppejans, Hugo H G; Myburgh, Herman C

2015-12-02

There is a large amount of research currently being done on autonomous micro-aerial vehicles (MAV), such as quadrotor helicopters or quadcopters. The ability to create a working autonomous MAV depends mainly on integrating a simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) solution with the rest of the system. This paper provides an introduction for creating an autonomous MAV for enclosed environments, aimed at students and professionals alike. The standard autonomous system and MAV automation are discussed, while we focus on the core concepts of SLAM systems and trajectory planning algorithms. The advantages and disadvantages of using remote processing are evaluated, and recommendations are made regarding the viability of on-board processing. Recommendations are made regarding best practices to serve as a guideline for aspirant MAV designers.

Central autonomic nervous system response to autonomic challenges is altered in patients with a previous episode of Takotsubo cardiomyopathy.

PubMed

Pereira, Vitor H; Marques, Paulo; Magalhães, Ricardo; Português, João; Calvo, Lucy; Cerqueira, João J; Sousa, Nuno

2016-04-01

Takotsubo cardiomyopathy is an intriguing disease characterized by acute transient left ventricular dysfunction usually triggered by an episode of severe stress. The excessive levels of catecholamines and the overactivation of the sympathetic system are believed to be the main pathophysiologic mechanisms of Takotsubo cardiomyopathy, but it is unclear whether there is a structural or functional signature of the disease. In this sense, our aim was to characterize the central autonomic system response to autonomic challenges in patients with a previous episode of Takotsubo cardiomyopathy when compared with a control group of healthy volunteers. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was performed in four patients with a previous episode of Takotsubo cardiomyopathy (average age of 67 ± 12 years) and in eight healthy volunteers (average age of 66 ± 5 years) while being submitted to different autonomic challenges (cold exposure and Valsalva manoeuvre). The fMRI analysis revealed a significant variation of the blood oxygen level dependent signal triggered by the Valsalva manoeuvre in specific areas of the brain involved in the cortical control of the autonomic system and significant differences in the pattern of activation of the insular cortex, amygdala and the right hippocampus between patients with Takotsubo cardiomyopathy and controls, even though these regions did not present significant volumetric changes. The central autonomic response to autonomic challenges is altered in patients with Takotsubo cardiomyopathy, thus suggesting a dysregulation of the central autonomic nervous system network. Subsequent studies are needed to unveil whether these alterations are causal or predisposing factors to Takotsubo cardiomyopathy. © The European Society of Cardiology 2015.

Methods of determining complete sensor requirements for autonomous mobility

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Curtis, Steven A. (Inventor)

2012-01-01

A method of determining complete sensor requirements for autonomous mobility of an autonomous system includes computing a time variation of each behavior of a set of behaviors of the autonomous system, determining mobility sensitivity to each behavior of the autonomous system, and computing a change in mobility based upon the mobility sensitivity to each behavior and the time variation of each behavior. The method further includes determining the complete sensor requirements of the autonomous system through analysis of the relative magnitude of the change in mobility, the mobility sensitivity to each behavior, and the time variation of each behavior, wherein the relative magnitude of the change in mobility, the mobility sensitivity to each behavior, and the time variation of each behavior are characteristic of the stability of the autonomous system.

Antimicrobial, antibiofilm and antitumor activities of essential oil of Agastache rugosa from Xinjiang, China.

PubMed

Haiyan, Gong; Lijuan, He; Shaoyu, Li; Chen, Zhang; Ashraf, Muhammad Aqeel

2016-07-01

In the study, we evaluated chemical composition and antimicrobial, antibiofilm, and antitumor activities of essential oils from dried leaf essential oil of leaf and flower of Agastache rugosa for the first time. Essential oil of leaf and flower was evaluated with GC and GC-MS methods, and the essential oil of flower revealed the presence of 21 components, whose major compounds were pulegone (34.1%), estragole (29.5%), and p-Menthan-3-one (19.2%). 26 components from essential oil of leaf were identified, the major compounds were p-Menthan-3-one (48.8%) and estragole (20.8%). At the same time, essential oil of leaf, there is a very effective antimicrobial activity with MIC ranging from 9.4 to 42 μg ml(-1) and potential antibiofilm, antitumor activities for essential oils of flower and leaf essential oil of leaf. The study highlighted the diversity in two different parts of A. rugosa grown in Xinjiang region and other places, which have different active constituents. Our results showed that this native plant may be a good candidate for further biological and pharmacological investigations.

Autonomous Microstructure EM-APEX Floats

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-01-01

Autonomous Microstructure_EM-APEX_Float 4/8/16 at 3:21 PM 1 Title: Autonomous Microstructure EM-APEX Floats Authors: Ren-Chieh Lien1,2...Street Seattle, WA 98105 rcl@uw.edu Abstract: Fast responding FP-07 thermistors have been incorporated on profiling EM-APEX floats to measure...storage board. The raw and processed temperature observations are stored on a microSD card. Results from eight microstructure EM-APEX floats

May a unitary autonomic index help assess autonomic cardiac regulation in elite athletes? Preliminary observations on the national Italian Olympic committee team.

PubMed

Sala, Roberto; Malacarne, Mara; Tosi, Fabio; Benzi, Manuela; Solaro, Nadia; Tamorri, Stefano; Spataro, Antonio; Pagani, Massimo; Lucini, Daniela

2017-12-01

Long term endurance training, as occurring in elite athletes, is associated to cardiac neural remodeling in favor of cardioprotective vagal mechanisms, resulting in resting bradycardia and augmented contribution of cardiac parasympathetic nerve activity. Autonomic assessment can be performed by way of heart rate variability. This technique however provides multiple indices, and there is not yet complete agreement on their specific significance. Purpose of the study was to assess whether a rank transformation and radar plot could provide a unitary autonomic index, capable to show a correlation between intensity of individual work and quality of autonomic regulation. We studied 711 (23.6±6.2 years) elite athletes that took part in the selection procedure for the 2016 Rio Olympic Games for the National Italian Olympic Committee (CONI). Indices from Heart Rate Variability HRV obtained at rest, during standing up and during recovery from an exercise test were used to compute a percent ranked unitary autonomic index for sport (ANSIs), taken as proxy of quality of autonomic regulation. Within the observed wide range of energy expenditure, the unitary autonomic index ANSIs appears significantly correlated to individual and discipline specific training workloads (r=0.25, P<0.001 and r=0.78, P<0.001, respectively), correcting for possible age and gender bias. ANSIs also positively correlates to lipid profile. Estimated intensity of physical activity correlates with quality of cardiac autonomic regulation, as expressed by a novel unitary index of cardiac autonomic regulation. ANSIs could provide a novel and convenient approach to individual autonomic evaluation in athletes.

PHM Enabled Autonomous Propellant Loading Operations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Walker, Mark; Figueroa, Fernando

2017-01-01

The utility of Prognostics and Health Management (PHM) software capability applied to Autonomous Operations (AO) remains an active research area within aerospace applications. The ability to gain insight into which assets and subsystems are functioning properly, along with the derivation of confident predictions concerning future ability, reliability, and availability, are important enablers for making sound mission planning decisions. When coupled with software that fully supports mission planning and execution, an integrated solution can be developed that leverages state assessment and estimation for the purposes of delivering autonomous operations. The authors have been applying this integrated, model-based approach to the autonomous loading of cryogenic spacecraft propellants at Kennedy Space Center.

On-Orbit Autonomous Assembly from Nanosatellites

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Murchison, Luke S.; Martinez, Andres; Petro, Andrew

2015-01-01

The On-Orbit Autonomous Assembly from Nanosatellites (OAAN) project will demonstrate autonomous control algorithms for rendezvous and docking maneuvers; low-power reconfigurable magnetic docking technology; and compact, lightweight and inexpensive precision relative navigation using carrier-phase differential (CD) GPS with a three-degree of freedom ground demonstration. CDGPS is a specific relative position determination method that measures the phase of the GPS carrier wave to yield relative position data accurate to.4 inch (1 centimeter). CDGPS is a technology commonly found in the surveying industry. The development and demonstration of these technologies will fill a current gap in the availability of proven autonomous rendezvous and docking systems for small satellites.

Development of Autonomous Aerobraking (Phase 1)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Murri, Daniel G.; Powell, Richard W.; Prince, Jill L.

2012-01-01

The NASA Engineering and Safety Center received a request from Mr. Daniel Murri (NASA Technical Fellow for Flight Mechanics) to develop an autonomous aerobraking capability. An initial evaluation for all phases of this assessment was approved to proceed at the NESC Review Board meeting. The purpose of phase 1 of this study was to provide an assessment of the feasibility of autonomous aerobraking. During this phase, atmospheric, aerodynamic, and thermal models for a representative spacecraft were developed for both the onboard algorithm known as Autonomous Aerobraking Development Software, and a ground-based "truth" simulation developed for testing purposes. The results of the phase 1 assessment are included in this report.

Source characteristics and tectonic setting of mafic-ultramafic intrusions in North Xinjiang, NW China: Insights from the petrology and geochemistry of the Lubei mafic-ultramafic intrusion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Bao-Yun; Yu, Jin-Jie; Liu, Shuai-Jie

2018-05-01

The newly discovered Lubei sulfide-bearing mafic-ultramafic intrusion forms the western extension of the Huangshan-Jin'erquan mafic-ultramafic intrusion belt in East Tianshan, NW China. The Lubei intrusion comprises hornblende peridotite, lherzolite, and harzburgite in its southern portion, gabbro in its middle portion, and hornblende gabbro in its northern portion. Intrusive relationships indicate that three magma pulses were involved in the formation of the intrusion, and that they were likely evolved from a common primitive magma. Estimated compositions of the Lubei primitive magma are similar to those of island arc calc-alkaline basalt except for the low Na2O and CaO contents of the Lubei primitive magma. This paper reports on the mineral compositions, whole-rock major and trace element contents, and Rb-Sr and Sm-Nd isotopic compositions of the Lubei intrusion, and a zircon LA-MC-ICP-MS U-Pb age for hornblende gabbro. The Lubei intrusion is characterized by enrichment in large-ion lithophile elements, depletion in high-field-strength elements, and marked negative Nb and Ta anomalies, with enrichment in chondrite-normalized light rare earth elements. It exhibits low (87Sr/86Sr)i ratios of 0.70333-0.70636 and low (143Nd/144Nd)i ratios of 0.51214-0.51260, with positive εNd values of +4.01 to +6.33. LA-ICP-MS U-Pb zircon ages yielded a weighted-mean age of 287.9 ± 1.6 Ma for the Lubei intrusion. Contemporaneous mafic-ultramafic intrusions in different tectonic domains in North Xinjiang show similar geological and geochemical signatures to the Lubei intrusion, suggesting a source region of metasomatized mantle previously modified by hydrous fluids from the slab subducted beneath the North Xinjiang region in the early Permian. Metasomatism of the mantle was dominated by hydrous fluids and was related to subduction of the Paleo-Asian oceanic lithosphere during the Paleozoic. Sr-Nd-Pb isotopic compositions suggest that the mantle source was a mixture of depleted mid

Autonomous Control of Space Reactor Systems

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

Belle R. Upadhyaya; K. Zhao; S.R.P. Perillo

2007-11-30

Autonomous and semi-autonomous control is a key element of space reactor design in order to meet the mission requirements of safety, reliability, survivability, and life expectancy. Interrestrial nuclear power plants, human operators are avilable to perform intelligent control functions that are necessary for both normal and abnormal operational conditions.

Swarm autonomic agents with self-destruct capability

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hinchey, Michael G. (Inventor); Sterritt, Roy (Inventor)

2009-01-01

Systems, methods and apparatus are provided through which in some embodiments an autonomic entity manages a system by generating one or more stay alive signals based on the functioning status and operating state of the system. In some embodiments, an evolvable synthetic neural system is operably coupled to one or more evolvable synthetic neural systems in a hierarchy. The evolvable neural interface receives and generates heartbeat monitor signals and pulse monitor signals that are used to generate a stay alive signal that is used to manage the operations of the synthetic neural system. In another embodiment an asynchronous Alice signal (Autonomic license) requiring valid credentials of an anonymous autonomous agent is initiated. An unsatisfactory Alice exchange may lead to self-destruction of the anonymous autonomous agent for self-protection.

Swarm autonomic agents with self-destruct capability

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hinchey, Michael G. (Inventor); Sterritt, Roy (Inventor)

2011-01-01

Systems, methods and apparatus are provided through which in some embodiments an autonomic entity manages a system by generating one or more stay alive signals based on the functioning status and operating state of the system. In some embodiments, an evolvable synthetic neural system is operably coupled to one or more evolvable synthetic neural systems in a hierarchy. The evolvable neural interface receives and generates heartbeat monitor signals and pulse monitor signals that are used to generate a stay alive signal that is used to manage the operations of the synthetic neural system. In another embodiment an asynchronous Alice signal (Autonomic license) requiring valid credentials of an anonymous autonomous agent is initiated. An unsatisfactory Alice exchange may lead to self-destruction of the anonymous autonomous agent for self-protection.

Planning Flight Paths of Autonomous Aerobots

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kulczycki, Eric; Elfes, Alberto; Sharma, Shivanjli

2009-01-01

Algorithms for planning flight paths of autonomous aerobots (robotic blimps) to be deployed in scientific exploration of remote planets are undergoing development. These algorithms are also adaptable to terrestrial applications involving robotic submarines as well as aerobots and other autonomous aircraft used to acquire scientific data or to perform surveying or monitoring functions.

A Model-Driven Architecture Approach for Modeling, Specifying and Deploying Policies in Autonomous and Autonomic Systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pena, Joaquin; Hinchey, Michael G.; Sterritt, Roy; Ruiz-Cortes, Antonio; Resinas, Manuel

2006-01-01

Autonomic Computing (AC), self-management based on high level guidance from humans, is increasingly gaining momentum as the way forward in designing reliable systems that hide complexity and conquer IT management costs. Effectively, AC may be viewed as Policy-Based Self-Management. The Model Driven Architecture (MDA) approach focuses on building models that can be transformed into code in an automatic manner. In this paper, we look at ways to implement Policy-Based Self-Management by means of models that can be converted to code using transformations that follow the MDA philosophy. We propose a set of UML-based models to specify autonomic and autonomous features along with the necessary procedures, based on modification and composition of models, to deploy a policy as an executing system.

Nature's Autonomous Oscillators

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mayr, H. G.; Yee, J.-H.; Mayr, M.; Schnetzler, R.

2012-01-01

Nonlinearity is required to produce autonomous oscillations without external time dependent source, and an example is the pendulum clock. The escapement mechanism of the clock imparts an impulse for each swing direction, which keeps the pendulum oscillating at the resonance frequency. Among nature's observed autonomous oscillators, examples are the quasi-biennial oscillation and bimonthly oscillation of the Earth atmosphere, and the 22-year solar oscillation. The oscillations have been simulated in numerical models without external time dependent source, and in Section 2 we summarize the results. Specifically, we shall discuss the nonlinearities that are involved in generating the oscillations, and the processes that produce the periodicities. In biology, insects have flight muscles, which function autonomously with wing frequencies that far exceed the animals' neural capacity; Stretch-activation of muscle contraction is the mechanism that produces the high frequency oscillation of insect flight, discussed in Section 3. The same mechanism is also invoked to explain the functioning of the cardiac muscle. In Section 4, we present a tutorial review of the cardio-vascular system, heart anatomy, and muscle cell physiology, leading up to Starling's Law of the Heart, which supports our notion that the human heart is also a nonlinear oscillator. In Section 5, we offer a broad perspective of the tenuous links between the fluid dynamical oscillators and the human heart physiology.

Autonomous Cryogenics Loading Operations Simulation Software: Knowledgebase Autonomous Test Engineer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wehner, Walter S., Jr.

2013-01-01

Working on the ACLO (Autonomous Cryogenics Loading Operations) project I have had the opportunity to add functionality to the physics simulation software known as KATE (Knowledgebase Autonomous Test Engineer), create a new application allowing WYSIWYG (what-you-see-is-what-you-get) creation of KATE schematic files and begin a preliminary design and implementation of a new subsystem that will provide vision services on the IHM (Integrated Health Management) bus. The functionality I added to KATE over the past few months includes a dynamic visual representation of the fluid height in a pipe based on number of gallons of fluid in the pipe and implementing the IHM bus connection within KATE. I also fixed a broken feature in the system called the Browser Display, implemented many bug fixes and made changes to the GUI (Graphical User Interface).

[Contamination Assessment and Sources Analysis of Soil Heavy Metals in Opencast Mine of East Junggar Basin in Xinjiang].

PubMed

Liu, Wei; Yang, Jian-jun; Wang, Jun; Wang, Guo; Cao, Yue-e

2016-05-15

The opencast mine of East Junggar Basin in Xinjiang is the largest self-contained coalfield in China, and the ecological environment of the opencast is very fragile because of its arid climate and poor soil. In this study, 50 soil samples (from 0 to 30 cm depth soil at intervals of 10 cm) in opencast Mine of East Junggar Basin in Xinjiang were collected in order to explore the heavy metals contamination of the coal mining. The contents of zinc (Zn), copper (Cu), cadmium (Cr), lead (Pb), mercury (Hg) and arsenic (As) were measured and the degree of pollution was assessed by Nemerow index, geo-accumulation (Igeo) index and potential ecological risk index. In addition, the layered comparison, dust fall and the distance between coal mine and samples location were used to analyze the source of heavy metals contamination. The results showed that value of As surpassed the Chinese soil quality standard class I (GB 15618-1995) mostly severely, followed by Cr, a relatively lower surpass was obtained by Hg and Cu, while Zn and Pb did not surpass the standard. According to the standard, the soil heavy metals content of research region was in light pollution status and the pollution index for each heavy metal followed the order of As (2.07) > Cr (0.95) > Cu (0.55) > Zn (0.48) > Hg (0.45) > Pb (0.38), which demonstrated a heavy pollution of As and clean status of others. Additionally, an Igeo value of 1.14 for Hg reflected a moderated pollution. The major contribution factor was Hg with a risk index of 251.40. The source analysis showed that the content of Pb in the surface soil (10-20 cm) was different from that in the deep layer (20-30 cm), which may be caused by coal combustion and other human activities. The sources of Hg and As were similar and may come from coal combustion. The distance to the mining area was not the major factor affecting the diffusion of heavy metals, other candidate factors included terrain, aspect and wind direction, etc.

Demonstration of Autonomous Rendezvous Technology (DART) Project Summary

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rumford, TImothy E.

2003-01-01

Since the 1960's, NASA has performed numerous rendezvous and docking missions. The common element of all US rendezvous and docking is that the spacecraft has always been piloted by astronauts. Only the Russian Space Program has developed and demonstrated an autonomous capability. The Demonstration of Autonomous Rendezvous Technology (DART) project currently funded under NASA's Space Launch Initiative (SLI) Cycle I, provides a key step in establishing an autonomous rendezvous capability for the United States. DART's objective is to demonstrate, in space, the hardware and software necessary for autonomous rendezvous. Orbital Sciences Corporation intends to integrate an Advanced Video Guidance Sensor and Autonomous Rendezvous and Proximity Operations algorithms into a Pegasus upper stage in order to demonstrate the capability to autonomously rendezvous with a target currently in orbit. The DART mission will occur in April 2004. The launch site will be Vandenburg AFB and the launch vehicle will be a Pegasus XL equipped with a Hydrazine Auxiliary Propulsion System 4th stage. All mission objectives will be completed within a 24 hour period. The paper provides a summary of mission objectives, mission overview and a discussion on the design features of the chase and target vehicles.

Examining accident reports involving autonomous vehicles in California

PubMed Central

Nader, Nazanin; Eurich, Sky O.; Tripp, Michelle; Varadaraju, Naresh

2017-01-01

Autonomous Vehicle technology is quickly expanding its market and has found in Silicon Valley, California, a strong foothold for preliminary testing on public roads. In an effort to promote safety and transparency to consumers, the California Department of Motor Vehicles has mandated that reports of accidents involving autonomous vehicles be drafted and made available to the public. The present work shows an in-depth analysis of the accident reports filed by different manufacturers that are testing autonomous vehicles in California (testing data from September 2014 to March 2017). The data provides important information on autonomous vehicles accidents’ dynamics, related to the most frequent types of collisions and impacts, accident frequencies, and other contributing factors. The study also explores important implications related to future testing and validation of semi-autonomous vehicles, tracing the investigation back to current literature as well as to the current regulatory panorama. PMID:28931022

Examining accident reports involving autonomous vehicles in California.

PubMed

Favarò, Francesca M; Nader, Nazanin; Eurich, Sky O; Tripp, Michelle; Varadaraju, Naresh

2017-01-01

Autonomous Vehicle technology is quickly expanding its market and has found in Silicon Valley, California, a strong foothold for preliminary testing on public roads. In an effort to promote safety and transparency to consumers, the California Department of Motor Vehicles has mandated that reports of accidents involving autonomous vehicles be drafted and made available to the public. The present work shows an in-depth analysis of the accident reports filed by different manufacturers that are testing autonomous vehicles in California (testing data from September 2014 to March 2017). The data provides important information on autonomous vehicles accidents' dynamics, related to the most frequent types of collisions and impacts, accident frequencies, and other contributing factors. The study also explores important implications related to future testing and validation of semi-autonomous vehicles, tracing the investigation back to current literature as well as to the current regulatory panorama.

Difficulties Encountered by Students during Cross-Cultural Studies Pertaining to the Ethnic Minority Education Model of Running Schools in "Other Places" and Countermeasures: Taking the Tibetan Classes and the Xinjiang Classes in the Interior Regions as Examples

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yan, Qing; Song, Suizhou

2010-01-01

In 1984 and 2000, respectively, the Party Central Committee and the state council decided to establish the Tibet Class and the Xinjiang Class in some interior provinces and municipalities ("neidi") to promote economic development and social progress in the motherland's frontier regions as well as to ensure state security and consolidate…

Tactical Decision Aids High Bandwidth Links Using Autonomous Vehicles

DTIC Science & Technology

2004-01-01

1 Tactical Decision Aids (High Bandwidth Links Using Autonomous Vehicles ) A. J. Healey, D. P. Horner, Center for Autonomous Underwater Vehicle...SUBTITLE Tactical Decision Aids (High Bandwidth Links Using Autonomous Vehicles ) 5a. CONTRACT NUMBER 5b. GRANT NUMBER 5c. PROGRAM ELEMENT NUMBER 6

Autonomous Vehicle Systems Laboratory Research Capability Expansion Program

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-12-03

currently valid OMB control number. PLEASE DO NOT RETURN YOUR FORM TO THE ABOVE ADDRESS. University of the Incarnate Word 4301 Broadway, Box #T-2 San Antonio...autonomous control , collaboration, and decision-making in unstructured, dynamic, and uncertain nonlinear environments for autonomous ground and air...vehicle systems. To fulfill the research goal, the PI has initiated fundamental research in the areas of autonomous rotorcraft control and

Autonomous Cryogenic Load Operations: Knowledge-Based Autonomous Test Engineer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schrading, J. Nicolas

2013-01-01

The Knowledge-Based Autonomous Test Engineer (KATE) program has a long history at KSC. Now a part of the Autonomous Cryogenic Load Operations (ACLO) mission, this software system has been sporadically developed over the past 20 years. Originally designed to provide health and status monitoring for a simple water-based fluid system, it was proven to be a capable autonomous test engineer for determining sources of failure in the system. As part of a new goal to provide this same anomaly-detection capability for a complicated cryogenic fluid system, software engineers, physicists, interns and KATE experts are working to upgrade the software capabilities and graphical user interface. Much progress was made during this effort to improve KATE. A display of the entire cryogenic system's graph, with nodes for components and edges for their connections, was added to the KATE software. A searching functionality was added to the new graph display, so that users could easily center their screen on specific components. The GUI was also modified so that it displayed information relevant to the new project goals. In addition, work began on adding new pneumatic and electronic subsystems into the KATE knowledge base, so that it could provide health and status monitoring for those systems. Finally, many fixes for bugs, memory leaks, and memory errors were implemented and the system was moved into a state in which it could be presented to stakeholders. Overall, the KATE system was improved and necessary additional features were added so that a presentation of the program and its functionality in the next few months would be a success.

Clinical and electrophysiologic attributes as predictors of results of autonomic function tests

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wu, C. L.; Denq, J. C.; Harper, C. M.; O'Brien, P. C.; Low, P. A.

1998-01-01

Autonomic dysfunction is a feature of some neuropathies and not others. It has been suggested that some clinical and electrophysiologic attributes are predictable of autonomic impairment detected using laboratory testing; however, dear guidelines are unavailable. We evaluated 138 relatively unselected patients with peripheral neuropathy who underwent neurologic evaluation, electromyography (EMG), nerve conduction studies, and autonomic function tests to determine which variables were predictive of laboratory findings of autonomic failure. The variables evaluated were 1) clinical somatic neuropathic findings, 2) clinical autonomic symptoms, and 3) electrophysiologic findings. Autonomic symptoms were strongly predictive (Rs = 0.40, p < 0.001) of autonomic failure. Among the non-autonomic indices, absent ankle reflexes were mildly predictive (Rs = 0.19, p = 0.022) of autonomic impairment, but all others were not (duration, clinical pattern, severity, weakness, sensory loss). Electrophysiologic changes of an axonal neuropathy predicted autonomic impairment while demyelinating neuropathy did not. We conclude that autonomic studies will most likely be abnormal in patients who have symptoms of autonomic involvement and those who have an axonal neuropathy.

Biologically-Inspired Concepts for Autonomic Self-Protection in Multiagent Systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sterritt, Roy; Hinchey, Mike

2006-01-01

Biologically-inspired autonomous and autonomic systems (AAS) are essentially concerned with creating self-directed and self-managing systems based on metaphors &om nature and the human body, such as the autonomic nervous system. Agent technologies have been identified as a key enabler for engineering autonomy and autonomicity in systems, both in terms of retrofitting into legacy systems and in designing new systems. Handing over responsibility to systems themselves raises concerns for humans with regard to safety and security. This paper reports on the continued investigation into a strand of research on how to engineer self-protection mechanisms into systems to assist in encouraging confidence regarding security when utilizing autonomy and autonomicity. This includes utilizing the apoptosis and quiescence metaphors to potentially provide a self-destruct or self-sleep signal between autonomic agents when needed, and an ALice signal to facilitate self-identification and self-certification between anonymous autonomous agents and systems.

Symmetries and solutions of the non-autonomous von Bertalanffy equation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Edwards, Maureen P.; Anderssen, Robert S.

2015-05-01

For growth in a closed environment, which is indicative of the situation in laboratory experiments, autonomous ODE models do not necessarily capture the dynamics under investigation. The importance and impact of a closed environment arise when the question under examination relates, for example, to the number of the surviving microbes, such as in a study of the spoilage and contamination of food, the gene silencing activity of fungi or the production of a chemical compound by bacteria or fungi. Autonomous ODE models are inappropriate as they assume that only the current size of the population controls the growth-decay dynamics. This is reflected in the fact that, asymptotically, their solutions can only grow or decay monotonically or asymptote. Non-autonomous ODE models are not so constrained. A natural strategy for the choice of non-autonomous ODEs is to take appropriate autonomous ones and change them to be non-autonomous through the introduction of relevant non-autonomous terms. This is the approach in this paper with the focus being the von Bertalanffy equation. Since this equation has independent importance in relation to practical applications in growth modelling, it is natural to explore the deeper relationships between the introduced non-autonomous terms through a symmetry analysis, which is the purpose and goal of the current paper. Infinitesimals are derived which allow particular forms of the non-autonomous von Bertalanffy equation to be transformed into autonomous forms for which some new analytic solutions have been found.

Evaluation of input output efficiency of oil field considering undesirable output —A case study of sandstone reservoir in Xinjiang oilfield

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Shuying; Wu, Xuquan; Li, Deshan; Xu, Yadong; Song, Shulin

2017-06-01

Based on the input and output data of sandstone reservoir in Xinjiang oilfield, the SBM-Undesirable model is used to study the technical efficiency of each block. Results show that: the model of SBM-undesirable to evaluate its efficiency and to avoid defects caused by traditional DEA model radial angle, improve the accuracy of the efficiency evaluation. by analyzing the projection of the oil blocks, we find that each block is in the negative external effects of input redundancy and output deficiency benefit and undesirable output, and there are greater differences in the production efficiency of each block; the way to improve the input-output efficiency of oilfield is to optimize the allocation of resources, reduce the undesirable output and increase the expected output.

Autonomy Level Specification for Intelligent Autonomous Vehicles

DTIC Science & Technology

2003-09-01

Autonomy Level Specification for Intelligent Autonomous Vehicles : Interim Progress Report Hui-Min Huang, Elena Messina, James Albus...Level Specification for Intelligent Autonomous Vehicles : Interim Progress Report 5a. CONTRACT NUMBER 5b. GRANT NUMBER 5c. PROGRAM ELEMENT NUMBER 6

Autonomous Command Operations of the WIRE Spacecraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Walyus, Keith; Prior, Mike; Saylor, Richard

1999-01-01

This paper presents operational innovations which will be introduced on NASA's Wide Field Infrared Explorer (WIRE) mission. These innovations include an end-to-end design architecture for an autonomous commanding capability for the uplink of command loads during unattended station contacts. The WIRE mission is the fifth and final mission of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center Small Explorer (SMEX) series to be launched in March of 1999. Its primary mission is the targeting of deep space fields using an ultra-cooled infrared telescope. Due to its mission design WIRE command loads are large (approximately 40 Kbytes per 24 hours) and must be performed daily. To reduce the cost of mission operations support that would be required in order to uplink command loads, the WIRE Flight Operations Team has implemented all autonomous command loading capability. This capability allows completely unattended operations over a typical two-day weekend period. The key factors driving design and implementation of this capability were: 1) integration with already existing ground system autonomous capabilities and systems, 2) the desire to evolve autonomous operations capabilities based upon previous SMEX operations experience - specifically the TRACE mission, 3) integration with ground station operations - both autonomous and man-tended, 4) low cost and quick implementation, and 5) end-to-end system robustness. A trade-off study was performed to examine these factors in light of the low-cost, higher-risk SMEX mission philosophy. The study concluded that a STOL (Spacecraft Test and Operations Language) based script, highly integrated with other scripts used to perform autonomous operations, was best suited given the budget and goals of the mission. Each of these factors is discussed in addition to use of the TRACE mission as a testbed for autonomous commanding prior to implementation on WIRE. The capabilities implemented on the WIRE mission are an example of a low-cost, robust, and

Multiple Autonomous Vehicles for Minefield Reconnaissance and Mapping

DTIC Science & Technology

1997-12-01

NPS-ME-97-008 NAVAL POSTGRADUATE SCHOOL Monterey, California ItC A D- 19980421 131 =C QUALTY Ui Ji.CTEJ) THESIS MULTIPLE AUTONOMOUS VEHICLES FOR...MULTIPLE AUTONOMOUS VEHICLES FOR MINEFIELD 5. FUNDING NUMBERS RECONNAISSANCE AND MAPPING N0001497WX30039 6. AUTHOR(S) Jack A. Starr 7. PERFORMING... AUTONOMOUS VEHICLES FOR MINEFIELD RECONNAISSANCE AND MAPPING Jack A. Starr Lieutenant, United States Navy B.S., Oregon State University, 1991 Submitted in

Autonomous execution of the Precision Immobilization Technique

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mascareñas, David D. L.; Stull, Christopher J.; Farrar, Charles R.

2017-03-01

Over the course of the last decade great advances have been made in autonomously driving cars. The technology has advanced to the point that driverless car technology is currently being tested on publicly accessed roadways. The introduction of these technologies onto publicly accessed roadways not only raises questions of safety, but also security. Autonomously driving cars are inherently cyber-physical systems and as such will have novel security vulnerabilities that couple both the cyber aspects of the vehicle including the on-board computing and any network data it makes use of, with the physical nature of the vehicle including its sensors, actuators, and the vehicle chassis. Widespread implementation of driverless car technology will require that both the cyber, as well as physical security concerns surrounding these vehicles are addressed. In this work, we specifically developed a control policy to autonomously execute the Precision Immobilization Technique, a.k.a. the PIT maneuver. The PIT maneuver was originally developed by law enforcement to end high-speed vehicular pursuits in a quasi-safe manner. However, there is still a risk of damage/roll-over to both the vehicle executing the PIT maneuver as well as to the vehicle subject to the PIT maneuver. In law enforcement applications, it would be preferable to execute the PIT maneuver using an autonomous vehicle, thus removing the danger to law-enforcement officers. Furthermore, it is entirely possible that unscrupulous individuals could inject code into an autonomously-driving car to use the PIT maneuver to immobilize other vehicles while maintaining anonymity. For these reasons it is useful to know how the PIT maneuver can be implemented on an autonomous car. In this work a simple control policy based on velocity pursuit was developed to autonomously execute the PIT maneuver using only a vision and range measurements that are both commonly collected by contemporary driverless cars. The ability of this

Correlation between the development of calcium oxalate stones and polymorphisms in the fibronectin gene in the Uighur population of the Xinjiang region of China.

PubMed

Murat, M; Aekeper, A; Yuan, L Y; Alim, T; Du, G J; Abdusamat, A; Wu, G W; Aniwer, Y

2015-10-29

Here, we have investigated the correlation between calcium oxalate stone formation and Fn gene polymorphisms in urinary calculi patients among the Uighur population (Xinjiang region). In this case control study, genomic DNA extracted from the peripheral blood of 129 patients with calcium oxalate stones (patient group) and 94 normal people (control group) was used to genotype polymorphisms in the rs6725958, rs10202709, and rs35343655 sites of the Fn gene by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism. Subsequently, the association between different genotypes and susceptibility to calcium oxalate stone formation was compared among the patient and control groups. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were detected in the rs6725958, rs10202709, and rs35343655 sites of the Fn gene among the patient and control groups. The genotype distributions of the three loci complied with the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. The results of allele frequencies of the patient/control group for polymorphisms in the rs6725958 site of the Fn gene were C = 179 (69.92%)/119 (63.30%) and A = 77 (30.08%)/69 (36.70%), in the rs10202709 site were C = 245 (95.70%)/176 (93.63%) and T = 11 (4.30%)/12 (6.38%), and in the rs35343655 site of the Fn gene were A = 139 (54.30%)/87 (46.28%) and G = 117 (45.70%)/101 (53.72%). We observed no significant differences between the three SNPs and development of calcium oxalate stones. Polymorphisms in rs6725958, rs10202709, and rs35343655 of the Fn gene had no obvious effect on the susceptibility to the development of calcium oxalate stones in the Uighur population, residing in the Xinjiang region of China.

Software control architecture for autonomous vehicles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nelson, Michael L.; DeAnda, Juan R.; Fox, Richard K.; Meng, Xiannong

1999-07-01

The Strategic-Tactical-Execution Software Control Architecture (STESCA) is a tri-level approach to controlling autonomous vehicles. Using an object-oriented approach, STESCA has been developed as a generalization of the Rational Behavior Model (RBM). STESCA was initially implemented for the Phoenix Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (Naval Postgraduate School -- Monterey, CA), and is currently being implemented for the Pioneer AT land-based wheeled vehicle. The goals of STESCA are twofold. First is to create a generic framework to simplify the process of creating a software control architecture for autonomous vehicles of any type. Second is to allow for mission specification system by 'anyone' with minimal training to control the overall vehicle functionality. This paper describes the prototype implementation of STESCA for the Pioneer AT.

Autonomic Computing: Panacea or Poppycock?

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sterritt, Roy; Hinchey, Mike

2005-01-01

Autonomic Computing arose out of a need for a means to cope with rapidly growing complexity of integrating, managing, and operating computer-based systems as well as a need to reduce the total cost of ownership of today's systems. Autonomic Computing (AC) as a discipline was proposed by IBM in 2001, with the vision to develop self-managing systems. As the name implies, the influence for the new paradigm is the human body's autonomic system, which regulates vital bodily functions such as the control of heart rate, the body's temperature and blood flow-all without conscious effort. The vision is to create selfivare through self-* properties. The initial set of properties, in terms of objectives, were self-configuring, self-healing, self-optimizing and self-protecting, along with attributes of self-awareness, self-monitoring and self-adjusting. This self-* list has grown: self-anticipating, self-critical, self-defining, self-destructing, self-diagnosis, self-governing, self-organized, self-reflecting, and self-simulation, for instance.

Wood Usage and Fire Veneration in the Pamir, Xinjiang, 2500 yr BP.

PubMed

Shen, Hui; Wu, Xinhua; Tang, Zihua; Zhou, Xinying; Sun, Nan; Li, Xiaoqiang

2015-01-01

Located on the Pamir Plateau in Xinjiang Province, China, the Ji'erzankale Necropolis dates back to 2500 yr BP. Many materials that have been unearthed in this cemetery, including shoo konghou (musical instrument), bronze mirrors and glass beads, suggest cultural transference between East and West. Furthermore, small-sized and rounded fire altars made from sweet-scented Sabina were found for the first time and regarded as implements for fire veneration. We identified 70 wooden objects from 25 tombs within the Necropolis, and found that each object had been made from one of seven tree species. Analysis revealed that the inhabitants of the region mainly used the most widely available types of wood, namely Betula and Populus. People also specifically chose inflammable Populus wood to make hearth boards and hand drills (both are used for making fire by drilling), rigid Betula wood to craft wooden plates. Salix was used for fashioning wooden sticks, while sweet-scented Sabina was the preferred choice for making fire altars. Lonicera was selected for arrow shaft manufacture and Fraxinus syriaca, which has a beautiful grain, was chosen for making musical instruments. Conscious selection of different types of wood indicates that people of the Pamir Plateau were aware of the properties of various types of timbers, and were able to exploit these properties to the full. In turn, this demonstrates their wisdom and their ability to survive in, and adapt to, their local environment.

Wood Usage and Fire Veneration in the Pamir, Xinjiang, 2500 yr BP

PubMed Central

Shen, Hui; Wu, Xinhua; Tang, Zihua; Zhou, Xinying; Sun, Nan; Li, Xiaoqiang

2015-01-01

Located on the Pamir Plateau in Xinjiang Province, China, the Ji’erzankale Necropolis dates back to 2500 yr BP. Many materials that have been unearthed in this cemetery, including shoo konghou (musical instrument), bronze mirrors and glass beads, suggest cultural transference between East and West. Furthermore, small-sized and rounded fire altars made from sweet-scented Sabina were found for the first time and regarded as implements for fire veneration. We identified 70 wooden objects from 25 tombs within the Necropolis, and found that each object had been made from one of seven tree species. Analysis revealed that the inhabitants of the region mainly used the most widely available types of wood, namely Betula and Populus. People also specifically chose inflammable Populus wood to make hearth boards and hand drills (both are used for making fire by drilling), rigid Betula wood to craft wooden plates. Salix was used for fashioning wooden sticks, while sweet-scented Sabina was the preferred choice for making fire altars. Lonicera was selected for arrow shaft manufacture and Fraxinus syriaca, which has a beautiful grain, was chosen for making musical instruments. Conscious selection of different types of wood indicates that people of the Pamir Plateau were aware of the properties of various types of timbers, and were able to exploit these properties to the full. In turn, this demonstrates their wisdom and their ability to survive in, and adapt to, their local environment. PMID:26308646

Focus on autonomic dysfunction in familial amyloidotic polyneuropathy (FAP).

PubMed

Obayashi, Konen; Ando, Yukio

2012-06-01

It is well known that autonomic dysfunction in familial amyloidotic polyneuropathy (FAP) is the most serious problem, because it restricts the daily life of these patients. The detail mechanisms of the onset are not well understood in FAP and domino liver transplantation-induced amyloid neuropathy. As autonomic disturbances play an important role in the symptomatology of FAP, further studies of autonomic dysfunction in these patients may lead the pathogenesis of FAP. Autonomic dysfunction is often observed before sensory and motor nerve dysfunction in FAP. This can be attributed to the morphological characteristics of the nerves. Unmyelinated, small myelinated, and large myelinated fibers tend to become impaired in that order. Although the reasons of susceptibility to amyloid infiltration and injury are not known, studies of autopsied FAP patients have revealed heavy infiltration of amyloid in autonomic ganglions. Moreover, spinal ganglion and posterior loot of the spine had severe amyloid deposits than did the anterior root of the spine or the motor nerves. It is well known that autonomic dysfunction is the most serious problem, because it restricts the daily life of FAP patients. However, we have four major questions about autonomic dysfunction in clinical. In this manuscript, we discuss about the answers of these questions.

Unique autonomic responses to pain in yoga practitioners.

PubMed

Cotton, Valerie; Low, Lucie A; Villemure, Chantal; Bushnell, M Catherine

2018-04-03

Autonomic nervous system activity is associated with neurobehavioral aspects of pain. Yogis use breathing, relaxation and mindfulness to tolerate pain, which could influence autonomic responses. To evaluate how the link between autonomic responses and pain is altered by other factors, we compared perceptual and autonomic responses to pain between yogis and controls. Nineteen yogis and 15 controls rated warm and painfully hot stimuli (1-cm thermode on calf), with visual anticipatory cues indicating certainly painful, certainly non-painful or uncertainly either painful or non-painful. Heart rate, skin conductance, respiration, and blood pressure were measured. At baseline, yogis breathed slower and deeper than controls, with no differences in other autonomic measures. During the task, perceptual ratings did not differ between groups in either the certain or uncertain conditions. Nevertheless, yogis had higher phasic skin conductance responses in anticipation of and response to all stimuli, but particularly during painful heat in uncertain contexts (Uncertain: 0.46 ± 0.34μS; Certain: 0.37 ± 0.28μS, t(18) = 3.962, p = 0.001). Furthermore, controls showed a decrease in heart rate to warm (-2.51 ± 2.17 bpm) versus painful stimuli (0.83 ± 1.63 bpm; t(13) = 5.212, p < 0.001) and lower respiratory sinus arrhythmia during pain than warm trials, whereas yogis had similar reactions to painful and non-painful stimuli. Autonomic responses to pain differed in yogis and healthy volunteers, despite similar pain ratings. Thus, autonomic reactivity to pain may be altered by environmental and psychological factors throughout an individual's life.

Autonomous Vehicles and the Net-Centric Battlespace

DTIC Science & Technology

2000-04-01

Autonomous vehicles are playing increasing roles in the air/land/sea network of today’s battlespace. As the Navy’s lead laboratory for command...including remote sensor platforms, communication relays, and work platforms. As these capabilities are developed autonomous vehicles will become an

3-D Vision Techniques for Autonomous Vehicles

DTIC Science & Technology

1988-08-01

TITLE (Include Security Classification) W 3-D Vision Techniques for Autonomous Vehicles 12 PERSONAL AUTHOR(S) Martial Hebert, Takeo Kanade, inso Kweoni... Autonomous Vehicles Martial Hebert, Takeo Kanade, Inso Kweon CMU-RI-TR-88-12 The Robotics Institute Carnegie Mellon University Acession For Pittsburgh

Hard-real-time resource management for autonomous spacecraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gat, E.

2000-01-01

This paper describes tickets, a computational mechanism for hard-real-time autonomous resource management. Autonomous spacecraftcontrol can be considered abstractly as a computational process whose outputs are spacecraft commands.

Late paleozoic base and precious metal deposits, East Tianshan, Xinjiang, China: Characteristics and geodynamic setting

USGS Publications Warehouse

Mao, J.; Goldfarb, R.J.; Wang, Y.; Hart, C.J.; Wang, Z.; Yang, J.

2005-01-01

The East Tianshan is a remote Gobi area located in eastern Xinjiang, northwestern China. In the past several years, a number of gold, porphyry copper, and Fe(-Cu) and Cu-Ag-Pb-Zn skarn deposits have been discovered there and are attracting exploration interest. The East Tianshan is located between the Junggar block to the north and early Paleozoic terranes of the Middle Tianshan to the south. It is part of a Hercynian orogen with three distinct E-W-trending tectonic belts: the Devonian-Early Carboniferous Tousuquan-Dananhu island arc on the north and the Carboniferous Aqishan - Yamansu rift basin to the south, which are separated by rocks of the Kanggurtag shear zone. The porphyry deposits, dated at 322 Ma, are related to the late evolutionary stages of a subduction-related oceanic or continental margin arc. In contrast, the skarn, gold, and magmatic Ni-Cu deposits are associated with post-collisional tectonics at ca. 290-270 Ma. These Late Carboniferous - Early Permian deposits are associated with large-scale emplacement and eruption of magmas possibly caused by lithosphere delamination and rifting within the East Tianshan.

Autonomous Science Operations Technologies for Deep Space Gateway

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barnes, P. K.; Haddock, A. T.; Cruzen, C. A.

2018-02-01

Autonomous Science Operations Technologies for Deep Space Gateway (DSG) is an overview of how the DSG would benefit from autonomous systems utilizing proven technologies performing telemetry monitoring and science operations.

Chemical properties in fruits of mulberry species from the Xinjiang province of China.

PubMed

Jiang, Yan; Nie, Wen-Jing

2015-05-01

Mulberries are a widely cultivated foodstuff both in China and worldwide. However, there are stark differences in the nutritional values of mulberry species. To better appreciate these differences, we here describe the chemical characteristics of white (Morus alba L.), Russian (M. alba var. tatarica L.), and black (Morus nigra L.) mulberry fruits cultivated in the Xinjiang province of China. The chemical composition analysis was performed by official methods procedures. The amino acids were analysed by the phenyl isothiocyanate method. The 2,6-dichloroindophenol titrimetric method, the aluminium chloride colorimetric method, and the pH differential method were also used in measuring the content of reduced ascorbic acid, total flavonoids, and total monomeric anthocyanins, respectively. The black mulberry fruits had the highest content of reduced ascorbic acid (48.4 mg/100 g fw), titratable acidity (47.1 mg/g fw), and Fe (11.9 mg/100 g fw) of these 3 species. The Russian mulberry fruits had the highest EAA/TAA (essential amino acid/total amino acid) ratio at 44% followed by the white mulberry (42%) and the black mulberry (29%). The black mulberry fruits had found to be richest in terms of total flavonoids and total monomeric anthocyanins. These results are helpful for selecting mulberry species with abundant nutrients and phytochemicals for commercial cultivation. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Tracked robot controllers for climbing obstacles autonomously

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vincent, Isabelle

2009-05-01

Research in mobile robot navigation has demonstrated some success in navigating flat indoor environments while avoiding obstacles. However, the challenge of analyzing complex environments to climb obstacles autonomously has had very little success due to the complexity of the task. Unmanned ground vehicles currently exhibit simple autonomous behaviours compared to the human ability to move in the world. This paper presents the control algorithms designed for a tracked mobile robot to autonomously climb obstacles by varying its tracks configuration. Two control algorithms are proposed to solve the autonomous locomotion problem for climbing obstacles. First, a reactive controller evaluates the appropriate geometric configuration based on terrain and vehicle geometric considerations. Then, a reinforcement learning algorithm finds alternative solutions when the reactive controller gets stuck while climbing an obstacle. The methodology combines reactivity to learning. The controllers have been demonstrated in box and stair climbing simulations. The experiments illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach for crossing obstacles.

Autonomic Cluster Management System (ACMS): A Demonstration of Autonomic Principles at Work

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Baldassari, James D.; Kopec, Christopher L.; Leshay, Eric S.; Truszkowski, Walt; Finkel, David

2005-01-01

Cluster computing, whereby a large number of simple processors or nodes are combined together to apparently function as a single powerful computer, has emerged as a research area in its own right. The approach offers a relatively inexpensive means of achieving significant computational capabilities for high-performance computing applications, while simultaneously affording the ability to. increase that capability simply by adding more (inexpensive) processors. However, the task of manually managing and con.guring a cluster quickly becomes impossible as the cluster grows in size. Autonomic computing is a relatively new approach to managing complex systems that can potentially solve many of the problems inherent in cluster management. We describe the development of a prototype Automatic Cluster Management System (ACMS) that exploits autonomic properties in automating cluster management.

Autonomic Management of Space Missions. Chapter 12

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hinchey, Michael G.; Rash, James L.; Truszkowski, Walt; Rouff, Christopher A.; Sterritt, Roy

2006-01-01

With NASA s renewed commitment to outer space exploration, greater emphasis is being placed on both human and robotic exploration. Even when humans are involved in the exploration, human tending of assets becomes cost-prohibitive or in many cases is simply not feasible. In addition, certain exploration missions will require spacecraft that will be capable of venturing where humans cannot be sent. Early space missions were operated manually from ground control centers with little or no automated operations. In the mid-l980s, the high costs of satellite operations prompted NASA, and others, to begin automating as many functions as possible. In our context, a system is autonomous if it can achieve its goals without human intervention. A number of more-or-less automated ground systems exist today, but work continues with the goal being to reduce operations costs to even lower levels. Cost reductions can be achieved in a number of areas. Ground control and spacecraft operations are two such areas where greater autonomy can reduce costs. As a consequence, autonomy is increasingly seen as a critical approach for robotic missions and for some aspects of manned missions. Although autonomy will be critical for the success of future missions (and indeed will enable certain kinds of science data gathering approaches), missions imbued with autonomy must also exhibit autonomic properties. Exploitation of autonomy alone, without emphasis on autonomic properties, will leave spacecraft vulnerable to the dangerous environments in which they must operate. Without autonomic properties, a spacecraft may be unable to recognize negative environmental effects on its components and subsystems, or may be unable to take any action to ameliorate the effects. The spacecraft, though operating autonomously, may then sustain a degradation of performance of components or subsystems, and consequently may have a reduced potential for achieving mission objectives. In extreme cases, lack of autonomic

Autonomous Cryogenics Loading Operations Simulation Software: Knowledgebase Autonomous Test Engineer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wehner, Walter S.

2012-01-01

The Simulation Software, KATE (Knowledgebase Autonomous Test Engineer), is used to demonstrate the automatic identification of faults in a system. The ACLO (Autonomous Cryogenics Loading Operation) project uses KATE to monitor and find faults in the loading of the cryogenics int o a vehicle fuel tank. The KATE software interfaces with the IHM (Integrated Health Management) systems bus to communicate with other systems that are part of ACLO. One system that KATE uses the IHM bus to communicate with is AIS (Advanced Inspection System). KATE will send messages to AIS when there is a detected anomaly. These messages include visual inspection of specific valves, pressure gauges and control messages to have AIS open or close manual valves. My goals include implementing the connection to the IHM bus within KATE and for the AIS project. I will also be working on implementing changes to KATE's Ul and implementing the physics objects in KATE that will model portions of the cryogenics loading operation.

Cooperative Control of Multiple Unmanned Autonomous Vehicles

DTIC Science & Technology

2005-06-03

I I Final Report 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE 5. FUNDING NUMBERS Cooperative Control of Multiple Unmanned Autonomous Vehicles F49620-01-1-0337 6. AUTHOR(S... Autonomous Vehicles Final Report Kendall E. Nygard Department of Computer Science and Operations Research North Dakota State University Fargo, ND 58105-5164

Autonomic Physiological Response Patterns Related to Intelligence

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Melis, Cor; van Boxtel, Anton

2007-01-01

We examined autonomic physiological responses induced by six different cognitive ability tasks, varying in complexity, that were selected on the basis of on Guilford's Structure of Intellect model. In a group of 52 participants, task performance was measured together with nine different autonomic response measures and respiration rate. Weighted…

Laser Range and Bearing Finder for Autonomous Missions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Granade, Stephen R.

2004-01-01

NASA has recently re-confirmed their interest in autonomous systems as an enabling technology for future missions. In order for autonomous missions to be possible, highly-capable relative sensor systems are needed to determine an object's distance, direction, and orientation. This is true whether the mission is autonomous in-space assembly, rendezvous and docking, or rover surface navigation. Advanced Optical Systems, Inc. has developed a wide-angle laser range and bearing finder (RBF) for autonomous space missions. The laser RBF has a number of features that make it well-suited for autonomous missions. It has an operating range of 10 m to 5 km, with a 5 deg field of view. Its wide field of view removes the need for scanning systems such as gimbals, eliminating moving parts and making the sensor simpler and space qualification easier. Its range accuracy is 1% or better. It is designed to operate either as a stand-alone sensor or in tandem with a sensor that returns range, bearing, and orientation at close ranges, such as NASA's Advanced Video Guidance Sensor. We have assembled the initial prototype and are currently testing it. We will discuss the laser RBF's design and specifications. Keywords: laser range and bearing finder, autonomous rendezvous and docking, space sensors, on-orbit sensors, advanced video guidance sensor

The autonomous sciencecraft constellations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sherwood, R. L.; Chien, S.; Castano, R.; Rabideau, G.

2003-01-01

The Autonomous Sciencecraft Experiment (ASE) will fly onboard the Air Force TechSat 21 constellation of three spacecraft scheduled for launch in 2006. ASE uses onboard continuous planning, robust task and goal-based execution, model-based mode identification and reconfiguration, and onboard machine learning and pattern recognition to radically increase science return by enabling intelligent downlink selection and autonomous retargeting. In this paper we discuss how these AI technologies are synergistically integrated in a hybrid multi-layer control architecture to enable a virtual spacecraft science agent. Demonstration of these capabilities in a flight environment will open up tremendous new opportunities in planetary science, space physics, and earth science that would be unreachable without this technology.

Contingency Software in Autonomous Systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lutz, Robyn; Patterson-Hine, Ann

2006-01-01

This viewgraph presentation reviews the development of contingency software for autonomous systems. Autonomous vehicles currently have a limited capacity to diagnose and mitigate failures. There is a need to be able to handle a broader range of contingencies. The goals of the project are: 1. Speed up diagnosis and mitigation of anomalous situations.2.Automatically handle contingencies, not just failures.3.Enable projects to select a degree of autonomy consistent with their needs and to incrementally introduce more autonomy.4.Augment on-board fault protection with verified contingency scripts

A System for Fast Navigation of Autonomous Vehicles

DTIC Science & Technology

1991-09-01

AD-A243 523 4, jj A System for Fast Navigation of Autonomous Vehicles Sanjiv Singh, Dai Feng, Paul Keller, Gary Shaffer, Wen Fan Shi, Dong Hun Shin...FUNDING NUMBERS A System for Fast Navigation of Autonomous Vehicles 6. AUTHOR(S) S. Singh, D. Feng, P. Keller, G. Shaffer, W.F. Shi, D.H. Shin, J. West...common in the control of autonomous vehicles to establish the necessary kinematic models but to ignore an explicit representation of the vehicle dynamics

Autonomous power expert system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ringer, Mark J.; Quinn, Todd M.

1990-01-01

The goal of the Autonomous Power System (APS) program is to develop and apply intelligent problem solving and control technologies to the Space Station Freedom Electrical Power Systems (SSF/EPS). The objectives of the program are to establish artificial intelligence/expert system technology paths, to create knowledge based tools with advanced human-operator interfaces, and to integrate and interface knowledge-based and conventional control schemes. This program is being developed at the NASA-Lewis. The APS Brassboard represents a subset of a 20 KHz Space Station Power Management And Distribution (PMAD) testbed. A distributed control scheme is used to manage multiple levels of computers and switchgear. The brassboard is comprised of a set of intelligent switchgear used to effectively switch power from the sources to the loads. The Autonomous Power Expert System (APEX) portion of the APS program integrates a knowledge based fault diagnostic system, a power resource scheduler, and an interface to the APS Brassboard. The system includes knowledge bases for system diagnostics, fault detection and isolation, and recommended actions. The scheduler autonomously assigns start times to the attached loads based on temporal and power constraints. The scheduler is able to work in a near real time environment for both scheduling and dynamic replanning.

Autonomous power expert system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ringer, Mark J.; Quinn, Todd M.

1990-01-01

The goal of the Autonomous Power System (APS) program is to develop and apply intelligent problem solving and control technologies to the Space Station Freedom Electrical Power Systems (SSF/EPS). The objectives of the program are to establish artificial intelligence/expert system technology paths, to create knowledge based tools with advanced human-operator interfaces, and to integrate and interface knowledge-based and conventional control schemes. This program is being developed at the NASA-Lewis. The APS Brassboard represents a subset of a 20 KHz Space Station Power Management And Distribution (PMAD) testbed. A distributed control scheme is used to manage multiple levels of computers and switchgear. The brassboard is comprised of a set of intelligent switchgear used to effectively switch power from the sources to the loads. The Autonomous Power Expert System (APEX) portion of the APS program integrates a knowledge based fault diagnostic system, a power resource scheduler, and an interface to the APS Brassboard. The system includes knowledge bases for system diagnostics, fault detection and isolation, and recommended actions. The scheduler autonomously assigns start times to the attached loads based on temporal and power constraints. The scheduler is able to work in a near real time environment for both scheduling an dynamic replanning.

Towards autonomous vehicles.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2013-11-01

We are moving towards an age of autonomous vehicles. Cycles of innovation initiated in the public and private sectors : have led one into another since the 1990s; and out of these efforts have sprung a variety of Advanced Driver Assistance : Systems ...

High-frequency autonomic modulation: a new model for analysis of autonomic cardiac control.

PubMed

Champéroux, Pascal; Fesler, Pierre; Judé, Sebastien; Richard, Serge; Le Guennec, Jean-Yves; Thireau, Jérôme

2018-05-03

Increase in high-frequency beat-to-beat heart rate oscillations by torsadogenic hERG blockers appears to be associated with signs of parasympathetic and sympathetic co-activation which cannot be assessed directly using classic methods of heart rate variability analysis. The present work aimed to find a translational model that would allow this particular state of the autonomic control of heart rate to be assessed. High-frequency heart rate and heart period oscillations were analysed within discrete 10 s intervals in a cohort of 200 healthy human subjects. Results were compared to data collected in non-human primates and beagle dogs during pharmacological challenges and torsadogenic hERG blockers exposure, in 127 genotyped LQT1 patients on/off β-blocker treatment and in subgroups of smoking and non-smoking subjects. Three states of autonomic modulation, S1 (parasympathetic predominance) to S3 (reciprocal parasympathetic withdrawal/sympathetic activation), were differentiated to build a new model of heart rate variability referred to as high-frequency autonomic modulation. The S2 state corresponded to a specific state during which both parasympathetic and sympathetic systems were coexisting or co-activated. S2 oscillations were proportionally increased by torsadogenic hERG-blocking drugs, whereas smoking caused an increase in S3 oscillations. The combined analysis of the magnitude of high-frequency heart rate and high-frequency heart period oscillations allows a refined assessment of heart rate autonomic modulation applicable to long-term ECG recordings and offers new approaches to assessment of the risk of sudden death both in terms of underlying mechanisms and sensitivity. © 2018 The Authors. British Journal of Pharmacology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of British Pharmacological Society.

Autonomous robot software development using simple software components

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Burke, Thomas M.; Chung, Chan-Jin

2004-10-01

Developing software to control a sophisticated lane-following, obstacle-avoiding, autonomous robot can be demanding and beyond the capabilities of novice programmers - but it doesn"t have to be. A creative software design utilizing only basic image processing and a little algebra, has been employed to control the LTU-AISSIG autonomous robot - a contestant in the 2004 Intelligent Ground Vehicle Competition (IGVC). This paper presents a software design equivalent to that used during the IGVC, but with much of the complexity removed. The result is an autonomous robot software design, that is robust, reliable, and can be implemented by programmers with a limited understanding of image processing. This design provides a solid basis for further work in autonomous robot software, as well as an interesting and achievable robotics project for students.

The nature of the autonomic dysfunction in multiple system atrophy

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Parikh, Samir M.; Diedrich, Andre; Biaggioni, Italo; Robertson, David

2002-01-01

The concept that multiple system atrophy (MSA, Shy-Drager syndrome) is a disorder of the autonomic nervous system is several decades old. While there has been renewed interest in the movement disorder associated with MSA, two recent consensus statements confirm the centrality of the autonomic disorder to the diagnosis. Here, we reexamine the autonomic pathophysiology in MSA. Whereas MSA is often thought of as "autonomic failure", new evidence indicates substantial persistence of functioning sympathetic and parasympathetic nerves even in clinically advanced disease. These findings help explain some of the previously poorly understood features of MSA. Recognition that MSA entails persistent, constitutive autonomic tone requires a significant revision of our concepts of its diagnosis and therapy. We will review recent evidence bearing on autonomic tone in MSA and discuss their therapeutic implications, particularly in terms of the possible development of a bionic baroreflex for better control of blood pressure.

Total Alkaloids of Sophora alopecuroides Inhibit Growth and Induce Apoptosis in Human Cervical Tumor HeLa Cells In vitro.

PubMed

Li, Jian-Guang; Yang, Xiao-Yi; Huang, Wei

2016-05-01

Uygur females of Xinjiang have the higher incidence of cervical tumor in the country. Alkaloids are the major active ingredients in Sophora alopecuroides, and its antitumor effect was recognized by the medical profession. Xinjiang is the main site of S. alopecuroides production in China so these plants are abundant in the region. Studies on the antitumor properties of total alkaloids of S. alopecuroides (TASA) can take full use of the traditional folk medicine in antitumor unique utility. To explore the effects of TASA on proliferation and apoptosis of human cervical tumor HeLa cells in vitro. TASA was extracted, purified, and each monomer component was analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography. The effect of TASA at different concentrations on the survival of HeLa cells was determined after 24 h using the Cell Counting Kit-8. In addition, cells were photographed using an inverted microscope to document morphological changes. The effect of TASA on apoptotic rate of HeLa cells was assessed by flow cytometry. Monomers of TASA were found to be sophoridine, matrine, and sophocarpine. On treatment with 8.75 mg/ml of TASA, more than 50% of HeLa cells died, and cell death rate increased further with longer incubation. The apoptotic rates of HeLa cells in the experimental groups were 16.0% and 33.3% at concentrations of 6.25 mg/ml and 12.50 mg/ml, respectively. TASA can induce apoptosis in cervical tumor HeLa cells, and it has obvious inhibitory effects on cell growth. Total alkaloids of Sophora alopecuroides (TASA) exhibits anti-human cervical tumor propertiesMonomer component of TASA was analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography, and its main effect component are sophoridine, matrine, and sophocarpineTASA inhibits growth and induces apoptosis in HeLa cells. Abbreviations used: TASA: Total alkaloids of S. alopecuroides, CCK-8: Cell Counting Kit-8, FBS: Fetal bovine serum, PBS: Phosphate buffered saline, DMEM: Dulbecco's modified Eagle medium.

The physical examination as a window into autonomic disorders.

PubMed

Cheshire, William P; Goldstein, David S

2018-02-01

Signs of autonomic dysfunction, although at times seemingly mysterious, can contribute to diagnostic clarification and clinical investigation. Even when sophisticated autonomic testing equipment is not readily available, the experienced clinician, through educated observation and inductive reasoning-in conjunction with an intelligently obtained autonomic medical history-can discern much by a careful physical examination. Elements of the autonomic examination include variations in the pulse, postural measurements of blood pressure and heart rate, pupillary light reactions, skin coloration and temperature, patterns of sweating, and other organ-specific physical findings relevant to the individual patient's presentation. Especially important is the often neglected practice of measuring the blood pressure standing up, for orthostatic hypotension cannot be diagnosed by symptoms alone and is a common source of potential morbidity. The examination should be carried out in the context of understanding the syndromic nature of abnormalities of components of the autonomic nervous system.

Longitudinal Control for Mengshi Autonomous Vehicle via Cloud Model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gao, H. B.; Zhang, X. Y.; Li, D. Y.; Liu, Y. C.

2018-03-01

Dynamic robustness and stability control is a requirement for self-driving of autonomous vehicle. Longitudinal control method of autonomous is a key technique which has drawn the attention of industry and academe. In this paper, we present a longitudinal control algorithm based on cloud model for Mengshi autonomous vehicle to ensure the dynamic stability and tracking performance of Mengshi autonomous vehicle. An experiments is applied to test the implementation of the longitudinal control algorithm. Empirical results show that if the longitudinal control algorithm based Gauss cloud model are applied to calculate the acceleration, and the vehicles drive at different speeds, a stable longitudinal control effect is achieved.

Integrated System for Autonomous Science

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chien, Steve; Sherwood, Robert; Tran, Daniel; Cichy, Benjamin; Davies, Ashley; Castano, Rebecca; Rabideau, Gregg; Frye, Stuart; Trout, Bruce; Shulman, Seth;

Cooperative Control of Distributed Autonomous Vehicles in Adversarial Environments

DTIC Science & Technology

2006-08-14

COOPERATIVE CONTROL OF DISTRIBUTED AUTONOMOUS VEHICLES IN ADVERSARIAL ENVIRONMENTS Grant #F49620–01–1–0361 Final Report Jeff Shamma Department of...CONTRACT NUMBER F49620-01-1-0361 5b. GRANT NUMBER 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE COOPERATIVE CONTROL OF DISTRIBUTED AUTONOMOUS VEHICLES IN...single dominant language or a distribution of languages. A relation to multivehicle systems is understanding how highly autonomous vehicles on extended

Communication and Control for Fleets of Autonomous Underwater Vehicles

DTIC Science & Technology

2006-10-30

Washington State University (WSU) on fuzzy logic control systems [2-4] and autonomous vehicles [5-10]. The ALWSE-MC program developed at NAVSEA CSS was...rotating head sonar on crawlers as an additional sensor for navigation. We have previously investigated the use of video cameras on autonomous vehicles for...simulates autonomous vehicles performing mine reconnaissance/mapping, clearance, and surveillance in a littoral region. Three simulations were preformed

New Small Autonomous Schools District Policy. Revised.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Oakland Unified School District, CA.

Inspired by the gains in student achievement realized by the small schools movement in New York City, the Oakland Unified School District (California) has proposed creating a network of 10 new, small autonomous (NSA) schools over the next 3 years. School size will range between 250 and 500 students, depending on grade level. "Autonomous"…

Improving Human/Autonomous System Teaming Through Linguistic Analysis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Meszaros, Erica L.

2016-01-01

An area of increasing interest for the next generation of aircraft is autonomy and the integration of increasingly autonomous systems into the national airspace. Such integration requires humans to work closely with autonomous systems, forming human and autonomous agent teams. The intention behind such teaming is that a team composed of both humans and autonomous agents will operate better than homogenous teams. Procedures exist for licensing pilots to operate in the national airspace system and current work is being done to define methods for validating the function of autonomous systems, however there is no method in place for assessing the interaction of these two disparate systems. Moreover, currently these systems are operated primarily by subject matter experts, limiting their use and the benefits of such teams. Providing additional information about the ongoing mission to the operator can lead to increased usability and allow for operation by non-experts. Linguistic analysis of the context of verbal communication provides insight into the intended meaning of commonly heard phrases such as "What's it doing now?" Analyzing the semantic sphere surrounding these common phrases enables the prediction of the operator's intent and allows the interface to supply the operator's desired information.

Are Autonomous and Controlled Motivations School-Subjects-Specific?

PubMed

Chanal, Julien; Guay, Frédéric

2015-01-01

This research sought to test whether autonomous and controlled motivations are specific to school subjects or more general to the school context. In two cross-sectional studies, 252 elementary school children (43.7% male; mean age = 10.7 years, SD = 1.3 years) and 334 junior high school children (49.7% male, mean age = 14.07 years, SD = 1.01 years) were administered a questionnaire assessing their motivation for various school subjects. Results based on structural equation modeling using the correlated trait-correlated method minus one model (CTCM-1) showed that autonomous and controlled motivations assessed at the school subject level are not equally school-subject-specific. We found larger specificity effects for autonomous (intrinsic and identified) than for controlled (introjected and external) motivation. In both studies, results of factor loadings and the correlations with self-concept and achievement demonstrated that more evidence of specificity was obtained for autonomous regulations than for controlled ones. These findings suggest a new understanding of the hierarchical and multidimensional academic structure of autonomous and controlled motivations and of the mechanisms involved in the development of types of regulations for school subjects.

Are Autonomous and Controlled Motivations School-Subjects-Specific?

PubMed Central

Chanal, Julien; Guay, Frédéric

2015-01-01

This research sought to test whether autonomous and controlled motivations are specific to school subjects or more general to the school context. In two cross-sectional studies, 252 elementary school children (43.7% male; mean age = 10.7 years, SD = 1.3 years) and 334 junior high school children (49.7% male, mean age = 14.07 years, SD = 1.01 years) were administered a questionnaire assessing their motivation for various school subjects. Results based on structural equation modeling using the correlated trait-correlated method minus one model (CTCM-1) showed that autonomous and controlled motivations assessed at the school subject level are not equally school-subject-specific. We found larger specificity effects for autonomous (intrinsic and identified) than for controlled (introjected and external) motivation. In both studies, results of factor loadings and the correlations with self-concept and achievement demonstrated that more evidence of specificity was obtained for autonomous regulations than for controlled ones. These findings suggest a new understanding of the hierarchical and multidimensional academic structure of autonomous and controlled motivations and of the mechanisms involved in the development of types of regulations for school subjects. PMID:26247788

Comparative anatomy of the autonomic nervous system.

PubMed

Nilsson, Stefan

2011-11-16

This short review aims to point out the general anatomical features of the autonomic nervous systems of non-mammalian vertebrates. In addition it attempts to outline the similarities and also the increased complexity of the autonomic nervous patterns from fish to tetrapods. With the possible exception of the cyclostomes, perhaps the most striking feature of the vertebrate autonomic nervous system is the similarity between the vertebrate classes. An evolution of the complexity of the system can be seen, with the segmental ganglia of elasmobranchs incompletely connected longitudinally, while well developed paired sympathetic chains are present in teleosts and the tetrapods. In some groups the sympathetic chains may be reduced (dipnoans and caecilians), and have yet to be properly described in snakes. Cranial autonomic pathways are present in the oculomotor (III) and vagus (X) nerves of gnathostome fish and the tetrapods, and with the evolution of salivary and lachrymal glands in the tetrapods, also in the facial (VII) and glossopharyngeal (IX) nerves. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Autonomous Soaring: The Montague Cross Country Challenge

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Edwards, Daniel J.

A novel method was developed for locating and allowing gliders to stay in thermals (convective updrafts). The method was applied to a 5 kg, glider, called ALOFT (autonomous locator of thermals), that was entered in the 2008 Montague Cross-Country Challenge held on 13-15 June 2008 in Montague, California. In this competition, RC (remote controlled) gliders in the 5 kg class competed on the basis of speed and distance. ALOFT was the first known autonomously soaring aircraft to enter a soaring competition and its entry provided a valuable comparison between the effectiveness of manual soaring and autonomous soaring. ALOFT placed third in the competition in overall points, outperforming manually-flown aircraft in its ability to center and utilize updrafts, especially at higher altitudes and in the presence of wind, to fly more optimal airspeeds, and to fly directly between turn points. The results confirm that autonomous soaring is a bona fide engineering sub-discipline, which is expected to be of interest to engineers who might find this has some utility in the aviation industry.

Development Of Autonomous Systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kanade, Takeo

1989-03-01

In the last several years at the Robotics Institute of Carnegie Mellon University, we have been working on two projects for developing autonomous systems: Nablab for Autonomous Land Vehicle and Ambler for Mars Rover. These two systems are for different purposes: the Navlab is a four-wheeled vehicle (van) for road and open terrain navigation, and the Ambler is a six-legged locomotor for Mars exploration. The two projects, however, share many common aspects. Both are large-scale integrated systems for navigation. In addition to the development of individual components (eg., construction and control of the vehicle, vision and perception, and planning), integration of those component technologies into a system by means of an appropriate architecture is a major issue.

Conference proceedings of the Northeast Autonomous Vehicle Summit.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2017-05-24

The development of autonomous vehicle technology and potential adoption of autonomous vehicles is occurring at a rapid rate in the United States. As this technology evolves, there are many technical, logistical and legal issues that need to be addres...

Autonomous Rovers for Polar Science Campaigns

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lever, J. H.; Ray, L. E.; Williams, R. M.; Morlock, A. M.; Burzynski, A. M.

2012-12-01

We have developed and deployed two over-snow autonomous rovers able to conduct remote science campaigns on Polar ice sheets. Yeti is an 80-kg, four-wheel-drive (4WD) battery-powered robot with 3 - 4 hr endurance, and Cool Robot is a 60-kg 4WD solar-powered robot with unlimited endurance during Polar summers. Both robots navigate using GPS waypoint-following to execute pre-planned courses autonomously, and they can each carry or tow 20 - 160 kg instrument payloads over typically firm Polar snowfields. In 2008 - 12, we deployed Yeti to conduct autonomous ground-penetrating radar (GPR) surveys to detect hidden crevasses to help establish safe routes for overland resupply of research stations at South Pole, Antarctica, and Summit, Greenland. We also deployed Yeti with GPR at South Pole in 2011 to identify the locations of potentially hazardous buried buildings from the original 1950's-era station. Autonomous surveys remove personnel from safety risks posed during manual GPR surveys by undetected crevasses or buried buildings. Furthermore, autonomous surveys can yield higher quality and more comprehensive data than manual ones: Yeti's low ground pressure (20 kPa) allows it to cross thinly bridged crevasses or other voids without interrupting a survey, and well-defined survey grids allow repeated detection of buried voids to improve detection reliability and map their extent. To improve survey efficiency, we have automated the mapping of detected hazards, currently identified via post-survey manual review of the GPR data. Additionally, we are developing machine-learning algorithms to detect crevasses autonomously in real time, with reliability potentially higher than manual real-time detection. These algorithms will enable the rover to relay crevasse locations to a base station for near real-time mapping and decision-making. We deployed Cool Robot at Summit Station in 2005 to verify its mobility and power budget over Polar snowfields. Using solar power, this zero

Dynamics control of autonomous vehicle at driving limits and experiment on an autonomous formula racing car

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ni, Jun; Hu, Jibin

2017-06-01

In this paper, a novel dynamics controller for autonomous vehicle to simultaneously control it to the driving limits and follow the desired path is proposed. The dynamics controller consists of longitudinal and lateral controllers. In longitudinal controller, the G-G diagram is utilized to describe the driving and handling limits of the vehicle. The accurate G-G diagram is obtained based on phase plane approach and a nonlinear vehicle dynamic model with accurate tyre model. In lateral controller, the tyre cornering stiffness is estimated to improve the robustness of the controller. The stability analysis of the closed-looped error dynamics shows that the controller remains stable against parameters uncertainties in extreme condition such as tyre saturation. Finally, an electric autonomous Formula race car developed by the authors is used to validate the proposed controller. The autonomous driving experiment on an oval race track shows the efficiency and robustness of the proposed controller.

Control of autonomous ground vehicles: a brief technical review

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Babak, Shahian-Jahromi; Hussain, Syed A.; Karakas, Burak; Cetin, Sabri

2017-07-01

This paper presents a brief review of the developments achieved in autonomous vehicle systems technology. A concise history of autonomous driver assistance systems is presented, followed by a review of current state of the art sensor technology used in autonomous vehicles. Standard sensor fusion method that has been recently explored is discussed. Finally, advances in embedded software methodologies that define the logic between sensory information and actuation decisions are reviewed.

Progress towards autonomous, intelligent systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lum, Henry; Heer, Ewald

1987-01-01

An aggressive program has been initiated to develop, integrate, and implement autonomous systems technologies starting with today's expert systems and evolving to autonomous, intelligent systems by the end of the 1990s. This program includes core technology developments and demonstration projects for technology evaluation and validation. This paper discusses key operational frameworks in the content of systems autonomy applications and then identifies major technological challenges, primarily in artificial intelligence areas. Program content and progress made towards critical technologies and demonstrations that have been initiated to achieve the required future capabilities in the year 2000 era are discussed.

Gas House Autonomous System Monitoring

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Miller, Luke; Edsall, Ashley

2015-01-01

Gas House Autonomous System Monitoring (GHASM) will employ Integrated System Health Monitoring (ISHM) of cryogenic fluids in the High Pressure Gas Facility at Stennis Space Center. The preliminary focus of development incorporates the passive monitoring and eventual commanding of the Nitrogen System. ISHM offers generic system awareness, adept at using concepts rather than specific error cases. As an enabler for autonomy, ISHM provides capabilities inclusive of anomaly detection, diagnosis, and abnormality prediction. Advancing ISHM and Autonomous Operation functional capabilities enhances quality of data, optimizes safety, improves cost effectiveness, and has direct benefits to a wide spectrum of aerospace applications.

Alleviating Autonomic Dysreflexia after Spinal Cord Injury

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-12-01

autonomic disorders greatly influence the functional, psychological , and socioeconomic aspects of patients’ lives. Compared to numer- ous...The disruption of descending autonomic pathways renders abnormalities in multiple organ systems including cardiovascular function, respiration...the rise in blood pressure, the integration center in the brainstem transmits signals to the heart via parasympathetic pathways to reduce the heart

Safe and Autonomous Drones for Urban Flight

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Krishnakumar, Kalmanje

2016-01-01

Autonomous vehicles are no longer futuristic technology; in fact, there are already cars with self-driving features on the road. Over the next five years, the connected vehicles will disrupt the entire automotive and UAS ecosystems. The industry will undergo fundamental change as semi-autonomous driving and flying emerges, followed by an eventual shift to full autonomy.

A translational in vivo model of trigeminal autonomic cephalalgias: therapeutic characterization.

PubMed

Akerman, Simon; Holland, Philip R; Summ, Oliver; Lasalandra, Michele P; Goadsby, Peter J

2012-12-01

Trigeminal autonomic cephalalgias are highly disabling primary headache disorders, characterized by severe unilateral head pain and associated ipsilateral cranial autonomic features. There is limited understanding of their pathophysiology and how and where treatments act to reduce symptoms; this is significantly hindered by a lack of animal models. We have developed the first animal model to explore trigeminal autonomic cephalalgias, using stimulation within the brainstem, at the level of the superior salivatory nucleus, to activate the trigeminal autonomic reflex arc. Using electrophysiological recording of neurons of the trigeminocervical complex and laser Doppler blood flow changes around the ipsilateral lacrimal duct, superior salivatory nucleus stimulation exhibited both neuronal trigeminovascular and cranial autonomic manifestations. These responses were specifically inhibited by the autonomic ganglion blocker hexamethonium bromide. These data demonstrate that brainstem activation may be the driver of both sensory and autonomic symptoms in these disorders, and part of this activation may be via the parasympathetic outflow to the cranial vasculature. Additionally, both sensory and autonomic manifestations were significantly inhibited by highly effective treatments for trigeminal autonomic cephalalgias, such as oxygen, indomethacin and triptans, and some part of their therapeutic action appears to be specifically on the parasympathetic outflow to the cranial vasculature. Treatments more used to migraine, such as naproxen and a calcitonin gene-related peptide receptor inhibitor, olcegepant, were less effective in this model. This is the first model to represent the phenotype of trigeminal autonomic cephalalgias and their response to therapies, and indicates the parasympathetic pathway may be uniquely involved in their pathophysiology and targeted to relieve symptoms.

Evaluating the autonomic nervous system in patients with laryngopharyngeal reflux.

PubMed

Huang, Wan-Ju; Shu, Chih-Hung; Chou, Kun-Ta; Wang, Yi-Fen; Hsu, Yen-Bin; Ho, Ching-Yin; Lan, Ming-Ying

2013-06-01

The pathogenesis of laryngopharyngeal reflux (LPR) remains unclear. It is linked to but distinct from gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), which has been shown to be related to disturbed autonomic regulation. The aim of this study is to investigate whether autonomic dysfunction also plays a role in the pathogenesis of LPR. Case-control study. Tertiary care center. Seventeen patients with LPR and 19 healthy controls, aged between 19 and 50 years, were enrolled in the study. The patients were diagnosed with LPR if they had a reflux symptom index (RSI) ≥ 13 and a reflux finding score (RFS) ≥ 7. Spectral analysis of heart rate variability (HRV) analysis was used to assess autonomic function. Anxiety and depression levels measured by the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) and Beck Depression Inventory II (BDI-II) were also conducted. In HRV analysis, high frequency (HF) represents the parasympathetic activity of the autonomic nervous system, whereas low frequency (LF) represents the total autonomic activity. There were no significant differences in the LF power and HF power between the 2 groups. However, significantly lower HF% (P = .003) and a higher LF/HF ratio (P = .012) were found in patients with LPR, who demonstrated poor autonomic modulation and higher sympathetic activity. Anxiety was also frequently observed in the patient group. The study suggests that autonomic dysfunction seems to be involved in the pathogenesis of LPR. The potential beneficial effect of autonomic nervous system modulation as a therapeutic modality for LPR merits further investigation.

Autonomous Vehicles: Disengagements, Accidents and Reaction Times.

PubMed

Dixit, Vinayak V; Chand, Sai; Nair, Divya J

2016-01-01

Autonomous vehicles are being viewed with scepticism in their ability to improve safety and the driving experience. A critical issue with automated driving at this stage of its development is that it is not yet reliable and safe. When automated driving fails, or is limited, the autonomous mode disengages and the drivers are expected to resume manual driving. For this transition to occur safely, it is imperative that drivers react in an appropriate and timely manner. Recent data released from the California trials provide compelling insights into the current factors influencing disengagements of autonomous mode. Here we show that the number of accidents observed has a significantly high correlation with the autonomous miles travelled. The reaction times to take control of the vehicle in the event of a disengagement was found to have a stable distribution across different companies at 0.83 seconds on average. However, there were differences observed in reaction times based on the type of disengagements, type of roadway and autonomous miles travelled. Lack of trust caused by the exposure to automated disengagements was found to increase the likelihood to take control of the vehicle manually. Further, with increased vehicle miles travelled the reaction times were found to increase, which suggests an increased level of trust with more vehicle miles travelled. We believe that this research would provide insurers, planners, traffic management officials and engineers fundamental insights into trust and reaction times that would help them design and engineer their systems.

Autonomous Vehicles: Disengagements, Accidents and Reaction Times

PubMed Central

Dixit, Vinayak V.; Chand, Sai; Nair, Divya J.

2016-01-01

Autonomous vehicles are being viewed with scepticism in their ability to improve safety and the driving experience. A critical issue with automated driving at this stage of its development is that it is not yet reliable and safe. When automated driving fails, or is limited, the autonomous mode disengages and the drivers are expected to resume manual driving. For this transition to occur safely, it is imperative that drivers react in an appropriate and timely manner. Recent data released from the California trials provide compelling insights into the current factors influencing disengagements of autonomous mode. Here we show that the number of accidents observed has a significantly high correlation with the autonomous miles travelled. The reaction times to take control of the vehicle in the event of a disengagement was found to have a stable distribution across different companies at 0.83 seconds on average. However, there were differences observed in reaction times based on the type of disengagements, type of roadway and autonomous miles travelled. Lack of trust caused by the exposure to automated disengagements was found to increase the likelihood to take control of the vehicle manually. Further, with increased vehicle miles travelled the reaction times were found to increase, which suggests an increased level of trust with more vehicle miles travelled. We believe that this research would provide insurers, planners, traffic management officials and engineers fundamental insights into trust and reaction times that would help them design and engineer their systems. PMID:27997566

Autonomous Deep-Space Optical Navigation Project

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

D'Souza, Christopher

2014-01-01

This project will advance the Autonomous Deep-space navigation capability applied to Autonomous Rendezvous and Docking (AR&D) Guidance, Navigation and Control (GNC) system by testing it on hardware, particularly in a flight processor, with a goal of limited testing in the Integrated Power, Avionics and Software (IPAS) with the ARCM (Asteroid Retrieval Crewed Mission) DRO (Distant Retrograde Orbit) Autonomous Rendezvous and Docking (AR&D) scenario. The technology, which will be harnessed, is called 'optical flow', also known as 'visual odometry'. It is being matured in the automotive and SLAM (Simultaneous Localization and Mapping) applications but has yet to be applied to spacecraft navigation. In light of the tremendous potential of this technique, we believe that NASA needs to design a optical navigation architecture that will use this technique. It is flexible enough to be applicable to navigating around planetary bodies, such as asteroids.

Passive and Self-Powered Autonomous Sensors for Remote Measurements

PubMed Central

Sardini, Emilio; Serpelloni, Mauro

2009-01-01

Autonomous sensors play a very important role in the environmental, structural, and medical fields. The use of this kind of systems can be expanded for several applications, for example in implantable devices inside the human body where it is impossible to use wires. Furthermore, they enable measurements in harsh or hermetic environments, such as under extreme heat, cold, humidity or corrosive conditions. The use of batteries as a power supply for these devices represents one solution, but the size, and sometimes the cost and unwanted maintenance burdens of replacement are important drawbacks. In this paper passive and self-powered autonomous sensors for harsh or hermetical environments without batteries are discussed. Their general architectures are presented. Sensing strategies, communication techniques and power management are analyzed. Then, general building blocks of an autonomous sensor are presented and the design guidelines that such a system must follow are given. Furthermore, this paper reports different proposed applications of autonomous sensors applied in harsh or hermetic environments: two examples of passive autonomous sensors that use telemetric communication are proposed, the first one for humidity measurements and the second for high temperatures. Other examples of self-powered autonomous sensors that use a power harvesting system from electromagnetic fields are proposed for temperature measurements and for airflow speeds. PMID:22399949

[Signs and symptoms of autonomic dysfunction in dysphonic individuals].

PubMed

Park, Kelly; Behlau, Mara

2011-01-01

To verify the occurrence of signs and symptoms of autonomic nervous system dysfunction in individuals with behavioral dysphonia, and to compare it with the results obtained by individuals without vocal complaints. Participants were 128 adult individuals with ages between 14 and 74 years, divided into two groups: behavioral dysphonia (61 subjects) and without vocal complaints (67 subjects). It was administered the Protocol of Autonomic Dysfunction, containing 46 questions: 22 related to the autonomic nervous system and had no direct relationship with voice, 16 related to both autonomic nervous system and voice, six non-relevant questions, and two reliability questions. There was a higher occurrence of reported neurovegetative signs in the group with behavioral dysphonia, in questions related to voice, such as frequent throat clearing, frequent swallowing need, fatigability when speaking, and sore throat. In questions not directly related to voice, dysphonic individuals presented greater occurrence of three out of 22 symptoms: gas, tinnitus and aerophagia. Both groups presented similar results in questions non-relevant to the autonomic nervous system. Reliability questions needed reformulation. Individuals with behavioral dysphonia present higher occurrence of neurovegetative signs and symptoms, particularly those with direct relationship with voice, indicating greater lability of the autonomic nervous system in these subjects.

Passive and self-powered autonomous sensors for remote measurements.

PubMed

Sardini, Emilio; Serpelloni, Mauro

2009-01-01

Autonomous sensors play a very important role in the environmental, structural, and medical fields. The use of this kind of systems can be expanded for several applications, for example in implantable devices inside the human body where it is impossible to use wires. Furthermore, they enable measurements in harsh or hermetic environments, such as under extreme heat, cold, humidity or corrosive conditions. The use of batteries as a power supply for these devices represents one solution, but the size, and sometimes the cost and unwanted maintenance burdens of replacement are important drawbacks. In this paper passive and self-powered autonomous sensors for harsh or hermetical environments without batteries are discussed. Their general architectures are presented. Sensing strategies, communication techniques and power management are analyzed. Then, general building blocks of an autonomous sensor are presented and the design guidelines that such a system must follow are given. Furthermore, this paper reports different proposed applications of autonomous sensors applied in harsh or hermetic environments: two examples of passive autonomous sensors that use telemetric communication are proposed, the first one for humidity measurements and the second for high temperatures. Other examples of self-powered autonomous sensors that use a power harvesting system from electromagnetic fields are proposed for temperature measurements and for airflow speeds.

Abnormal cardiac autonomic regulation in mice lacking ASIC3.

PubMed

Cheng, Ching-Feng; Kuo, Terry B J; Chen, Wei-Nan; Lin, Chao-Chieh; Chen, Chih-Cheng

2014-01-01

Integration of sympathetic and parasympathetic outflow is essential in maintaining normal cardiac autonomic function. Recent studies demonstrate that acid-sensing ion channel 3 (ASIC3) is a sensitive acid sensor for cardiac ischemia and prolonged mild acidification can open ASIC3 and evoke a sustained inward current that fires action potentials in cardiac sensory neurons. However, the physiological role of ASIC3 in cardiac autonomic regulation is not known. In this study, we elucidate the role of ASIC3 in cardiac autonomic function using Asic3(-/-) mice. Asic3(-/-) mice showed normal baseline heart rate and lower blood pressure as compared with their wild-type littermates. Heart rate variability analyses revealed imbalanced autonomic regulation, with decreased sympathetic function. Furthermore, Asic3(-/-) mice demonstrated a blunted response to isoproterenol-induced cardiac tachycardia and prolonged duration to recover to baseline heart rate. Moreover, quantitative RT-PCR analysis of gene expression in sensory ganglia and heart revealed that no gene compensation for muscarinic acetylcholines receptors and beta-adrenalin receptors were found in Asic3(-/-) mice. In summary, we unraveled an important role of ASIC3 in regulating cardiac autonomic function, whereby loss of ASIC3 alters the normal physiological response to ischemic stimuli, which reveals new implications for therapy in autonomic nervous system-related cardiovascular diseases.

Formal Methods for Autonomic and Swarm-based Systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rouff, Christopher; Vanderbilt, Amy; Hinchey, Mike; Truszkowski, Walt; Rash, James

2004-01-01

Swarms of intelligent rovers and spacecraft are being considered for a number of future NASA missions. These missions will provide MSA scientist and explorers greater flexibility and the chance to gather more science than traditional single spacecraft missions. These swarms of spacecraft are intended to operate for large periods of time without contact with the Earth. To do this, they must be highly autonomous, have autonomic properties and utilize sophisticated artificial intelligence. The Autonomous Nano Technology Swarm (ANTS) mission is an example of one of the swarm type of missions NASA is considering. This mission will explore the asteroid belt using an insect colony analogy cataloging the mass, density, morphology, and chemical composition of the asteroids, including any anomalous concentrations of specific minerals. Verifying such a system would be a huge task. This paper discusses ongoing work to develop a formal method for verifying swarm and autonomic systems.

The Prevalence and Severity of Autonomic Dysfunction in Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyneuropathy

PubMed Central

Pasangulapati, Suresh Babu; Murthy, T. V.; Sivadasan, Ajith; Gideon, L. Rynjah; Prabhakar, A. T.; Sanjith, Aaron; Mathew, Vivek; Alexander, Mathew

2017-01-01

Introduction: In chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP), emphasis has been on motor disabilities, and autonomic dysfunction in these patients has not been addressed systematically. Materials and Methods: Autonomic function was prospectively analyzed in 38 patients with CIDP. Quantitative autonomic function testing was done using Finometer® PRO and severity of adrenergic and cardiovagal dysfunction graded according to composite autonomic severity score and sudomotor dysfunction assessed using sympathetic skin response. Results: Thirty-four (89%) patients had features of autonomic dysfunction. Thirty-three (86%) patients had cardiovagal dysfunction, 21 (55%) had adrenergic dysfunction, and 24 (63%) had sudomotor dysfunction. Autonomic dysfunction was mild to moderate in the majority (86%). Conclusions: Autonomic dysfunction in CIDP is underreported and potentially amenable to therapy. Our cohort had a high proportion of adrenergic dysfunction compared to previous studies. PMID:28904461

[Source identification and potential ecological hazards assessment of trace metalloid/heavy metals in the soil of Tianshan Mountains, Xinjiang, China].

PubMed

Zhang, Zhao-Yong; Jilili, Abuduwailil; Jiang, Feng-Qing

2014-11-01

In this study, the contents of ten metalloid/heavy metals (As, Pb, Ni, Cd, Co, Hg, Cu, Mn, Zn and Cr) in soil samples collected from three sections including the central Urumqi-Akesu, eastern Blikun-Yiwu and western Zhaosu-Tekesi in Tianshan Mountains were determined, and their sources were identified by using typical statistical and multivariate statistical methods. The potential ecological risks of these heavy metals were assessed by employing pollution index method, potential ecological risk index and the background values of Tianshan Mountains, and Xinjiang, and also the Second National Standard of the Soil Qualities of China. The results showed that the contents of the heavy metals (Pb, Ni, Cd, Co, Hg, Cu, Mn Zn and Cr) and metalloid As were all higher than the soil background values of the Tianshan Mountain or Xinjiang, and their variation co- efficients belonged to the medium variation. In general, the contents of the ten metalloid/heavy metals in the soil of Tianshan Mountains were low. Principal component analysis showed that the ten metalloid/heavy metals could be identified as two principal components, among which PC1 (Cd, Pb, Hg, Mn and Zn) could be seen as 'human influence sources factor', PC2 (Cu, Ni, Cr, Co and As) as 'natural sources factor'. Mn and As had larger loads both in PC1 and PC2, and they could be co-influenced by human and natural sources. The pollution assessment showed that Hg and Cd in central Urumuqi-Akesu section and As in western Zhaosu-Tekesi section were all at alert level, while the other heavy metals in other sections were all at security level. From the comprehensive pollution indices (P(z)) of heavy metals, it was found that the ten metalloid/heavy metals in the soils of central Urumqi-Akesu section were at low pollution level, but those in the other two sections were at clean level. The potential ecological risk assessment showed that the potential ecological risk coefficient (E(i)r) and the ecological damage index (RI) of Hg

The hypertension of autonomic failure and its treatment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shannon, J.; Jordan, J.; Costa, F.; Robertson, R. M.; Biaggioni, I.

1997-01-01

We studied the incidence and severity of supine hypertension in 117 patients with severe primary autonomic failure presenting to a referral center over a 9-year period. Patients were uniformly characterized by disabling orthostatic hypotension, lack of compensatory heart rate increase, abnormal autonomic function tests, and unresponsive plasma norepinephrine. Fifty-four patients had isolated autonomic impairment (pure autonomic failure). Sixty-three patients had central nervous system involvement in addition to autonomic impairment (multiple-system atrophy). Patients were studied off medications, in a metabolic ward, and on a controlled diet containing 150 mEq of sodium. Fifty-six percent of patients had supine diastolic blood pressure > or =90 mm Hg. The prevalence of hypertension was slightly greater in females (63%) than in males (52%). Potential mechanisms responsible for this hypertension were investigated. No correlation was found between blood volume and blood pressure. Similarly, plasma norepinephrine (92+/-15 pg/mL) and plasma renin activity (0.3+/-0.05 ng/mL per hour) were very low in the subset of patients with pure autonomic failure and supine hypertension (mean systolic/diastolic pressure, 177 +/- 6/108 +/- 2 mm Hg, range 167/97 to 219/121). Supine hypertension represents a challenge in the treatment of orthostatic hypotension. We found these patients to be particularly responsive to the hypotensive effects of transdermal nitroglycerin. Doses ranging from 0.025 to 0.1 mg/h decreased systolic blood pressure by 36+/-7 mm Hg and may effectively treat supine hypertension overnight, but the dose should be individualized and used with caution.

Autonomous interplanetary constellation design

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chow, Cornelius Channing, II

According to NASA's integrated space technology roadmaps, space-based infrastructures are envisioned as necessary ingredients to a sustained effort in continuing space exploration. Whether it be for extra-terrestrial habitats, roving/cargo vehicles, or space tourism, autonomous space networks will provide a vital communications lifeline for both future robotic and human missions alike. Projecting that the Moon will be a bustling hub of activity within a few decades, a near-term opportunity for in-situ infrastructure development is within reach. This dissertation addresses the anticipated need for in-space infrastructure by investigating a general design methodology for autonomous interplanetary constellations; to illustrate the theory, this manuscript presents results from an application to the Earth-Moon neighborhood. The constellation design methodology is formulated as an optimization problem, involving a trajectory design step followed by a spacecraft placement sequence. Modeling the dynamics as a restricted 3-body problem, the investigated design space consists of families of periodic orbits which play host to the constellations, punctuated by arrangements of spacecraft autonomously guided by a navigation strategy called LiAISON (Linked Autonomous Interplanetary Satellite Orbit Navigation). Instead of more traditional exhaustive search methods, a numerical continuation approach is implemented to map the admissible configuration space. In particular, Keller's pseudo-arclength technique is used to follow folding/bifurcating solution manifolds, which are otherwise inaccessible with other parameter continuation schemes. A succinct characterization of the underlying structure of the local, as well as global, extrema is thus achievable with little a priori intuition of the solution space. Furthermore, the proposed design methodology offers benefits in computation speed plus the ability to handle mildly stochastic systems. An application of the constellation design

A Mental Health Survey of Different Ethnic and Occupational Groups in Xinjiang, China

PubMed Central

Fu, Ailing; Liu, Bo; Jiang, Yu; Zhao, Junling; Zhang, Guanghui; Liu, Jiwen

2017-01-01

Poor mental health has become a serious social and public health-care burden. This cross-sectional study used multistage stratified cluster random sampling to gather mental health information from 11,891 adults (18–60 years) employed in various occupations categorized according to the Chinese Standard Occupational Classification. Mental health was measured by the General Health Questionnaire, and participants exceeding the cut-off score were defined as having poor mental health. The overall prevalence of poor mental health was 23.8%. The prevalence of poor mental health was significantly higher in the Han ethnic group than Kazak ethnic group and in health-care workers, teachers, and civil servants compared to manual workers. Females (odds ratios (OR) = 1.139, 95% confidence intervals (CI): 1.012–3.198) and knowledge workers (1.697, 1.097–2.962) were risk factors for poor mental health, while Kazak ethnicity (0.465, 0.466–0.937), other minority status (non-Han) (0.806, 0.205–0.987), and working ≥15 years in the same occupation (0.832, 0.532–0.932) were protective (p < 0.05). We concluded that the general level of mental health in Xinjiang, China, is higher in the Kazak ethnic group than the Han ethnic group. The prevalence of poor mental health is higher among knowledge workers than in manual workers due to high incidences of poor mental health in civil servants, health-care workers, and teachers. PMID:28067780

Autonomic Correlates of Speech Versus Nonspeech Tasks in Children and Adults

PubMed Central

Arnold, Hayley S.; MacPherson, Megan K.; Smith, Anne

2015-01-01

Purpose To assess autonomic arousal associated with speech and nonspeech tasks in school-age children and young adults. Method Measures of autonomic arousal (electrodermal level, electrodermal response amplitude, blood pulse volume, and heart rate) were recorded prior to, during, and after the performance of speech and nonspeech tasks by twenty 7- to 9-year-old children and twenty 18- to 22-year-old adults. Results Across age groups, autonomic arousal was higher for speech tasks compared with nonspeech tasks, based on peak electrodermal response amplitude and blood pulse volume. Children demonstrated greater relative arousal, based on heart rate and blood pulse volume, for nonspeech oral motor tasks than adults but showed similar mean arousal levels for speech tasks as adults. Children demonstrated sex differences in autonomic arousal; specifically, autonomic arousal remained high for school-age boys but not girls in a more complex open-ended narrative task that followed a simple sentence production task. Conclusions Speech tasks elicit greater autonomic arousal than nonspeech tasks, and children demonstrate greater autonomic arousal for nonspeech oral motor tasks than adults. Sex differences in autonomic arousal associated with speech tasks in school-age children are discussed relative to speech-language differences between boys and girls. PMID:24686989

Autonomous Motivation and Fruit/Vegetable Intake in Parent-Adolescent Dyads.

PubMed

Dwyer, Laura A; Bolger, Niall; Laurenceau, Jean-Philippe; Patrick, Heather; Oh, April Y; Nebeling, Linda C; Hennessy, Erin

2017-06-01

Autonomous motivation (motivation to engage in a behavior because of personal choice, interest, or value) is often associated with health behaviors. The present study contributes to research on motivation and eating behaviors by examining (1) how autonomous motivation is correlated within parent-adolescent dyads and (2) whether parent- and adolescent-reported autonomous motivation predicts the parent-adolescent correlation in fruit and vegetable (FV) intake frequency. Data were drawn from the Family Life, Activity, Sun, Health, and Eating (FLASHE) Study, a cross-sectional U.S. survey of parent-adolescent dyads led by the National Cancer Institute and fielded between April and October 2014. In 2016, data were analyzed from dyads who had responses on a six-item self-report measure of daily frequency of FV consumption and a two-item self-report measure of autonomous motivation for consuming FVs. Parents' and adolescents' reports of autonomous motivation and FV intake frequency were positively correlated. Both parents' and adolescents' autonomous motivation predicted higher levels of their own FV intake frequency and that of their dyad partner (p-values ≤0.001). These effects of autonomous motivation explained 22.6% of the parent-adolescent correlation in FV intake frequency. Actor effects (one's motivation predicting their own FV intake frequency) were stronger than partner effects (one's motivation predicting their partner's FV intake frequency). Parent-adolescent similarity in autonomous motivation for healthy eating may contribute to similarity in eating behaviors. Future research should further examine how individual-level health behavior correlates influence health behaviors within dyads. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Autonomous Motivation and Fruit/Vegetable Intake in Parent–Adolescent Dyads

PubMed Central

Dwyer, Laura A.; Bolger, Niall; Laurenceau, Jean-Philippe; Patrick, Heather; Oh, April Y.; Nebeling, Linda C.; Hennessy, Erin

2017-01-01

Introduction Autonomous motivation (motivation to engage in a behavior because of personal choice, interest, or value) is often associated with health behaviors. The present study contributes to research on motivation and eating behaviors by examining: (1) how autonomous motivation is correlated within parent–adolescent dyads; and (2) whether parent- and adolescent-reported autonomous motivation predicts the parent–adolescent correlation in fruit and vegetable (FV) intake frequency. Methods Data were drawn from the Family Life, Activity, Sun, Health, and Eating (FLASHE) Study, a cross-sectional U.S. survey of parent–adolescent dyads led by the National Cancer Institute and fielded between April and October 2014. In 2016, data were analyzed from dyads who had responses on a six-item self-report measure of daily frequency of FV consumption and a two-item self-report measure of autonomous motivation for consuming FVs. Results Parents' and adolescents' reports of autonomous motivation and FV intake frequency were positively correlated. Both parents' and adolescents' autonomous motivation predicted higher levels of their own FV intake frequency and that of their dyad partner (p-values ≤0.001). These effects of autonomous motivation explained 22.6% of the parent–adolescent correlation in FV intake frequency. Actor effects (one's motivation predicting their own FV intake frequency) were stronger than partner effects (one's motivation predicting their partner's FV intake frequency). Conclusions Parent–adolescent similarity in autonomous motivation for healthy eating may contribute to similarity in eating behaviors. Future research should further examine how individual-level health behavior correlates influence health behaviors within dyads. PMID:28526363

[Growth analysis on modules of Cynodon dactylon clones in Yili River Valley Plain of Xinjiang].

PubMed

Zhao, Yu; Janar; Li, Hai-Yan; Liu, Ying; Yang, Yun-Fei

2009-04-01

By the method of randomly digging up whole ramet tuft while maintaining natural integrity, large samples of Cynodon dactylon clones were collected from a grape orchard abandoned for 2 years without any management in the Yili River Valley Plain of Xinjiang, aimed to quantitatively analyze the growth patterns of their modules. The results showed that the average ramet number of test 30 clones reached 272.6 +/- 186. 6, among which, vegetative ramets occupied 82.3%, being 4.3 times higher than reproductive ones. The total biomass of the clones was 45.4 +/- 40.0 g, in which, rhizomes accounted for 54.4%, while the vegetative ramets, stolons, and reproductive ramets occupied 21.0%, 14.8%, and 9.4% of the total, respectively. The accumulative length of rhizomes and stolons reached 5.1 + 4.7 m and 3.3 +/- 3.4 m, while the bud number on stolons and rhizomes was 291.5 +/- 246.8 and 78.8 +/- 87.4, respectively. The bud number on stolons and rhizomes was positively correlated to the quantitative characters of vegetative ramets, reproductive ramets, stolons, and rhizomes (P < 0.01), indicating that in Yili River Valley Plain, C. dactylon clone could achieve and maintain its continuous renovation via rhizome buds.

Systems, methods and apparatus for quiesence of autonomic safety devices with self action

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hinchey, Michael G. (Inventor); Sterritt, Roy (Inventor)

2011-01-01

Systems, methods and apparatus are provided through which in some embodiments an autonomic environmental safety device may be quiesced. In at least one embodiment, a method for managing an autonomic safety device, such as a smoke detector, based on functioning state and operating status of the autonomic safety device includes processing received signals from the autonomic safety device to obtain an analysis of the condition of the autonomic safety device, generating one or more stay-awake signals based on the functioning status and the operating state of the autonomic safety device, transmitting the stay-awake signal, transmitting self health/urgency data, and transmitting environment health/urgency data. A quiesce component of an autonomic safety device can render the autonomic safety device inactive for a specific amount of time or until a challenging situation has passed.

Pelvic autonomic neuromonitoring: present reality, future prospects.

PubMed

Skinner, Stanley A

2014-08-01

Currently, the means to assess the autonomic nervous system primarily depend on end organ functional measurement: intravesical pressure, skin resistance, and penile strain gauge tension, for example. None of these measures has been generally accepted in the operating room. Nevertheless, the segmental and peripheral pelvic autonomic nerve supply is placed at risk during both pelvic and lower spine surgery. In this difficult era of suboptimal post-prostatectomy outcomes, the urological literature does reveal the salutary development of safer dissection techniques about the peri-prostatic and cavernous plexus. Means of reliably specific nerve identification remain elusive. The need for actual nerve monitoring (not just identification) has only recently been proposed. Data from the animal lab reinforce an appreciation of the intimate and elegant interconnectedness of autonomic and somatic structures, particularly at the segmental level. Also, the biochemistry of erectile tissue engorgement (in both sexes) is very well understood (the electrophysiology increasingly so). Understanding these principles should permit parallel investigation and implementation of neurophysiological techniques which both identify and monitor pelvic autonomic function. The predicates for these proposed new approaches in the operating room are discussed in this review.

Cold Regions Issues for Off-Road Autonomous Vehicles

DTIC Science & Technology

2004-04-01

the operation of off-road autonomous vehicles . Low-temperature effects on lubricants, materials, and batteries can impair a robot’s ability to operate...demanding that off-road autonomous vehicles must be designed for and tested in cold regions if they are expected to operate there successfully.

Heterogeneous Teams of Autonomous Vehicles: Advanced Sensing & Control

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-03-01

Final Technical 3. DATES COVERED (From To) 7/1/05-12/31708 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE Heterogeneous Teams of Autonomous Vehicles Advanced Sensing...assimilating data from underwater and surface autonomous vehicles in addition to the usual sources of Eulerian and Lagrangian systems into a small scale

Vector Pursuit Path Tracking for Autonomous Ground Vehicles

DTIC Science & Technology

2000-08-01

vi INTRODUCTION ...........................................................................................................1...other geometric path-tracking techniques. 1 CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION An autonomous vehicle is one that is capable of automatic navigation. It is...Joint Architecture for Unmanned Ground Vehicles ( JAUGS ) working group meeting held at the University of Florida. 5 Figure 1.5: Autonomous

Advanced avionics concepts: Autonomous spacecraft control

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1990-01-01

A large increase in space operations activities is expected because of Space Station Freedom (SSF) and long range Lunar base missions and Mars exploration. Space operations will also increase as a result of space commercialization (especially the increase in satellite networks). It is anticipated that the level of satellite servicing operations will grow tenfold from the current level within the next 20 years. This growth can be sustained only if the cost effectiveness of space operations is improved. Cost effectiveness is operational efficiency with proper effectiveness. A concept is presented of advanced avionics, autonomous spacecraft control, that will enable the desired growth, as well as maintain the cost effectiveness (operational efficiency) in satellite servicing operations. The concept of advanced avionics that allows autonomous spacecraft control is described along with a brief description of each component. Some of the benefits of autonomous operations are also described. A technology utilization breakdown is provided in terms of applications.

Draper Laboratory small autonomous aerial vehicle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

DeBitetto, Paul A.; Johnson, Eric N.; Bosse, Michael C.; Trott, Christian A.

1997-06-01

The Charles Stark Draper Laboratory, Inc. and students from Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Boston University have cooperated to develop an autonomous aerial vehicle that won the 1996 International Aerial Robotics Competition. This paper describes the approach, system architecture and subsystem designs for the entry. This entry represents a combination of many technology areas: navigation, guidance, control, vision processing, human factors, packaging, power, real-time software, and others. The aerial vehicle, an autonomous helicopter, performs navigation and control functions using multiple sensors: differential GPS, inertial measurement unit, sonar altimeter, and a flux compass. The aerial transmits video imagery to the ground. A ground based vision processor converts the image data into target position and classification estimates. The system was designed, built, and flown in less than one year and has provided many lessons about autonomous vehicle systems, several of which are discussed. In an appendix, our current research in augmenting the navigation system with vision- based estimates is presented.

Autonomous Science on the EO-1 Mission

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chien, S.; Sherwood, R.; Tran, D.; Castano, R.; Cichy, B.; Davies, A.; Rabideau, G.; Tang, N.; Burl, M.; Mandl, D.;

Research on an autonomous vision-guided helicopter

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Amidi, Omead; Mesaki, Yuji; Kanade, Takeo

1994-01-01

Integration of computer vision with on-board sensors to autonomously fly helicopters was researched. The key components developed were custom designed vision processing hardware and an indoor testbed. The custom designed hardware provided flexible integration of on-board sensors with real-time image processing resulting in a significant improvement in vision-based state estimation. The indoor testbed provided convenient calibrated experimentation in constructing real autonomous systems.

Terminal Homing for Autonomous Underwater Vehicle Docking

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-06-01

underwater domain, accurate navigation. Above the water, light and electromagnetic signals travel well through air and space, mediums that allow for a...DISTRIBUTION CODE 13. ABSTRACT The use of docking stations for autonomous underwater vehicles (AUV) provides the ability to keep a vehicle on...Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering iv THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK v ABSTRACT The use of docking stations for autonomous underwater

A Queueing Model for Supervisory Control of Unmanned Autonomous Vehicles

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-09-01

Autonomous Vehicles Joseph DiVita, PhD Robert L. Morris Maria Olinda Rodas SSC Pacific Approved...298 (Rev. 8/98) Prescribed by ANSI Std. Z39.18 09–2013 Final A Queueing Model for Supervisory Control of Unmanned Autonomous Vehicles Joseph...Mission Area: Command and Control, Queueing Model; Supervisory Control; Unmanned Autonomous Vehicles M. O. Rodas U U U U 38 (619)

Learner Behaviors and Perceptions of Autonomous Language Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bekleyen, Nilüfer; Selimoglu, Figen

2016-01-01

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the learners' behaviors and perceptions about autonomous language learning at the university level in Turkey. It attempts to reveal what type of perceptions learners held regarding teachers' and their own responsibilities in the language learning process. Their autonomous language learning…

Cardiac Autonomic Control in Individuals With Down Syndrome

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Goulopoulou, Styliani; Baynard, Tracy; Collier, Scott; Giannopoulou, Ifigenia; Figueroa, Arturo; Beets, Michael; Pitetti, Kenneth; Fernhall, Bo

2006-01-01

Our goal in this study was to compare cardiac autonomic control at rest between 50 individuals with Down syndrome and 24 control participants without disabilities. Resting autonomic function was assessed using analysis of heart rate variability. Participants with Down syndrome had reduced total heart rate variability, which indicates possible…

Wireless IR Image Transfer System for Autonomous Vehicles

DTIC Science & Technology

2003-12-01

the camera can operate between 0 and 500 C; this uniquely suites it for employment on autonomous vehicles in rugged environments. The camera is...system is suitable for used on autonomous vehicles under varying antenna orientations. • The third is the use of MDS transceivers allows the received

Tele-assistance for semi-autonomous robots

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rogers, Erika; Murphy, Robin R.

1994-01-01

This paper describes a new approach in semi-autonomous mobile robots. In this approach the robot has sufficient computerized intelligence to function autonomously under a certain set of conditions, while the local system is a cooperative decision making unit that combines human and machine intelligence. Communication is then allowed to take place in a common mode and in a common language. A number of exception-handling scenarios that were constructed as a result of experiments with actual sensor data collected from two mobile robots were presented.

Autonomic consequences of arousal from sleep: mechanisms and implications.

PubMed

Horner, R L

1996-12-01

Normal spontaneous arousals from sleep are associated with transient increases in blood pressure, heart rate, and ventilation caused by large transient changes in autonomic output. These autonomic changes are out of proportion to obvious physiological need and are in excess of those observed in later periods of quiet wakefulness. This paper discusses some of the mechanisms underlying the cardio-respiratory consequences of arousal from sleep, and discusses why the normal onset of wakefulness may be associated with such large changes in autonomic output.

Challenges in verification and validation of autonomous systems for space exploration

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Brat, Guillaume; Jonsson, Ari

2005-01-01

Space exploration applications offer a unique opportunity for the development and deployment of autonomous systems, due to limited communications, large distances, and great expense of direct operation. At the same time, the risk and cost of space missions leads to reluctance to taking on new, complex and difficult-to-understand technology. A key issue in addressing these concerns is the validation of autonomous systems. In recent years, higher-level autonomous systems have been applied in space applications. In this presentation, we will highlight those autonomous systems, and discuss issues in validating these systems. We will then look to future demands on validating autonomous systems for space, identify promising technologies and open issues.

Sex differences in autonomic function following maximal exercise.

PubMed

Kappus, Rebecca M; Ranadive, Sushant M; Yan, Huimin; Lane-Cordova, Abbi D; Cook, Marc D; Sun, Peng; Harvey, I Shevon; Wilund, Kenneth R; Woods, Jeffrey A; Fernhall, Bo

2015-01-01

Heart rate variability (HRV), blood pressure variability, (BPV) and heart rate recovery (HRR) are measures that provide insight regarding autonomic function. Maximal exercise can affect autonomic function, and it is unknown if there are sex differences in autonomic recovery following exercise. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine sex differences in several measures of autonomic function and the response following maximal exercise. Seventy-one (31 males and 40 females) healthy, nonsmoking, sedentary normotensive subjects between the ages of 18 and 35 underwent measurements of HRV and BPV at rest and following a maximal exercise bout. HRR was measured at minute one and two following maximal exercise. Males have significantly greater HRR following maximal exercise at both minute one and two; however, the significance between sexes was eliminated when controlling for VO2 peak. Males had significantly higher resting BPV-low-frequency (LF) values compared to females and did not significantly change following exercise, whereas females had significantly increased BPV-LF values following acute maximal exercise. Although males and females exhibited a significant decrease in both HRV-LF and HRV-high frequency (HF) with exercise, females had significantly higher HRV-HF values following exercise. Males had a significantly higher HRV-LF/HF ratio at rest; however, both males and females significantly increased their HRV-LF/HF ratio following exercise. Pre-menopausal females exhibit a cardioprotective autonomic profile compared to age-matched males due to lower resting sympathetic activity and faster vagal reactivation following maximal exercise. Acute maximal exercise is a sufficient autonomic stressor to demonstrate sex differences in the critical post-exercise recovery period.

Control of autonomous robot using neural networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barton, Adam; Volna, Eva

2017-07-01

The aim of the article is to design a method of control of an autonomous robot using artificial neural networks. The introductory part describes control issues from the perspective of autonomous robot navigation and the current mobile robots controlled by neural networks. The core of the article is the design of the controlling neural network, and generation and filtration of the training set using ART1 (Adaptive Resonance Theory). The outcome of the practical part is an assembled Lego Mindstorms EV3 robot solving the problem of avoiding obstacles in space. To verify models of an autonomous robot behavior, a set of experiments was created as well as evaluation criteria. The speed of each motor was adjusted by the controlling neural network with respect to the situation in which the robot was found.

Autonomous Space Shuttle

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Siders, Jeffrey A.; Smith, Robert H.

2004-01-01

The continued assembly and operation of the International Space Station (ISS) is the cornerstone within NASA's overall Strategic P an. As indicated in NASA's Integrated Space Transportation Plan (ISTP), the International Space Station requires Shuttle to fly through at least the middle of the next decade to complete assembly of the Station, provide crew transport, and to provide heavy lift up and down mass capability. The ISTP reflects a tight coupling among the Station, Shuttle, and OSP programs to support our Nation's space goal . While the Shuttle is a critical component of this ISTP, there is a new emphasis for the need to achieve greater efficiency and safety in transporting crews to and from the Space Station. This need is being addressed through the Orbital Space Plane (OSP) Program. However, the OSP is being designed to "complement" the Shuttle as the primary means for crew transfer, and will not replace all the Shuttle's capabilities. The unique heavy lift capabilities of the Space Shuttle is essential for both ISS, as well as other potential missions extending beyond low Earth orbit. One concept under discussion to better fulfill this role of a heavy lift carrier, is the transformation of the Shuttle to an "un-piloted" autonomous system. This concept would eliminate the loss of crew risk, while providing a substantial increase in payload to orbit capability. Using the guidelines reflected in the NASA ISTP, the autonomous Shuttle a simplified concept of operations can be described as; "a re-supply of cargo to the ISS through the use of an un-piloted Shuttle vehicle from launch through landing". Although this is the primary mission profile, the other major consideration in developing an autonomous Shuttle is maintaining a crew transportation capability to ISS as an assured human access to space capability.

An Efficient Model-Based Image Understanding Method for an Autonomous Vehicle.

DTIC Science & Technology

1997-09-01

The problem discussed in this dissertation is the development of an efficient method for visual navigation of autonomous vehicles . The approach is to... autonomous vehicles . Thus the new method is implemented as a component of the image-understanding system in the autonomous mobile robot Yamabico-11 at

Autonomous Formation Flight

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schkolnik, Gerard S.; Cobleigh, Brent

2004-01-01

NASA's Strategic Plan for the Aerospace Technology Enterprise includes ambitious objectives focused on affordable air travel, reduced emissions, and expanded aviation-system capacity. NASA Dryden Flight Research Center, in cooperation with NASA Ames Research Center, the Boeing Company, and the University of California, Los Angeles, has embarked on an autonomous-formation-flight project that promises to make significant strides towards these goals. For millions of years, birds have taken advantage of the aerodynamic benefit of flying in formation. The traditional "V" formation flown by many species of birds (including gulls, pelicans, and geese) enables each of the trailing birds to fly in the upwash flow field that exists just outboard of the bird immediately ahead in the formation. The result for each trailing bird is a decrease in induced drag and thus a reduction in the energy needed to maintain a given speed. Hence, for migratory birds, formation flight extends the range of the system of birds over the range of birds flying solo. The Autonomous Formation Flight (AFF) Project is seeking to extend this symbiotic relationship to aircraft.

Cardiorespiratory Fitness and Cardiac Autonomic Function in Diabetes.

PubMed

Röhling, Martin; Strom, Alexander; Bönhof, Gidon J; Roden, Michael; Ziegler, Dan

2017-10-23

This review summarizes the current knowledge on the relationship of physical activity, exercise, and cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) with cardiovascular autonomic neuropathy (CAN) based on epidemiological, clinical, and interventional studies. The prevalence of CAN increases with age and duration of diabetes. Further risk factors for CAN comprise poor glycemic control, dyslipidemia, abdominal obesity, hypertension, and the presence of diabetic complications. CAN has been also linked to reduced CRF. We recently showed that CRF parameters (e.g., maximal oxidative capacity or oxidative capacity at the anaerobic threshold) are associated with cardiac autonomic function in patients recently diagnosed with type 1 or type 2 diabetes. Exercise interventions have shown that physical activity can increase cardiovagal activity and reduce sympathetic overactivity. In particular, long-term and regularly, but also supervised, performed endurance and high-intense and high-volume exercise improves cardiac autonomic function in patients with type 2 diabetes. By contrast, the evidence in those with type 1 diabetes and also in individuals with prediabetes or metabolic syndrome is weaker. Overall, the studies reviewed herein addressing the question whether favorably modulating the autonomic nervous system may improve CRF during exercise programs support the therapeutic concept to promote physical activity and to achieve physical fitness. However, high-quality exercise interventions, especially in type 1 diabetes and metabolic syndrome including prediabetes, are further required to better understand the relationship between physical activity, fitness, and cardiac autonomic function.

[Features of autonomic dysfunction in myofascial pain syndromes cervicobrachial localization].

PubMed

Морозова, О Г; Ярошевский, А А; Липинская, Я В

2015-01-01

The relevance of this study is due to the prevalence of autonomic disorders and musculoskeletal pain, especially among the young people of working age. In recent years, many authors in scientific works have been highlighted aspects of mutual development myofascial and autonomic dysfunction, which is caused by neurophysiological preconditions and anatomical and topographical relationships that need to be considered in the diagnostic and therapeutic approaches. To study the characteristics of the formation and flow of autonomic dysfunction syndrome with paroxysmal and permanent types of flow in patients with myofascial pain syndromes cervicobrachial localization. Using clinical neurological, vertebral neurological, neuropsychological methods of studying the severity of pain (visual analogue scale and Pain questionnaire of Mac Gill) examined 84 patients suffering from autonomic dysfunction on the background of myofascial pain syndromes cervicobrachial localization. To identify the features of vegetative regulation of patients were divided into two groups: group 1 (51 people) - with a permanent type of course; group 2 (33 patients) - a type of paroxysmal of course of autonomic dysfunction. It was found more pronounced disturbances in patients with paroxysmal type of course of autonomic dysfunction. The frequency and severity of autonomic paroxysms associated with the severity of musculo-tonic syndrome and location of active trigger points in the muscles of the neck and shoulder girdle, due to anatomic and topographic features of these muscles, namely the proximity of their location to the sympathetic formations neck. The formation and development of emotional and affective disorders in both groups played a significant role of pain and musculo-tonic syndrome. The syndrome of autonomic dysfunction, in particular its paroxysmal type of flow, on the one hand is a response to the development of myofascial pain syndromes cervicobrachial localization, with another - a factor

GOATS 2008: Autonomous, Adaptive Multistatic Acoustic Sensing

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-09-30

carried out jointly with the NATO Undersea Research Centre in the Tuscan archipelago July 26 – August 16, 2010. MIT operated the Unicorn AUV and...4 trail behavior with the physical Unicorn AUV, and is accidentally passing close the R/V Leonardo, fully autonomously changing its depth from...vehicles. The AUV Unicorn is performing an adaptive thermocline mapping mission, with the vehicle trail shown in green. Note the autonomous collision

JOMAR: Joint Operations with Mobile Autonomous Robots

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-12-21

AFRL-AFOSR-JP-TR-2015-0009 JOMAR: Joint Operations with Mobile Autonomous Robots Edwin Olson UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN Final Report 12/21/2015...SUBTITLE JOMAR: Joint Operations with Mobile Autonomous Robots 5a. CONTRACT NUMBER FA23861114024 5b. GRANT NUMBER 5c. PROGRAM ELEMENT NUMBER 6...14. ABSTRACT Under this grant, we formulated and implemented a variety of novel algorithms that address core problems in multi- robot systems. These

Testing the Intelligence of Unmanned Autonomous Systems

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-01-01

decisions without the operator. The term autonomous is also used interchangeably with intelligent, giving rise to the name unmanned autonomous system ( UAS ...For the purposes of this article, UAS describes an unmanned system that makes decisions based on gathered information. Because testers should not...make assumptions about the decision process within a UAS , there is a need for a methodology that completely tests this decision process without biasing

Autonomous operations through onboard artificial intelligence

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sherwood, R. L.; Chien, S.; Castano, R.; Rabideau, G.

2002-01-01

The Autonomous Sciencecraft Experiment (ASE) will fly onboard the Air Force TechSat 21 constellation of three spacecraft scheduled for launch in 2006. ASE uses onboard continuous planning, robust task and goal-based execution, model-based mode identification and reconfiguration, and onboard machine learning and pattern recognition to radically increase science return by enabling intelligent downlink selection and autonomous retargeting. Demonstration of these capabilities in a flight environment will open up tremendous new opportunities in planetary science, space physics, and earth science that would be unreachable without this technology.

Pupillary autonomic denervation with increasing duration of diabetes mellitus

PubMed Central

Cahill, M.; Eustace, P.; de Jesus, V.

2001-01-01

BACKGROUND/AIMS—The autonomic pupillary changes in type I and II diabetic patients without clinical evidence of diabetic autonomic neuropathy (DAN) were compared with age matched controls. The relation between pupillary and cardiovascular autonomic function was assessed in the diabetic patients.
METHODS—A case-control study was performed with diabetics grouped according to type and duration of diabetes. Static infrared pupillography was used to compare mean dark adapted pupil size and mean percentage changes in pupil size with pilocarpine 0.1% and cocaine 4% in the diabetic and control groups. All diabetic patients underwent cardiovascular autonomic function assessment using the Valsalva ratio, the 30:15 ratio, and testing for orthostatic hypotension.
RESULTS—In total, 72 type I and 69 type II diabetic patients were compared with 120 controls. Mean dark adapted pupil size was significantly smaller in diabetic groups than controls. Except for type I diabetics with disease for less than 5 years, all patient groups had significantly greater mean percentage constriction in pupil size in response to dilute pilocarpine than controls. There was no significant difference between the mean percentage dilatation in response to cocaine 4% in diabetics and controls. A high proportion of patients had normal cardiovascular autonomic function particularly when this was assessed with the Valsalva ratio.
CONCLUSIONS—Denervation hypersensitivity to dilute pilocarpine is a result of damage to the pupillary parasympathetic supply of diabetic patients. This occurs before the pupillary sympathetic pathway is affected, it can be detected early in the disease, and it may be a possible explanation for the small pupil size seen in diabetic patients. Pupillary autonomic dysfunction occurs before cardiovascular autonomic changes and detection of pupil denervation hypersensitivity to dilute pilocarpine is an inexpensive way to detect early DAN.

 PMID:11567969

An Algorithm for Autonomous Formation Obstacle Avoidance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cruz, Yunior I.

The level of human interaction with Unmanned Aerial Systems varies greatly from remotely piloted aircraft to fully autonomous systems. In the latter end of the spectrum, the challenge lies in designing effective algorithms to dictate the behavior of the autonomous agents. A swarm of autonomous Unmanned Aerial Vehicles requires collision avoidance and formation flight algorithms to negotiate environmental challenges it may encounter during the execution of its mission, which may include obstacles and chokepoints. In this work, a simple algorithm is developed to allow a formation of autonomous vehicles to perform point to point navigation while avoiding obstacles and navigating through chokepoints. Emphasis is placed on maintaining formation structures. Rather than breaking formation and individually navigating around the obstacle or through the chokepoint, vehicles are required to assemble into appropriately sized/shaped sub-formations, bifurcate around the obstacle or negotiate the chokepoint, and reassemble into the original formation at the far side of the obstruction. The algorithm receives vehicle and environmental properties as inputs and outputs trajectories for each vehicle from start to the desired ending location. Simulation results show that the algorithm safely routes all vehicles past the obstruction while adhering to the aforementioned requirements. The formation adapts and successfully negotiates the obstacles and chokepoints in its path while maintaining proper vehicle separation.

Recursive Gradient Estimation Using Splines for Navigation of Autonomous Vehicles.

DTIC Science & Technology

1985-07-01

AUTONOMOUS VEHICLES C. N. SHEN DTIC " JULY 1985 SEP 1 219 85 V US ARMY ARMAMENT RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT CENTER LARGE CALIBER WEAPON SYSTEMS LABORATORY I...GRADIENT ESTIMATION USING SPLINES FOR NAVIGATION OF AUTONOMOUS VEHICLES Final S. PERFORMING ORG. REPORT NUMBER 7. AUTHOR(q) 8. CONTRACT OR GRANT NUMBER...which require autonomous vehicles . Essential to these robotic vehicles is an adequate and efficient computer vision system. A potentially more

Feasibility of Turing-Style Tests for Autonomous Aerial Vehicle "Intelligence"

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Young, Larry A.

2007-01-01

A new approach is suggested to define and evaluate key metrics as to autonomous aerial vehicle performance. This approach entails the conceptual definition of a "Turing Test" for UAVs. Such a "UAV Turing test" would be conducted by means of mission simulations and/or tailored flight demonstrations of vehicles under the guidance of their autonomous system software. These autonomous vehicle mission simulations and flight demonstrations would also have to be benchmarked against missions "flown" with pilots/human-operators in the loop. In turn, scoring criteria for such testing could be based upon both quantitative mission success metrics (unique to each mission) and by turning to analog "handling quality" metrics similar to the well-known Cooper-Harper pilot ratings used for manned aircraft. Autonomous aerial vehicles would be considered to have successfully passed this "UAV Turing Test" if the aggregate mission success metrics and handling qualities for the autonomous aerial vehicle matched or exceeded the equivalent metrics for missions conducted with pilots/human-operators in the loop. Alternatively, an independent, knowledgeable observer could provide the "UAV Turing Test" ratings of whether a vehicle is autonomous or "piloted." This observer ideally would, in the more sophisticated mission simulations, also have the enhanced capability of being able to override the scripted mission scenario and instigate failure modes and change of flight profile/plans. If a majority of mission tasks are rated as "piloted" by the observer, when in reality the vehicle/simulation is fully- or semi- autonomously controlled, then the vehicle/simulation "passes" the "UAV Turing Test." In this regards, this second "UAV Turing Test" approach is more consistent with Turing s original "imitation game" proposal. The overall feasibility, and important considerations and limitations, of such an approach for judging/evaluating autonomous aerial vehicle "intelligence" will be discussed from a

[Effects of enhanced-efficiency nitrogen fertilizers on nitrous oxide emissions from cotton field under plastic mulched drip irrigation in Xinjiang,China].

PubMed

Ma, Zhi Wen; Gao, Xiao Peng; Gui, Dong Wei; Kuang, Wen Nong; Wang, Xi He; Liu, Hua

2016-12-01

The effect of enhanced-efficiency nitrogen (N) fertilizers on emissions of nitrous oxide (N 2 O) from the grey desert agricultural soils of Xinjiang is uncertain. In this study, the enhanced-efficiency fertilizers, polymer-coated urea (ESN), and stabilized urea with urease and nitrification inhibitors (U+I) were compared to conventional urea (U) for N 2 O emissions from cotton under plastic mulch drip irrigation near Urumqi, Xinjiang. ESN was added once at planting but the other treatments were added multiple times with drip irrigation during the growing season. Gas samples were collected and analyzed twice per week during the growing season, using the static chamber-chromatography methodology. The results showed that generally, ESN significantly increased soil cumulative N 2 O emissions during the growing season by 47%-73% compared to other treatments. In the first four months after fertilization, soil ammonium (NH 4 + -N) and nitrate (NO 3 - -N) concentrations under ESN treatment were generally higher than under other treatments. Thereafter, NH 4 + -N and NO 3 - -N concentrations under all treatments gradually decreased to similar levels. ESN all added at planting was likely responsible for high NH 4 + -N and NO 3 - -N concentrations and highest N 2 O emissions. The U+I treatment reduced soil N 2 O emission by 9.9% in comparison with U, whereas the difference was not statistically significant. In addition, soil NO 3 - -N contents of the U+I treatments were generally lower than those of the ESN and the U treatments. The cumulative N 2 O emissionsover the growing season ranged from 300 to 500 g N 2 O-N·hm -2 , generally lower than emissions reported for other agricultural ecosystems. Drip irrigation successfully kept moisture conditions below levels for appreciable N 2 O emissions. Multiple applications of N via drip irrigation seemed to be effective to lower emissions than all N applied at planting. Therefore, for cotton field under plastic mulch drip irrigation

Photonic Microhand with Autonomous Action.

PubMed

Martella, Daniele; Nocentini, Sara; Nuzhdin, Dmitry; Parmeggiani, Camilla; Wiersma, Diederik S

2017-11-01

Grabbing and holding objects at the microscale is a complex function, even for microscopic living animals. Inspired by the hominid-type hand, a microscopic equivalent able to catch microelements is engineered. This microhand is light sensitive and can be either remotely controlled by optical illumination or can act autonomously and grab small particles on the basis of their optical properties. Since the energy is delivered optically, without the need for wires or batteries, the artificial hand can be shrunk down to the micrometer scale. Soft material is used, in particular, a custom-made liquid-crystal network that is patterned by a photolithographic technique. The elastic reshaping properties of this material allow finger movement, using environmental light as the only energy source. The hand can be either controlled externally (via the light field), or else the conditions in which it autonomously grabs a particle in its vicinity can be created. This microrobot has the unique feature that it can distinguish between particles of different colors and gray levels. The realization of this autonomous hand constitutes a crucial element in the development of microscopic creatures that can perform tasks without human intervention and self-organized automation at the micrometer scale. © 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Semi autonomous mine detection system

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

Douglas Few; Roelof Versteeg; Herman Herman

2010-04-01

CMMAD is a risk reduction effort for the AMDS program. As part of CMMAD, multiple instances of semi autonomous robotic mine detection systems were created. Each instance consists of a robotic vehicle equipped with sensors required for navigation and marking, a countermine sensors and a number of integrated software packages which provide for real time processing of the countermine sensor data as well as integrated control of the robotic vehicle, the sensor actuator and the sensor. These systems were used to investigate critical interest functions (CIF) related to countermine robotic systems. To address the autonomy CIF, the INL developed RIKmore » was extended to allow for interaction with a mine sensor processing code (MSPC). In limited field testing this system performed well in detecting, marking and avoiding both AT and AP mines. Based on the results of the CMMAD investigation we conclude that autonomous robotic mine detection is feasible. In addition, CMMAD contributed critical technical advances with regard to sensing, data processing and sensor manipulation, which will advance the performance of future fieldable systems. As a result, no substantial technical barriers exist which preclude – from an autonomous robotic perspective – the rapid development and deployment of fieldable systems.« less

Research on support effectiveness modeling and simulating of aviation materiel autonomic logistics system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhou, Yan; Zhou, Yang; Yuan, Kai; Jia, Zhiyu; Li, Shuo

2018-05-01

Aiming at the demonstration of autonomic logistics system to be used at the new generation of aviation materiel in our country, the modeling and simulating method of aviation materiel support effectiveness considering autonomic logistics are studied. Firstly, this paper introduced the idea of JSF autonomic logistics and analyzed the influence of autonomic logistics on support effectiveness from aspects of reliability, false alarm rate, troubleshooting time, and support delay time and maintenance level. On this basis, the paper studies the modeling and simulating methods of support effectiveness considering autonomic logistics, and puts forward the maintenance support simulation process considering autonomic logistics. Finally, taking the typical aviation materiel as an example, this paper analyzes and verifies the above-mentioned support effectiveness modeling and simulating method of aviation materiel considering autonomic logistics.

Amplifying human ability through autonomics and machine learning in IMPACT

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dzieciuch, Iryna; Reeder, John; Gutzwiller, Robert; Gustafson, Eric; Coronado, Braulio; Martinez, Luis; Croft, Bryan; Lange, Douglas S.

2017-05-01

Amplifying human ability for controlling complex environments featuring autonomous units can be aided by learned models of human and system performance. In developing a command and control system that allows a small number of people to control a large number of autonomous teams, we employ an autonomics framework to manage the networks that represent mission plans and the networks that are composed of human controllers and their autonomous assistants. Machine learning allows us to build models of human and system performance useful for monitoring plans and managing human attention and task loads. Machine learning also aids in the development of tactics that human supervisors can successfully monitor through the command and control system.

Incorporating Manual and Autonomous Code Generation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

McComas, David

1998-01-01

Code can be generated manually or using code-generated software tools, but how do you interpret the two? This article looks at a design methodology that combines object-oriented design with autonomic code generation for attitude control flight software. Recent improvements in space flight computers are allowing software engineers to spend more time engineering the applications software. The application developed was the attitude control flight software for an astronomical satellite called the Microwave Anisotropy Probe (MAP). The MAP flight system is being designed, developed, and integrated at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. The MAP controls engineers are using Integrated Systems Inc.'s MATRIXx for their controls analysis. In addition to providing a graphical analysis for an environment, MATRIXx includes an autonomic code generation facility called AutoCode. This article examines the forces that shaped the final design and describes three highlights of the design process: (1) Defining the manual to autonomic code interface; (2) Applying object-oriented design to the manual flight code; (3) Implementing the object-oriented design in C.

Autonomous Car Parking System through a Cooperative Vehicular Positioning Network.

PubMed

Correa, Alejandro; Boquet, Guillem; Morell, Antoni; Lopez Vicario, Jose

2017-04-13

The increasing development of the automotive industry towards a fully autonomous car has motivated the design of new value-added services in Vehicular Sensor Networks (VSNs). Within the context of VSNs, the autonomous car, with an increasing number of on-board sensors, is a mobile node that exchanges sensed and state information within the VSN. Among all the value added services for VSNs, the design of new intelligent parking management architectures where the autonomous car will coexist with traditional cars is mandatory in order to profit from all the opportunities associated with the increasing intelligence of the new generation of cars. In this work, we design a new smart parking system on top of a VSN that takes into account the heterogeneity of cars and provides guidance to the best parking place for the autonomous car based on a collaborative approach that searches for the common good of all of them measured by the accessibility rate, which is the ratio of the free parking places accessible for an autonomous car. Then, we simulate a real parking lot and the results show that the performance of our system is close to the optimum considering different communication ranges and penetration rates for the autonomous car.

Autonomous Car Parking System through a Cooperative Vehicular Positioning Network

PubMed Central

Correa, Alejandro; Boquet, Guillem; Morell, Antoni; Lopez Vicario, Jose

2017-01-01

The increasing development of the automotive industry towards a fully autonomous car has motivated the design of new value-added services in Vehicular Sensor Networks (VSNs). Within the context of VSNs, the autonomous car, with an increasing number of on-board sensors, is a mobile node that exchanges sensed and state information within the VSN. Among all the value added services for VSNs, the design of new intelligent parking management architectures where the autonomous car will coexist with traditional cars is mandatory in order to profit from all the opportunities associated with the increasing intelligence of the new generation of cars. In this work, we design a new smart parking system on top of a VSN that takes into account the heterogeneity of cars and provides guidance to the best parking place for the autonomous car based on a collaborative approach that searches for the common good of all of them measured by the accessibility rate, which is the ratio of the free parking places accessible for an autonomous car. Then, we simulate a real parking lot and the results show that the performance of our system is close to the optimum considering different communication ranges and penetration rates for the autonomous car. PMID:28406426

Contingency Software in Autonomous Systems: Technical Level Briefing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lutz, Robyn R.; Patterson-Hines, Ann

2006-01-01

Contingency management is essential to the robust operation of complex systems such as spacecraft and Unpiloted Aerial Vehicles (UAVs). Automatic contingency handling allows a faster response to unsafe scenarios with reduced human intervention on low-cost and extended missions. Results, applied to the Autonomous Rotorcraft Project and Mars Science Lab, pave the way to more resilient autonomous systems.

Autonomous Agents: The Origins and Co-Evolution of Reproducing Molecular Systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kauffman, Stuart

1999-01-01

The central aim of this award concerned an investigation into, and adequate formulation of, the concept of an "autonomous agent." If we consider a bacterium swimming upstream in a glucose gradient, we are willing to say of the bacterium that it is going to get food. That is, we are willing, and do, describe the bacterium as acting on its own behalf in an environment. All free living cells are, in this sense, autonomous agents. But the bacterium is "just" a set of molecules. We define an autonomous agent as a physical system able to act on its own behalf in an environment, then ask, "What must a physical system be to be an autonomous agent?" The tentative definition for a molecular autonomous agent is that it must be self-reproducing and carry out at least one thermodynamic work cycle. The work carried out in this grant involved, among other features, the development of a detailed model of a molecular autonomous agent, and study of the kinetics of this system. In particular, a molecular autonomous agent must, by the above tentative definition, not only reproduce, but must carry out at least one work cycle. I took, as a simple example of a self-reproducing molecular system, the single-stranded DNA hexamer 3'CCGCGG5' which can line up and ligate its two complementary trimers, 5'CCG3' and 5'CGG3'. But the two ligated trimers constitute the same molecular sequence in the 3' to 5' direction as the initial hexamer, hence this system is autocatalytic. On the other hand the above system is not yet an autonomous agent. At the minimum, autonomous agents, as I have defined them, are a new class of chemical reaction network. At a maximum, they may constitute a proper definition of life itself.

The Visual Representation and Acquisition of Driving Knowledge for Autonomous Vehicle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Zhaoxia; Jiang, Qing; Li, Ping; Song, LiangTu; Wang, Rujing; Yu, Biao; Mei, Tao

2017-09-01

In this paper, the driving knowledge base of autonomous vehicle is designed. Based on the driving knowledge modeling system, the driving knowledge of autonomous vehicle is visually acquired, managed, stored, and maintenanced, which has vital significance for creating the development platform of intelligent decision-making systems of automatic driving expert systems for autonomous vehicle.

Development and Evaluation of Positioning Systems for Autonomous Vehicle Navigation

DTIC Science & Technology

2001-12-01

generation of autonomous vehicles to utilize NTV technology is built on a commercially-available vehicle built by ASV. The All-Purpose Remote Transport...larger scale, AFRL and CIMAR are involved in the development of a standard approach in the design and specification of autonomous vehicles being...1996. Shi92 Shin, D.H., Sanjiv, S., and Lee, J.J., “Explicit Path Tracking by Autonomous Vehicles ,” Robotica, 10, (1992), 69-87. Ste95

Cardiac autonomic function in children with type 1 diabetes.

PubMed

Metwalley, Kotb Abbass; Hamed, Sherifa Ahmed; Farghaly, Hekma Saad

2018-06-01

Cardiovascular autonomic neuropathy (CAN) is a major complication of type 1 diabetes (T1D). This study aimed to evaluate cardiac autonomic nervous system (ANS) function in children with T1D and its relation to different demographic, clinical and laboratory variable. This cross-sectional study included 60 children with T1D (mean age = 15.1 ± 3.3 years; duration of diabetes = 7.95 ± 3.83 years). The following 8 non-invasive autonomic testing were used for evaluation: heart rate at rest and in response to active standing (30:15 ratio), deep breathing and Valsalva maneuver (indicating parasympathetic function); blood pressure response to standing (orthostatic hypotension or OH), sustained handgrip and cold; and heart rate response to standing or positional orthostatic tachycardia syndrome or POTs (indicating sympathetic function). None had clinically manifest CAN. Compared to healthy children (5%), 36.67% of children with T1D had ≥ 2 abnormal tests (i.e., CAN) (P = 0.0001) which included significantly abnormal heart rate response to standing (POTs) (P = 0.052), active standing (30:15 ratio) (P = 0.0001) and Valsalva maneuver (P = 0.0001), indicating parasympathetic autonomic dysfunction, and blood pressure response to cold (P = 0.01), indicating sympathetic autonomic dysfunction. 54.55, 27.27 and 18.18% had early, definite and severe dysfunction of ANS. All patients had sensorimotor peripheral neuropathy. The longer duration of diabetes (> 5 years), presence of diabetic complications and worse glycemic control were significantly associated with CAN. The study concluded that both parasympathetic and sympathetic autonomic dysfunctions are common in children with T1D particularly with longer duration of diabetes and presence of microvascular complications. What is Known: • Cardiovascular autonomic neuropathy (CAN) is a major complication of type 1 diabetes (T1D). • Limited studies evaluated CAN in children with T1D. What

Vestibular autonomic regulation (including motion sickness and the mechanism of vomiting)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Balaban, C. D.

1999-01-01

Autonomic manifestations of vestibular dysfunction and motion sickness are well established in the clinical literature. Recent studies of 'vestibular autonomic regulation' have focused predominantly on autonomic responses to stimulation of the vestibular sense organs in the inner ear. These studies have shown that autonomic responses to vestibular stimulation are regionally selective and have defined a 'vestibulosympathetic reflex' in animal experiments. Outside the realm of experimental preparations, however, the importance of vestibular inputs in autonomic regulation is unclear because controls for secondary factors, such as affective/emotional responses and cardiovascular responses elicited by muscle contraction and regional blood pooling, have been inadequate. Anatomic and physiologic evidence of an extensive convergence of vestibular and autonomic information in the brainstem suggests though that there may be an integrated representation of gravitoinertial acceleration from vestibular, somatic, and visceral receptors for somatic and visceral motor control. In the case of vestibular dysfunction or motion sickness, the unpleasant visceral manifestations (e.g. epigastric discomfort, nausea or vomiting) may contribute to conditioned situational avoidance and the development of agoraphobia.

KAM tori and whiskered invariant tori for non-autonomous systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Canadell, Marta; de la Llave, Rafael

2015-08-01

We consider non-autonomous dynamical systems which converge to autonomous (or periodic) systems exponentially fast in time. Such systems appear naturally as models of many physical processes affected by external pulses. We introduce definitions of non-autonomous invariant tori and non-autonomous whiskered tori and their invariant manifolds and we prove their persistence under small perturbations, smooth dependence on parameters and several geometric properties (if the systems are Hamiltonian, the tori are Lagrangian manifolds). We note that such definitions are problematic for general time-dependent systems, but we show that they are unambiguous for systems converging exponentially fast to autonomous. The proof of persistence relies only on a standard Implicit Function Theorem in Banach spaces and it does not require that the rotations in the tori are Diophantine nor that the systems we consider preserve any geometric structure. We only require that the autonomous system preserves these objects. In particular, when the autonomous system is integrable, we obtain the persistence of tori with rational rotational. We also discuss fast and efficient algorithms for their computation. The method also applies to infinite dimensional systems which define a good evolution, e.g. PDE's. When the systems considered are Hamiltonian, we show that the time dependent invariant tori are isotropic. Hence, the invariant tori of maximal dimension are Lagrangian manifolds. We also obtain that the (un)stable manifolds of whiskered tori are Lagrangian manifolds. We also include a comparison with the more global theory developed in Blazevski and de la Llave (2011).

Vestibular influences on autonomic cardiovascular control in humans

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Biaggioni, I.; Costa, F.; Kaufmann, H.; Robertson, D. (Principal Investigator)

1998-01-01

There is substantial evidence that anatomical connections exist between vestibular and autonomic nuclei. Animal studies have shown functional interactions between the vestibular and autonomic systems. The nature of these interactions, however, is complex and has not been fully defined. Vestibular stimulation has been consistently found to reduce blood pressure in animals. Given the potential interaction between vestibular and autonomic pathways this finding could be explained by a reduction in sympathetic activity. However, rather than sympathetic inhibition, vestibular stimulation has consistently been shown to increase sympathetic outflow in cardiac and splanchnic vascular beds in most experimental models. Several clinical observations suggest that a link between vestibular and autonomic systems may also exist in humans. However, direct evidence for vestibular/autonomic interactions in humans is sparse. Motion sickness has been found to induce forearm vasodilation and reduce baroreflex gain, and head down neck flexion induces transient forearm and calf vasoconstriction. On the other hand, studies using optokinetic stimulation have found either very small, variable, or inconsistent changes in heart rate and blood pressure, despite substantial symptoms of motion sickness. Furthermore, caloric stimulation severe enough to produce nystagmus, dizziness, and nausea had no effect on sympathetic nerve activity measured directly with microneurography. No effect was observed on heart rate, blood pressure, or plasma norepinephrine. Several factors may explain the apparent discordance of these results, but more research is needed before we can define the potential importance of vestibular input to cardiovascular regulation and orthostatic tolerance in humans.

Autonomic regulation in fetuses with Congenital Heart Disease

PubMed Central

Siddiqui, Saira; Wilpers, Abigail; Myers, Michael; Nugent, J. David; Fifer, William P.; Williams, Ismée A.

2015-01-01

Background Exposure to antenatal stressors affects autonomic regulation in fetuses. Whether the presence of congenital heart disease (CHD) alters the developmental trajectory of autonomic regulation is not known. Aims/Study Design This prospective observational cohort study aimed to further characterize autonomic regulation in fetuses with CHD; specifically hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS), transposition of the great arteries (TGA), and tetralogy of Fallot (TOF). Subjects From 11/2010 – 11/2012, 92 fetuses were enrolled: 41 controls and 51 with CHD consisting of 19 with HLHS, 12 with TGA, and 20 with TOF. Maternal abdominal fetal electrocardiogram (ECG) recordings were obtained at 3 gestational ages: 19-27 weeks (F1), 28-33 weeks (F2), and 34-38 weeks (F3). Outcome measures Fetal ECG was analyzed for mean heart rate along with 3 measures of autonomic variability of the fetal heart rate: interquartile range, standard deviation, and root mean square of the standard deviation of the heart rate (RMSSD), a measure of parasympathetic activity. Results During F1 and F2 periods, HLHS fetuses demonstrated significantly lower mean HR than controls (p<0.05). Heart rate variability at F3, as measured by standard deviation, interquartile range, and RMSSD was lower in HLHS than controls (p<0.05). Other CHD subgroups showed a similar, though non-significant trend towards lower variability. Conclusions Autonomic regulation in CHD fetuses differs from controls with HLHS fetuses most markedly affected. PMID:25662702

Autonomic regulation in fetuses with congenital heart disease.

PubMed

Siddiqui, Saira; Wilpers, Abigail; Myers, Michael; Nugent, J David; Fifer, William P; Williams, Ismée A

2015-03-01

Exposure to antenatal stressors affects autonomic regulation in fetuses. Whether the presence of congenital heart disease (CHD) alters the developmental trajectory of autonomic regulation is not known. This prospective observational cohort study aimed to further characterize autonomic regulation in fetuses with CHD; specifically hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS), transposition of the great arteries (TGA), and tetralogy of Fallot (TOF). From 11/2010 to 11/2012, 92 fetuses were enrolled: 41 controls and 51 with CHD consisting of 19 with HLHS, 12 with TGA, and 20 with TOF. Maternal abdominal fetal electrocardiogram (ECG) recordings were obtained at 3 gestational ages: 19-27 weeks (F1), 28-33 weeks (F2), and 34-38 weeks (F3). Fetal ECG was analyzed for mean heart rate along with 3 measures of autonomic variability of the fetal heart rate: interquartile range, standard deviation, and root mean square of the standard deviation of the heart rate (RMSSD), a measure of parasympathetic activity. During F1 and F2 periods, HLHS fetuses demonstrated significantly lower mean HR than controls (p<0.05). Heart rate variability at F3, as measured by standard deviation, interquartile range, and RMSSD was lower in HLHS than controls (p<0.05). Other CHD subgroups showed a similar, though non-significant trend towards lower variability. Autonomic regulation in CHD fetuses differs from controls, with HLHS fetuses most markedly affected. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Collaborating with Autonomous Agents

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Trujillo, Anna C.; Cross, Charles D.; Fan, Henry; Hempley, Lucas E.; Motter, Mark A.; Neilan, James H.; Qualls, Garry D.; Rothhaar, Paul M.; Tran, Loc D.; Allen, B. Danette

2015-01-01

With the anticipated increase of small unmanned aircraft systems (sUAS) entering into the National Airspace System, it is highly likely that vehicle operators will be teaming with fleets of small autonomous vehicles. The small vehicles may consist of sUAS, which are 55 pounds or less that typically will y at altitudes 400 feet and below, and small ground vehicles typically operating in buildings or defined small campuses. Typically, the vehicle operators are not concerned with manual control of the vehicle; instead they are concerned with the overall mission. In order for this vision of high-level mission operators working with fleets of vehicles to come to fruition, many human factors related challenges must be investigated and solved. First, the interface between the human operator and the autonomous agent must be at a level that the operator needs and the agents can understand. This paper details the natural language human factors e orts that NASA Langley's Autonomy Incubator is focusing on. In particular these e orts focus on allowing the operator to interact with the system using speech and gestures rather than a mouse and keyboard. With this ability of the system to understand both speech and gestures, operators not familiar with the vehicle dynamics will be able to easily plan, initiate, and change missions using a language familiar to them rather than having to learn and converse in the vehicle's language. This will foster better teaming between the operator and the autonomous agent which will help lower workload, increase situation awareness, and improve performance of the system as a whole.

Lessons Learned from Autonomous Sciencecraft Experiment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chien, Steve A.; Sherwood, Rob; Tran, Daniel; Cichy, Benjamin; Rabideau, Gregg; Castano, Rebecca; Davies, Ashley; Mandl, Dan; Frye, Stuart; Trout, Bruce;

Advanced control architecture for autonomous vehicles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maurer, Markus; Dickmanns, Ernst D.

1997-06-01

An advanced control architecture for autonomous vehicles is presented. The hierarchical architecture consists of four levels: a vehicle level, a control level, a rule-based level and a knowledge-based level. A special focus is on forms of internal representation, which have to be chosen adequately for each level. The control scheme is applied to VaMP, a Mercedes passenger car which autonomously performs missions on German freeways. VaMP perceives the environment with its sense of vision and conventional sensors. It controls its actuators for locomotion and attention focusing. Modules for perception, cognition and action are discussed.

Autonomous Acquisition Simulator and Associated Data (AASAD).

DTIC Science & Technology

1981-01-15

7 AA95 709 FORD AEROSPACE AND COMMUNICATIONS CORP NEWPORT EACH -ETC F/ 19/5 AUTONOMOUS ACQUISITI N SIMULAT R AND ASSOCIATED DATA (AASAD)(U) JAN 81...llllllllllllJm AUTONOMOUS ACQUISITION 7 SIMULATOR AND ASSOCIATED DATA I BY S. R. KING J. R. BERCHTOLD H. MACK K. R. TAYLOR A. W. MATHE J. N. CAST A. S...FORT BELVOIR, VIRGINIA 22060 81 2 27 01 UNCLASSIFIED SECURITY CLASSIFICATION OF THIS PAGE (When Data Entered) REPORT DOCUMENTATION PAGE READ

Autonomous data transmission apparatus

DOEpatents

Kotlyar, Oleg M.

1997-01-01

A autonomous borehole data transmission apparatus for transmitting measurement data from measuring instruments at the downhole end of a drill string by generating pressure pulses utilizing a transducer longitudinally responsive to magnetic field pulses caused by electrical pulses corresponding to the measured downhole parameters.

Autonomous calibration of single spin qubit operations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Frank, Florian; Unden, Thomas; Zoller, Jonathan; Said, Ressa S.; Calarco, Tommaso; Montangero, Simone; Naydenov, Boris; Jelezko, Fedor

2017-12-01

Fully autonomous precise control of qubits is crucial for quantum information processing, quantum communication, and quantum sensing applications. It requires minimal human intervention on the ability to model, to predict, and to anticipate the quantum dynamics, as well as to precisely control and calibrate single qubit operations. Here, we demonstrate single qubit autonomous calibrations via closed-loop optimisations of electron spin quantum operations in diamond. The operations are examined by quantum state and process tomographic measurements at room temperature, and their performances against systematic errors are iteratively rectified by an optimal pulse engineering algorithm. We achieve an autonomous calibrated fidelity up to 1.00 on a time scale of minutes for a spin population inversion and up to 0.98 on a time scale of hours for a single qubit π/2 -rotation within the experimental error of 2%. These results manifest a full potential for versatile quantum technologies.

A Collaborative Knowledge Plane for Autonomic Networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mbaye, Maïssa; Krief, Francine

Autonomic networking aims to give network components self-managing capabilities. Several autonomic architectures have been proposed. Each of these architectures includes sort of a knowledge plane which is very important to mimic an autonomic behavior. Knowledge plane has a central role for self-functions by providing suitable knowledge to equipment and needs to learn new strategies for more accuracy.However, defining knowledge plane's architecture is still a challenge for researchers. Specially, defining the way cognitive supports interact each other in knowledge plane and implementing them. Decision making process depends on these interactions between reasoning and learning parts of knowledge plane. In this paper we propose a knowledge plane's architecture based on machine learning (inductive logic programming) paradigm and situated view to deal with distributed environment. This architecture is focused on two self-functions that include all other self-functions: self-adaptation and self-organization. Study cases are given and implemented.

Caffeine delays autonomic recovery following acute exercise.

PubMed

Bunsawat, Kanokwan; White, Daniel W; Kappus, Rebecca M; Baynard, Tracy

2015-11-01

Impaired autonomic recovery of heart rate (HR) following exercise is associated with an increased risk of sudden death. Caffeine, a potent stimulator of catecholamine release, has been shown to augment blood pressure (BP) and sympathetic nerve activity; however, whether caffeine alters autonomic function after a bout of exercise bout remains unclear. In a randomized, crossover study, 18 healthy individuals (26 ± 1 years; 23.9 ± 0.8 kg·m(-2)) ingested caffeine (400 mg) or placebo pills, followed by a maximal treadmill test to exhaustion. Autonomic function and ventricular depolarization/repolarization were determined using heart rate variability (HRV) and corrected QT interval (QTc), respectively, at baseline, 5, 15, and 30 minutes post-exercise. Maximal HR (HRmax) was greater with caffeine (192 ± 2 vs. 190 ± 2 beat·min(-1), p < 0.05). During recovery, HR, mean arterial pressure (MAP), and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) remained elevated with caffeine (p < 0.05). Natural log transformation of low-to-high frequency ratio (LnLF/LnHF) of HRV was increased compared with baseline at all time points in both trials (p < 0.05), with less of an increase during 5 and 15 minutes post-exercise in the caffeine trial (p < 0.05). QTc increased from baseline at all time points in both trials, with greater increases in the caffeine trial (p < 0.05). Caffeine ingestion disrupts post-exercise autonomic recovery because of increased sympathetic nerve activity. The prolonged sympathetic recovery time could subsequently hinder baroreflex function during recovery and disrupt the stability of autonomic function, potentiating a pro-arrhythmogenic state in young adults. © The European Society of Cardiology 2014.

Agent Technology, Complex Adaptive Systems, and Autonomic Systems: Their Relationships

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Truszkowski, Walt; Rash, James; Rouff, Chistopher; Hincheny, Mike

2004-01-01

To reduce the cost of future spaceflight missions and to perform new science, NASA has been investigating autonomous ground and space flight systems. These goals of cost reduction have been further complicated by nanosatellites for future science data-gathering which will have large communications delays and at times be out of contact with ground control for extended periods of time. This paper describes two prototype agent-based systems, the Lights-out Ground Operations System (LOGOS) and the Agent Concept Testbed (ACT), and their autonomic properties that were developed at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) to demonstrate autonomous operations of future space flight missions. The paper discusses the architecture of the two agent-based systems, operational scenarios of both, and the two systems autonomic properties.

Autonomic Impairment in Borderline Personality Disorder: A Laboratory Investigation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Weinberg, Anna; Klonsky, E. David; Hajcak, Greg

2009-01-01

Recent research suggests that emotional dysfunction in psychiatric disorders can be reflected in autonomic abnormalities. The present study examines sympathetic and parasympathetic autonomic nervous system activity in individuals with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) before, during, and following a social stressor task. Data were obtained…

Science, technology and the future of small autonomous drones.

PubMed

Floreano, Dario; Wood, Robert J

2015-05-28

We are witnessing the advent of a new era of robots - drones - that can autonomously fly in natural and man-made environments. These robots, often associated with defence applications, could have a major impact on civilian tasks, including transportation, communication, agriculture, disaster mitigation and environment preservation. Autonomous flight in confined spaces presents great scientific and technical challenges owing to the energetic cost of staying airborne and to the perceptual intelligence required to negotiate complex environments. We identify scientific and technological advances that are expected to translate, within appropriate regulatory frameworks, into pervasive use of autonomous drones for civilian applications.

Unified formalism for higher order non-autonomous dynamical systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Prieto-Martínez, Pedro Daniel; Román-Roy, Narciso

2012-03-01

This work is devoted to giving a geometric framework for describing higher order non-autonomous mechanical systems. The starting point is to extend the Lagrangian-Hamiltonian unified formalism of Skinner and Rusk for these kinds of systems, generalizing previous developments for higher order autonomous mechanical systems and first-order non-autonomous mechanical systems. Then, we use this unified formulation to derive the standard Lagrangian and Hamiltonian formalisms, including the Legendre-Ostrogradsky map and the Euler-Lagrange and the Hamilton equations, both for regular and singular systems. As applications of our model, two examples of regular and singular physical systems are studied.

Autonomous Relative Navigation for Formation-Flying Satellites Using GPS

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gramling, Cheryl; Carpenter, J. Russell; Long, Anne; Kelbel, David; Lee, Taesul

2000-01-01

The Goddard Space Flight Center is currently developing advanced spacecraft systems to provide autonomous navigation and control of formation flyers. This paper discusses autonomous relative navigation performance for a formation of four eccentric, medium-altitude Earth-orbiting satellites using Global Positioning System (GPS) Standard Positioning Service (SPS) and "GPS-like " intersatellite measurements. The performance of several candidate relative navigation approaches is evaluated. These analyses indicate that an autonomous relative navigation position accuracy of 1meter root-mean-square can be achieved by differencing high-accuracy filtered solutions if only measurements from common GPS space vehicles are used in the independently estimated solutions.

Systems, methods and apparatus for quiesence of autonomic systems with self action

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hinchey, Michael G. (Inventor); Sterritt, Roy (Inventor)

2011-01-01

Systems, methods and apparatus are provided in which an autonomic unit or element is quiesced. A quiesce component of an autonomic unit can cause the autonomic unit to self-destruct if a stay-alive reprieve signal is not received after a predetermined time.

Circulatory response and autonomic nervous activity during gum chewing.

PubMed

Hasegawa, Yoko; Sakagami, Joe; Ono, Takahiro; Hori, Kazuhiro; Zhang, Min; Maeda, Yoshinobu

2009-08-01

Mastication has been proven to enhance the systemic circulation, with circulatory responses seeming to be largely regulated by autonomic nervous activity via a more complex regulatory system than those of other activities. However, few studies have examined the relationships between changes in autonomic nervous activity and the systemic circulation that are induced by masticatory movement. We investigated changes in the systemic circulation and autonomic nervous activity during gum chewing to clarify the influence of mastication. Electrocardiograms, arterial blood pressure, and masseter electromyograms were taken while chewing gum continuously as indicators of systemic circulation in 10 healthy subjects with normal dentition. Cardiac sympathetic activity and vagus nervous activity, as well as vasomotor sympathetic nervous activity, were evaluated by fluctuation analysis of heart rate and blood pressure. Repeated analysis of variance and multiple comparisons were performed to determine chronological changes in each indicator during gum chewing. Gum chewing increased the heart rate and the mean arterial pressure. Although cardiac sympathetic activity and vagus nervous activity showed significant changes, vasomotor sympathetic nervous activity did not. These results suggest that changes in the autonomic nervous activity of the heart are mainly involved in the enhancement of systemic circulation with gum chewing. This explains some characteristics of autonomic nervous regulation in masticatory movement.

Autonomic and subjective responsivity to emotional images in people with dissociative seizures.

PubMed

Pick, Susannah; Mellers, John D C; Goldstein, Laura H

2018-06-01

People with dissociative seizures (DS) report a range of difficulties in emotional functioning and exhibit altered responding to emotional facial expressions in experimental tasks. We extended this research by investigating subjective and autonomic reactivity (ratings of emotional valence, arousal and skin conductance responses [SCRs]) to general emotional images in 39 people with DS relative to 42 healthy control participants, whilst controlling for anxiety, depression, cognitive functioning and, where relevant, medication use. It was predicted that greater subjective negativity and arousal and increased SCRs in response to the affective pictures would be observed in the DS group. The DS group as a whole did not differ from controls in their subjective responses of valence and arousal. However, SCR amplitudes were greater in 'autonomic responders' with DS relative to 'autonomic responders' in the control group. A positive correlation was also observed between SCRs for highly arousing negative pictures and self-reported ictal autonomic arousal, in DS 'autonomic responders'. In the DS subgroup of autonomic 'non-responders', differences in subjective responses were observed for some conditions, compared to control 'non-responders'. The findings indicate unaffected subjective responses to emotional images in people with DS overall. However, within the group of people with DS, there may be subgroups characterized by differences in emotional responding. One subgroup (i.e., 'autonomic responders') exhibit heightened autonomic responses but intact subjective emotional experience, whilst another subgroup (i.e., 'autonomic non-responders') seem to experience greater subjective negativity and arousal for some emotional stimuli, despite less frequent autonomic reactions. The current results suggest that therapeutic interventions targeting awareness and regulation of physiological arousal and subjective emotional experience could be of value in some people with this disorder

Neural network regulation driven by autonomous neural firings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cho, Myoung Won

2016-07-01

Biological neurons naturally fire spontaneously due to the existence of a noisy current. Such autonomous firings may provide a driving force for network formation because synaptic connections can be modified due to neural firings. Here, we study the effect of autonomous firings on network formation. For the temporally asymmetric Hebbian learning, bidirectional connections lose their balance easily and become unidirectional ones. Defining the difference between reciprocal connections as new variables, we could express the learning dynamics as if Ising model spins interact with each other in magnetism. We present a theoretical method to estimate the interaction between the new variables in a neural system. We apply the method to some network systems and find some tendencies of autonomous neural network regulation.

A Multifunctional Coating for Autonomous Corrosion Control

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Calle, Luz M.; Li, Wenyan; Buhrow, Jerry W.; Jolley, Scott t.

2011-01-01

Nearly all metals and their alloys are subject to corrosion that causes them to lose their structural integrity or other critical functionality. Protective coatings are the most commonly used method of corrosion control. However, progressively stricter environmental regulations have resulted in the ban of many commercially available corrosion protective coatings due to the harmful effects of their solvents or corrosion inhibitors. This work concerns the development of a multifunctional smart coating for the autonomous control of corrosion. This coating is being developed to have the inherent ability to detect the chemical changes associated with the onset of corrosion and respond autonomously to indicate it and control it. The multi-functionality of the coating is based on microencapsulation technology specifically designed for corrosion control applications. This design has, in addition to all the advantages of existing microcapsulation designs, the corrosion controlled release function that triggers the delivery of corrosion indicators and inhibitors on demand, only when and where needed. Microencapsulation of self-healing agents for autonomous repair of mechanical damage to the coating is also being pursued. Corrosion indicators, corrosion inhibitors, as well as self-healing agents, have been encapsulated and dispersed into several paint systems to test the corrosion detection, inhibition, and self-healing properties of the coating. Key words: Corrosion, coating, autonomous corrosion control, corrosion indication, corrosion inhibition, self-healing coating, smart coating, multifunctional coating, microencapsulation.

Blunted autonomic response in cluster headache patients.

PubMed

Barloese, Mads; Brinth, Louise; Mehlsen, Jesper; Jennum, Poul; Lundberg, Helena Inez Sofia; Jensen, Rigmor

2015-12-01

Cluster headache (CH) is a disabling headache disorder with chronobiological features. The posterior hypothalamus is involved in CH pathophysiology and is a hub for autonomic control. We studied autonomic response to the head-up tilt table test (HUT) including heart rate variability (HRV) in CH patients and compared results to healthy controls. Twenty-seven episodic and chronic CH patients and an equal number of age-, sex- and BMI-matched controls were included. We analyzed responses to HUT in the time and frequency domain and by non-linear analysis. CH patients have normal cardiovascular responses compared to controls but increased blood pressure. In the frequency analysis CH patients had a smaller change in the normalized low- (LF) (2.89 vs. 13.38, p < 0.05) and high-frequency (HF) (-2.86 vs. -13.38, p < 0.05) components as well as the LF/HF ratio (0.81 vs. 2.62, p < 0.05) in response to tilt. In the Poincaré plot, the change in ratio between long- and short-term variation was lower in patients (SD1/SD2, -0.05 vs. -0.17, p < 0.05). CH patients show decreased autonomic response to HUT compared to healthy controls. This can be interpreted as dysregulation in the posterior hypothalamus and supports a theory of central autonomic mechanisms involvement in CH. © International Headache Society 2015.

Micro Autonomous Systems Research: Systems Engineering Processes for Micro Autonomous Systems

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-11-01

product family design and reconfigurable system design with recent developments in the fields of automated manufacturing and micro-autonomous...mapped to design parameters. These mappings are the mechanism by which physical product designs are formulated. Finally, manufacture of the product ... design tools and manufacturing and testing the resulting design . The final products were inspected and flight tested so that their

Reliability of Autonomic Responses and Malaise Across Multiple Motion Sickness Stimulation Tests

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stout, Cynthia S.; Toscano, William B.; Cowings, Patricia S.

1993-01-01

There is general agreement that a high degree of variability exists between subjects in their autonomic nervous system responses to motion sickness stimulation. Additionally, a paucity of data exists that examines the variability within an individual across repeated motion sickness tests. Investigators have also examined the relationship of autonomic responses to motion sickness development. These investigations have used analyses at discrete points in time to describe this relationship. This approach fails to address the time course of autonomic responses and malaise development throughout the motion sickness test. Our objectives were to examine the reliability of autonomic responses and malaise using the final minute of the motion sickness test across five testing occasions, to examine the reliability of the change in autonomic responses and the change in malaise across five testing occasions, and to examine the relationship between changes in autonomic responses and changes in malaise level across the entire motion sickness test. Our results indicate that, based on the final minute of testing, the autonomic responses of heart rate, blood volume pulse, and respiration rate are moderately stable across multiple tests. Changes in heart rate, blood volume pulse, respiration rate, and malaise throughout the test duration were less stable across the tests. We attribute this instability to variations in individual susceptibility and the error associated with estimating a measure of autonomic gain.

Autonomous assistance navigation for robotic wheelchairs in confined spaces.

PubMed

Cheein, Fernando Auat; Carelli, Ricardo; De la Cruz, Celso; Muller, Sandra; Bastos Filho, Teodiano F

2010-01-01

In this work, a visual interface for the assistance of a robotic wheelchair's navigation is presented. The visual interface is developed for the navigation in confined spaces such as narrows corridors or corridor-ends. The interface performs two navigation modus: non-autonomous and autonomous. The non-autonomous driving of the robotic wheelchair is made by means of a hand-joystick. The joystick directs the motion of the vehicle within the environment. The autonomous driving is performed when the user of the wheelchair has to turn (90, 90 or 180 degrees) within the environment. The turning strategy is performed by a maneuverability algorithm compatible with the kinematics of the wheelchair and by the SLAM (Simultaneous Localization and Mapping) algorithm. The SLAM algorithm provides the interface with the information concerning the environment disposition and the pose -position and orientation-of the wheelchair within the environment. Experimental and statistical results of the interface are also shown in this work.

Autonomous Laser-Powered Vehicle

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stone, William C. (Inventor); Hogan, Bartholomew P. (Inventor)

2017-01-01

An autonomous laser-powered vehicle designed to autonomously penetrate through ice caps of substantial (e.g., kilometers) thickness by melting a path ahead of the vehicle as it descends. A high powered laser beam is transmitted to the vehicle via an onboard bare fiber spooler. After the beam enters through the dispersion optics, the beam expands into a cavity. A radiation shield limits backscatter radiation from heating the optics. The expanded beam enters the heat exchanger and is reflected by a dispersion mirror. Forward-facing beveled circular grooves absorb the reflected radiant energy preventing the energy from being reflected back towards the optics. Microchannels along the inner circumference of the beam dump heat exchanger maximize heat transfer. Sufficient amount of fiber is wound on the fiber spooler to permit not only a descent but also to permit a sample return mission by inverting the vehicle and melting its way back to the surface.

Autonomous power expert system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Walters, Jerry L.; Petrik, Edward J.; Roth, Mary Ellen; Truong, Long Van; Quinn, Todd; Krawczonek, Walter M.

1990-01-01

The Autonomous Power Expert (APEX) system was designed to monitor and diagnose fault conditions that occur within the Space Station Freedom Electrical Power System (SSF/EPS) Testbed. APEX is designed to interface with SSF/EPS testbed power management controllers to provide enhanced autonomous operation and control capability. The APEX architecture consists of three components: (1) a rule-based expert system, (2) a testbed data acquisition interface, and (3) a power scheduler interface. Fault detection, fault isolation, justification of probable causes, recommended actions, and incipient fault analysis are the main functions of the expert system component. The data acquisition component requests and receives pertinent parametric values from the EPS testbed and asserts the values into a knowledge base. Power load profile information is obtained from a remote scheduler through the power scheduler interface component. The current APEX design and development work is discussed. Operation and use of APEX by way of the user interface screens is also covered.

Mobile Autonomous Humanoid Assistant

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Diftler, M. A.; Ambrose, R. O.; Tyree, K. S.; Goza, S. M.; Huber, E. L.

2004-01-01

A mobile autonomous humanoid robot is assisting human co-workers at the Johnson Space Center with tool handling tasks. This robot combines the upper body of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)/Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Robonaut system with a Segway(TradeMark) Robotic Mobility Platform yielding a dexterous, maneuverable humanoid perfect for aiding human co-workers in a range of environments. This system uses stereo vision to locate human team mates and tools and a navigation system that uses laser range and vision data to follow humans while avoiding obstacles. Tactile sensors provide information to grasping algorithms for efficient tool exchanges. The autonomous architecture utilizes these pre-programmed skills to form human assistant behaviors. The initial behavior demonstrates a robust capability to assist a human by acquiring a tool from a remotely located individual and then following the human in a cluttered environment with the tool for future use.

Draft Genome Sequence of Bacillus urumqiensis BZ-SZ-XJ18T, a Moderately Haloalkaliphilic Bacterium Isolated from a Saline-Alkaline Lake.

PubMed

Liao, Ziya; Ren, Chao; Guo, Xiaomeng; Yan, Yanchun; Li, Jun; Zhao, Baisuo

2018-05-31

The moderately haloalkaliphilic bacterium Bacillus urumqiensis BZ-SZ-XJ18 T was isolated from a saline-alkaline lake located in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of China. Optimum growth occurred at the total Na + concentration of 1.08 M, with a broad optimum pH of 8.5 to 9.5. The draft genome consists of approximately 3.28 Mb and contains 3,228 predicted genes. A number of genes associated with adaptation strategies for osmotic balance and alkaline pH homeostasis were identified, providing pertinent insight into specific adaptations to the double-extreme environment. Copyright © 2018 Liao et al.

Development of autonomous eating mechanism for biomimetic robots

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jeong, Kil-Woong; Cho, Ik-Jin; Lee, Yun-Jung

2005-12-01

Most of the recently developed robots are human friendly robots which imitate animals or humans such as entertainment robot, bio-mimetic robot and humanoid robot. Interest for these robots are being increased because the social trend is focused on health, welfare, and graying. Autonomous eating functionality is most unique and inherent behavior of pets and animals. Most of entertainment robots and pet robots make use of internal-type battery. Entertainment robots and pet robots with internal-type battery are not able to operate during charging the battery. Therefore, if a robot has an autonomous function for eating battery as its feeds, the robot is not only able to operate during recharging energy but also become more human friendly like pets. Here, a new autonomous eating mechanism was introduced for a biomimetic robot, called ELIRO-II(Eating LIzard RObot version 2). The ELIRO-II is able to find a food (a small battery), eat and evacuate by itself. This work describe sub-parts of the developed mechanism such as head-part, mouth-part, and stomach-part. In addition, control system of autonomous eating mechanism is described.