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In Syrian hamsters (Mesocricetus auratus), the expression of reproductive behavior requires the perception of social odors. The behavioral response to these odors is mediated...Full Text Available

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During the breeding season, male meadow voles prefer female over male odors and females prefer male over female odors. Testosterone control of males' odor preferences and production of odors attractive to females differ. A male meadow vole's preference for female versus male odor was still evident 1 week after castration, but not 1 week later. This preference was reinstated in testosterone-treated male voles 2 weeks after the onset of hormone replacement. The attractiveness of male odors to females did not disappear until 3 weeks after castration. The attractiveness of male odors was reinstated 1 week after castrated males were treated with testosterone. The time course for the androgenic modulation of production of odors attractive to females may facilitate breeding. For example, at the end of the breeding season males ...

KoreaScience (Korea)

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The genetic basis of odorant-specific variations in human olfactory thresholds, and in particular of enhanced odorant sensitivity (hyperosmia), remains largely unknown. Olfactory receptor (OR) segregating...Full Text Available

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Roller bearing is one of the most widely used elements in rotary machines. Condition monitoring of such elements is conceived as pattern recognition problem. Pattern recognition has three main phases: feature extraction, feature selection and feature classification. Histogram features can be used for fault diagnosis of roller bearing. This paper presents the use of decision tree for selecting best few histogram features (bin ranges) that will discriminate the fault conditions of the bearing from given train samples. These features are extracted from vibration signals. A rule set is formed from the extracted features and fed to a fuzzy classifier. The rule set necessary for building the fuzzy classifier is obtained largely by intuition and domain knowledge. This paper also presents the usag...

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Self-grooming in response to the odors of conspecifics is a form of olfactory communication among meadow voles. The amount of time meadow voles spend self-grooming when they encounter the odors of conspecifics varies seasonally, with males targeting the odors of reproductively active females only during the breeding season. Other odor related behaviors in male voles such as odor preferences for conspecifics and the attractiveness of their odors to conspecifics vary seasonally as well. For male meadow voles, these behaviors are mediated by seasonal variations in testosterone (T) and prolactin (PRL) titers. The objective of this study was to determine whether seasonal differences in the amount of time male meadow voles self-groom in response to odors of conspecifics are mediated by seasonal rhythms in their circulating T and PRL titers. We ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

... interval analyzers counting techniques discriminators electronic circuits

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Qualitative interpretation of data of different nature and sources, based on segmentation techniques such as discriminant analysis, is useful to characterize and monitor hydrocarbon reservoirs. In order to make this interpretation more reliable, it is necessary to characterize uncertainties attached to data and then, to propagate them in the interpretation work-flow. In this thesis, uncertainties are represented by intervals, because usually, little is known about input data errors. The uncertainty characterization issue is dealt with specifically for each case study. The uncertainty propagation issue is treated by a new technique, based on interval analysis, which consists in extending to intervals various popular approaches (non parametric, quadratic and linear) to discriminant analysis: Firstly, a learning phase allows calibrating an imprecise classifying model on the basis of pre-interpreted data. If the quality of this ...

Science.gov (United States)

Studies on nonseasonally breeding males have demonstrated that high titers of testosterone (T) stimulate reproduction, whereas high titers of prolactin (PRL) inhibit it. Recent evidence, however, suggests that for seasonally breeding males high titers of both PRL and T stimulate behaviors that support reproduction and mating. Thus, we hypothesized that high titers of both PRL and T are necessary and sufficient for male meadow voles to show a preference for the odor of long-photoperiod (LP) females. We tested this hypothesis by treating castrated LP males with bromocriptine and/or T, and by treating castrated short-photoperiod (SP) males with PRL and/or T. The data showed that high titers of both PRL and T are necessary for LP male meadow voles to maintain a preference for the odor of LP female meadow voles, but high titers of both hormones are not sufficient to induce SP males to show such a preference. Only SP males with high T and low PRL ...

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No abstract prepared.

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The effects of thiol-specific reagents on the amplitude of the electro-olfactogram (E.O.G.) responses elicited from frog olfactory mucosa by pulses of odorant vapours was studied. The impermeant thiol-specific...Full Text Available

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A critical problem for reliable implementation of regional discrimination is incomplete understanding of how regional seismic signals depend on physical characteristics of the source and propagation path to the recording station. This research is directed...

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A univibrator and a pulse height discriminator using tunnel diodes and backward diodes are described, along with their applications in pulse shaping and fast coincidence technique. The main advantages achieved are simplicity of design and speed. The characteristics of the two diodes are shown. (auth)

KoreaScience (Korea)

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Instructional systems design is a process for assessing learning needs, creating instructional programs, and evaluating effectiveness of learning. We discuss the benefits of including instructional systems design theory and practice in the curriculum, with an emphasis on making the process relevant for student nurse anesthetists. PMID:10488275

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Fear learning is associated with changes in synapse strength in the lateral amygdala (LA). To examine changes in LA dendritic spine structure with learning, we used serial electron microscopy to re-construct...Full Text Available

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f4. HRS. 65. 119 HRS. Figure 2-39. Space Processing Shared Flows ..... Learning Curve: An 80 percent learning curve will be used to extrap ...

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C. Learning Curve. The learning curve concept has long been recognized and ...... F4. TERMIA. S - STATION EQUIPMENT. V - VLBI VALIDATION EQUIPMENT ...

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... This paper presents our research in neural learning for predicting ... Denote this feature set as F4. ... can be observed that the SOC curves generated by ...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

The objective of this study is to test the validity of sex determination in children and adolescents using lateral radiographic cephalometry and discriminant function analysis. Fifty male and 50 female cephalograms of Taiwanese children were used (males and females with mean age of 15.52???1.38 and 15.67???1.54?years, respectively). Twenty-two cephalometric measurements were performed using computerized cephalometry. Statistical analysis shows that all measurements were sexually dimorphic (p?discriminant function analysis. A stepwise discriminant procedure selected seven of the nine variables, producing 95% accuracy in sex determination. Resubstitution classification reveals the same discriminant rat...

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

The background for this paper is a growing interest during the past decade in Denmark in the concepts of ?situated learning?, ?social theory of learning? and ?learning in communities of practice? developed by the American social anthropologist Jean Lave and the Californian Research Scientist Etienne Wenger. The work by Jean Lave from 1988 (Lave, 1988) based on anthropological field studies in Brazil and Liberia as well as later works by Lave & Wenger (Lave and Wenger, 1991; Chaiklin and Lave, 1993; Wenger, 1998; Wenger, McDermott, R. and W. Snyder, 2002) on situated learning and social learning theory have provoked considerable response in anthropological studies, in learning theories as well asin considerations about practical implementation of concepts like ?lifelong learning? in Denmark in recent decades. The European concept of ...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

The cotton aphid, Aphis gossypii (Homoptera: Aphididae), is increasing in importance as a pest worldwide since the introduction of Bt-cotton, which controls lepidopteran but not homopteran pests. The chemical ecology of interactions between cotton, Gossypium hirsutum (Malvaceae), A. gossypii, and the predatory lacewing Chrysoperla lucasina (Neuroptera: Chrysopidae), was investigated with a view to providing new pest management strategies. Behavioral tests using a four-arm (Pettersson) olfactometer showed that alate A. gossypii spent significantly more time in the presence of odor from uninfested cotton seedlings compared to clean air, but significantly less time in the presence of odor from A. gossypii infested plants. A. gossypii also spent significantly more time in the presence of heads...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

This paper describes the learning effect and standardization effect in the nuclear power construction, analyses their influence degree on nuclear power economics. Furthermore, the paper provides the ideas on how to improve the economics of nuclear power through implementing the learning effect and standardization effect. The paper also concludes that the learning rate in China is better than the average value in the world by analysis actual example. (authors)

CERN Document Server

Improving Low-Reading Ages in the Secondary School

KoreaScience (Korea)

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CERN Document Server

In undirected graphical models, learning the graph structure and learning the functions that relate the predictive variables (features) to the responses given the structure are two topics that have been widely investigated in machine learning and statistics. Learning graphical models in two stages will have problems because graph structure may change after considering the features. The main contribution of this paper is the proposed method that learns the graph structure and functions on the graph at the same time. General graphical models with binary outcomes conditioned on predictive variables are proved to be equivalent to multivariate Bernoulli model. The reparameterization of the potential functions in graphical model by conditional log odds ratios in multivariate Bernoulli model offers advantage in the representation of the conditional independence structure in the model. ...

Science.gov (United States)

This chapter reports recent advances in the statistical learning literature that may be of interest for biometrics. In particular we discuss two different algorithmic settings, binary classification and multi-task learning, and analyze the two closely related problems of feature selection and feature learning. In the binary case the theoretical and algorithmic advances to feature selection are applied to solve face detection and face authentication problems. In the multi-task case we show how the data structure described by a group of features common to the various tasks can be effectively learned, and then we discuss how this approach could be used to address face recognition.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Loss of the sense of smell can be easily confirmed in any physician's office by having the patient try to identify various odors. The etiology of anosmia can be extremely varied, including nasopharyngeal disorders such as rhinitis and tumors; neurologic conditions such as head trauma, neoplasms, vascular lesions and infections of the central nervous system; viral infections; familial and congenital disorders; drugs; industrial exposure; endocrine diseases, and several other disorders. The prognosis of anosmia is guarded, and its treatment depends on the etiology.

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A study examined the concept of interpersonal communication competence in order to construct a more refined instrument than those currently used to measure competence. Using 70 items drawn from several existing measures of competence, 660 volunteer subjects from undergraduate communication courses at a large midwestern university provided their conception of adept and inept communicators, defined respectively as the best and worst communicators they know. Direct and multiple step-wise discriminant analyses were performed to determine the extent to which these items best discriminated between subjects' conceptions of adept and inept communicators, and to determine which of the 70 items best discriminated between these conceptions. Canonical discriminant functions revealed that the subjects clearly distinguished between adept and inept communicators. Classification results revealed that nearly 97% of the ...

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Nato SCI-12 on Camouflage Evaluation Workshop on Search and Target Acquisition The Netherlands, June 1999. Image Discrimination Models for Object Detection ...

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... M. Taylor, T. Kurt Kyser. (2009) Feather isotope analysis discriminates age-classes of Western, Least, and Semipalmated sandpipers when plumage ... ...

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

To evaluate whether children with and without autism could exhibit (a) functional equivalence in the course of yoked repeated-reversal training and (b) reversal learning set, 6 children, in...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Circuit modification associated with learning and memory involves multiple events, including the addition and remotion of newborn cells trough adulthood. Adult neurogenesis and gliogenesis were mainly...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

The effect of feedback and materials on perceptual learning was examined in normal hearing listeners exposed to cochlear implant simulations. Generalization was most robust when feedback paired...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Six children who received craniospinal irradiation for medulloblastoma when they were under 10 years of age developed learning disabilities. Four exhibited associated temporal lobe calcification on...Full Text Available

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Since bearing is in wide use as basic parts for rotary machines, detection and diagnosis of its defects are important in practical use. To discriminate defect portions by early detection of roller bearing flaking, the conventional parameter method using peakedness is poor. Thus to directly obtain difference in waveform, the new method was applied to such detection which uses KDI as the scale of a difference in waveform, and a most neighborhood classification rule based on KDI. The detection and discrimination abilities of this method was studied mainly in experiment. The experiment used a bench scale rotor and a supporting bearing, and attempted detection and discrimination of no flaking, outer ring flaking and inner ring flaking. As a result, this method could detect and discriminate fine flaking which was never detected by conventional method. Since selection of standard data is essential for this ...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

The relationship of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) to learning disorders was reviewed and included reading disability, mathematics learning disability, and nonverbal learning disability. Genetic, neuroimaging, and neuropsychological functioning were examined for each disorder, along with a discussion of any existing literature when ADHD co-occurred with the disorder. All the disorders were found to frequently co-occur with ADHD. A review of the underlying neuroanatomic and neurofunctional data found specific structures that frequently co-occur in these disorders with others that are specific to the individual diagnosis. Aberrations in structure and/or function were found for the caudate, corpus callosum, and cerebellum, making these structures sensitive for the disorder bu...

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Students get a background on Stem Cell technology and learn to write an effective opinion essay.

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... outside observers, and updated counseling requirements for the Army's OER, non-commissioned officer efficiency report (NCOER), and civilian ...

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The classical stochastic approximation methods are shown to yield algorithms to solve several formulations of the PAC learning problem defined on the domain [o,1]{sup d}. Under some assumptions on different ability of the probability measure functions, simple algorithms to solve some PAC learning problems are proposed based on networks of non-polynomial units (e.g. artificial neural networks). Conditions on the sizes of these samples required to ensure the error bounds are derived using martingale inequalities.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

This study was undertaken to determine if a combined treatment (marinating in natural plant extracts or vacuum) with irradiation could have a synergistic effect, in order to prevent the lipid oxidation resulting in the development of undesirable flavours. The fresh chicken legs were irradiated at 0,3 and 5 kGy. The fatty acids composition of lipids was identified using gas liquid chromatography. The effect of irradiation treatment combined with a pre-treatment on the fatty acids composition was followed. The day after irradiation, ten panallists were asked to evaluate, using the instruction scaling, the overall appearance, the odor, the flavor and the overall acceptability of the samples. The major fatty acids identified in lipids were oleic acid, palmitic acid, palmitoleic acid and stearic acid. Pre-treatments have a significant effect on linoleic acid (C18:2) and higher fatty acids. The unsaturated fatty acids derived from phospholipids appeared to be more ...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Accessible summary - -Children with a Nonverbal Learning Disability (NLD) resulting from shunted hydrocephalus and spina bifida face many difficulties not experienced by those with a language learning disability. - -As they grow older and more autonomy is expected, friendships became harder to sustain and daily life can be full of fear if the nonverbal learning disability is not identified and managed. - -This paper explains the theorised cause of nonverbal learning disability - damage to right hemisphere white matter or myelin. - -Damage is believed to cause problems with planning, organisation, time management, problem-solving, decision-making and friendships, and the mismatch with articulate speech and a good vocabulary causes a functional profile that is difficult for educationists or ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

By analogy with the concepts of human learning, we show and introduce a new method to obtain least product cost and price that includes the effect of innovation and technological learning in manufacturing and production. This key result is a new paradigm instead of the usual economic 'power law' formulation. The new analysis is based on extensive analysis of many technological systems, and is directly related to the presence of learning as experience is accumulated. The results agree with the observed data. By using a consistent basis, the method replaces previous empirical 'power law' descriptions of the technological learning curve with a new 'marginal minimum cost equation' (MCE). (author)

Science.gov (United States)

... M. Taylor, T. Kurt Kyser. (2009) Feather isotope analysis discriminates age-classes of Western, Least, and Semipalmated sandpipers when plumage ... ...

Science.gov (United States)

... M. Taylor, T. Kurt Kyser. (2009) Feather isotope analysis discriminates age-classes of Western, Least, and Semipalmated sandpipers when plumage ... ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

This article reviews briefly a range of the latest monitoring and controlling equipment for use in coal mines. This includes pressure transmitters, shale/coal discriminator, nucleonic bunker level indicator, automatic steering and monitoring system, oscilloscope/multimeter, and microprocessor based digital display controllers. 1 fig.

Science.gov (United States)

... M. Taylor, T. Kurt Kyser. (2009) Feather isotope analysis discriminates age-classes of Western, Least, and Semipalmated sandpipers when plumage ... ...

Science.gov (United States)

... M. Taylor, T. Kurt Kyser. (2009) Feather isotope analysis discriminates age-classes of Western, Least, and Semipalmated sandpipers when plumage ... ...

Science.gov (United States)

... M. Taylor, T. Kurt Kyser. (2009) Feather isotope analysis discriminates age-classes of Western, Least, and Semipalmated sandpipers when plumage ... ...

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

The temporal fine structure (TFS) of sound contributes significantly to the perception of music and speech in noise. The evaluation of new strategies to improve TFS delivery in cochlear implants (CIs)...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Muscarinic cholinergic receptors modulate dopaminergic function in brain pathways thought to mediate cocaine's abuse-related effects. Here, we sought to confirm and ...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

BackgroundThe receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve is a fundamental tool to assess the discriminant performance for not only a single marker but also a score function combining...Full Text Available

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The topic of supervised learning within the conceptual framework of artificial neural network (ANN) models is addressed. An ANN is a parallel distributed processing system that consists of many computationally simple processing elements interconnected through uni-directional weighted connections. Such networks, which are roughly patterned after biological nervous systems, have been proposed for use in areas in which the traditional von Neumann computer architecture has been relatively unsuccessful. Learning in these networks is accomplished through the use of algorithms that adjust the values of the connection weights. The work presented here addresses the issue of improving the rate at which ANNs can learn to achieve the mapping of an input pattern to a desired output pattern. The most successful learning algorithms for accomplishing this task are based on gradient descent error minimization ...

Science.gov (United States)

Digital libraries play a crucial role in distance learning. Nowadays, they are one of the fundamental information sources for the students enrolled in this learning system. These libraries contain huge amount of instructional data (text, audio and video) offered by the distance learning program. Organization of the digital libraries is therefore very important for easy and fast access to the desired information. Improper categorization of data may mislead the students searching the library. Since manual categorization of huge amount of data might be challenging, an automatic and reliable method is needed. In this sense, this paper proposes an automated categorization scheme for digital libraries in distance learning. The categorization scheme is designed and developed by a pattern recognition approach. Effectiveness of the proposed scheme is evaluated on widely used Reuters database. The ...

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

BackgroundThe WINPEPI computer programs for epidemiologists are designed for use in practice and research in the health field and as learning or teaching aids. The programs are free,...Full Text Available

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This study examined the relationship between the 1997 UPE policy and regional educational and poverty inequality and its impact on lifelong learning through a one-year field based critical ethnography in Uganda, between June 2007 and May 2008. It drew on the Government's assumption that through UPE the twin goals of the universalisation of primary education and lifelong learning would be attained. This led to the concentration of resources away from higher education, secondary education, and lifelong learning to primary education. This 'UPE centric' approach ignored the precarious situation of the large number of illiterate children, youths and adults who have never accessed UPE or dropped out without attaining literacy and numeracy skills. This paper will clarify the relationship between ...

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curves are also directly translatable to metal-matrix composites. ..... 4~f4'4 ..... result of learning curve. The most important reduction in cost as a ...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Sleep after learning is often beneficial for memory. Reinstating an environmental context that was present at learning during subsequent retrieval also leads to superior declarative memory performance. This study examined how post-learning sleep, relative to wakefulness, impacts upon context-dependent memory effects. Thirty-two participants encoded word lists in each of two rooms (contexts), which were different in terms of size, odour and background music. Immediately after learning and following a night of sleep or a day of wakefulness, memory for all previously studied words was tested using a category-cued recall task in room one or two alone. Accordingly, a comparison could be made between words retrieved in an environmental context which was the same as, or different to, that of the ...

CERN Document Server

Shaping has proven to be a powerful but precarious means of improving reinforcement learning performance. Ng, Harada, and Russell (1999) proposed the potential-based shaping algorithm for adding shaping rewards in a way that guarantees the learner will learn optimal behavior. In this note, we prove certain similarities between this shaping algorithm and the initialization step required for several reinforcement learning algorithms. More specifically, we prove that a reinforcement learner with initial Q-values based on the shaping algorithm's potential function make the same updates throughout learning as a learner receiving potential-based shaping rewards. We further prove that under a broad category of policies, the behavior of these two learners are indistinguishable. The comparison provides intuition on the theoretical properties of the shaping algorithm as well as a suggestion for a simpler method ...

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The first point in the learning curve has been obtained. REFERENCES ..... Lens 4 is selected such that l/fl=1/f4+1/x, where x is ...

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Amotivation is a telling hallmark of negative symptomatology in schizophrenia, and it impacts nearly every facet of behavior, including inclination to attempt the difficult cognitive tasks involved...Full Text Available

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Explore security settings for home equipment, learn how to browse safely and securely, and keep your computer up to date and secure. Explore different account ...

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f4 f5 f1 f2. (a) Overall process decompress ...... involved the shortest learning curve, was available on several platforms, and was ...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Both cultural inheritance and cultural diversification of diets may play an important role in animal evolution. Here we studied how diet innovation and cultural change relate to cultural inheritance in a changing environment. We did this by studying diet cultures in group foragers adapting to environmental change through learning, and the consequences this has for diet differentiation between groups. We used an individual-based model of `monkeys' that learn what to eat in a rich environment, and we changed resource species that are available in the environment. Relative to social influences on learning that arise spontaneously in groups, we found that more direct social learning, in the sense of observing another individual and copying what it eats, helps groups deal with high levels of en...

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... F4 ... Sublethal Toxicity of Nine Pesticides on Olfactory Learning Performances of ... Daphnia and Preparation of Dosage- Mortality Curves for Pesticides ...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Abstract Ovipositing females of the black swallowtail butterfly, Papilio polyxenes Fabricius (Lepidoptera: Papilionidae: Papilioninae), have an innate response to contact chemical cues, but it was not known how naive females would respond to volatile host plant chemicals. Naive and experienced females were tested in a free-flight experiment using model plants and volatile extracts from two hosts, carrot [Daucus carota L. (Apiaceae)] and poison hemlock [Conium maculatum L. (Apiaceae)], and one non-host, fava bean [Vicia faba L. (Fabaceae)]. Naive females responded to both host plant extracts with more approaches and landings than to non-host extracts, with poison hemlock receiving more responses than carrot. Females experienced with one of the two host plants also approached and landed freq...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

In this work, silver-montmorillonite (Ag-MMT) antimicrobial nanoparticles have been obtained by allowing silver ions from nitrate solutions to replace the Na^+ of natural montmorillonite and then to be reduced by a thermal treatment. Ag-MMT were used as active antimicrobial compounds to improve the shelf life of fresh fruit salad. In order to assess their influence on product shelf life, sensorial and microbiological quality has been monitored during the storage. The microbiological quality was determined by monitoring the principal spoilage microorganisms (mesophilic and psychrotrophic bacteria, coliforms, lactic acid bacteria, yeasts and molds). Additionally, the evolution of sensorial quality was assessed by monitoring color, odor, firmness and product overall quality. The Ag-MMT nanopa...

Science.gov (United States)

Today you will learn about the parts of DNA and what DNA, genes and chromosomes are. Today you will learn what DNA, genes and chromosomes are and the parts of the DNA molecule. Look at all of the websites, take whatever notes you need to. At the end of the assignment, be able to describle DNA, the parts of DNA, genes and chromosomes. Covers Biology Core Curriculum, ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Detecting a camouflaged target in a visually noisy background depends on the ability of the observer to discriminate the target from the surrounding terrain. Visible laser irradiation at less than damage levels can act as a masking source by compromising or reducing the observer's ability to resolve differences in the visual scene. Previous research has examined this concept by investigating laser flash effects on: acuity (size discrimination); tracking (motion discrimination); visual sensitivity (color); and contrast sensitivity functions (luminance contrast). In all cases, flashes from continuous-wave (CW) sources have proven more effective visually than pulsed (Q-switched) sources, when compared on peak-energy criteria (i.e., MPE), even though Q-switched lasers induce damage at lower energy doses. Additionally, the inherent safety of ultra-short laser pulses has been questioned. Past animal research has shown ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

In order to protect food from pathogenic microorganisms as well as to increase its shelf life while keeping sensorial properties (e.g. odor and taste), once the latter are one of the main properties required by spice buyers, it is necessary to analyze volatile formation from irradiation of medicinal and food herbs. The aim of the present study was to analyze volatile formation from Co irradiation of Laurus Cinnamomum, Piper Nigrum, Origanum Vulgare and Myristica Fragans. Possible changes on the odor of these herbs are evaluated by characterizing different radiation doses and effects on sensorial properties in order to allow better application of irradiation technology. l he samples have been irradiated in plastic packages by making use of a {sup 60}Co Gamma irradiator. Irradiation doses of 0, 5, 10, 15, 20 and 25kGy have been tested. For the analysis of the samples, SPME has been applied, while for the analysis of volatile compounds, CG/MS. ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Although experimental results so far agree with predictions of the standard model, it is widely felt to be incomplete. Many prospective theories beyond the standard model predict extra neutral gauge bosons, denoted by Z', which might be light enough to be accessible at the LHC. Observables sensitive to the properties of these extra gauge bosons might be used to discriminate between the different theories beyond the standard model. In the present work several of these observables (total decay width, leptonic cross-section and forward-backward asymmetries) are studied at generation level and with a full simulation in the ATLAS detector. The Z' {yields} e{sup +}e{sup -} decay channel was chosen and 2 values for the mass of Z': 1.5 TeV and 4 TeV. Background is studied as well and it is confirmed that a Z' boson could easily be discovered at the chosen masses. It is shown that even in full simulation the studied observables can be ...

Science.gov (United States)

A first-principles task-based approach to the design of medical ultrasonic imaging systems for breast lesion discrimination is described. This study explores a new approximation to the ideal Bayesian observer strategy that allows for object heterogeneity. The new method, called iterative Wiener filtering, is implemented using echo data simulations and a phantom study. We studied five lesion features closely associated with visual discrimination for clinical diagnosis. A series of human observer measurements for the same image data allowed us to quantitatively compare alternative beamforming strategies through measurements of visual discrimination efficiency. Employing the Smith-Wagner model observer, we were able to breakdown efficiency estimates and identify the processing stage at which performance losses occur. The methods were implemented using a commercial scanner and a cyst phantom to explore development of spatial ...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

The heat-shock gene, Hsp90, was targeted as a new variable genomic region to supplement other DNA-based tests for identification and discrimination of Globodera pallida, G. rostochiensis and G. tabacum tabacum. Populations of the potato cyst nematodes, G. pallida and G. rostochiensis (PCN), originating from Canada, France, Belgium and USA, together with two populations of G. tabacum tabacum from the USA and France were used for the amplification of a fragment of the Hsp90 gene. General and specific primers and probes for each species were derived from the consensus and non-consensus regions of the aligned sequences, respectively. A triplex conventional PCR assay, using a general forward and reverse or three specific reverse primers, as well as a real-time PCR using general primers and spec...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

A data analysis based on an artificial neural network classifier is proposed to identify cosmic ray antiprotons detected with the CAPRICE silicon-tungsten imaging calorimeter against electron background in the energy range 1.2-4.0 GeV. A set of new physical variables, describing the events inside the calorimeter on the base of their different patterns, are introduced in order to discriminate between hadronic and electromagnetic showers. The ability of the artificial neural network classifier to perform a careful multidimensional analysis gives the possibility to identify antiprotons with an electron rejection 408{+-}85 (stat) at 95.0{+-}0.2 (stat)% of signal detection efficiency. The high accuracy achieved by this method improves substantially the efficiency in the evaluation of the cosmic ray antiproton spectrum. (orig.).

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The Morris water maze is widely used to evaluate to evaluate the spatial learning ability of rodents under laboratory settings. The present study demonstrates that reproductive male meadow voles, Microtus pennsylvanicus, are able to acquire and retain a spatial water maze task using celestial cues. Voles were able to acquire a modified outdoor Morris water maze task over 4 trials per day, whereby they had to learn and remember the location of a submerged hidden platform, using the position of the sun and associated celestial cues. Their proficiency on this task was related to the availability of the celestial cues, with voles displaying significantly poorer spatial navigation on overcast than clear days and when the testing time (and position of the sun and associated celestial cues) was shifted from morning to afternoon. These findings with meadow voles support the ecological relevance of the water maze task. PMID:8031502

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Although managing fisheries is complex, policymakers must make decisions daily that affect the future of aquatic resources. To make these decisions, they often combine a mental model with lessons learned from formal models such as computer models. While such computer models are frequently interpreted as predictors of the future, they are often more valuable when used as tools for learning about fisheries and options for management. This approach, looking at computer simulations as learning laboratories, is what this study is all about since its objective is to investigate by means of a microworld if policymakers in Belgian fisheries have the policy instruments at hand to align the real fisheries world with their often completely different desired fisheries worlds. This study illustrates ba...

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Two classes of convergent algorithms for learning continuous functions (and also regression functions) that are represented by feedforward networks, are discussed. The first class of algorithms, applicable to networks with unknown weights located only in the output layer, is obtained by utilizing the potential function methods of Aizerman et al. The second class, applicable to general feedforward networks, is obtained by utilizing the classical Robbins-Monro style stochastic approximation methods. Conditions relating the sample sizes to the error bounds are derived for both classes of algorithms using martingale-type inequalities. For concreteness, the discussion is presented in terms of neural networks, but the results are applicable to general feedforward networks, in particular to wavelet networks. The algorithms can be directly adapted to concept learning problems.

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

The last decade has produced an explosion in neuroscience research examining young children's early processing of language that has implications for education. Noninvasive, safe functional brain measurements have now been proven feasible for use with children starting at birth. In the arena of language, the neural signatures of learning can be documented at a remarkably early point in development, and these early measures predict performance in children's language and pre-reading abilities in the second, third, and fifth year of life, a finding with theoretical and educational import. There is evidence that children's early mastery of language requires learning in a social context, and this finding also has important implications for education. Evidence relating socioeconomic status (SES) ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The focus of this study is to validate whether the sensitivity of dose distribution following the interface of different media can be used to distinguish between small variations of photon energy spectra in the context of the convolution/superposition algorithm in the polyenergetic implementation (Philips Pinnacle"3, ADAC Laboratories, Milpitas, CA). Calculations were performed in homogeneous water and heterogeneous lung/water phantoms. Spectra were generated, in which the weights of the low-, medium- and high-energy components were adjusted sequentially. The heterogeneity correction factor CF_l_u_n_g, the D_2_0/D_1_0 ratio for homogeneous water and logarithmic derivative in buildup region LD_b_u_i_l_d_u_p were assessed for their relative ability to discriminate between different spectra for various field sizes. In accordance with another study (Charland et al 2004), the superior discrimination ability of the CF_l_u_n_g and LD_b_u_i_l_d_u_p ...

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

BackgroundA_δ and C fibers are the major pain-conducting nerve fibers, activate only partly the same brain areas, and are differently involved in pain syndromes....Full Text Available

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A multi-spectral Schottky barrier infrared detector array in which individual pixels of radiation from a remote radiating object are detected by two or more Schottky barrier infrared radiation detectors each having a different spectral response so as to provide a ''color'' discrimination for the array.

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Peroxisome proliferator activated receptor-{gamma} (PPAR{gamma}) regulates metabolic homeostasis and adipocyte differentiation, and it is activated by oxidized and nitrated fatty acids. Here we report the crystal structure of the PPAR{gamma} ligand binding domain bound to nitrated linoleic acid, a potent endogenous ligand of PPAR{gamma}. Structural and functional studies of receptor-ligand interactions reveal the molecular basis of PPAR{gamma} discrimination of various naturally occurring fatty acid derivatives.

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Different sized ROIs within the femoral head and different modes of calculation were used in (/sup 99m/Tc)MDP scintimetry after femoral neck fracture. In preoperative scintimetry, correction for increased trochanteric uptake gave the best discrimination, whereas in postoperative scintimetry the direct ratio fractured/intact femoral head was superior. The change in ROI size had little influence.

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

A ligase chain reaction assay based on a single-base-pair difference in the V9 region of the 16S rRNA gene (16S rDNA) was developed to distinguish between Listeria monocytogenes and other Listeria species....Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Yeast arginyl-tRNA synthetase recognizes the non-modified wild-type transcripts derived from both yeast tRNA(Arg) and tRNA(Asp) with equal efficiency. It discriminates its cognate natural substrate,...Full Text Available

Science.gov (United States)

learning curve values as observed from data taken to plot a trend .... Log QF = Log F1 + Log F2 + Log F3 + Log F4 ffi 2.98227 . ...

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Variability in motor performance decreases with practice but is never entirely eliminated, due in part to inherent motor noise. The present study develops a method that quantifies how performers...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Recent research has implicated the nucleus accumbens (NAc) in consolidating recently acquired goal-directed appetitive memories, including spatial learning and other instrumental processes. However,...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Understanding the mechanisms whereby information encoded within patterns of action potentials is deciphered by neurons is central to cognitive psychology. The multiprotein complexes formed by...Full Text Available

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of first unit and learning curve (LC) factor for hardware, ETR, and WTR recurring cost respectively. ...... 105 FORMAT (12,A6,F4.2,6X.F7 0,F6 OF7 0.12. 2012) ...

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

RasGRF1 is a Ras-guanine nucleotide exchange factor implicated in a variety of physiological processes including learning and memory and glucose homeostasis. To determine the role of RASGRF1 in aging,...Full Text Available

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An indicator of when the learning curve reaches a standard is when fuel consumption remains relatively ...... f4 7'tI. 1.i7J43t. F ,oo,. , F17i [ !i ...

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Peer assessment provides a powerful avenue for students to receive feedback on their learning. Although student perceptions of peer assessment have been studied extensively in higher education, little qualitative research has been undertaken with medical students in problem-based learning (PBL) curricula. A qualitative study of students' attitudes to, and perceptions of, peer assessment was undertaken within the framework of a larger study of metacognition with first-year medical students at the University of Queensland. A highly structured format for provision of feedback was utilised in the study design. Many recommendations from the higher education literature on optimal implementation of peer-assessment procedures were put into practice. Results indicated the existence of six main themes: (1) increased responsibility for others, (2) improved learning, (3) lack of relevancy, (4) challenges, (5) discomfort, and (6) ...

CERN Document Server

For the last years, time-series mining has become a challenging issue for researchers. An important application lies in most monitoring purposes, which require analyzing large sets of time-series for learning usual patterns. Any deviation from this learned profile is then considered as an unexpected situation. Moreover, complex applications may involve the temporal study of several heterogeneous parameters. In that paper, we propose a method for mining heterogeneous multivariate time-series for learning meaningful patterns. The proposed approach allows for mixed time-series -- containing both pattern and non-pattern data -- such as for imprecise matches, outliers, stretching and global translating of patterns instances in time. We present the early results of our approach in the context of monitoring the health status of a person at home. The purpose is to build a behavioral profile of a person by analyzing the time ...

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Conducting rigorous psychosocial intervention research with cancer patients has many challenges including encouraging them to join studies, asking them to engage in interventions or be part...Full Text Available

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... Contact was broken at 1628 hours -n! f1r1 again at 1730 hours. ... wore_ 5 US KIA and 14 WI... 13 VC bexly count by air and ground tro~ps rusultod-. ...

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Typical aircraft types supported include F4-Phantom, Tornado, MiG-29 ...... attempt to develop a theoretical explanation for learning phenomena [16]. ..... perspective, a primary reason for this is that an exponential curve approximates ...

Medline Plus

... different personal wellness goals for you. HIV Health Management With a good medical team and a desire to reach wellness goals , people with HIV can have a virtually normal lifespan. Take the HIV Wellness Quiz Test your knowledge and find out where you need to learn ...

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Rapid place encoding by hippocampal neurons, as reflected by place-related firing, has been intensely studied, whereas the substrates that translate hippocampal place codes into behavior have received...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Changes in synaptic strength are believed to underlie learning and memory. We explore the idea that norepinephrine is an essential modulator of memory through its ability to regulate synaptic mechanisms....Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

BackgroundThe N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA)-type glutamate receptor expressed at excitatory glutamatergic synapses is required for learning and memory and is critical for normal brain...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

While many lessons have been learned from the spatial analysis of cancer, there are several caveats that apply to many, if not all such analyses. As "flies in the ointment", these can substantially...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

The neuromodulatory function of dopamine (DA) is an inherent feature of nervous systems of all animals. To learn more about the function of neural DA in Drosophila, we generated mutant...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Background. Erythropoietin deficiency and anemia occur in Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) and may be treated with Erythropoietin Stimulating Agents (ESAs). The optimal hemoglobin,...Full Text Available

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The national standards and state derivatives must be reinforced by models of curricular reform. In this paper, ARISE presents one model based on a set of principles--coherence, integration of the sciences, movement from concrete ideas to abstract ones, inquiry, connection and application, sequencing that is responsive to how people learn.

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Failure of a dam is something we hope never happens. But if a failure occurs, it`s important to study the circumstances in order to expand our knowledge base, and then apply what we learn to other structures.

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Accurate segmentation of tissue microarrays is a challenging topic because of some of the similarities exhibited by normal tissue and tumor regions. Processing speed is another consideration...Full Text Available

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Apr 19, 1996 ... I learned that unlike most nuclear submarines that have 3 or more access routes, the NR-1 has just one hatch. At shallow depths, a rubber ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Solving a coupled set of differential equations formed by a Fokker-Planck equation and a set of master equations, we can calculate the number of 'prefission' particles (n,p,a), which are emitted from a hot, rotating compound nucleus. Furthermore we get their energy spectrum and their angular momentum distribution. Our results depend sensitively on the friction parameter #gamma#, the inertia M and the fission potential. Comparing the results with experimental data, we may learn something about these quantities. The investigations have been made for "1"8"7Ir and "1"8"5Os. (orig.).

Science.gov (United States)

MILSTAR's Flexible Substrate Solar Array (FSSA) is an evolutionary development of the lightweight, flexible substrate design pioneered at Lockheed during the seventies. Many of the features of the design are related to the Solar Array Flight Experiment (SAFE), flown on STS-41D in 1984. FSSA development has created a substantial technology base for future flexible substrate solar arrays such as the array for the Space Station Freedom. Lessons learned during the development of the FSSA can and should be applied to the Freedom array and other future flexible substrate designs.

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

We study uncertainties surrounding competition on business networks and board games. We investigate these uncertainties using concepts of fuzzy logic and game theory. We investigate how the payoff of the players is affected by a number of factors. These include the level of connectivity or number of links, the number of competitors, possible constraints on the networks and on the boards, as well as choice of strategy adopted by competitors. We introduce one fuzzy player in the game. This player uses fuzzy rules to make strategic decisions. We introduce learning to train and analyze how the fuzzy player adapts over time during the game.

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Expressed sequence tags (ESTs) of the maxillary galea of the silkworm were analyzed to identify proteins involved in food selection systems. From the 1251 redundant genes of the ESTs, we identified 7 odorant-binding protein-like genes (bmObpL), 6 takeout-like genes (bmToL), and 6 chemosensory protein genes (bmCsp). Quantitative RT-PCR analysis indicated that bmObpL1, bmObpL2, bmObpL3, bmObpL5, bmToL1, bmToL3, and bmorCsp15 were predominantly expressed in the larval oral appendages, such as the maxilla, labrum, labium and antenna. Immunocytochemical analysis indicated that the proteins of bmObpL1, bmObpL3, and bmToL1 were localized in the gustatory chemosensilla on the maxillary galea and olfactory sensilla in the antenna. The proteins encoded by bmObpL1 and bmObpL3 were detected in the gus...

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This report describes results from emissions testing of a prototype diesel engine, developed by Volvo Truck Corporation of Sweden, which uses pilot injection of diesel fuel for compression ignition of alcohol fuel injection for main combustion. In addition to this dual-fuel engine, emission testing was also conducted on a heavy-duty diesel engine of similar design. Both engines were tested over the 1979 13-mode FTP, or shorter versions of this modal test, and over the 1984 Transient FTP as well as an experimental bus cycle. The dual-fuel engine was characterized with methanol, ethanol and ethanol with 30 percent water (wt %). An oxidation catalyst was also used with methanol and ethanol. Emission characterization included regulated emissions (HC, CO, and NOX) along with total particulate, unburned alcohols, individual hydrocarbons, aldehydes, phenols, and odor. The particulate matter was characterized in terms of particle size distribution, sulfate content, C, H, ...

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The activated charcoal treatment in the field of the water treatment is applied to water supply, sewage, industrial water supply and industrial sewage, etc.. Its main treatment effects are (1) decolorization, (2) removal of odorous substance, (3) removal of organic material which is detected as COD or BOD, (4) removal of harmful substance, (5) removal of substance which could generate muddness and tarnish and (6) removal of organic material which affects the succeeding high degree treatment badly, etc.. Many actual application examples in the above fields have been reported. As the most recent topic, a big amount of the demand of activated charcoal is expected in the treatment of water supply. Chlorine which is used as disinfectant during the water purification process generates organic halogen compounds such as trihalomethane through the reaction with precursor such as humic acid. The countermeasure therefore is being developed in the direction of removing the ...

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In this paper heavy metal pollution at an abandoned Italian pyrite mine has been investigated by comparing total concentrations and speciation of heavy metals (Fe, Cu, Mn, Zn, Pb and As) in a red mud sample and a river sediment. Acid digestions show that all the investigated heavy metals present larger concentrations in the sediment than in the tailing. A modified Tessier's procedure has been used to discriminate heavy metal bound to organic fraction from those originally present in the mineral sulphide matrix and to detect a possible trend of metal mobilisation from red mud to river sediment. Sequential extractions on bulk and size fractionated samples denote that sediment samples present larger percent concentrations of the investigated heavy metals in the first extractive steps (I-IV) especially in lower dimension size fractionated samples suggesting that heavy metals in the sediment are significantly bound by superficial adsorption mechanisms. - ...

Science.gov (United States)

Anxiety is a common symptom during ethanol withdrawal contributing to its continuous abuse and alcoholism. Ethanol withdrawal in rats produces an interoceptive discriminative stimulus (IDS) similar to that produced by the anxiogenic drug pentylenetetrazol (PTZ). This stimulus peaks at 12 hours after last dose of ethanol and thereafter the IDS is detected for several days (protracted withdrawal) by sensitization to a probe drug. previously, the authors have shown that during the protracted withdrawal, the IDS is enhanced by GABA receptor antagonists suggesting alteration of brain GABA systems. This report provides further evidence that chronic ethanol alters GABAergic systems. Rats were trained to discriminate PTZ (20 mg/kg, ip) from saline. Diazepam, pentobarbital and phenobarbital blocked the PTZ-IDS dose dependently. Ethanol, 4.5% w/v, was then given in a nutritionally complete diet for a week. On termination of the ethanol diet, rats ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Materials Scientists need information on the kinetics of the microstructural evolution processes that determine the finished microstructure, and hence the properties, of any material. E.g. recrystallisation, grain growth and phase changes. Such kinetic information requires reliable discrimination of differently oriented crystallites and/or different crystal phases coupled with useful spatial resolution and temporal resolution (i.e. high frame rates). These imaging results must be realised from a hot and changing specimen, in an instrument that is compatible with that hot specimen and with a practical specimen heater. Focused Ion Beams (FIB) offer strong contrast between crystallites and phases, and hence offer the ability to discriminate between these features even while imaging at fast frame rates, however their compatibility with hot specimens was unproven. Here we report results from a novel combination of FIB with an in-situ heating stage, ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

In many experiments involving fast neutrons generated in nuclear reactions initiated by accelerator produced charged particle beams, it is important to be able to determine accurately the neutron yield from the target. A detector suitable for such applications should have: a constant efficiency over a large energy range; a fast time response; and the ability to discriminate between gamma rays and neutrons. The authors have constructed a open-quotes black neutron detectorclose quotes based on the design of Poenitz that has these characteristics. At the Lowell Van de Graaff accelerator laboratory neutrons are produced via the "7Li(p,n)"7Be reaction using a pulsed proton beam which impinges on metallic lithium targets. The pulsed beam enables the detector to be used in a time-of-flight spectrometer. Use of BC501 liquid scintillator permits neutron-gamma discrimination. The scintillator is viewed by five RCA 48796 photo tubes. The detector is ...

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Apparatus and method for selective measurement of tritium oxide in an environment which may include other radioactive components and gamma radiation, the measurement including the selective separation of tritium oxide from a sample gas through a membrane into a counting gas, the generation of electrical pulses individually representative by rise times of tritium oxide and other radioactivity in the counting gas, separation of the pulses by rise times, and counting of those pulses representative of tritium oxide. The invention further includes the separate measurement of any tritium in the sample gas by oxidizing the tritium to tritium oxide and carrying out a second separation and analysis procedure as described above.

CERN Document Server

The Electromagnetic Calorimeter (ECAL) of the AMS-02 experiment is a lead-scintillating fibers sampling calorimeter characterized by high granularity that allows to image the longitudinal and lateral showers development, a key issue to provide high electron/hadron discrimination. The light collection system and the FE electronics are designed to let the calorimeter operate over a wide energy range from few GeV up to 1 TeV. A full-scale prototype of the e.m. calorimeter was tested at CERN in October 2001 using electrons and pions beams with energy ranging from 3 to 100 GeV. Effective sampling thickness, linearity and energy resolution were measured. (8 refs).

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The ability of the Packard 2000 CA/LL liquid scintillation counter to reduce background count rates relies on pulse shape/duration analysis in which short duration organic scintillation events are discriminated from longer duration non-quenchable background events. A consequence of this is a loss in the counting efficiency. The results of this investigation indicate that much of the lost efficiency can be regained by sharpening the true #beta#"- pulse widths via the use of different scintillant combinations and by certain counter modifications. (author).

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The paper describes an application of the tree classification method Random Forest (RF), as used in the analysis of data from the ground-based gamma telescope MAGIC. In such telescopes, cosmic gamma-rays are observed and have to be discriminated against a dominating background of hadronic cosmic-ray particles. We describe the application of RF for this gamma/hadron separation. The RF method often shows superior performance in comparison with traditional semi-empirical techniques. Critical issues of the method and its implementation are discussed. An application of the RF method for estimation of a continuous parameter from related variables, rather than discrete classes, is also discussed.

CERN Document Server

PAMELA is a space telescope orbiting around the Earth since June 2006. The scientific objectives addressed by the mission are the measurement of the antiprotons and positrons spectra in cosmic rays, the hunt for anti-nuclei as well as the determination of light nuclei fluxes from Hydrogen to Oxygen in a wide energy range and with very high statistics. In this paper the charge discrimination capabilities of the PAMELA Time-Of-Flight system for light nuclei, determined during a beam test calibration, will be presented.

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CT of the gastrointestinal tract is commonly performed after administration of a high-density diluted iodinated oral contrast material. However, because if inadequate mixing of the contrast material with the gastrointestinal contents, pseudotumor and poor mucosal visualization are frequently shown on abdominal CT. To overcome these problem, 10% corn oil emulsion (COE) is tested as an alternative oral contrast agent in 40 patients. We analyse patients tolerance, gastric mucosal visualization and discrimination of pancreas from the duodenal C-loop to 10% COE in 40 patients compared with those obtained from 35 patients, who was received high-density diluted iodinated oral contrast agent (gastrografin). The results are as follows : 1. Patients' tolerance to 10% COE is similar to that to conventional oral contrast agent. 2. Image of the gastric mucosa from patients receiving 10% COE is superior to that receiving oral contrast agent. 3. The ...

CERN Document Server

Suppose we would like to know all answers to a set of statistical queries C on a data set up to small error, but we can only access the data itself using statistical queries. A trivial solution is to exhaustively ask all queries in C. Can we do any better? + We show that the number of statistical queries necessary and sufficient for this task is---up to polynomial factors---equal to the agnostic learning complexity of C in Kearns' statistical query (SQ) model. This gives a complete answer to the question when running time is not a concern. + We then show that the problem can be solved efficiently (allowing arbitrary error on a small fraction of queries) whenever the answers to C can be described by a submodular function. This includes many natural concept classes, such as graph cuts and Boolean disjunctions and conjunctions. In doing so we also give a new learning algorithm for submodular functions that improves upon recent results in a ...

CERN Document Server

English abstract: In the "Intuitive Quantum Physics" course, we use graphical interpretations of mathematical equations and qualitative reasoning to develop and teach a simplified model of quantum physics. Our course contains three units: Wave physics, Development of a conceptual toolbox, and quantum physics. It also contains three key themes: wave-particle duality, the Schroedinger equation, and tunneling of quantum particles. Students learn most new material in lab-tutorials in which students work in small groups (3 to 3 people) on specially designed worksheets. Lecture reinforces the lab-tutorial content and focuses more on issues about the nature of science. Data show that students are able to learn some of the most difficult concepts in the course, and also that students learn to believe that there is a conceptually accessible structure to the physics in the course. German abstract: Im Kurs "Intuitive Quantum Physics" ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The non-licensed operator on the job training model presently considered for development and implementation at C.N. Almaraz (CNA) has the primary objective of imparting practical knowledge and skills to the trainee on a per system basis and specific to the job position. This model is somewhat different in scope from the OJT process used in U.S. stations because the learning process is not done on a task per task basis, but rather on the concept of learning collectively all the knowledge and skills required by the specific-system job. This model arose primarily from two thoughts. First, the knowledge and skills have been obtained from a detailed job and task analysis process which will result in the learning of many required knowledge and skills divided by three categories: components, systems and academics. Secondly, the OJT most commonly used in the U.S. requires that the respective station department administers and ...

Science.gov (United States)

Lack of access to basic education leads to diminished individual and national capabilities, therewith furthering cycles of poverty. An equitable education system meeting basic learning needs represents not only a human right, but also a means for reducing poverty, promoting productivity, and sustaining development. The Government of China--the most populous developing nation, the majority of whose citizens live in rural areas--has been committed to universalizing nine-year compulsory education among school-aged children and eliminating illiteracy among youths and adults aged 15-45. This study examines lessons learned from China's efforts in these areas. It also reports on current challenges and trends in a new national initiative for achieving high-quality universal basic education by the year 2007.

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This article identifies the imperatives behind the need to move away from teaching based on the transmission of a lot of facts to teaching that enables students to become lifelong learners. It reminds us that the over-riding goal is an education process that maximizes the ability of teachers to teach well and of students to learn effectively. It argues that the necessary reform process can only be successful if the three components of an education programme--the curriculum, teaching strategies and assessment--are reformed simultaneously to ensure that each is designed to produce more effective teaching and learning. It points to the literature that tells us what we know about factors affecting student behaviour and, in particular, notes the crucial factor of student perception of the requirement of the assessment regime. It recommends that Biggs' model of constructive alignment is used as the organizing principle of continuing reform.

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Because the state of a free-floating space robot model is uncertain and sudden changes in the model parameters might undermine the stability of the system, this paper proposes a control strategy based on a variable structure neural integrated controller. This scheme does not need a precise space robot model, making use of the radial basis function neural network ability approach to learn about an uncertain model. The network weights are adjusted online in real-time. During the early period of the control phase and parameter changes, the variable structure controller compensates for the uncertain model which the neural network could not learn well. It also creates global asymptotic stability for the whole closed-loop system. Simulation results show that the controller can handle bad changea...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Despite the many advances in scientific research over the last several decades, cutting edge technologies and therapeutics often take many years to find their way into widespread use. The dissemination and uptake of best practices into clinical care is sometimes a neglected component of research that is essential to improve the population?s health. Type 2 translational research, sometimes called ?Proof in Practice Research,? seeks to maximize the yield of what has been learned from the bench and from carefully controlled clinical trials and to extend those benefits to a larger population. One aspect of type 2 translational research, sometimes called evidence implementation or implementation science, applies what has been learned about clinical medicine to achieve best practices across prov...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

In this paper, we present an analytic framework for investigating expert mathematical learning as the process of building a network of mathematical resources by establishing relationships between different components and properties of mathematical ideas. We then use this framework to analyze the reasoning of ten mathematicians and mathematics graduate students that were asked to read and make sense of an unfamiliar, but accessible, mathematical proof in the domain of geometric topology. We find that experts are more likely to refer to definitions when questioning or explaining some aspect of the focal mathematical idea and more likely to refer to specific examples or instantiations when making sense of an unknown aspect of that idea. However, in general, they employ a variety of types of m...

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This paper describes the structure of dynamic neuronal ensembles (DNEs). DNEs represent a new paradigm for learning, based on biological neural networks that use variable structures. We present a computational neural element that demonstrates biological neuron functionality such as neurotransmitter feedback absolute refractory period and multiple output potentials. More specifically, we will develop a network of neural elements that have the ability to dynamically strengthen, weaken, add and remove interconnections. We demonstrate that the DNE is capable of performing dynamic modifications to neuron connections and exhibiting biological neuron functionality. In addition to its applications for learning, DNEs provide an excellent environment for testing and analysis of biological neural systems. An example of habituation and hyper-sensitization in biological systems, using a neural circuit from a snail is presented and discussed. This paper ...

CERN Document Server

Real-time object detection is one of the core problems in computer vision. The cascade boosting framework proposed by Viola and Jones has become the standard for this problem. In this framework, the learning goal for each node is asymmetric, which is required to achieve a high detection rate and a moderate false positive rate. We develop new boosting algorithms to address this asymmetric learning problem. We show that our methods explicitly optimize asymmetric loss objectives in a totally corrective fashion. The methods are totally corrective in the sense that the coefficients of all selected weak classifiers are updated at each iteration. In contract, conventional boosting like AdaBoost is stage-wise in that only the current weak classifier's coefficient is updated. At the heart of the totally corrective boosting is the column generation technique. Experiments on face detection show that our methods outperform the state-of-the-art asymmetric ...

Wastenet

...Disinfection Byproducts, Mercury, Lead, Copper, Arsenic ,Pathogens,Radionuclides,Drinking Water Contaminants,Microbial Pathogens,Fertilizer, Water Topics | Laws and Regulations | US EPA Jump to main content A-Z Index Advanced Search What are you looking for? Learn the Issues Science & Technology Laws &...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The UK fully supports the objective of the Joint Convention on the Safety of Spent Fuel Management and on the Safety of Radioactive Waste Management to achieve and maintain a high level of safety worldwide in spent fuel and radioactive waste management, through the enhancement of national measures and international co-operation, including where appropriate, safety-related co-operation. The UK's Health and Safety Executive, through its Nuclear Safety Directorate (NSD), has been committed to the Convention since the initial negotiations to set up the Convention and provided the president of the first review meeting in 2003. It would be wrong of any nation to believe that they have all the best solutions to managing spent fuel and radioactive waste. The process of compiling reports for the Convention review meetings provides a structured process through which every contracting party can review its provisions against a common set of standards and identify for itself possible areas of ...

Wastenet

... I worked on the Young City Farmers course in 2008, where I was voted the best-spoken bus driver and teacher the participants had ever had!! I am a representative of the University for widening participation and outreach, for my enthusiasm, communication and personal skills. I look forward to meeting you, welcoming you to the College and helping with your learning and progression. Sam Parkes Hi I'm ...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

ABSTRACT Extending the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT) model, this study postulates a model of online social support. The model is empirically tested using data from undergraduates in Taiwan regarding their usage of instant messaging (IM). The test results indicate that all model paths are significant, except that the path between online social support and facilitating conditions is insignificant. This study offers limitations and implications.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The polymer industry is a young industry that has undergone tremendous growth and change over the last sixty years. Many important discoveries in polymer science have been accidental. Most of the learning has been by trial and error and most of the understanding is still basically empirical--make a polymer material or compound and then put it to the test to study what it is and how it performs. This article provides an overview of what polymers and polymer compounds are, why they behave as they do, and it discusses several examples of failures of rubber and plastic components.

Science.gov (United States)

In this activity, students will make a turbidity current. They will discover how fluids of differing densities interact with one another, learn some ways the densities of fluids can be changed and observe how density currents transport and deposit tremendous amounts of sediment in lakes and in the ocean. Additional options allow students to create and observe different kinds of density currents.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

This thesis investigates the application of artificial neural networks for the compression of image data. An algorithm is developed using the competitive learning paradigm which takes advantage of the parallel processing and classification capability of neural networks to produce an efficient implementation of vector quantization. Multi-Stage, tree searched, and classification vector quantization codebook design are adapted to the neural network design to reduce the computational cost and hardware requirements. The results show that the new algorithm provides a substantial reduction in computational costs and an improvement in performance.

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Stress exposure increases the risk of addictive drug use in human and animal models of drug addiction by mechanisms that are not completely understood. Mice subjected to repeated forced swim stress...Full Text Available

CERN Document Server

The performance of Evolutionary Algorithms can be enhanced by integrating the concept of agents. Agents and Multi-agents can bring many interesting features which are beyond the scope of traditional evolutionary process and learning. This book presents the state-of-the art in the theory and practice of Agent Based Evolutionary Search and aims to increase the awareness on this effective technology. This includes novel frameworks, a convergence and complexity analysis, as well as real-world applications of Agent Based Evolutionary Search, a design of multi-agent architectures and a design of age

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The radiation decimal reduction dose (D_1_0) of toxigenic Vibrio cholerae O1 El Tor, Inaba was determined in vitro (0.13 kGy) and in inoculated fresh fillets of saurel (Trachurus picturatus murphyi) (0.12 kGy) and another Pacific fish species known in Peru as ''lisa'', Mugil cephalus (0.13 kGy), both of which are frequently consumed raw in ''ceviche''. The D_1_0 value was similarly determined in tails of the shrimp species Penaeus vannamei (0.13 kGy). In a second phase of the study, radiation doses in the range 1.0-4.0 kGy were evaluated for use in microbiological shelf-life extension of the selected seafood, and for adverse effects on various sensory attributes (appearance, odor, flavor, and texture). A dose of 1.0 kGy doubled the microbiological shelf-life of fish fillets during post-irradiation storage at 0-1 deg. C to approximately 30 days. This dose was deemed optimal also for preserving all sensory characteristics evaluated except appearance, due to a ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The presence of soluble sulfide in produced water results in problems for the petroleum industry due to its toxicity, odor, corrosive nature, and potential for wellbore plugging. Sulfide oxidation by indigenous nitrate-reducing bacteria (NRB) present in brine collected from wells at the Coleville Unit (CVU) in Saskatchewan, Canada, was investigated. Sulfide oxidation took place readily when nitrate and phosphate were added to brine enrichment cultures, resulting in a decrease in sulfide levels of 99-165 ppm to nondetectable levels (< 3.3 ppm). Produced water collected from a number of producing wells was screened to determine the time required for complete sulfide oxidation, in order to select candidate wells for treatment. Three wells were chosen, based on sulfide removal in 48 hours or less. These wells were treated down the backside of the annulus with a solution containing 10 mM KNO{sub 3} and 100 {mu}M NaH{sub 2}PO{sub 4}. Following a 24- to 72-hour ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The diverse microenvironments of foods, changing with processing and preservation, might provide conditions that would enhance the growth of microorganisms which are the principal cause of spoilage, off-odor and unpleasant flavor in foods. Radiation is a potential process which may provide a product with far superior microbial quality for food preservation, by reduction of microbial population; elimination of food-borne pathogens; extension of shelf-life; and reduction of spoilage. The aim of irradiation at low dose level is to eliminate certain microorganisms, especially spoilage types and those of public health significance. But, the radurization dose allows the outgrowth of radioresistant bacteria. Certain strains of Moraxella-Acinetobacter (M-A) groups have been recognized as radioresistant bacteria (Welch and Maxcy, 1975), which may have gone unnoticed by food microbiologists, since these bacteria have not been associated with problems and are present in ...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

The aim of this study was to estimate the sensitivity of biomarkers of stress and exposure in the bivalve mollusk Anodonta cygnea to spontaneous anthropogenic activities typical for the Western Ukraine. Three sites were examined during spring, summer and autumn: an agricultural site (A); the cooling pond of nuclear power plant (N) and a forestry close to the municipal water inlet (F). Common temporal changes of a battery of biochemical markers in the gills and hemolymph and morphological characteristics were shown by discriminant functional analysis. Classification trees built on the basis of the screened biomarkers demonstrated persistent peculiarities at each site: genotoxicity (nuclear abnormalities) at site A and endocrine disruption (high levels of vitellogenin-like proteins (Vtg-LP) ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The detectors used in the TS93 balloon flight produced a large volume of information for each cosmic ray trigger. Some of the data was visual in nature, other portions contained energy deposition and timing information. The data sets are amenable to conventional analysis techniques but there is no assurance that conventional techniques make full use of subtle correlations and relations amongst the detector responses. With the advent of neural network technologies, particularly adept at classification of complex phenomena, it would seem appropriate to explore the utility of neural network techniques to classify particles observed with the instruments. In this paper neural network based methodology for signal/background discrimination in a cosmic ray space experiment is discussed. Results are presented for electron and positron classification in the TS93 flight data set and will be compared to conventional analyses.

Science.gov (United States)

This article examines relevant government policy documents on education and culture and discovers that Nigerian education authorities do not "discriminate" against art and culture in its articulation of educational policies per se, but lack of administrative machinery or political will has resulted in the deprivation of the Nigerian child in the process of creative activity in early childhood development. The article argues that lack of creative ability in our educational products is perhaps a major setback in the nation's quest for industrial and technological development. In this article a new art curriculum for elementary schools is advocated as a means of engaging the young child in order to attain functional educational skills necessary in the world of work.

CERN Document Server

In a first paper (Forni & Aghanim 1999), we developed several statistical discriminators to test the non-gaussian nature of a signal. These tests are based on the study of the coefficients in a wavelet decomposition basis. In this paper, we apply them in a cosmological context, to the study of the nature of the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) anisotropies. The latter represent the superposition of primary anisotropy imprints of the initial density perturbations and secondary ones due to photon interactions after recombination. In an inflationary scenario (standard Cold Dark Matter) with gaussian distributed fluctuations, we study the statistical signature of the secondary effects. More specifically, we investigate the dominant effects arising from the Compton scattering of CMB photons in ionised regions of the Universe: the Sunyaev-Zel'dovich effect of galaxy clusters and the effects of a spatially inhomogeneous re-ionisation of the Universe. Our study ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

MRI findings in 13 patients with monolateral parotid tumor were compared with US, sialographic and CT findings. MRI did not allow an accurate diagnosis in 2 patients with diffuse chronic parotitis. MRI was superior to CT in 1 case in defining the intraglandular site of the lesion, and in 2 patients in showing the extraglandular involvement. MRI proved to be superior to CT thanks to its contrast resolution and to multiplanar imaging. MRI high contrast resolution made it possible to demonstrate neoplastic lesions of 4 mm in diameter. The lesion has low signal intensity on T1-weighted images and high signal intensity on T2-weighted. Parotid tumors cannot be characterized by signal intensity alone: only morphology allows to discriminate between benign and malignant lesions. To conclude, US is a screening method, while MRI is helpful in detecting multifocal lesions and in evaluating the tumor extent.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Thermoluminescence of inorganic dust extract from herbs and spices has been demonstrated to be a useful method to discriminate irradiated food products as well as to estimate the total dose exposure. The time evolution of infrared stimulated luminescence has been systematically investigated in potassium feldspar and albite minerals subjected to different doses of gamma irradiation (ranging from 0 to 8 kGy). Experimental results reveal a 300-600 nm signal which is greatly intensified for irradiated samples, following the same irradiation dose dependence observed in thermoluminescence. The luminescence intensity disappears after few seconds of illumination, following a time evolution which is proportional to (1 + Bt){sup -P}. The influence of both B and P factors upon the irradiation dose has been systematically analysed. (author)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The neutron-induced fission cross-section of {sup 233}U has been measured at the CERN n-TOF facility relative to the standard fission cross-section of {sup 235}U between 0.5 and 20MeV. The experiment was performed with a fast ionization chamber for the detection of the fission fragments and to discriminate against {alpha} -particles from the natural radioactivity of the samples. The high instantaneous flux and the low background of the n-TOF facility result in data with uncertainties of {approx} 3%, which were found in good agreement with previous experiments. The high quality of the present results allows to improve the evaluation of the {sup 233}U (n,f) cross-section and, consequently, the design of energy systems based on the Th/U cycle. (orig.)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

We describe in detail the space of the two Kaehler parameters of the Calabi-Yau manifold P[sub 4][sup (1,1,1,6,9)][D. R. Morrison, 1993] by exploiting mirror symmetry. The large complex structure limit of the mirror, which corresponds to the classical large radius limit, is found by studying the monodromy of the periods about the discriminant locus, the boundary of the moduli space corresponding to singular Calabi-Yau manifolds. A symplectic basis of periods is found and the action of the Sp(6, Z) generators of the modular group is determined. From the mirror map we compute the instanton expansion of the Yukawa couplings and the generalized N=2 index, arriving at the numbers of instantons of genus zero and genus one of each bidegree. We find that these numbers can be negative, even in genus zero. We also investigate an SL(2, Z) symmetry that acts on a boundary of the moduli space. ((orig.))

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

The key factors of enzymatic lysis of cells are the interaction between the enzyme and the cell - catalytic and non-catalytic adsorption of enzyme on cell surface. Here, the studies of lysis of intact Escherichia coli cells by chicken egg white lysozyme were performed. It was found that the ionic strength has a dual effect onto the system. On the one hand, the desorption constant of the enzyme increases with the increase of the solution ionic strength, which results in a better enzyme performance. On the other hand, due to the higher osmosis, the cell lysis rate decreases with the increasing of ionic strength of the system. It was found that pH 8.6 and 30mM NaCl are optimal conditions for lysis of E. coli cells by lysozyme.

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Vignon, M. (2011) Inference in morphological taxonomy using collinear data and small sample sizes: Monogenean sclerites (Platyhelminthes) as a case study. -Zoologica Scripta, 40, 306-316. Taxonomists and evolutionary biologists frequently use a combination of morphological measurements to distinguish between species and investigate local adaptation. However, the entire set of characters often displays various degrees of collinearity. This paper discusses the effect of using collinear data in morphological taxonomy and ways to handle multicollinearity in a classification context, with special consideration for small sample size. In addition, I propose a robust and easy-to-use combination of dimension reduction using partial least squares (PLS) with traditional discriminant methods for morph...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Women who have academic careers in engineering have successfully navigated the social identity threats that prevent many other women from feeling that they belong in science, technology, engineering, and math fields. In this research, we examined what factors may be related to resilience in these academic environments. Female academics in engineering and nonengineering fields watched a fictitious conference video depicting either an unbalanced ratio of men to women or a balanced ratio. Subjective measures of identity threat were collected. Past experience with discrimination, positive experience with female role models, family support, and general social support were associated with a greater sense of belonging to or desire to participate in the conference. These variables all buffered neg...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

SummaryBackgroundCandida albicans is one of the most important etiologic agents causing superficial and deep fungal infections. For prevention of candidiasis, it is important to develop a rapid system that discriminates C. albicans at the strain level.ObjectiveTo develop a system that can identify C. albicans at the strain level.MethodsGenomic DNAs were purified from 179 clinical isolates of C. albicans, and were used as templates for PCR amplification of 25S rDNA and ALT repeats in repetitive sequences (RPSs). PCR products generated from ALT repeats were digested with EcoRI and/or ClaI in order to study the relationships between restriction profiles and amplification profiles.ResultsOne hundred and seventy nine clinical isolates were grouped into genotypes A (92 isolates), B (38 isolates)...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Neutron capture ..gamma..-ray spectra have been measured at 11 average neutron energies from 10 to 530 keV in /sup 88/Sr using a 20 x 15 cm NaI detector with time-of-flight discrimination of background events. The partial radiation widths and the calculated partial valence widths are compared for the strong p-wave resonances at 287 and 321 keV and found to be highly correlated. At these energies, the spectra are dominated by strong transitions to low-lying single particle states, in confirmation of the role of valence capture in the 3p region. However, the data do not support this mechanism at <508> keV.

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Korean ginseng (Panax ginseng C.A. Meyer) contains several types of saponins and ginsenosides, which are usually considered the major active components of ginseng. The types and quantities of saponins found in ginseng may differ depending on the region of cultivation. As a result, ginsengs produced in different areas of Korea have been unintentionally mislabeled and/or confused by Korean herbal markets owing to their complicated plant sources. Another concern is that 4- and 6-year-old ginseng roots, traditionally prescribed for different medicinal purposes, can vary in total saponin contents. Therefore, it is necessary to establish a reliable method for distinguishing different cultivation regions and ages of ginseng roots. A rapid resolution liquid chromatography-quadruple time of flight ...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Abstract When both sexes mate with multiple partners, theory predicts that males should adjust their investment in ejaculates in response to the risk and/or intensity of sperm competition. Here, we demonstrate that, in the harlequin beetle riding pseudoscorpion, Cordylochernes scorpioides, males use cues deposited on females by previous males to distinguish between virgin, once-mated, and multiply-mated females and adjust sperm allocation accordingly. Sperm number declined in direct proportion to the number of previous males, with virgin females receiving nearly three times more sperm than females exposed to three previous males. Given the lack of first-male sperm precedence in C.scorpioides, this pattern is not consistent with current sperm competition models and appears best explained by...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Purpose: The DBA/2J mice have been used as an animal model for human pigmentary glaucoma. However, these mice develop various degrees of disease symptoms at different ages, making it difficult to detect pathological changes of retinal degeneration at glaucoma onset. The purpose of this study is to develop a non-invasive assay to identify individual mice that develop visual deficits. Materials and Methods: We apply two behavioral tests, a swimming test of visual discrimination and a test of optomotor response, to identify glaucomatous DBA/2J mice. We then examine whether the elevation of intraocular pressure (IOP), the common risk factor for glaucoma, affects visual performances of the DBA/2J mice. We further compare the retinal ganglion cell death, one of the signature glaucoma symptoms, i...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

This paper describes stable strontium as composed of four stable isotopes ( Sr 88, Sr 87, Sr 86, and Sr 84), of which Sr 88 contributes more than 82% to its composition. Strontium exists in three crystalline, plymorphic forms; face-centered cubic alpha form, hexagonal beta form and body-centered cubic gamma form. Strontium occupies in many physicochemical aspects an intermediate position between calcium and barium, as does the solubility of strontium salts. As a result of its oxidation potential, strontium readily forms oxides, halides, and sulfide. The author proposes that the slight discrimination against strontium incorporation into bony tissues may be due to the difference in ionic potential (14%) between strontium and calcium. Ionic potential is an indicator of the strength of ionic bonds: strontium has a smaller ratio of ionic charge to ionic radius when compared with calcium.

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) techniques coupled with multivariate data analysis were used to conduct monitoring of biochemical changes of black raspberry fruits at different stages of maturation and under various extraction and NMR dissolution solvent conditions: extraction with 50% methanol and D"2O as an NMR dissolution solvent, extraction with 50% methanol and 50% methanol-d"4 as an NMR dissolution solvent, and extraction with 100% ethyl acetate and 100% methanol-d"4 as an NMR dissolution solvent. Partial least-squares discriminant analysis reliably distinguished black raspberry fruits according to the maturation stage, whereby the relative levels of various compounds such as amino acids, organic acids, sugars and phenolic compounds were compared using analysis of variance. Sucrose ...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

From the COMBO-17 digital sky survey data, 1,231 faint blue galaxies with photometric redshifts of 0.1discriminating those misjudged low-redshift galaxies by using only the optical data. We have studied a...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Alluvial fans along the east side of central Death Valley are being actively back-tilted along the Death Valley fault zone. Initial modelling of the Copper Canyon and Furnace Creek fans led to recognition of distinct segments. Field reconnaissance and aerial photo mapping were conducted to check model results and improve segment discrimination. Surface roughness, relative position, vegetation distribution, and drainage patterns provided independent evidence for segment discrimination. Subsequent modelling of individual segments produced a range of tilt values from 0.275[degree] to 0.559[degree] down to the northeast. Continued analysis of these fan segments is concentrated on: (1) assigning confidence and error values to the tilt values; and (2) dating individual segments. Further work will compare the tilt rates of east-side fans with those from the west. The mean squared error (MSE) is currently being used as a first order assessment of the ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

A new generation of transmit-receive single-pass probes, denoted as C6 or X probe, was field tested during the Gentilly II, 2000 steam generator tube inspection. This probe has a performance equivalent to rotating probes and can be used for tubesheet and full-length inspection at an inspection speed equivalent to that of bobbin probes. Existing C3 transmit-receive probes have been demonstrated to be effective in detecting circumferential cracks. The C5 probe can detect both circumferential and axial cracks and volumetric defects but cannot discriminate between them. The C6 probe expands on the capabilities of both probes in a single probe head. It can simultaneously detect and discriminate between circumferential and axial cracks to satisfy different plugging criteria. It has excellent coverage, good defect detectability, and improved sizing and characterization. Probe data is displayed in C-scan format so that the amount of data to be analyzed ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Validation of nuclear power reactor signals is often performed by comparing signal prototypes with the actual reactor signals. The signal prototypes are often computed based on empirical data. The implementation of an estimation algorithm which can make predictions on limited data is an important issue. A new machine learning algorithm called support vector machines (SVMS) recently developed by Vladimir Vapnik and his coworkers enables a high level of generalization with finite high-dimensional data. The improved generalization in comparison with standard methods like neural networks is due mainly to the following characteristics of the method. The input data space is transformed into a high-dimensional feature space using a kernel function, and the learning problem is formulated as a convex quadratic programming problem with a unique solution. In this paper the authors have applied the SVM method for data-based state estimation in nuclear ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Several nuclear power plant sites have been wounded in the crossfire between two distinct corporate cultures. The traditional utility culture lies on one side and that of the nuclear navy on the other. The two corporate cultures lead to different perceptions of open-quotes safety culture.close quotes This clash of safety cultures obscures a very important point about nuclear plant operations: Safety depends on organizational learning. Organizational learning provides the foundation for a perception of safety culture that transcends the conflict between utility and nuclear navy cultures. Corporate culture may be defined as the knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs shared by employees of a given company. Safety culture is the part of corporate culture concerning shared attitudes and beliefs affecting individual or public safety. If the safety culture promotes behaviors that lead to greater safety, employees will tend to open-quotes do the right ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

A 1984 American Association of the Academy of Sciences study of more than 150 successful science in-service programs developed a list of their characteristics, which included: Strong academic component in mathematics, science, and communications, focused on enrichment rather than remediation; academic subjects taught by teachers who are highly competent in the subject matter and believe that students can learn the materials; heavy emphasis on the applications of science and mathematics and careers in these fields; integrative approach to teaching that incorporates all subject areas, hands-on opportunities, and computers; multiyear involvement with students; recruitment of participants from all relevant target populations; opportunities for in-school and out-of-school learning experiences; parental involvement and development of base of community support; specific attention to removing educational inequalities related to race and gender; ...

CERN Document Server

Learning to love the errror matrix lecture : Learning to love the errror matrix Introductory remarks. Conditional probability. Statistical and systematic errors. Combining results Binomial, Poisson and 1-D Gaussian 2-D Gaussian and the error matrix. Understanding the covariance. Using the error matrix. Estimating the error matrix. Combining correlated measurements Parameter determination by likelihood Do's and don'ts lecture : Parameter determination by likelihood : Do's and don'ts Introduction to likelihood. Error estimate. Simple examples: (1) Breit Wigner (2) Lifetime Binned and unbinned likelihood Several parameters Extended maximum likelihood. Common misapprehensions: Normalisation delta(lnL) = 1/2 rule and coverage Integrating the likelihood Unbinned L_max as goodness of fit Punzi effect Chi-squared and hypothesis testing lecture : Chi-squared and hypothesis testing Basic idea. Error estimates. Several parameters Correlated errors on y. ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Floating Production, Storage and Offloading (FPSO) systems have become a popular choice in recent years for marginal, fast-track or deepwater field developments world wide. However, the majority of these developments have incurred significant project delays and budget overruns as a result of commercial structure, project management and design/operating problems. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) commissioned IGL Engineering Ltd to perform a study to highlight specific areas where safety concerns have arisen. The study also aims to identity the fundamental causes of problems and identify key lessons to be learned from such projects which can be used to the benefit of future developments. In summary, there are five fundamental areas where weaknesses can and have lead to the problems experienced in FPSO developments. The areas are all interrelated and many problems stem from deficiencies in more than one area. The areas are: commercial framework and project ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The licensing status and procedures, regulatory framework, and current safety issues of CANDU type reactors, Wolsong units 2, 3 and 4 are examined. Licensing difficulties and lessons learned during the safety review of Wolsong 2, 3 and 4 and future requirements are also summarized. The review was conducted, not only to confirm the design adequacy with respect to the domestic atomic laws and regulatory requirements of the vendor country, Canada, but also to reflect into the design the lessons learned from the regulatory experiences of operating Wolsong I to enhance the safety as high as practically possible. Safety issues observed during the licensing review, such as containment integrity, fuel channel integrity, etc., are summarized. Several efforts have been conducted to harmonize the Canadian regulations with the Korean ones by establishing domestic regulatory positions and guidelines. For example, the utility was requested to produce the ...

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Introducing intelligence by means of cognition for managing, protecting, processing, and delivering of information in mobile communication systems is the way towards ubiquitous, converged and secure communications. In this context, this paper introduces the concept of quality of information (QoI). QoI means QoS while all the requirements for dependability, security, privacy and trust are satisfied at the highest possible level. This work proposes and describes an approach to network monitoring in a heterogeneous communication environment based on use of cognitive techniques and learning predictive algorithms (e.g., fuzzy logic). These methodologies are used to create an autonomy in the decision making process that is based on the calculation of key performance indicators (KPIs), which in their turn would trigger the needed radio resource management algorithms. The expected output is an improved network performance in terms of maximized throughput and faster ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The Wind2H2 system is fully functional and continues to gather performance data. In this report, specifications of the Wind2H2 equipment (electrolyzers, compressor, hydrogen storage tanks, and the hydrogen fueled generator) are summarized. System operational experience and lessons learned are discussed. Valuable operational experience is shared through running, testing, daily operations, and troubleshooting the Wind2H2 system and equipment errors are being logged to help evaluate the reliability of the system.

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Methods for estimating particle number may be based on at least three different principles. Two of them, isolation of particles and indirect counting, have been predominant until recently. The new methods based on section pairs (disectors) are unbiased and far more efficient. The three principles and their historical developments are described, emphasizing that the newly developed principles have old roots, which were forgotten until recently. It is concluded, that 'learned societies' combined with individual enthusiasm are material for the spread and development of new ideas.

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Abstract Charity is deeply embedded in the religious thought and teachings of the three monotheistic religions. This article, while focusing on medieval Islam, is set in a wider framework with references to both Jewish and Christian parallels. Three main topics are examined: the religious meaning of charity, the social and political ramifications of almsgiving, and the impact of the institutional form of charity (the pious endowment system, waqf pl. awqaf) on Muslim medieval society. In the course of this examination, the article deals with the motives and attitudes of the donors (mainly people of the ruling class and the wealthy) and with the recipients of charity (the poor as well as the learned class). The article equally provides an overview of the charitable institutions and functions...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Previous research has characterized insight as the product of internal processes, and has thus investigated the cognitive and motivational processes that immediately precede it. In this research, however, we investigate whether insight can be catalyzed by a cultural artifact, an external object imbued with learned meaning. Specifically, we exposed participants to an illuminating lightbulb - an iconic image of insight - prior to or during insight problem-solving. Across four studies, exposing participants to an illuminating lightbulb primed concepts associated with achieving an insight, and enhanced insight problem-solving in three different domains (spatial, verbal, and mathematical), but did not enhance general (non-insight) problem-solving.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Post-mortem magnetic resonance (MR) imaging is of increasing interest not only as an alternative to autopsy but as a research tool to aid the interpretation and diagnosis of in utero MR images. The information from the post-mortem MR has allowed the development of imaging sequences applicable to in utero imaging and neonatal imaging. It has established brain development during gestation and has provided data on this to which in utero MR can be compared. The detail available from the post-mortem images is such that brain development can be studied in a non-invasive manner, a permanent record on the normal and abnormal areas is available and a greater understanding of developmental abnormalities is possible.

Science.gov (United States)

Prepared and presented by Professor Raj Jain at Washington University in St. Louis, this series of presentations is designed to introduce computer science students to the fundamentals of network security. Visitors have the option of choosing to download or view the presentations with audio, as individual slides only, or as a single PDF document. Topics here include: security requirements, public key encryption, digital signatures, and confidentiality. This is an excellent site for educators to use in the classroom or as a supplementary resource to introduce students to computer network security. Students may also wish to view or download the presentations to learn the basic concepts of network security.

CERN Document Server

Everyone is developing iPhone applications, and it's clear why. The iPhone is the coolest mobile device available, and the App Store makes it simple to get an application out into the unstoppable iPhone app market. With hundreds of thousands of app developers entering the game, it's crucial to learn from those who have actually succeeded. This book shows you how some of the most innovative and creative iPhone application developers have developed cool, best-selling apps. Not only does every successful application have a story, but behind every great app is excellent code. In this book, you'll

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The Remote Teaching Assistant (RTA) software currently under development at UC Davis allows students and Teaching Assistants (TA`s) to interact through multimedia communication via the Internet. To resolve the problem of TA unavailability and limited knowledge, an Expert Teaching Assistant (ETA) module is being developed. When TA`s are not on-line, students in need of help consult ETA. The focus of this research is the development and integration of ETA with RTA, the establishment of an architecture suitable for use with education (the domain) in any sub-domain (course), and the creation of a mechanism usable by non-technical personnel to maintain knowledge bases.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ash fallout from the Mount Saint Helens eruptions affected high-voltage transmission in a four-state area as volatile gases caused conductivity changes and corrosion. The Bonneville Power Authority (BPA) found that it was possible to maintain electric service except for a few short, localized outages. Cleaning ash from transformers and substations was the first priority. Tests were underway within 48 hours to determine ash characteristics and cleaning procedures. A summary to what happened and what was learned is presented in two lists. (DCK)

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

The American Organization of Nurse Executives (AONE) and The Leadership Studio have collaborated to create a one-of-a-kind Executive Coaching Resource Center for nurse leaders and their teams. This resource-designed specifically for AONE members-is a one-stop web-based library developed to assist nurse leaders who want to learn more about utilizing executive coaching services. It focuses on the overall benefits of coaching for nurse leaders-both tangible and intangible-and provides return on investment information for executive coaching based on the most current research.

Science.gov (United States)

Quality of education is a determining factor in a nation's competitiveness. Although Mexico has made tremendous progress toward achieving universal basic education, school quality has not kept pace with enrollment increases, especially in rural areas. Innovations at the federal and state levels to raise the quality of basic education in Mexico include decentralizing the education system, thereby giving the states more control over education, and creating the Carrera Magisterial, a program of incentives and professional development for teachers. The first part of this paper shows that early in their professional lives, teachers in basic public schools are better paid than other comparable groups. The second part of the paper analyzes determinants of student achievement. Findings show that short-term teacher posts had a negative impact on learning achievement. Pedagogical efforts and teacher answers to student questions were highly correlated with greater ...

Science.gov (United States)

Twenty undergraduate students participated in an elaborative learning test to evaluate the relationship between electrical brain activity and subsequently recalled and not-recalled words. Data collected from the midline (Fz, Cz, Pz) and lateral scalp sites (F3, F4, C3, C4, P3, P4) were analysed. The difference between event-related potentials (ERPs) elicited by subsequently recalled and not-recalled words, the ERP memory effect, was evaluated for each portion (primacy, plateau and recency) of the serial-position curve (SPC). We compared peak amplitudes for the P1, N1, P2, N400, P3 and frontal positive slow wave (FPSW) components. The electrophysiological data support the hypothesis that different mechanisms underlie primacy and recency effects during free recall paradigms. There was no support for the hypothesis that an association arises between memory and the FPSW when subjects utilise elaborative learning strategies. The P2 component ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Volatile organic compounds (VOC) are an important group of pollutants with adverse effects on humans and the environment. Primary air pollution abatement measures aim at prevention or reduction of pollutant production in industrial production processes, e.g. by improved processes but also by other methods (closed cycle processes, different process materials, etc.). If these measures have been implemented and emissions are still too high, an off-air purification unit must be installed. Biological purification is the method of choice for low pollutant concentrations. Biological purification processes are based on the activity of microorganisms which are capable of biochemical oxidation of organic and some inorganic gaseous compounds into non-polluting or non-odorous compounds. These processes have the advantage that they work at ambient conditions and therefore remove relatively low pollutant concentrations at low investment and operating cost. Lately, biological ...

Science.gov (United States)

The choice of treatment in adult skeletal Class III occlusions often poses a particularly tricky problem for the orthodontist. Faced with the option of either orthodontic camouflage or orthognathic surgery, the clinician's clinical experience is of paramount importance, especially in borderline cases. The aim of our study was to uncover a guide model enabling the practitioner to distinguish between skeletal Class III cases which can be suitably treated with orthodontics and those requiring orthognathic surgery. The lateral headfilms of 47 adult patients exhibiting skeletal Class III occlusions were analyzed. The orthodontic group comprised 22 patients and the surgical group 25. Twenty-seven linear, proportional and angular measurements were scrutinized. Stepwise discriminant analysis was used to identify the dentoskeletal and esthetic variables which most distinguished the two groups. The Holdaway angle was chosen to differentiate between patients prior to ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

We present 14 years of contemporaneous photometric and spectroscopic observations of 28 solar analog stars, taken with the Tennessee State University Automatic Photometric Telescopes at Fairborn Observatory and the Solar-Stellar Spectrograph at Lowell Observatory. These are the best observed and most nearly Sun-like of the targets in our magnitude-limited (V #<=# 7.5) sample. The correlations between luminosity and activity reveal the expected inverse activity-brightness correlations for active stars. Strong direct correlations between activity and brightness are not prevalent for the less active solar age stars, but are precision limited. The Sun does not appear to have unusually low photometric variability when compared with the most Sun-like inactive solar analogs. We present evidence that the activity index R'_H_K is not a good discriminant of Maunder Minimum candidate stars. On the basis of a star that appears to have transitioned from a low-variability ...

Science.gov (United States)

Throughout their history, Americans have believed that citizens' fulfillment of their individual duties in a participatory democracy is at least partly met through the forming of groups around important societal issues. Given the complex nature of political socialization, this study investigated identifiable determinants of social action that might be used to advantage in educating young people for citizenship in a democracy. This study attempted to differentiate among junior high, high school and college students (N=517) who were inclined and not inclined to act on their concerns about nuclear threat with selected demographic, psychological, political, and educational variables. The results of a discriminant functional analysis indicated that in comparison with the non-action group, students in the action group were characterized by reporting less trust in government, more exposure to sources of nuclear war information, more political knowledge, a more liberal ...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

The sycamore lace bug, Corythucha ciliata is a new, invasive pest of Platanus trees in China. Although C. ciliata is often subjected to acute low temperatures in early winter and spring in northern and eastern China, the cold tolerance of C. ciliata has not been well studied. The objectives of this study were to determine whether adults of C. ciliata are capable of rapid cold hardening (RCH), and to compare the benefits of RCH vs. cold acclimation (ACC) in the laboratory. When the adult females incubated at 26^oC were transferred directly to the discriminating temperature (-12^oC) for 2h, survival was only 22%. However, exposure to 0^oC for 4h before transfer to -12^oC for 2h induced RCH, i.e., increased survival to 68%. RCH could also be induced by gradual cooling of the insects at rates ...

CERN Document Server

Being able to distinguish light-quark jets from gluon jets on an event-by-event basis could significantly enhance the reach for many new physics searches at the Large Hadron Collider. Through an exhaustive search of existing and novel jet substructure observables, we find that a multivariate approach can filter out over 95% of the gluon jets while keeping more than half of the light-quark jets. Moreover, a combination of two simple variables, the charge track multiplicity and the pT-weighted linear radial moment (girth), can achieve similar results. While this pair appears very promising, our study is only Monte Carlo based, and other discriminants may work better with real data in a realistic experimental environment. To that end, we explore many other observables constructed using different jet sizes and parameters, and highlight those that deserve further theoretical and experimental scrutiny. Additional information, including distributions of around 10,000 ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

High spin states of the proton rich nuclei in the mass region A {approx} 100 have been studied at the GASP spectrometer through the evaporation of light charged particles and heavier ions detected in the 4{pi} Si-ball Isis. Rear side injection and pulse shape analysis have allowed a good discrimination among protons, alpha particles and heavy ions up to C. Of the several nuclei populated in the reactions we will discuss here the high spin states of {sup 105} Sn. In addition to an extension of the spherical level, scheme, a regular sequence of dipole transitions has been found, The states of the dipole band are suggested to be built on a neutron h{sup 2}{sub 11/2} excitation coupled to proton particle-hole states, which polarize the core to a slightly prolate shape. The experimental results are in agreement with the prediction of tilted axis cranking calculations, which satisfactorily explain the properties of the band. (author) 17 refs., 4 figs.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

We evaluated the similarities between ozone-induced and mite-induced emission of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from lima beans, and tested the response of the natural enemies of herbivores to these emissions using trophic system of two-spotted spider mites and predatory mites. The acute ozone-exposure and spider mite-infestation induced the emission of two homoterpenes, (E)-4,8-dimethyl-1,3,7-nonatriene and (E,E)-4,8,12-trimethyl-1,3,7,11-tridecatetraene, and (Z)-3-hexenyl acetate. Only plants with spider mite-infestation emitted the monoterpene (E)-{beta}-ocimene. Predatory mites were equally attracted to ozone-exposed and unexposed plants, but discriminated between spider mite-infested and uninfested plants, when both were exposed to ozone. The similarities between ozone and herbivore-induced VOCs suggest that plant defence against phytotoxic ozone and the production of VOCs for attraction of the natural enemies of herbivores may have adaptive coevolution. ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Differentiating a benign from a malignant lesion by information such as density data, or signal intensities or echo gradients, is not possible with CT, nor MRI, nor ultrasonography. Only some lesions show characteristic signs. Inflammations cannot be difscriminated from malignant tumors. CTs of small tumors in particular are so poor in contrast that it is much more difficult to detect tumors or discriminate them from other lesions, as compared to MR images or ultrasonographs. CT does not detect surface tumors, but is more sensitive than MRI or US in detecting discrete cortical bone lesions. The same applies to small calcified tumors. MRI however is most sensitive in detecting tumor volumes in the yellow marrow, and is the best modality for evaluation of extraossal extension of tumors. CT yields better results than MRI if applied for simultaneous screening of lymph node metastases in the lower neck. MRI frequently is spoilt by movement artefacts. High-resolution, ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

In this study, a miniature fiber-optic radiation detector has been developed using a water-equivalent organic scintillator for electron beam therapy dosimetry. Usually, two kinds of light signals such as fluorescent and Cherenkov lights are generated in a fiber-optic radiation detector when a high-energy electron beam is irradiated. The fluorescent light signal is produced in the scintillator and is transmitted through a plastic optical fiber to a remote light-measuring device such as a PMT or a photodiode. The Cherenkov light could be also produced in the plastic optical fiber itself and be detected by a light-measuring device. Therefore, it could cause problems or limit the accuracy of the detection of a fluorescent light signal that is proportional to dose. The objectives of this study are to measure, characterize and eliminate Cherenkov light generated in a plastic optical fiber used as a component of a fiber-optic radiation detector and to detect a real fluorescent light signal ...