A Modified Differential Coherent Bit Synchronization Algorithm for BeiDou Weak Signals with Large Frequency Deviation.

Science.gov (United States)

Han, Zhifeng; Liu, Jianye; Li, Rongbing; Zeng, Qinghua; Wang, Yi

2017-07-04

BeiDou system navigation messages are modulated with a secondary NH (Neumann-Hoffman) code of 1 kbps, where frequent bit transitions limit the coherent integration time to 1 millisecond. Therefore, a bit synchronization algorithm is necessary to obtain bit edges and NH code phases. In order to realize bit synchronization for BeiDou weak signals with large frequency deviation, a bit synchronization algorithm based on differential coherent and maximum likelihood is proposed. Firstly, a differential coherent approach is used to remove the effect of frequency deviation, and the differential delay time is set to be a multiple of bit cycle to remove the influence of NH code. Secondly, the maximum likelihood function detection is used to improve the detection probability of weak signals. Finally, Monte Carlo simulations are conducted to analyze the detection performance of the proposed algorithm compared with a traditional algorithm under the CN0s of 20~40 dB-Hz and different frequency deviations. The results show that the proposed algorithm outperforms the traditional method with a frequency deviation of 50 Hz. This algorithm can remove the effect of BeiDou NH code effectively and weaken the influence of frequency deviation. To confirm the feasibility of the proposed algorithm, real data tests are conducted. The proposed algorithm is suitable for BeiDou weak signal bit synchronization with large frequency deviation.

Frequency Mixing Magnetic Detection Scanner for Imaging Magnetic Particles in Planar Samples.

Science.gov (United States)

Hong, Hyobong; Lim, Eul-Gyoon; Jeong, Jae-Chan; Chang, Jiho; Shin, Sung-Woong; Krause, Hans-Joachim

2016-06-09

The setup of a planar Frequency Mixing Magnetic Detection (p-FMMD) scanner for performing Magnetic Particles Imaging (MPI) of flat samples is presented. It consists of two magnetic measurement heads on both sides of the sample mounted on the legs of a u-shaped support. The sample is locally exposed to a magnetic excitation field consisting of two distinct frequencies, a stronger component at about 77 kHz and a weaker field at 61 Hz. The nonlinear magnetization characteristics of superparamagnetic particles give rise to the generation of intermodulation products. A selected sum-frequency component of the high and low frequency magnetic field incident on the magnetically nonlinear particles is recorded by a demodulation electronics. In contrast to a conventional MPI scanner, p-FMMD does not require the application of a strong magnetic field to the whole sample because mixing of the two frequencies occurs locally. Thus, the lateral dimensions of the sample are just limited by the scanning range and the supports. However, the sample height determines the spatial resolution. In the current setup it is limited to 2 mm. As examples, we present two 20 mm × 25 mm p-FMMD images acquired from samples with 1 µm diameter maghemite particles in silanol matrix and with 50 nm magnetite particles in aminosilane matrix. The results show that the novel MPI scanner can be applied for analysis of thin biological samples and for medical diagnostic purposes.

Frequency Response of the Sample Vibration Mode in Scanning Probe Acoustic Microscope

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ya-Jun, Zhao; Qian, Cheng; Meng-Lu, Qian

2010-01-01

Based on the interaction mechanism between tip and sample in the contact mode of a scanning probe acoustic microscope (SPAM), an active mass of the sample is introduced in the mass-spring model. The tip motion and frequency response of the sample vibration mode in the SPAM are calculated by the Lagrange equation with dissipation function. For the silicon tip and glass assemblage in the SPAM the frequency response is simulated and it is in agreement with the experimental result. The living myoblast cells on the glass slide are imaged at resonance frequencies of the SPAM system, which are 20kHz, 30kHz and 120kHz. It is shown that good contrast of SPAM images could be obtained when the system is operated at the resonance frequencies of the system in high and low-frequency regions

Dental anthropology of a Brazilian sample: Frequency of nonmetric traits.

Science.gov (United States)

Tinoco, Rachel Lima Ribeiro; Lima, Laíse Nascimento Correia; Delwing, Fábio; Francesquini, Luiz; Daruge, Eduardo

2016-01-01

Dental elements are valuable tools in a study of ancient populations and species, and key-features for human identification; among the dental anthropology field, nonmetric traits, standardized by ASUDAS, are closely related to ancestry. This study aimed to analyze the frequency of six nonmetric traits in a sample from Southeast Brazil, composed by 130 dental casts from individuals aged between 18 and 30, without foreign parents or grandparents. A single examiner observed the presence or absence of shoveling, Carabelli's cusp, fifth cusp, 3-cusped UM2, sixth cusp, and 4-cusped LM2. The frequencies obtained were different from the ones shown by other researches to Amerindian and South American samples, and related to European and sub-Saharan frequencies, showing the influence of this groups in the current Brazilian population. Sexual dimorphism was found in the frequencies of Carabelli's cusp, 3-cusped UM2, and sixth cusp. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Omega 3 fatty acids reduce myeloid progenitor cell frequency in the bone marrow of mice and promote progenitor cell differentiation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sollars Vincent E

2009-03-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Omega 3 fatty acids have been found to inhibit proliferation, induce apoptosis, and promote differentiation in various cell types. The processes of cell survival, expansion, and differentiation are of key importance in the regulation of hematopoiesis. We investigated the role of omega 3 fatty acids in controlling the frequency of various myeloid progenitor cells in the bone marrow of mice. Increased progenitor cell frequency and blocked differentiation are characteristics of hematopoietic disorders of the myeloid lineage, such as myeloproliferative diseases and myeloid leukemias. Results We found that increasing the proportion of omega 3 fatty acids relative to the proportion of omega 6 fatty acids in the diet caused increased differentiation and reduced the frequency of myeloid progenitor cells in the bone marrow of mice. Furthermore, this had no adverse effect on peripheral white blood cell counts. Conclusion Our results indicate that omega 3 fatty acids impact hematopoietic differentiation by reducing myeloid progenitor cell frequency in the bone marrow and promoting progenitor cell differentiation. Further exploration of this discovery could lead to the use of omega 3 fatty acids as a therapeutic option for patients that have various disorders of hematopoiesis.

Estimating fish swimming metrics and metabolic rates with accelerometers: the influence of sampling frequency.

Science.gov (United States)

Brownscombe, J W; Lennox, R J; Danylchuk, A J; Cooke, S J

2018-06-21

Accelerometry is growing in popularity for remotely measuring fish swimming metrics, but appropriate sampling frequencies for accurately measuring these metrics are not well studied. This research examined the influence of sampling frequency (1-25 Hz) with tri-axial accelerometer biologgers on estimates of overall dynamic body acceleration (ODBA), tail-beat frequency, swimming speed and metabolic rate of bonefish Albula vulpes in a swim-tunnel respirometer and free-swimming in a wetland mesocosm. In the swim tunnel, sampling frequencies of ≥ 5 Hz were sufficient to establish strong relationships between ODBA, swimming speed and metabolic rate. However, in free-swimming bonefish, estimates of metabolic rate were more variable below 10 Hz. Sampling frequencies should be at least twice the maximum tail-beat frequency to estimate this metric effectively, which is generally higher than those required to estimate ODBA, swimming speed and metabolic rate. While optimal sampling frequency probably varies among species due to tail-beat frequency and swimming style, this study provides a reference point with a medium body-sized sub-carangiform teleost fish, enabling researchers to measure these metrics effectively and maximize study duration. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Efficient Estimation for Diffusions Sampled at High Frequency Over a Fixed Time Interval

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jakobsen, Nina Munkholt; Sørensen, Michael

Parametric estimation for diffusion processes is considered for high frequency observations over a fixed time interval. The processes solve stochastic differential equations with an unknown parameter in the diffusion coefficient. We find easily verified conditions on approximate martingale...

Volume Ray Casting with Peak Finding and Differential Sampling

KAUST Repository

Knoll, A.; Hijazi, Y.; Westerteiger, R.; Schott, M.; Hansen, C.; Hagen, H.

2009-01-01

classification. In this paper, we introduce a method for rendering such features by explicitly solving for isovalues within the volume rendering integral. In addition, we present a sampling strategy inspired by ray differentials that automatically matches

Evaluation of the Frequency for Gas Sampling for the High Burnup Confirmatory Data Project

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Stockman, Christine T. [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Alsaed, Halim A. [Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States); Bryan, Charles R. [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Marschman, Steven C. [Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States); Scaglione, John M. [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)

2015-05-01

This report provides a technically based gas sampling frequency strategy for the High Burnup (HBU) Confirmatory Data Project. The evaluation of: 1) the types and magnitudes of gases that could be present in the project cask and, 2) the degradation mechanisms that could change gas compositions culminates in an adaptive gas sampling frequency strategy. This adaptive strategy is compared against the sampling frequency that has been developed based on operational considerations.

Partner wealth predicts self-reported orgasm frequency in a sample of Chinese women

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Pollet, T.V.; Nettle, D.

There has been considerable speculation about the adaptive significance of the human female orgasm, with one hypothesis being that it promotes differential affiliation or conception with high-quality males. We investigated the relationship between women's self-reported orgasm frequency and the

Practical iterative learning control with frequency domain design and sampled data implementation

CERN Document Server

Wang, Danwei; Zhang, Bin

2014-01-01

This book is on the iterative learning control (ILC) with focus on the design and implementation. We approach the ILC design based on the frequency domain analysis and address the ILC implementation based on the sampled data methods. This is the first book of ILC from frequency domain and sampled data methodologies. The frequency domain design methods offer ILC users insights to the convergence performance which is of practical benefits. This book presents a comprehensive framework with various methodologies to ensure the learnable bandwidth in the ILC system to be set with a balance between learning performance and learning stability. The sampled data implementation ensures effective execution of ILC in practical dynamic systems. The presented sampled data ILC methods also ensure the balance of performance and stability of learning process. Furthermore, the presented theories and methodologies are tested with an ILC controlled robotic system. The experimental results show that the machines can work in much h...

Heating uniformity and differential heating of insects in almonds associated with radio frequency energy

Science.gov (United States)

Radio frequency (RF) treatments have potential as alternatives to chemical fumigation for phytosanitary disinfestation treatments in the dried nut industry. To develop effective RF treatment protocols for almonds, it is desirable to determine heating uniformity and the occurrence of differential hea...

Accurate Frequency Estimation Based On Three-Parameter Sine-Fitting With Three FFT Samples

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Liu Xin

2015-09-01

Full Text Available This paper presents a simple DFT-based golden section searching algorithm (DGSSA for the single tone frequency estimation. Because of truncation and discreteness in signal samples, Fast Fourier Transform (FFT and Discrete Fourier Transform (DFT are inevitable to cause the spectrum leakage and fence effect which lead to a low estimation accuracy. This method can improve the estimation accuracy under conditions of a low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR and a low resolution. This method firstly uses three FFT samples to determine the frequency searching scope, then – besides the frequency – the estimated values of amplitude, phase and dc component are obtained by minimizing the least square (LS fitting error of three-parameter sine fitting. By setting reasonable stop conditions or the number of iterations, the accurate frequency estimation can be realized. The accuracy of this method, when applied to observed single-tone sinusoid samples corrupted by white Gaussian noise, is investigated by different methods with respect to the unbiased Cramer-Rao Low Bound (CRLB. The simulation results show that the root mean square error (RMSE of the frequency estimation curve is consistent with the tendency of CRLB as SNR increases, even in the case of a small number of samples. The average RMSE of the frequency estimation is less than 1.5 times the CRLB with SNR = 20 dB and N = 512.

Modeling of frequency-dependent negative differential capacitance in InGaAs/InP photodiode

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Yidong; Chen, Jun; Xu, Jintong; Li, Xiangyang

2018-03-01

The negative differential capacitance (NDC) of p-i-n InGaAs/InP photodetector has been clearly observed, and the small signal model of frequency-dependent NDC is established, based on the accumulation and emission of electrons at the p-InP/i-InGaAs interface. The NDC phenomenon is contributed by the additional capacitance (CT), which is caused by the charging-discharging process in the p-InP/i-InGaAs interface. It is found that the NDC becomes more obvious with decreasing frequency, which is consistent with the conclusion of the experiment. It is proved that the probability of electron capture/escape in the p-i interface is affected by frequency. Therefore, the smaller frequency applied, the higher additional capacitance is obtained.

A Frequency Domain Design Method For Sampled-Data Compensators

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Niemann, Hans Henrik; Jannerup, Ole Erik

1990-01-01

A new approach to the design of a sampled-data compensator in the frequency domain is investigated. The starting point is a continuous-time compensator for the continuous-time system which satisfy specific design criteria. The new design method will graphically show how the discrete...

Symbol synchronization and sampling frequency synchronization techniques in real-time DDO-OFDM systems

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Ming; He, Jing; Cao, Zizheng; Tang, Jin; Chen, Lin; Wu, Xian

2014-09-01

In this paper, we propose and experimentally demonstrate a symbol synchronization and sampling frequency synchronization techniques in real-time direct-detection optical orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (DDO-OFDM) system, over 100-km standard single mode fiber (SSMF) using a cost-effective directly modulated distributed feedback (DFB) laser. The experiment results show that the proposed symbol synchronization based on training sequence (TS) has a low complexity and high accuracy even at a sampling frequency offset (SFO) of 5000-ppm. Meanwhile, the proposed pilot-assisted sampling frequency synchronization between digital-to-analog converter (DAC) and analog-to-digital converter (ADC) is capable of estimating SFOs with an accuracy of technique can also compensate SFO effects within a small residual SFO caused by deviation of SFO estimation and low-precision or unstable clock source. The two synchronization techniques are suitable for high-speed DDO-OFDM transmission systems.

Low-frequency electrical stimulation induces the proliferation and differentiation of peripheral blood stem cells into Schwann cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Gu, Xudong; Fu, Jianming; Bai, Jing; Zhang, Chengwen; Wang, Jing; Pan, Wenping

2015-02-01

Functional recovery after peripheral nerve injury remains a tough problem at present. Specifically, a type of glial cell exists in peripheral nerves that promotes axonal growth and myelin formation and secretes various active substances, such as neurotrophic factors, extracellular matrix and adherence factors. These substances have important significance for the survival, growth and regeneration of nerve fibers. Numerous recent studies have shown that electrical stimulation can increase the number of myelinated nerve fibers. However, whether electrical stimulation acts on neurons or Schwann cells has not been verified in vivo. This study investigates low-frequency electrical stimulation-induced proliferation and differentiation of peripheral blood stem cells into Schwann cells and explores possible mechanisms. Peripheral blood stem cells from Sprague-Dawley rats were primarily cultured. Cells in passage 3 were divided into 4 groups: a low-frequency electrical stimulation group (20 Hz, 100 μs, 3 V), a low-frequency electrical stimulation+PD98059 (blocking the extracellular signal-regulated kinase [ERK] signaling pathway) group, a PD98059 group and a control group (no treatment). After induction, the cells were characterized. A 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazoliumbromide assay was employed to measure the absorbance values at 570 nm in the 4 groups. A Western blot assay was used to detect the expression of cyclin D1 and cyclin-dependent kinase 4 (CDK4) in each group. No significant difference in cell viability was detected before induction. Peripheral blood stem cells from the 4 groups differentiated into Schwann cells. Phosphorylated ERK 1/2, cyclin D1 and CDK4 protein levels were highest in the low-frequency electrical stimulation group and lowest in the ERK blockage group. Phosphorylated ERK 1/2, cyclin D1 and CDK4 protein levels in the low-frequency electrical stimulation+ERK blockage group were lower than those in the low-frequency electrical

Mixed Frequency Data Sampling Regression Models: The R Package midasr

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Eric Ghysels

2016-08-01

Full Text Available When modeling economic relationships it is increasingly common to encounter data sampled at different frequencies. We introduce the R package midasr which enables estimating regression models with variables sampled at different frequencies within a MIDAS regression framework put forward in work by Ghysels, Santa-Clara, and Valkanov (2002. In this article we define a general autoregressive MIDAS regression model with multiple variables of different frequencies and show how it can be specified using the familiar R formula interface and estimated using various optimization methods chosen by the researcher. We discuss how to check the validity of the estimated model both in terms of numerical convergence and statistical adequacy of a chosen regression specification, how to perform model selection based on a information criterion, how to assess forecasting accuracy of the MIDAS regression model and how to obtain a forecast aggregation of different MIDAS regression models. We illustrate the capabilities of the package with a simulated MIDAS regression model and give two empirical examples of application of MIDAS regression.

A fully-differential phase-locked loop frequency synthesizer for 60-GHz wireless communication

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kuang Lixue; Chi Baoyong; Chen Lei; Wang Zhihua; Jia Wen

2014-01-01

A 40-GHz phase-locked loop (PLL) frequency synthesizer for 60-GHz wireless communication applications is presented. The electrical characteristics of the passive components in the VCO and LO buffers are accurately extracted with an electromagnetic simulator HFSS. A differential tuning technique is utilized in the voltage controlled oscillator (VCO) to achieve higher common-mode noise rejection and better phase noise performance. The VCO and the divider chain are powered by a 1.0 V supply while the phase-frequency detector (PFD) and the charge pump (CP) are powered by a 2.5 V supply to improve the linearity. The measurement results show that the total frequency locking range of the frequency synthesizer is from 37 to 41 GHz, and the phase noise from a 40 GHz carrier is −97.2 dBc/Hz at 1 MHz offset. Implemented in 65 nm CMOS, the synthesizer consumes a DC power of 62 mW, including all the buffers. (semiconductor integrated circuits)

A fully-differential phase-locked loop frequency synthesizer for 60-GHz wireless communication

Science.gov (United States)

Lixue, Kuang; Baoyong, Chi; Lei, Chen; Wen, Jia; Zhihua, Wang

2014-12-01

A 40-GHz phase-locked loop (PLL) frequency synthesizer for 60-GHz wireless communication applications is presented. The electrical characteristics of the passive components in the VCO and LO buffers are accurately extracted with an electromagnetic simulator HFSS. A differential tuning technique is utilized in the voltage controlled oscillator (VCO) to achieve higher common-mode noise rejection and better phase noise performance. The VCO and the divider chain are powered by a 1.0 V supply while the phase-frequency detector (PFD) and the charge pump (CP) are powered by a 2.5 V supply to improve the linearity. The measurement results show that the total frequency locking range of the frequency synthesizer is from 37 to 41 GHz, and the phase noise from a 40 GHz carrier is -97.2 dBc/Hz at 1 MHz offset. Implemented in 65 nm CMOS, the synthesizer consumes a DC power of 62 mW, including all the buffers.

Time-Frequency Based Instantaneous Frequency Estimation of Sparse Signals from an Incomplete Set of Samples

Science.gov (United States)

2014-06-17

100 0 2 4 Wigner distribution 0 50 100 0 0.5 1 Auto-correlation function 0 50 100 0 2 4 L- Wigner distribution 0 50 100 0 0.5 1 Auto-correlation function ...bilinear or higher order autocorrelation functions will increase the number of missing samples, the analysis shows that accurate instantaneous...frequency estimation can be achieved even if we deal with only few samples, as long as the auto-correlation function is properly chosen to coincide with

Effect of Sampling Frequency for Real-Time Tablet Coating Monitoring Using Near Infrared Spectroscopy.

Science.gov (United States)

Igne, Benoît; Arai, Hiroaki; Drennen, James K; Anderson, Carl A

2016-09-01

While the sampling of pharmaceutical products typically follows well-defined protocols, the parameterization of spectroscopic methods and their associated sampling frequency is not standard. Whereas, for blending, the sampling frequency is limited by the nature of the process, in other processes, such as tablet film coating, practitioners must determine the best approach to collecting spectral data. The present article studied how sampling practices affected the interpretation of the results provided by a near-infrared spectroscopy method for the monitoring of tablet moisture and coating weight gain during a pan-coating experiment. Several coating runs were monitored with different sampling frequencies (with or without co-adds (also known as sub-samples)) and with spectral averaging corresponding to processing cycles (1 to 15 pan rotations). Beyond integrating the sensor into the equipment, the present work demonstrated that it is necessary to have a good sense of the underlying phenomena that have the potential to affect the quality of the signal. The effects of co-adds and averaging was significant with respect to the quality of the spectral data. However, the type of output obtained from a sampling method dictated the type of information that one can gain on the dynamics of a process. Thus, different sampling frequencies may be needed at different stages of process development. © The Author(s) 2016.

Dew Point Calibration System Using a Quartz Crystal Sensor with a Differential Frequency Method.

Science.gov (United States)

Lin, Ningning; Meng, Xiaofeng; Nie, Jing

2016-11-18

In this paper, the influence of temperature on quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) sensor response during dew point calibration is investigated. The aim is to present a compensation method to eliminate temperature impact on frequency acquisition. A new sensitive structure is proposed with double QCMs. One is kept in contact with the environment, whereas the other is not exposed to the atmosphere. There is a thermal conductivity silicone pad between each crystal and a refrigeration device to keep a uniform temperature condition. A differential frequency method is described in detail and is applied to calibrate the frequency characteristics of QCM at the dew point of -3.75 °C. It is worth noting that frequency changes of two QCMs were approximately opposite when temperature conditions were changed simultaneously. The results from continuous experiments show that the frequencies of two QCMs as the dew point moment was reached have strong consistency and high repeatability, leading to the conclusion that the sensitive structure can calibrate dew points with high reliability.

Draft evaluation of the frequency for gas sampling for the high burnup confirmatory data project

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Stockman, Christine T. [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Alsaed, Halim A. [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Bryan, Charles R. [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)

2015-03-26

This report fulfills the M3 milestone M3FT-15SN0802041, “Draft Evaluation of the Frequency for Gas Sampling for the High Burn-up Storage Demonstration Project” under Work Package FT-15SN080204, “ST Field Demonstration Support – SNL”. This report provides a technically based gas sampling frequency strategy for the High Burnup (HBU) Confirmatory Data Project. The evaluation of: 1) the types and magnitudes of gases that could be present in the project cask and, 2) the degradation mechanisms that could change gas compositions culminates in an adaptive gas sampling frequency strategy. This adaptive strategy is compared against the sampling frequency that has been developed based on operational considerations. Gas sampling will provide information on the presence of residual water (and byproducts associated with its reactions and decomposition) and breach of cladding, which could inform the decision of when to open the project cask.

Ascertainment of the effect of differential growth rates of mutants on observed mutant frequencies in X-irradiated mammalian cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Knaap, A.G.A.C.; Simons, J.W.I.M.

1983-01-01

As it is not known to what extent differential growth rates of induced mutants lead to over- and under-representation of mutants in treated populations and thereby affect the determination of mutant frequencies, the mutation induction in X-irradiated L5178Y mouse lymphoma cells was determined via two methods. The first method involves the standard protocol which may suffer from the effect of differential growth rates, while the second method is based upon the fluctuation test in which the differential growth rates can be actually measured. It appeared that the standard protocol led to a mutant frequency that was similar to the mutant frequency determined in the fluctuation test. Therefore, the standard protocol appears to lead to only a minor under-estimation if any. Substantial heterogeneity in growth rates of induced mutants was observed, but the mutants with a selective advantage appear largely to compensate for the mutants that are lost because of selective disadvantage. It was calculated that the chance for isolating the same mutant twice from a treated population had been increased 2.2-fold because of the observed differential growth rates. (orig./AJ)

Resonant frequency detection and adjustment method for a capacitive transducer with differential transformer bridge

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hu, M.; Bai, Y. Z., E-mail: abai@mail.hust.edu.cn; Zhou, Z. B., E-mail: zhouzb@mail.hust.edu.cn; Li, Z. X.; Luo, J. [MOE Key Laboratory of Fundamental Physical Quantities Measurement, School of Physics, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074 (China)

2014-05-15

The capacitive transducer with differential transformer bridge is widely used in ultra-sensitive space accelerometers due to their simple structure and high resolution. In this paper, the front-end electronics of an inductive-capacitive resonant bridge transducer is analyzed. The analysis result shows that the performance of this transducer depends upon the case that the AC pumping frequency operates at the resonance point of the inductive-capacitive bridge. The effect of possible mismatch between the AC pumping frequency and the actual resonant frequency is discussed, and the theoretical analysis indicates that the output voltage noise of the front-end electronics will deteriorate by a factor of about 3 due to either a 5% variation of the AC pumping frequency or a 10% variation of the tuning capacitance. A pre-scanning method to determine the actual resonant frequency is proposed followed by the adjustment of the operating frequency or the change of the tuning capacitance in order to maintain expected high resolution level. An experiment to verify the mismatching effect and the adjustment method is provided.

Resonant frequency detection and adjustment method for a capacitive transducer with differential transformer bridge

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hu, M.; Bai, Y. Z.; Zhou, Z. B.; Li, Z. X.; Luo, J.

2014-01-01

The capacitive transducer with differential transformer bridge is widely used in ultra-sensitive space accelerometers due to their simple structure and high resolution. In this paper, the front-end electronics of an inductive-capacitive resonant bridge transducer is analyzed. The analysis result shows that the performance of this transducer depends upon the case that the AC pumping frequency operates at the resonance point of the inductive-capacitive bridge. The effect of possible mismatch between the AC pumping frequency and the actual resonant frequency is discussed, and the theoretical analysis indicates that the output voltage noise of the front-end electronics will deteriorate by a factor of about 3 due to either a 5% variation of the AC pumping frequency or a 10% variation of the tuning capacitance. A pre-scanning method to determine the actual resonant frequency is proposed followed by the adjustment of the operating frequency or the change of the tuning capacitance in order to maintain expected high resolution level. An experiment to verify the mismatching effect and the adjustment method is provided

Sampling frequency of ciliated protozoan microfauna for seasonal distribution research in marine ecosystems.

Science.gov (United States)

Xu, Henglong; Yong, Jiang; Xu, Guangjian

2015-12-30

Sampling frequency is important to obtain sufficient information for temporal research of microfauna. To determine an optimal strategy for exploring the seasonal variation in ciliated protozoa, a dataset from the Yellow Sea, northern China was studied. Samples were collected with 24 (biweekly), 12 (monthly), 8 (bimonthly per season) and 4 (seasonally) sampling events. Compared to the 24 samplings (100%), the 12-, 8- and 4-samplings recovered 94%, 94%, and 78% of the total species, respectively. To reveal the seasonal distribution, the 8-sampling regime may result in >75% information of the seasonal variance, while the traditional 4-sampling may only explain sampling frequency, the biotic data showed stronger correlations with seasonal variables (e.g., temperature, salinity) in combination with nutrients. It is suggested that the 8-sampling events per year may be an optimal sampling strategy for ciliated protozoan seasonal research in marine ecosystems. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A differential Michelson interferometer with orthogonal single frequency laser for nanometer displacement measurement

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yan, Liping; Chen, Benyong; Wang, Bin

2017-01-01

A novel differential Michelson laser interferometer is proposed to eliminate the influence of environmental fluctuations for nanometer displacement measurement. This differential interferometer consists of two homodyne interferometers in which two orthogonal single frequency beams share common reference arm and partial measurement arm. By modulating the displacement of the common reference arm with a piezoelectric transducer, the common-mode displacement drift resulting from the environmental disturbances can be well suppressed and the measured displacement as differential-mode displacement signal is achieved. In addition, a phase difference compensation method is proposed for accurately determining the phase difference between interference signals by correcting the time interval according to the average speed in one cycle of interference signal. The nanometer displacement measurement experiments were performed to demonstrate the effectiveness and feasibility of the proposed interferometer and show that precision displacement measurement with standard deviation less than 1 nm has been achieved. (paper)

Frequency, Power Differential, and Intentionality and the Relationship to Anxiety, Depression, and Self-Esteem for Victims of Bullying

Science.gov (United States)

Malecki, Christine Kerres; Demaray, Michelle Kilpatrick; Coyle, Samantha; Geosling, Raymond; Rueger, Sandra Yu; Becker, Lisa Davidson

2015-01-01

Background: Bullying behavior is related to higher levels of internalizing distress and can be defined as including three aspects: frequency, intentionality, and power differential. However, bullying behavior is most often measured using only one aspect: frequency. Objective: The current study investigated the relative importance of several…

Enhancement of low sampling frequency recordings for ECG biometric matching using interpolation.

Science.gov (United States)

Sidek, Khairul Azami; Khalil, Ibrahim

2013-01-01

Electrocardiogram (ECG) based biometric matching suffers from high misclassification error with lower sampling frequency data. This situation may lead to an unreliable and vulnerable identity authentication process in high security applications. In this paper, quality enhancement techniques for ECG data with low sampling frequency has been proposed for person identification based on piecewise cubic Hermite interpolation (PCHIP) and piecewise cubic spline interpolation (SPLINE). A total of 70 ECG recordings from 4 different public ECG databases with 2 different sampling frequencies were applied for development and performance comparison purposes. An analytical method was used for feature extraction. The ECG recordings were segmented into two parts: the enrolment and recognition datasets. Three biometric matching methods, namely, Cross Correlation (CC), Percent Root-Mean-Square Deviation (PRD) and Wavelet Distance Measurement (WDM) were used for performance evaluation before and after applying interpolation techniques. Results of the experiments suggest that biometric matching with interpolated ECG data on average achieved higher matching percentage value of up to 4% for CC, 3% for PRD and 94% for WDM. These results are compared with the existing method when using ECG recordings with lower sampling frequency. Moreover, increasing the sample size from 56 to 70 subjects improves the results of the experiment by 4% for CC, 14.6% for PRD and 0.3% for WDM. Furthermore, higher classification accuracy of up to 99.1% for PCHIP and 99.2% for SPLINE with interpolated ECG data as compared of up to 97.2% without interpolation ECG data verifies the study claim that applying interpolation techniques enhances the quality of the ECG data. Crown Copyright © 2012. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

The T-lock: automated compensation of radio-frequency induced sample heating

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hiller, Sebastian; Arthanari, Haribabu; Wagner, Gerhard

2009-01-01

Modern high-field NMR spectrometers can stabilize the nominal sample temperature at a precision of less than 0.1 K. However, the actual sample temperature may differ from the nominal value by several degrees because the sample heating caused by high-power radio frequency pulses is not readily detected by the temperature sensors. Without correction, transfer of chemical shifts between different experiments causes problems in the data analysis. In principle, the temperature differences can be corrected by manual procedures but this is cumbersome and not fully reliable. Here, we introduce the concept of a 'T-lock', which automatically maintains the sample at the same reference temperature over the course of different NMR experiments. The T-lock works by continuously measuring the resonance frequency of a suitable spin and simultaneously adjusting the temperature control, thus locking the sample temperature at the reference value. For three different nuclei, 13 C, 17 O and 31 P in the compounds alanine, water, and phosphate, respectively, the T-lock accuracy was found to be <0.1 K. The use of dummy scan periods with variable lengths allows a reliable establishment of the thermal equilibrium before the acquisition of an experiment starts

Distortions in frequency spectra of signals associated with sampling-pulse shapes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Njau, E.C.

1983-04-01

A method developed earlier by the author [IC/82/44; IC/82/45] is used to investigate distortions introduced into frequency spectra of signals by the shapes of the sampling pulses involved. Conditions are established under which the use of trapezoid or exponentially-edged pulses to digitize signals can make the frequency spectra of the resultant data samples devoid of the main features of the signals. This observation does not, however, apply in any way to cosinusoidally-edged pulses or to pulses with cosine-squared edges. Since parts of the Earth's surface and atmosphere receive direct solar energy in discrete samples (i.e. only from sunrise to sunset) we have extended the technique and attempted to develop a theory that explains the observed solar terrestrial relationships. A very good agreement is obtained between the theory and previous long-term and short-term observations. (author)

[Low-frequency pulsed electromagnetic fields promotes rat osteoblast differentiation in vitro through cAMP/PKA signal pathway].

Science.gov (United States)

Fang, Qing-Qing; Li, Zhi-Zhong; Zhou, Jian; Shi, Wen-Gui; Yan, Juan-Li; Xie, Yan-Fang; Chen, Ke-Ming

2016-11-20

To study whether low-frequency pulsed electromagnetic fields promotes the differentiation of cultured rat osteoblasts through the cAMP/PKA signal pathway. Rat calvarial osteoblasts isolated by enzyme digestion were exposed to 50 Hz 0.6 mT low-frequency pulsed electromagnetic field for varying lengths of time, and the concentration of cAMP and levels of phosphorylated PKA in the cells were assayed. In cells treated with DDA to inhibit the activity of adenylate cyclase, the changes of ALP activity and transcription of osteogenic gene were detected after exposure to low-frequency pulsed electromagnetic field. The changes of osteogenic gene transcription and protein expression were tested in the osteoblasts pretreated with KT5720 in response to low-frequency pulsed electromagnetic field exposure. The intracellular cAMP concentration in the cells increased significantly at 20 min during exposure to low-frequency pulsed electromagnetic field, began to decrease at 40 min during the exposure, and increased again after a 2-h exposure; the same pattern of variation was also observed in p-PKA level. Application of DDA and KT5720 pretreatment both suppressed the increase in ALP activity and osteogenic gene transcription induced by electromagnetic field exposure. Low- frequency pulsed electromagnetic field exposure improves the differentiation of cultured rat osteoblasts by activating cAMP/PKA signal pathway.

High-frequency ultrasonography (HFUS as a useful tool in differentiating between plaque morphea and extragenital lichen sclerosus lesions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rafał Białynicki-Birula

2017-10-01

Full Text Available Introduction : Morphea and lichen sclerosus (LS are chronic inflammatory diseases that may pose a diagnostic challenge for a physician. High-frequency ultrasonography (HFUS is a versatile diagnostic method utilized in dermatologic practice, allowing monitoring the course of the disease, treatment response and differentiation between certain skin disorders. Aim : To prove the usefulness of HFUS in differentiating between plaque morphea and extragenital LS lesions. Material and methods : We examined 16 patients with plaque morphea and 4 patients with extragenital LS using 20 MHz taberna pro medicum TM (Germany device. Results : Investigations revealed hyperechogenic entrance echo in both morphea and LS lesions, whereas a distinct polycyclic surface of the entrance echo was detected exclusively in LS. Conclusions : High-frequency ultrasonography is a current diagnostic modality that may prove useful in differentiating between morphea and LS lesions.

Disparities in allele frequencies and population differentiation for 101 disease-associated single nucleotide polymorphisms between Puerto Ricans and non-Hispanic whites

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Arnett Donna

2009-08-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Variations in gene allele frequencies can contribute to differences in the prevalence of some common complex diseases among populations. Natural selection modulates the balance in allele frequencies across populations. Population differentiation (FST can evidence environmental selection pressures. Such genetic information is limited in Puerto Ricans, the second largest Hispanic ethnic group in the US, and a group with high prevalence of chronic disease. We determined allele frequencies and population differentiation for 101 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs in 30 genes involved in major metabolic and disease-relevant pathways in Puerto Ricans (n = 969, ages 45–75 years and compared them to similarly aged non-Hispanic whites (NHW (n = 597. Results Minor allele frequency (MAF distributions for 45.5% of the SNPs assessed in Puerto Ricans were significantly different from those of NHW. Puerto Ricans carried risk alleles in higher frequency and protective alleles in lower frequency than NHW. Patterns of population differentiation showed that Puerto Ricans had SNPs with exceptional FST values in intronic, non-synonymous and promoter regions. NHW had exceptional FST values in intronic and promoter region SNPs only. Conclusion These observations may serve to explain and broaden studies on the impact of gene polymorphisms on chronic diseases affecting Puerto Ricans.

Pressureless mechanical induction of stem cell differentiation is dose and frequency dependent.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Roland Fuhrer

Full Text Available Movement is a key characteristic of higher organisms. During mammalian embryogenesis fetal movements have been found critical to normal tissue development. On the single cell level, however, our current understanding of stem cell differentiation concentrates on inducing factors through cytokine mediated biochemical signaling. In this study, human mesenchymal stem cells and chondrogenesis were investigated as representative examples. We show that pressureless, soft mechanical stimulation precipitated by the cyclic deformation of soft, magnetic hydrogel scaffolds with an external magnetic field, can induce chondrogenesis in mesenchymal stem cells without any additional chondrogenesis transcription factors (TGF-β1 and dexamethasone. A systematic study on the role of movement frequency revealed a classical dose-response relationship for human mesenchymal stem cells differentiation towards cartilage using mere mechanical stimulation. This effect could even be synergistically amplified when exogenous chondrogenic factors and movement were combined.

Dew Point Calibration System Using a Quartz Crystal Sensor with a Differential Frequency Method

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ningning Lin

2016-11-01

Full Text Available In this paper, the influence of temperature on quartz crystal microbalance (QCM sensor response during dew point calibration is investigated. The aim is to present a compensation method to eliminate temperature impact on frequency acquisition. A new sensitive structure is proposed with double QCMs. One is kept in contact with the environment, whereas the other is not exposed to the atmosphere. There is a thermal conductivity silicone pad between each crystal and a refrigeration device to keep a uniform temperature condition. A differential frequency method is described in detail and is applied to calibrate the frequency characteristics of QCM at the dew point of −3.75 °C. It is worth noting that frequency changes of two QCMs were approximately opposite when temperature conditions were changed simultaneously. The results from continuous experiments show that the frequencies of two QCMs as the dew point moment was reached have strong consistency and high repeatability, leading to the conclusion that the sensitive structure can calibrate dew points with high reliability.

Implication of the first decision on visual information-sampling in the spatial frequency domain in pulmonary nodule recognition

Science.gov (United States)

Pietrzyk, Mariusz W.; Manning, David; Donovan, Tim; Dix, Alan

2010-02-01

Aim: To investigate the impact on visual sampling strategy and pulmonary nodule recognition of image-based properties of background locations in dwelled regions where the first overt decision was made. . Background: Recent studies in mammography show that the first overt decision (TP or FP) has an influence on further image reading including the correctness of the following decisions. Furthermore, the correlation between the spatial frequency properties of the local background following decision sites and the first decision correctness has been reported. Methods: Subjects with different radiological experience were eye tracked during detection of pulmonary nodules from PA chest radiographs. Number of outcomes and the overall quality of performance are analysed in terms of the cases where correct or incorrect decisions were made. JAFROC methodology is applied. The spatial frequency properties of selected local backgrounds related to a certain decisions were studied. ANOVA was used to compare the logarithmic values of energy carried by non redundant stationary wavelet packet coefficients. Results: A strong correlation has been found between the number of TP as a first decision and the JAFROC score (r = 0.74). The number of FP as a first decision was found negatively correlated with JAFROC (r = -0.75). Moreover, the differential spatial frequency profiles outcomes depend on the first choice correctness.

Variable Sampling Composite Observer Based Frequency Locked Loop and its Application in Grid Connected System

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

ARUN, K.

2016-05-01

Full Text Available A modified digital signal processing procedure is described for the on-line estimation of DC, fundamental and harmonics of periodic signal. A frequency locked loop (FLL incorporated within the parallel structure of observers is proposed to accommodate a wide range of frequency drift. The error in frequency generated under drifting frequencies has been used for changing the sampling frequency of the composite observer, so that the number of samples per cycle of the periodic waveform remains constant. A standard coupled oscillator with automatic gain control is used as numerically controlled oscillator (NCO to generate the enabling pulses for the digital observer. The NCO gives an integer multiple of the fundamental frequency making it suitable for power quality applications. Another observer with DC and second harmonic blocks in the feedback path act as filter and reduces the double frequency content. A systematic study of the FLL is done and a method has been proposed to design the controller. The performance of FLL is validated through simulation and experimental studies. To illustrate applications of the new FLL, estimation of individual harmonics from nonlinear load and the design of a variable sampling resonant controller, for a single phase grid-connected inverter have been presented.

Efficient Estimating Functions for Stochastic Differential Equations

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jakobsen, Nina Munkholt

The overall topic of this thesis is approximate martingale estimating function-based estimationfor solutions of stochastic differential equations, sampled at high frequency. Focuslies on the asymptotic properties of the estimators. The first part of the thesis deals with diffusions observed over...

Frequency of Cannabis Use and Medical Cannabis Use Among Persons Living With HIV in the United States: Findings From a Nationally Representative Sample.

Science.gov (United States)

Pacek, Lauren R; Towe, Sheri L; Hobkirk, Andrea L; Nash, Denis; Goodwin, Renee D

2018-04-01

Little is known about cannabis use frequency, medical cannabis use, or correlates of use among persons living with HIV (PLWH) in United States nationally representative samples. Data came from 626 PLWH from the 2005-2015 National Survey on Drug Use and Health. Logistic regression identified characteristics associated with frequency of cannabis use. Chi-squares identified characteristics associated with medial cannabis use. Non-daily and daily cannabis use was reported by 26.9% and 8.0%. Greater perceived risk of cannabis use was negatively associated with daily and non-daily use. Younger age, substance use, and binge drinking were positively associated with non-daily cannabis use. Smoking and depression were associated with non-daily and daily use. One-quarter reported medical cannabis use. Medical users were more likely to be White, married, and nondrinkers. Cannabis use was common among PLWH. Findings help to differentiate between cannabis users based on frequency of use and medical versus recreational use.

Estimating an appropriate sampling frequency for monitoring ground water well contamination

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tuckfield, R.C.

1994-01-01

Nearly 1,500 ground water wells at the Savannah River Site (SRS) are sampled quarterly to monitor contamination by radionuclides and other hazardous constituents from nearby waste sites. Some 10,000 water samples were collected in 1993 at a laboratory analysis cost of $10,000,000. No widely accepted statistical method has been developed, to date, for estimating a technically defensible ground water sampling frequency consistent and compliant with federal regulations. Such a method is presented here based on the concept of statistical independence among successively measured contaminant concentrations in time

Frequency-Selective Signal Sensing with Sub-Nyquist Uniform Sampling Scheme

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pierzchlewski, Jacek; Arildsen, Thomas

2015-01-01

In this paper the authors discuss a problem of acquisition and reconstruction of a signal polluted by adjacent- channel interference. The authors propose a method to find a sub-Nyquist uniform sampling pattern which allows for correct reconstruction of selected frequencies. The method is inspired...... by the Restricted Isometry Property, which is known from the field of compressed sensing. Then, compressed sensing is used to successfully reconstruct a wanted signal even if some of the uniform samples were randomly lost, e. g. due to ADC saturation. An experiment which tests the proposed method in practice...

Assessing the precision of a time-sampling-based study among GPs: balancing sample size and measurement frequency.

Science.gov (United States)

van Hassel, Daniël; van der Velden, Lud; de Bakker, Dinny; van der Hoek, Lucas; Batenburg, Ronald

2017-12-04

Our research is based on a technique for time sampling, an innovative method for measuring the working hours of Dutch general practitioners (GPs), which was deployed in an earlier study. In this study, 1051 GPs were questioned about their activities in real time by sending them one SMS text message every 3 h during 1 week. The required sample size for this study is important for health workforce planners to know if they want to apply this method to target groups who are hard to reach or if fewer resources are available. In this time-sampling method, however, standard power analyses is not sufficient for calculating the required sample size as this accounts only for sample fluctuation and not for the fluctuation of measurements taken from every participant. We investigated the impact of the number of participants and frequency of measurements per participant upon the confidence intervals (CIs) for the hours worked per week. Statistical analyses of the time-use data we obtained from GPs were performed. Ninety-five percent CIs were calculated, using equations and simulation techniques, for various different numbers of GPs included in the dataset and for various frequencies of measurements per participant. Our results showed that the one-tailed CI, including sample and measurement fluctuation, decreased from 21 until 3 h between one and 50 GPs. As a result of the formulas to calculate CIs, the increase of the precision continued and was lower with the same additional number of GPs. Likewise, the analyses showed how the number of participants required decreased if more measurements per participant were taken. For example, one measurement per 3-h time slot during the week requires 300 GPs to achieve a CI of 1 h, while one measurement per hour requires 100 GPs to obtain the same result. The sample size needed for time-use research based on a time-sampling technique depends on the design and aim of the study. In this paper, we showed how the precision of the

Traveltime dispersion in an isotropic elastic mantle: strong lower-mantle signal in differential-frequency residuals

Science.gov (United States)

Schuberth, Bernhard S. A.; Zaroli, Christophe; Nolet, Guust

2015-12-01

We study wavefield effects of direct P- and S-waves in elastic and isotropic 3-D seismic structures derived from the temperature field of a high-resolution mantle circulation model. More specifically, we quantify the dispersion of traveltime residuals caused by diffraction in structures with dynamically constrained length scales and magnitudes of the lateral variations in seismic velocities and density. 3-D global wave propagation is simulated using a spectral element method. Intrinsic attenuation (i.e. dissipation of seismic energy) is deliberately neglected, so that any variation of traveltimes with frequency can be attributed to structural effects. Traveltime residuals are measured at 15, 22.5, 34 and 51 s dominant periods by cross-correlation of 3-D and 1-D synthetic waveforms. Additional simulations are performed for a model in which 3-D structure is removed in the upper 800 km to isolate the dispersion signal of the lower mantle. We find that the structural length scales inherent to a vigorously convecting mantle give rise to significant diffraction-induced body-wave traveltime dispersion. For both P- and S-waves, the difference between long-period and short-period residuals for a given source-receiver pair can reach up to several seconds for the period bands considered here. In general, these `differential-frequency' residuals tend to increase in magnitude with increasing short-period delay. Furthermore, the long-period signal typically is smaller in magnitude than the short-period one; that is, wave-front healing is efficient independent of the sign of the residuals. Unlike the single-frequency residuals, the differential-frequency residuals are surprisingly similar between the `lower-mantle' and the `whole-mantle' model for corresponding source-receiver pairs. The similarity is more pronounced in case of S-waves and varies between different combinations of period bands. The traveltime delay acquired in the upper mantle seems to cancel in these differential

Time-Scale and Time-Frequency Analyses of Irregularly Sampled Astronomical Time Series

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

S. Roques

2005-09-01

Full Text Available We evaluate the quality of spectral restoration in the case of irregular sampled signals in astronomy. We study in details a time-scale method leading to a global wavelet spectrum comparable to the Fourier period, and a time-frequency matching pursuit allowing us to identify the frequencies and to control the error propagation. In both cases, the signals are first resampled with a linear interpolation. Both results are compared with those obtained using Lomb's periodogram and using the weighted waveletZ-transform developed in astronomy for unevenly sampled variable stars observations. These approaches are applied to simulations and to light variations of four variable stars. This leads to the conclusion that the matching pursuit is more efficient for recovering the spectral contents of a pulsating star, even with a preliminary resampling. In particular, the results are almost independent of the quality of the initial irregular sampling.

Pulse Retrieval Algorithm for Interferometric Frequency-Resolved Optical Gating Based on Differential Evolution

OpenAIRE

Hyyti, Janne; Escoto, Esmerando; Steinmeyer, Günter

2017-01-01

A novel algorithm for the ultrashort laser pulse characterization method of interferometric frequency-resolved optical gating (iFROG) is presented. Based on a genetic method, namely differential evolution, the algorithm can exploit all available information of an iFROG measurement to retrieve the complex electric field of a pulse. The retrieval is subjected to a series of numerical tests to prove robustness of the algorithm against experimental artifacts and noise. These tests show that the i...

Gram-negative and -positive bacteria differentiation in blood culture samples by headspace volatile compound analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Dolch, Michael E; Janitza, Silke; Boulesteix, Anne-Laure; Graßmann-Lichtenauer, Carola; Praun, Siegfried; Denzer, Wolfgang; Schelling, Gustav; Schubert, Sören

2016-12-01

Identification of microorganisms in positive blood cultures still relies on standard techniques such as Gram staining followed by culturing with definite microorganism identification. Alternatively, matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry or the analysis of headspace volatile compound (VC) composition produced by cultures can help to differentiate between microorganisms under experimental conditions. This study assessed the efficacy of volatile compound based microorganism differentiation into Gram-negatives and -positives in unselected positive blood culture samples from patients. Headspace gas samples of positive blood culture samples were transferred to sterilized, sealed, and evacuated 20 ml glass vials and stored at -30 °C until batch analysis. Headspace gas VC content analysis was carried out via an auto sampler connected to an ion-molecule reaction mass spectrometer (IMR-MS). Measurements covered a mass range from 16 to 135 u including CO2, H2, N2, and O2. Prediction rules for microorganism identification based on VC composition were derived using a training data set and evaluated using a validation data set within a random split validation procedure. One-hundred-fifty-two aerobic samples growing 27 Gram-negatives, 106 Gram-positives, and 19 fungi and 130 anaerobic samples growing 37 Gram-negatives, 91 Gram-positives, and two fungi were analysed. In anaerobic samples, ten discriminators were identified by the random forest method allowing for bacteria differentiation into Gram-negative and -positive (error rate: 16.7 % in validation data set). For aerobic samples the error rate was not better than random. In anaerobic blood culture samples of patients IMR-MS based headspace VC composition analysis facilitates bacteria differentiation into Gram-negative and -positive.

Differential sensor in front photopyroelectric technique: I. Theory

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ivanov, R; Moreno, I [Facultad de Fisica, Universidad Autonoma de Zacatecas, Calz. Solidaridad Esquina Paseo de la Bufa s/n, C.P. 98060, Zacatecas, Zac. (Mexico); Gutierrez-Juarez, G [Instituto de Fisica, Universidad de Guanajuato, Loma del Bosque 103, Lomas del Campestre, C.P. 37150, Leon, Gto. (Mexico); Pichardo-Molina, J L [Centro de Investigaciones en Optica, Loma del Bosque 115, Lomas del Campestre, C.P. 37150, Leon, Gto. (Mexico); Cruz-Orea, A [Departamento de Fisica, CINVESTAV-IPN, Av. IPN 2508, San Pedro Zacatenco, C.P. 07360, Mexico D.F. (Mexico); MarIn, E [Centro de Investigacion en Ciencia Aplicada y TecnologIa Avanzada, Instituto Politecnico Nacional, LegarIa 694, Colonia Irrigacion, C.P. 11500, Mexico D. F. (Mexico)], E-mail: rumen@planck.reduaz.mx

2008-04-21

In this paper the theory of the differential front photopyroelectric technique is developed. The thermal effusivity measurements of a sample through photopyroelectric direct (no-differential) experiments do not have sufficient resolution and accuracy to detect small changes in the thermal effusivity. To assess minor variations in this thermal magnitude, differential methods should be used. These methods compare properties of a reference sample and another unknown sample, which are placed separately in both halves of the differential cell. It is shown that in order to achieve better metrological properties of the differential measurement and electromagnetic interference immunity, the signals of both halves must be subtracted directly at the output of the two parallel connected pyroelectric sensors. The thickness of the samples should have the maximum possible value, at least 10 times higher than the thermal diffusion length for minimum frequency. The results of numerical simulations for the amplitude, phase, real and imaginary parts with water as a reference sample and the other sample with a thermal effusivity very close to that of water (contaminated water) are presented. These results show that measurements should be made in the nearly ideal voltage mode, which ensures a better signal-to-noise ratio than the ideal current mode.

Differential sensor in front photopyroelectric technique: I. Theory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ivanov, R; Moreno, I; Gutierrez-Juarez, G; Pichardo-Molina, J L; Cruz-Orea, A; MarIn, E

2008-01-01

In this paper the theory of the differential front photopyroelectric technique is developed. The thermal effusivity measurements of a sample through photopyroelectric direct (no-differential) experiments do not have sufficient resolution and accuracy to detect small changes in the thermal effusivity. To assess minor variations in this thermal magnitude, differential methods should be used. These methods compare properties of a reference sample and another unknown sample, which are placed separately in both halves of the differential cell. It is shown that in order to achieve better metrological properties of the differential measurement and electromagnetic interference immunity, the signals of both halves must be subtracted directly at the output of the two parallel connected pyroelectric sensors. The thickness of the samples should have the maximum possible value, at least 10 times higher than the thermal diffusion length for minimum frequency. The results of numerical simulations for the amplitude, phase, real and imaginary parts with water as a reference sample and the other sample with a thermal effusivity very close to that of water (contaminated water) are presented. These results show that measurements should be made in the nearly ideal voltage mode, which ensures a better signal-to-noise ratio than the ideal current mode

Identification of two-phase flow pattern by using specific spatial frequency of differential pressure signal

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Han Bin; Tong Yunxian; Wu Shaorong

1992-11-01

It is a classical method by using analysis of differential pressure fluctuation signal to identify two-phase flow pattern. The method which uses trait peak in the frequency-domain will result confusion between bubble flow and intermittent flow due to the influence of gas speed. Considering the spatial geometric significance of two-phase slow patterns and using the differential pressure gauge as a sensor, the Strouhal number 'Sr' is taken as the basis for distinguishing flow patterns. Using Strouhal number 'Sr' to identify flow pattern has clear physical meaning. The experimental results using the spatial analytical technique to measure the flow pattern are also given

The Importance of Pressure Sampling Frequency in Models for Determination of Critical Wave Loadingson Monolithic Structures

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Burcharth, Hans F.; Andersen, Thomas Lykke; Meinert, Palle

2008-01-01

This paper discusses the influence of wave load sampling frequency on calculated sliding distance in an overall stability analysis of a monolithic caisson. It is demonstrated by a specific example of caisson design that for this kind of analyses the sampling frequency in a small scale model could...... be as low as 100 Hz in model scale. However, for design of structure elements like the wave wall on the top of a caisson the wave load sampling frequency must be much higher, in the order of 1000 Hz in the model. Elastic-plastic deformations of foundation and structure were not included in the analysis....

The heat capacity of polyethylene fibers measured by multi-frequency temperature-modulated calorimetry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pyda, M.; Nowak-Pyda, E.; Wunderlich, B.

2006-01-01

The apparent heat capacity of polyethylene fibers in the melting region was measured by quasi-isothermal, temperature-modulated differential scanning calorimetry (TMDSC) and compared with results from standard differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and the solid and liquid thermodynamic heat capacity as references from the ATHAS Data Bank. Using a multi-frequency, complex sawtooth modulation in the quasi-isothermal mode disclosed for the first time that the uncorrected apparent heat capacity C p =A Φ /(A T s ω) of the liquid polyethylene fiber increases with increasing frequency (A Φ is the differential heat-flow rate and A T s is the sample temperature). The frequency-dependent heat capacity cannot be represented by the expression: C p =A Φ /(A T s νω)[1+(τνω) 2 ] 0.5 because of a negative τ 2 . The results were later confirmed by independent measurements on single sinusoidal quasi-isothermal TMDSC on the same material. The error is caused by shrinking of the fiber, which deforms the sample pan

A novel differential frequency micro-gyroscope

KAUST Repository

Nayfeh, A. H.

2013-07-10

We present a frequency-domain method to measure angular speeds using electrostatic micro-electro-mechanical system actuators. Towards this end, we study a single-axis gyroscope made of a micro-cantilever and a proof-mass coupled to two fixed electrodes. The gyroscope possesses two orthogonal axes of symmetry and identical flexural mode shapes along these axes. We develop the equations of motion describing the coupled bending modes in the presence of electrostatic and Coriolis forces. Furthermore, we derive a consistent closed-form higher-order expression for the natural frequencies of the coupled flexural modes. The closed-form expression is verified by comparing its results to those obtained from numerical integration of the equations of motion. We find that rotations around the beam axis couple each pair of identical bending modes to produce a pair of global modes. They also split their common natural frequency into a pair of closely spaced natural frequencies. We propose the use of the difference between this pair of frequencies, which is linearly proportional to the speed of rotation around the beam axis, as a detector for the angular speed.

Reducing the sampling frequency of groundwater monitoring wells

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Johnson, V.M.; Ridley, M.N. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab., CA (United States); Tuckfield, R.C.; Anderson, R.A. [Westinghouse, Savannah River Co., Aiken, SC (United States)

1996-01-01

As part of a joint LLNL/SRTC project, a methodology for selecting sampling frequencies is evolving that introduces statistical thinking and cost effectiveness into the sampling schedule selection practices now commonly employed on environmental projects. Our current emphasis is on descriptive rather than inferential statistics. Environmental monitoring data are inherently messy, being plagued by such problems as extremely high variability and left-censoring. As a result, real data often fail to meet the assumptions required for the appropriate application of many statistical methods. Rather than abandon the quantitative approach in these cases, however, the methodology employs simple statistical techniques to bring a measure of objectivity and reproducibility to the process. The techniques are applied within the framework of decision logic, which inrerprets the numerical results from the standpoint of chemistry-related professional judgment and the regulatory context. This paper presents the methodology`s basic concepts together with early implementation results, showing the estimated cost savings. 6 refs., 3 figs.

Implications of Microwave Holography Using Minimum Required Frequency Samples for Weakly- and Strongly-Scattering Indications

Science.gov (United States)

Fallahpour, M.; Case, J. T.; Kharkovsky, S.; Zoughi, R.

2010-01-01

Microwave imaging techniques, an integral component of nondestructive testing and evaluation (NDTE), have received significant attention in the past decade. These techniques have included the implementation of synthetic aperture focusing (SAF) algorithms for obtaining high spatial resolution images. The next important step in these developments is the implementation of 3-D holographic imaging algorithms. These are well-known wideband imaging technique requiring a swept-frequency (i.e., wideband), which unlike SAF that is a single frequency technique, are not easily performed on a real-time basis. This is due to the fact that a significant number of data points (in the frequency domain) must be obtained within the frequency band of interest. This not only makes for a complex imaging system design, it also significantly increases the image-production time. Consequently in an attempt to reduce the measurement time and system complexity, an investigation was conducted to determine the minimum required number of frequency samples needed to image a specific object while preserving a desired maximum measurement range and range resolution. To this end the 3-D holographic algorithm was modified to use properlyinterpolated frequency data. Measurements of the complex reflection coefficient for several samples were conducted using a swept-frequency approach. Subsequently, holographical images were generated using data containing a relatively large number of frequency samples and were compared with images generated by the reduced data set data. Quantitative metrics such as average, contrast, and signal-to-noise ratio were used to evaluate the quality of images generated using reduced data sets. Furthermore, this approach was applied to both weakly- and strongly-scattering indications. This paper presents the methods used and the results of this investigation.

Frequency, stability and differentiation of self-reported school fear and truancy in a community sample

OpenAIRE

Steinhausen, Hans-Christoph; Müller, Nora; Metzke, Christa Winkler

2008-01-01

Abstract Background Surprisingly little is known about the frequency, stability, and correlates of school fear and truancy based on self-reported data of adolescents. Methods Self-reported school fear and truancy were studied in a total of N = 834 subjects of the community-based Zurich Adolescent Psychology and Psychopathology Study (ZAPPS) at two times with an average age of thirteen and sixteen years. Group definitions were based on two behavioural items of the Youth Self-Report (YSR). Comp...

Compressive sensing-based wideband capacitance measurement with a fixed sampling rate lower than the highest exciting frequency

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Xu, Lijun; Ren, Ying; Sun, Shijie; Cao, Zhang

2016-01-01

In this paper, an under-sampling method for wideband capacitance measurement was proposed by using the compressive sensing strategy. As the excitation signal is sparse in the frequency domain, the compressed sampling method that uses a random demodulator was adopted, which could greatly decrease the sampling rate. Besides, four switches were used to replace the multiplier in the random demodulator. As a result, not only the sampling rate can be much smaller than the signal excitation frequency, but also the circuit’s structure is simpler and its power consumption is lower. A hardware prototype was constructed to validate the method. In the prototype, an excitation voltage with a frequency up to 200 kHz was applied to a capacitance-to-voltage converter. The output signal of the converter was randomly modulated by a pseudo-random sequence through four switches. After a low-pass filter, the signal was sampled by an analog-to-digital converter at a sampling rate of 50 kHz, which was three times lower than the highest exciting frequency. The frequency and amplitude of the signal were then reconstructed to obtain the measured capacitance. Both theoretical analysis and experiments were carried out to show the feasibility of the proposed method and to evaluate the performance of the prototype, including its linearity, sensitivity, repeatability, accuracy and stability within a given measurement range. (paper)

Fast differential scanning calorimetry of liquid samples with chips

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Splinter, R.; van Herwaarden, A. W.; van Wetten, I. A.

2015-01-01

Based on a modified version of standard chips for fast differential scanning calorimetry, DSC of liquid samples has been performed at temperature scan rates of up to 1000 °C/s. This paper describes experimental results with the protein lysozyme, bovine serum, and olive oil. The heating and cooling....... The bovine serum measurements show two main peaks, in good agreement with standard DSC measurements. Olive oil has been measured, with good agreement for the cooling curve and qualitative agreement for the heater curve, compared to DSC measurements....

Using high-frequency sampling to detect effects of atmospheric pollutants on stream chemistry

Science.gov (United States)

Stephen D. Sebestyen; James B. Shanley; Elizabeth W. Boyer

2009-01-01

We combined information from long-term (weekly over many years) and short-term (high-frequency during rainfall and snowmelt events) stream water sampling efforts to understand how atmospheric deposition affects stream chemistry. Water samples were collected at the Sleepers River Research Watershed, VT, a temperate upland forest site that receives elevated atmospheric...

Frequency-Modulated Continuous Flow Analysis Electrospray Ionization Mass Spectrometry (FM-CFA-ESI-MS) for Sample Multiplexing.

Science.gov (United States)

Filla, Robert T; Schrell, Adrian M; Coulton, John B; Edwards, James L; Roper, Michael G

2018-02-20

A method for multiplexed sample analysis by mass spectrometry without the need for chemical tagging is presented. In this new method, each sample is pulsed at unique frequencies, mixed, and delivered to the mass spectrometer while maintaining a constant total flow rate. Reconstructed ion currents are then a time-dependent signal consisting of the sum of the ion currents from the various samples. Spectral deconvolution of each reconstructed ion current reveals the identity of each sample, encoded by its unique frequency, and its concentration encoded by the peak height in the frequency domain. This technique is different from other approaches that have been described, which have used modulation techniques to increase the signal-to-noise ratio of a single sample. As proof of concept of this new method, two samples containing up to 9 analytes were multiplexed. The linear dynamic range of the calibration curve was increased with extended acquisition times of the experiment and longer oscillation periods of the samples. Because of the combination of the samples, salt had little effect on the ability of this method to achieve relative quantitation. Continued development of this method is expected to allow for increased numbers of samples that can be multiplexed.

Sample size calculation while controlling false discovery rate for differential expression analysis with RNA-sequencing experiments.

Science.gov (United States)

Bi, Ran; Liu, Peng

2016-03-31

RNA-Sequencing (RNA-seq) experiments have been popularly applied to transcriptome studies in recent years. Such experiments are still relatively costly. As a result, RNA-seq experiments often employ a small number of replicates. Power analysis and sample size calculation are challenging in the context of differential expression analysis with RNA-seq data. One challenge is that there are no closed-form formulae to calculate power for the popularly applied tests for differential expression analysis. In addition, false discovery rate (FDR), instead of family-wise type I error rate, is controlled for the multiple testing error in RNA-seq data analysis. So far, there are very few proposals on sample size calculation for RNA-seq experiments. In this paper, we propose a procedure for sample size calculation while controlling FDR for RNA-seq experimental design. Our procedure is based on the weighted linear model analysis facilitated by the voom method which has been shown to have competitive performance in terms of power and FDR control for RNA-seq differential expression analysis. We derive a method that approximates the average power across the differentially expressed genes, and then calculate the sample size to achieve a desired average power while controlling FDR. Simulation results demonstrate that the actual power of several popularly applied tests for differential expression is achieved and is close to the desired power for RNA-seq data with sample size calculated based on our method. Our proposed method provides an efficient algorithm to calculate sample size while controlling FDR for RNA-seq experimental design. We also provide an R package ssizeRNA that implements our proposed method and can be downloaded from the Comprehensive R Archive Network ( http://cran.r-project.org ).

Alternating current electric fields of varying frequencies: effects on proliferation and differentiation of porcine neural progenitor cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Lim, Ji-Hey; McCullen, Seth D; Piedrahita, Jorge A; Loboa, Elizabeth G; Olby, Natasha J

2013-10-01

Application of sinusoidal electric fields (EFs) has been observed to affect cellular processes, including alignment, proliferation, and differentiation. In the present study, we applied low-frequency alternating current (AC) EFs to porcine neural progenitor cells (pNPCs) and investigated the effects on cell patterning, proliferation, and differentiation. pNPCs were grown directly on interdigitated electrodes (IDEs) localizing the EFs to a region accessible visually for fluorescence-based assays. Cultures of pNPCs were exposed to EFs (1 V/cm) of 1 Hz, 10 Hz, and 50 Hz for 3, 7, and 14 days and compared to control cultures. Immunocytochemistry was performed to evaluate the expression of neural markers. pNPCs grew uniformly with no evidence of alignment to the EFs and no change in cell numbers when compared with controls. Nestin expression was shown in all groups at 3 and 7 days, but not at 14 days. NG2 expression was low in all groups. Co-expression of glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) and TUJ1 was significantly higher in the cultures exposed to 10- and 50-Hz EFs than the controls. In summary, sinusoidal AC EFs via IDEs did not alter the alignment and proliferation of pNPCs, but higher frequency stimulation appeared to delay differentiation into mature astrocytes.

An extension of command shaping methods for controlling residual vibration using frequency sampling

Science.gov (United States)

Singer, Neil C.; Seering, Warren P.

1992-01-01

The authors present an extension to the impulse shaping technique for commanding machines to move with reduced residual vibration. The extension, called frequency sampling, is a method for generating constraints that are used to obtain shaping sequences which minimize residual vibration in systems such as robots whose resonant frequencies change during motion. The authors present a review of impulse shaping methods, a development of the proposed extension, and a comparison of results of tests conducted on a simple model of the space shuttle robot arm. Frequency shaping provides a method for minimizing the impulse sequence duration required to give the desired insensitivity.

Magneto-thermal-acoustic differential-frequency imaging of magnetic nanoparticle with magnetic spatial localization: a theoretical prediction

Science.gov (United States)

Piao, Daqing

2017-02-01

The magneto-thermo-acoustic effect that we predicted in 2013 refers to the generation of acoustic-pressure wave from magnetic nanoparticle (MNP) when thermally mediated under an alternating magnetic field (AMF) at a pulsed or frequency-chirped application. Several independent experimental studies have since validated magneto-thermoacoustic effect, and a latest report has discovered acoustic-wave generation from MNP at the second-harmonic frequency of the AMF when operating continuously. We propose that applying two AMFs with differing frequencies to MNP will produce acoustic-pressure wave at the summation and difference of the two frequencies, in addition to the two second-harmonic frequencies. Analysis of the specific absorption dynamics of the MNP when exposed to two AMFs of differing frequencies has shown some interesting patterns of acoustic-intensity at the multiple frequency components. The ratio of the acoustic-intensity at the summation-frequency over that of the difference-frequency is determined by the frequency-ratio of the two AMFs, but remains independent of the AMF strengths. The ratio of the acoustic-intensity at the summation- or difference-frequency over that at each of the two second-harmonic frequencies is determined by both the frequency-ratio and the field-strength-ratio of the two AMFs. The results indicate a potential strategy for localization of the source of a continuous-wave magneto-thermalacoustic signal by examining the frequency spectrum of full-field non-differentiating acoustic detection, with the field-strength ratio changed continuously at a fixed frequency-ratio. The practicalities and challenges of this magnetic spatial localization approach for magneto-thermo-acoustic imaging using a simple envisioned set of two AMFs arranged in parallel to each other are discussed.

The effect of sampling rate and anti-aliasing filters on high-frequency response spectra

Science.gov (United States)

Boore, David M.; Goulet, Christine

2013-01-01

The most commonly used intensity measure in ground-motion prediction equations is the pseudo-absolute response spectral acceleration (PSA), for response periods from 0.01 to 10 s (or frequencies from 0.1 to 100 Hz). PSAs are often derived from recorded ground motions, and these motions are usually filtered to remove high and low frequencies before the PSAs are computed. In this article we are only concerned with the removal of high frequencies. In modern digital recordings, this filtering corresponds at least to an anti-aliasing filter applied before conversion to digital values. Additional high-cut filtering is sometimes applied both to digital and to analog records to reduce high-frequency noise. Potential errors on the short-period (high-frequency) response spectral values are expected if the true ground motion has significant energy at frequencies above that of the anti-aliasing filter. This is especially important for areas where the instrumental sample rate and the associated anti-aliasing filter corner frequency (above which significant energy in the time series is removed) are low relative to the frequencies contained in the true ground motions. A ground-motion simulation study was conducted to investigate these effects and to develop guidance for defining the usable bandwidth for high-frequency PSA. The primary conclusion is that if the ratio of the maximum Fourier acceleration spectrum (FAS) to the FAS at a frequency fsaa corresponding to the start of the anti-aliasing filter is more than about 10, then PSA for frequencies above fsaa should be little affected by the recording process, because the ground-motion frequencies that control the response spectra will be less than fsaa . A second topic of this article concerns the resampling of the digital acceleration time series to a higher sample rate often used in the computation of short-period PSA. We confirm previous findings that sinc-function interpolation is preferred to the standard practice of using

Pulse retrieval algorithm for interferometric frequency-resolved optical gating based on differential evolution.

Science.gov (United States)

Hyyti, Janne; Escoto, Esmerando; Steinmeyer, Günter

2017-10-01

A novel algorithm for the ultrashort laser pulse characterization method of interferometric frequency-resolved optical gating (iFROG) is presented. Based on a genetic method, namely, differential evolution, the algorithm can exploit all available information of an iFROG measurement to retrieve the complex electric field of a pulse. The retrieval is subjected to a series of numerical tests to prove the robustness of the algorithm against experimental artifacts and noise. These tests show that the integrated error-correction mechanisms of the iFROG method can be successfully used to remove the effect from timing errors and spectrally varying efficiency in the detection. Moreover, the accuracy and noise resilience of the new algorithm are shown to outperform retrieval based on the generalized projections algorithm, which is widely used as the standard method in FROG retrieval. The differential evolution algorithm is further validated with experimental data, measured with unamplified three-cycle pulses from a mode-locked Ti:sapphire laser. Additionally introducing group delay dispersion in the beam path, the retrieval results show excellent agreement with independent measurements with a commercial pulse measurement device based on spectral phase interferometry for direct electric-field retrieval. Further experimental tests with strongly attenuated pulses indicate resilience of differential-evolution-based retrieval against massive measurement noise.

Split Hopkinson Resonant Bar Test for Sonic-Frequency Acoustic Velocity and Attenuation Measurements of Small, Isotropic Geologic Samples

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nakagawa, S.

2011-04-01

Mechanical properties (seismic velocities and attenuation) of geological materials are often frequency dependent, which necessitates measurements of the properties at frequencies relevant to a problem at hand. Conventional acoustic resonant bar tests allow measuring seismic properties of rocks and sediments at sonic frequencies (several kilohertz) that are close to the frequencies employed for geophysical exploration of oil and gas resources. However, the tests require a long, slender sample, which is often difficult to obtain from the deep subsurface or from weak and fractured geological formations. In this paper, an alternative measurement technique to conventional resonant bar tests is presented. This technique uses only a small, jacketed rock or sediment core sample mediating a pair of long, metal extension bars with attached seismic source and receiver - the same geometry as the split Hopkinson pressure bar test for large-strain, dynamic impact experiments. Because of the length and mass added to the sample, the resonance frequency of the entire system can be lowered significantly, compared to the sample alone. The experiment can be conducted under elevated confining pressures up to tens of MPa and temperatures above 100 C, and concurrently with x-ray CT imaging. The described Split Hopkinson Resonant Bar (SHRB) test is applied in two steps. First, extension and torsion-mode resonance frequencies and attenuation of the entire system are measured. Next, numerical inversions for the complex Young's and shear moduli of the sample are performed. One particularly important step is the correction of the inverted Young's moduli for the effect of sample-rod interfaces. Examples of the application are given for homogeneous, isotropic polymer samples and a natural rock sample.

LOOP- SIMULATION OF THE AUTOMATIC FREQUENCY CONTROL SUBSYSTEM OF A DIFFERENTIAL MINIMUM SHIFT KEYING RECEIVER

Science.gov (United States)

Davarian, F.

1994-01-01

The LOOP computer program was written to simulate the Automatic Frequency Control (AFC) subsystem of a Differential Minimum Shift Keying (DMSK) receiver with a bit rate of 2400 baud. The AFC simulated by LOOP is a first order loop configuration with a first order R-C filter. NASA has been investigating the concept of mobile communications based on low-cost, low-power terminals linked via geostationary satellites. Studies have indicated that low bit rate transmission is suitable for this application, particularly from the frequency and power conservation point of view. A bit rate of 2400 BPS is attractive due to its applicability to the linear predictive coding of speech. Input to LOOP includes the following: 1) the initial frequency error; 2) the double-sided loop noise bandwidth; 3) the filter time constants; 4) the amount of intersymbol interference; and 5) the bit energy to noise spectral density. LOOP output includes: 1) the bit number and the frequency error of that bit; 2) the computed mean of the frequency error; and 3) the standard deviation of the frequency error. LOOP is written in MS SuperSoft FORTRAN 77 for interactive execution and has been implemented on an IBM PC operating under PC DOS with a memory requirement of approximately 40K of 8 bit bytes. This program was developed in 1986.

Differential efficiencies of dip-net sampling versus sampling surface-floating pupal exuviae in a biodiversity survey of Chironomidae

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Leonard Charles Ferrington Jr

2014-12-01

Full Text Available Relative efficiencies of standard dip-net sampling (SDN versus collections of surface-floating pupal exuviae (SFPE were determined for detecting Chironomidae at catchment and site scales and at subfamily/tribe-, genus- and species-levels based on simultaneous, equal-effort sampling on a monthly basis for one year during a biodiversity assessment of Bear Run Nature Reserve. Results showed SFPE was more efficient than SDN at catchment scales for detecting both genera and species. At site scales, SDN sampling was more efficient for assessment of a first-order site. No consistent pattern, except for better efficiency of SFPE to detect Orthocladiinae genera, was observed at genus-level for two second-order sites. However, SFPE was consistently more efficient at detecting species of Orthocladiinae, Chironomini and Tanytarsini at the second order sites. SFPE was more efficient at detecting both genera and species at two third-order sites. The differential efficiencies of the two methods are concluded to be related to stream order and size, substrate size, flow and water velocity, depth and habitat heterogeneity, and differential ability to discriminate species among pupal exuviae specimens versus larval specimens. Although both approaches are considered necessary for comprehensive biodiversity assessments of Chironomidae, our results suggest that there is an optimal, but different, allocation of sampling effort for detecting Chironomidae across stream orders and at differing spatial and taxonomic scales.Article submitted 13. August 2014, accepted 31. October 2014, published 22. December 2014.

Is frequency of fast food and sit-down restaurant eating occasions differentially associated with less healthful eating habits?

Science.gov (United States)

Close, Michael A; Lytle, Leslie A; Viera, Anthony J

2016-12-01

Studies have shown that frequency of fast food restaurant eating and sit-down restaurant eating is differentially associated with nutrient intakes and biometric outcomes. The objective of this study was to examine whether frequency of fast food and sit-down restaurant eating occasions was differentially associated with less healthful eating habits, independent of demographic characteristics. Data were collected from participants in 2015 enrolled in a worksite nutrition intervention trial ( n  = 388) in North Carolina who completed self-administered questionnaires at baseline. We used multiple logistic regressions to estimate associations between frequency of restaurant eating occasions and four less healthful eating habits, controlling for age, sex, race, education, marital status, and worksite. On average, participants in the highest tertile of fast food restaurant eating (vs. lowest tertile) had increased odds of usual intake of processed meat (OR = 3.00, 95% CI = 1.71, 5.28), red meat (OR = 2.30, 95% CI = 1.33, 4.00), refined grain bread (OR = 2.25, 95% CI = 1.23, 4.10), and sweet baked goods and candy (OR = 3.50, 95% CI = 2.00, 6.12). No associations were found between frequency of sit-down restaurant eating and less healthful eating habits. We conclude that greater frequency of fast food restaurant eating is associated with less healthful eating habits. Our findings suggest that taste preferences or other factors, independent of demographic characteristics, might explain the decision to eat at fast food or sit-down restaurants.

Co-Culture with Human Osteoblasts and Exposure to Extremely Low Frequency Pulsed Electromagnetic Fields Improve Osteogenic Differentiation of Human Adipose-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sabrina Ehnert

2018-03-01

Full Text Available Human adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (Ad-MSCs have been proposed as suitable option for cell-based therapies to support bone regeneration. In the bone environment, Ad-MSCs will receive stimuli from resident cells that may favor their osteogenic differentiation. There is recent evidence that this process can be further improved by extremely low frequency pulsed electromagnetic fields (ELF-PEMFs. Thus, the project aimed at (i investigating whether co-culture conditions of human osteoblasts (OBs and Ad-MSCs have an impact on their proliferation and osteogenic differentiation; (ii whether this effect can be further improved by repetitive exposure to two specific ELF-PEMFs (16 and 26 Hz; (iii and the effect of these ELF-PEMFs on human osteoclasts (OCs. Osteogenic differentiation was improved by co-culturing OBs and Ad-MSCs when compared to the individual mono-cultures. An OB to Ad-MSC ratio of 3:1 had best effects on total protein content, alkaline phosphatase (AP activity, and matrix mineralization. Osteogenic differentiation was further improved by both ELF-PEMFs investigated. Interestingly, only repetitive exposure to 26 Hz ELF-PEMF increased Trap5B activity in OCs. Considering this result, a treatment with gradually increasing frequency might be of interest, as the lower frequency (16 Hz could enhance bone formation, while the higher frequency (26 Hz could enhance bone remodeling.

Microwave differential dilatometer measures 10 - 12 m, at 1 Hz

Science.gov (United States)

Aschero, G.; Mango, F.; Gizdulich, P.

1996-12-01

To check and measure the converse piezoelectric effect in bone samples, we had to detect displacements in the range of 1-100 pm with three kinds of restrictions: (1) the biological nature of the samples imposes severe limits in selecting a suitable device and method; (2) such a method has to take into account some clinical applications to which the experiment is devoted; (3) the piezoelectric behavior of bone samples is particularly interesting at low frequencies, around 1 Hz. For such reasons we modified an existing dilatometer based on a microwave differential spectrometer. A 14 GHz klystron, linearly modulated in frequency by a triangular 50 Hz voltage applied to the repeller, is connected, via magic T, to two identical cavities tunable around 14 GHz and whose resonance curves are recorded by crystal detectors. When one of the two cavities changes its height according to the length variations of the sample, its resonance frequency varies resulting in a shift of the resonant curve with respect to the resonance curve of the other cavity acting as reference. The comparison between the cavities' responses is performed by a pulse technique transforming the frequency shifts into time intervals, that are then converted into dc voltages. The differential character of this measurement avoids the need for the microwave source stabilization. The relative shift in frequency is measured with an accuracy better than 500 Hz. This accuracy allows us to measure displacements smaller than 7 nm in the cavity's height. After 2 h of warmup, thanks to the differential arrangement of the system, thermal or other drifts are not detectable within a lapse of time of 12 h. This feature allows coherent signal averaging over long periods. With a piezoelectric ceramic stack moving 100 pm in square wave fashion at 50 mHz we found that the signal to noise ratio was 20 dB after 1000 cycles of signal averaging, when our bandpass filter was tuned at 1 Hz. In conclusion, this system can detect

Low intensity radiation in diapazone of high frequency as factor of the survival modification of differentiated plant cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tordiya, N.V.

2005-01-01

The combined effect of low intensity electromagnetic emission in high frequency range (EMI HF) and ionizing radiation on survival of the differential cells of high plant water Elodea canadensis is investigated. It was established, that EMI HF is radioprotective modification of the radiation injury of plant cell

FREQUENCY OF ANEUPLOID SPERMATOZOA STUDIED BY MULTICOLOR FISH IN SERIAL SEMEN SAMPLES

Science.gov (United States)

Frequency of aneuploid spermatozoa studied by multicolor FISH in serial semen samplesM. Vozdova1, S. D. Perreault2, O. Rezacova1, D. Zudova1 , Z. Zudova3, S. G. Selevan4, J. Rubes1,51Veterinary Research Institute, Brno, Czech Republic; 2U.S. Environmental Protection A...

A pseudo differential Gm—C complex filter with frequency tuning for IEEE802.15.4 applications

Science.gov (United States)

Xin, Cheng; Lungui, Zhong; Haigang, Yang; Fei, Liu; Tongqiang, Gao

2011-07-01

This paper presents a CMOS Gm—C complex filter for a low-IF receiver of the IEEE 802.15.4 standard. A pseudo differential OTA with reconfigurable common mode feedback and common mode feed-forward is proposed as well as the frequency tuning method based on a relaxation oscillator. A detailed analysis of non-ideality of the OTA and the frequency tuning method is elaborated. The analysis and measurement results have shown that the center frequency of the complex filter could be tuned accurately. The chip was fabricated in a standard 0.35 μm CMOS process, with a single 3.3 V power supply. The filter consumes 2.1mA current, has a measured in-band group delay ripple of less than 0.16 μs and an IRR larger than 28 dB at 2 MHz apart, which could meet the requirements oftheIEEE802.15.4 standard.

Gray bootstrap method for estimating frequency-varying random vibration signals with small samples

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wang Yanqing

2014-04-01

Full Text Available During environment testing, the estimation of random vibration signals (RVS is an important technique for the airborne platform safety and reliability. However, the available methods including extreme value envelope method (EVEM, statistical tolerances method (STM and improved statistical tolerance method (ISTM require large samples and typical probability distribution. Moreover, the frequency-varying characteristic of RVS is usually not taken into account. Gray bootstrap method (GBM is proposed to solve the problem of estimating frequency-varying RVS with small samples. Firstly, the estimated indexes are obtained including the estimated interval, the estimated uncertainty, the estimated value, the estimated error and estimated reliability. In addition, GBM is applied to estimating the single flight testing of certain aircraft. At last, in order to evaluate the estimated performance, GBM is compared with bootstrap method (BM and gray method (GM in testing analysis. The result shows that GBM has superiority for estimating dynamic signals with small samples and estimated reliability is proved to be 100% at the given confidence level.

A regression-based differential expression detection algorithm for microarray studies with ultra-low sample size.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Daniel Vasiliu

Full Text Available Global gene expression analysis using microarrays and, more recently, RNA-seq, has allowed investigators to understand biological processes at a system level. However, the identification of differentially expressed genes in experiments with small sample size, high dimensionality, and high variance remains challenging, limiting the usability of these tens of thousands of publicly available, and possibly many more unpublished, gene expression datasets. We propose a novel variable selection algorithm for ultra-low-n microarray studies using generalized linear model-based variable selection with a penalized binomial regression algorithm called penalized Euclidean distance (PED. Our method uses PED to build a classifier on the experimental data to rank genes by importance. In place of cross-validation, which is required by most similar methods but not reliable for experiments with small sample size, we use a simulation-based approach to additively build a list of differentially expressed genes from the rank-ordered list. Our simulation-based approach maintains a low false discovery rate while maximizing the number of differentially expressed genes identified, a feature critical for downstream pathway analysis. We apply our method to microarray data from an experiment perturbing the Notch signaling pathway in Xenopus laevis embryos. This dataset was chosen because it showed very little differential expression according to limma, a powerful and widely-used method for microarray analysis. Our method was able to detect a significant number of differentially expressed genes in this dataset and suggest future directions for investigation. Our method is easily adaptable for analysis of data from RNA-seq and other global expression experiments with low sample size and high dimensionality.

Phase contrast STEM for thin samples: Integrated differential phase contrast

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lazić, Ivan; Bosch, Eric G.T.; Lazar, Sorin

2016-01-01

It has been known since the 1970s that the movement of the center of mass (COM) of a convergent beam electron diffraction (CBED) pattern is linearly related to the (projected) electrical field in the sample. We re-derive a contrast transfer function (CTF) for a scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) imaging technique based on this movement from the point of view of image formation and continue by performing a two-dimensional integration on the two images based on the two components of the COM movement. The resulting integrated COM (iCOM) STEM technique yields a scalar image that is linear in the phase shift caused by the sample and therefore also in the local (projected) electrostatic potential field of a thin sample. We confirm that the differential phase contrast (DPC) STEM technique using a segmented detector with 4 quadrants (4Q) yields a good approximation for the COM movement. Performing a two-dimensional integration, just as for the COM, we obtain an integrated DPC (iDPC) image which is approximately linear in the phase of the sample. Beside deriving the CTFs of iCOM and iDPC, we clearly point out the objects of the two corresponding imaging techniques, and highlight the differences to objects corresponding to COM-, DPC-, and (HA) ADF-STEM. The theory is validated with simulations and we present first experimental results of the iDPC-STEM technique showing its capability for imaging both light and heavy elements with atomic resolution and a good signal to noise ratio (SNR). - Highlights: • First DPC-based atomic resolution images of potential and charge density are obtained. • This is enabled by integration and differentiation of 2D DPC signals, respectively. • Integrated DPC (iDPC) based on 4 quadrant imaging is compared to iCOM imaging. • Noise analysis and comparison with standard STEM imaging modes is provided. • iDPC allows direct imaging of light (C, N, O …) and heavy (Ga, Au …) atoms together.

Phase contrast STEM for thin samples: Integrated differential phase contrast

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lazić, Ivan, E-mail: ivan.lazic@fei.com; Bosch, Eric G.T.; Lazar, Sorin

2016-01-15

It has been known since the 1970s that the movement of the center of mass (COM) of a convergent beam electron diffraction (CBED) pattern is linearly related to the (projected) electrical field in the sample. We re-derive a contrast transfer function (CTF) for a scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) imaging technique based on this movement from the point of view of image formation and continue by performing a two-dimensional integration on the two images based on the two components of the COM movement. The resulting integrated COM (iCOM) STEM technique yields a scalar image that is linear in the phase shift caused by the sample and therefore also in the local (projected) electrostatic potential field of a thin sample. We confirm that the differential phase contrast (DPC) STEM technique using a segmented detector with 4 quadrants (4Q) yields a good approximation for the COM movement. Performing a two-dimensional integration, just as for the COM, we obtain an integrated DPC (iDPC) image which is approximately linear in the phase of the sample. Beside deriving the CTFs of iCOM and iDPC, we clearly point out the objects of the two corresponding imaging techniques, and highlight the differences to objects corresponding to COM-, DPC-, and (HA) ADF-STEM. The theory is validated with simulations and we present first experimental results of the iDPC-STEM technique showing its capability for imaging both light and heavy elements with atomic resolution and a good signal to noise ratio (SNR). - Highlights: • First DPC-based atomic resolution images of potential and charge density are obtained. • This is enabled by integration and differentiation of 2D DPC signals, respectively. • Integrated DPC (iDPC) based on 4 quadrant imaging is compared to iCOM imaging. • Noise analysis and comparison with standard STEM imaging modes is provided. • iDPC allows direct imaging of light (C, N, O …) and heavy (Ga, Au …) atoms together.

Fiber optics frequency comb enabled linear optical sampling with operation wavelength range extension.

Science.gov (United States)

Liao, Ruolin; Wu, Zhichao; Fu, Songnian; Zhu, Shengnan; Yu, Zhe; Tang, Ming; Liu, Deming

2018-02-01

Although the linear optical sampling (LOS) technique is powerful enough to characterize various advanced modulation formats with high symbol rates, the central wavelength of a pulsed local oscillator (LO) needs to be carefully set according to that of the signal under test, due to the coherent mixing operation. Here, we experimentally demonstrate wideband LOS enabled by a fiber optics frequency comb (FOFC). Meanwhile, when the broadband FOFC acts as the pulsed LO, we propose a scheme to mitigate the enhanced sampling error arising in the non-ideal response of a balanced photodetector. Finally, precise characterizations of arbitrary 128 Gbps PDM-QPSK wavelength channels from 1550 to 1570 nm are successfully achieved, when a 101.3 MHz frequency spaced comb with a 3 dB spectral power ripple of 20 nm is used.

A Frequency Matching Method for Generation of a Priori Sample Models from Training Images

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lange, Katrine; Cordua, Knud Skou; Frydendall, Jan

2011-01-01

This paper presents a Frequency Matching Method (FMM) for generation of a priori sample models based on training images and illustrates its use by an example. In geostatistics, training images are used to represent a priori knowledge or expectations of models, and the FMM can be used to generate...... new images that share the same multi-point statistics as a given training image. The FMM proceeds by iteratively updating voxel values of an image until the frequency of patterns in the image matches the frequency of patterns in the training image; making the resulting image statistically...... indistinguishable from the training image....

Identification of driving network of cellular differentiation from single sample time course gene expression data

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Ye; Wolanyk, Nathaniel; Ilker, Tunc; Gao, Shouguo; Wang, Xujing

Methods developed based on bifurcation theory have demonstrated their potential in driving network identification for complex human diseases, including the work by Chen, et al. Recently bifurcation theory has been successfully applied to model cellular differentiation. However, there one often faces a technical challenge in driving network prediction: time course cellular differentiation study often only contains one sample at each time point, while driving network prediction typically require multiple samples at each time point to infer the variation and interaction structures of candidate genes for the driving network. In this study, we investigate several methods to identify both the critical time point and the driving network through examination of how each time point affects the autocorrelation and phase locking. We apply these methods to a high-throughput sequencing (RNA-Seq) dataset of 42 subsets of thymocytes and mature peripheral T cells at multiple time points during their differentiation (GSE48138 from GEO). We compare the predicted driving genes with known transcription regulators of cellular differentiation. We will discuss the advantages and limitations of our proposed methods, as well as potential further improvements of our methods.

A pseudo differential Gm-C complex filter with frequency tuning for IEEE802.15.4 applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cheng Xin; Yang Haigang; Liu Fei; Gao Tongqiang; Zhong Lungui

2011-01-01

This paper presents a CMOS G m -C complex filter for a low-IF receiver of the IEEE 802.15.4 standard. A pseudo differential OTA with reconfigurable common mode feedback and common mode feed-forward is proposed as well as the frequency tuning method based on a relaxation oscillator. A detailed analysis of non-ideality of the OTA and the frequency tuning method is elaborated. The analysis and measurement results have shown that the center frequency of the complex filter could be tuned accurately. The chip was fabricated in a standard 0.35 μm CMOS process, with a single 3.3 V power supply. The filter consumes 2.1mA current, has a measured in-band group delay ripple of less than 0.16 μs and an IRR larger than 28 dB at 2 MHz apart, which could meet the requirements oftheIEEE802.15.4 standard. (semiconductor integrated circuits)

SNP calling, genotype calling, and sample allele frequency estimation from new-generation sequencing data

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nielsen, Rasmus; Korneliussen, Thorfinn Sand; Albrechtsen, Anders

2012-01-01

We present a statistical framework for estimation and application of sample allele frequency spectra from New-Generation Sequencing (NGS) data. In this method, we first estimate the allele frequency spectrum using maximum likelihood. In contrast to previous methods, the likelihood function is cal...... be extended to various other cases including cases with deviations from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. We evaluate the statistical properties of the methods using simulations and by application to a real data set....

Measuring saccade peak velocity using a low-frequency sampling rate of 50 Hz.

Science.gov (United States)

Wierts, Roel; Janssen, Maurice J A; Kingma, Herman

2008-12-01

During the last decades, small head-mounted video eye trackers have been developed in order to record eye movements. Real-time systems-with a low sampling frequency of 50/60 Hz-are used for clinical vestibular practice, but are generally considered not to be suited for measuring fast eye movements. In this paper, it is shown that saccadic eye movements, having an amplitude of at least 5 degrees, can, in good approximation, be considered to be bandwidth limited up to a frequency of 25-30 Hz. Using the Nyquist theorem to reconstruct saccadic eye movement signals at higher temporal resolutions, it is shown that accurate values for saccade peak velocities, recorded at 50 Hz, can be obtained, but saccade peak accelerations and decelerations cannot. In conclusion, video eye trackers sampling at 50/60 Hz are appropriate for detecting the clinical relevant saccade peak velocities in contrast to what has been stated up till now.

Power and Sample Size Calculations for Logistic Regression Tests for Differential Item Functioning

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Zhushan

2014-01-01

Logistic regression is a popular method for detecting uniform and nonuniform differential item functioning (DIF) effects. Theoretical formulas for the power and sample size calculations are derived for likelihood ratio tests and Wald tests based on the asymptotic distribution of the maximum likelihood estimators for the logistic regression model.…

A general theory on frequency and time-frequency analysis of irregularly sampled time series based on projection methods - Part 1: Frequency analysis

Science.gov (United States)

Lenoir, Guillaume; Crucifix, Michel

2018-03-01

We develop a general framework for the frequency analysis of irregularly sampled time series. It is based on the Lomb-Scargle periodogram, but extended to algebraic operators accounting for the presence of a polynomial trend in the model for the data, in addition to a periodic component and a background noise. Special care is devoted to the correlation between the trend and the periodic component. This new periodogram is then cast into the Welch overlapping segment averaging (WOSA) method in order to reduce its variance. We also design a test of significance for the WOSA periodogram, against the background noise. The model for the background noise is a stationary Gaussian continuous autoregressive-moving-average (CARMA) process, more general than the classical Gaussian white or red noise processes. CARMA parameters are estimated following a Bayesian framework. We provide algorithms that compute the confidence levels for the WOSA periodogram and fully take into account the uncertainty in the CARMA noise parameters. Alternatively, a theory using point estimates of CARMA parameters provides analytical confidence levels for the WOSA periodogram, which are more accurate than Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) confidence levels and, below some threshold for the number of data points, less costly in computing time. We then estimate the amplitude of the periodic component with least-squares methods, and derive an approximate proportionality between the squared amplitude and the periodogram. This proportionality leads to a new extension for the periodogram: the weighted WOSA periodogram, which we recommend for most frequency analyses with irregularly sampled data. The estimated signal amplitude also permits filtering in a frequency band. Our results generalise and unify methods developed in the fields of geosciences, engineering, astronomy and astrophysics. They also constitute the starting point for an extension to the continuous wavelet transform developed in a companion

Influence of sampling frequency and load calculation methods on quantification of annual river nutrient and suspended solids loads.

Science.gov (United States)

Elwan, Ahmed; Singh, Ranvir; Patterson, Maree; Roygard, Jon; Horne, Dave; Clothier, Brent; Jones, Geoffrey

2018-01-11

Better management of water quality in streams, rivers and lakes requires precise and accurate estimates of different contaminant loads. We assessed four sampling frequencies (2 days, weekly, fortnightly and monthly) and five load calculation methods (global mean (GM), rating curve (RC), ratio estimator (RE), flow-stratified (FS) and flow-weighted (FW)) to quantify loads of nitrate-nitrogen (NO 3 - -N), soluble inorganic nitrogen (SIN), total nitrogen (TN), dissolved reactive phosphorus (DRP), total phosphorus (TP) and total suspended solids (TSS), in the Manawatu River, New Zealand. The estimated annual river loads were compared to the reference 'true' loads, calculated using daily measurements of flow and water quality from May 2010 to April 2011, to quantify bias (i.e. accuracy) and root mean square error 'RMSE' (i.e. accuracy and precision). The GM method resulted into relatively higher RMSE values and a consistent negative bias (i.e. underestimation) in estimates of annual river loads across all sampling frequencies. The RC method resulted in the lowest RMSE for TN, TP and TSS at monthly sampling frequency. Yet, RC highly overestimated the loads for parameters that showed dilution effect such as NO 3 - -N and SIN. The FW and RE methods gave similar results, and there was no essential improvement in using RE over FW. In general, FW and RE performed better than FS in terms of bias, but FS performed slightly better than FW and RE in terms of RMSE for most of the water quality parameters (DRP, TP, TN and TSS) using a monthly sampling frequency. We found no significant decrease in RMSE values for estimates of NO 3 - N, SIN, TN and DRP loads when the sampling frequency was increased from monthly to fortnightly. The bias and RMSE values in estimates of TP and TSS loads (estimated by FW, RE and FS), however, showed a significant decrease in the case of weekly or 2-day sampling. This suggests potential for a higher sampling frequency during flow peaks for more precise

Note: Radio frequency surface impedance characterization system for superconducting samples at 7.5 GHz.

Science.gov (United States)

Xiao, B P; Reece, C E; Phillips, H L; Geng, R L; Wang, H; Marhauser, F; Kelley, M J

2011-05-01

A radio frequency (RF) surface impedance characterization (SIC) system that uses a novel sapphire-loaded niobium cavity operating at 7.5 GHz has been developed as a tool to measure the RF surface impedance of flat superconducting material samples. The SIC system can presently make direct calorimetric RF surface impedance measurements on the central 0.8 cm(2) area of 5 cm diameter disk samples from 2 to 20 K exposed to RF magnetic fields up to 14 mT. To illustrate system utility, we present first measurement results for a bulk niobium sample.

Evaluation of biological effects of intermediate frequency magnetic field on differentiation of embryonic stem cell.

Science.gov (United States)

Yoshie, Sachiko; Ogasawara, Yuki; Ikehata, Masateru; Ishii, Kazuyuki; Suzuki, Yukihisa; Wada, Keiji; Wake, Kanako; Nakasono, Satoshi; Taki, Masao; Ohkubo, Chiyoji

2016-01-01

The embryotoxic effect of intermediate frequency (IF) magnetic field (MF) was evaluated using murine embryonic stem (ES) cells and fibroblast cells based on the embryonic stem cell test (EST). The cells were exposed to 21 kHz IF-MF up to magnetic flux density of 3.9 mT during the cell proliferation process (7 days) or the cell differentiation process (10 days) during which an embryonic body differentiated into myocardial cells. As a result, there was no significant difference in the cell proliferation between sham- and IF-MF-exposed cells for both ES and fibroblast cells. Similarly, the ratio of the number of ES-derived cell aggregates differentiated to myocardial cells to total number of cell aggregates was not changed by IF-MF exposure. In addition, the expressions of a cardiomyocytes-specific gene, Myl2 , and an early developmental gene, Hba-x , in the exposed cell aggregate were not altered. Since the magnetic flux density adopted in this study is much higher than that generated by an inverter of the electrical railway, an induction heating (IH) cooktop, etc . in our daily lives, these results suggested that IF-MF in which the public is exposed to in general living environment would not have embryotoxic effect.

Conditional estimation of local pooled dispersion parameter in small-sample RNA-Seq data improves differential expression test.

Science.gov (United States)

Gim, Jungsoo; Won, Sungho; Park, Taesung

2016-10-01

High throughput sequencing technology in transcriptomics studies contribute to the understanding of gene regulation mechanism and its cellular function, but also increases a need for accurate statistical methods to assess quantitative differences between experiments. Many methods have been developed to account for the specifics of count data: non-normality, a dependence of the variance on the mean, and small sample size. Among them, the small number of samples in typical experiments is still a challenge. Here we present a method for differential analysis of count data, using conditional estimation of local pooled dispersion parameters. A comprehensive evaluation of our proposed method in the aspect of differential gene expression analysis using both simulated and real data sets shows that the proposed method is more powerful than other existing methods while controlling the false discovery rates. By introducing conditional estimation of local pooled dispersion parameters, we successfully overcome the limitation of small power and enable a powerful quantitative analysis focused on differential expression test with the small number of samples.

Estimating species – area relationships by modeling abundance and frequency subject to incomplete sampling

Science.gov (United States)

Yamaura, Yuichi; Connor, Edward F.; Royle, Andy; Itoh, Katsuo; Sato, Kiyoshi; Taki, Hisatomo; Mishima, Yoshio

2016-01-01

Models and data used to describe species–area relationships confound sampling with ecological process as they fail to acknowledge that estimates of species richness arise due to sampling. This compromises our ability to make ecological inferences from and about species–area relationships. We develop and illustrate hierarchical community models of abundance and frequency to estimate species richness. The models we propose separate sampling from ecological processes by explicitly accounting for the fact that sampled patches are seldom completely covered by sampling plots and that individuals present in the sampling plots are imperfectly detected. We propose a multispecies abundance model in which community assembly is treated as the summation of an ensemble of species-level Poisson processes and estimate patch-level species richness as a derived parameter. We use sampling process models appropriate for specific survey methods. We propose a multispecies frequency model that treats the number of plots in which a species occurs as a binomial process. We illustrate these models using data collected in surveys of early-successional bird species and plants in young forest plantation patches. Results indicate that only mature forest plant species deviated from the constant density hypothesis, but the null model suggested that the deviations were too small to alter the form of species–area relationships. Nevertheless, results from simulations clearly show that the aggregate pattern of individual species density–area relationships and occurrence probability–area relationships can alter the form of species–area relationships. The plant community model estimated that only half of the species present in the regional species pool were encountered during the survey. The modeling framework we propose explicitly accounts for sampling processes so that ecological processes can be examined free of sampling artefacts. Our modeling approach is extensible and could be applied

On the Berry-Esséen bound of frequency polygons for ϕ-mixing samples.

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Gan-Ji; Xing, Guodong

2017-01-01

Under some mild assumptions, the Berry-Esséen bound of frequency polygons for ϕ -mixing samples is presented. By the bound derived, we obtain the corresponding convergence rate of uniformly asymptotic normality, which is nearly [Formula: see text] under the given conditions.

Effect of Uniaxial Tensile Cyclic Loading Regimes on Matrix Organization and Tenogenic Differentiation of Adipose-Derived Stem Cells Encapsulated within 3D Collagen Scaffolds

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Gayathri Subramanian

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells have become a popular cell choice for tendon repair strategies due to their relative abundance, ease of isolation, and ability to differentiate into tenocytes. In this study, we investigated the solo effect of different uniaxial tensile strains and loading frequencies on the matrix directionality and tenogenic differentiation of adipose-derived stem cells encapsulated within three-dimensional collagen scaffolds. Samples loaded at 0%, 2%, 4%, and 6% strains and 0.1 Hz and 1 Hz frequencies for 2 hours/day over a 7-day period using a custom-built uniaxial tensile strain bioreactor were characterized in terms of matrix organization, cell viability, and musculoskeletal gene expression profiles. The results displayed that the collagen fibers of the loaded samples exhibited increased matrix directionality with an increase in strain values. Gene expression analyses demonstrated that ASC-encapsulated collagen scaffolds loaded at 2% strain and 0.1 Hz frequency showed significant increases in extracellular matrix genes and tenogenic differentiation markers. Importantly, no cross-differentiation potential to osteogenic, chondrogenic, and myogenic lineages was observed at 2% strain and 0.1 Hz frequency loading condition. Thus, 2% strain and 0.1 Hz frequency were identified as the appropriate mechanical loading regime to induce tenogenic differentiation of adipose-derived stem cells cultured in a three-dimensional environment.

Effect of Uniaxial Tensile Cyclic Loading Regimes on Matrix Organization and Tenogenic Differentiation of Adipose-Derived Stem Cells Encapsulated within 3D Collagen Scaffolds.

Science.gov (United States)

Subramanian, Gayathri; Stasuk, Alexander; Elsaadany, Mostafa; Yildirim-Ayan, Eda

2017-01-01

Adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells have become a popular cell choice for tendon repair strategies due to their relative abundance, ease of isolation, and ability to differentiate into tenocytes. In this study, we investigated the solo effect of different uniaxial tensile strains and loading frequencies on the matrix directionality and tenogenic differentiation of adipose-derived stem cells encapsulated within three-dimensional collagen scaffolds. Samples loaded at 0%, 2%, 4%, and 6% strains and 0.1 Hz and 1 Hz frequencies for 2 hours/day over a 7-day period using a custom-built uniaxial tensile strain bioreactor were characterized in terms of matrix organization, cell viability, and musculoskeletal gene expression profiles. The results displayed that the collagen fibers of the loaded samples exhibited increased matrix directionality with an increase in strain values. Gene expression analyses demonstrated that ASC-encapsulated collagen scaffolds loaded at 2% strain and 0.1 Hz frequency showed significant increases in extracellular matrix genes and tenogenic differentiation markers. Importantly, no cross-differentiation potential to osteogenic, chondrogenic, and myogenic lineages was observed at 2% strain and 0.1 Hz frequency loading condition. Thus, 2% strain and 0.1 Hz frequency were identified as the appropriate mechanical loading regime to induce tenogenic differentiation of adipose-derived stem cells cultured in a three-dimensional environment.

A novel differential frequency micro-gyroscope

KAUST Repository

Nayfeh, A. H.; Abdel-Rahman, E. M.; Ghommem, M.

2013-01-01

We present a frequency-domain method to measure angular speeds using electrostatic micro-electro-mechanical system actuators. Towards this end, we study a single-axis gyroscope made of a micro-cantilever and a proof-mass coupled to two fixed

Implementation of PLL and FLL trackers for signals with high harmonic content and low sampling frequency

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mathe, Laszlo; Iov, Florin; Sera, Dezso

2014-01-01

The accurate tracking of phase, frequency, and amplitude of different frequency components from a measured signal is an essential requirement for many digitally controlled equipment. The accurate and robust tracking of a frequency component from a complex signal was successfully applied for example...... in: grid connected inverters, sensorless motor control for rotor position estimation, grid voltage monitoring for ac-dc converters etc. Usually, the design of such trackers is done in continuous time domain. The discretization introduces errors which change the performance, especially when the input...... signal is rich in harmonics and the sampling frequency is close to the tracked frequency component. In this paper different discretization methods and implementation issues, such as Tustin, Backward-Forward Euler, are discussed and compared. A special case is analyzed, when the input signal is reach...

Differential dynamic microscopy microrheology of soft materials: A tracking-free determination of the frequency-dependent loss and storage moduli

Science.gov (United States)

Edera, Paolo; Bergamini, Davide; Trappe, Véronique; Giavazzi, Fabio; Cerbino, Roberto

2017-12-01

Particle-tracking microrheology (PT-μ r ) exploits the thermal motion of embedded particles to probe the local mechanical properties of soft materials. Despite its appealing conceptual simplicity, PT-μ r requires calibration procedures and operating assumptions that constitute a practical barrier to its wider application. Here we demonstrate differential dynamic microscopy microrheology (DDM-μ r ), a tracking-free approach based on the multiscale, temporal correlation study of the image intensity fluctuations that are observed in microscopy experiments as a consequence of the translational and rotational motion of the tracers. We show that the mechanical moduli of an arbitrary sample are determined correctly over a wide frequency range provided that the standard DDM analysis is reinforced with an iterative, self-consistent procedure that fully exploits the multiscale information made available by DDM. Our approach to DDM-μ r does not require any prior calibration, is in agreement with both traditional rheology and diffusing wave spectroscopy microrheology, and works in conditions where PT-μ r fails, providing thus an operationally simple, calibration-free probe of soft materials.

Comparison of mobile and stationary spore-sampling techniques for estimating virulence frequencies in aerial barley powdery mildew populations

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hovmøller, M.S.; Munk, L.; Østergård, Hanne

1995-01-01

Gene frequencies in samples of aerial populations of barley powdery mildew (Erysiphe graminis f.sp. hordei), which were collected in adjacent barley areas and in successive periods of time, were compared using mobile and stationary sampling techniques. Stationary samples were collected from trap ...

Meal frequency differentially alters postprandial triacylglycerol and insulin concentrations in obese women

OpenAIRE

Heden, Tim; Liu, Ying; Sims, Lauren; Whaley-Connell, Adam T.; Chockalingam, Anand; Dellsperger, Kevin C.; Kanaley, Jill A.

2013-01-01

The aim of this study was to compare postprandial lipemia, oxidative stress, antioxidant activity, and insulinemia between a three and six isocaloric high carbohydrate meal frequency pattern in obese women. In a counterbalanced order eight obese women completed two, 12 h conditions in which they consumed 1500 calories (14% protein, 21% fat, and 65% carbohydrate) either as three 500 calorie liquid meals every 4 h or six 250 calorie liquid meals every 2 h. Blood samples were taken every 30 min ...

Efficient computation of the joint sample frequency spectra for multiple populations.

Science.gov (United States)

Kamm, John A; Terhorst, Jonathan; Song, Yun S

2017-01-01

A wide range of studies in population genetics have employed the sample frequency spectrum (SFS), a summary statistic which describes the distribution of mutant alleles at a polymorphic site in a sample of DNA sequences and provides a highly efficient dimensional reduction of large-scale population genomic variation data. Recently, there has been much interest in analyzing the joint SFS data from multiple populations to infer parameters of complex demographic histories, including variable population sizes, population split times, migration rates, admixture proportions, and so on. SFS-based inference methods require accurate computation of the expected SFS under a given demographic model. Although much methodological progress has been made, existing methods suffer from numerical instability and high computational complexity when multiple populations are involved and the sample size is large. In this paper, we present new analytic formulas and algorithms that enable accurate, efficient computation of the expected joint SFS for thousands of individuals sampled from hundreds of populations related by a complex demographic model with arbitrary population size histories (including piecewise-exponential growth). Our results are implemented in a new software package called momi (MOran Models for Inference). Through an empirical study we demonstrate our improvements to numerical stability and computational complexity.

ADAPTIVE METHODS FOR STOCHASTIC DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS VIA NATURAL EMBEDDINGS AND REJECTION SAMPLING WITH MEMORY.

Science.gov (United States)

Rackauckas, Christopher; Nie, Qing

2017-01-01

Adaptive time-stepping with high-order embedded Runge-Kutta pairs and rejection sampling provides efficient approaches for solving differential equations. While many such methods exist for solving deterministic systems, little progress has been made for stochastic variants. One challenge in developing adaptive methods for stochastic differential equations (SDEs) is the construction of embedded schemes with direct error estimates. We present a new class of embedded stochastic Runge-Kutta (SRK) methods with strong order 1.5 which have a natural embedding of strong order 1.0 methods. This allows for the derivation of an error estimate which requires no additional function evaluations. Next we derive a general method to reject the time steps without losing information about the future Brownian path termed Rejection Sampling with Memory (RSwM). This method utilizes a stack data structure to do rejection sampling, costing only a few floating point calculations. We show numerically that the methods generate statistically-correct and tolerance-controlled solutions. Lastly, we show that this form of adaptivity can be applied to systems of equations, and demonstrate that it solves a stiff biological model 12.28x faster than common fixed timestep algorithms. Our approach only requires the solution to a bridging problem and thus lends itself to natural generalizations beyond SDEs.

Effect of Water-Glass Coating on HA and HA-TCP Samples for MSCs Adhesion, Proliferation, and Differentiation

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Indu Bajpai

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Ca-P and silicon based materials have become very popular as bone tissue engineering materials. In this study, water-glass (also known as sodium silicate glass was coated on sintered hydroxyapatite (HA and HA-TCP (TCP stands for tricalcium phosphate samples and subsequently heat-treated at 600°C for 2 hrs. X-rays diffraction showed the presence of β- and α-TCP phases along with HA in the HA-TCP samples. Samples without coating, with water-glass coating, and heat-treated after water-glass coating were used to observe the adhesion and proliferation response of bone marrow derived-mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs. Cell culture was carried out for 4 hrs, 1 day, and 7 days. Interestingly, all samples showed similar response for cell adhesion and proliferation up to 7-day culture but fibronectin, E-cadherin, and osteogenic differentiation related genes (osteocalcin and osteopontin were significantly induced in heat-treated water-glass coated HA-TCP samples. A water-glass coating on Ca-P samples was not found to influence the cell proliferation response significantly but activated some extracellular matrix genes and induced osteogenic differentiation in the MSCs.

Retinal ganglion cells: mechanisms underlying depolarization block and differential responses to high frequency electrical stimulation of ON and OFF cells

Science.gov (United States)

Kameneva, T.; Maturana, M. I.; Hadjinicolaou, A. E.; Cloherty, S. L.; Ibbotson, M. R.; Grayden, D. B.; Burkitt, A. N.; Meffin, H.

2016-02-01

Objective. ON and OFF retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) are known to have non-monotonic responses to increasing amplitudes of high frequency (2 kHz) biphasic electrical stimulation. That is, an increase in stimulation amplitude causes an increase in the cell’s spike rate up to a peak value above which further increases in stimulation amplitude cause the cell to decrease its activity. The peak response for ON and OFF cells occurs at different stimulation amplitudes, which allows differential stimulation of these functional cell types. In this study, we investigate the mechanisms underlying the non-monotonic responses of ON and OFF brisk-transient RGCs and the mechanisms underlying their differential responses. Approach. Using in vitro patch-clamp recordings from rat RGCs, together with simulations of single and multiple compartment Hodgkin-Huxley models, we show that the non-monotonic response to increasing amplitudes of stimulation is due to depolarization block, a change in the membrane potential that prevents the cell from generating action potentials. Main results. We show that the onset for depolarization block depends on the amplitude and frequency of stimulation and reveal the biophysical mechanisms that lead to depolarization block during high frequency stimulation. Our results indicate that differences in transmembrane potassium conductance lead to shifts of the stimulus currents that generate peak spike rates, suggesting that the differential responses of ON and OFF cells may be due to differences in the expression of this current type. We also show that the length of the axon’s high sodium channel band (SOCB) affects non-monotonic responses and the stimulation amplitude that leads to the peak spike rate, suggesting that the length of the SOCB is shorter in ON cells. Significance. This may have important implications for stimulation strategies in visual prostheses.

Etching of Niobium Sample Placed on Superconducting Radio Frequency Cavity Surface in Ar/CL2 Plasma

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Upadhyay, Janardan; Phillips, Larry; Valente, Anne-Marie

2011-01-01

Plasma based surface modification is a promising alternative to wet etching of superconducting radio frequency (SRF) cavities. It has been proven with flat samples that the bulk Niobium (Nb) removal rate and the surface roughness after the plasma etchings are equal to or better than wet etching processes. To optimize the plasma parameters, we are using a single cell cavity with 20 sample holders symmetrically distributed over the cell. These holders serve the purpose of diagnostic ports for the measurement of the plasma parameters and for the holding of the Nb sample to be etched. The plasma properties at RF (100 MHz) and MW (2.45 GHz) frequencies are being measured with the help of electrical and optical probes at different pressures and RF power levels inside of this cavity. The niobium coupons placed on several holders around the cell are being etched simultaneously. The etching results will be presented at this conference.

Etching of Niobium Sample Placed on Superconducting Radio Frequency Cavity Surface in Ar/CL2 Plasma

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Janardan Upadhyay, Larry Phillips, Anne-Marie Valente

2011-09-01

Plasma based surface modification is a promising alternative to wet etching of superconducting radio frequency (SRF) cavities. It has been proven with flat samples that the bulk Niobium (Nb) removal rate and the surface roughness after the plasma etchings are equal to or better than wet etching processes. To optimize the plasma parameters, we are using a single cell cavity with 20 sample holders symmetrically distributed over the cell. These holders serve the purpose of diagnostic ports for the measurement of the plasma parameters and for the holding of the Nb sample to be etched. The plasma properties at RF (100 MHz) and MW (2.45 GHz) frequencies are being measured with the help of electrical and optical probes at different pressures and RF power levels inside of this cavity. The niobium coupons placed on several holders around the cell are being etched simultaneously. The etching results will be presented at this conference.

Power-Frequency Magnetic Field Inhibits Adipogenic Differentiation in Human ADSC

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María Antonia Martínez

2015-12-01

Full Text Available Background/Aims: Semicircular lipoatrophy (SL is an idiopathic condition characterized by atrophy of subcutaneous fatty tissue. Although several studies have suggested a possible association between SL and occupational exposure to power frequency magnetic fields (MF, no mechanism has been proposed so far that explains an influence of these fields on adipogenesis. Methods: The study investigates the effects of a 50 Hz, 100 µT MF on the adipogenesis of stem cells isolated from human adipose tissue (ADSC. Cells were plated in Petri dishes and either exposed intermittently to the field for 42 hours or sham-exposed. Results: Field exposure significantly reduced lipid accumulation within the cells, revealed in Oil Red O stained samples by spectrophotometry and colorimetry. Early cell passages were particularly sensitive to the effect: 30.40 ± 5.77% and 47.96 ± 12.47% below controls in the spectrophotometric and colorimetric assays, respectively. Such antiadipogenic effect was accompanied by significant changes in the expression of key effectors/regulators of early adipogenesis: PPARγ, p-ERK1/2 and Sox9, indicating that at least the ERK/PPARγ signaling pathway could be involved in the effect. Conclusions: These results constitute an experimental support to the hypothesis that power frequency MF can be one of the factors involved in the etiology of SL.

Stimulation of neural differentiation in human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells by extremely low-frequency electromagnetic fields incorporated with MNPs.

Science.gov (United States)

Choi, Yun-Kyong; Lee, Dong Heon; Seo, Young-Kwon; Jung, Hyun; Park, Jung-Keug; Cho, Hyunjin

2014-10-01

Human bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (hBM-MSCs) have been investigated as a new cell-therapeutic solution due to their capacity that could differentiate into neural-like cells. Extremely low-frequency electromagnetic fields (ELF-EMFs) therapy has emerged as a novel technique, using mechanical stimulus to differentiate hBM-MSCs and significantly enhance neuronal differentiation to affect cellular and molecular reactions. Magnetic iron oxide (Fe3O4) nanoparticles (MNPs) have recently achieved widespread use for biomedical applications and polyethylene glycol (PEG)-labeled nanoparticles are used to increase their circulation time, aqueous solubility, biocompatibility, and nonspecific cellular uptake as well as to decrease immunogenicity. Many studies have used MNP-labeled cells for differentiation, but there have been no reports of MNP-labeled neural differentiation combined with EMFs. In this study, synthesized PEG-phospholipid encapsulated magnetite (Fe3O4) nanoparticles are used on hBM-MSCs to improve their intracellular uptake. The PEGylated nanoparticles were exposed to the cells under 50 Hz of EMFs to improve neural differentiation. First, we measured cell viability and intracellular iron content in hBM-MSCs after treatment with MNPs. Analysis was conducted by RT-PCR, and immunohistological analysis using neural cell type-specific genes and antibodies after exposure to 50 Hz electromagnetic fields. These results suggest that electromagnetic fields enhance neural differentiation in hBM-MSCs incorporated with MNPs and would be an effective method for differentiating neural cells.

Frequency, Antimicrobial Resistance and Genetic Diversity of Klebsiella pneumoniae in Food Samples.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yumei Guo

Full Text Available This study aimed to assess the frequency of Klebsiella pneumoniae in food samples and to detect antibiotic resistance phenotypes, antimicrobial resistance genes and the molecular subtypes of the recovered isolates. A total of 998 food samples were collected, and 99 (9.9% K. pneumoniae strains were isolated; the frequencies were 8.2% (4/49 in fresh raw seafood, 13.8% (26/188 in fresh raw chicken, 11.4% (34/297 in frozen raw food and 7.5% (35/464 in cooked food samples. Antimicrobial resistance was observed against 16 antimicrobials. The highest resistance rate was observed for ampicillin (92.3%, followed by tetracycline (31.3%, trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (18.2%, and chloramphenicol (10.1%. Two K. pneumoniae strains were identified as extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL-one strain had three beta-lactamases genes (blaSHV, blaCTX-M-1, and blaCTX-M-10 and one had only the blaSHV gene. Nineteen multidrug-resistant (MDR strains were detected; the percentage of MDR strains in fresh raw chicken samples was significantly higher than in other sample types (P<0.05. Six of the 18 trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole-resistant strains carried the folate pathway inhibitor gene (dhfr. Four isolates were screened by PCR for quinolone resistance genes; aac(6'-Ib-cr, qnrB, qnrA and qnrS were detected. In addition, gyrA gene mutations such as T247A (Ser83Ile, C248T (Ser83Phe, and A260C (Asp87Ala and a parC C240T (Ser80Ile mutation were identified. Five isolates were screened for aminoglycosides resistance genes; aacA4, aacC2, and aadA1 were detected. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis-based subtyping identified 91 different patterns. Our results indicate that food, especially fresh raw chicken, is a reservoir of antimicrobial-resistant K. pneumoniae, and the potential health risks posed by such strains should not be underestimated. Our results demonstrated high prevalence, antibiotic resistance rate and genetic diversity of K. pneumoniae in food in China. Improved

Use of commercial vessels in survey augmentation: the size-frequency distribution

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Eric N. Powell

2006-09-01

variance-to-mean ratio was typically higher for the commercial vessel, five of the six cases that were otherwise were among the species for which the size-frequency distribution differed between the two vessels. Thus, the origin of the significant differences observed between vessels would appear to lie in the spatial pattern of the species as it interacts with the tendency for one vessel to obtain large catches more frequently for some size classes. One consequence of differential distribution and catchability is that more large fish were present in the commercial vessel catches than in the survey vessel catches in cases where the two vessels obtained different size-frequency distributions. Application of commercial vessels to the evaluation of size frequency hinges on understanding how to interpret differences among boats, gear, and sampling design. Here we show that key ingredients to this understanding are the degree of nonlinearity in catchability across a range of size classes, the interaction of varying spatial arrangements among size classes and the sampling design, and the interaction of varying spatial arrangements with differential catchability.

Phase contrast STEM for thin samples: Integrated differential phase contrast.

Science.gov (United States)

Lazić, Ivan; Bosch, Eric G T; Lazar, Sorin

2016-01-01

It has been known since the 1970s that the movement of the center of mass (COM) of a convergent beam electron diffraction (CBED) pattern is linearly related to the (projected) electrical field in the sample. We re-derive a contrast transfer function (CTF) for a scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) imaging technique based on this movement from the point of view of image formation and continue by performing a two-dimensional integration on the two images based on the two components of the COM movement. The resulting integrated COM (iCOM) STEM technique yields a scalar image that is linear in the phase shift caused by the sample and therefore also in the local (projected) electrostatic potential field of a thin sample. We confirm that the differential phase contrast (DPC) STEM technique using a segmented detector with 4 quadrants (4Q) yields a good approximation for the COM movement. Performing a two-dimensional integration, just as for the COM, we obtain an integrated DPC (iDPC) image which is approximately linear in the phase of the sample. Beside deriving the CTFs of iCOM and iDPC, we clearly point out the objects of the two corresponding imaging techniques, and highlight the differences to objects corresponding to COM-, DPC-, and (HA) ADF-STEM. The theory is validated with simulations and we present first experimental results of the iDPC-STEM technique showing its capability for imaging both light and heavy elements with atomic resolution and a good signal to noise ratio (SNR). Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Frequencies of inaudible high-frequency sounds differentially affect brain activity: positive and negative hypersonic effects.

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Ariko Fukushima

Full Text Available The hypersonic effect is a phenomenon in which sounds containing significant quantities of non-stationary high-frequency components (HFCs above the human audible range (max. 20 kHz activate the midbrain and diencephalon and evoke various physiological, psychological and behavioral responses. Yet important issues remain unverified, especially the relationship existing between the frequency of HFCs and the emergence of the hypersonic effect. In this study, to investigate the relationship between the hypersonic effect and HFC frequencies, we divided an HFC (above 16 kHz of recorded gamelan music into 12 band components and applied them to subjects along with an audible component (below 16 kHz to observe changes in the alpha2 frequency component (10-13 Hz of spontaneous EEGs measured from centro-parieto-occipital regions (Alpha-2 EEG, which we previously reported as an index of the hypersonic effect. Our results showed reciprocal directional changes in Alpha-2 EEGs depending on the frequency of the HFCs presented with audible low-frequency component (LFC. When an HFC above approximately 32 kHz was applied, Alpha-2 EEG increased significantly compared to when only audible sound was applied (positive hypersonic effect, while, when an HFC below approximately 32 kHz was applied, the Alpha-2 EEG decreased (negative hypersonic effect. These findings suggest that the emergence of the hypersonic effect depends on the frequencies of inaudible HFC.

Frequencies of inaudible high-frequency sounds differentially affect brain activity: positive and negative hypersonic effects.

Science.gov (United States)

Fukushima, Ariko; Yagi, Reiko; Kawai, Norie; Honda, Manabu; Nishina, Emi; Oohashi, Tsutomu

2014-01-01

The hypersonic effect is a phenomenon in which sounds containing significant quantities of non-stationary high-frequency components (HFCs) above the human audible range (max. 20 kHz) activate the midbrain and diencephalon and evoke various physiological, psychological and behavioral responses. Yet important issues remain unverified, especially the relationship existing between the frequency of HFCs and the emergence of the hypersonic effect. In this study, to investigate the relationship between the hypersonic effect and HFC frequencies, we divided an HFC (above 16 kHz) of recorded gamelan music into 12 band components and applied them to subjects along with an audible component (below 16 kHz) to observe changes in the alpha2 frequency component (10-13 Hz) of spontaneous EEGs measured from centro-parieto-occipital regions (Alpha-2 EEG), which we previously reported as an index of the hypersonic effect. Our results showed reciprocal directional changes in Alpha-2 EEGs depending on the frequency of the HFCs presented with audible low-frequency component (LFC). When an HFC above approximately 32 kHz was applied, Alpha-2 EEG increased significantly compared to when only audible sound was applied (positive hypersonic effect), while, when an HFC below approximately 32 kHz was applied, the Alpha-2 EEG decreased (negative hypersonic effect). These findings suggest that the emergence of the hypersonic effect depends on the frequencies of inaudible HFC.

Hydrogen concentration determination in pressure tube samples using differential scanning calorimetry (dsc)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Marinescu, R.; Mincu, M.

2015-01-01

Zirconium alloys are widely used as a structural material in nuclear reactors. It is known that zirconium based cladding alloys absorb hydrogen as a result of service in a pressurized water reactor. Hydrogen absorbed (during operation of the reactor) in the zirconium alloy, out of which the pressure tube is made, is one of the major factors determining the life time of the pressure tube. For monitoring the hydrides, samples of the pressure tube are periodically taken and analyzed. At normal reactor operating temperature, hydrogen has limited solubility in the zirconium lattice and precipitates out of solid solution as zirconium hydride when the solid solubility is exceeded. As a consequences material characterization of Zr-2.5Nb CANDU pressure tubes is required after manufacturing but also during the operation to assess its structural integrity and to predict its behavior until the next in-service inspection. Hydrogen and deuterium concentration determination is one of the most important parameters to be evaluated during the experimental tests. Hydrogen present in zirconium alloys has a strong effect of weakening. Following the zirconium-hydrogen reaction, the resulting zirconium hydride precipitates in the mass of material. Weakening of the material, due to the presence of 10 ppm of precipitated hydrogen significantly affects some of its properties. The concentration of hydrogen in a sample can be determined by several methods, one of them being the differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The principle of the method consists in measuring the difference between the amount of heat required to raise the temperature of a sample and a reference to a certain value. The experiments were made using a TA Instruments DSC Q2000 calorimeter. This paper contains experimental work for hydrogen concentration determination by Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) method. Also, the reproducibility and accuracy of the method used at INR Pitesti are presented. (authors)

LOCO - a linearised model for analysing the onset of coolant oscillations and frequency response of boiling channels

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Romberg, T.M.

1982-12-01

Industrial plant such as heat exchangers and nuclear and conventional boilers are prone to coolant flow oscillations which may not be detected. In this report, a hydrodynamic model is formulated in which the one-dimensional, non-linear, partial differential equations for the conservation of mass, energy and momentum are perturbed with respect to time, linearised, and Laplace-transformed into the s-domain for frequency response analysis. A computer program has been developed to integrate numerically the resulting non-linear ordinary differential equations by finite difference methods. A sample problem demonstrates how the computer code is used to analyse the frequency response and flow stability characteristics of a heated channel

Differential expression of circulating microRNAs in blood and haematoma samples from patients with intracerebral haemorrhage.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Jialu; Zhu, Ying; Jin, Feng; Tang, Ling; He, Zhenwei; He, Zhiyi

2016-06-01

To measure the differential expression of microRNAs (miRNAs) in peripheral blood samples from patients with intracerebral haemorrhage (ICH) and to measure the levels of hsa-miR-21-5p in peripheral blood and haematoma samples from patients with ICH. This case-control study enrolled individuals with ICH in the putamen treated by craniotomy and age- and sex-matched healthy control subjects. Serum miRNA expression profiles were determined in the patient and control groups using miRNA polymerase chain reaction (PCR) arrays. The ICH-related miRNA hsa-miR-21-5p was selected and its differential expression was assessed in peripheral blood and haematoma specimens from patients with ICH compared with peripheral blood samples controls using real-time PCR. Seven patients and five control subjects were included in the miRNA expression profile analysis; and 31 patients and 22 control subjects provided samples for the real-time PCR of hsa-miR-21-5p expression. A total of 59 miRNAs were significantly downregulated in patients with ICH. Relative hsa-miR-21-5p levels of 0.43 and 0.31 for peripheral blood and haematoma samples, respectively, were obtained in the patient group compared with the control subjects. Hsa-miR-21-5p levels were significantly reduced in both peripheral blood and haematoma samples in patients with ICH. © The Author(s) 2016.

Frequency control modelling - basics

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hansen, Anca Daniela; Sørensen, Poul Ejnar; Zeni, Lorenzo

2016-01-01

The purpose of this report is to provide an introduction on how the system balance in an island system can be maintained by controlling the frequency. The power balance differential equation, which is fundamental in understanding the effect on the system frequency of the unbalance between...

Analysis of the sensitivity and sample-furnace thermal-lag of a differential thermal analyzer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Roura, P.; Farjas, J.

2005-01-01

The heat exchange between the horizontal furnace of a differential thermal analyzer (DTA) and the sample is analyzed with the aim of understanding the parameters governing the thermal signal. The resistance due to radiation and conduction through the gas has been calculated and compared to the experimental values of the thermal-lag between the sample and furnace and apparatus sensitivity. The overall evolution of these parameters with the temperature and their relative values are well understood by considering the temperature differences that arise between the sample and holder. Two RC thermal models are used for describing the apparatus performance at different temperature ranges. Finally, the possibility of improving the signal quality through the control of the leak resistances is stressed

MalHaploFreq: A computer programme for estimating malaria haplotype frequencies from blood samples

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Smith Thomas A

2008-07-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Molecular markers, particularly those associated with drug resistance, are important surveillance tools that can inform policy choice. People infected with falciparum malaria often contain several genetically-distinct clones of the parasite; genotyping the patients' blood reveals whether or not the marker is present (i.e. its prevalence, but does not reveal its frequency. For example a person with four malaria clones may contain both mutant and wildtype forms of a marker but it is not possible to distinguish the relative frequencies of the mutant and wildtypes i.e. 1:3, 2:2 or 3:1. Methods An appropriate method for obtaining frequencies from prevalence data is by Maximum Likelihood analysis. A computer programme has been developed that allows the frequency of markers, and haplotypes defined by up to three codons, to be estimated from blood phenotype data. Results The programme has been fully documented [see Additional File 1] and provided with a user-friendly interface suitable for large scale analyses. It returns accurate frequencies and 95% confidence intervals from simulated dataset sets and has been extensively tested on field data sets. Additional File 1 User manual for MalHaploFreq. Click here for file Conclusion The programme is included [see Additional File 2] and/or may be freely downloaded from 1. It can then be used to extract molecular marker and haplotype frequencies from their prevalence in human blood samples. This should enhance the use of frequency data to inform antimalarial drug policy choice. Additional File 2 executable programme compiled for use on DOS or windows Click here for file

Flux pinning characteristics in cylindrical niobium samples used for superconducting radio frequency cavity fabrication

Science.gov (United States)

Dhavale, Asavari S.; Dhakal, Pashupati; Polyanskii, Anatolii A.; Ciovati, Gianluigi

2012-06-01

We present the results from DC magnetization and penetration depth measurements of cylindrical bulk large-grain (LG) and fine-grain (FG) niobium samples used for the fabrication of superconducting radio frequency (SRF) cavities. The surface treatment consisted of electropolishing and low-temperature baking as they are typically applied to SRF cavities. The magnetization data are analyzed using a modified critical state model. The critical current density Jc and pinning force Fp are calculated from the magnetization data and their temperature dependence and field dependence are presented. The LG samples have lower critical current density and pinning force density compared to FG samples, favorable to lower flux trapping efficiency. This effect may explain the lower values of residual resistance often observed in LG cavities than FG cavities.

Digital timing: sampling frequency, anti-aliasing filter and signal interpolation filter dependence on timing resolution

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cho, Sanghee; Grazioso, Ron; Zhang Nan; Aykac, Mehmet; Schmand, Matthias

2011-01-01

The main focus of our study is to investigate how the performance of digital timing methods is affected by sampling rate, anti-aliasing and signal interpolation filters. We used the Nyquist sampling theorem to address some basic questions such as what will be the minimum sampling frequencies? How accurate will the signal interpolation be? How do we validate the timing measurements? The preferred sampling rate would be as low as possible, considering the high cost and power consumption of high-speed analog-to-digital converters. However, when the sampling rate is too low, due to the aliasing effect, some artifacts are produced in the timing resolution estimations; the shape of the timing profile is distorted and the FWHM values of the profile fluctuate as the source location changes. Anti-aliasing filters are required in this case to avoid the artifacts, but the timing is degraded as a result. When the sampling rate is marginally over the Nyquist rate, a proper signal interpolation is important. A sharp roll-off (higher order) filter is required to separate the baseband signal from its replicates to avoid the aliasing, but in return the computation will be higher. We demonstrated the analysis through a digital timing study using fast LSO scintillation crystals as used in time-of-flight PET scanners. From the study, we observed that there is no significant timing resolution degradation down to 1.3 Ghz sampling frequency, and the computation requirement for the signal interpolation is reasonably low. A so-called sliding test is proposed as a validation tool checking constant timing resolution behavior of a given timing pick-off method regardless of the source location change. Lastly, the performance comparison for several digital timing methods is also shown.

Surface Characterization of Nb Samples Electro-polished Together With Real Superconducting Radio-frequency Accelerator Cavities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhao, Xin; Geng, Rong-Li; Tyagi, P.V.; Hayano, Hitoshi; Kato, Shigeki; Nishiwaki, Michiru; Saeki, Takayuki; Sawabe, Motoaki

2010-01-01

We report the results of surface characterizations of niobium (Nb) samples electropolished together with a single cell superconducting radio-frequency accelerator cavity. These witness samples were located in three regions of the cavity, namely at the equator, the iris and the beam-pipe. Auger electron spectroscopy (AES) was utilized to probe the chemical composition of the topmost four atomic layers. Scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive X-ray for elemental analysis (SEM/EDX) was used to observe the surface topography and chemical composition at the micrometer scale. A few atomic layers of sulfur (S) were found covering the samples non-uniformly. Niobium oxide granules with a sharp geometry were observed on every sample. Some Nb-O granules appeared to also contain sulfur.

Unsplit complex frequency shifted perfectly matched layer for second-order wave equation using auxiliary differential equations.

Science.gov (United States)

Gao, Yingjie; Zhang, Jinhai; Yao, Zhenxing

2015-12-01

The complex frequency shifted perfectly matched layer (CFS-PML) can improve the absorbing performance of PML for nearly grazing incident waves. However, traditional PML and CFS-PML are based on first-order wave equations; thus, they are not suitable for second-order wave equation. In this paper, an implementation of CFS-PML for second-order wave equation is presented using auxiliary differential equations. This method is free of both convolution calculations and third-order temporal derivatives. As an unsplit CFS-PML, it can reduce the nearly grazing incidence. Numerical experiments show that it has better absorption than typical PML implementations based on second-order wave equation.

Flux pinning characteristics in cylindrical niobium samples used for superconducting radio frequency cavity fabrication

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dhavale, Asavari S; Dhakal, Pashupati; Ciovati, Gianluigi; Polyanskii, Anatolii A

2012-01-01

We present the results from DC magnetization and penetration depth measurements of cylindrical bulk large-grain (LG) and fine-grain (FG) niobium samples used for the fabrication of superconducting radio frequency (SRF) cavities. The surface treatment consisted of electropolishing and low-temperature baking as they are typically applied to SRF cavities. The magnetization data are analyzed using a modified critical state model. The critical current density J c and pinning force F p are calculated from the magnetization data and their temperature dependence and field dependence are presented. The LG samples have lower critical current density and pinning force density compared to FG samples, favorable to lower flux trapping efficiency. This effect may explain the lower values of residual resistance often observed in LG cavities than FG cavities. (paper)

Frequency of single nucleotide polymorphisms of some immune response genes in a population sample from São Paulo, Brazil

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Léa Campos de Oliveira

2011-09-01

Full Text Available Objective: To present the frequency of single nucleotide polymorphismsof a few immune response genes in a population sample from SãoPaulo City (SP, Brazil. Methods: Data on allele frequencies ofknown polymorphisms of innate and acquired immunity genes werepresented, the majority with proven impact on gene function. Datawere gathered from a sample of healthy individuals, non-HLA identicalsiblings of bone marrow transplant recipients from the Hospital dasClínicas da Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo,obtained between 1998 and 2005. The number of samples variedfor each single nucleotide polymorphism analyzed by polymerasechain reaction followed by restriction enzyme cleavage. Results:Allele and genotype distribution of 41 different gene polymorphisms,mostly cytokines, but also including other immune response genes,were presented. Conclusion: We believe that the data presentedhere can be of great value for case-control studies, to define whichpolymorphisms are present in biologically relevant frequencies and toassess targets for therapeutic intervention in polygenic diseases witha component of immune and inflammatory responses.

OLT-centralized sampling frequency offset compensation scheme for OFDM-PON.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Ming; Zhou, Hui; Zheng, Zhiwei; Deng, Rui; Chen, Qinghui; Peng, Miao; Liu, Cuiwei; He, Jing; Chen, Lin; Tang, Xionggui

2017-08-07

We propose an optical line terminal (OLT)-centralized sampling frequency offset (SFO) compensation scheme for adaptively-modulated OFDM-PON systems. By using the proposed SFO scheme, the phase rotation and inter-symbol interference (ISI) caused by SFOs between OLT and multiple optical network units (ONUs) can be centrally compensated in the OLT, which reduces the complexity of ONUs. Firstly, the optimal fast Fourier transform (FFT) size is identified in the intensity-modulated and direct-detection (IMDD) OFDM system in the presence of SFO. Then, the proposed SFO compensation scheme including phase rotation modulation (PRM) and length-adaptive OFDM frame has been experimentally demonstrated in the downlink transmission of an adaptively modulated optical OFDM with the optimal FFT size. The experimental results show that up to ± 300 ppm SFO can be successfully compensated without introducing any receiver performance penalties.

Samples of noncommutative products in certain differential equations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Legare, M

2010-01-01

A set of associative noncommutative products is considered in different differential equations of the ordinary and partial types. A method of separation of variables is considered for a large set of those systems. The products involved include for example some * products and some products based on Nijenhuis tensors, which are embedded in the differential equations of the Laplace/Poisson, Lax and Schroedinger styles. A comment on the *-products of Reshetikhin-Jambor-Sykora type is also given in relation to *-products of Vey type.

Vector network analyzer ferromagnetic resonance spectrometer with field differential detection

Science.gov (United States)

Tamaru, S.; Tsunegi, S.; Kubota, H.; Yuasa, S.

2018-05-01

This work presents a vector network analyzer ferromagnetic resonance (VNA-FMR) spectrometer with field differential detection. This technique differentiates the S-parameter by applying a small binary modulation field in addition to the DC bias field to the sample. By setting the modulation frequency sufficiently high, slow sensitivity fluctuations of the VNA, i.e., low-frequency components of the trace noise, which limit the signal-to-noise ratio of the conventional VNA-FMR spectrometer, can be effectively removed, resulting in a very clean FMR signal. This paper presents the details of the hardware implementation and measurement sequence as well as the data processing and analysis algorithms tailored for the FMR spectrum obtained with this technique. Because the VNA measures a complex S-parameter, it is possible to estimate the Gilbert damping parameter from the slope of the phase variation of the S-parameter with respect to the bias field. We show that this algorithm is more robust against noise than the conventional algorithm based on the linewidth.

The linear variable differential transformer (LVDT) position sensor for gravitational wave interferometer low-frequency controls

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tariq, Hareem E-mail: htariq@ligo.caltech.edu; Takamori, Akiteru; Vetrano, Flavio; Wang Chenyang; Bertolini, Alessandro; Calamai, Giovanni; DeSalvo, Riccardo; Gennai, Alberto; Holloway, Lee; Losurdo, Giovanni; Marka, Szabolcs; Mazzoni, Massimo; Paoletti, Federico; Passuello, Diego; Sannibale, Virginio; Stanga, Ruggero

2002-08-21

Low-power, ultra-high-vacuum compatible, non-contacting position sensors with nanometer resolution and centimeter dynamic range have been developed, built and tested. They have been designed at Virgo as the sensors for low-frequency modal damping of Seismic Attenuation System chains in Gravitational Wave interferometers and sub-micron absolute mirror positioning. One type of these linear variable differential transformers (LVDTs) has been designed to be also insensitive to transversal displacement thus allowing 3D movement of the sensor head while still precisely reading its position along the sensitivity axis. A second LVDT geometry has been designed to measure the displacement of the vertical seismic attenuation filters from their nominal position. Unlike the commercial LVDTs, mostly based on magnetic cores, the LVDTs described here exert no force on the measured structure.

Low-frequency, low-magnitude vibrations (LFLM enhances chondrogenic differentiation potential of human adipose derived mesenchymal stromal stem cells (hASCs

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Krzysztof Marycz

2016-02-01

Full Text Available The aim of this study was to evaluate if low-frequency, low-magnitude vibrations (LFLM could enhance chondrogenic differentiation potential of human adipose derived mesenchymal stem cells (hASCs with simultaneous inhibition of their adipogenic properties for biomedical purposes. We developed a prototype device that induces low-magnitude (0.3 g low-frequency vibrations with the following frequencies: 25, 35 and 45 Hz. Afterwards, we used human adipose derived mesenchymal stem cell (hASCS, to investigate their cellular response to the mechanical signals. We have also evaluated hASCs morphological and proliferative activity changes in response to each frequency. Induction of chondrogenesis in hASCs, under the influence of a 35 Hz signal leads to most effective and stable cartilaginous tissue formation through highest secretion of Bone Morphogenetic Protein 2 (BMP-2, and Collagen type II, with low concentration of Collagen type I. These results correlated well with appropriate gene expression level. Simultaneously, we observed significant up-regulation of α3, α4, β1 and β3 integrins in chondroblast progenitor cells treated with 35 Hz vibrations, as well as Sox-9. Interestingly, we noticed that application of 35 Hz frequencies significantly inhibited adipogenesis of hASCs. The obtained results suggest that application of LFLM vibrations together with stem cell therapy might be a promising tool in cartilage regeneration.

Effects of sample size and sampling frequency on studies of brown bear home ranges and habitat use

Science.gov (United States)

Arthur, Steve M.; Schwartz, Charles C.

1999-01-01

We equipped 9 brown bears (Ursus arctos) on the Kenai Peninsula, Alaska, with collars containing both conventional very-high-frequency (VHF) transmitters and global positioning system (GPS) receivers programmed to determine an animal's position at 5.75-hr intervals. We calculated minimum convex polygon (MCP) and fixed and adaptive kernel home ranges for randomly-selected subsets of the GPS data to examine the effects of sample size on accuracy and precision of home range estimates. We also compared results obtained by weekly aerial radiotracking versus more frequent GPS locations to test for biases in conventional radiotracking data. Home ranges based on the MCP were 20-606 km2 (x = 201) for aerial radiotracking data (n = 12-16 locations/bear) and 116-1,505 km2 (x = 522) for the complete GPS data sets (n = 245-466 locations/bear). Fixed kernel home ranges were 34-955 km2 (x = 224) for radiotracking data and 16-130 km2 (x = 60) for the GPS data. Differences between means for radiotracking and GPS data were due primarily to the larger samples provided by the GPS data. Means did not differ between radiotracking data and equivalent-sized subsets of GPS data (P > 0.10). For the MCP, home range area increased and variability decreased asymptotically with number of locations. For the kernel models, both area and variability decreased with increasing sample size. Simulations suggested that the MCP and kernel models required >60 and >80 locations, respectively, for estimates to be both accurate (change in area bears. Our results suggest that the usefulness of conventional radiotracking data may be limited by potential biases and variability due to small samples. Investigators that use home range estimates in statistical tests should consider the effects of variability of those estimates. Use of GPS-equipped collars can facilitate obtaining larger samples of unbiased data and improve accuracy and precision of home range estimates.

Low-magnitude high-frequency vibration inhibits RANKL-induced osteoclast differentiation of RAW264.7 cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Song-Hui; Zhong, Zhao-Ming; Chen, Jian-Ting

2012-01-01

Osteoclasts are the key participants in regulation of bone mass. Low-magnitude high-frequency vibration (LMHFV) has been found to be anabolic to bone in vivo. This study aimed to investigate the effect of LMHFV on osteoclast differentiation in vitro. Murine monocyte cell line RAW264.7 cells in the presence of receptor activator of nuclear factor-kappaB ligand (RANKL) were treated with or without LMHFV at 45 Hz (0.3 g) for 15 min day(-1). Tartrate resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP)-positive multinucleated cells (MNCs) and actin ring formation were evaluated. Expression of the osteoclast-specific genes, such as cathepsin K, matrix metallopeptidase-9 (MMP-9) and TRAP, were analyzed using real time-PCR. c-Fos, an osteoclast-specific transcription factor, was determined using Western blot. We found that LMHFV significantly decreased the number of RANKL-induced TRAP-positive MNCs (P<0.01), and inhibited the actin ring formation. The mRNA expression of the cathepsin K, MMP-9 and TRAP were down-regulated by LMHFV intervention (all P<0.001). Furthermore, LMHFV also inhibited the expression of c-Fos protein in the RANKL-treated RAW264.7 cells (P<0.05). Our results suggest that LMHFV can inhibit the RANKL-induced osteoclast differentiation of RAW264.7 cells, which give some new insight into the anabolic effects of LMHFV on bone.

Chromosomal radiosensitivity of human leucocytes in relation to sampling time

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Buul, P.P.W. van; Natarajan, A.T.

1980-01-01

Frequencies of chromosomal aberrations after irradiation with X-rays of peripheral blood lymphocytes in vitro were determined at different times after initiation of cultures. In each culture, the kinetics of cell multiplication was followed by using BrdU labelling and differential staining of chromosomes. The results indicate that the mixing up of first and second cell cycle cells at later sampling times cannot explain the observed variation in the frequencies of chromosomal aberrations but that donor-to-donor variation is a predominant factor influencing yields of aberrations. The condition of a donor seems to be most important because repeats on the same donor also showed marked variability. (orig.)

Study of the Effect of Temporal Sampling Frequency on DSCOVR Observations Using the GEOS-5 Nature Run Results. Part II; Cloud Coverage

Science.gov (United States)

Holdaway, Daniel; Yang, Yuekui

2016-01-01

This is the second part of a study on how temporal sampling frequency affects satellite retrievals in support of the Deep Space Climate Observatory (DSCOVR) mission. Continuing from Part 1, which looked at Earth's radiation budget, this paper presents the effect of sampling frequency on DSCOVR-derived cloud fraction. The output from NASA's Goddard Earth Observing System version 5 (GEOS-5) Nature Run is used as the "truth". The effect of temporal resolution on potential DSCOVR observations is assessed by subsampling the full Nature Run data. A set of metrics, including uncertainty and absolute error in the subsampled time series, correlation between the original and the subsamples, and Fourier analysis have been used for this study. Results show that, for a given sampling frequency, the uncertainties in the annual mean cloud fraction of the sunlit half of the Earth are larger over land than over ocean. Analysis of correlation coefficients between the subsamples and the original time series demonstrates that even though sampling at certain longer time intervals may not increase the uncertainty in the mean, the subsampled time series is further and further away from the "truth" as the sampling interval becomes larger and larger. Fourier analysis shows that the simulated DSCOVR cloud fraction has underlying periodical features at certain time intervals, such as 8, 12, and 24 h. If the data is subsampled at these frequencies, the uncertainties in the mean cloud fraction are higher. These results provide helpful insights for the DSCOVR temporal sampling strategy.

High frequency of parvovirus B19 DNA in bone marrow samples from rheumatic patients

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lundqvist, Anders; Isa, Adiba; Tolfvenstam, Thomas

2005-01-01

BACKGROUND: Human parvovirus B19 (B19) polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is now a routine analysis and serves as a diagnostic marker as well as a complement or alternative to B19 serology. The clinical significance of a positive B19 DNA finding is however dependent on the type of tissue or body fluid...... analysed and of the immune status of the patient. OBJECTIVES: To analyse the clinical significance of B19 DNA positivity in bone marrow samples from rheumatic patients. STUDY DESIGN: Parvovirus B19 DNA was analysed in paired bone marrow and serum samples by nested PCR technique. Serum was also analysed...... negative group. A high frequency of parvovirus B19 DNA was thus detected in bone marrow samples in rheumatic patients. The clinical data does not support a direct association between B19 PCR positivity and rheumatic disease manifestation. Therefore, the clinical significance of B19 DNA positivity in bone...

A general theory on frequency and time-frequency analysis of irregularly sampled time series based on projection methods - Part 2: Extension to time-frequency analysis

Science.gov (United States)

Lenoir, Guillaume; Crucifix, Michel

2018-03-01

Geophysical time series are sometimes sampled irregularly along the time axis. The situation is particularly frequent in palaeoclimatology. Yet, there is so far no general framework for handling the continuous wavelet transform when the time sampling is irregular. Here we provide such a framework. To this end, we define the scalogram as the continuous-wavelet-transform equivalent of the extended Lomb-Scargle periodogram defined in Part 1 of this study (Lenoir and Crucifix, 2018). The signal being analysed is modelled as the sum of a locally periodic component in the time-frequency plane, a polynomial trend, and a background noise. The mother wavelet adopted here is the Morlet wavelet classically used in geophysical applications. The background noise model is a stationary Gaussian continuous autoregressive-moving-average (CARMA) process, which is more general than the traditional Gaussian white and red noise processes. The scalogram is smoothed by averaging over neighbouring times in order to reduce its variance. The Shannon-Nyquist exclusion zone is however defined as the area corrupted by local aliasing issues. The local amplitude in the time-frequency plane is then estimated with least-squares methods. We also derive an approximate formula linking the squared amplitude and the scalogram. Based on this property, we define a new analysis tool: the weighted smoothed scalogram, which we recommend for most analyses. The estimated signal amplitude also gives access to band and ridge filtering. Finally, we design a test of significance for the weighted smoothed scalogram against the stationary Gaussian CARMA background noise, and provide algorithms for computing confidence levels, either analytically or with Monte Carlo Markov chain methods. All the analysis tools presented in this article are available to the reader in the Python package WAVEPAL.

Landslide Susceptibility Assessment Using Frequency Ratio Technique with Iterative Random Sampling

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hyun-Joo Oh

2017-01-01

Full Text Available This paper assesses the performance of the landslide susceptibility analysis using frequency ratio (FR with an iterative random sampling. A pair of before-and-after digital aerial photographs with 50 cm spatial resolution was used to detect landslide occurrences in Yongin area, Korea. Iterative random sampling was run ten times in total and each time it was applied to the training and validation datasets. Thirteen landslide causative factors were derived from the topographic, soil, forest, and geological maps. The FR scores were calculated from the causative factors and training occurrences repeatedly ten times. The ten landslide susceptibility maps were obtained from the integration of causative factors that assigned FR scores. The landslide susceptibility maps were validated by using each validation dataset. The FR method achieved susceptibility accuracies from 89.48% to 93.21%. And the landslide susceptibility accuracy of the FR method is higher than 89%. Moreover, the ten times iterative FR modeling may contribute to a better understanding of a regularized relationship between the causative factors and landslide susceptibility. This makes it possible to incorporate knowledge-driven considerations of the causative factors into the landslide susceptibility analysis and also be extensively used to other areas.

Electrochemical Analysis of Antichemotherapeutic Drug Zanosar in Pharmaceutical and Biological Samples by Differential Pulse Polarography

OpenAIRE

Reddy, Chennupalle Nageswara; ReddyPrasad, Puthalapattu; Sreedhar, NeelamYughandhar

2013-01-01

The electrochemical reduction of zanosar was investigated systematically by direct current polarography, cyclic voltammetry, and differential pulse polarography (DPP). A simple DPP technique was proposed for the direct quantitative determination of anticancer drug zanosar in pharmaceutical formulation and spiked human urine samples for the first time. The reduction potential was −0.28 V versus Ag/AgCl with a hanging mercury drop electrode in Britton-Robinson buffer as supporting electrolyte. ...

Differentiation of Anatolian honey samples from different botanical origins by ATR-FTIR spectroscopy using multivariate analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Gok, Seher; Severcan, Mete; Goormaghtigh, Erik; Kandemir, Irfan; Severcan, Feride

2015-03-01

Botanical origin of the nectar predominantly affects the chemical composition of honey. Analytical techniques used for reliable honey authentication are mostly time consuming and expensive. Additionally, they cannot provide 100% efficiency in accurate authentication. Therefore, alternatives for the determination of floral origin of honey need to be developed. This study aims to discriminate characteristic Anatolian honey samples from different botanical origins based on the differences in their molecular content, rather than giving numerical information about the constituents of samples. Another scope of the study is to differentiate inauthentic honey samples from the natural ones precisely. All samples were tested via unsupervised pattern recognition procedures like hierarchical clustering and Principal Component Analysis (PCA). Discrimination of sample groups was achieved successfully with hierarchical clustering over the spectral range of 1800-750 cm(-1) which suggests a good predictive capability of Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and chemometry for the determination of honey floral source. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Frequency of Aggressive Behaviors in a Nationally Representative Sample of Iranian Children and Adolescents: The CASPIAN-IV Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Sadinejad, Morteza; Bahreynian, Maryam; Motlagh, Mohammad-Esmaeil; Qorbani, Mostafa; Movahhed, Mohsen; Ardalan, Gelayol; Heshmat, Ramin; Kelishadi, Roya

2015-01-01

This study aims to explore the frequency of aggressive behaviors among a nationally representative sample of Iranian children and adolescents. This nationwide study was performed on a multi-stage sample of 6-18 years students, living in 30 provinces in Iran. Students were asked to confidentially report the frequency of aggressive behaviors including physical fighting, bullying and being bullied in the previous 12 months, using the questionnaire of the World Health Organization Global School Health Survey. In this cross-sectional study, 13,486 students completed the study (90.6% participation rate); they consisted of 49.2% girls and 75.6% urban residents. The mean age of participants was 12.47 years (95% confidence interval: 12.29, 12.65). In total, physical fight was more prevalent among boys than girls (48% vs. 31%, P bulling to other classmates had a higher frequency among boys compared to girls (29% vs. 25%, P bulling to others). Physical fighting was more prevalent among rural residents (40% vs. 39%, respectively, P = 0.61), while being bullied was more common among urban students (27% vs. 26%, respectively, P = 0.69). Although in this study the frequency of aggressive behaviors was lower than many other populations, still these findings emphasize on the importance of designing preventive interventions that target the students, especially in early adolescence, and to increase their awareness toward aggressive behaviors. Implications for future research and aggression prevention programming are recommended.

Evaluation of the Problem Behavior Frequency Scale-Teacher Report Form for Assessing Behavior in a Sample of Urban Adolescents.

Science.gov (United States)

Farrell, Albert D; Goncy, Elizabeth A; Sullivan, Terri N; Thompson, Erin L

2018-02-01

This study evaluated the structure and validity of the Problem Behavior Frequency Scale-Teacher Report Form (PBFS-TR) for assessing students' frequency of specific forms of aggression and victimization, and positive behavior. Analyses were conducted on two waves of data from 727 students from two urban middle schools (Sample 1) who were rated by their teachers on the PBFS-TR and the Social Skills Improvement System (SSIS), and on data collected from 1,740 students from three urban middle schools (Sample 2) for whom data on both the teacher and student report version of the PBFS were obtained. Confirmatory factor analyses supported first-order factors representing 3 forms of aggression (physical, verbal, and relational), 3 forms of victimization (physical, verbal and relational), and 2 forms of positive behavior (prosocial behavior and effective nonviolent behavior), and higher-order factors representing aggression, victimization, and positive behavior. Strong measurement invariance was established over gender, grade, intervention condition, and time. Support for convergent validity was found based on correlations between corresponding scales on the PBFS-TR and teacher ratings on the SSIS in Sample 1. Significant correlations were also found between teacher ratings on the PBFS-TR and student ratings of their behavior on the Problem Behavior Frequency Scale-Adolescent Report (PBFS-AR) and a measure of nonviolent behavioral intentions in Sample 2. Overall the findings provided support for the PBFS-TR and suggested that teachers can provide useful data on students' aggressive and prosocial behavior and victimization experiences within the school setting. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).

Stochastic differentiation into an osteoclast lineage from cloned macrophage-like cells

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hayashi, Shin-Ichi, E-mail: shayashi@med.tottori-u.ac.jp [Division of Immunology, Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, School of Life Science, Faculty of Medicine, Tottori University, 86 Nishi-Cho, Yonago, Tottori 683-8503 (Japan); Murata, Akihiko; Okuyama, Kazuki; Shimoda, Yuhki; Hikosaka, Mari [Division of Immunology, Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, School of Life Science, Faculty of Medicine, Tottori University, 86 Nishi-Cho, Yonago, Tottori 683-8503 (Japan); Yasuda, Hisataka [Planning and Development, Bioindustry Division, Oriental Yeast Co., Ltd, Itabashi-Ku, Tokyo 174-8505 (Japan); Yoshino, Miya [Division of Immunology, Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, School of Life Science, Faculty of Medicine, Tottori University, 86 Nishi-Cho, Yonago, Tottori 683-8503 (Japan)

2012-11-16

Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The frequency of C7 differentiation into osteoclast was low and constant. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Only extended C7 cell cultures exponentially increased osteoclast+ cultures. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer C7 cell differentiation into committed osteoclast precursors is on 'autopilot'. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The system may maintain the stem cell self-renewal and differentiation. -- Abstract: Differentiation into osteoclasts is induced by a macrophage colony-stimulating factor and receptor activator of nuclear-factor {kappa}B ligand. The macrophage-like cell line, C7 has the potential to differentiate into osteoclasts when it is cultured with both factors for 6 days. Although C7 is an established cell line, the frequency of differentiation into this lineage was less than 10%, and the ratio was maintained at a constant level, even after repeated cloning. In this study, to increase the differentiation of C7 cells to osteoclasts, C7 derivative treatments with several activators and/or inhibitors were performed for 3 days prior to setting osteoclast induction analysis; however, a reagent to significantly up-regulate the frequency of differentiation was not found. Only extended cultures for osteoclastogenesis exponentially increased the frequency of osteoclast precursors. It is likely that C7 cell differentiation into committed osteoclast precursors is on 'autopilot' rather than requiring specific signals to drive this process.

Stochastic differentiation into an osteoclast lineage from cloned macrophage-like cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hayashi, Shin-Ichi; Murata, Akihiko; Okuyama, Kazuki; Shimoda, Yuhki; Hikosaka, Mari; Yasuda, Hisataka; Yoshino, Miya

2012-01-01

Highlights: ► The frequency of C7 differentiation into osteoclast was low and constant. ► Only extended C7 cell cultures exponentially increased osteoclast+ cultures. ► C7 cell differentiation into committed osteoclast precursors is on ‘autopilot’. ► The system may maintain the stem cell self-renewal and differentiation. -- Abstract: Differentiation into osteoclasts is induced by a macrophage colony-stimulating factor and receptor activator of nuclear-factor κB ligand. The macrophage-like cell line, C7 has the potential to differentiate into osteoclasts when it is cultured with both factors for 6 days. Although C7 is an established cell line, the frequency of differentiation into this lineage was less than 10%, and the ratio was maintained at a constant level, even after repeated cloning. In this study, to increase the differentiation of C7 cells to osteoclasts, C7 derivative treatments with several activators and/or inhibitors were performed for 3 days prior to setting osteoclast induction analysis; however, a reagent to significantly up-regulate the frequency of differentiation was not found. Only extended cultures for osteoclastogenesis exponentially increased the frequency of osteoclast precursors. It is likely that C7 cell differentiation into committed osteoclast precursors is on ‘autopilot’ rather than requiring specific signals to drive this process.

Designing waveforms for temporal encoding using a frequency sampling method

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Gran, Fredrik; Jensen, Jørgen Arendt

2007-01-01

was compared to a linear frequency modulated signal with amplitude tapering, previously used in clinical studies for synthetic transmit aperture imaging. The latter had a relatively flat spectrum which implied that the waveform tried to excite all frequencies including ones with low amplification. The proposed......In this paper a method for designing waveforms for temporal encoding in medical ultrasound imaging is described. The method is based on least squares optimization and is used to design nonlinear frequency modulated signals for synthetic transmit aperture imaging. By using the proposed design method...... waveform, on the other hand, was designed so that only frequencies where the transducer had a large amplification were excited. Hereby, unnecessary heating of the transducer could be avoided and the signal-tonoise ratio could be increased. The experimental ultrasound scanner RASMUS was used to evaluate...

High-frequency, long-duration water sampling in acid mine drainage studies: a short review of current methods and recent advances in automated water samplers

Science.gov (United States)

Chapin, Thomas

2015-01-01

Hand-collected grab samples are the most common water sampling method but using grab sampling to monitor temporally variable aquatic processes such as diel metal cycling or episodic events is rarely feasible or cost-effective. Currently available automated samplers are a proven, widely used technology and typically collect up to 24 samples during a deployment. However, these automated samplers are not well suited for long-term sampling in remote areas or in freezing conditions. There is a critical need for low-cost, long-duration, high-frequency water sampling technology to improve our understanding of the geochemical response to temporally variable processes. This review article will examine recent developments in automated water sampler technology and utilize selected field data from acid mine drainage studies to illustrate the utility of high-frequency, long-duration water sampling.

Surface analyses of electropolished niobium samples for superconducting radio frequency cavity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tyagi, P. V.; Nishiwaki, M.; Saeki, T.; Sawabe, M.; Hayano, H.; Noguchi, T.; Kato, S.

2010-01-01

The performance of superconducting radio frequency niobium cavities is sometimes limited by contaminations present on the cavity surface. In the recent years extensive research has been done to enhance the cavity performance by applying improved surface treatments such as mechanical grinding, electropolishing (EP), chemical polishing, tumbling, etc., followed by various rinsing methods such as ultrasonic pure water rinse, alcoholic rinse, high pressure water rinse, hydrogen per oxide rinse, etc. Although good cavity performance has been obtained lately by various post-EP cleaning methods, the detailed nature about the surface contaminants is still not fully characterized. Further efforts in this area are desired. Prior x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analyses of EPed niobium samples treated with fresh EP acid, demonstrated that the surfaces were covered mainly with the niobium oxide (Nb 2 O 5 ) along with carbon, in addition a small quantity of sulfur and fluorine were also found in secondary ion mass spectroscopy (SIMS) analysis. In this article, the authors present the analyses of surface contaminations for a series of EPed niobium samples located at various positions of a single cell niobium cavity followed by ultrapure water rinsing as well as our endeavor to understand the aging effect of EP acid solution in terms of contaminations presence at the inner surface of the cavity with the help of surface analytical tools such as XPS, SIMS, and scanning electron microscope at KEK.

Enhancing the Frequency Adaptability of Periodic Current Controllers with a Fixed Sampling Rate for Grid-Connected Power Converters

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Yang, Yongheng; Zhou, Keliang; Blaabjerg, Frede

2016-01-01

Grid-connected power converters should employ advanced current controllers, e.g., Proportional Resonant (PR) and Repetitive Controllers (RC), in order to produce high-quality feed-in currents that are required to be synchronized with the grid. The synchronization is actually to detect...... of the resonant controllers and by approximating the fractional delay using a Lagrange interpolating polynomial for the RC, respectively, the frequency-variation-immunity of these periodic current controllers with a fixed sampling rate is improved. Experiments on a single-phase grid-connected system are presented...... the instantaneous grid information (e.g., frequency and phase of the grid voltage) for the current control, which is commonly performed by a Phase-Locked-Loop (PLL) system. Hence, harmonics and deviations in the estimated frequency by the PLL could lead to current tracking performance degradation, especially...

Noise Analysis of Single-Ended Input Differential Amplifier using Stochastic Differential Equation

OpenAIRE

Tarun Kumar Rawat; Abhirup Lahiri; Ashish Gupta

2008-01-01

In this paper, we analyze the effect of noise in a single- ended input differential amplifier working at high frequencies. Both extrinsic and intrinsic noise are analyzed using time domain method employing techniques from stochastic calculus. Stochastic differential equations are used to obtain autocorrelation functions of the output noise voltage and other solution statistics like mean and variance. The analysis leads to important design implications and suggests changes in the device parame...

Vibration and acoustic frequency spectra for industrial process modeling using selective fusion multi-condition samples and multi-source features

Science.gov (United States)

Tang, Jian; Qiao, Junfei; Wu, ZhiWei; Chai, Tianyou; Zhang, Jian; Yu, Wen

2018-01-01

Frequency spectral data of mechanical vibration and acoustic signals relate to difficult-to-measure production quality and quantity parameters of complex industrial processes. A selective ensemble (SEN) algorithm can be used to build a soft sensor model of these process parameters by fusing valued information selectively from different perspectives. However, a combination of several optimized ensemble sub-models with SEN cannot guarantee the best prediction model. In this study, we use several techniques to construct mechanical vibration and acoustic frequency spectra of a data-driven industrial process parameter model based on selective fusion multi-condition samples and multi-source features. Multi-layer SEN (MLSEN) strategy is used to simulate the domain expert cognitive process. Genetic algorithm and kernel partial least squares are used to construct the inside-layer SEN sub-model based on each mechanical vibration and acoustic frequency spectral feature subset. Branch-and-bound and adaptive weighted fusion algorithms are integrated to select and combine outputs of the inside-layer SEN sub-models. Then, the outside-layer SEN is constructed. Thus, "sub-sampling training examples"-based and "manipulating input features"-based ensemble construction methods are integrated, thereby realizing the selective information fusion process based on multi-condition history samples and multi-source input features. This novel approach is applied to a laboratory-scale ball mill grinding process. A comparison with other methods indicates that the proposed MLSEN approach effectively models mechanical vibration and acoustic signals.

Characteristic of selected frequency luminescence for samples collected in deserts north to Beijing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li Dongxu; Wei Mingjian; Wang Junping; Pan Baolin; Zhao Shiyuan; Liu Zhaowen

2009-01-01

Surface sand samples were collected in eight sites of the Horqin and Otindag deserts located in north to Beijing. BG2003 luminescence spectrograph was used to analyze the emitted photons and characteristic spectra of the selected frequency luminescence were obtained. It was found that high intensities of emitted photons stimulated by heat from 85 degree C-135 degree C and 350 degree C-400 degree C. It belong to the traps of 4.13 eV (300 nm), 4.00 eV (310 nm), 3.88 eV (320 nm) and 2.70 eV (460 nm), and the emitted photons belong to traps of 4.00 eV (310 nm), 3.88 eV (320 nm) and 2.70 eV (460 nm) were stimulated by green laser. And sand samples of the eight sites can respond to the increase of definite radiological dose at each wavelength, which is the characteristic spectrum to provide radiation dosimetry basis for dating. There are definite district characteristic in their characteristic spectra. (authors)

Three-dimensional printed knotted reactors enabling highly sensitive differentiation of silver nanoparticles and ions in aqueous environmental samples

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Su, Cheng-Kuan; Hsieh, Meng-Hsuan; Sun, Yuh-Chang

2016-01-01

Whether silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) persist or release silver ions (Ag + ) when discharged into a natural environment has remained an unresolved issue. In this study, we employed a low-cost stereolithographic three-dimensional printing (3DP) technology to fabricate the angle-defined knotted reactors (KRs) to construct a simple differentiation scheme for quantitative assessment of Ag + ions and AgNPs in municipal wastewater samples. We chose xanthan/phosphate-buffered saline as a dispersion medium for in situ stabilization of the two silver species, while also facilitating their extraction from complicated wastewater matrices. After method optimization, we measured extraction efficiencies of 54.5 and 32.3% for retaining Ag + ions and AgNPs, respectively, in the printed KR (768-turn), with detection limits (DLs) of 0.86 and 0.52 ng L −1 when determining Ag + ions and AgNPs, respectively (sample run at pH 11 without a rinse solution), and 0.86 ng L −1 when determining Ag + ions alone (sample run at pH 12 with a 1.5-mL rinse solution). The proposed scheme is tolerant of the wastewater matrix and provides more reliable differentiation between Ag + /AgNPs than does a conventional filtration method. The concept and applicability of adopting 3DP technology to renew traditional KR devices were evidently proven by means of these significantly improved analytical performance. Our analytical data suggested that the concentrations of Ag + ions and AgNPs in the tested industrial wastewater sample were both higher than those in domestic wastewater, implying that industrial activity might be a main source of environmental silver species, rather than domestic discharge from AgNP-containing products. - Highlights: • 3D printed knotted reactors are utilized to differentiate AgNPs and Ag + ions. • Xanthan/phosphate-buffered saline is used for stabilizing the two silver species. • Extraction efficiency up to 54.5% is available for retaining Ag + ion species. • The

Statistical methods for detecting differentially abundant features in clinical metagenomic samples.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

James Robert White

2009-04-01

Full Text Available Numerous studies are currently underway to characterize the microbial communities inhabiting our world. These studies aim to dramatically expand our understanding of the microbial biosphere and, more importantly, hope to reveal the secrets of the complex symbiotic relationship between us and our commensal bacterial microflora. An important prerequisite for such discoveries are computational tools that are able to rapidly and accurately compare large datasets generated from complex bacterial communities to identify features that distinguish them.We present a statistical method for comparing clinical metagenomic samples from two treatment populations on the basis of count data (e.g. as obtained through sequencing to detect differentially abundant features. Our method, Metastats, employs the false discovery rate to improve specificity in high-complexity environments, and separately handles sparsely-sampled features using Fisher's exact test. Under a variety of simulations, we show that Metastats performs well compared to previously used methods, and significantly outperforms other methods for features with sparse counts. We demonstrate the utility of our method on several datasets including a 16S rRNA survey of obese and lean human gut microbiomes, COG functional profiles of infant and mature gut microbiomes, and bacterial and viral metabolic subsystem data inferred from random sequencing of 85 metagenomes. The application of our method to the obesity dataset reveals differences between obese and lean subjects not reported in the original study. For the COG and subsystem datasets, we provide the first statistically rigorous assessment of the differences between these populations. The methods described in this paper are the first to address clinical metagenomic datasets comprising samples from multiple subjects. Our methods are robust across datasets of varied complexity and sampling level. While designed for metagenomic applications, our software

Magnetostatic modes in ferromagnetic samples with inhomogeneous internal fields

Science.gov (United States)

Arias, Rodrigo

2015-03-01

Magnetostatic modes in ferromagnetic samples are very well characterized and understood in samples with uniform internal magnetic fields. More recently interest has shifted to the study of magnetization modes in ferromagnetic samples with inhomogeneous internal fields. The present work shows that under the magnetostatic approximation and for samples of arbitrary shape and/or arbitrary inhomogeneous internal magnetic fields the modes can be classified as elliptic or hyperbolic, and their associated frequency spectrum can be delimited. This results from the analysis of the character of the second order partial differential equation for the magnetostatic potential under these general conditions. In general, a sample with an inhomogeneous internal field and at a given frequency, may have regions of elliptic and hyperbolic character separated by a boundary. In the elliptic regions the magnetostatic modes have a smooth monotonic character (generally decaying form the surfaces (a ``tunneling'' behavior)) and in hyperbolic regions an oscillatory wave-like character. A simple local criterion distinguishes hyperbolic from elliptic regions: the sign of a susceptibility parameter. This study shows that one may control to some extent magnetostatic modes via external fields or geometry. R.E.A. acknowledges Financiamiento Basal para Centros Cientificos y Tecnologicos de Excelencia under Project No. FB 0807 (Chile), Grant No. ICM P10-061-F by Fondo de Innovacion para la Competitividad-MINECON, and Proyecto Fondecyt 1130192.

How much is enough? Examining frequency criteria for NSSI disorder in adolescent inpatients.

Science.gov (United States)

Muehlenkamp, Jennifer J; Brausch, Amy M; Washburn, Jason J

2017-06-01

To empirically evaluate the diagnostic relevance of the proposed Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (5th ed.; DSM-5 ; APA, 2013) Criterion-A frequency threshold for nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) disorder. Archival, de-identified, self-reported clinical assessment data from 746 adolescent psychiatric patients (Mage = 14.97; 88% female; 76% White) were used. The sample was randomly split into 2 unique samples for data analyses. Measures included assessments of NSSI, proposed DSM-5 NSSI-disorder criteria, psychopathology, dysfunction, distress, functional impairment, and suicidality. Discriminant-function analyses run with Sample A identified a significant differentiation of groups based on a frequency of NSSI at 25 or more days in the past year, Λ = .814, χ2(54) = 72.59, p 25 days), moderate (5-24 days), and low (1-4 days) and compared. The high-NSSI group scored higher on most NSSI features, including DSM-5 -proposed Criterion-B and -C symptoms, depression, psychotic symptoms, substance abuse, borderline personality-disorder features, suicidal ideation, and suicide plans, than the moderate- and low-NSSI groups, who did not differ from each other on many of the variables. The currently proposed DSM-5 Criterion-A frequency threshold for NSSI disorder lacks validity and clinical utility. The field needs to consider raising the frequency threshold to ensure that a meaningful and valid set of diagnostic criteria are established, and to avoid overpathologizing individuals who infrequently engage in NSSI. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

Surface analyses of electropolished niobium samples for superconducting radio frequency cavity

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tyagi, P. V.; Nishiwaki, M.; Saeki, T.; Sawabe, M.; Hayano, H.; Noguchi, T.; Kato, S. [GUAS, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-0801 (Japan); KEK, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-0801 (Japan); KAKEN Inc., Hokota, Ibaraki 311-1416 (Japan); GUAS, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-0801 (Japan) and KEK, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-0801 (Japan)

2010-07-15

The performance of superconducting radio frequency niobium cavities is sometimes limited by contaminations present on the cavity surface. In the recent years extensive research has been done to enhance the cavity performance by applying improved surface treatments such as mechanical grinding, electropolishing (EP), chemical polishing, tumbling, etc., followed by various rinsing methods such as ultrasonic pure water rinse, alcoholic rinse, high pressure water rinse, hydrogen per oxide rinse, etc. Although good cavity performance has been obtained lately by various post-EP cleaning methods, the detailed nature about the surface contaminants is still not fully characterized. Further efforts in this area are desired. Prior x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analyses of EPed niobium samples treated with fresh EP acid, demonstrated that the surfaces were covered mainly with the niobium oxide (Nb{sub 2}O{sub 5}) along with carbon, in addition a small quantity of sulfur and fluorine were also found in secondary ion mass spectroscopy (SIMS) analysis. In this article, the authors present the analyses of surface contaminations for a series of EPed niobium samples located at various positions of a single cell niobium cavity followed by ultrapure water rinsing as well as our endeavor to understand the aging effect of EP acid solution in terms of contaminations presence at the inner surface of the cavity with the help of surface analytical tools such as XPS, SIMS, and scanning electron microscope at KEK.

QNB: differential RNA methylation analysis for count-based small-sample sequencing data with a quad-negative binomial model.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Lian; Zhang, Shao-Wu; Huang, Yufei; Meng, Jia

2017-08-31

As a newly emerged research area, RNA epigenetics has drawn increasing attention recently for the participation of RNA methylation and other modifications in a number of crucial biological processes. Thanks to high throughput sequencing techniques, such as, MeRIP-Seq, transcriptome-wide RNA methylation profile is now available in the form of count-based data, with which it is often of interests to study the dynamics at epitranscriptomic layer. However, the sample size of RNA methylation experiment is usually very small due to its costs; and additionally, there usually exist a large number of genes whose methylation level cannot be accurately estimated due to their low expression level, making differential RNA methylation analysis a difficult task. We present QNB, a statistical approach for differential RNA methylation analysis with count-based small-sample sequencing data. Compared with previous approaches such as DRME model based on a statistical test covering the IP samples only with 2 negative binomial distributions, QNB is based on 4 independent negative binomial distributions with their variances and means linked by local regressions, and in the way, the input control samples are also properly taken care of. In addition, different from DRME approach, which relies only the input control sample only for estimating the background, QNB uses a more robust estimator for gene expression by combining information from both input and IP samples, which could largely improve the testing performance for very lowly expressed genes. QNB showed improved performance on both simulated and real MeRIP-Seq datasets when compared with competing algorithms. And the QNB model is also applicable to other datasets related RNA modifications, including but not limited to RNA bisulfite sequencing, m 1 A-Seq, Par-CLIP, RIP-Seq, etc.

Efficacy analysis of LDPC coded APSK modulated differential space-time-frequency coded for wireless body area network using MB-pulsed OFDM UWB technology.

Science.gov (United States)

Manimegalai, C T; Gauni, Sabitha; Kalimuthu, K

2017-12-04

Wireless body area network (WBAN) is a breakthrough technology in healthcare areas such as hospital and telemedicine. The human body has a complex mixture of different tissues. It is expected that the nature of propagation of electromagnetic signals is distinct in each of these tissues. This forms the base for the WBAN, which is different from other environments. In this paper, the knowledge of Ultra Wide Band (UWB) channel is explored in the WBAN (IEEE 802.15.6) system. The measurements of parameters in frequency range from 3.1-10.6 GHz are taken. The proposed system, transmits data up to 480 Mbps by using LDPC coded APSK Modulated Differential Space-Time-Frequency Coded MB-OFDM to increase the throughput and power efficiency.

Frequency of aggressive behaviors in a nationally representative sample of Iranian children and adolescents: The CASPIAN-IV study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Morteza Sadinejad

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Background: This study aims to explore the frequency of aggressive behaviors among a nationally representative sample of Iranian children and adolescents. Methods: This nationwide study was performed on a multi-stage sample of 6-18 years students, living in 30 provinces in Iran. Students were asked to confidentially report the frequency of aggressive behaviors including physical fighting, bullying and being bullied in the previous 12 months, using the questionnaire of the World Health Organization Global School Health Survey. Results: In this cross-sectional study, 13,486 students completed the study (90.6% participation rate; they consisted of 49.2% girls and 75.6% urban residents. The mean age of participants was 12.47 years (95% confidence interval: 12.29, 12.65. In total, physical fight was more prevalent among boys than girls (48% vs. 31%, P < 0.001. Higher rates of involvement in two other behaviors namely being bullied and bulling to other classmates had a higher frequency among boys compared to girls (29% vs. 25%, P < 0.001 for being bullied and (20% vs. 14%, P < 0.001 for bulling to others. Physical fighting was more prevalent among rural residents (40% vs. 39%, respectively, P = 0.61, while being bullied was more common among urban students (27% vs. 26%, respectively, P = 0.69. Conclusions: Although in this study the frequency of aggressive behaviors was lower than many other populations, still these findings emphasize on the importance of designing preventive interventions that target the students, especially in early adolescence, and to increase their awareness toward aggressive behaviors. Implications for future research and aggression prevention programming are recommended.

Evolution of concentration-discharge relations revealed by high frequency diurnal sampling of stream water during spring snowmelt

Science.gov (United States)

Olshansky, Y.; White, A. M.; Thompson, M.; Moravec, B. G.; McIntosh, J. C.; Chorover, J.

2017-12-01

Concentration discharge (C-Q) relations contain potentially important information on critical zone (CZ) processes including: weathering reactions, water flow paths and nutrient export. To examine the C-Q relations in a small (3.3 km2) headwater catchment - La Jara Creek located in the Jemez River Basin Critical Zone Observatory, daily, diurnal stream water samples were collected during spring snow melt 2017, from two flumes located in outlets of the La Jara Creek and a high elevation zero order basin within this catchment. Previous studies from this site (McIntosh et al., 2017) suggested that high frequency sampling was needed to improve our interpretation of C-Q relations. The dense sampling covered two ascending and two descending limbs of the snowmelt hydrograph, from March 1 to May 15, 2017. While Na showed inverse correlation (dilution) with discharge, most other solutes (K, Mg, Fe, Al, dissolved organic carbon) exhibited positive (concentration) or chemostatic trends (Ca, Mn, Si, dissolved inorganic carbon and dissolved nitrogen). Hysteresis in the C-Q relation was most pronounced for bio-cycled cations (K, Mg) and for Fe, which exhibited concentration during the first ascending limb followed by a chemostatic trend. A pulsed increase in Si concentration immediately after the first ascending limb in both flumes suggests mixing of deep groundwater with surface water. A continual increase in Ge/Si concentrations followed by a rapid decrease after the second rising limb may suggest a fast transition between soil water to ground water dominating the stream flow. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy of selected samples across the hydrograph demonstrated pronounced changes in dissolved organic matter molecular composition with the advancement of the spring snow melt. X-ray micro-spectroscopy of colloidal material isolated from the collected water samples indicated a significant role for organic matter in the transport of inorganic colloids. Analyses of high

Detecting chaos in irregularly sampled time series.

Science.gov (United States)

Kulp, C W

2013-09-01

Recently, Wiebe and Virgin [Chaos 22, 013136 (2012)] developed an algorithm which detects chaos by analyzing a time series' power spectrum which is computed using the Discrete Fourier Transform (DFT). Their algorithm, like other time series characterization algorithms, requires that the time series be regularly sampled. Real-world data, however, are often irregularly sampled, thus, making the detection of chaotic behavior difficult or impossible with those methods. In this paper, a characterization algorithm is presented, which effectively detects chaos in irregularly sampled time series. The work presented here is a modification of Wiebe and Virgin's algorithm and uses the Lomb-Scargle Periodogram (LSP) to compute a series' power spectrum instead of the DFT. The DFT is not appropriate for irregularly sampled time series. However, the LSP is capable of computing the frequency content of irregularly sampled data. Furthermore, a new method of analyzing the power spectrum is developed, which can be useful for differentiating between chaotic and non-chaotic behavior. The new characterization algorithm is successfully applied to irregularly sampled data generated by a model as well as data consisting of observations of variable stars.

Alternating current electric field effects on neural stem cell viability and differentiation.

Science.gov (United States)

Matos, Marvi A; Cicerone, Marcus T

2010-01-01

Methods utilizing stem cells hold tremendous promise for tissue engineering applications; however, many issues must be worked out before these therapies can be routinely applied. Utilization of external cues for preimplantation expansion and differentiation offers a potentially viable approach to the use of stem cells in tissue engineering. The studies reported here focus on the response of murine neural stem cells encapsulated in alginate hydrogel beads to alternating current electric fields. Cell viability and differentiation was studied as a function of electric field magnitude and frequency. We applied fields of frequency (0.1-10) Hz, and found a marked peak in neural stem cell viability under oscillatory electric fields with a frequency of 1 Hz. We also found an enhanced propensity for astrocyte differentiation over neuronal differentiation in the 1 Hz cultures, as compared to the other field frequencies we studied. Published 2010 American Institute of Chemical Engineers

Parental Differential Treatment of Siblings in Childhood

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tina Kavčič

2007-03-01

Full Text Available Parental differential treatment is an important feature of non-shared family environment which contributes to the development of behavioural differences between siblings growing up in the same family. To investigate the frequency, direction, and patterns of parental differential treatment of siblings in Slovene families, mothers and fathers of 93 sibling-pairs in early/middle childhood provided self-reports in a two-wave longitudinal study. Most of the parents reported on low levels of differential treatment, predominantly expressing somewhat more affection and control towards the older than towards the younger sibling. Over a one-year time period, the average frequency of parental differential treatment did not change significantly, whereas the stability was estimated as moderate for maternal and low for paternal assessments. Maternal and paternal self-ratings were moderately correlated. However, the mothers reported on somewhat higher levels of differential control and (only in wave 1 affection than the fathers. Nearly half of the families were characterized by a congruent pattern of parental differential treatment indicating that both parents showed more affection and control towards the older of the two siblings. A complementary family pattern reflecting an opposite direction of maternal and paternal differential treatment emerged in approximately a quarter of the participating families.

Quantitative determination of the specific heat and the glass transition of moist samples by temperature modulated differential scanning calorimetry.

Science.gov (United States)

Schubnell, M; Schawe, J E

2001-04-17

In differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), remnant moisture loss in samples often overlaps and distorts other thermal events, e.g. glass transitions. To separate such overlapping processes, temperature modulated DSC (TMDSC) has been widely used. In this contribution we discuss the quantitative determination of the heat capacity of a moist sample from TMDSC measurements. The sample was a spray-dried pharmaceutical compound run in different pans (hermetically-sealed pan, pierced lid pan [50 microm] and open pan). The apparent heat capacity was corrected for the remaining amount of moisture. Using this procedure we could clearly identify the glass transition of the dry and the moist sample. We found that a moisture content of about 6.2% shifts the glass transition by about 50 degrees C.

Spatial-Frequency Azimuthally Stable Cartography of Biological Polycrystalline Networks

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

V. A. Ushenko

2013-01-01

Full Text Available A new azimuthally stable polarimetric technique processing microscopic images of optically anisotropic structures of biological tissues histological sections is proposed. It has been used as a generalized model of phase anisotropy definition of biological tissues by using superposition of Mueller matrices of linear birefringence and optical activity. The matrix element M44 has been chosen as the main information parameter, whose value is independent of the rotation angle of both sample and probing beam polarization plane. For the first time, the technique of concerted spatial-frequency filtration has been used in order to separate the manifestation of linear birefringence and optical activity. Thereupon, the method of azimuthally stable spatial-frequency cartography of biological tissues histological sections has been elaborated. As the analyzing tool, complex statistic, correlation, and fractal analysis of coordinate distributions of M44 element has been performed. The possibility of using the biopsy of the uterine wall tissue in order to differentiate benign (fibromyoma and malignant (adenocarcinoma conditions has been estimated.

Three-dimensional printed knotted reactors enabling highly sensitive differentiation of silver nanoparticles and ions in aqueous environmental samples

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Su, Cheng-Kuan, E-mail: chengkuan@ntou.edu.tw [Department of Bioscience and Biotechnology, National Taiwan Ocean University, Keelung, 20224, Taiwan, ROC (China); Hsieh, Meng-Hsuan [Department of Biomedical Engineering and Environmental Sciences, National Tsing-Hua University, Hsinchu, 30013, Taiwan, ROC (China); Sun, Yuh-Chang, E-mail: ycsun@mx.nthu.edu.tw [Department of Biomedical Engineering and Environmental Sciences, National Tsing-Hua University, Hsinchu, 30013, Taiwan, ROC (China)

2016-03-31

Whether silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) persist or release silver ions (Ag{sup +}) when discharged into a natural environment has remained an unresolved issue. In this study, we employed a low-cost stereolithographic three-dimensional printing (3DP) technology to fabricate the angle-defined knotted reactors (KRs) to construct a simple differentiation scheme for quantitative assessment of Ag{sup +} ions and AgNPs in municipal wastewater samples. We chose xanthan/phosphate-buffered saline as a dispersion medium for in situ stabilization of the two silver species, while also facilitating their extraction from complicated wastewater matrices. After method optimization, we measured extraction efficiencies of 54.5 and 32.3% for retaining Ag{sup +} ions and AgNPs, respectively, in the printed KR (768-turn), with detection limits (DLs) of 0.86 and 0.52 ng L{sup −1} when determining Ag{sup +} ions and AgNPs, respectively (sample run at pH 11 without a rinse solution), and 0.86 ng L{sup −1} when determining Ag{sup +} ions alone (sample run at pH 12 with a 1.5-mL rinse solution). The proposed scheme is tolerant of the wastewater matrix and provides more reliable differentiation between Ag{sup +}/AgNPs than does a conventional filtration method. The concept and applicability of adopting 3DP technology to renew traditional KR devices were evidently proven by means of these significantly improved analytical performance. Our analytical data suggested that the concentrations of Ag{sup +} ions and AgNPs in the tested industrial wastewater sample were both higher than those in domestic wastewater, implying that industrial activity might be a main source of environmental silver species, rather than domestic discharge from AgNP-containing products. - Highlights: • 3D printed knotted reactors are utilized to differentiate AgNPs and Ag{sup +} ions. • Xanthan/phosphate-buffered saline is used for stabilizing the two silver species. • Extraction efficiency up to 54.5% is

Effect of antibrowning agents on fresh-cut potato tubers using frequency filtering of biospeckle images

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Minz, Preeti D; Ansari, Md Zaheer; Nirala, A K

2015-01-01

Our present work aims to study the physiological changes of chemically treated fresh-cut potato tubers and then to correlate such changes with the results of the non destructive and non invasive laser biospeckle technique. The effect of chemically treated (citric acid (CA-0.5% and 1.0%) and citric acid + sodium chloride (CS-0.5% and 1.0%)) fresh-cut potato tubers on physiological activities such as the respiration rate and weight loss at cold storage has been studied for eight consecutive days. In addition, biospeckle recording has been carried out for eight consecutive days for all the chemically treated samples and from captured images, and the numerical results (inertia moment (IM)) with and without frequency filtering have been obtained. A comparatively higher respiration rate and lower weight loss is observed for CS treated samples than that of CA treated samples. The results of the IM obtained with the exclusion of the higher frequency show a similar nature to the respiration rate and also, separations of the respiration curves at two concentrations for both the treated samples were well correlated with the IM curves. The concentration effect for both the treatments on the IM value with the exclusion of lower frequencies has also been presented. Thus the IM method with filtration of particular bands is able to separate the different physiological phenomena with one another and is also able to differentiate the chemical effect on the samples. (paper)

Resonant difference-frequency atomic force ultrasonic microscope

Science.gov (United States)

Cantrell, John H. (Inventor); Cantrell, Sean A. (Inventor)

2010-01-01

A scanning probe microscope and methodology called resonant difference-frequency atomic force ultrasonic microscopy (RDF-AFUM), employs an ultrasonic wave launched from the bottom of a sample while the cantilever of an atomic force microscope, driven at a frequency differing from the ultrasonic frequency by one of the contact resonance frequencies of the cantilever, engages the sample top surface. The nonlinear mixing of the oscillating cantilever and the ultrasonic wave in the region defined by the cantilever tip-sample surface interaction force generates difference-frequency oscillations at the cantilever contact resonance. The resonance-enhanced difference-frequency signals are used to create images of nanoscale near-surface and subsurface features.

Differential determination of 203Hg and 14C or 35S in double labelled biological samples

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bem, E.M.; Bem, H.; Reimschussel, W.

1979-01-01

The differential determination of 203 Hg and 14 C or 35 S in double labelled biological samples is presented. The biological samples were mineralized with 70% HClO 4 and 30% H 2 O 2 in glass vials, MILLI-6. The γ-activity of 203 Hg was measured on a well scintillation counter. The total activity, due to 203 Hg and 14 C or 35 S, was measured by the liquid scintillation technique after addition of Aquasol into the same vials. The method of external standard channel ratio was used for standardization. Very good recoveries were obtained: 100+-0.7% for 203 Hg and 94.6-101.0% for 14 C and 35 S. This method could be used for other β, γ and β-active nuclides with similar β-spectra. (author)

A SELDI mass spectrometry study of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis: sample preparation, reproducibility, and differential protein expression patterns.

Science.gov (United States)

Azzam, Sausan; Broadwater, Laurie; Li, Shuo; Freeman, Ernest J; McDonough, Jennifer; Gregory, Roger B

2013-05-01

Experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) is an autoimmune, inflammatory disease of the central nervous system that is widely used as a model of multiple sclerosis (MS). Mitochondrial dysfunction appears to play a role in the development of neuropathology in MS and may also play a role in disease pathology in EAE. Here, surface enhanced laser desorption ionization mass spectrometry (SELDI-MS) has been employed to obtain protein expression profiles from mitochondrially enriched fractions derived from EAE and control mouse brain. To gain insight into experimental variation, the reproducibility of sub-cellular fractionation, anion exchange fractionation as well as spot-to-spot and chip-to-chip variation using pooled samples from brain tissue was examined. Variability of SELDI mass spectral peak intensities indicates a coefficient of variation (CV) of 15.6% and 17.6% between spots on a given chip and between different chips, respectively. Thinly slicing tissue prior to homogenization with a rotor homogenizer showed better reproducibility (CV = 17.0%) than homogenization of blocks of brain tissue with a Teflon® pestle (CV = 27.0%). Fractionation of proteins with anion exchange beads prior to SELDI-MS analysis gave overall CV values from 16.1% to 18.6%. SELDI mass spectra of mitochondrial fractions obtained from brain tissue from EAE mice and controls displayed 39 differentially expressed proteins (p≤ 0.05) out of a total of 241 protein peaks observed in anion exchange fractions. Hierarchical clustering analysis showed that protein fractions from EAE animals with severe disability clearly segregated from controls. Several components of electron transport chain complexes (cytochrome c oxidase subunit 6b1, subunit 6C, and subunit 4; NADH dehydrogenase flavoprotein 3, alpha subcomplex subunit 2, Fe-S protein 4, and Fe-S protein 6; and ATP synthase subunit e) were identified as possible differentially expressed proteins. Myelin Basic Protein isoform 8 (MBP8) (14.2 k

Differential diagnosis of adrenocorticotropic hormone-independent Cushing syndrome: role of adrenal venous sampling.

Science.gov (United States)

Martins, Raquel G; Agrawal, Reshma; Berney, Daniel M; Reznek, Rodney; Matson, Matthew; Grossman, Ashley B; Druce, Maralyn R

2012-01-01

To outline the potential role for adrenal venous sampling in the diagnosis and management of adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH)-independent Cushing syndrome (CS). We present a case description and discuss the management of a 59-year-old woman with an 8-year history of weight gain, centripetal obesity, a round plethoric face, skin thinning, easy bruising, hirsutism, and progressive muscle weakness. The patient reported a prior personal history of asthma, type 2 diabetes mellitus, hypertension, dyslipidemia, and bilateral leg ulcers, but she denied having any personal or family history of endocrinopathy and was not taking any corticosteroid medication. Elevated midnight serum cortisol, failure to suppress cortisol levels with a low-dose dexamethasone suppression test, and undetectable plasma ACTH all indicated ACTH-independent CS. Additional investigations including dynamic tests and adrenal imaging were supported by adrenal venous sampling in order to make a diagnosis and formulate a management plan. She was ultimately noted to have bilateral functioning adrenal nodules (adenoma and adenolipoma) and underwent successful bilateral laparoscopic adrenalectomy, with postoperative glucocorticoid and mineralocorticoid replacement. Adrenal venous sampling may be an important step in the differential diagnosis of CS and localization of the source of cortisol excess. It may distinguish pheochromocytoma or benign nonfunctioning adrenal nodules from cortisol-secreting adenomas and may avoid unnecessary bilateral adrenalectomy. It can also ensure that the correct operation is completed, if required, and thus avoid the increased morbidity and mortality associated with repeated surgical interventions.

Zoonotic species of the genus Arcobacter in poultry from different regions of Costa Rica: frequency of isolation and comparison of two types of sampling

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Valverde Bogantes, Esteban

2014-01-01

The presence of the zoonotic species of Arcobacter are evaluated in laying hens, broilers, ducks and geese of Costa Rica. The frequency of isolation of the genus Arcobacter is determined in samples of poultry using culture methods and molecular techniques. The performance of cloacal swab sampling and fecal collection is compared from poultry for isolation of Arcobacter. The isolation frequencies of Arcobacter species in poultry have indicated a potential public health problem in Costa Rica. Poultry are determined as sources of contamination and dispersion of the bacteria [es

Frequency and antimicrobial susceptibility of acinetobacter species isolated from blood samples of paediatric patients

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Javed, A.; Zafar, A.; Ejaz, H.; Zubair, M.

2012-01-01

Objective: Acinetobacter species is a major nosocomial pathogen causing serious infections in immuno-compromised and hospitalized patients. The aim of this study was to determine the frequency and antimicrobial susceptibility pattern of Acinetobacter species in blood samples of paediatric patients. Methodology: This cross sectional observational study was conducted during January to October, 2011 at The Children's Hospital and Institute of Child Health, Lahore. A total number of 12,032 blood samples were analysed during the study period. Acinetobacter species were Bauer disc diffusion method. Results: The blood cultures showed growth in 1,141 cultures out of which 46 (4.0%) were Acinetobacter species. The gender distribution of Acinetobacter species was 29 (63.0%) in males and 17 (37.0%) in females. A good antimicrobial susceptibility pattern of Acinetobacter species was seen with sulbactam-cefoperazone (93.0%), imepenem and meropenem (82.6% (30.4%) was poor. Conclusion: The results of the present study shows high rate of resistance of Acinetobacter species with cephalosporins in nosocomial infections. The sulbactam-cefoperazone, carbapenems and piperacillin-tazobactam showed effective antimicrobial susceptibility against Acinetobacter species. (author)

SU-E-I-52: Validation of Multi-Frequency Electrical Impedance Tomography Using Computed Tomography

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kohli, K; Liu, F; Krishnan, K [BC Cancer Agency, Surrey, BC (United Kingdom)

2014-06-01

Purpose: Multi-frequency EIT has been reported to be a potential tool in distinguishing a tissue anomaly from background. In this study, we investigate the feasibility of acquiring functional information by comparing multi-frequency EIT images in reference to the structural information from the CT image through fusion. Methods: EIT data was acquired from a slice of winter melon using sixteen electrodes around the phantom, injecting a current of 0.4mA at 100, 66, 24.8 and 9.9 kHz. Differential EIT images were generated by considering different combinations of pair frequencies, one serving as reference data and the other as test data. The experiment was repeated after creating an anomaly in the form of an off-centered cavity of diameter 4.5 cm inside the melon. All EIT images were reconstructed using Electrical Impedance Tomography and Diffuse Optical Tomography Reconstruction Software (EIDORS) package in 2-D differential imaging mode using one-step Gaussian Newton minimization solver. CT image of the melon was obtained using a Phillips CT Scanner. A segmented binary mask image was generated based on the reference electrode position and the CT image to define the regions of interest. The region selected by the user was fused with the CT image through logical indexing. Results: Differential images based on the reference and test signal frequencies were reconstructed from EIT data. Result illustrated distinct structural inhomogeneity in seeded region compared to fruit flesh. The seeded region was seen as a higherimpedance region if the test frequency was lower than the base frequency in the differential EIT reconstruction. When the test frequency was higher than the base frequency, the signal experienced less electrical impedance in the seeded region during the EIT data acquisition. Conclusion: Frequency-based differential EIT imaging can be explored to provide additional functional information along with structural information from CT for identifying different tissues.

SU-E-I-52: Validation of Multi-Frequency Electrical Impedance Tomography Using Computed Tomography

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kohli, K; Liu, F; Krishnan, K

2014-01-01

Purpose: Multi-frequency EIT has been reported to be a potential tool in distinguishing a tissue anomaly from background. In this study, we investigate the feasibility of acquiring functional information by comparing multi-frequency EIT images in reference to the structural information from the CT image through fusion. Methods: EIT data was acquired from a slice of winter melon using sixteen electrodes around the phantom, injecting a current of 0.4mA at 100, 66, 24.8 and 9.9 kHz. Differential EIT images were generated by considering different combinations of pair frequencies, one serving as reference data and the other as test data. The experiment was repeated after creating an anomaly in the form of an off-centered cavity of diameter 4.5 cm inside the melon. All EIT images were reconstructed using Electrical Impedance Tomography and Diffuse Optical Tomography Reconstruction Software (EIDORS) package in 2-D differential imaging mode using one-step Gaussian Newton minimization solver. CT image of the melon was obtained using a Phillips CT Scanner. A segmented binary mask image was generated based on the reference electrode position and the CT image to define the regions of interest. The region selected by the user was fused with the CT image through logical indexing. Results: Differential images based on the reference and test signal frequencies were reconstructed from EIT data. Result illustrated distinct structural inhomogeneity in seeded region compared to fruit flesh. The seeded region was seen as a higherimpedance region if the test frequency was lower than the base frequency in the differential EIT reconstruction. When the test frequency was higher than the base frequency, the signal experienced less electrical impedance in the seeded region during the EIT data acquisition. Conclusion: Frequency-based differential EIT imaging can be explored to provide additional functional information along with structural information from CT for identifying different tissues

Effects of diurnal emission patterns and sampling frequency on precision of measurement methods for daily ammonia emissions from animal houses

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Estelles, F.; Calvet, S.; Ogink, N.W.M.

2010-01-01

Ammonia concentrations and airflow rates are the main parameters needed to determine ammonia emissions from animal houses. It is possible to classify their measurement methods into two main groups according to the sampling frequency: semi-continuous and daily average measurements. In the first

Feeding frequency and caste differentiation in Bombus terrestris larvae

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Ribeiro, M.F.; Velthuis, H.H.W.; Duchateau, Marie José; Tweel, I. van der

1998-01-01

The frequency with which bumble bee larvae are fed during their development was studied using video-recordings. The behaviour of the workers while feeding worker, male and queen larvae of Bombus terrestris was recorded. At the beginning of development, female larvae of both castes were fed at a

Extremely Low-Frequency Electromagnetic Fields Promote In Vitro Neuronal Differentiation and Neurite Outgrowth of Embryonic Neural Stem Cells via Up-Regulating TRPC1

Science.gov (United States)

Ma, Qinlong; Chen, Chunhai; Deng, Ping; Zhu, Gang; Lin, Min; Zhang, Lei; Xu, Shangcheng; He, Mindi; Lu, Yonghui; Duan, Weixia; Pi, Huifeng; Cao, Zhengwang; Pei, Liping; Li, Min; Liu, Chuan; Zhang, Yanwen; Zhong, Min; Zhou, Zhou; Yu, Zhengping

2016-01-01

Exposure to extremely low-frequency electromagnetic fields (ELF-EMFs) can enhance hippocampal neurogenesis in adult mice. However, little is focused on the effects of ELF-EMFs on embryonic neurogenesis. Here, we studied the potential effects of ELF-EMFs on embryonic neural stem cells (eNSCs). We exposed eNSCs to ELF-EMF (50 Hz, 1 mT) for 1, 2, and 3 days with 4 hours per day. We found that eNSC proliferation and maintenance were significantly enhanced after ELF-EMF exposure in proliferation medium. ELF-EMF exposure increased the ratio of differentiated neurons and promoted the neurite outgrowth of eNSC-derived neurons without influencing astrocyes differentiation and the cell apoptosis. In addition, the expression of the proneural genes, NeuroD and Ngn1, which are crucial for neuronal differentiation and neurite outgrowth, was increased after ELF-EMF exposure. Moreover, the expression of transient receptor potential canonical 1 (TRPC1) was significantly up-regulated accompanied by increased the peak amplitude of intracellular calcium level induced by ELF-EMF. Furthermore, silencing TRPC1 expression eliminated the up-regulation of the proneural genes and the promotion of neuronal differentiation and neurite outgrowth induced by ELF-EMF. These results suggest that ELF-EMF exposure promotes the neuronal differentiation and neurite outgrowth of eNSCs via up-regulation the expression of TRPC1 and proneural genes (NeuroD and Ngn1). These findings also provide new insights in understanding the effects of ELF-EMF exposure on embryonic brain development. PMID:26950212

Efficient inference of population size histories and locus-specific mutation rates from large-sample genomic variation data.

Science.gov (United States)

Bhaskar, Anand; Wang, Y X Rachel; Song, Yun S

2015-02-01

With the recent increase in study sample sizes in human genetics, there has been growing interest in inferring historical population demography from genomic variation data. Here, we present an efficient inference method that can scale up to very large samples, with tens or hundreds of thousands of individuals. Specifically, by utilizing analytic results on the expected frequency spectrum under the coalescent and by leveraging the technique of automatic differentiation, which allows us to compute gradients exactly, we develop a very efficient algorithm to infer piecewise-exponential models of the historical effective population size from the distribution of sample allele frequencies. Our method is orders of magnitude faster than previous demographic inference methods based on the frequency spectrum. In addition to inferring demography, our method can also accurately estimate locus-specific mutation rates. We perform extensive validation of our method on simulated data and show that it can accurately infer multiple recent epochs of rapid exponential growth, a signal that is difficult to pick up with small sample sizes. Lastly, we use our method to analyze data from recent sequencing studies, including a large-sample exome-sequencing data set of tens of thousands of individuals assayed at a few hundred genic regions. © 2015 Bhaskar et al.; Published by Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press.

Accelerating Markov chain Monte Carlo simulation by differential evolution with self-adaptive randomized subspace sampling

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Vrugt, Jasper A [Los Alamos National Laboratory; Hyman, James M [Los Alamos National Laboratory; Robinson, Bruce A [Los Alamos National Laboratory; Higdon, Dave [Los Alamos National Laboratory; Ter Braak, Cajo J F [NETHERLANDS; Diks, Cees G H [UNIV OF AMSTERDAM

2008-01-01

Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) methods have found widespread use in many fields of study to estimate the average properties of complex systems, and for posterior inference in a Bayesian framework. Existing theory and experiments prove convergence of well constructed MCMC schemes to the appropriate limiting distribution under a variety of different conditions. In practice, however this convergence is often observed to be disturbingly slow. This is frequently caused by an inappropriate selection of the proposal distribution used to generate trial moves in the Markov Chain. Here we show that significant improvements to the efficiency of MCMC simulation can be made by using a self-adaptive Differential Evolution learning strategy within a population-based evolutionary framework. This scheme, entitled DiffeRential Evolution Adaptive Metropolis or DREAM, runs multiple different chains simultaneously for global exploration, and automatically tunes the scale and orientation of the proposal distribution in randomized subspaces during the search. Ergodicity of the algorithm is proved, and various examples involving nonlinearity, high-dimensionality, and multimodality show that DREAM is generally superior to other adaptive MCMC sampling approaches. The DREAM scheme significantly enhances the applicability of MCMC simulation to complex, multi-modal search problems.

Efficient Estimating Functions for Stochastic Differential Equations

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jakobsen, Nina Munkholt

The overall topic of this thesis is approximate martingale estimating function-based estimationfor solutions of stochastic differential equations, sampled at high frequency. Focuslies on the asymptotic properties of the estimators. The first part of the thesis deals with diffusions observed over...... a fixed time interval. Rate optimal and effcient estimators areobtained for a one-dimensional diffusion parameter. Stable convergence in distribution isused to achieve a practically applicable Gaussian limit distribution for suitably normalisedestimators. In a simulation example, the limit distributions...... multidimensional parameter. Conditions for rate optimality and effciency of estimatorsof drift-jump and diffusion parameters are given in some special cases. Theseconditions are found to extend the pre-existing conditions applicable to continuous diffusions,and impose much stronger requirements on the estimating...

Systematic Sampling and Cluster Sampling of Packet Delays

OpenAIRE

Lindh, Thomas

2006-01-01

Based on experiences of a traffic flow performance meter this papersuggests and evaluates cluster sampling and systematic sampling as methods toestimate average packet delays. Systematic sampling facilitates for exampletime analysis, frequency analysis and jitter measurements. Cluster samplingwith repeated trains of periodically spaced sampling units separated by randomstarting periods, and systematic sampling are evaluated with respect to accuracyand precision. Packet delay traces have been ...

Identification of hydrologic and geochemical pathways using high frequency sampling, REE aqueous sampling and soil characterization at Koiliaris Critical Zone Observatory, Crete

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Moraetis, Daniel, E-mail: moraetis@mred.tuc.gr [Department of Environmental Engineering, Technical University of Crete, 73100 Chania (Greece); Stamati, Fotini; Kotronakis, Manolis; Fragia, Tasoula; Paranychnianakis, Nikolaos; Nikolaidis, Nikolaos P. [Department of Environmental Engineering, Technical University of Crete, 73100 Chania (Greece)

2011-06-15

Highlights: > Identification of hydrological and geochemical pathways within a complex watershed. > Water increased N-NO{sub 3} concentration and E.C. values during flash flood events. > Soil degradation and impact on water infiltration within the Koiliaris watershed. > Analysis of Rare Earth Elements in water bodies for identification of karstic water. - Abstract: Koiliaris River watershed is a Critical Zone Observatory that represents severely degraded soils due to intensive agricultural activities and biophysical factors. It has typical Mediterranean soils under the imminent threat of desertification which is expected to intensify due to projected climate change. High frequency hydro-chemical monitoring with targeted sampling for Rare Earth Elements (REE) analysis of different water bodies and geochemical characterization of soils were used for the identification of hydrologic and geochemical pathways. The high frequency monitoring of water chemical data highlighted the chemical alterations of water in Koiliaris River during flash flood events. Soil physical and chemical characterization surveys were used to identify erodibility patterns within the watershed and the influence of soils on surface and ground water chemistry. The methodology presented can be used to identify the impacts of degraded soils to surface and ground water quality as well as in the design of methods to minimize the impacts of land use practices.

A CMOS transconductance-C filter technique for very high frequencies

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Nauta, Bram

1992-01-01

CMOS circuits for integrated analog filters at very high frequencies, based on transconductance-C integrators, are presented. First a differential transconductance element based on CMOS inverters is described. With this circuit a linear, tunable integrator for very-high-frequency integrated filters

The regional geography of alcohol consumption in England: Comparing drinking frequency and binge drinking.

Science.gov (United States)

Castillo, Javier Malda; Jivraj, Stephen; Ng Fat, Linda

2017-01-01

Alcohol consumption frequency and volume are known to be related to health problems among drinkers. Most of the existing literature that analyses regional variation in drinking behaviour uses measures of consumption that relate only to volume, such as 'binge drinking'. This study compares the regional association of alcohol consumption using measures of drinking frequency (daily drinking) and volume (binge drinking) using a nationally representative sample of residents using the Health Survey for England, 2011-2013. Results suggest the presence of two differentiated drinking patterns with relevant policy implications. We find that people in northern regions are more likely to binge drink, whereas people in southern regions are more likely to drink on most days. Regression analysis shows that regional variation in binge drinking remains strong when taking into account individual and neighbourhood level controls. The findings provide support for regional targeting of interventions that aim to reduce the frequency as well as volume of drinking. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Electrochemical Analysis of Antichemotherapeutic Drug Zanosar in Pharmaceutical and Biological Samples by Differential Pulse Polarography

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chennupalle Nageswara Reddy

2013-01-01

Full Text Available The electrochemical reduction of zanosar was investigated systematically by direct current polarography, cyclic voltammetry, and differential pulse polarography (DPP. A simple DPP technique was proposed for the direct quantitative determination of anticancer drug zanosar in pharmaceutical formulation and spiked human urine samples for the first time. The reduction potential was −0.28 V versus Ag/AgCl with a hanging mercury drop electrode in Britton-Robinson buffer as supporting electrolyte. The dependence of the intensities of currents and potentials on pH, concentration, scan rate, deposition time, and nature of the supporting electrolyte was investigated. The calibration curve was found to be linear with the following equation: y=0.4041x+0.012, with a correlation coefficient of 0.992 (R2 over a concentration range from 1.0×10-7 M to 1.0×10-3 M. In the present investigation, the achieved limit of detection (LOD and limit of quantization (LQD were 7.42×10-8 M and 2.47×10-8 M; respectively. Excipients did not interfere with the determination of zanosar in pharmaceutical formulation and spiked urine samples. Precision and accuracy of the developed method were checked by recovery studies in pharmaceutical formulation and spiked human urine samples.

Electrochemical analysis of antichemotherapeutic drug zanosar in pharmaceutical and biological samples by differential pulse polarography.

Science.gov (United States)

Reddy, Chennupalle Nageswara; Reddyprasad, Puthalapattu; Sreedhar, Neelamyughandhar

2013-01-01

The electrochemical reduction of zanosar was investigated systematically by direct current polarography, cyclic voltammetry, and differential pulse polarography (DPP). A simple DPP technique was proposed for the direct quantitative determination of anticancer drug zanosar in pharmaceutical formulation and spiked human urine samples for the first time. The reduction potential was -0.28 V versus Ag/AgCl with a hanging mercury drop electrode in Britton-Robinson buffer as supporting electrolyte. The dependence of the intensities of currents and potentials on pH, concentration, scan rate, deposition time, and nature of the supporting electrolyte was investigated. The calibration curve was found to be linear with the following equation: y = 0.4041x + 0.012, with a correlation coefficient of 0.992 (R (2)) over a concentration range from 1.0 × 10(-7) M to 1.0 × 10(-3) M. In the present investigation, the achieved limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantization (LQD) were 7.42 × 10(-8) M and 2.47 × 10(-8) M; respectively. Excipients did not interfere with the determination of zanosar in pharmaceutical formulation and spiked urine samples. Precision and accuracy of the developed method were checked by recovery studies in pharmaceutical formulation and spiked human urine samples.

The co-occurrence of PTSD and dissociation: differentiating severe PTSD from dissociative-PTSD

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Armour, C.; Karstoft, K. I.; Richardson, J. D.

2014-01-01

A dissociative-posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) subtype has been included in the DSM-5. However, it is not yet clear whether certain socio-demographic characteristics or psychological/clinical constructs such as comorbid psychopathology differentiate between severe PTSD and dissociative-PTSD....... The current study investigated the existence of a dissociative-PTSD subtype and explored whether a number of trauma and clinical covariates could differentiate between severe PTSD alone and dissociative-PTSD. The current study utilized a sample of 432 treatment seeking Canadian military veterans. Participants...... were assessed with the Clinician Administered PTSD Scale (CAPS) and self-report measures of traumatic life events, depression, and anxiety. CAPS severity scores were created reflecting the sum of the frequency and intensity items from each of the 17 PTSD and 3 dissociation items. The CAPS severity...

Flaw-size measurement in a weld samples by ultrasonic frequency analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Adler, L.; Cook, K.V.; Whaley, H.L. Jr.; McClung, R.W.

1975-01-01

An ultrasonic frequency-analysis technique was developed and applies to characterize flaws in an 8-in. (203-mm) thick heavy-section steel weld specimen. The technique applies a multitransducer system. The spectrum of the received broad-band signal is frequency analyzed at two different receivers for each of the flaws. From the two spectra, the size and orientation of the flaw are determined by the use of an analytic model proposed earlier. (auth)

40 CFR 141.803 - Coliform sampling.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

...) NATIONAL PRIMARY DRINKING WATER REGULATIONS Aircraft Drinking Water Rule § 141.803 Coliform sampling. (a... aircraft water system, the sampling frequency must be determined by the disinfection and flushing frequency... disinfection and flushing frequency recommended by the aircraft water system manufacturer, when available...

Matrix Analysis of Traditional Chinese Medicine Differential Diagnoses in Gulf War Illness.

Science.gov (United States)

Taylor-Swanson, Lisa; Chang, Joe; Schnyer, Rosa; Hsu, Kai-Yin; Schmitt, Beth Ann; Conboy, Lisa A

2018-03-08

To qualitatively categorize Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) differential diagnoses in a sample of veterans with Gulf War Illness (GWI) pre- and postacupuncture treatment. The authors randomized 104 veterans diagnosed with GWI to a 6-month acupuncture intervention that consisted of either weekly or biweekly individualized acupuncture treatments. TCM differential diagnoses were recorded at baseline and at 6 months. These TCM diagnoses were evaluated using Matrix Analysis to determine co-occurring patterns of excess, deficiency, and channel imbalances. These diagnoses were examined within and between participants to determine patterns of change and to assess stability of TCM diagnoses over time. Frequencies of diagnoses of excess, deficiency, and channel patterns were tabulated. Diagnoses of excess combined with deficiency decreased from 43% at baseline to 39% of the sample at 6 months. Excess+deficiency+channel imbalances decreased from 26% to 17%, while deficiency+channel imbalances decreased from 11% to 4% over the study duration. The authors observed a trend over time of decreased numbers of individuals presenting with all three types of differential diagnosis combinations. This may suggest that fewer people were diagnosed with concurrent excess, deficiency, and channel imbalances and perhaps a lessening in the complexity of their presentation. This is the first published article that organizes and defines TCM differential diagnoses using Matrix Analysis; currently, there are no TCM frameworks for GWI. These findings are preliminary given the sample size and the amount of missing data at 6 months. Characterization of the TCM clinical presentation of veterans suffering from GWI may help us better understand the potential role that East Asian medicine may play in managing veterans with GWI and the design of effective acupuncture treatments based on TCM. The development of a TCM manual for treating GWI is merited.

Differential Intracochlear Sound Pressure Measurements in Normal Human Temporal Bones

Science.gov (United States)

Nakajima, Hideko Heidi; Dong, Wei; Olson, Elizabeth S.; Merchant, Saumil N.; Ravicz, Michael E.; Rosowski, John J.

2009-02-01

We present the first simultaneous sound pressure measurements in scala vestibuli and scala tympani of the cochlea in human cadaveric temporal bones. Micro-scale fiberoptic pressure sensors enabled the study of differential sound pressure at the cochlear base. This differential pressure is the input to the cochlear partition, driving cochlear waves and auditory transduction. Results showed that: pressure of scala vestibuli was much greater than scala tympani except at low and high frequencies where scala tympani pressure affects the input to the cochlea; the differential pressure proved to be an excellent measure of normal ossicular transduction of sound (shown to decrease 30-50 dB with ossicular disarticulation, whereas the individual scala pressures were significantly affected by non-ossicular conduction of sound at high frequencies); the middle-ear gain and differential pressure were generally bandpass in frequency dependence; and the middle-ear delay in the human was over twice that of the gerbil. Concurrent stapes velocity measurements allowed determination of the differential impedance across the partition and round-window impedance. The differential impedance was generally resistive, while the round-window impedance was consistent with a compliance in conjunction with distributed inertia and damping. Our techniques can be used to study inner-ear conductive pathologies (e.g., semicircular dehiscence), as well as non-ossicular cochlear stimulation (e.g., round-window stimulation) - situations that cannot be completely quantified by measurements of stapes velocity or scala-vestibuli pressure by themselves.

Nanohertz frequency determination for the gravity probe B high frequency superconducting quantum interference device signal.

Science.gov (United States)

Salomon, M; Conklin, J W; Kozaczuk, J; Berberian, J E; Keiser, G M; Silbergleit, A S; Worden, P; Santiago, D I

2011-12-01

In this paper, we present a method to measure the frequency and the frequency change rate of a digital signal. This method consists of three consecutive algorithms: frequency interpolation, phase differencing, and a third algorithm specifically designed and tested by the authors. The succession of these three algorithms allowed a 5 parts in 10(10) resolution in frequency determination. The algorithm developed by the authors can be applied to a sampled scalar signal such that a model linking the harmonics of its main frequency to the underlying physical phenomenon is available. This method was developed in the framework of the gravity probe B (GP-B) mission. It was applied to the high frequency (HF) component of GP-B's superconducting quantum interference device signal, whose main frequency f(z) is close to the spin frequency of the gyroscopes used in the experiment. A 30 nHz resolution in signal frequency and a 0.1 pHz/s resolution in its decay rate were achieved out of a succession of 1.86 s-long stretches of signal sampled at 2200 Hz. This paper describes the underlying theory of the frequency measurement method as well as its application to GP-B's HF science signal.

Differential pulse polarographic determination of trace antimony in standard biological samples after preconcentration using 2-nitroso-1-naphthol-4-sulfonic acid

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Taher, M. A.

2003-01-01

A highly selective, rapid and economical differential polarographic method has been developed for the determination of trace amounts of antimony in various standard alloys and biological samples after of its 2-naphthol-4 sulfonic acid tetradecyl dimethylbenzylammonium chloride on microcrystalline naphthalene in the ph range of 7.5-11.0. After filtration, the solid mass is shaken with 8-10 ml of 1 M hydrochloric acid (with preconcentration factor of 10) and antimony is determined by differential pulse polarography. Antimony can alternatively be quantitatively absorbed on 2-nitroso-1-naphthol-4-sulfonic acid tetradecyl dimethylbenzylammonium-naphthalene absorbed packed in a column (with preconcentration factor of 30) and determined similarly. In this case, 1.5 μg of antimony can be concentrated in a column from 300 ml of aqueous sample, where its concentration is as low as 5 ng/ml. Characterization of the electro active process included an examination of the degree of reversibility. The results show that the irreversibility of antimony. Various parameters such as the effect of ph, volume of aqueous phase, HCl concentration, reagent concentration, naphthalene concentration, shaking time and interference of a number of metal ions on the determination of antimony have been studied in detail to optimize the conditions for determination in standard alloys and standard biological samples

Traveltime Dispersion in an Isotropic Elastic Mantle: Dominance of the Lower Mantle Signal in Differential-frequency Time Residuals

Science.gov (United States)

Schuberth, B. S. A.; Zaroli, C.; Nolet, G.

2014-12-01

mantle" model. Signals from upper mantle structure seem to mostly cancel in these cases, at least for certain length-scales. "Differential-frequency" traveltime residuals could thus represent a new seismological observable that may prove useful for tomographic studies of the lower mantle.

Assessing pesticide concentrations and fluxes in the stream of a small vineyard catchment - Effect of sampling frequency

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rabiet, M.; Margoum, C.; Gouy, V.; Carluer, N.; Coquery, M.

2010-01-01

This study reports on the occurrence and behaviour of six pesticides and one metabolite in a small stream draining a vineyard catchment. Base flow and flood events were monitored in order to assess the variability of pesticide concentrations according to the season and to evaluate the role of sampling frequency on the evaluation of fluxes estimates. Results showed that dissolved pesticide concentrations displayed a strong temporal and spatial variability. A large mobilisation of pesticides was observed during floods, with total dissolved pesticide fluxes per event ranging from 5.7 x 10 -3 g/Ha to 0.34 g/Ha. These results highlight the major role of floods in the transport of pesticides in this small stream which contributed to more than 89% of the total load of diuron during August 2007. The evaluation of pesticide loads using different sampling strategies and method calculation, showed that grab sampling largely underestimated pesticide concentrations and fluxes transiting through the stream. - This work brings new insights about the fluxes of pesticides in surface water of a vineyard catchment, notably during flood events.

Assessing pesticide concentrations and fluxes in the stream of a small vineyard catchment - Effect of sampling frequency

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rabiet, M., E-mail: marion.rabiet@unilim.f [Cemagref, UR QELY, 3bis quai Chauveau, CP 220, F-69336 Lyon (France); Margoum, C.; Gouy, V.; Carluer, N.; Coquery, M. [Cemagref, UR QELY, 3bis quai Chauveau, CP 220, F-69336 Lyon (France)

2010-03-15

This study reports on the occurrence and behaviour of six pesticides and one metabolite in a small stream draining a vineyard catchment. Base flow and flood events were monitored in order to assess the variability of pesticide concentrations according to the season and to evaluate the role of sampling frequency on the evaluation of fluxes estimates. Results showed that dissolved pesticide concentrations displayed a strong temporal and spatial variability. A large mobilisation of pesticides was observed during floods, with total dissolved pesticide fluxes per event ranging from 5.7 x 10{sup -3} g/Ha to 0.34 g/Ha. These results highlight the major role of floods in the transport of pesticides in this small stream which contributed to more than 89% of the total load of diuron during August 2007. The evaluation of pesticide loads using different sampling strategies and method calculation, showed that grab sampling largely underestimated pesticide concentrations and fluxes transiting through the stream. - This work brings new insights about the fluxes of pesticides in surface water of a vineyard catchment, notably during flood events.

Differential Auger spectrometry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Strongin, M.; Varma, M.N.; Anne, J.

1976-01-01

A differential Auger spectroscopy method is given for increasing the sensitivity of micro-Auger spectroanalysis of the surfaces of dilute alloys, by alternately periodically switching an electron beam back and forth between an impurity free reference sample and a test sample containing a trace impurity. The Auger electrons from the samples produce representative Auger spectrum signals which cancel to produce an Auger test sample signal corresponding to the amount of the impurity in the test samples

Polymorphism discovery and allele frequency estimation using high-throughput DNA sequencing of target-enriched pooled DNA samples

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Mullen Michael P

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The central role of the somatotrophic axis in animal post-natal growth, development and fertility is well established. Therefore, the identification of genetic variants affecting quantitative traits within this axis is an attractive goal. However, large sample numbers are a pre-requisite for the identification of genetic variants underlying complex traits and although technologies are improving rapidly, high-throughput sequencing of large numbers of complete individual genomes remains prohibitively expensive. Therefore using a pooled DNA approach coupled with target enrichment and high-throughput sequencing, the aim of this study was to identify polymorphisms and estimate allele frequency differences across 83 candidate genes of the somatotrophic axis, in 150 Holstein-Friesian dairy bulls divided into two groups divergent for genetic merit for fertility. Results In total, 4,135 SNPs and 893 indels were identified during the resequencing of the 83 candidate genes. Nineteen percent (n = 952 of variants were located within 5' and 3' UTRs. Seventy-two percent (n = 3,612 were intronic and 9% (n = 464 were exonic, including 65 indels and 236 SNPs resulting in non-synonymous substitutions (NSS. Significant (P ® MassARRAY. No significant differences (P > 0.1 were observed between the two methods for any of the 43 SNPs across both pools (i.e., 86 tests in total. Conclusions The results of the current study support previous findings of the use of DNA sample pooling and high-throughput sequencing as a viable strategy for polymorphism discovery and allele frequency estimation. Using this approach we have characterised the genetic variation within genes of the somatotrophic axis and related pathways, central to mammalian post-natal growth and development and subsequent lactogenesis and fertility. We have identified a large number of variants segregating at significantly different frequencies between cattle groups divergent for calving

Variation in the human lymphocyte sister chromatid exchange frequency as a function of time: results of daily and twice-weekly sampling

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tucker, J.D.; Christensen, M.L.; Strout, C.L.; McGee, K.A.; Carrano, A.V.

1987-01-01

The variation in lymphocyte sister chromatid exchange (SCE) frequency was investigated in healthy nonsmokers who were not taking any medication. Two separate studies were undertaken. In the first, blood was drawn from four women twice a week for 8 weeks. These donors recorded the onset and termination of menstruation and times of illness. In the second study, blood was obtained from two women and two men for 5 consecutive days on two separate occasions initiated 14 days apart. Analysis of the mean SCE frequencies in each study indicated that significant temporal variation occurred in each donor, and that more variation occurred in the longer study. Some of the variation was found to be associated with the menstrual cycle. In the daily study, most of the variation appeared to be random, but occasional day-to-day changes occurred that were greater than those expected by chance. To determine how well a single SCE sample estimated the pooled mean for each donor in each study, the authors calculated the number of samples that encompassed that donor's pooled mean within 1 or more standard errors. For both studies, about 75% of the samples encompassed the pooled mean within 2 standard errors. An analysis of high-frequency cells (HFCs) was also undertaken. The results for each study indicate that the proportion of HFCs, compared with the use of Fisher's Exact test, is significantly more constant than the means, which were compared by using the t-test. These results coupled with our previous work suggest that HFC analysis may be the method of choice when analyzing data from human population studies.

Enhancing the detection of edges and non-differentiable points in an NMR spectrum using delayed-acquisition

Science.gov (United States)

Gong, Zhaoyuan; Walls, Jamie D.

2018-02-01

Delayed-acquisition, which is a common technique for improving spectral resolution in Fourier transform based spectroscopies, typically relies upon differences in T2 relaxation rates that are often due to underlying differences in dynamics and/or complexities of the spin systems being studied. After an acquisition delay, the broad signals from fast T2 -relaxing species are more suppressed relative to the sharp signals from slow T2 -relaxing species. In this paper, an alternative source of differential "dephasing" under delayed-acquisition is demonstrated that is based solely upon the mathematical properties of the line shape and is independent of the underlying spin dynamics and/or complexity. Signals associated with frequencies where the line shape either changes sharply and/or is non-differentiable at some finite order dephase at a much slower rate than those signals associated with frequencies where the line shape is smooth. Experiments employing delayed-acquisition to study interfaces in biphasic samples, to measure spatially-dependent longitudinal relaxation, and to highlight sharp features in NMR spectra are presented.

THE DISCOVERY OF DIFFERENTIAL RADIAL ROTATION IN THE PULSATING SUBDWARF B STAR KIC 3527751

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Foster, H. M.; Reed, M. D. [Department of Physics, Astronomy, and Materials Science, Missouri State University, Springfield, MO 65897 (United States); Telting, J. H. [Nordic Optical Telescope, Rambla José Ana Fernández Pérez 7, E-38711 Breña Baja (Spain); Østensen, R. H. [Instituut voor Sterrenkunde, KU Leuven, Celestijnenlaan 200 D, B-3001 Leuven (Belgium); Baran, A. S. [Uniwersytet Pedagogiczny, Obserwatorium na Suhorze, ul. Podchorażych 2, 30-084 Kraków (Poland)

2015-06-01

We analyze 3 yr of nearly continuous Kepler spacecraft short cadence observations of the pulsating subdwarf B (sdB) star KIC 3527751. We detect a total of 251 periodicities, most in the g-mode domain, but some where p-modes occur, confirming that KIC 3527751 is a hybrid pulsator. We apply seismic tools to the periodicities to characterize the properties of KIC 3527751. Techniques to identify modes include asymptotic period spacing relationships, frequency multiplets, and the separation of multiplet splittings. These techniques allow for 189 (75%) of the 251 periods to be associated with pulsation modes. Included in these are three sets of ℓ = 4 multiplets and possibly an ℓ = 9 multiplet. Period spacing sequences indicate ℓ = 1 and 2 overtone spacings of 266.4 ± 0.2 and 153.2 ± 0.2 s, respectively. We also calculate reduced periods, from which we find evidence of trapped pulsations. Such mode trappings can be used to constrain the core/atmosphere transition layers. Interestingly, frequency multiplets in the g-mode region, which sample deep into the star, indicate a rotation period of 42.6 ± 3.4 days while p-mode multiplets, which sample the outer envelope, indicate a rotation period of 15.3 ± 0.7 days. We interpret this as differential rotation in the radial direction with the core rotating more slowly. This is the first example of differential rotation for a sdB star.

Simultaneous differential detection of Chlamydophila abortus, Chlamydophila pecorum and Coxiella burnetii from aborted ruminant's clinical samples using multiplex PCR

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Rodolakis Annie

2009-07-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Chlamydiosis and Q fever, two zoonosis, are important causes of ruminants' abortion around the world. They are caused respectively by strictly intracellular and Gram negative bacterium Chlamydophila abortus (Cp. abortus and Coxiella burnetii (C. burnetii. Chlamydophila pecorum (Cp. pecorum is commonly isolated from the digestive tract of clinically inconspicuous ruminants but the abortive and zoonotic impact of this bacterium is still unknown because Cp. pecorum is rarely suspected in abortion cases of small ruminants. We have developed a multiplex PCR (m-PCR for rapid simultaneous differential detection of Cp. abortus, Cp. pecorum and C. burnetii in clinical samples taken from infected animals. Results Specific PCR primers were designed and a sensitive and specific m-PCR was developed to detect simultaneously, in one tube reaction, three specific fragments of 821, 526 and 687-bp long for Cp. abortus, Cp. pecorum and C. burnetii respectively. This m-PCR assay was performed on 253 clinical samples taken from infected ruminant's flocks that have showed problems of abortion diseases. Thus, 67 samples were infected by either one of the three pathogens: 16 (13 vaginal swabs and 3 placentas were positive for Cp. abortus, 2 were positive for Cp. pecorum (1 vaginal swab and 1 placenta and 49 samples (33 vaginal swabs, 11 raw milks, 4 faeces and 1 placenta were positive for C. burnetii. Two vaginal swabs were m-PCR positive of both Cp. abortus and C. burnetii and none of the tested samples was shown to be infected simultaneously with the three pathogens. Conclusion We have successfully developed a rapid multiplex PCR that can detect and differentiate Cp. abortus, Cp. pecorum and C. burnetii; with a good sensitivity and specificity. The diagnosis of chlamydiosis and Q fever may be greatly simplified and performed at low cost. In addition, the improvement in diagnostic techniques will enhance our knowledge regarding the prevalence and

Application of CRAFT (complete reduction to amplitude frequency table) in nonuniformly sampled (NUS) 2D NMR data processing.

Science.gov (United States)

Krishnamurthy, Krish; Hari, Natarajan

2017-09-15

The recently published CRAFT (complete reduction to amplitude frequency table) technique converts the raw FID data (i.e., time domain data) into a table of frequencies, amplitudes, decay rate constants, and phases. It offers an alternate approach to decimate time-domain data, with minimal preprocessing step. It has been shown that application of CRAFT technique to process the t 1 dimension of the 2D data significantly improved the detectable resolution by its ability to analyze without the use of ubiquitous apodization of extensively zero-filled data. It was noted earlier that CRAFT did not resolve sinusoids that were not already resolvable in time-domain (i.e., t 1 max dependent resolution). We present a combined NUS-IST-CRAFT approach wherein the NUS acquisition technique (sparse sampling technique) increases the intrinsic resolution in time-domain (by increasing t 1 max), IST fills the gap in the sparse sampling, and CRAFT processing extracts the information without loss due to any severe apodization. NUS and CRAFT are thus complementary techniques to improve intrinsic and usable resolution. We show that significant improvement can be achieved with this combination over conventional NUS-IST processing. With reasonable sensitivity, the models can be extended to significantly higher t 1 max to generate an indirect-DEPT spectrum that rivals the direct observe counterpart. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Numerical simulation and analysis for low-frequency rock physics measurements

Science.gov (United States)

Dong, Chunhui; Tang, Genyang; Wang, Shangxu; He, Yanxiao

2017-10-01

In recent years, several experimental methods have been introduced to measure the elastic parameters of rocks in the relatively low-frequency range, such as differential acoustic resonance spectroscopy (DARS) and stress-strain measurement. It is necessary to verify the validity and feasibility of the applied measurement method and to quantify the sources and levels of measurement error. Relying solely on the laboratory measurements, however, we cannot evaluate the complete wavefield variation in the apparatus. Numerical simulations of elastic wave propagation, on the other hand, are used to model the wavefield distribution and physical processes in the measurement systems, and to verify the measurement theory and analyze the measurement results. In this paper we provide a numerical simulation method to investigate the acoustic waveform response of the DARS system and the quasi-static responses of the stress-strain system, both of which use axisymmetric apparatus. We applied this method to parameterize the properties of the rock samples, the sample locations and the sensor (hydrophone and strain gauges) locations and simulate the measurement results, i.e. resonance frequencies and axial and radial strains on the sample surface, from the modeled wavefield following the physical experiments. Rock physical parameters were estimated by inversion or direct processing of these data, and showed a perfect match with the true values, thus verifying the validity of the experimental measurements. Error analysis was also conducted for the DARS system with 18 numerical samples, and the sources and levels of error are discussed. In particular, we propose an inversion method for estimating both density and compressibility of these samples. The modeled results also showed fairly good agreement with the real experiment results, justifying the effectiveness and feasibility of our modeling method.

Executive control resources and frequency of fatty food consumption: findings from an age-stratified community sample.

Science.gov (United States)

Hall, Peter A

2012-03-01

Fatty foods are regarded as highly appetitive, and self-control is often required to resist consumption. Executive control resources (ECRs) are potentially facilitative of self-control efforts, and therefore could predict success in the domain of dietary self-restraint. It is not currently known whether stronger ECRs facilitate resistance to fatty food consumption, and moreover, it is unknown whether such an effect would be stronger in some age groups than others. The purpose of the present study was to examine the association between ECRs and consumption of fatty foods among healthy community-dwelling adults across the adult life span. An age-stratified sample of individuals between 18 and 89 years of age attended two laboratory sessions. During the first session they completed two computer-administered tests of ECRs (Stroop and Go-NoGo) and a test of general cognitive function (Wechsler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence); participants completed two consecutive 1-week recall measures to assess frequency of fatty and nonfatty food consumption. Regression analyses revealed that stronger ECRs were associated with lower frequency of fatty food consumption over the 2-week interval. This association was observed for both measures of ECR and a composite measure. The effect remained significant after adjustment for demographic variables (age, gender, socioeconomic status), general cognitive function, and body mass index. The observed effect of ECRs on fatty food consumption frequency was invariant across age group, and did not generalize to nonfatty food consumption. ECRs may be potentially important, though understudied, determinants of dietary behavior in adults across the life span.

Disparities in the frequency of fruit and vegetable consumption by socio-demographic and lifestyle characteristics in Canada

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sharaf Mesbah F

2011-10-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The health benefits of adequate fruit and vegetable (F&V consumption are significant and widely documented. However, many individuals self-report low F&V consumption frequency per day. This paper examines the disparities in the frequency of F&V consumption by socio-demographic and lifestyle characteristics. Method This study uses a representative sample of 93,719 individuals from the Canadian Community Health Survey (2007. A quantile regression model is estimated in order to capture the differential effects of F&V determinants across the conditional distribution of F&V consumption. Results The conditional and unconditional analyses reveal the existence of a socioeconomic gradient in F&V consumption frequency, in which the low income-education groups consume F&V less frequently than the high income-education groups. We also find significant disparities in F&V consumption frequency by demographic and lifestyle characteristics. The frequency of F&V consumption is relatively lower among: males, those in middle age, singles, smokers, individuals with weak social interaction and households with no children. The quantile regression results show that the association between F&V consumption frequency, and socio-demographic and lifestyle factors varies significantly along the conditional F&V consumption distribution. In particular, individual educational attainment is positively and significantly associated with F&V consumption frequency across different parts of the F&V distribution, while the income level matters only over the lower half of the distribution. F&V consumption follows a U-shaped pattern across the age categories. Those aged 30-39, 40-49 and 50-59 years consume F&V less frequently than those aged 18-29 years. The smallest F&V consumption is among the middle aged adults (40-49. Conclusions Understanding the socio-demographic and lifestyle characteristics of individuals with low F&V consumption frequency could increase the

An in-vacuum wall current monitor and low cost signal sampling system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yin, Y.; Rawnsley, W.R.; Mackenzie, G.H.

1993-11-01

The beam bunches extracted from the TRIUMF cyclotron are usually about 4 ns long, contain ∼ 4 x 10 7 protons, and are spaced at 43 ns. A wall current monitor capable of giving the charge distribution within a bunch, on a bunch by bunch basis, has recently been installed together with a sampling system for routine display in the control room. The wall current monitor is enclosed in a vacuum vessel and no ceramic spacer is required. This enhances the response to high frequencies, ferrite rings extend the low frequency response. Bench measurements show a flat response between a few hundred kilohertz and 4.6 GHz. For a permanent display in the control room the oscilloscope will be replaced by a Stanford Research Systems fast sampler module, a scanner module, and an interface module made at TRIUMF. The time to acquire one 10 ns distribution encompassing the beam bunch is 30 ms with a sample width of 100 ps and an average sample spacing of 13 ps. The scan, sample, and retrace signals are buffered carried on 70 m differential lines to the control room. An analog scope in XYZ mode provides a real time display. Signal averaging can be performed by using a digital oscilloscope in YT mode. (author). 6 refs., 2 tabs., 7 figs

Using temporal sampling to improve attribution of source populations for invasive species.

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Sharyn J Goldstien

Full Text Available Numerous studies have applied genetic tools to the identification of source populations and transport pathways for invasive species. However, there are many gaps in the knowledge obtained from such studies because comprehensive and meaningful spatial sampling to meet these goals is difficult to achieve. Sampling populations as they arrive at the border should fill the gaps in source population identification, but such an advance has not yet been achieved with genetic data. Here we use previously acquired genetic data to assign new incursions as they invade populations within New Zealand ports and marinas. We also investigated allelelic frequency change in these recently established populations over a two-year period, and assessed the effect of temporal genetic sampling on our ability to assign new incursions to their population of source. We observed shifts in the allele frequencies among populations, as well as the complete loss of some alleles and the addition of alleles novel to New Zealand, within these recently established populations. There was no significant level of genetic differentiation observed in our samples between years, and the use of these temporal data did alter the assignment probability of new incursions. Our study further suggests that new incursions can add genetic variation to the population in a single introduction event as the founders themselves are often more genetically diverse than theory initially predicted.

A portable, differential amplifier for recording high frequency EEG signals and evoked potentials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Donos, Cristian; Giurgiu, Liviu; Popescu, Aurel; Mocanu, Marian

2010-01-01

In a clinical context, EEG refers to recording the brain's spontaneous electric activity, using small electrodes placed on the scalp. The signals collected are electric 'potentials' measured between two electrodes. Usually, for a healthy adult, these signals have small voltage (10 μV to 100 μV) and frequencies in the 0-40 Hz range. In the scientific literature, there are mentioned EEG signals and evoked potentials that have higher frequencies (up to 600 Hz) and amplitudes lower than 500 ηV. For this reason, building an amplifier capable of recording EEG signals in the ηV range and with frequencies up to couple of kHz is necessary to continue research beyond 600 Hz. We designed a very low noise amplifier that is able to measure/record EEG signals in the ηV range over a very large frequency bandwidth (0.09 Hz -385 kHz).(Author)

On the frequency and field linewidth conversion of ferromagnetic resonance spectra

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wei, Yajun; Svedlindh, Peter; Liang Chin, Shin

2015-01-01

Both frequency swept and field swept ferromagnetic resonance measurements have been carried out for a number of different samples with negligible, moderate and significant extrinsic frequency independent linewidth contribution to analyze the correlation between the experimentally measured frequency and field linewidths. Contrary to the belief commonly held by many researchers, it is found that the frequency and field linewidth conversion relation does not hold for all cases. Instead it holds only for samples with negligible frequency independent linewidth contributions. For samples with non-negligible frequency independent linewidth contribution, the field linewidth values converted from the measured frequency linewidth are larger than the experimentally measured field linewidth. A close examination of the literature reveals that previously reported results support our findings, with successful conversions related to samples with negligible frequency independent linewidth contributions and unsuccessful conversions related to samples with significant frequency independent linewidth. The findings are important in providing guidance in ferromagnetic resonance linewidth conversions. (paper)

Low magnitude high frequency vibration promotes adipogenic differentiation of bone marrow stem cells via P38 MAPK signal.

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Qian Zhao

Full Text Available Low magnitude high frequency vibration (LMHFV has been mainly reported for its influence on the musculoskeletal system, particularly the bone tissue. In the bone structure, osteogenic activity is the main focus of study with regards to LMHFV. However, adipogenesis, another important mode of differentiation in the bone marrow cavity that might be affected by LMHFV, is much less researched. Furthermore, the molecular mechanism of how LMHFV influences adipogenesis still needs to be understood. Here, we tested the effect of LMHFV (0.3g, 40 Hz, amplitude: 50μm, 15min/d, on multipotent stem cells (MSCs, which are the common progenitors of osteogenic, chondrogenic, adipogenic and myogenic cells. It is previously shown that LMHFV promotes osteogenesis of MSCs. In this study, we further revealed its effect on adipo-differentiation of bone marrow stem cells (BMSCs and studied the underlying signaling pathway. We found that when treated with LMHFV, the cells showed a higher expression of PPARγ, C/EBPα, adiponectin and showed more oil droplets. After vibration, the protein expression of PPARγ increased, and the phosphorylation of p38 MAPK was enhanced. After treating cells with SB203580, a specific p38 inhibitor, both the protein level of PPARγ illustrated by immunofluorescent staining and the oil droplets number, were decreased. Altogether, this indicates that p38 MAPK is activated during adipogenesis of BMSCs, and this is promoted by LMHFV. Our results demonstrating that specific parameters of LMHFV promotes adipogenesis of MSCs and enhances osteogenesis, highlights an unbeneficial side effect of vibration therapy used for preventing obesity and osteoporosis.

Hematopoietic stem/progenitor cell proliferation and differentiation is differentially regulated by high-density and low-density lipoproteins in mice.

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Yingmei Feng

Full Text Available RATIONALE: Hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells (HSPC are responsible for maintaining the blood system as a result of their self-renewal and multilineage differentiation capacity. Recently, studies have suggested that HDL cholesterol may inhibit and impaired cholesterol efflux may increase HSPC proliferation and differentiation. OBJECTIVES: We hypothesized that LDL may enhance HSPC proliferation and differentiation while HDL might have the opposing effect which might influence the size of the pool of inflammatory cells. METHODS AND RESULTS: HSPC number and function were studied in hypercholesterolemic LDL receptor knockout (LDLr(-/- mice on high fat diet. Hypercholesterolemia was associated with increased frequency of HSPC, monocytes and granulocytes in the peripheral blood (PB. In addition, an increased proportion of BM HSPC was in G(2M of the cell cycle, and the percentage of HSPC and granulocyte-macrophage progenitors (GMP increased in BM of LDLr(-/- mice. When BM Lin-Sca-1+cKit+ (i.e. "LSK" cells were cultured in the presence of LDL in vitro we also found enhanced differentiation towards monocytes and granulocytes. Furthermore, LDL promoted lineage negative (Lin- cells motility. The modulation by LDL on HSPC differentiation into granulocytes and motility was inhibited by inhibiting ERK phosphorylation. By contrast, when mice were infused with human apoA-I (the major apolipoprotein of HDL or reconstituted HDL (rHDL, the frequency and proliferation of HSPC was reduced in BM in vivo. HDL also reversed the LDL-induced monocyte and granulocyte differentiation in vitro. CONCLUSION: Our data suggest that LDL and HDL have opposing effects on HSPC proliferation and differentiation. It will be of interest to determine if breakdown of HSPC homeostasis by hypercholesterolemia contributes to inflammation and atherosclerosis progression.

Pseudo-differential operators groups, geometry and applications

CERN Document Server

Zhu, Hongmei

2017-01-01

This volume consists of papers inspired by the special session on pseudo-differential operators at the 10th ISAAC Congress held at the University of Macau, August 3-8, 2015 and the mini-symposium on pseudo-differential operators in industries and technologies at the 8th ICIAM held at the National Convention Center in Beijing, August 10-14, 2015. The twelve papers included present cutting-edge trends in pseudo-differential operators and applications from the perspectives of Lie groups (Chapters 1-2), geometry (Chapters 3-5) and applications (Chapters 6-12). Many contributions cover applications in probability, differential equations and time-frequency analysis. A focus on the synergies of pseudo-differential operators with applications, especially real-life applications, enhances understanding of the analysis and the usefulness of these operators.

A Variable Order Fractional Differential-Based Texture Enhancement Algorithm with Application in Medical Imaging.

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Qiang Yu

Full Text Available Texture enhancement is one of the most important techniques in digital image processing and plays an essential role in medical imaging since textures discriminate information. Most image texture enhancement techniques use classical integral order differential mask operators or fractional differential mask operators using fixed fractional order. These masks can produce excessive enhancement of low spatial frequency content, insufficient enhancement of large spatial frequency content, and retention of high spatial frequency noise. To improve upon existing approaches of texture enhancement, we derive an improved Variable Order Fractional Centered Difference (VOFCD scheme which dynamically adjusts the fractional differential order instead of fixing it. The new VOFCD technique is based on the second order Riesz fractional differential operator using a Lagrange 3-point interpolation formula, for both grey scale and colour image enhancement. We then use this method to enhance photographs and a set of medical images related to patients with stroke and Parkinson's disease. The experiments show that our improved fractional differential mask has a higher signal to noise ratio value than the other fractional differential mask operators. Based on the corresponding quantitative analysis we conclude that the new method offers a superior texture enhancement over existing methods.

7 CFR 58.643 - Frequency of sampling.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... AGRICULTURAL MARKETING ACT OF 1946 AND THE EGG PRODUCTS INSPECTION ACT (CONTINUED) GRADING AND INSPECTION... each type of mix, and for the finished frozen product one sample from each flavor made. (b) Composition... Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture (Continued) AGRICULTURAL MARKETING SERVICE (Standards...

Discovering biological progression underlying microarray samples.

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Peng Qiu

2011-04-01

Full Text Available In biological systems that undergo processes such as differentiation, a clear concept of progression exists. We present a novel computational approach, called Sample Progression Discovery (SPD, to discover patterns of biological progression underlying microarray gene expression data. SPD assumes that individual samples of a microarray dataset are related by an unknown biological process (i.e., differentiation, development, cell cycle, disease progression, and that each sample represents one unknown point along the progression of that process. SPD aims to organize the samples in a manner that reveals the underlying progression and to simultaneously identify subsets of genes that are responsible for that progression. We demonstrate the performance of SPD on a variety of microarray datasets that were generated by sampling a biological process at different points along its progression, without providing SPD any information of the underlying process. When applied to a cell cycle time series microarray dataset, SPD was not provided any prior knowledge of samples' time order or of which genes are cell-cycle regulated, yet SPD recovered the correct time order and identified many genes that have been associated with the cell cycle. When applied to B-cell differentiation data, SPD recovered the correct order of stages of normal B-cell differentiation and the linkage between preB-ALL tumor cells with their cell origin preB. When applied to mouse embryonic stem cell differentiation data, SPD uncovered a landscape of ESC differentiation into various lineages and genes that represent both generic and lineage specific processes. When applied to a prostate cancer microarray dataset, SPD identified gene modules that reflect a progression consistent with disease stages. SPD may be best viewed as a novel tool for synthesizing biological hypotheses because it provides a likely biological progression underlying a microarray dataset and, perhaps more importantly, the

The Quasar Fraction in Low-Frequency Selected Complete Samples and Implications for Unified Schemes

Science.gov (United States)

Willott, Chris J.; Rawlings, Steve; Blundell, Katherine M.; Lacy, Mark

2000-01-01

Low-frequency radio surveys are ideal for selecting orientation-independent samples of extragalactic sources because the sample members are selected by virtue of their isotropic steep-spectrum extended emission. We use the new 7C Redshift Survey along with the brighter 3CRR and 6C samples to investigate the fraction of objects with observed broad emission lines - the 'quasar fraction' - as a function of redshift and of radio and narrow emission line luminosity. We find that the quasar fraction is more strongly dependent upon luminosity (both narrow line and radio) than it is on redshift. Above a narrow [OII] emission line luminosity of log(base 10) (L(sub [OII])/W) approximately > 35 [or radio luminosity log(base 10) (L(sub 151)/ W/Hz.sr) approximately > 26.5], the quasar fraction is virtually independent of redshift and luminosity; this is consistent with a simple unified scheme with an obscuring torus with a half-opening angle theta(sub trans) approximately equal 53 deg. For objects with less luminous narrow lines, the quasar fraction is lower. We show that this is not due to the difficulty of detecting lower-luminosity broad emission lines in a less luminous, but otherwise similar, quasar population. We discuss evidence which supports at least two probable physical causes for the drop in quasar fraction at low luminosity: (i) a gradual decrease in theta(sub trans) and/or a gradual increase in the fraction of lightly-reddened (0 approximately quasar luminosity; and (ii) the emergence of a distinct second population of low luminosity radio sources which, like M8T, lack a well-fed quasar nucleus and may well lack a thick obscuring torus.

Specific heat capacities of different clayey samples obtained by differential scanning calorimetry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fernandez, A.M.

2012-01-01

Document available in extended abstract form only. The thermo-physical properties allow to calculate heat flows and to determine the thermal behaviour of the materials. Temperature influences the rates of the physical, chemical and biological reactions and processes in the soil or a material. Variations in temperature and water content in thermal, hydraulic, mechanical and geochemical processes affect the thermal properties such as density, specific heat, thermal conductivity and thermal diffusivity. Therefore, mathematical models that describe the dependence of the thermal properties on temperature and concentration are of interest to be used in computational programs applied to the modelling of coupled thermo-mechanical-hydraulic and chemical (THMC) processes. In this work, the specific heat capacity of different clayey international reference materials was determined. Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) was used for such purpose. DSC is the main tool for determining the specific heat capacities of materials as a function of temperature. The specific heat capacity, c p (J/Kg.K), is a measurement of the amount of heat required to raise the temperature of a unit mass of a substance by one unit of temperature. A change in temperature, caused by a gain or a loss of heat from a material, depends on the specific heat capacity of the material. Thus, the specific heat capacity is a key and characteristic property of a material and/or substance, which should be determine accurately. The specific heat capacity is an intensive property and, unlike the thermal conductivity and thermal diffusivity, is independent of the dry density of the material. C p of the solid samples was determined by using a SETSYS Evolution 16 thermal analyser coupled to a differential scanning calorimeter (TG-DSC-DTA) from SETARAM Instrumentation. The thermal analyser system can use a heating rate from 0.01 to 100 C/min under a dynamic argon atmosphere and temperatures ranging from ambient to

Ferromagnetic resonance frequency increase and resonance line broadening of a ferromagnetic Fe–Co–Hf–N film with in-plane uniaxial anisotropy by high-frequency field perturbation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Seemann, K.; Leiste, H.; Krüger, K.

2013-01-01

Soft ferromagnetic Fe-Co-Hf-N films, produced by reactive r.f. magnetron sputtering, are useful to study the ferromagnetic resonance (FMR) by means of frequency domain permeability measurements up to the GHz range. Films with the composition Fe 33 Co 43 Hf 10 N 14 exhibit a saturation polarisation J s of around 1.35 T. They are consequently considered as being uniformly magnetised due to an in-plane uniaxial anisotropy of approximately μ 0 H u ≈4.5 m T after annealing them, e.g., at 400 °C in a static magnetic field for 1 h. Being exposed to a high-frequency field, the precession of magnetic moments leads to a marked frequency-dependent permeability with a sharp Lorentzian shaped imaginary part at around 2.33 GHz (natural resonance peak), which is in a very good agreement with the modified Landau–Lifschitz–Gilbert (LLG) differential equation. A slightly increased FMR frequency and a clear increase in the resonance line broadening due to an increase of the exciting high-frequency power (1–25.1 mW), considered as an additional perturbation of the precessing system of magnetic moments, could be discovered. By solving the homogenous LLG differential equation with respect to the in-plane uniaxial anisotropy, it was revealed that the high-frequency field perturbation impacts the resonance peak position f FMR and resonance line broadening Δf FMR characterised by a completed damping parameter α=α eff +Δα. Adapted from this result, the increase in f FMR and decrease in lifetime of the excited level of magnetic moments associated with Δf FMR , similar to a spin-½ particle in a static magnetic field, was theoretically elaborated as well as compared with experimental data. - Highlights: • Impact on the resonance frequency and resonance line by the high-frequency power. • Theoretic approach by solving the LLG differential equation. • Experimental verification and magnon processes. • Theoretical and experimental determination of the resonance state

Pre-thymic somatic mutation leads to high mutant frequency at hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyltransferase gene

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jett, J. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab., CA (United States)

1994-12-01

While characterizing the background mutation spectrum of the Hypoxathine-guanine phosphoribosyltransferase (HPRT) gene in a healthy population, an outlier with a high mutant frequency of thioguanine resistant lymphocytes was found. When studied at the age of 46, this individual had been smoking 60 cigarettes per day for 38 years. His mutant frequency was calculated at 3.6 and 4.2x10{sup {minus}4} for two sampling periods eight months apart. Sequencing analysis of the HPRT gene in his mutant thioguanine resistant T lymphocytes was done to find whether the cells had a high rate of mutation, or if the mutation was due to a single occurrence of mutation and, if so, when in the T lymphocyte development the mutation occurred. By T-cell receptor analysis it has been found that out of 35 thioguanine resistant clones there was no dominant gamma T cell receptor gene rearrangement. During my appointment in the Science & Engineering Research Semester, I found that 34 of those clones have the same base substitution of G{yields}T at cDNA position 197. Due to the consistent mutant frequency from both sampling periods and the varying T cell receptors, the high mutant frequency cannot be due to recent proliferation of a mature mutant T lymphocyte. From the TCR and DNA sequence analysis we conclude that the G{yields}T mutation must have occurred in a T lymphocyte precursor before thymic differentiation so that the thioguanine resistant clones share the same base substitution but not the same gamma T cell receptor gene.

Downsampling Non-Uniformly Sampled Data

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fredrik Gustafsson

2007-10-01

Full Text Available Decimating a uniformly sampled signal a factor D involves low-pass antialias filtering with normalized cutoff frequency 1/D followed by picking out every Dth sample. Alternatively, decimation can be done in the frequency domain using the fast Fourier transform (FFT algorithm, after zero-padding the signal and truncating the FFT. We outline three approaches to decimate non-uniformly sampled signals, which are all based on interpolation. The interpolation is done in different domains, and the inter-sample behavior does not need to be known. The first one interpolates the signal to a uniformly sampling, after which standard decimation can be applied. The second one interpolates a continuous-time convolution integral, that implements the antialias filter, after which every Dth sample can be picked out. The third frequency domain approach computes an approximate Fourier transform, after which truncation and IFFT give the desired result. Simulations indicate that the second approach is particularly useful. A thorough analysis is therefore performed for this case, using the assumption that the non-uniformly distributed sampling instants are generated by a stochastic process.

W-band push—push monolithic frequency doubler in 1-μm InP DHBT technology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yao Hongfei; Wang Xiantai; Wu Danyu; Su Yongbo; Cao Yuxiong; Ge Ji; Ning Xiaoxi; Jin Zhi

2013-01-01

A W-band frequency doubler MMIC is designed and fabricated using 1-μm InP DHBT technology. Active balun is employed to transform the single-ended signal into differential output. Push—push configuration loaded with harmonic resonant network is utilized to acquire the second harmonic frequency. A multi-stage differential structure improves the conversion gain and suppresses the fundamental frequency. The MMIC occupies an area of 0.55 × 0.5 mm 2 with 18 DHBTs integrated. Measurements show that the output power is above 5.8 dBm with the suppression of fundamental frequency below −16 dBc and the conversion gain above 4.7 dB over 75–80 GHz. (semiconductor integrated circuits)

A Dictionary of Basic Pashto Frequency List I, Project Description and Samples, and Frequency List II.

Science.gov (United States)

Heston, Wilma

The three-volume set of materials describes and presents the results to date of a federally-funded project to develop Pashto-English and English-Pashto dictionaries. The goal was to produce a list of 12,000 basic Pashto words for English-speaking users. Words were selected based on frequency in various kinds of oral and written materials, and were…

Dual frequency modulation with two cantilevers in series: a possible means to rapidly acquire tip–sample interaction force curves with dynamic AFM

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Solares, Santiago D; Chawla, Gaurav

2008-01-01

One common application of atomic force microscopy (AFM) is the acquisition of tip–sample interaction force curves. However, this can be a slow process when the user is interested in studying non-uniform samples, because existing contact- and dynamic-mode methods require that the measurement be performed at one fixed surface point at a time. This paper proposes an AFM method based on dual frequency modulation using two cantilevers in series, which could be used to measure the tip–sample interaction force curves and topography of the entire sample with a single surface scan, in a time that is comparable to the time needed to collect a topographic image with current AFM imaging modes. Numerical simulation results are provided along with recommended parameters to characterize tip–sample interactions resembling those of conventional silicon tips and carbon nanotube tips tapping on silicon surfaces

Negative differential resistance in Josephson junctions coupled to a cavity

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pedersen, Niels Falsig; Filatrella, G.; Pierro, V.

2014-01-01

or external – is often used. A cavity may also induce a negative differential resistance region at the lower side of the resonance frequency. We investigate the dynamics of Josephson junctions with a negative differential resistance in the quasi particle tunnel current, i.e. in the McCumber curve. We find...

Design features impacting mobile phone upgrading frequency

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Saaksjarvi, M.C.; Hellen, K.; Tuunanen, T.

2014-01-01

This study examines the impact of design on customer upgrading frequency, and differentiates between functional and aesthetic aspects of design. For the empirical study, we conducted an intercept survey in Beijing and Shanghai with Chinese consumers (n=170) in a retail mall setting. The survey’s

Differential magnetic force microscope imaging.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Ying; Wang, Zuobin; Liu, Jinyun; Hou, Liwei

2015-01-01

This paper presents a method for differential magnetic force microscope imaging based on a two-pass scanning procedure to extract differential magnetic forces and eliminate or significantly reduce background forces with reversed tip magnetization. In the work, the difference of two scanned images with reversed tip magnetization was used to express the local magnetic forces. The magnetic sample was first scanned with a low lift distance between the MFM tip and the sample surface, and the magnetization direction of the probe was then changed after the first scan to perform the second scan. The differential magnetic force image was obtained through the subtraction of the two images from the two scans. The theoretical and experimental results have shown that the proposed method for differential magnetic force microscope imaging is able to reduce the effect of background or environment interference forces, and offers an improved image contrast and signal to noise ratio (SNR). © Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Statistical distribution sampling

Science.gov (United States)

Johnson, E. S.

1975-01-01

Determining the distribution of statistics by sampling was investigated. Characteristic functions, the quadratic regression problem, and the differential equations for the characteristic functions are analyzed.

Frequency of Intestinal Parasites in Patients With Gastrointestinal Disorders, in Different Parts of Iran During 2012-2013

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nozhat Zebardast

2015-02-01

Full Text Available Background: Intestinal parasites of humans are one of the most important health problems worldwide, especially those located in tropical and subtropical areas. Objectives: The aim of this study was to determine the frequency of intestinal parasites in patients with gastrointestinal disorders, in different parts of Iran. Patients and Methods: A total of 1520 stool samples were collected from patients with gastrointestinal disorders. The stool specimens were examined by direct wet mount, formalin-ether concentration and a modified version of the Ziehl-Neelsen staining technique. Amoeba-positive samples were cultured for further differentiation of Entamoeba histolytica, E. dispar, E. moshkovskii. DNA-based methods were used to differentiate these amoebas and to detect Cryptosporidium- positive samples. Statistical analysis was carried out by SPSS ver. 16. Results: Out of the 1520 individuals studied, 153 (10.06% were infected at least with one intestinal parasite. 781 (51.4% of patients were male and 738 (48.6% were female. The prevalence of protozoan parasites 148 (9.7% was significantly higher than helminth parasites 5 (0.3% (P < 0.001. The frequency of intestinal parasites was as follows: Blastocystis sp., 72 (4.73%; Giardia intestinalis, 35 (2.30%; Entamoeba coli 21 (1.38%; Endolimax nana 10 (0.92%; Cryptosporidium spp., 1 (0.06%; Entamoeba dispar, 1 (0.06%; Dientamoeba fragilis, 1 (0.06%; Hymenolepis nana, 3 (0.19%; Dicrocoelium dendriticum, 2 (0.13%. In five (0.32% of the positive samples, co-infections with two parasites were found. G. intestinalis was more prevalent in male 22/35 (62.86% than female 13/35 (37.14% as well as in 0-9 years old group. In one sample Heterodera ova contained larva were seen. Conclusions: Blastocystis and G. intestinalis were the predominant intestinal parasites detected in patient with gastrointestinal disorders. The results indicated that the intestinal parasites, particularly helminth infections have been

High frequency conductivity in carbon nanotubes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

S. S. Abukari

2012-12-01

Full Text Available We report on theoretical analysis of high frequency conductivity in carbon nanotubes. Using the kinetic equation with constant relaxation time, an analytical expression for the complex conductivity is obtained. The real part of the complex conductivity is initially negative at zero frequency and become more negative with increasing frequency, until it reaches a resonance minimum at ω ∼ ωB for metallic zigzag CNs and ω < ωB for armchair CNs. This resonance enhancement is indicative for terahertz gain without the formation of current instabilities induced by negative dc conductivity. We noted that due to the high density of states of conduction electrons in metallic zigzag carbon nanotubes and the specific dispersion law inherent in hexagonal crystalline structure result in a uniquely high frequency conductivity than the corresponding values for metallic armchair carbon nanotubes. We suggest that this phenomenon can be used to suppress current instabilities that are normally associated with a negative dc differential conductivity.

A resolution-enhancing image reconstruction method for few-view differential phase-contrast tomography

Science.gov (United States)

Guan, Huifeng; Anastasio, Mark A.

2017-03-01

It is well-known that properly designed image reconstruction methods can facilitate reductions in imaging doses and data-acquisition times in tomographic imaging. The ability to do so is particularly important for emerging modalities such as differential X-ray phase-contrast tomography (D-XPCT), which are currently limited by these factors. An important application of D-XPCT is high-resolution imaging of biomedical samples. However, reconstructing high-resolution images from few-view tomographic measurements remains a challenging task. In this work, a two-step sub-space reconstruction strategy is proposed and investigated for use in few-view D-XPCT image reconstruction. It is demonstrated that the resulting iterative algorithm can mitigate the high-frequency information loss caused by data incompleteness and produce images that have better preserved high spatial frequency content than those produced by use of a conventional penalized least squares (PLS) estimator.

International conference Fourier Analysis and Pseudo-Differential Operators

CERN Document Server

Turunen, Ville; Fourier Analysis : Pseudo-differential Operators, Time-Frequency Analysis and Partial Differential Equations

2014-01-01

This book is devoted to the broad field of Fourier analysis and its applications to several areas of mathematics, including problems in the theory of pseudo-differential operators, partial differential equations, and time-frequency analysis. This collection of 20 refereed articles is based on selected talks given at the international conference “Fourier Analysis and Pseudo-Differential Operators,” June 25–30, 2012, at Aalto University, Finland, and presents the latest advances in the field. The conference was a satellite meeting of the 6th European Congress of Mathematics, which took place in Krakow in July 2012; it was also the 6th meeting in the series “Fourier Analysis and Partial Differential Equations.”

A double expansion method for the frequency response of finite-length beams with periodic parameters

Science.gov (United States)

Ying, Z. G.; Ni, Y. Q.

2017-03-01

A double expansion method for the frequency response of finite-length beams with periodic distribution parameters is proposed. The vibration response of the beam with spatial periodic parameters under harmonic excitations is studied. The frequency response of the periodic beam is the function of parametric period and then can be expressed by the series with the product of periodic and non-periodic functions. The procedure of the double expansion method includes the following two main steps: first, the frequency response function and periodic parameters are expanded by using identical periodic functions based on the extension of the Floquet-Bloch theorem, and the period-parametric differential equation for the frequency response is converted into a series of linear differential equations with constant coefficients; second, the solutions to the linear differential equations are expanded by using modal functions which satisfy the boundary conditions, and the linear differential equations are converted into algebraic equations according to the Galerkin method. The expansion coefficients are obtained by solving the algebraic equations and then the frequency response function is finally determined. The proposed double expansion method can uncouple the effects of the periodic expansion and modal expansion so that the expansion terms are determined respectively. The modal number considered in the second expansion can be reduced remarkably in comparison with the direct expansion method. The proposed double expansion method can be extended and applied to the other structures with periodic distribution parameters for dynamics analysis. Numerical results on the frequency response of the finite-length periodic beam with various parametric wave numbers and wave amplitude ratios are given to illustrate the effective application of the proposed method and the new frequency response characteristics, including the parameter-excited modal resonance, doubling-peak frequency response

Systems and methods for self-synchronized digital sampling

Science.gov (United States)

Samson, Jr., John R. (Inventor)

2008-01-01

Systems and methods for self-synchronized data sampling are provided. In one embodiment, a system for capturing synchronous data samples is provided. The system includes an analog to digital converter adapted to capture signals from one or more sensors and convert the signals into a stream of digital data samples at a sampling frequency determined by a sampling control signal; and a synchronizer coupled to the analog to digital converter and adapted to receive a rotational frequency signal from a rotating machine, wherein the synchronizer is further adapted to generate the sampling control signal, and wherein the sampling control signal is based on the rotational frequency signal.

Pressureless mechanical induction of stem cell differentiation is dose and frequency dependent

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Fuhrer, R.; Hofmann, S.; Vetsch, J.R.; Hild, N.; Herrmann, I.K.; Grass, R.N.; Stark, W.J.

2013-01-01

Movement is a key characteristic of higher organisms. During mammalian embryogenesis fetal movements have been found critical to normal tissue development. On the single cell level, however, our current understanding of stem cell differentiation concentrates on inducing factors through cytokine

Differences in Orgasm Frequency Among Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Heterosexual Men and Women in a U.S. National Sample.

Science.gov (United States)

Frederick, David A; John, H Kate St; Garcia, Justin R; Lloyd, Elisabeth A

2018-01-01

There is a notable gap between heterosexual men and women in frequency of orgasm during sex. Little is known, however, about sexual orientation differences in orgasm frequency. We examined how over 30 different traits or behaviors were associated with frequency of orgasm when sexually intimate during the past month. We analyzed a large US sample of adults (N = 52,588) who identified as heterosexual men (n = 26,032), gay men (n = 452), bisexual men (n = 550), lesbian women (n = 340), bisexual women (n = 1112), and heterosexual women (n = 24,102). Heterosexual men were most likely to say they usually-always orgasmed when sexually intimate (95%), followed by gay men (89%), bisexual men (88%), lesbian women (86%), bisexual women (66%), and heterosexual women (65%). Compared to women who orgasmed less frequently, women who orgasmed more frequently were more likely to: receive more oral sex, have longer duration of last sex, be more satisfied with their relationship, ask for what they want in bed, praise their partner for something they did in bed, call/email to tease about doing something sexual, wear sexy lingerie, try new sexual positions, anal stimulation, act out fantasies, incorporate sexy talk, and express love during sex. Women were more likely to orgasm if their last sexual encounter included deep kissing, manual genital stimulation, and/or oral sex in addition to vaginal intercourse. We consider sociocultural and evolutionary explanations for these orgasm gaps. The results suggest a variety of behaviors couples can try to increase orgasm frequency.

High-frequency response and the possibilities of frequency-tunable narrow-band terahertz amplification in resonant tunneling nanostructures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kapaev, V. V.; Kopaev, Yu. V.; Savinov, S. A.; Murzin, V. N.

2013-01-01

The characteristics of the high-frequency response of single- and double-well resonant tunneling structures in a dc electric field are investigated on the basis of the numerical solution of a time-dependent Schrödinger equation with open boundary conditions. The frequency dependence of the real part of high frequency conductivity (high-frequency response) in In 0.53 Ga 0.47 As/AlAs/InP structures is analyzed in detail for various values of the dc voltage V dc in the negative differential resistance (NDR) region. It is shown that double-well three-barrier structures are promising for the design of terahertz-band oscillators. The presence of two resonant states with close energies in such structures leads to a resonant (in frequency) response whose frequency is determined by the energy difference between these levels and can be controlled by varying the parameters of the structure. It is shown that, in principle, such structures admit narrow-band amplification, tuning of the amplification frequency, and a fine control of the amplification (oscillation) frequency in a wide range of terahertz frequencies by varying a dc electric voltage applied to the structure. Starting from a certain width of the central intermediate barrier in double-well structures, one can observe a collapse of resonances, where the structure behaves like a single-well system. This phenomenon imposes a lower limit on the oscillation frequency in three-barrier resonant tunneling structures.

Untangling the relative contribution of maltreatment severity and frequency to type of behavioral outcome in foster youth.

Science.gov (United States)

Jackson, Yo; Gabrielli, Joy; Fleming, Kandace; Tunno, Angela M; Makanui, P Kalani

2014-07-01

Within maltreatment research, type, frequency, and severity of abuse are often confounded and not always specifically documented. The result is samples that are often heterogeneous in regard to maltreatment experience, and the role of the different components of maltreatment in predicting outcome is unclear. The purpose of the present study was to identify and test the potential unique role of type, frequency, and severity of maltreatment to elucidate each variable's role in predicting outcome behavior. Data from 309 youth in foster care (ages 8-22) and their caregivers were collected using the Modified Maltreatment Classification System and the Behavioral Assessment System for Children, 2nd Edition (BASC2), to measure maltreatment exposure and behavioral outcome respectively. A measurement model of the BASC2 was completed to determine model fit within the sample data. A second confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was completed to determine the unique contributions of frequency and severity of maltreatment across four types of abuse to externalizing, internalizing, and adaptive behavior. The result of the CFA determined good fit of the BASC2 to the sample data after a few modifications. The result of the second CFA indicated that the paths from severity to externalizing behavior and adaptive behavior (reverse loading) were significant. Paths from frequency of abuse were not predictive of behavioral outcome. Maltreatment is a complex construct and researchers are encouraged to examine components of abuse that may be differentially related to outcome behavior for youth. Untangling the multifaceted nature of abuse is important and may have implications for identifying specific outcomes for youth exposed to maltreatment. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Timing group delay and differential code bias corrections for BeiDou positioning

Science.gov (United States)

Guo, Fei; Zhang, Xiaohong; Wang, Jinling

2015-05-01

This article first clearly figures out the relationship between parameters of timing group delay (TGD) and differential code bias (DCB) for BDS, and demonstrates the equivalence of TGD and DCB correction models combining theory with practice. The TGD/DCB correction models have been extended to various occasions for BDS positioning, and such models have been evaluated by real triple-frequency datasets. To test the effectiveness of broadcast TGDs in the navigation message and DCBs provided by the Multi-GNSS Experiment (MGEX), both standard point positioning (SPP) and precise point positioning (PPP) tests are carried out for BDS signals with different schemes. Furthermore, the influence of differential code biases on BDS positioning estimates such as coordinates, receiver clock biases, tropospheric delays and carrier phase ambiguities is investigated comprehensively. Comparative analysis show that the unmodeled differential code biases degrade the performance of BDS SPP by a factor of two or more, whereas the estimates of PPP are subject to varying degrees of influences. For SPP, the accuracy of dual-frequency combinations is slightly worse than that of single-frequency, and they are much more sensitive to the differential code biases, particularly for the B2B3 combination. For PPP, the uncorrected differential code biases are mostly absorbed into the receiver clock bias and carrier phase ambiguities and thus resulting in a much longer convergence time. Even though the influence of the differential code biases could be mitigated over time and comparable positioning accuracy could be achieved after convergence, it is suggested to properly handle with the differential code biases since it is vital for PPP convergence and integer ambiguity resolution.

Power system frequency estimation based on an orthogonal decomposition method

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Chih-Hung; Tsai, Men-Shen

2018-06-01

In recent years, several frequency estimation techniques have been proposed by which to estimate the frequency variations in power systems. In order to properly identify power quality issues under asynchronously-sampled signals that are contaminated with noise, flicker, and harmonic and inter-harmonic components, a good frequency estimator that is able to estimate the frequency as well as the rate of frequency changes precisely is needed. However, accurately estimating the fundamental frequency becomes a very difficult task without a priori information about the sampling frequency. In this paper, a better frequency evaluation scheme for power systems is proposed. This method employs a reconstruction technique in combination with orthogonal filters, which may maintain the required frequency characteristics of the orthogonal filters and improve the overall efficiency of power system monitoring through two-stage sliding discrete Fourier transforms. The results showed that this method can accurately estimate the power system frequency under different conditions, including asynchronously sampled signals contaminated by noise, flicker, and harmonic and inter-harmonic components. The proposed approach also provides high computational efficiency.

Breakfast frequency among adolescents

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pedersen, Trine Pagh; Holstein, Bjørn E; Damsgaard, Mogens Trab

2016-01-01

OBJECTIVE: To investigate (i) associations between adolescents' frequency of breakfast and family functioning (close relations to parents, quality of family communication and family support) and (ii) if any observed associations between breakfast frequency and family functioning vary...... (n 3054) from a random sample of forty-one schools. RESULTS: Nearly one-quarter of the adolescents had low breakfast frequency. Low breakfast frequency was associated with low family functioning measured by three dimensions. The OR (95 % CI) of low breakfast frequency was 1·81 (1·40, 2......·33) for adolescents who reported no close relations to parents, 2·28 (1·61, 3·22) for adolescents who reported low level of quality of family communication and 2·09 (1·39, 3·15) for adolescents who reported low level of family support. Joint effect analyses suggested that the odds of low breakfast frequency among...

Comparison of duplex PCR and phenotypic analysis in differentiating Candida dubliniensis from Candida albicans from oral samples.

Science.gov (United States)

Sampath, Asanga; Weerasekera, Manjula; Dilhari, Ayomi; Gunasekara, Chinthika; Bulugahapitiya, Uditha; Fernando, Neluka; Samaranayake, Lakshman

2017-12-01

Candida dubliniensis shares a wide range of phenotypic characteristics with Candida albicans including a common trait called germ tube positivity. Hence, laboratory differentiation of these two species is cumbersome. Duplex PCR analyses for C. albicans and C. dubliniensis was performed directly on DNA extracted from a total of 122 germ tube positive isolates derived from 100 concentrated oral rinse samples from a random cohort of diabetics attending a clinic in Sri Lanka. These results were confirmed by DNA sequencing of internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region of rDNA of the yeasts. Performance efficacy of duplex PCR was then compared with phenotypic identification using a standard battery of phenotypic tests. Of the 122 germ tube positive isolates three were identified by duplex PCR as C. dubliniensis and the remainder as C. albicans. On the contrary, when the standard phenotypic tests, sugar assimilation and chlamydospore formation, were used to differentiate the two species 13 germ tube positive isolates were erroneously identified as C. dubliniensis. Duplex PCR was found to be rapid, sensitive and more specific than phenotypic identification methods in discriminating C. dubliniensis from C. albicans. This is also the first report on the oral carriage of C. dubliniensis in a Sri Lankan population.

ABO blood group phenotype frequency estimation using molecular phenotyping in rhesus and cynomolgus macaques.

Science.gov (United States)

Kanthaswamy, S; Ng, J; Oldt, R F; Valdivia, L; Houghton, P; Smith, D G

2017-11-01

A much larger sample (N = 2369) was used to evaluate a previously reported distribution of the A, AB and B blood group phenotypes in rhesus and cynomolgus macaques from six different regional populations. These samples, acquired from 15 different breeding and research facilities in the United States, were analyzed using a real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) assay that targets single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) responsible for the macaque A, B and AB phenotypes. The frequency distributions of blood group phenotypes of the two species differ significantly from each other and significant regional differentiation within the geographic ranges of each species was also observed. The B blood group phenotype was prevalent in rhesus macaques, especially those from India, while the frequencies of the A, B and AB phenotypes varied significantly among cynomolgus macaques from different geographic regions. The Mauritian cynomolgus macaques, despite having originated in Indonesia, showed significant (P ≪ .01) divergence from the Indonesian animals at the ABO blood group locus. Most Mauritian animals belonged to the B blood group while the Indonesian animals were mostly A. The close similarity in blood group frequency distributions between the Chinese rhesus and Indochinese cynomolgus macaques demonstrates that the introgression between these two species extends beyond the zone of intergradation in Indochina. This study underscores the importance of ABO blood group phenotyping of the domestic supply of macaques and their biospecimens. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Unique B cell differentiation profile in tolerant kidney transplant patients.

Science.gov (United States)

Chesneau, M; Pallier, A; Braza, F; Lacombe, G; Le Gallou, S; Baron, D; Giral, M; Danger, R; Guerif, P; Aubert-Wastiaux, H; Néel, A; Michel, L; Laplaud, D-A; Degauque, N; Soulillou, J-P; Tarte, K; Brouard, S

2014-01-01

Operationally tolerant patients (TOL) display a higher number of blood B cells and transcriptional B cell signature. As they rarely develop an allo-immune response, they could display an abnormal B cell differentiation. We used an in vitro culture system to explore T-dependent differentiation of B cells into plasma cells. B cell phenotype, apoptosis, proliferation, cytokine, immunoglobulin production and markers of differentiation were followed in blood of these patients. Tolerant recipients show a higher frequency of CD20(+) CD24(hi) CD38(hi) transitional and CD20(+) CD38(lo) CD24(lo) naïve B cells compared to patients with stable graft function, correlating with a decreased frequency of CD20(-) CD38(+) CD138(+) differentiated plasma cells, suggestive of abnormal B cell differentiation. B cells from TOL proliferate normally but produce more IL-10. In addition, B cells from tolerant recipients exhibit a defective expression of factors of the end step of differentiation into plasma cells and show a higher propensity for cell death apoptosis compared to patients with stable graft function. This in vitro profile is consistent with down-regulation of B cell differentiation genes and anti-apoptotic B cell genes in these patients in vivo. These data suggest that a balance between B cells producing IL-10 and a deficiency in plasma cells may encourage an environment favorable to the tolerance maintenance. © Copyright 2013 The American Society of Transplantation and the American Society of Transplant Surgeons.

Calcium Input Frequency, Duration and Amplitude Differentially Modulate the Relative Activation of Calcineurin and CaMKII

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Lu; Stefan, Melanie I.; Le Novère, Nicolas

2012-01-01

NMDA receptor dependent long-term potentiation (LTP) and long-term depression (LTD) are two prominent forms of synaptic plasticity, both of which are triggered by post-synaptic calcium elevation. To understand how calcium selectively stimulates two opposing processes, we developed a detailed computational model and performed simulations with different calcium input frequencies, amplitudes, and durations. We show that with a total amount of calcium ions kept constant, high frequencies of calcium pulses stimulate calmodulin more efficiently. Calcium input activates both calcineurin and Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII) at all frequencies, but increased frequencies shift the relative activation from calcineurin to CaMKII. Irrespective of amplitude and duration of the inputs, the total amount of calcium ions injected adjusts the sensitivity of the system to calcium input frequencies. At a given frequency, the quantity of CaMKII activated is proportional to the total amount of calcium. Thus, an input of a small amount of calcium at high frequencies can induce the same activation of CaMKII as a larger amount, at lower frequencies. Finally, the extent of activation of CaMKII signals with high calcium frequency is further controlled by other factors, including the availability of calmodulin, and by the potency of phosphatase inhibitors. PMID:22962589

Differential effects of high-frequency versus low-frequency exercise training in rehabilitation of patients with coronary artery disease

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Nieuwland, W.; Berkhuysen, M.A.; van Veldhuisen, D.J.; Brugemann, J.; Landsman, M.L.J.; van Sonderen, E.; Lie, K.I.; Crijns, H.J.G.M.; Rispens, P.

2000-01-01

OBJECTIVES We sought to study the influence of frequency of exercise training during cardiac rehabilitation on functional capacity (i.e., peak oxygen consumption [VO2] and ventilatory anaerobic threshold [VAT]) and quality of life (QoL). BACKGROUND Although the value of cardiac rehabilitation is now

Anomalous frequency-dependent ionic conductivity of lesion-laden human-brain tissue

Science.gov (United States)

Emin, David; Akhtari, Massoud; Fallah, Aria; Vinters, Harry V.; Mathern, Gary W.

2017-10-01

We study the effect of lesions on our four-electrode measurements of the ionic conductivity of (˜1 cm3) samples of human brain excised from patients undergoing pediatric epilepsy surgery. For most (˜94%) samples, the low-frequency ionic conductivity rises upon increasing the applied frequency. We attributed this behavior to the long-range (˜0.4 mm) diffusion of solvated sodium cations before encountering intrinsic impenetrable blockages such as cell membranes, blood vessels, and cell walls. By contrast, the low-frequency ionic conductivity of some (˜6%) brain-tissue samples falls with increasing applied frequency. We attribute this unusual frequency-dependence to the electric-field induced liberation of sodium cations from traps introduced by the unusually severe pathology observed in samples from these patients. Thus, the anomalous frequency-dependence of the ionic conductivity indicates trap-producing brain lesions.

Sparse dynamics for partial differential equations.

Science.gov (United States)

Schaeffer, Hayden; Caflisch, Russel; Hauck, Cory D; Osher, Stanley

2013-04-23

We investigate the approximate dynamics of several differential equations when the solutions are restricted to a sparse subset of a given basis. The restriction is enforced at every time step by simply applying soft thresholding to the coefficients of the basis approximation. By reducing or compressing the information needed to represent the solution at every step, only the essential dynamics are represented. In many cases, there are natural bases derived from the differential equations, which promote sparsity. We find that our method successfully reduces the dynamics of convection equations, diffusion equations, weak shocks, and vorticity equations with high-frequency source terms.

Design of circular differential microphone arrays

CERN Document Server

Benesty, Jacob; Cohen, Israel

2015-01-01

Recently, we proposed a completely novel and efficient way to design differential beamforming algorithms for linear microphone arrays. Thanks to this very flexible approach, any order of differential arrays can be designed. Moreover, they can be made robust against white noise amplification, which is the main inconvenience in these types of arrays. The other well-known problem with linear arrays is that electronic steering is not really feasible.  In this book, we extend all these fundamental ideas to circular microphone arrays and show that we can design small and compact differential arrays of any order that can be electronically steered in many different directions and offer a good degree of control of the white noise amplification problem, high directional gain, and frequency-independent response. We also present a number of practical examples, demonstrating that differential beamforming with circular microphone arrays is likely one of the best candidates for applications involving speech enhancement (i....

Analysis of muscle fatigue conditions using time-frequency images and GLCM features

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Karthick P.A.

2016-09-01

Full Text Available In this work, an attempt has been made to differentiate muscle non-fatigue and fatigue conditions using sEMG signals and texture representation of the time-frequency images. The sEMG signals are recorded from the biceps brachii muscle of 25 healthy adult volunteers during dynamic fatiguing contraction. The first and last curls of these signals are considered as the non-fatigue and fatigue zones, respectively. These signals are preprocessed and the time-frequency spectrum is computed using short time fourier transform (STFT. Gray-Level Co-occurrence Matrix (GLCM is extracted from low (15–45 Hz, medium (46–95 Hz and high (96–150 Hz frequency bands of the time-frequency images. Further, the features such as contrast, correlation, energy and homogeneity are calculated from the resultant matrices. The results show that the high frequency band based features are able to differentiate non-fatigue and fatigue conditions. The features such as correlation, contrast and homogeneity extracted at angles 0°, 45°, 90°, and 135° are found to be distinct with high statistical significance (p < 0.0001. Hence, this framework can be used for analysis of neuromuscular disorders.

Cooperative Transmission in Mobile Wireless Sensor Networks with Multiple Carrier Frequency Offsets: A Double-Differential Approach

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Kun Zhao

2014-01-01

Full Text Available As a result of the rapidly increasing mobility of sensor nodes, mobile wireless sensor networks (MWSNs would be subject to multiple carrier frequency offsets (MCFOs, which result in time-varying channels and drastically degrade the network performance. To enhance the performance of such MWSNs, we propose a relay selection (RS based double-differential (DD cooperative transmission scheme, termed RSDDCT, in which the best relay sensor node is selected to forward the source sensor node’s signals to the destination sensor node with the detect-and-forward (DetF protocol. Assuming a Rayleigh fading environment, first, exact closed-form expressions for the outage probability and average bit error rate (BER of the RSDDCT scheme are derived. Then, simple and informative asymptotic outage probability and average BER expressions at the large signal-to-noise ratio (SNR regime are presented, which reveal that the RSDDCT scheme can achieve full diversity. Furthermore, the optimum power allocation strategy in terms of minimizing the average BER is investigated, and simple analytical solutions are obtained. Simulation results demonstrate that the proposed RSDDCT scheme can achieve excellent performance over fading channels in the presence of unknown random MCFOs. It is also shown that the proposed optimum power allocation strategy offers substantial average BER performance improvement over the equal power allocation strategy.

Sampling procedures and tables

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Franzkowski, R.

1980-01-01

Characteristics, defects, defectives - Sampling by attributes and by variables - Sample versus population - Frequency distributions for the number of defectives or the number of defects in the sample - Operating characteristic curve, producer's risk, consumer's risk - Acceptable quality level AQL - Average outgoing quality AOQ - Standard ISQ 2859 - Fundamentals of sampling by variables for fraction defective. (RW)

Frequency-Dependent FDTD Algorithm Using Newmark’s Method

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Bing Wei

2014-01-01

Full Text Available According to the characteristics of the polarizability in frequency domain of three common models of dispersive media, the relation between the polarization vector and electric field intensity is converted into a time domain differential equation of second order with the polarization vector by using the conversion from frequency to time domain. Newmark βγ difference method is employed to solve this equation. The electric field intensity to polarizability recursion is derived, and the electric flux to electric field intensity recursion is obtained by constitutive relation. Then FDTD iterative computation in time domain of electric and magnetic field components in dispersive medium is completed. By analyzing the solution stability of the above differential equation using central difference method, it is proved that this method has more advantages in the selection of time step. Theoretical analyses and numerical results demonstrate that this method is a general algorithm and it has advantages of higher accuracy and stability over the algorithms based on central difference method.

MONITORING HIGH-FREQUENCY OCEAN SIGNALS USING LOW-COST GNSS/IMU BUOYS

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Y.-L. Huang

2016-06-01

Full Text Available In oceans there are different ocean signals covering the multi-frequencies including tsunami, meteotsunami, storm surge, as sea level change, and currents. These signals have the direct and significant impact on the economy and life of human-beings. Therefore, measuring ocean signals accurately becomes more and more important and necessary. Nowadays, there are many techniques and methods commonly used for monitoring oceans, but each has its limitation. For example, tide gauges only measure sea level relative to benchmarks and are disturbed unevenly, and satellite altimeter measurements are not continuous and inaccurate near coastal oceans. In addition, high-frequency ocean signals such as tsunami and meteotsunami cannot be sufficiently detected by 6-minutes tide gauge measurements or 10-day sampled altimetry data. Moreover, traditional accelerometer buoy is heavy, expensive and the low-frequency noise caused by the instrument is unavoidable. In this study, a small, low-cost and self-assembly autonomous Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU that independently collects continuous acceleration and angular velocity data is mounted on a GNSS buoy to provide the positions and tilts of the moving buoy. The main idea is to integrate the Differential GNSS (DGNSS or Precise Point Positioning (PPP solutions with IMU data, and then evaluate the performance by comparing with in situ tide gauges. The validation experiments conducted in the NCKU Tainan Hydraulics Laboratory showed that GNSS and IMU both can detect the simulated regular wave frequency and height, and the field experiments in the Anping Harbor, Tainan, Taiwan showed that the low-cost GNSS buoy has an excellent ability to observe significant wave heights in amplitude and frequency.

Id2 reinforces TH1 cell differentiation and inhibits E2A to repress TFH cell differentiation

Science.gov (United States)

Shaw, Laura A.; Bélanger, Simon; Omilusik, Kyla D.; Cho, Sunglim; Scott-Browne, James P.; Nance, J. Philip; Goulding, John; Lasorella, Anna; Lu, Li-Fan; Crotty, Shane; Goldrath, Ananda W.

2016-01-01

Differentiation of T helper (TH) effector subsets is critical for host protection. E protein transcription factors and Id proteins are important arbiters of T cell development, but their role in differentiation of TH1 and TFH cells is not well understood. TH1 cells showed robust Id2 expression compared to TFH cells, and RNAi depletion of Id2 increased TFH cell frequencies. Further, TH1 cell differentiation was blocked by Id2 deficiency, leading to E protein-dependent accumulation of effector cells with mixed characteristics during viral infection and severely impaired generation of TH1 cells following Toxoplasma gondii infection. The TFH-defining transcriptional repressor Bcl6 bound the Id2 locus, providing a mechanism for the bimodal Id2 expression and reciprocal development of TH1 and TFH cell fates. PMID:27213691

The effects of dominance, regular inbreeding and sampling design on Q(ST), an estimator of population differentiation for quantitative traits.

Science.gov (United States)

Goudet, Jérôme; Büchi, Lucie

2006-02-01

To test whether quantitative traits are under directional or homogenizing selection, it is common practice to compare population differentiation estimates at molecular markers (F(ST)) and quantitative traits (Q(ST)). If the trait is neutral and its determinism is additive, then theory predicts that Q(ST) = F(ST), while Q(ST) > F(ST) is predicted under directional selection for different local optima, and Q(ST) sampling designs and find that it is always best to sample many populations (>20) with few families (five) rather than few populations with many families. Provided that estimates of Q(ST) are derived from individuals originating from many populations, we conclude that the pattern Q(ST) > F(ST), and hence the inference of directional selection for different local optima, is robust to the effect of nonadditive gene actions.

Population data for 12 Y-chromosome STR loci in a sample from Honduras.

Science.gov (United States)

Matamoros, Mireya; Yurrebaso, Iñaki; Gusmão, Leonor; García, Oscar

2009-09-01

Haplotype, allele frequencies and population data of 12 Y-chromosome STR loci DYS19, DYS385, DYS389I, DYS389II, DYS390, DYS391, DYS392, DYS393, DYS437, DYS438 and DYS439 were determined from a sample of 128 unrelated male individuals from Honduras, Central America. A total of 112 haplotypes were identified by the 12 Y-STR loci of which 98 were unique. The haplotype diversity (98.99%) and the proportion of different haplotypes (87.50%) were estimated. Genetic distances were calculated between Honduras and other populations from Southern and Central America, Europe and Africa. The analysis of a Multi Dimensional Scaling (MDS) plot, based on pairwise R(ST) genetic distances, allowed to conclude that Honduras is highly differentiated from the African samples (0.343Honduras showed a lower genetic distance to the European cluster (composed by European and South American general population samples from Brazil, Argentina, Colombia and Venezuela) than to the Central American cluster (Mexico and El Salvador).

Passive emitter location with Doppler frequency and interferometric measurements

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Groot, J.S.; Dam, F.A.M.; Theil, A.

2008-01-01

Ground based emitters can be located with a receiver installed on an airborne platform. This paper discusses techniques based on Doppler frequency and differential phase measurements (interferometry). Measurements of the first technique are provided, while we discuss and compare the theoretical

Frequency-Modulation Correlation Spectrometer

Science.gov (United States)

Margolis, J. S.; Martonchik, J. V.

1985-01-01

New type of correlation spectrometer eliminates need to shift between two cells, one empty and one containing reference gas. Electrooptical phase modulator sinusoidally shift frequencies of sample transmission spectrum.

A genome-wide methylation study on obesity: differential variability and differential methylation.

Science.gov (United States)

Xu, Xiaojing; Su, Shaoyong; Barnes, Vernon A; De Miguel, Carmen; Pollock, Jennifer; Ownby, Dennis; Shi, Hidong; Zhu, Haidong; Snieder, Harold; Wang, Xiaoling

2013-05-01

Besides differential methylation, DNA methylation variation has recently been proposed and demonstrated to be a potential contributing factor to cancer risk. Here we aim to examine whether differential variability in methylation is also an important feature of obesity, a typical non-malignant common complex disease. We analyzed genome-wide methylation profiles of over 470,000 CpGs in peripheral blood samples from 48 obese and 48 lean African-American youth aged 14-20 y old. A substantial number of differentially variable CpG sites (DVCs), using statistics based on variances, as well as a substantial number of differentially methylated CpG sites (DMCs), using statistics based on means, were identified. Similar to the findings in cancers, DVCs generally exhibited an outlier structure and were more variable in cases than in controls. By randomly splitting the current sample into a discovery and validation set, we observed that both the DVCs and DMCs identified from the first set could independently predict obesity status in the second set. Furthermore, both the genes harboring DMCs and the genes harboring DVCs showed significant enrichment of genes identified by genome-wide association studies on obesity and related diseases, such as hypertension, dyslipidemia, type 2 diabetes and certain types of cancers, supporting their roles in the etiology and pathogenesis of obesity. We generalized the recent finding on methylation variability in cancer research to obesity and demonstrated that differential variability is also an important feature of obesity-related methylation changes. Future studies on the epigenetics of obesity will benefit from both statistics based on means and statistics based on variances.

High throughput pyrosequencing technology for molecular differential detection of Babesia vogeli, Hepatozoon canis, Ehrlichia canis and Anaplasma platys in canine blood samples.

Science.gov (United States)

Kaewkong, Worasak; Intapan, Pewpan M; Sanpool, Oranuch; Janwan, Penchom; Thanchomnang, Tongjit; Kongklieng, Amornmas; Tantrawatpan, Chairat; Boonmars, Thidarut; Lulitanond, Viraphong; Taweethavonsawat, Piyanan; Chungpivat, Sudchit; Maleewong, Wanchai

2014-06-01

Canine babesiosis, hepatozoonosis, ehrlichiosis, and anaplasmosis are tick-borne diseases caused by different hemopathogens. These diseases are causes of morbidity and mortality in dogs. The classic method for parasite detection and differentiation is based on microscopic observation of blood smears. The limitations of the microscopic method are that its performance requires a specially qualified person with professional competence, and it is ineffective in differentiating closely related species. This study applied PCR amplification with high throughput pyrosequencing for molecular differential detection of the following 4 hemoparasites common to tropical areas in dog blood samples: Babesia vogeli, Hepatozoon canis, Ehrlichia canis, and Anaplasma platys. PCR was initially used to amplify specific target regions of the ribosomal RNA genes of each parasite using 2 primer pairs that included 18S rRNA for protozoa (B. vogeli and H. canis) and 16S rRNA for rickettsia (E. canis and A. platys). Babesia vogeli and H. canis were discriminated using 9 nucleotide positions out of 30 base pairs, whereas E. canis and A. platys were differentiated using 15 nucleotide positions out of 34 base pairs that were determined from regions adjacent to 3' ends of the sequencing primers. This method provides a challenging alternative for a rapid diagnosis and surveillance of these tick-borne diseases in canines. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

Admittance of multiterminal quantum Hall conductors at kilohertz frequencies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hernández, C.; Consejo, C.; Chaubet, C.; Degiovanni, P.

2014-01-01

We present an experimental study of the low frequency admittance of quantum Hall conductors in the [100 Hz, 1 MHz] frequency range. We show that the frequency dependence of the admittance of the sample strongly depends on the topology of the contacts connections. Our experimental results are well explained within the Christen and Büttiker approach for finite frequency transport in quantum Hall edge channels taking into account the influence of the coaxial cables capacitance. In the Hall bar geometry, we demonstrate that there exists a configuration in which the cable capacitance does not influence the admittance measurement of the sample. In this case, we measure the electrochemical capacitance of the sample and observe its dependence on the filling factor

Admittance of multiterminal quantum Hall conductors at kilohertz frequencies

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hernández, C. [Departamento de Física, Universidad Militar Nueva Granada, Carrera 11 101-80 Bogotá D.C. (Colombia); Consejo, C.; Chaubet, C., E-mail: christophe.chaubet@univ-montp2.fr [Université Montpellier 2, Laboratoire Charles Coulomb UMR5221, F-34095 Montpellier, France and CNRS, Laboratoire Charles Coulomb UMR5221, F-34095 Montpellier (France); Degiovanni, P. [Université de Lyon, Fédération de Physique Andrée Marie Ampère, CNRS, Laboratoire de Physique de l' Ecole Normale Supérieure de Lyon, 46 allée d' Italie, 69364 Lyon Cedex 07 (France)

2014-03-28

We present an experimental study of the low frequency admittance of quantum Hall conductors in the [100 Hz, 1 MHz] frequency range. We show that the frequency dependence of the admittance of the sample strongly depends on the topology of the contacts connections. Our experimental results are well explained within the Christen and Büttiker approach for finite frequency transport in quantum Hall edge channels taking into account the influence of the coaxial cables capacitance. In the Hall bar geometry, we demonstrate that there exists a configuration in which the cable capacitance does not influence the admittance measurement of the sample. In this case, we measure the electrochemical capacitance of the sample and observe its dependence on the filling factor.

Polymorphisms in the Innate Immune IFIH1 Gene, Frequency of Enterovirus in Monthly Fecal Samples during Infancy, and Islet Autoimmunity

Science.gov (United States)

Witsø, Elisabet; Tapia, German; Cinek, Ondrej; Pociot, Flemming Michael; Stene, Lars C.; Rønningen, Kjersti S.

2011-01-01

Interferon induced with helicase C domain 1 (IFIH1) senses and initiates antiviral activity against enteroviruses. Genetic variants of IFIH1, one common and four rare SNPs have been associated with lower risk for type 1 diabetes. Our aim was to test whether these type 1 diabetes-associated IFIH1 polymorphisms are associated with the occurrence of enterovirus infection in the gut of healthy children, or influence the lack of association between gut enterovirus infection and islet autoimmunity. After testing of 46,939 Norwegian newborns, 421 children carrying the high risk genotype for type 1 diabetes (HLA-DR4-DQ8/DR3-DQ2) as well as 375 children without this genotype were included for monthly fecal collections from 3 to 35 months of age, and genotyped for the IFIH1 polymorphisms. A total of 7,793 fecal samples were tested for presence of enterovirus RNA using real time reverse transcriptase PCR. We found no association with frequency of enterovirus in the gut for the common IFIH1 polymorphism rs1990760, or either of the rare variants of rs35744605, rs35667974, rs35337543, while the enterovirus prevalence marginally differed in samples from the 8 carriers of a rare allele of rs35732034 (26.1%, 18/69 samples) as compared to wild-type homozygotes (12.4%, 955/7724 samples); odds ratio 2.5, p = 0.06. The association was stronger when infections were restricted to those with high viral loads (odds ratio 3.3, 95% CI 1.3–8.4, p = 0.01). The lack of association between enterovirus frequency and islet autoimmunity reported in our previous study was not materially influenced by the IFIH1 SNPs. We conclude that the type 1 diabetes-associated IFIH1 polymorphisms have no, or only minor influence on the occurrence, quantity or duration of enterovirus infection in the gut. Its effect on the risk of diabetes is likely to lie elsewhere in the pathogenic process than in the modification of gut infection. PMID:22110759

Quantification of damage in DNA recovered from highly degraded samples – a case study on DNA in faeces

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Eveson J Paige

2006-08-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Poorly preserved biological tissues have become an important source of DNA for a wide range of zoological studies. Measuring the quality of DNA obtained from these samples is often desired; however, there are no widely used techniques available for quantifying damage in highly degraded DNA samples. We present a general method that can be used to determine the frequency of polymerase blocking DNA damage in specific gene-regions in such samples. The approach uses quantitative PCR to measure the amount of DNA present at several fragment sizes within a sample. According to a model of random degradation the amount of available template will decline exponentially with increasing fragment size in damaged samples, and the frequency of DNA damage (λ can be estimated by determining the rate of decline. Results The method is illustrated through the analysis of DNA extracted from sea lion faecal samples. Faeces contain a complex mixture of DNA from several sources and different components are expected to be differentially degraded. We estimated the frequency of DNA damage in both predator and prey DNA within individual faecal samples. The distribution of fragment lengths for each target fit well with the assumption of a random degradation process and, in keeping with our expectations, the estimated frequency of damage was always less in predator DNA than in prey DNA within the same sample (mean λpredator = 0.0106 per nucleotide; mean λprey = 0.0176 per nucleotide. This study is the first to explicitly define the amount of template damage in any DNA extracted from faeces and the first to quantify the amount of predator and prey DNA present within individual faecal samples. Conclusion We present an approach for characterizing mixed, highly degraded PCR templates such as those often encountered in ecological studies using non-invasive samples as a source of DNA, wildlife forensics investigations and ancient DNA research. This method will

Multiple-Symbol Differential Detection Of MPSK

Science.gov (United States)

Divsalar, Dariush; Simon, Marvin K.

1991-01-01

Multiple-symbol differential detection proposed for reception of radio-frequency signals modulated by mutliple-phase-shift keying (MPSK). Offers advantage of less complexity in not requiring equipment to acquire and track carrier signal. Performance approaches that of ideal coherent detection. Applicable to coded as well as uncoded MPSK, and to other forms of modulation.

Application of modified homotopy perturbation method and amplitude frequency formulation to strongly nonlinear oscillators

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

seyd ghasem enayati

2017-01-01

Full Text Available In this paper, two powerful analytical methods known as modified homotopy perturbation method and Amplitude Frequency Formulation called respectively MHPM and AFF, are introduced to derive approximate solutions of a system of ordinary differential equations appear in mechanical applications. These methods convert a difficult problem into a simple one, which can be easily handled. The obtained solutions are compared with numerical fourth order runge-kutta method to show the applicability and accuracy of both MHPM and AFF in solving this sample problem. The results attained in this paper confirm the idea that MHPM and AFF are powerful mathematical tools and they can be applied to linear and nonlinear problems.

On Generalized Fractional Differentiator Signals

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hamid A. Jalab

2013-01-01

Full Text Available By employing the generalized fractional differential operator, we introduce a system of fractional order derivative for a uniformly sampled polynomial signal. The calculation of the bring in signal depends on the additive combination of the weighted bring-in of N cascaded digital differentiators. The weights are imposed in a closed formula containing the Stirling numbers of the first kind. The approach taken in this work is to consider that signal function in terms of Newton series. The convergence of the system to a fractional time differentiator is discussed.

Carbon-enhanced Metal-poor Stars in SDSS/SEGUE. I. Carbon Abundance Estimation and Frequency of CEMP Stars

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lee, Young Sun [NMSU, Las Cruces; Beers, Timothy C. [Michigan State U., JINA; Masseron, Thomas [Brussels U.; Plez, Bertrand [U. Montpellier 2, LUPM; Rockosi, Constance M. [Lick Observ.; Sobeck, Jennifer [Chicago U.; Yanny, Brian [Fermilab; Lucatello, Sara [Padua Observ.; Sivarani, Thirupathi [Bangalore, Indian Inst. Astrophys.; Placco, Vinicius M. [Sao Paulo U., IAG; Carollo, Daniela [Macquarie U.

2013-10-17

We describe a method for the determination of stellar [C/Fe] abundance ratios using low-resolution (R = 2000) stellar spectra from the SDSS and SEGUE. By means of a star-by-star comparison with a set of SDSS/SEGUE spectra with available estimates of [C/Fe] based on published high-resolution analyses, we demonstrate that we can measure [C/Fe] from SDSS/SEGUE spectra with S/N > 15 to a precision better than 0.35 dex. Using the measured carbon-to-iron abundance ratios obtained by this technique, we derive the frequency of carbon-enhanced stars ([C/Fe] > +0.7) as a function of [Fe/H], for both the SDSS/SEGUE stars and other samples from the literature. We find that the differential frequency slowly rises from almost zero to about 14% at [Fe/H] ~ -2.4, followed by a sudden increase, by about a factor of three, to 39% from [Fe/H] ~ -2.4 to [Fe/H] ~ -3.7. We also examine how the cumulative frequency of CEMP stars varies across different luminosity classes. The giant sample exhibits a cumulative CEMP frequency of 32% for [Fe/H] < -2.5, 31% for [Fe/H] < -3.0, and 33% for [Fe/H] < -3.5. For the main-sequence turnoff stars, we obtain a lower cumulative CEMP frequency, around 10% for [Fe/H] < -2.5. The dwarf population displays a large change in the cumulative frequency for CEMP stars below [Fe/H] = -2.5, jumping from 15% for [Fe/H] < -2.5 to about 75% for [Fe/H] < -3.0. When we impose a restriction with respect to distance from the Galactic mid-plane (|Z| < 5 kpc), the frequency of the CEMP giants does not increase at low metallicity ([Fe/H] < -2.5), but rather, decreases, due to the dilution of C-rich material in stars that have undergone mixing with CNO-processed material from their interiors. The frequency of CEMP stars near the main-sequence turnoff, which are not expected to have experienced mixing, increases for [Fe/H] < -3.0. [abridged

Real-time optical laboratory solution of parabolic differential equations

Science.gov (United States)

Casasent, David; Jackson, James

1988-01-01

An optical laboratory matrix-vector processor is used to solve parabolic differential equations (the transient diffusion equation with two space variables and time) by an explicit algorithm. This includes optical matrix-vector nonbase-2 encoded laboratory data, the combination of nonbase-2 and frequency-multiplexed data on such processors, a high-accuracy optical laboratory solution of a partial differential equation, new data partitioning techniques, and a discussion of a multiprocessor optical matrix-vector architecture.

Pseudo-differential operators and generalized functions

CERN Document Server

Toft, Joachim

2015-01-01

This book gathers peer-reviewed contributions representing modern trends in the theory of generalized functions and pseudo-differential operators. It is dedicated to Professor Michael Oberguggenberger (Innsbruck University, Austria) in honour of his 60th birthday. The topics covered were suggested by the ISAAC Group in Generalized Functions (GF) and the ISAAC Group in Pseudo-Differential Operators (IGPDO), which met at the 9th ISAAC congress in Krakow, Poland in August 2013. Topics include Columbeau algebras, ultra-distributions, partial differential equations, micro-local analysis, harmonic analysis, global analysis, geometry, quantization, mathematical physics, and time-frequency analysis. Featuring both essays and research articles, the book will be of great interest to graduate students and researchers working in analysis, PDE and mathematical physics, while also offering a valuable complement to the volumes on this topic previously published in the OT series.

High degree of genetic differentiation in marine three-spined sticklebacks (Gasterosteus aculeatus).

Science.gov (United States)

Defaveri, Jacquelin; Shikano, Takahito; Shimada, Yukinori; Merilä, Juha

2013-09-01

Populations of widespread marine organisms are typically characterized by a low degree of genetic differentiation in neutral genetic markers, but much less is known about differentiation in genes whose functional roles are associated with specific selection regimes. To uncover possible adaptive population divergence and heterogeneous genomic differentiation in marine three-spined sticklebacks (Gasterosteus aculeatus), we used a candidate gene-based genome-scan approach to analyse variability in 138 microsatellite loci located within/close to (<6 kb) functionally important genes in samples collected from ten geographic locations. The degree of genetic differentiation in markers classified as neutral or under balancing selection-as determined with several outlier detection methods-was low (F(ST) = 0.033 or 0.011, respectively), whereas average FST for directionally selected markers was significantly higher (F(ST) = 0.097). Clustering analyses provided support for genomic and geographic heterogeneity in selection: six genetic clusters were identified based on allele frequency differences in the directionally selected loci, whereas four were identified with the neutral loci. Allelic variation in several loci exhibited significant associations with environmental variables, supporting the conjecture that temperature and salinity, but not optic conditions, are important drivers of adaptive divergence among populations. In general, these results suggest that in spite of the high degree of physical connectivity and gene flow as inferred from neutral marker genes, marine stickleback populations are strongly genetically structured in loci associated with functionally relevant genes. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Cellular network entropy as the energy potential in Waddington's differentiation landscape

Science.gov (United States)

Banerji, Christopher R. S.; Miranda-Saavedra, Diego; Severini, Simone; Widschwendter, Martin; Enver, Tariq; Zhou, Joseph X.; Teschendorff, Andrew E.

2013-01-01

Differentiation is a key cellular process in normal tissue development that is significantly altered in cancer. Although molecular signatures characterising pluripotency and multipotency exist, there is, as yet, no single quantitative mark of a cellular sample's position in the global differentiation hierarchy. Here we adopt a systems view and consider the sample's network entropy, a measure of signaling pathway promiscuity, computable from a sample's genome-wide expression profile. We demonstrate that network entropy provides a quantitative, in-silico, readout of the average undifferentiated state of the profiled cells, recapitulating the known hierarchy of pluripotent, multipotent and differentiated cell types. Network entropy further exhibits dynamic changes in time course differentiation data, and in line with a sample's differentiation stage. In disease, network entropy predicts a higher level of cellular plasticity in cancer stem cell populations compared to ordinary cancer cells. Importantly, network entropy also allows identification of key differentiation pathways. Our results are consistent with the view that pluripotency is a statistical property defined at the cellular population level, correlating with intra-sample heterogeneity, and driven by the degree of signaling promiscuity in cells. In summary, network entropy provides a quantitative measure of a cell's undifferentiated state, defining its elevation in Waddington's landscape. PMID:24154593

An electromagnetic compressive force by cell exciter stimulates chondrogenic differentiation of bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Park, Sang-Hyug; Sim, Woo Young; Park, Sin Wook; Yang, Sang Sik; Choi, Byung Hyune; Park, So Ra; Park, Kwideok; Min, Byoung-Hyun

2006-11-01

In this study, we present a biological micro-electromechanical system and its application to the chondrogenic differentiation of rabbit bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). Actuated by an electromagnetic force, the micro cell exciter was designed to deliver a cyclic compressive load (CCL) with various magnitudes. Two major parts in the system are an actuator and a cartridge-type chamber. The former has a permanent magnet and coil, and the latter is equipped with 7 sample dishes and 7 metal caps. Mixed with a 2.4% alginate solution, the alginate/MSC layers were positioned in the sample dishes; the caps contained chondrogenic defined medium without transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta). Once powered, the actuator coil-derived electromagnetic force pulled the metal caps down, compressing the samples. The cyclic load was given at 1-Hz frequency for 10 min twice a day. Samples in the dishes without a cap served as a control. The samples were analyzed at 3, 5, and 7 days after stimulation for cell viability, biochemical assays, histologic features, immunohistochemistry, and gene expression of the chondrogenic markers. Applied to the alginate/MSC layer, the CCL system enhanced the synthesis of cartilage-specific matrix proteins and the chondrogenic markers, such as aggrecan, type II collagen, and Sox9. We found that the micromechanically exerted CCL by the cell exciter was very effective in enhancing the chondrogenic differentiation of MSCs, even without using exogenous TGF-beta.

Id2 reinforces TH1 differentiation and inhibits E2A to repress TFH differentiation.

Science.gov (United States)

Shaw, Laura A; Bélanger, Simon; Omilusik, Kyla D; Cho, Sunglim; Scott-Browne, James P; Nance, J Philip; Goulding, John; Lasorella, Anna; Lu, Li-Fan; Crotty, Shane; Goldrath, Ananda W

2016-07-01

The differentiation of helper T cells into effector subsets is critical to host protection. Transcription factors of the E-protein and Id families are important arbiters of T cell development, but their role in the differentiation of the TH1 and TFH subsets of helper T cells is not well understood. Here, TH1 cells showed more robust Id2 expression than that of TFH cells, and depletion of Id2 via RNA-mediated interference increased the frequency of TFH cells. Furthermore, TH1 differentiation was blocked by Id2 deficiency, which led to E-protein-dependent accumulation of effector cells with mixed characteristics during viral infection and severely impaired the generation of TH1 cells following infection with Toxoplasma gondii. The TFH cell-defining transcriptional repressor Bcl6 bound the Id2 locus, which provides a mechanism for the bimodal Id2 expression and reciprocal development of TH1 cells and TFH cells.

Differential impact of respiratory syncytial virus and parainfluenza virus on the frequency of acute otitis media is explained by lower adaptive and innate immune responses in otitis-prone children.

Science.gov (United States)

Verhoeven, David; Xu, Qingfu; Pichichero, Michael E

2014-08-01

Acute otitis media (AOM) is a leading cause of bacterial pediatric infections associated with viral upper respiratory infections (URIs). We examined the differential impact of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and parainfluenza virus URIs on the frequency of AOM caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae (Spn) and nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae (NTHi) in stringently defined otitis-prone (sOP) and non-otitis-prone (NOP) children as a potential mechanism to explain increased susceptibility to AOM. Peripheral blood and nasal washes were obtained from sOP and NOP children (n = 309). Colonization events and antiviral responses consisting of total specific immunoglobulin G (IgG) responses, neutralizing antibody responses, and T-cell responses were determined. Isolated neutrophils were infected with varying multiplicities of infection of both viruses, and opsonophagocytosis potential was measured. A significant increase was found in frequency of AOM events caused by Spn and NTHi, with a concurrent RSV infection in sOP children. These results correlated with diminished total RSV-specific IgG, higher viral nasal burdens, and lower IgG neutralizing capacity. The sOP children had diminished T-cell responses to RSV that correlated with lower Toll-like receptor 3/7 transcript and decreased expression of HLA-DR on antigen-presenting cells. RSV interfered with the Spn phagocytic capacity of neutrophils in a dose-dependent manner. Parainfluenza virus infections did not differentially affect AOM events in sOP and NOP children. Lower innate and adaptive immune responses to RSV in sOP children may slow the kinetics of viral clearance from the nasopharynx and allow for viral interference with antibacterial immune responses, thus contributing to increased frequency of AOMs. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Infectious Diseases Society of America. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Type 1,1-operators defined by vanishing frequency modulation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Johnsen, Jon

2009-01-01

This paper presents a general definition of pseudo-differential operators of type 1,1; the definition is shown to be the largest one that is both compatible with negliible operators and stable under vanishing frequency modulation. Elaborating counter-examples of Ching, Hörmander and Parenti...

Energy drink use frequency among an international sample of people who use drugs: Associations with other substance use and well-being

OpenAIRE

Peacock, Amy; Bruno, Raimondo; Ferris, Jason; Winstock, Adam

2017-01-01

Objective The study aims were to identify: i.) energy drink (ED), caffeine tablet, and caffeine intranasal spray use amongst a sample who report drug use, and ii.) the association between ED use frequency and demographic profile, drug use, hazardous drinking, and wellbeing. Method Participants (n = 74,864) who reported drug use completed the online 2014 Global Drug Survey. They provided data on demographics, ED use, and alcohol and drug use, completed the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification ...

Real-time and high accuracy frequency measurements for intermediate frequency narrowband signals

Science.gov (United States)

Tian, Jing; Meng, Xiaofeng; Nie, Jing; Lin, Liwei

2018-01-01

Real-time and accurate measurements of intermediate frequency signals based on microprocessors are difficult due to the computational complexity and limited time constraints. In this paper, a fast and precise methodology based on the sigma-delta modulator is designed and implemented by first generating the twiddle factors using the designed recursive scheme. This scheme requires zero times of multiplications and only half amounts of addition operations by using the discrete Fourier transform (DFT) and the combination of the Rife algorithm and Fourier coefficient interpolation as compared with conventional methods such as DFT and Fast Fourier Transform. Experimentally, when the sampling frequency is 10 MHz, the real-time frequency measurements with intermediate frequency and narrowband signals have a measurement mean squared error of ±2.4 Hz. Furthermore, a single measurement of the whole system only requires approximately 0.3 s to achieve fast iteration, high precision, and less calculation time.

The Current Account and the Interest Differential in Canada

OpenAIRE

Martin Boileau; Michel Normandin

2004-01-01

For post-1975 Canadian data, we document the joint behavior of output, the current account, and the interest differential at the business cycle frequency. We also interpret the joint behavior using a simple small open economy model. Our simple model assumes that agents have access to world international financial markets, but face country-specific interest rate on their holdings of world assets. The interest differential depends negatively on the country’s net foreign asset position. We find ...

Type 1,1-operators defined by vanishing frequency modulation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Johnsen, Jon

This paper presents a general definition of pseudo-differential operators of type 1,1; the definition is shown to be the largest one that is both compatible with negligible operators and stable under vanishing frequency modulation. Elaborating counter-examples of Ching andHörmander, type 1...

A fortran programme for determining frequency responses for linear systems with time delays

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Milsom, P.R.

1966-11-01

In this report a digital computer programme for evaluating frequency responses is described. In its standard form the programme is capable of determining the gain and phase of up to 35 variables over a range of up to 30 frequencies for a system described by up to 65 equations. The equations must be either first order differential or algebraic and either type may include time delayed terms. Up to 50 such terms are permissible throughout the equation set. Provision is made for up to 10 inputs and up to 50 differentiated input terms are permitted throughout the equation set. However, it is possible for the user to increase a maximum dimension, albeit at the expense of another array dimension. In punching the data from the equations the user has no sorting or arranging of coefficients to do, and the equations may be in any order. The specifying of other input information, such as frequency range, the inputs to be perturbed and the variables for which frequency responses are required, is also very straightforward. (author)

Verification of the effects of Schumann frequency range electromagnetic fields on the human cardiovascular system

Science.gov (United States)

Tuzhilkin, D. A.; Borodin, A. S.

2017-11-01

The results of the study of variations in the electromagnetic background parameters of the Schumann resonator frequency range and the variability indices of the human heart period during its free activity are presented on the basis of 24-hour synchronous monitoring data. It is shown that the integral evaluation of the conjugacy of the heart rate variability indices from the Schumann resonance parameters is extremely weak. In this case, the differential evaluation of this dependence with separation into characteristic time intervals of the day, characterized by different motor activity of the subjects, becomes significantly higher. The number of volunteers whose conjugacy is characterized by a strong correlation in some cases reaches 35 percent of the sample.

Improved capacitance sensor with variable operating frequency for scanning capacitance microscopy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kwon, Joonhyung; Kim, Joonhui; Jeong, Jong-Hwa; Lee, Euy-Kyu; Seok Kim, Yong; Kang, Chi Jung; Park, Sang-il

2005-01-01

Scanning capacitance microscopy (SCM) has been gaining attention for its capability to measure local electrical properties in doping profile, oxide thickness, trapped charges and charge dynamics. In many cases, stray capacitance produced by different samples and measurement conditions affects the resonance frequency of a capacitance sensor. The applications of conventional SCM are critically limited by the fixed operating frequency and lack of tunability in its SCM sensor. In order to widen SCM application to various samples, we have developed a novel SCM sensor with variable operating frequency. By performing variable frequency sweep over the band of 160 MHz, the SCM sensor is tuned to select the best and optimized resonance frequency and quality factor for each sample measurement. The fundamental advantage of the new variable frequency SCM sensor was demonstrated in the SCM imaging of silicon oxide nano-crystals. Typical sensitivity of the variable frequency SCM sensor was found to be 10 -19 F/V

Frequency analysis of heart rate variability: a useful assessment tool of linearly polarized near-infrared irradiation to stellate ganglion area for burning mouth syndrome.

Science.gov (United States)

Momota, Yukihiro; Takano, Hideyuki; Kani, Koichi; Matsumoto, Fumihiro; Motegi, Katsumi; Aota, Keiko; Yamamura, Yoshiko; Omori, Mayuko; Tomioka, Shigemasa; Azuma, Masayuki

2013-03-01

Burning mouth syndrome (BMS) is characterized by the following subjective complaints without distinct organic changes: burning sensation in mouth or chronic pain of tongue. BMS is also known as glossodynia; both terms are used equivalently in Japan. Although the real cause of BMS is still unknown, it has been pointed out that BMS is related to some autonomic abnormality, and that stellate ganglion near-infrared irradiation (SGR) corrects the autonomic abnormality. Frequency analysis of heart rate variability (HRV) is expected to be useful for assessing autonomic abnormality. This study investigated whether frequency analysis of HRV could reveal autonomic abnormality associated with BMS, and whether autonomic changes were corrected after SGR. Eight subjects received SGR; the response to SGR was assessed by frequency analysis of HRV. No significant difference of autonomic activity concerning low-frequency (LF) norm, high-frequency (HF) norm, and low-frequency/high-frequency (LF/HF) was found between SGR effective and ineffective groups. Therefore, we proposed new parameters: differential normalized low frequency (D LF norm), differential normalized high frequency (D HF norm), and differential low-frequency/high-frequency (D LF/HF), which were defined as differentials between original parameters just before and after SGR. These parameters as indexes of responsiveness of autonomic nervous system (ANS) revealed autonomic changes in BMS, and BMS seems to be related to autonomic instability rather than autonomic imbalance. Frequency analysis of HRV revealed the autonomic instability associated with BMS and enabled tracing of autonomic changes corrected with SGR. It is suggested that frequency analysis of HRV is very useful in follow up of BMS and for determination of the therapeutic efficacy of SGR. Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Mental health problems are associated with low-frequency fluctuations in reaction time in a large general population sample. The TRAILS study.

Science.gov (United States)

Bastiaansen, J A; van Roon, A M; Buitelaar, J K; Oldehinkel, A J

2015-02-01

Increased intra-subject reaction time variability (RT-ISV) as coarsely measured by the standard deviation (RT-SD) has been associated with many forms of psychopathology. Low-frequency RT fluctuations, which have been associated with intrinsic brain rhythms occurring approximately every 15-40s, have been shown to add unique information for ADHD. In this study, we investigated whether these fluctuations also relate to attentional problems in the general population, and contribute to the two major domains of psychopathology: externalizing and internalizing problems. RT was monitored throughout a self-paced sustained attention task (duration: 9.1 ± 1.2 min) in a Dutch population cohort of young adults (n=1455, mean age: 19.0 ± 0.6 years, 55.1% girls). To characterize temporal fluctuations in RT, we performed direct Fourier Transform on externally validated frequency bands based on frequency ranges of neuronal oscillations: Slow-5 (0.010-0.027 Hz), Slow-4 (0.027-0.073 Hz), and three additional higher frequency bands. Relative magnitude of Slow-4 fluctuations was the primary predictor in regression models for attentional, internalizing and externalizing problems (measured by the Adult Self-Report questionnaire). Additionally, stepwise regression models were created to investigate (a) whether Slow-4 significantly improved the prediction of problem behaviors beyond the RT-SD and (b) whether the other frequency bands provided important additional information. The magnitude of Slow-4 fluctuations significantly predicted attentional and externalizing problems and even improved model fit after modeling RT-SD first (R(2) change=0.6%, Pfrequency bands provided additional information. Low-frequency RT fluctuations have added predictive value for attentional and externalizing, but not internalizing problems beyond global differences in variability. This study extends previous findings in clinical samples of children with ADHD to adolescents from the general population and

Maternal obesity alters immune cell frequencies and responses in umbilical cord blood samples.

Science.gov (United States)

Wilson, Randall M; Marshall, Nicole E; Jeske, Daniel R; Purnell, Jonathan Q; Thornburg, Kent; Messaoudi, Ilhem

2015-06-01

Maternal obesity is one of the several key factors thought to modulate neonatal immune system development. Data from murine studies demonstrate worse outcomes in models of infection, autoimmunity, and allergic sensitization in offspring of obese dams. In humans, children born to obese mothers are at increased risk for asthma. These findings suggest a dysregulation of immune function in the children of obese mothers; however, the underlying mechanisms remain poorly understood. The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between maternal body weight and the human neonatal immune system. Umbilical cord blood samples were collected from infants born to lean, overweight, and obese mothers. Frequency and function of major innate and adaptive immune cell populations were quantified using flow cytometry and multiplex analysis of circulating factors. Compared to babies born to lean mothers, babies of obese mothers had fewer eosinophils and CD4 T helper cells, reduced monocyte and dendritic cell responses to Toll-like receptor ligands, and increased plasma levels of IFN-α2 and IL-6 in cord blood. These results support the hypothesis that maternal obesity influences programming of the neonatal immune system, providing a potential link to increased incidence of chronic inflammatory diseases such as asthma and cardiovascular disease in the offspring. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Frequency Modulation and Spatiotemporal Stability of the sCPG in Preterm Infants with RDS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Steven M. Barlow

2012-01-01

Full Text Available The nonnutritive suck (NNS is an observable and accessible motor behavior which is often used to make inference about brain development and pre-feeding skill in preterm and term infants. The purpose of this study was to model NNS burst compression pressure dynamics in the frequency and time domain among two groups of preterm infants, including those with respiratory distress syndrome (RDS, N=15 and 17 healthy controls. Digitized samples of NNS compression pressure waveforms recorded at a 1-week interval were collected 15 minutes prior to a scheduled feed. Regression analysis and ANOVA revealed that healthy preterm infants produced longer NNS bursts and the mean burst initiation cycle frequencies were higher when compared to the RDS group. Moreover, the initial 5 cycles of the NNS burst manifest a frequency modulated (FM segment which is a significant feature of the suck central pattern generator (sCPG, and differentially expressed in healthy and RDS infants. The NNS burst structure revealed significantly lower spatiotemporal index values for control versus RDS preterm infants during FM, and provides additional information on the microstructure of the sCPG which may be used to gauge the developmental status and progression of oromotor control systems among these fragile infants.

High-frequency energy in singing and speech

Science.gov (United States)

Monson, Brian Bruce

While human speech and the human voice generate acoustical energy up to (and beyond) 20 kHz, the energy above approximately 5 kHz has been largely neglected. Evidence is accruing that this high-frequency energy contains perceptual information relevant to speech and voice, including percepts of quality, localization, and intelligibility. The present research was an initial step in the long-range goal of characterizing high-frequency energy in singing voice and speech, with particular regard for its perceptual role and its potential for modification during voice and speech production. In this study, a database of high-fidelity recordings of talkers was created and used for a broad acoustical analysis and general characterization of high-frequency energy, as well as specific characterization of phoneme category, voice and speech intensity level, and mode of production (speech versus singing) by high-frequency energy content. Directionality of radiation of high-frequency energy from the mouth was also examined. The recordings were used for perceptual experiments wherein listeners were asked to discriminate between speech and voice samples that differed only in high-frequency energy content. Listeners were also subjected to gender discrimination tasks, mode-of-production discrimination tasks, and transcription tasks with samples of speech and singing that contained only high-frequency content. The combination of these experiments has revealed that (1) human listeners are able to detect very subtle level changes in high-frequency energy, and (2) human listeners are able to extract significant perceptual information from high-frequency energy.

Rapid assessment of agents of biological terrorism: defining the differential diagnosis of inhalational anthrax using electronic communication in a practice-based research network.

Science.gov (United States)

Temte, Jonathan L; Anderson, Anna Lisa

2004-01-01

Early detection of bioterrorism requires assessment of diagnoses assigned to cases of rare diseases with which clinicians have little experience. In this study, we evaluated the process of defining the differential diagnosis for inhalational anthrax using electronic communication within a practice-based research network (PBRN) and compared the results with those obtained from a nationwide random sample of family physicians with a mailed instrument. We distributed survey instruments by e-mail to 55 physician members of the Wisconsin Research Network (WReN), a regional PBRN. The instruments consisted of 3 case vignettes randomly drawn from a set describing 11 patients with inhalational anthrax, 2 with influenza A, and 1 with Legionella pneumonia. Physicians provided their most likely nonanthrax diagnosis, along with their responses to 4 yes-or-no management questions for each case. Physicians who had not responded at 1 week received a second e-mail with the survey instrument. The comparison group consisted of the nationwide sample of physicians who completed mailed survey instruments. Primary outcome measures were response rate, median response time, and frequencies of diagnostic categories assigned to cases of inhalational anthrax. The PBRN response rate compared favorably with that of the national sample (47.3% vs 37.0%; P = not significant). The median response time for the PBRN was significantly shorter than that for the national sample (2 vs 28 days; P < .001). No significant differences were found between the PBRN and the Midwest subset of the national sample in the frequencies of major diagnostic categories or in case management. Electronic means of creating differential diagnoses for rare infectious diseases of national significance is feasible within PBRNs. Information is much more rapidly acquired and is consistent with that obtained by conventional methods.

Detection and differentiation of Entamoeba histolytica and Entamoeba dispar isolates in clinical samples by PCR.

Science.gov (United States)

Helmy, Moshira M F; Rashed, Laila A; Abdel-Fattah, Hisham S

2007-04-01

A total of 140 out of 180 outpatients attended MISR University for Science and Technology Hospital complained of abdominal pain, diarrhoea and/or dysentery. Stool examination showed 47 (33.6%) had Entamoeba sp., 36 (25.7%) had cysts and 11 (7.9%) had trophozoites. Of 40 asymptomatic ones, 4 (10%) had cysts. A total of 51 positive stool samples for Entamoeba sp. (40 cysts & 11 trophozoites) were tested by Ne-sted Polymerase Chain Reaction (N-PCR) and Restriction Enzyme Digestion (RED) to clarify true E. histolytica from E. dispar. The results showed that 9/51 (17.6%) had E. dispar, while 31 (60.8%) had E. histolytica and 11 (21.6%) had dual infection with both E. histolytica and E. dispar. All E. histolytica PCR proved cases were from the symptomatic group, 11 had trophozoites and 34 had cysts. Thus, the result showed the potential use of molecular tools in detection of E. histolytica and E. dispar, and is a promising tool for epidemiology, particularly to differentiate pathogenic and non pathogenic Entamoeba sp.

Statistical inference for discrete-time samples from affine stochastic delay differential equations

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Küchler, Uwe; Sørensen, Michael

2013-01-01

Statistical inference for discrete time observations of an affine stochastic delay differential equation is considered. The main focus is on maximum pseudo-likelihood estimators, which are easy to calculate in practice. A more general class of prediction-based estimating functions is investigated...

Taking account of sample finite dimensions in processing measurements of double differential cross sections of slow neutron scattering

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lisichkin, Yu.V.; Dovbenko, A.G.; Efimenko, B.A.; Novikov, A.G.; Smirenkina, L.D.; Tikhonova, S.I.

1979-01-01

Described is a method of taking account of finite sample dimensions in processing measurement results of double differential cross sections (DDCS) of slow neutron scattering. A necessity of corrective approach to the account taken of the effect of sample finite dimensions is shown, and, in particular, the necessity to conduct preliminary processing of DDCS, the account being taken of attenuation coefficients of single scattered neutrons (SSN) for measurements on the sample with a container, and on the container. Correction for multiple scattering (MS) calculated on the base of the dynamic model should be obtained, the account being taken of resolution effects. To minimize the effect of the dynamic model used in calculations it is preferred to make absolute measurements of DDCS and to use the subraction method. The above method was realized in the set of programs for the BESM-5 computer. The FISC program computes the coefficients of SSN attenuation and correction for MS. The DDS program serves to compute a model DDCS averaged as per the resolution function of an instrument. The SCATL program is intended to prepare initial information necessary for the FISC program, and permits to compute the scattering law for all materials. Presented are the results of using the above method while processing experimental data on measuring DDCS of water by the DIN-1M spectrometer

Insights into glass transition and relaxation behavior using temperature-modulated differential scanning calorimetry

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Guo, Xiaoju; Mauro, J.C.; Allan, D.C.

Temperature-modulated differential scanning calorimetry (TMDSC) is based on conventional DSC but with a sinusoidally modulated temperature path. Our simulations of TMDSC signals prove that the frequency correction of non-reversing heat flow can give a master curve within a certain range...... of frequencies. This frequency range is dependent not only on the measurement parameters such as linear heating/cooling rate and frequency and amplitude of the modulation, but also on the previous thermal history before the TMDSC measurement. The frequency correction for the reversing heat flow gives more...

The Influence of the Helicotrema on Low-Frequency Hearing

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Marquardt, Torsten; Pedersen, Christian Sejer

2010-01-01

Below a certain stimulus frequency, the travelling wave reaches the apical end of the cochlea and differential pressure across the basilar membrane (BM) is shunted by the helicotrema. The effect on the forward-middle-ear-transfer function (fMETF) could be measured on both ears of five human...

Ionospheric Gradient Threat Mitigation in Future Dual Frequency GBAS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Michael Felux

2017-01-01

Full Text Available The Ground Based Augmentation System (GBAS is a landing system for aircraft based on differential corrections for the signals of Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS, such as GPS or Galileo. The main impact on the availability of current single frequency systems results from the necessary protection against ionospheric gradients. With the introduction of Galileo and the latest generation of GPS satellites, a second frequency is available for aeronautical navigation. Dual frequency methods allow forming of ionospheric free combinations of the signals, eliminating a large part of the ionospheric threats to GBAS. However, the combination of several signals increases the noise in the position solution and in the calculation of error bounds. We, therefore, developed a method to base positioning algorithms on single frequency measurements and use the second frequency only for monitoring purposes. In this paper, we describe a detailed derivation of the monitoring scheme and discuss its implications for the use in an aviation context.

EEG frequency PCA in EEG-ERP dynamics.

Science.gov (United States)

Barry, Robert J; De Blasio, Frances M

2018-05-01

Principal components analysis (PCA) has long been used to decompose the ERP into components, and these mathematical entities are increasingly accepted as meaningful and useful representatives of the electrophysiological components constituting the ERP. A similar expansion appears to be beginning in regard to decomposition of the EEG amplitude spectrum into frequency components via frequency PCA. However, to date, there has been no exploration of the brain's dynamic EEG-ERP linkages using PCA decomposition to assess components in each measure. Here, we recorded intrinsic EEG in both eyes-closed and eyes-open resting conditions, followed by an equiprobable go/no-go task. Frequency PCA of the EEG, including the nontask resting and within-task prestimulus periods, found seven frequency components within the delta to beta range. These differentially predicted PCA-derived go and no-go N1 and P3 ERP components. This demonstration suggests that it may be beneficial in future brain dynamics studies to implement PCA for the derivation of data-driven components from both the ERP and EEG. © 2017 Society for Psychophysiological Research.

Second-order differential-delay equation to describe a hybrid bistable device

Science.gov (United States)

Vallee, R.; Dubois, P.; Cote, M.; Delisle, C.

1987-08-01

The problem of a dynamical system with delayed feedback, a hybrid bistable device, characterized by n response times and described by an nth-order differential-delay equation (DDE) is discussed. Starting from a linear-stability analysis of the DDE, the effects of the second-order differential terms on the position of the first bifurcation and on the frequency of the resulting self-oscillation are shown. The effects of the third-order differential terms on the first bifurcation are also considered. Experimental results are shown to support the linear analysis.

Frequency of potential interactions between drugs in medical prescriptions in a city in southern Brazil

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Genici Weyh Bleich

Full Text Available CONTEXT AND OBJECTIVE: Drug interactions form part of current clinical practice and they affect between 3 and 5% of polypharmacy patients. The aim of this study was to identify the frequency of potential drug-drug interactions in prescriptions for adult and elderly patients. TYPE OF STUDY AND SETTING: Cross-sectional pharmacoepidemiological survey in the Parque Verde housing project, municipality of Cascavel, Paraná, Brazil, between December 2006 and February 2007. METHODS: Stratified cluster sampling, proportional to the total number of homes in the housing project, was used. The sample consisted of 95 homes and 96 male or female patients aged 19 or over, with medical prescriptions for at least two pharmaceutical drugs. Interactions were identified using DrugDigest, Medscape and Micromedex softwares. RESULTS: Most of the patients were female (69.8%, married (59.4% and in the age group of 60 years or over (56.3%, with an income less than or equal to three minimum monthly salaries (81.3% and less than eight years of schooling (69.8%; 90.6% of the patients were living with another person. The total number of pharmaceutical drugs was 406 (average of 4.2 medications per patient. The drugs most prescribed were antihypertensives (47.5%. The frequency of drug interactions was 66.6%. Among the 154 potential drug interactions, 4.6% were classified as major, 65.6% as moderate and 20.1% as minor. CONCLUSION: The high frequency of drug prescriptions with a potential for differentiated interactions indicates a situation that has so far been little explored, albeit a reality in household surveys.

Adjustment and Assessment of the Measurements of Low and High Sampling Frequencies of GPS Real-Time Monitoring of Structural Movement

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mosbeh R. Kaloop

2016-11-01

Full Text Available Global Positioning System (GPS structural health monitoring data collection is one of the important systems in structure movement monitoring. However, GPS measurement error and noise limit the application of such systems. Many attempts have been made to adjust GPS measurements and eliminate their errors. Comparing common nonlinear methods used in the adjustment of GPS positioning for the monitoring of structures is the main objective of this study. Nonlinear Adaptive-Recursive Least Square (RLS, extended Kalman filter (EKF, and wavelet principal component analysis (WPCA are presented and applied to improve the quality of GPS time series observations. Two real monitoring observation systems for the Mansoura railway and long-span Yonghe bridges are utilized to examine suitable methods used to assess bridge behavior under different load conditions. From the analysis of the results, it is concluded that the wavelet principal component is the best method to smooth low and high GPS sampling frequency observations. The evaluation of the bridges reveals the ability of the GPS systems to detect the behavior and damage of structures in both the time and frequency domains.

Negative feedback governs gonadotrope frequency-decoding of gonadotropin releasing hormone pulse-frequency.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Stefan Lim

Full Text Available The synthesis of the gonadotropin subunits is directed by pulsatile gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH from the hypothalamus, with the frequency of GnRH pulses governing the differential expression of the common alpha-subunit, luteinizing hormone beta-subunit (LHbeta and follicle-stimulating hormone beta-subunit (FSHbeta. Three mitogen-activated protein kinases, (MAPKs, ERK1/2, JNK and p38, contribute uniquely and combinatorially to the expression of each of these subunit genes. In this study, using both experimental and computational methods, we found that dual specificity phosphatase regulation of the activity of the three MAPKs through negative feedback is required, and forms the basis for decoding the frequency of pulsatile GnRH. A fourth MAPK, ERK5, was shown also to be activated by GnRH. ERK5 was found to stimulate FSHbeta promoter activity and to increase FSHbeta mRNA levels, as well as enhancing its preference for low GnRH pulse frequencies. The latter is achieved through boosting the ultrasensitive behavior of FSHbeta gene expression by increasing the number of MAPK dependencies, and through modulating the feedforward effects of JNK activation on the GnRH receptor (GnRH-R. Our findings contribute to understanding the role of changing GnRH pulse-frequency in controlling transcription of the pituitary gonadotropins, which comprises a crucial aspect in regulating reproduction. Pulsatile stimuli and oscillating signals are integral to many biological processes, and elucidation of the mechanisms through which the pulsatility is decoded explains how the same stimulant can lead to various outcomes in a single cell.

Parametric inference for discretely sampled stochastic differential equations

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sørensen, Michael

A review is given of parametric estimation methods for discretely sampled mul- tivariate diffusion processes. The main focus is on estimating functions and asymp- totic results. Maximum likelihood estimation is briefly considered, but the emphasis is on computationally less demanding martingale...

The MIDAS Touch: Mixed Data Sampling Regression Models

OpenAIRE

Ghysels, Eric; Santa-Clara, Pedro; Valkanov, Rossen

2004-01-01

We introduce Mixed Data Sampling (henceforth MIDAS) regression models. The regressions involve time series data sampled at different frequencies. Technically speaking MIDAS models specify conditional expectations as a distributed lag of regressors recorded at some higher sampling frequencies. We examine the asymptotic properties of MIDAS regression estimation and compare it with traditional distributed lag models. MIDAS regressions have wide applicability in macroeconomics and �nance.

Extragalactic Peaked-spectrum Radio Sources at Low Frequencies

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Callingham, J. R.; Gaensler, B. M.; Sadler, E. M.; Lenc, E. [Sydney Institute for Astronomy (SIfA), School of Physics, The University of Sydney, NSW 2006 (Australia); Ekers, R. D.; Bell, M. E. [CSIRO Astronomy and Space Science (CASS), Marsfield, NSW 2122 (Australia); Line, J. L. B.; Hancock, P. J.; Kapińska, A. D.; McKinley, B.; Procopio, P. [ARC Centre of Excellence for All-Sky Astrophysics (CAASTRO) (Australia); Hurley-Walker, N.; Tingay, S. J.; Franzen, T. M. O.; Morgan, J. [International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research (ICRAR), Curtin University, Bentley, WA 6102 (Australia); Dwarakanath, K. S. [Raman Research Institute (RRI), Bangalore 560080 (India); For, B.-Q. [International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research (ICRAR), The University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA 6009 (Australia); Hindson, L.; Johnston-Hollitt, M. [School of Chemical and Physical Sciences, Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington 6140 (New Zealand); Offringa, A. R., E-mail: joseph.callingham@sydney.edu.au [Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy (ASTRON), Dwingeloo (Netherlands); and others

2017-02-20

We present a sample of 1483 sources that display spectral peaks between 72 MHz and 1.4 GHz, selected from the GaLactic and Extragalactic All-sky Murchison Widefield Array (GLEAM) survey. The GLEAM survey is the widest fractional bandwidth all-sky survey to date, ideal for identifying peaked-spectrum sources at low radio frequencies. Our peaked-spectrum sources are the low-frequency analogs of gigahertz-peaked spectrum (GPS) and compact-steep spectrum (CSS) sources, which have been hypothesized to be the precursors to massive radio galaxies. Our sample more than doubles the number of known peaked-spectrum candidates, and 95% of our sample have a newly characterized spectral peak. We highlight that some GPS sources peaking above 5 GHz have had multiple epochs of nuclear activity, and we demonstrate the possibility of identifying high-redshift ( z > 2) galaxies via steep optically thin spectral indices and low observed peak frequencies. The distribution of the optically thick spectral indices of our sample is consistent with past GPS/CSS samples but with a large dispersion, suggesting that the spectral peak is a product of an inhomogeneous environment that is individualistic. We find no dependence of observed peak frequency with redshift, consistent with the peaked-spectrum sample comprising both local CSS sources and high-redshift GPS sources. The 5 GHz luminosity distribution lacks the brightest GPS and CSS sources of previous samples, implying that a convolution of source evolution and redshift influences the type of peaked-spectrum sources identified below 1 GHz. Finally, we discuss sources with optically thick spectral indices that exceed the synchrotron self-absorption limit.

High frequency energy measurements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stotlar, S.C.

1981-01-01

High-frequency (> 100 MHz) energy measurements present special problems to the experimenter. Environment or available electronics often limit the applicability of a given detector type. The physical properties of many detectors are frequency dependent and in some cases, the physical effect employed can be frequency dependent. State-of-the-art measurements generally involve a detection scheme in association with high-speed electronics and a method of data recording. Events can be single or repetitive shot requiring real time, sampling, or digitizing data recording. Potential modification of the pulse by the detector and the associated electronics should not be overlooked. This presentation will review typical applications, methods of choosing a detector, and high-speed detectors. Special considerations and limitations of some applications and devices will be described

Enhancing the accuracy of GPS point positioning by converting the single frequency data to dual frequency data

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Aly M. El-naggar

2011-09-01

Full Text Available The global positioning system (GPS has been used to support a wide variety of applications, such as high-accuracy positioning and navigation. Differential GPS techniques can largely eliminate common-mode errors between the reference and the rover GPS stations resulting from ionospheric and tropospheric refraction and delays, satellite and receiver clock biases, and orbital errors [1]. The ionospheric delay in the propagation of global positioning system (GPS signals is one of the main sources of error in GPS precise positioning and navigation. A dual-frequency GPS receiver can eliminate (to the first order the ionospheric delay through a linear combination of the L1 and L2 observations [2]. The most significant effect of ionospheric delay appear in case of using single frequency data. In this paper the single frequency data of concerned station are converted to dual frequency data by employing dual frequency data from 11 regional GPS stations distributed around it. Total electron content (TEC was calculated at every GPS station to produce the mathematical model of TEC which is a function of latitude (Φ and longitude (λ. By using this mathematical model the values of TEC and L2 can be predicted at the single frequency GPS station for each satellite, after that the comparison between predicted and observation values of TEC and L2 was performed. The estimation method and test results of the proposed method indicates that the difference between predicted and observation values is very small.

Temporomandibular disorders are differentially associated with headache diagnoses: a controlled study.

Science.gov (United States)

Gonçalves, Daniela A G; Camparis, Cinara M; Speciali, José G; Franco, Ana L; Castanharo, Sabrina M; Bigal, Marcelo E

2011-09-01

Temporomandibular disorders (TMDs) are considered to be comorbid with headaches. Earlier population studies have suggested that TMD may also be a risk factor for migraine progression. If that is true, TMD should be associated with specific headache syndromes (eg, migraine and chronic migraine), but not with headaches overall. Accordingly, our aim was to explore the relationship between TMD subtypes and severity with primary headaches in a controlled clinical study. The sample consisted of 300 individuals. TMDs were assessed using the Research Diagnostic Criteria for TMD, and primary headache was classified according to International Classification for Headache Disorders-2. Univariate and multivariate models assessed headache diagnoses and frequency as a function of the parameters of TMD. Relative to those without TMD, individuals with myofascial TMD were significantly more likely to have chronic daily headaches (CDHs) [relative risk (RR)=7.8; 95% confidence interval (CI), 3.1-19.6], migraine (RR=4.4; 95% CI, 1.7-11.7), and episodic tension-type headache (RR=4.4; 95% CI, 1.5-12.6). Grade of TMD pain was associated with increased odds of CDH (Pheadache (Pheadache frequency. In multivariate analyses, TMD was associated with migraine and CDH (P=0.001). Painful TMD (P=0.0034) and grade of TMD pain (Pheadache frequency. TMD, TMD subtypes, and TMD severity are independently associated with specific headache syndromes and with headache frequency. This differential association suggests that the presence of central facilitation of nociceptive inputs may be of importance, as positive association was observed only when muscular TMD pain was involved.

Testing for Granger causality in large mixed-frequency VARs

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Götz, T.B.; Hecq, A.W.

2014-01-01

In this paper we analyze Granger causality testing in a mixed-frequency VAR, originally proposed by Ghysels (2012), where the difference in sampling frequencies of the variables is large. In particular, we investigate whether past information on a low-frequency variable help in forecasting a

Contemporary evolution during invasion: evidence for differentiation, natural selection, and local adaptation.

Science.gov (United States)

Colautti, Robert I; Lau, Jennifer A

2015-05-01

Biological invasions are 'natural' experiments that can improve our understanding of contemporary evolution. We evaluate evidence for population differentiation, natural selection and adaptive evolution of invading plants and animals at two nested spatial scales: (i) among introduced populations (ii) between native and introduced genotypes. Evolution during invasion is frequently inferred, but rarely confirmed as adaptive. In common garden studies, quantitative trait differentiation is only marginally lower (~3.5%) among introduced relative to native populations, despite genetic bottlenecks and shorter timescales (i.e. millennia vs. decades). However, differentiation between genotypes from the native vs. introduced range is less clear and confounded by nonrandom geographic sampling; simulations suggest this causes a high false-positive discovery rate (>50%) in geographically structured populations. Selection differentials (¦s¦) are stronger in introduced than in native species, although selection gradients (¦β¦) are not, consistent with introduced species experiencing weaker genetic constraints. This could facilitate rapid adaptation, but evidence is limited. For example, rapid phenotypic evolution often manifests as geographical clines, but simulations demonstrate that nonadaptive trait clines can evolve frequently during colonization (~two-thirds of simulations). Additionally, QST-FST studies may often misrepresent the strength and form of natural selection acting during invasion. Instead, classic approaches in evolutionary ecology (e.g. selection analysis, reciprocal transplant, artificial selection) are necessary to determine the frequency of adaptive evolution during invasion and its influence on establishment, spread and impact of invasive species. These studies are rare but crucial for managing biological invasions in the context of global change. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Nonmonotonic low frequency losses in HTSCs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Castro, H; Gerber, A; Milner, A

2007-01-01

A calorimetric technique has been used in order to study ac-field dissipation in ceramic BSCCO samples at low frequencies between 0.05 and 250 Hz, at temperatures from 65 to 90 K. In contrast to previous studies, where ac losses have been reported with a linear dependence on magnetic field frequency, we find a nonmonotonic function presenting various maxima. Frequencies corresponding to local maxima of dissipation depend on the temperature and the amplitude of the ac magnetic field. Flux creep is argued to be responsible for this behaviour. A simple model connecting the characteristic vortex relaxation times (flux creep) and the location of dissipation maxima versus frequency is proposed

Dynamic temperature field in the ferromagnetic plate induced by moving high frequency inductor

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Milošević-Mitić Vesna

2014-01-01

Full Text Available The subject of the paper is the temperature distribution in the thin metallic ferromagnetic plate influenced by moving linear high frequency induction heater. As a result of high frequency electromagnetic field, conducting currents appear in the part of the plate. Distribution of the eddy-current power across the plate thickness is obtained by use of complex analysis. The influences of the heater frequency, magnetic field intensity and plate thickness on the heat power density were discussed. By treating this power as a moving heat source, differential equations governing distribution of the temperature field are formulated. Temperature across the plate thickness is assumed to be in linear form. Differential equations are analytically solved by using integral-transform technique, Fourier finite-sine and finite-cosine transform and Laplace transform. The influence of the heater velocity to the plate temperature is presented on numerical examples based on theoretically obtained results. [Projekat Ministarstva nauke Republike Srbije, br. TR 35040 i br. TR 35011

The aggregate site frequency spectrum for comparative population genomic inference.

Science.gov (United States)

Xue, Alexander T; Hickerson, Michael J

2015-12-01

Understanding how assemblages of species responded to past climate change is a central goal of comparative phylogeography and comparative population genomics, an endeavour that has increasing potential to integrate with community ecology. New sequencing technology now provides the potential to perform complex demographic inference at unprecedented resolution across assemblages of nonmodel species. To this end, we introduce the aggregate site frequency spectrum (aSFS), an expansion of the site frequency spectrum to use single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) data sets collected from multiple, co-distributed species for assemblage-level demographic inference. We describe how the aSFS is constructed over an arbitrary number of independent population samples and then demonstrate how the aSFS can differentiate various multispecies demographic histories under a wide range of sampling configurations while allowing effective population sizes and expansion magnitudes to vary independently. We subsequently couple the aSFS with a hierarchical approximate Bayesian computation (hABC) framework to estimate degree of temporal synchronicity in expansion times across taxa, including an empirical demonstration with a data set consisting of five populations of the threespine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus). Corroborating what is generally understood about the recent postglacial origins of these populations, the joint aSFS/hABC analysis strongly suggests that the stickleback data are most consistent with synchronous expansion after the Last Glacial Maximum (posterior probability = 0.99). The aSFS will have general application for multilevel statistical frameworks to test models involving assemblages and/or communities, and as large-scale SNP data from nonmodel species become routine, the aSFS expands the potential for powerful next-generation comparative population genomic inference. © 2015 The Authors. Molecular Ecology Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Dual-frequency radio soundings of planetary ionospheres avoid misinterpretations of ionospheric features

Science.gov (United States)

Paetzold, M.; Andert, T.; Bird, M. K.; Häusler, B.; Hinson, D. P.; Peter, K.; Tellmann, S.

2017-12-01

Planetary ionospheres are usually sounded at single frequency, e.g. S-band or X-band, or at dual-frequencies, e.g. simultaneous S-band and X-band frequencies. The differential Doppler is computed from the received dual-frequency sounding and it has the advantage that any residual motion by the spaceraft body is compensated. The electron density profile is derived from the propagation of the two radio signals through the ionospheric plasma. Vibrational motion of small amplitude by the spacecraft body may still be contained in the single frequency residuals and may be translated into electron densities. Examples from Mars Express and Venus Express shall be presented. Cases from other missions shall be presented where wave-like structures in the upper ionosphere may be a misinterpretation.

A first demonstration of audio-frequency optical coherence elastography of tissue

Science.gov (United States)

Adie, Steven G.; Alexandrov, Sergey A.; Armstrong, Julian J.; Kennedy, Brendan F.; Sampson, David D.

2008-12-01

Optical elastography is aimed at using the visco-elastic properties of soft tissue as a contrast mechanism, and could be particularly suitable for high-resolution differentiation of tumour from surrounding normal tissue. We present a new approach to measure the effect of an applied stimulus in the kilohertz frequency range that is based on optical coherence tomography. We describe the approach and present the first in vivo optical coherence elastography measurements in human skin at audio excitation frequencies.

Chances and Limitations of Implementing Measures of Differentiation for Gifted Children in Primary Schools: The Teachers’ Part

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Martina Endepohls-Ulpe

2014-06-01

Full Text Available The presented study analyzes German primary school teachers’ attitudes towards several measures of internal differentiation with re-spect to the anticipated benefit for gifted pupils and the anticipated work load for teachers. Be-sides, correlations of these attitudes with teach-ers’ statements on the frequency of adopting the measures in their own classes were inspected. One-hundred thirty-seven teachers and teacher students were interviewed with a questionnaire on the assessed consequences and the fre-quency of the usage of several methods of dif-ferentiation. Data analysis was done by anal-yses of variance and calculation of Pearson cor-relation coefficients. Results show that teachers, as well as teacher students, mostly assessed the listed measures of internal differentiation to be appropriate for the promotion of gifted pupils, but for teachers there were significant negative correlations between assessed work load and frequency of usage in their own classes.

Sampling system for in vivo ultrasound images

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jensen, Jorgen Arendt; Mathorne, Jan

1991-01-01

Newly developed algorithms for processing medical ultrasound images use the high frequency sampled transducer signal. This paper describes demands imposed on a sampling system suitable for acquiring such data and gives details about a prototype constructed. It acquires full clinical images...... at a sampling frequency of 20 MHz with a resolution of 12 bits. The prototype can be used for real time image processing. An example of a clinical in vivo image is shown and various aspects of the data acquisition process are discussed....

Classification of frequency response areas in the inferior colliculus reveals continua not discrete classes

OpenAIRE

Palmer, Alan R; Shackleton, Trevor M; Sumner, Christian J; Zobay, Oliver; Rees, Adrian

2013-01-01

A differential response to sound frequency is a fundamental property of auditory neurons. Frequency analysis in the cochlea gives rise to V-shaped tuning functions in auditory nerve fibres, but by the level of the inferior colliculus (IC), the midbrain nucleus of the auditory pathway, neuronal receptive fields display diverse shapes that reflect the interplay of excitation and inhibition. The origin and nature of these frequency receptive field types is still open to question. One proposed hy...

Integrated differential high-voltage transmitting circuit for CMUTs

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Llimos Muntal, Pere; Larsen, Dennis Øland; Farch, Kjartan

2015-01-01

In this paper an integrated differential high-voltage transmitting circuit for capacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducers (CMUTs) used in portable ultrasound scanners is designed and implemented in a 0.35 μm high-voltage process. Measurements are performed on the integrated circuit in order...... to assess its performance. The circuit generates pulses at differential voltage levels of 60V, 80V and 100 V, a frequency up to 5MHz and a measured driving strength of 1.75 V/ns with the CMUT connected. The total on-chip area occupied by the transmitting circuit is 0.18 mm2 and the power consumption...

Differential geometry techniques for sets of nonlinear partial differential equations

Science.gov (United States)

Estabrook, Frank B.

1990-01-01

An attempt is made to show that the Cartan theory of partial differential equations can be a useful technique for applied mathematics. Techniques for finding consistent subfamilies of solutions that are generically rich and well-posed and for introducing potentials or other usefully consistent auxiliary fields are introduced. An extended sample calculation involving the Korteweg-de Vries equation is given.

Vibration analysis of Euler-Bernoulli beam with open cracks on elastic foundations using differential transformation method and generalized differential quadrature method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shin, Young Jae; Hwang, Ki Sup; Yun, Jong Hak

2006-01-01

The main purpose of this paper is to apply Differential Transformation Method(DTM) and Generalized Differential Quadrature Method(GDQM) to vibration analysis of Euler-Bernoulli beam with open cracks on elastic foundation. In this paper the concepts of DTM and GDQM were briefly introduced. The governing equation of motion of the beam with open cracks on elastic foundation is derived. The cracks are modeled by massless substitute spring. The effects of the crack location, size and the foundation constants, on the natural frequencies of the beam, are investigated. Numerical calculations are carried out and compared with previous published results

Dual-etalon, cavity-ring-down, frequency comb spectroscopy.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Strecker, Kevin E.; Chandler, David W.

2010-10-01

The 'dual etalon frequency comb spectrometer' is a novel low cost spectometer with limited moving parts. A broad band light source (pulsed laser, LED, lamp ...) is split into two beam paths. One travels through an etalon and a sample gas, while the second arm is just an etalon cavity, and the two beams are recombined onto a single detector. If the free spectral ranges (FSR) of the two cavities are not identical, the intensity pattern at the detector with consist of a series of heterodyne frequencies. Each mode out of the sample arm etalon with have a unique frequency in RF (radio-frequency) range, where modern electronics can easily record the signals. By monitoring these RF beat frequencies we can then determine when an optical frequencies is absorbed. The resolution is set by the FSR of the cavity, typically 10 MHz, with a bandwidth up to 100s of cm{sup -1}. In this report, the new spectrometer is described in detail and demonstration experiments on Iodine absorption are carried out. Further we discuss powerful potential next generation steps to developing this into a point sensor for monitoring combustion by-products, environmental pollutants, and warfare agents.

Photon - axion conversions in a periodic electromagnetic field with axion frequency

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dang Van Soa

1998-09-01

The conversion of photons into axions in a periodic external electromagnetic field with axion frequency is considered in detail by Feynman methods. The differential cross sections are given. It is shown that there is a resonant conversion for the considered process. (author)

Negative Differential Resistance and Astability of the Wigner Solid

OpenAIRE

Csathy, G. A.; Tsui, D. C.; Pfeiffer, L. N.; West, K. W.

2005-01-01

We report an unusual breakdown of the magnetically induced Wigner solid in an exceptional two-dimensional electron gas. The current-voltage characteristic is found to be hysteretic in the voltage biased setup and has a region of negative differential resistance in the current biased setup. When the sample is current biased in the region of negative differential resistance, the voltage on and the current through the sample develop spontaneous narrow band oscillations.

FIND: difFerential chromatin INteractions Detection using a spatial Poisson process.

Science.gov (United States)

Djekidel, Mohamed Nadhir; Chen, Yang; Zhang, Michael Q

2018-02-12

Polymer-based simulations and experimental studies indicate the existence of a spatial dependency between the adjacent DNA fibers involved in the formation of chromatin loops. However, the existing strategies for detecting differential chromatin interactions assume that the interacting segments are spatially independent from the other segments nearby. To resolve this issue, we developed a new computational method, FIND, which considers the local spatial dependency between interacting loci. FIND uses a spatial Poisson process to detect differential chromatin interactions that show a significant difference in their interaction frequency and the interaction frequency of their neighbors. Simulation and biological data analysis show that FIND outperforms the widely used count-based methods and has a better signal-to-noise ratio. © 2018 Djekidel et al.; Published by Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press.

Temporal stability of genetic variability and differentiation in the three-spined stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus).

Science.gov (United States)

DeFaveri, Jacquelin; Merilä, Juha

2015-01-01

Temporal variation in allele frequencies, whether caused by deterministic or stochastic forces, can inform us about interesting demographic and evolutionary phenomena occurring in wild populations. In spite of the continued surge of interest in the genetics of three-spined stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) populations, little attention has been paid towards the temporal stability of allele frequency distributions, and whether there are consistent differences in effective size (Ne) of local populations. We investigated temporal stability of genetic variability and differentiation in 15 microsatellite loci within and among eight collection sites of varying habitat type, surveyed twice over a six-year time period. In addition, Nes were estimated with the expectation that they would be lowest in isolated ponds, intermediate in larger lakes and largest in open marine sites. In spite of the marked differences in genetic variability and differentiation among the study sites, the temporal differences in allele frequencies, as well as measures of genetic diversity and differentiation, were negligible. Accordingly, the Ne estimates were temporally stable, but tended to be lower in ponds than in lake or marine habitats. Hence, we conclude that allele frequencies in putatively neutral markers in three-spined sticklebacks seem to be temporally stable - at least over periods of few generations - across a wide range of habitat types differing markedly in levels of genetic variability, effective population size and gene flow.

Temporal stability of genetic variability and differentiation in the three-spined stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jacquelin DeFaveri

Full Text Available Temporal variation in allele frequencies, whether caused by deterministic or stochastic forces, can inform us about interesting demographic and evolutionary phenomena occurring in wild populations. In spite of the continued surge of interest in the genetics of three-spined stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus populations, little attention has been paid towards the temporal stability of allele frequency distributions, and whether there are consistent differences in effective size (Ne of local populations. We investigated temporal stability of genetic variability and differentiation in 15 microsatellite loci within and among eight collection sites of varying habitat type, surveyed twice over a six-year time period. In addition, Nes were estimated with the expectation that they would be lowest in isolated ponds, intermediate in larger lakes and largest in open marine sites. In spite of the marked differences in genetic variability and differentiation among the study sites, the temporal differences in allele frequencies, as well as measures of genetic diversity and differentiation, were negligible. Accordingly, the Ne estimates were temporally stable, but tended to be lower in ponds than in lake or marine habitats. Hence, we conclude that allele frequencies in putatively neutral markers in three-spined sticklebacks seem to be temporally stable - at least over periods of few generations - across a wide range of habitat types differing markedly in levels of genetic variability, effective population size and gene flow.

Frequencies of chromosome aberration on radiation workers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yanti Lusiyanti; Zubaidah Alatas

2016-01-01

Radiation exposure of the body can cause damage to the genetic material in cells (cytogenetic) in the form of changes in the structure or chromosomal aberrations in peripheral blood lymphocytes. Chromosomal aberrations can be unstable as dicentric and ring chromosomes, and is stable as translocation. Dicentric chromosome is the gold standard biomarker due to radiation exposure, and chromosome translocation is a biomarker for retrospective biodosimetry. The aim of this studi is to conduct examination of chromosomal aberrations in the radiation worker to determine the potential damage of cell that may arise due to occupational radiation exposure. The examination have been carried out on blood samples from 55 radiation workers in the range of 5-30 year of service. Chromosome aberration frequency measurement starts with blood sampling, culturing, harvesting, slide preparations, and lymphocyte chromosome staining with Giemsa and painting with Fluorescence In Situ Hybridization (FISH) technique. The results showed that chromosomal translocations are not found in blood samples radiation workers and dicentric chromosomes found only on 2 blood samples of radiation workers with a frequency of 0.001/cell. The frequency of chromosomal aberrations in the blood cells such workers within normal limits and this means that the workers have been implemented a radiation safety aspects very well. (author)

Environmental surveillance master sampling schedule

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bisping, L.E.

1991-01-01

Environmental surveillance of the Hanford Site and surrounding areas is conducted by the Pacific Northwest Laboratory (PNL) for the US Department of Energy (DOE). This document contains the planned schedule for routine sample collection for the Surface Environmental Surveillance Project (SESP) and Ground-Water Monitoring Project. The routine sampling plan for the SESP has been revised this year to reflect changing site operations and priorities. Some sampling previously performed at least annually has been reduced in frequency, and some new sampling to be performed at a less than annual frequency has been added. Therefore, the SESP schedule reflects sampling to be conducted in calendar year 1991 as well as future years. The ground-water sampling schedule is for 1991. This schedule is subject to modification during the year in response to changes in Site operation, program requirements, and the nature of the observed results. Operational limitations such as weather, mechanical failures, sample availability, etc., may also require schedule modifications. Changes will be documented in the respective project files, but this plan will not be reissued. The purpose of these monitoring projects is to evaluate levels of radioactive and nonradioactive pollutants in the Hanford evirons

Environmental surveillance master sampling schedule

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bisping, L.E.

1991-01-01

Environmental surveillance of the Hanford Site and surrounding areas is conducted by the Pacific Northwest Laboratory (PNL) for the US Department of Energy (DOE). This document contains the planned schedule for routine sample collection for the Surface Environmental Surveillance Project (SESP) and Ground-Water Monitoring Project. The routine sampling plan for the SESP has been revised this year to reflect changing site operations and priorities. Some sampling previously performed at least annually has been reduced in frequency, and some new sampling to be performed at a less than annual frequency has been added. Therefore, the SESP schedule reflects sampling to be conducted in calendar year 1991 as well as future years. The ground-water sampling schedule is for 1991. This schedule is subject to modification during the year in response to changes in Site operation, program requirements, and the nature of the observed results. Operational limitations such as weather, mechanical failures, sample availability, etc., may also require schedule modifications. Changes will be documented in the respective project files, but this plan will not be reissued. The purpose of these monitoring projects is to evaluate levels of radioactive and nonradioactive pollutants in the Hanford evirons.

The differential effects of increasing frequency and magnitude of extreme events on coral populations.

Science.gov (United States)

Fabina, Nicholas S; Baskett, Marissa L; Gross, Kevin

2015-09-01

Extreme events, which have profound ecological consequences, are changing in both frequency and magnitude with climate change. Because extreme temperatures induce coral bleaching, we can explore the relative impacts of changes in frequency and magnitude of high temperature events on coral reefs. Here, we combined climate projections and a dynamic population model to determine how changing bleaching regimes influence coral persistence. We additionally explored how coral traits and competition with macroalgae mediate changes in bleaching regimes. Our results predict that severe bleaching events reduce coral persistence more than frequent bleaching. Corals with low adult mortality and high growth rates are successful when bleaching is mild, but bleaching resistance is necessary to persist when bleaching is severe, regardless of frequency. The existence of macroalgae-dominated stable states reduces coral persistence and changes the relative importance of coral traits. Building on previous studies, our results predict that management efforts may need to prioritize protection of "weaker" corals with high adult mortality when bleaching is mild, and protection of "stronger" corals with high bleaching resistance when bleaching is severe. In summary, future reef projections and conservation targets depend on both local bleaching regimes and biodiversity.

A novel nested multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR assay for differential detection of Entamoeba histolytica, E. moshkovskii and E. dispar DNA in stool samples

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Parija Subhash C

2007-05-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background E. histolytica, a pathogenic amoeba, is indistinguishable in its cyst and trophozoite stages from those of non-pathogenic E. moshkovskii and E. dispar by light microscopy. We have developed a nested multiplex PCR targeting a 16S-like rRNA gene for differential detection of all the three morphologically similar forms of E. histolytica, E. moshkovskii and E. dispar simultaneously in stool samples. Results The species specific product size for E. histolytica, E. moshkovskii and E. dispar was 439, 553 and 174 bp respectively, which was clearly different for all the three Entamoeba species. The nested multiplex PCR showed a sensitivity of 94% and specificity of 100% for the demonstration of E. histolytica, E. moshkovskii and E. dispar DNA in stool samples. The PCR was positive for E. histolytica, E. moshkovskii and E. dispar in a total of 190 out of 202 stool specimens (94% sensitive that were positive for E. histolytica/E. dispar/E. moshkovskii by examination of stool by microscopy and/or culture. All the 35 negative control stool samples that were negative for E. histolytica/E. dispar/E. moshkovskii by microscopy and culture were also found negative by the nested multiplex PCR (100% specific. The result from the study shows that only 34.6% of the patient stool samples that were positive for E. histolytica/E. dispar/E. moshkovskii by examination of stool by microscopy and/or culture, were actually positive for pathogenic E. histolytica and the remaining majority of the stool samples were positive for non-pathogenic E. dispar or E. moshkovskii as demonstrated by the use of nested multiplex PCR. Conclusion The present study reports a new nested multiplex PCR strategy for species specific detection and differentiation of E. histolytica, E. dispar and E. moshkovskii DNA in stool specimens. The test is highly specific, sensitive and also rapid, providing the results within 12 hours of receiving stool specimens.

Gravitational torque frequency analysis for the Einstein elevator experiment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ashenberg, Joshua [Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics (CfA), Cambridge, MA (United States); Lorenzini, Enrico C [University of Padova, Padua (Italy)

2007-09-07

Testing the principle of equivalence with a differential acceleration detector that spins while free falling requires a reliable extraction of a very small violation signal from the noise in the output signal frequency spectrum. The experiment is designed such that the violation signal is modulated by the spin of the test bodies. The possible violation signal is mixed with the intrinsic white noise of the detector and the colored noise associated with the modulation of gravitational perturbations, through the spin, and inertial-motion-related noise. In order to avoid false alarms the frequencies of the gravitational disturbances and the violation signal must be separate. This paper presents a model for the perturbative gravitational torque that affects the measurement. The torque is expanded in an asymptotic series to the fourth order and then expressed as a frequency spectrum. A spectral analysis shows the design conditions for frequency separation between the perturbing torque and the violation signal.

INVESTIGATION OF THE FREQUENCY-TEMPERATURE RELATIONSHIP OF THE DIELECTRIC PERMITTIVITY OF THE PZT PIEZOCERAMICS IN THE LOW FREQUENCY RANGE

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. I. ZOLOTAREVSKIY

2018-05-01

Full Text Available Purpose. To investigate the frequency-temperature relationship of the dielectric permittivity of PZT piezoceramics in the low frequency range. Methodology. To obtain the frequency-temperature relationship of the dielectric permittivity of the PZT piezoceramics, a technique was used to determine the capacitance of the capacitor, between which plates the sample was placed. The value of the dielectric permittivity of the sample was calculated from the capacitor capacitance obtained. Findings. The frequency-temperature relationship of the dielectric permittivity of the PZT piezoceramics in the low frequency range has been obtained by the authors. The dielectric permittivity is not practically related to the frequency of the alternating voltage at a low temperature, with increasing in temperature its value increases and frequency relationship is observed. The temperature relationship of the dielectric permittivity of the PZT piezoceramics is satisfactorily described by the exponential functional dependence in the low-temperature range. The activation energy of the PZT piezoceramics polarization is determined from the graph of the dependence of the logarithm of the dielectric permittivity upon the inverse temperature. Different values of the activation energy for the two temperature regions prove on the existence of different mechanisms of the PZT piezoceramics polarization in the temperature range being investigated. Originality. The authors investigated the frequency-temperature relationship of the dielectric permittivity of the PZT piezoceramics in the low-frequency range. It is established that the temperature relationship of the dielectric permittivity of the PZT piezoceramics is satisfactorily described by an exponential functional relationship in the lowtemperature range. The activation energy of polarization is determined for two temperature sections. Practical value. The research results can be used to study the mechanism of polarization of

Differentially Private Confidence Intervals for Empirical Risk Minimization

OpenAIRE

Wang, Yue; Kifer, Daniel; Lee, Jaewoo

2018-01-01

The process of data mining with differential privacy produces results that are affected by two types of noise: sampling noise due to data collection and privacy noise that is designed to prevent the reconstruction of sensitive information. In this paper, we consider the problem of designing confidence intervals for the parameters of a variety of differentially private machine learning models. The algorithms can provide confidence intervals that satisfy differential privacy (as well as the mor...

The effect of beat frequency on eye movements during free viewing.

Science.gov (United States)

Maróti, Emese; Knakker, Balázs; Vidnyánszky, Zoltán; Weiss, Béla

2017-02-01

External periodic stimuli entrain brain oscillations and affect perception and attention. It has been shown that background music can change oculomotor behavior and facilitate detection of visual objects occurring on the musical beat. However, whether musical beats in different tempi modulate information sampling differently during natural viewing remains to be explored. Here we addressed this question by investigating how listening to naturalistic drum grooves in two different tempi affects eye movements of participants viewing natural scenes on a computer screen. We found that the beat frequency of the drum grooves modulated the rate of eye movements: fixation durations were increased at the lower beat frequency (1.7Hz) as compared to the higher beat frequency (2.4Hz) and no music conditions. Correspondingly, estimated visual sampling frequency decreased as fixation durations increased with lower beat frequency. These results imply that slow musical beats can retard sampling of visual information during natural viewing by increasing fixation durations. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Investigation of electromagnetic properties of BiFeO3 by Time Differential Perturbed Angular Correlation (TDPAC) technique at ISOLDE

CERN Document Server

Efe, Ipek

2017-01-01

Time differential perturbed angular correlation (TDPAC) technique is one of the most sensitive techniques to study about the electric and magnetic fields at the individual lattice points. It benefits from the hyperfine interactions between the probe atom and its neighborhood. Multiferroic materials have been intensively studied to promote and understand the possibility of controlling magnetic properties by electric fields instead of magnetic fields which opens the path to faster, smaller, and more energy-efficient spintronic devices, such as memory elements, high-frequency magnetic devices, and micro-electro-mechanical systems, for data-storage technologies. BiFeO3 is one of the famous and important multiferroic materials since it shows both antiferromagnetic and ferroelectric behavior at room temperature. In this study, we report on the first time-differential perturbed angular correlation (TDPAC) measurements carried out on polycrystalline BiFeO3 samples using the nuclear probe 181Hf(181Ta) after implantati...

[Geographic variability of Adh-F allele frequency in populations of Drosophila melanogaster].

Science.gov (United States)

Bubliĭ, O A; Imasheva, A G

1997-07-01

Variation of Adh-F allele frequency in seven regions of North and South America, Eurasia, Africa, and Australia was analyzed on the basis of published data. In six regions, regression of Adh-F frequency on latitude was positive; in four regions, slopes of the regression curves were identical. Regression on the average lowest temperature of the coldest month was negative in six regions. No definite trends in regression on the highest temperature of the hottest month and on rainfall in the most humid month and the driest months were found. Geographic differentiation of populations was independent of climatic parameters. Examination of variation in various climatic zones revealed that tropical populations were distinctly different from those from other climatic zones. No climatic differentiation of fixation index FST was detected. These results indicate that Adh polymorphism is maintained by natural selection.

Dynamic nuclear polarization using frequency modulation at 3.34 T.

Science.gov (United States)

Hovav, Y; Feintuch, A; Vega, S; Goldfarb, D

2014-01-01

During dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP) experiments polarization is transferred from unpaired electrons to their neighboring nuclear spins, resulting in dramatic enhancement of the NMR signals. While in most cases this is achieved by continuous wave (cw) irradiation applied to samples in fixed external magnetic fields, here we show that DNP enhancement of static samples can improve by modulating the microwave (MW) frequency at a constant field of 3.34 T. The efficiency of triangular shaped modulation is explored by monitoring the (1)H signal enhancement in frozen solutions containing different TEMPOL radical concentrations at different temperatures. The optimal modulation parameters are examined experimentally and under the most favorable conditions a threefold enhancement is obtained with respect to constant frequency DNP in samples with low radical concentrations. The results are interpreted using numerical simulations on small spin systems. In particular, it is shown experimentally and explained theoretically that: (i) The optimal modulation frequency is higher than the electron spin-lattice relaxation rate. (ii) The optimal modulation amplitude must be smaller than the nuclear Larmor frequency and the EPR line-width, as expected. (iii) The MW frequencies corresponding to the enhancement maxima and minima are shifted away from one another when using frequency modulation, relative to the constant frequency experiments. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Voltage-to-frequency converters CMOS design and implementation

CERN Document Server

Azcona Murillo, Cristina; Pueyo, Santiago Celma

2013-01-01

This book develops voltage-to-frequency converter (VFC) solutions integrated in standard CMOS technology to be used as a part of a microcontroller-based, multisensor interface in the environment of portable applications, particularly within a WSN node.  Coverage includes the total design flow of monolithic VFCs, according to the target application, as well as the analysis, design and implementation of the main VFC blocks, revealing the main challenges and solutions encountered during the design of such high performance cells. Four complete VFCs, each temperature compensated, are fully designed and evaluated: a programmable VFC that includes an offset frequency and a sleep/mode enable terminal; a low power rail-to-rail VFC; and two rail-to-rail differential VFCs.

Fast quantitation of opioid isomers in human plasma by differential mobility spectrometry/mass spectrometry via SPME/open-port probe sampling interface.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Chang; Gómez-Ríos, Germán Augusto; Schneider, Bradley B; Le Blanc, J C Yves; Reyes-Garcés, Nathaly; Arnold, Don W; Covey, Thomas R; Pawliszyn, Janusz

2017-10-23

Mass spectrometry (MS) based quantitative approaches typically require a thorough sample clean-up and a decent chromatographic step in order to achieve needed figures of merit. However, in most cases, such processes are not optimal for urgent assessments and high-throughput determinations. The direct coupling of solid phase microextraction (SPME) to MS has shown great potential to shorten the total sample analysis time of complex matrices, as well as to diminish potential matrix effects and instrument contamination. In this study, we demonstrate the use of the open-port probe (OPP) as a direct and robust sampling interface to couple biocompatible-SPME (Bio-SPME) fibres to MS for the rapid quantitation of opioid isomers (i.e. codeine and hydrocodone) in human plasma. In place of chromatography, a differential mobility spectrometry (DMS) device was implemented to provide the essential selectivity required to quantify these constitutional isomers. Taking advantage of the simplified sample preparation process based on Bio-SPME and the fast separation with DMS-MS coupling via OPP, a high-throughput assay (10-15 s per sample) with limits of detection in the sub-ng/mL range was developed. Succinctly, we demonstrated that by tuning adequate ion mobility separation conditions, SPME-OPP-MS can be employed to quantify non-resolved compounds or those otherwise hindered by co-extracted isobaric interferences without further need of coupling to other separation platforms. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Effects of state and trait factors on nightmare frequency.

Science.gov (United States)

Schredl, Michael

2003-10-01

In a new approach, this study compared the effects of trait and state factors on nightmare frequency in a non-clinical sample. Although neuroticism and boundary thinness were related to nightmare frequency, regression analyses indicated that the trait measures did not add to the variance explained by the state measures. This finding supports the so-called continuity hypothesis of dreaming, i. e., nightmares reflect negative waking-life experiences. Second, the moderate relationship between nightmare frequency and poor sleep quality was partly explained by the day-time measures of neuroticism and stress, but it can be assumed that nightmares are an independent factor contributing to complaints of insomnia. Longitudinal studies measuring nightmare frequency and stress on a daily basis will shed light on the temporal relationship between daytime measures and the occurrence of nightmares. It will be also very interesting to study the relationship between stress and nightmare frequency in a sample who have undergone cognitive-behavioral treatment for nightmares.

Generalized sampling in Julia

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jacobsen, Christian Robert Dahl; Nielsen, Morten; Rasmussen, Morten Grud

2017-01-01

Generalized sampling is a numerically stable framework for obtaining reconstructions of signals in different bases and frames from their samples. For example, one can use wavelet bases for reconstruction given frequency measurements. In this paper, we will introduce a carefully documented toolbox...... for performing generalized sampling in Julia. Julia is a new language for technical computing with focus on performance, which is ideally suited to handle the large size problems often encountered in generalized sampling. The toolbox provides specialized solutions for the setup of Fourier bases and wavelets....... The performance of the toolbox is compared to existing implementations of generalized sampling in MATLAB....

Parametric Amplification Protocol for Frequency-Modulated Magnetic Resonance Force Microscopy Signals

Science.gov (United States)

Harrell, Lee; Moore, Eric; Lee, Sanggap; Hickman, Steven; Marohn, John

2011-03-01

We present data and theoretical signal and noise calculations for a protocol using parametric amplification to evade the inherent tradeoff between signal and detector frequency noise in force-gradient magnetic resonance force microscopy signals, which are manifested as a modulated frequency shift of a high- Q microcantilever. Substrate-induced frequency noise has a 1 / f frequency dependence, while detector noise exhibits an f2 dependence on modulation frequency f . Modulation of sample spins at a frequency that minimizes these two contributions typically results in a surface frequency noise power an order of magnitude or more above the thermal limit and may prove incompatible with sample spin relaxation times as well. We show that the frequency modulated force-gradient signal can be used to excite the fundamental resonant mode of the cantilever, resulting in an audio frequency amplitude signal that is readily detected with a low-noise fiber optic interferometer. This technique allows us to modulate the force-gradient signal at a sufficiently high frequency so that substrate-induced frequency noise is evaded without subjecting the signal to the normal f2 detector noise of conventional demodulation.

The problem of sampling families rather than populations: Relatedness among individuals in samples of juvenile brown trout Salmo trutta L

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hansen, Michael Møller; Eg Nielsen, Einar; Mensberg, Karen-Lise Dons

1997-01-01

In species exhibiting a nonrandom distribution of closely related individuals, sampling of a few families may lead to biased estimates of allele frequencies in populations. This problem was studied in two brown trout populations, based on analysis of mtDNA and microsatellites. In both samples mt......DNA haplotype frequencies differed significantly between age classes, and in one sample 17 out of 18 individuals less than 1 year of age shared one particular mtDNA haplotype. Estimates of relatedness showed that these individuals most likely represented only three full-sib families. Older trout exhibiting...

The effect of sampling frequency on the accuracy of estimates of milk ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The results of this study support the five-weekly sampling procedure currently used by the South African National Dairy Cattle Performance Testing Scheme. However, replacement of proportional bulking of individual morning and evening samples with a single evening milk sample would not compromise accuracy provided ...

Ultra low-noise differential ac-coupled photodetector for sensitive pulse detection applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Windpassinger, Patrick J; Boisen, Axel; Kjærgaard, Niels; Polzik, Eugene S; Müller, Jörg Helge; Kubasik, Marcin; Koschorreck, Marco

2009-01-01

We report on the performance of ultra low-noise differential photodetectors especially designed for probing of atomic ensembles with weak light pulses. The working principle of the detectors is described together with the analysis procedures employed to extract the photon shot noise of light pulses with ∼1 μs duration. As opposed to frequency response peaked detectors, our approach allows for broadband quantum noise measurements. The equivalent noise charge (ENC) for two different hardware approaches is evaluated to 280 and 340 electrons per pulse, respectively, which corresponds to a dark noise equivalent photon number of n 3dB = 0.8 × 10 5 and n 3dB = 1.2 × 10 5 in the two approaches. Finally, we discuss the possibility of removing classical correlations in the output signal caused by detector imperfection by using double-correlated sampling methods

Autopilot for frequency-modulation atomic force microscopy.

Science.gov (United States)

Kuchuk, Kfir; Schlesinger, Itai; Sivan, Uri

2015-10-01

One of the most challenging aspects of operating an atomic force microscope (AFM) is finding optimal feedback parameters. This statement applies particularly to frequency-modulation AFM (FM-AFM), which utilizes three feedback loops to control the cantilever excitation amplitude, cantilever excitation frequency, and z-piezo extension. These loops are regulated by a set of feedback parameters, tuned by the user to optimize stability, sensitivity, and noise in the imaging process. Optimization of these parameters is difficult due to the coupling between the frequency and z-piezo feedback loops by the non-linear tip-sample interaction. Four proportional-integral (PI) parameters and two lock-in parameters regulating these loops require simultaneous optimization in the presence of a varying unknown tip-sample coupling. Presently, this optimization is done manually in a tedious process of trial and error. Here, we report on the development and implementation of an algorithm that computes the control parameters automatically. The algorithm reads the unperturbed cantilever resonance frequency, its quality factor, and the z-piezo driving signal power spectral density. It analyzes the poles and zeros of the total closed loop transfer function, extracts the unknown tip-sample transfer function, and finds four PI parameters and two lock-in parameters for the frequency and z-piezo control loops that optimize the bandwidth and step response of the total system. Implementation of the algorithm in a home-built AFM shows that the calculated parameters are consistently excellent and rarely require further tweaking by the user. The new algorithm saves the precious time of experienced users, facilitates utilization of FM-AFM by casual users, and removes the main hurdle on the way to fully automated FM-AFM.

Autopilot for frequency-modulation atomic force microscopy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kuchuk, Kfir; Schlesinger, Itai; Sivan, Uri, E-mail: phsivan@tx.technion.ac.il [Department of Physics and the Russell Berrie Nanotechnology Institute, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa 32000 (Israel)

2015-10-15

One of the most challenging aspects of operating an atomic force microscope (AFM) is finding optimal feedback parameters. This statement applies particularly to frequency-modulation AFM (FM-AFM), which utilizes three feedback loops to control the cantilever excitation amplitude, cantilever excitation frequency, and z-piezo extension. These loops are regulated by a set of feedback parameters, tuned by the user to optimize stability, sensitivity, and noise in the imaging process. Optimization of these parameters is difficult due to the coupling between the frequency and z-piezo feedback loops by the non-linear tip-sample interaction. Four proportional-integral (PI) parameters and two lock-in parameters regulating these loops require simultaneous optimization in the presence of a varying unknown tip-sample coupling. Presently, this optimization is done manually in a tedious process of trial and error. Here, we report on the development and implementation of an algorithm that computes the control parameters automatically. The algorithm reads the unperturbed cantilever resonance frequency, its quality factor, and the z-piezo driving signal power spectral density. It analyzes the poles and zeros of the total closed loop transfer function, extracts the unknown tip-sample transfer function, and finds four PI parameters and two lock-in parameters for the frequency and z-piezo control loops that optimize the bandwidth and step response of the total system. Implementation of the algorithm in a home-built AFM shows that the calculated parameters are consistently excellent and rarely require further tweaking by the user. The new algorithm saves the precious time of experienced users, facilitates utilization of FM-AFM by casual users, and removes the main hurdle on the way to fully automated FM-AFM.

A Differential Item Functional Analysis by Age of Perceived Interpersonal Discrimination in a Multi-racial/ethnic Sample of Adults.

Science.gov (United States)

Owens, Sherry; Kristjansson, Alfgeir L; Hunte, Haslyn E R

2015-11-05

We investigated whether individual items on the nine item William's Perceived Everyday Discrimination Scale (EDS) functioned differently by age (ethnic group. Overall, Asian and Hispanic respondents reported less discrimination than Whites; on the other hand, African Americans and Black Caribbeans reported more discrimination than Whites. Regardless of race/ethnicity, the younger respondents (aged ethnicity, the results were mixed for 19 out of 45 tests of DIF (40%). No differences in item function were observed among Black Caribbeans. "Being called names or insulted" and others acting as "if they are afraid" of the respondents were the only two items that did not exhibit differential item functioning by age across all racial/ethnic groups. Overall, our findings suggest that the EDS scale should be used with caution in multi-age multi-racial/ethnic samples.

Variants and pitfalls on radioiodine scans in pediatric patients with differentiated thyroid carcinoma

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mostafa, Mohamed; Vali, Reza; Chan, Jeffrey; Omarkhail, Yusuaf; Shammas, Amer [University of Toronto, Nuclear Medicine Division, Department of Medical Imaging, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario (Canada)

2016-10-15

Potentially false-positive findings on radioiodine scans in children with differentiated thyroid carcinoma can mimic functioning thyroid tissue and functioning thyroid carcinomatous tissue. Such false-positive findings comprise variants and pitfalls that can vary slightly in children as compared with adults. To determine the patterns and frequency of these potential false-positive findings on radioiodine scans in children with differentiated thyroid carcinoma. We reviewed a total of 223 radioiodine scans from 53 pediatric patients (mean age 13.3 years, 37 girls) with differentiated thyroid carcinoma. Focal or regional activity that likely did not represent functioning thyroid tissue or functioning thyroid carcinomatous tissue were categorized as variants or pitfalls. The final diagnosis was confirmed by reviewing the concurrent and follow-up clinical data, correlative ultrasonography, CT scanning, serum thyroglobulin and antithyroglobulin antibody levels. We calculated the frequency of these variants and pitfalls from diagnostic and post-therapy radioiodine scans. The most common variant on the radioiodine scans was the thymic activity (24/223, 10.8%) followed by the cardiac activity (8/223, 3.6%). Salivary contamination and star artifact, caused by prominent thyroid remnant, were the most important observed pitfalls. Variants and pitfalls that mimic functioning thyroid tissue or functioning thyroid carcinomatous tissue on radioiodine scan in children with differentiated thyroid carcinoma are not infrequent, but they decrease in frequency on successive radioiodine scans. Potential false-positive findings can be minimized with proper knowledge of the common variants and pitfalls in children and correlation with clinical, laboratory and imaging data. (orig.)

Isotopic analysis of bullet lead samples

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sankar Das, M.; Venkatasubramanian, V.S.; Sreenivas, K.

1976-01-01

The possibility of using the isotopic composition of lead for the identification of bullet lead is investigated. Lead from several spent bullets were converted to lead sulphide and analysed for the isotopic abundances using an MS-7 mass spectrometer. The abundances are measured relative to that for Pb 204 was too small to permit differentiation, while the range of variation of Pb 206 and Pb 207 and the better precision in their analyses permitted differentiating samples from one another. The correlation among the samples examined has been pointed out. The method is complementary to characterisation of bullet leads by the trace element composition. The possibility of using isotopically enriched lead for tagging bullet lead is pointed out. (author)

An InGaAs/InP 40 GHz CML static frequency divider

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Su Yongbo; Jin Zhi; Cheng Wei; Ge Ji; Wang Xiantai; Chen Gaopeng; Liu Xinyu; Xu Anhuai; Qi Ming

2011-01-01

Static frequency dividers are widely used as a circuit performance benchmark or figure-of-merit indicator to gauge a particular device technology's ability to implement high speed digital and integrated high performance mixed-signal circuits. We report a 2 : 1 static frequency divider in InGaAs/InP heterojunction bipolar transistor technology. This is the first InP based digital integrated circuit ever reported on the mainland of China. The divider is implemented in differential current mode logic (CML) with 30 transistors. The circuit operated at a peak clock frequency of 40 GHz and dissipated 650 mW from a single -5 V supply. (semiconductor integrated circuits)

Frequency-dependent micromechanics of cellularized biopolymer networks

Science.gov (United States)

Jones, Chris; Kim, Jihan; McIntyre, David; Sun, Bo

Mechanical interactions between cells and the extracellular matrix (ECM) influence many cellular behaviors such as growth, differentiation, and migration. These are dynamic processes in which the cells actively remodel the ECM. Reconstituted collagen gel is a common model ECM for studying cell-ECM interactions in vitro because collagen is the most abundant component of mammalian ECM and gives the ECM its material stiffness. We embed micron-sized particles in collagen and use holographic optical tweezers to apply forces to the particles in multiple directions and over a range of frequencies up to 10 Hz. We calculate the local compliance and show that it is dependent on both the direction and frequency of the applied force. Performing the same measurement on many particles allows us to characterize the spatial inhomogeneity of the mechanical properties and shows that the compliance decreases at higher frequencies. Performing these measurements on cell-populated collagen gels shows that cellular remodeling of the ECM changes the mechanical properties of the collagen and we investigate whether this change is dependent on the local strain and distance from nearby cells.

Low-frequency vibration treatment of bone marrow stromal cells induces bone repair in vivo.

Science.gov (United States)

He, Shengwei; Zhao, Wenzhi; Zhang, Lu; Mi, Lidong; Du, Guangyu; Sun, Chuanxiu; Sun, Xuegang

2017-01-01

To study the effect of low-frequency vibration on bone marrow stromal cell differentiation and potential bone repair in vivo . Forty New Zealand rabbits were randomly divided into five groups with eight rabbits in each group. For each group, bone defects were generated in the left humerus of four rabbits, and in the right humerus of the other four rabbits. To test differentiation, bones were isolated and demineralized, supplemented with bone marrow stromal cells, and implanted into humerus bone defects. Varying frequencies of vibration (0, 12.5, 25, 50, and 100 Hz) were applied to each group for 30 min each day for four weeks. When the bone defects integrated, they were then removed for histological examination. mRNA transcript levels of runt-related transcription factor 2, osteoprotegerin, receptor activator of nuclear factor κ-B ligan, and pre-collagen type 1 α were measured. Humeri implanted with bone marrow stromal cells displayed elevated callus levels and wider, more prevalent, and denser trabeculae following treatment at 25 and 50 Hz. The mRNA levels of runt-related transcription factor 2, osteoprotegerin, receptor activator of nuclear factor κ-B ligand, and pre-collagen type 1 α were also markedly higher following 25 and 50 Hz treatment. Low frequency (25-50 Hz) vibration in vivo can promote bone marrow stromal cell differentiation and repair bone injury.

Nucleotide excision repair in differentiated cells

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wees, Caroline van der [Department of Toxicogenetics, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden (Netherlands); Department of Cardiology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden (Netherlands); Jansen, Jacob [Department of Toxicogenetics, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden (Netherlands); Vrieling, Harry [Department of Toxicogenetics, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden (Netherlands); Laarse, Arnoud van der [Department of Cardiology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden (Netherlands); Zeeland, Albert van [Department of Toxicogenetics, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden (Netherlands); Mullenders, Leon [Department of Toxicogenetics, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden (Netherlands)]. E-mail: l.mullenders@lumc.nl

2007-01-03

Nucleotide excision repair (NER) is the principal pathway for the removal of a wide range of DNA helix-distorting lesions and operates via two NER subpathways, i.e. global genome repair (GGR) and transcription-coupled repair (TCR). Although detailed information is available on expression and efficiency of NER in established mammalian cell lines, little is known about the expression of NER pathways in (terminally) differentiated cells. The majority of studies in differentiated cells have focused on repair of UV-induced cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers (CPD) and 6-4-photoproducts (6-4PP) because of the high frequency of photolesions at low level of toxicity and availability of sensitive technologies to determine photolesions in defined regions of the genome. The picture that emerges from these studies is blurred and rather complex. Fibroblasts and terminally differentiated myocytes of the rat heart display equally efficient GGR of 6-4PP but poor repair of CPD due to the absence of p48 expression. This repair phenotype is clearly different from human terminal differentiated neurons. Furthermore, both cell types were found to carry out TCR of CPD, thus mimicking the repair phenotype of established rodent cell lines. In contrast, in intact rat spermatogenic cells repair was very inefficient at the genome overall level and in transcriptionally active genes indicating that GGR and TCR are non-functional. Also, non-differentiated mouse embryonic stem (ES) cells exhibit low levels of NER after UV irradiation. However, the mechanisms that lead to low NER activity are clearly different: in differentiated spermatogenic cells differences in chromatin compaction and sequestering of NER proteins may underlie the lack of NER activity in pre-meiotic cells, whereas in non-differentiated ES cells NER is impaired by a strong apoptotic response.

Personality Disorder Symptoms Are Differentially Related to Divorce Frequency

OpenAIRE

Disney, Krystle L.; Weinstein, Yana; Oltmanns, Thomas F.

2012-01-01

Divorce is associated with a multitude of outcomes related to health and well-being. Data from a representative community sample (N = 1,241) of St. Louis residents (ages 55–64) were used to examine associations between personality pathology and divorce in late midlife. Symptoms of the 10 DSM–IV personality disorders were assessed with the Structured Interview for DSM–IV Personality and the Multisource Assessment of Personality Pathology (both self and informant versions). Multiple regression ...

D1S80 (pMCT118) allele frequencies in a Malay population sample from Malaysia.

Science.gov (United States)

Koh, C L; Lim, M E; Ng, H S; Sam, C K

1997-01-01

The D1S80 allele frequencies in 124 unrelated Malays from the Malaysian population were determined and 51 genotypes and 19 alleles were encountered. The D1S80 frequency distribution met Hardy-Weinberg expectations. The observed heterozygosity was 0.80 and the power of discrimination was 0.96.

Multi-spectral endogenous fluorescence imaging for bacterial differentiation

Science.gov (United States)

Chernomyrdin, Nikita V.; Babayants, Margarita V.; Korotkov, Oleg V.; Kudrin, Konstantin G.; Rimskaya, Elena N.; Shikunova, Irina A.; Kurlov, Vladimir N.; Cherkasova, Olga P.; Komandin, Gennady A.; Reshetov, Igor V.; Zaytsev, Kirill I.

2017-07-01

In this paper, the multi-spectral endogenous fluorescence imaging was implemented for bacterial differentiation. The fluorescence imaging was performed using a digital camera equipped with a set of visual bandpass filters. Narrowband 365 nm ultraviolet radiation passed through a beam homogenizer was used to excite the sample fluorescence. In order to increase a signal-to-noise ratio and suppress a non-fluorescence background in images, the intensity of the UV excitation was modulated using a mechanical chopper. The principal components were introduced for differentiating the samples of bacteria based on the multi-spectral endogenous fluorescence images.

Study on enhancing mutagenic efficacy by irradiating rice plant before ear differentiation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Guo Guangrong; Yi Weiping; Chen Xuebin; Liu; Wuquan; Sun Zhiyuan

1992-06-01

Rice plants were irradiated externally with 60 Co γ-ray or internally with 32 P β-beam at the time just before ear differentiation. The mutation frequency, shape of mutated sector, hereditary variation of the mutant of Japonica rice, hereditary pattern of the mutant characters and the application of useful mutants were investigated. The results showed: 1. the irradiation treatment at the time before ear differentiation can greatly raise the mutation frequency. The mutation frequency in creased to 21.67% for early maturity, 11.01% for dwarfness and 12.92% for late maturity respectively (counted on the basis of ear number) under the external irradiation of 60 Co γ-ray. The mutation frequencies for early, late and dwarfness maturities irradiated internally by 32 P β-beam were 15.5%, 61.6% and 26.34% respectively (counted on the basis of grain number), or 46.87%, 91.3% and 65.22% respectively (counted on the basis of ear number). 2. Mutants, that are rarely existed, of Japonica rice were obtained. 3. The segregation of posterity for some mutant characters was not in Mendel's regularity, the relationships between dominance and recessive for some mutant characters were reversed. 4. The prospect for the application of useful mutants in the rice breeding is encouraging

A two-fluid interpretation of low frequency modes in Tokamaks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Thyagaraja, A.; Haas, F.A.

1983-01-01

The linear stability of low frequency modes (ω/ωsub(ci) << 1) of a dissipationless two-fluid cylindrical analogue of Tokamak is investigated. The eigenvalue problem comprises a coupled first-order and second-order differential equation. Given certain plausible assumptions, the case of an internal resonant point is solved analytically. The resulting modes and frequencies are qualitatively similar to those observed. The analogue of the MHD uniform current model is solved exactly and the usual MHD marginal stability boundary is shown to be modified. More general considerations show, that even in the absence of dissipation, the magnetic field is not ''frozen'' to the ions or the electrons. Furthermore, in general the MHD equations can only be recovered by a limiting process which is inappropriate to Tokamaks. For very low frequencies (ω << ω*), however, single and two-fluid theories predict the same magnetic field structure but different electric fields. The present analysis which covers frequencies from zero to ωsub(Alfven), including drift and acoustic frequencies predicts that both discrete and continuum modes can be unstable which is in contrast to ideal MHD. (author)

Type 2 diabetes risk alleles demonstrate extreme directional differentiation among human populations, compared to other diseases.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rong Chen

Full Text Available Many disease-susceptible SNPs exhibit significant disparity in ancestral and derived allele frequencies across worldwide populations. While previous studies have examined population differentiation of alleles at specific SNPs, global ethnic patterns of ensembles of disease risk alleles across human diseases are unexamined. To examine these patterns, we manually curated ethnic disease association data from 5,065 papers on human genetic studies representing 1,495 diseases, recording the precise risk alleles and their measured population frequencies and estimated effect sizes. We systematically compared the population frequencies of cross-ethnic risk alleles for each disease across 1,397 individuals from 11 HapMap populations, 1,064 individuals from 53 HGDP populations, and 49 individuals with whole-genome sequences from 10 populations. Type 2 diabetes (T2D demonstrated extreme directional differentiation of risk allele frequencies across human populations, compared with null distributions of European-frequency matched control genomic alleles and risk alleles for other diseases. Most T2D risk alleles share a consistent pattern of decreasing frequencies along human migration into East Asia. Furthermore, we show that these patterns contribute to disparities in predicted genetic risk across 1,397 HapMap individuals, T2D genetic risk being consistently higher for individuals in the African populations and lower in the Asian populations, irrespective of the ethnicity considered in the initial discovery of risk alleles. We observed a similar pattern in the distribution of T2D Genetic Risk Scores, which are associated with an increased risk of developing diabetes in the Diabetes Prevention Program cohort, for the same individuals. This disparity may be attributable to the promotion of energy storage and usage appropriate to environments and inconsistent energy intake. Our results indicate that the differential frequencies of T2D risk alleles may

The new Chalk River AMS ion source, sample changer and external sample magazine

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Koslowsky, V.T.; Bray, N.; Imahori, Y.; Andrews, H.R.; Davies, W.G.

1997-01-01

A new sample magazine, sample changer and ion source have been developed and are in routine use at Chalk River. The system features a readily accessible 40-sample magazine at ground potential that is external to the ion source and high-voltage cage. The samples are held in an inert atmosphere and can be individually examined or removed; they can be exchanged en masse as a complete magazine concurrent with an AMS measurement. On-line sample changing is done with a pneumatic rabbit transfer system employing two stages of differential pumping. At Chalk River this is routinely performed across a 200 kV potential. Sample positioning is precise, and hundreds of 36 Cl and 129 I samples have been measured over a period of several days without interruption or alteration of ion source operating conditions. (author)

Correcting length-frequency distributions for imperfect detection

Science.gov (United States)

Breton, André R.; Hawkins, John A.; Winkelman, Dana L.

2013-01-01

Sampling gear selects for specific sizes of fish, which may bias length-frequency distributions that are commonly used to assess population size structure, recruitment patterns, growth, and survival. To properly correct for sampling biases caused by gear and other sources, length-frequency distributions need to be corrected for imperfect detection. We describe a method for adjusting length-frequency distributions when capture and recapture probabilities are a function of fish length, temporal variation, and capture history. The method is applied to a study involving the removal of Smallmouth Bass Micropterus dolomieu by boat electrofishing from a 38.6-km reach on the Yampa River, Colorado. Smallmouth Bass longer than 100 mm were marked and released alive from 2005 to 2010 on one or more electrofishing passes and removed on all other passes from the population. Using the Huggins mark–recapture model, we detected a significant effect of fish total length, previous capture history (behavior), year, pass, year×behavior, and year×pass on capture and recapture probabilities. We demonstrate how to partition the Huggins estimate of abundance into length frequencies to correct for these effects. Uncorrected length frequencies of fish removed from Little Yampa Canyon were negatively biased in every year by as much as 88% relative to mark–recapture estimates for the smallest length-class in our analysis (100–110 mm). Bias declined but remained high even for adult length-classes (≥200 mm). The pattern of bias across length-classes was variable across years. The percentage of unadjusted counts that were below the lower 95% confidence interval from our adjusted length-frequency estimates were 95, 89, 84, 78, 81, and 92% from 2005 to 2010, respectively. Length-frequency distributions are widely used in fisheries science and management. Our simple method for correcting length-frequency estimates for imperfect detection could be widely applied when mark–recapture data

Searching for chaos on low frequency

OpenAIRE

Nicolas Wesner

2004-01-01

A new method for detecting low dimensional chaos in small sample sets is presented. The method is applied to financial data on low frequency (annual and monthly) for which few observations are available.

A population frequency analysis of the FABP2 gene polymorphism

African Journals Online (AJOL)

salah

DNA was extracted from blood samples for genotype analysis. A PCR-RFLP ... Thr54 genotype. The frequencies of the allele Ala54 and the allele Thr54 of the .... Table 2: Genotype percentages and allele frequencies of FABP2 polymorphism in various ethnic groups. Study Group (n). Genotype %. Allele frequency. P. (vs.

Small-Signal Modeling and Analysis of Grid-Connected Inverter with Power Differential Droop Control

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xin Chen

2016-01-01

Full Text Available The conventional voltage and frequency droop control strategy in grid-connected inverter suffers a major setback in the presence of disturbance by producing oscillations. Adding a power differential term in droop controller is an effective way to address such drawback. In this paper, grid-connected inverter’s small-signal models of the conventional droop control and the power differential droop control are established. The eigenvalues of the models are then determined by system matrix. The eigenvalues analysis is presented which helps in identifying the relationship between the system stability and controller parameters. It is concluded that the damping ratio of dominant low-frequency eigenvalues increased and the oscillation caused by the disturbance is suppressed when a power differential term is added to the droop control method. The MATLAB/Simulink models of grid-connected inverter with both control strategies are also established to validate the results of small-signal analysis.

Fixed bin frequency distribution for the VNTR Loci D2S44, D4S139, D5S110, and D8S358 in a population sample from Minas Gerais, Brazil

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Parreira Kleber Simônio

2002-01-01

Full Text Available Fixed bin frequencies for the VNTR loci D2S44, D4S139, D5S110, and D8S358 were determined in a Minas Gerais population sample. The data were generated by RFLP analysis of HaeIII-digested genomic DNA and chemiluminescent detection. The four VNTR loci have met Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium, and there was no association of alleles among VNTR loci. The frequency data can be used in forensic analyses and paternity tests to estimate the frequency of a DNA profile in the general Brazilian population.

Parameters affecting the determination of paraquat at silver rotating electrodes using differential pulse voltammetry

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. Farahi

2014-08-01

Full Text Available The electrochemical determination of aqueous paraquat PQ(II by differential pulse voltammetry at a solid rotating silver electrode (RSE is described. The aim of this work is to optimize all factors that can influence this determination. Potential wave forms, potential scan parameters and deposition time were examined for their effect on the paraquat peak shape and intensity. The best responses were obtained with differential pulse voltammetry in 0.1 mol L−1 Na2SO4 as supporting electrolyte using amplitude 50 mV, scan increment 5 mV, deposition time 120 s, frequency 50 s−1 and step amplitude 0.05 V. Electrochemical and mechanical surface cleaning, aimed at removing the amount of paraquat deposited onto the silver surface, were necessary for obtaining a good performance of the electrode. Response linearity, repeatability, accuracy and detection limit were also evaluated. The obtained detection limits were 7.1 × 10−9 mol L−1 and 2.8 × 10−9 mol L−1 for peak 1 and peak 2 respectively. The relative standard deviation (RSD was found to be 1.19% in 1.0 × 10−4 mol L−1 paraquat. The applicability of the RSE for PQ(II determination in milk samples, without any sample pretreatment, was successfully demonstrated.

Energy drink use frequency among an international sample of people who use drugs: Associations with other substance use and well-being.

Science.gov (United States)

Peacock, Amy; Bruno, Raimondo; Ferris, Jason; Winstock, Adam

2017-05-01

The study aims were to identify: i.) energy drink (ED), caffeine tablet, and caffeine intranasal spray use amongst a sample who report drug use, and ii.) the association between ED use frequency and demographic profile, drug use, hazardous drinking, and wellbeing. Participants (n=74,864) who reported drug use completed the online 2014 Global Drug Survey. They provided data on demographics, ED use, and alcohol and drug use, completed the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) and Personal Wellbeing Index (PWI), and reported whether they wished to reduce alcohol use. Lifetime ED, caffeine tablet and intranasal caffeine spray use were reported by 69.2%, 24.5% and 4.9%. Median age of ED initiation was 16 years. For those aged 16-37, median years using EDs increased from 4 to 17 years of consumption, where it declined thereafter. Greater ED use frequency was associated with: being male; under 21 years of age; studying; and past year caffeine tablet/intranasal spray, tobacco, cannabis, amphetamine, MDMA, and cocaine use. Past year, infrequent (1-4days) and frequent (≥5days) past month ED consumers reported higher AUDIT scores and lower PWI scores than lifetime abstainers; past month consumers were less likely to report a desire to reduce alcohol use. ED use is part of a complex interplay of drug use, alcohol problems, and poorer personal wellbeing, and ED use frequency may be a flag for current/future problems. Prospective research is required exploring where ED use fits within the trajectory of other alcohol and drug use. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Parameter estimation in stochastic differential equations

CERN Document Server

Bishwal, Jaya P N

2008-01-01

Parameter estimation in stochastic differential equations and stochastic partial differential equations is the science, art and technology of modelling complex phenomena and making beautiful decisions. The subject has attracted researchers from several areas of mathematics and other related fields like economics and finance. This volume presents the estimation of the unknown parameters in the corresponding continuous models based on continuous and discrete observations and examines extensively maximum likelihood, minimum contrast and Bayesian methods. Useful because of the current availability of high frequency data is the study of refined asymptotic properties of several estimators when the observation time length is large and the observation time interval is small. Also space time white noise driven models, useful for spatial data, and more sophisticated non-Markovian and non-semimartingale models like fractional diffusions that model the long memory phenomena are examined in this volume.

General solution of undersampling frequency conversion and its optimization for parallel photodisplacement imaging.

Science.gov (United States)

Nakata, Toshihiko; Ninomiya, Takanori

2006-10-10

A general solution of undersampling frequency conversion and its optimization for parallel photodisplacement imaging is presented. Phase-modulated heterodyne interference light generated by a linear region of periodic displacement is captured by a charge-coupled device image sensor, in which the interference light is sampled at a sampling rate lower than the Nyquist frequency. The frequencies of the components of the light, such as the sideband and carrier (which include photodisplacement and topography information, respectively), are downconverted and sampled simultaneously based on the integration and sampling effects of the sensor. A general solution of frequency and amplitude in this downconversion is derived by Fourier analysis of the sampling procedure. The optimal frequency condition for the heterodyne beat signal, modulation signal, and sensor gate pulse is derived such that undesirable components are eliminated and each information component is converted into an orthogonal function, allowing each to be discretely reproduced from the Fourier coefficients. The optimal frequency parameters that maximize the sideband-to-carrier amplitude ratio are determined, theoretically demonstrating its high selectivity over 80 dB. Preliminary experiments demonstrate that this technique is capable of simultaneous imaging of reflectivity, topography, and photodisplacement for the detection of subsurface lattice defects at a speed corresponding to an acquisition time of only 0.26 s per 256 x 256 pixel area.

Method and apparatus for radio frequency ceramic sintering

Science.gov (United States)

Hoffman, Daniel J.; Kimrey, Jr., Harold D.

1993-01-01

Radio frequency energy is used to sinter ceramic materials. A coaxial waveguide resonator produces a TEM mode wave which generates a high field capacitive region in which a sample of the ceramic material is located. Frequency of the power source is kept in the range of radio frequency, and preferably between 60-80 MHz. An alternative embodiment provides a tunable radio frequency circuit which includes a series input capacitor and a parallel capacitor, with the sintered ceramic connected by an inductive lead. This arrangement permits matching of impedance over a wide range of dielectric constants, ceramic volumes, and loss tangents.

Radar Doppler Processing with Nonuniform Sampling.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Doerry, Armin W. [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)

2017-07-01

Conventional signal processing to estimate radar Doppler frequency often assumes uniform pulse/sample spacing. This is for the convenience of t he processing. More recent performance enhancements in processor capability allow optimally processing nonuniform pulse/sample spacing, thereby overcoming some of the baggage that attends uniform sampling, such as Doppler ambiguity and SNR losses due to sidelobe control measures.

MAINTENANCE OF ECOLOGICALLY SIGNIFICANT GENETIC VARIATION IN THE TIGER SWALLOWTAIL BUTTERFLY THROUGH DIFFERENTIAL SELECTION AND GENE FLOW.

Science.gov (United States)

Bossart, J L; Scriber, J M

1995-12-01

Differential selection in a heterogeneous environment is thought to promote the maintenance of ecologically significant genetic variation. Variation is maintained when selection is counterbalanced by the homogenizing effects of gene flow and random mating. In this study, we examine the relative importance of differential selection and gene flow in maintaining genetic variation in Papilio glaucus. Differential selection on traits contributing to successful use of host plants (oviposition preference and larval performance) was assessed by comparing the responses of southern Ohio, north central Georgia, and southern Florida populations of P. glaucus to three hosts: Liriodendron tulipifera, Magnolia virginiana, and Prunus serotina. Gene flow among populations was estimated using allozyme frequencies from nine polymorphic loci. Significant genetic differentiation was observed among populations for both oviposition preference and larval performance. This differentiation was interpreted to be the result of selection acting on Florida P. glaucus for enhanced use of Magnolia, the prevalent host in Florida. In contrast, no evidence of population differentiation was revealed by allozyme frequencies. F ST -values were very small and Nm, an estimate of the relative strengths of gene flow and genetic drift, was large, indicating that genetic exchange among P. glaucus populations is relatively unrestricted. The contrasting patterns of spatial differentiation for host-use traits and lack of differentiation for electrophoretically detectable variation implies that differential selection among populations will be counterbalanced by gene flow, thereby maintaining genetic variation for host-use traits. © 1995 The Society for the Study of Evolution.

Optimizing Power–Frequency Droop Characteristics of Distributed Energy Resources

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Guggilam, Swaroop S.; Zhao, Changhong; Dall Anese, Emiliano; Chen, Yu Christine; Dhople, Sairaj V.

2018-05-01

This paper outlines a procedure to design power-frequency droop slopes for distributed energy resources (DERs) installed in distribution networks to optimally participate in primary frequency response. In particular, the droop slopes are engineered such that DERs respond in proportion to their power ratings and they are not unfairly penalized in power provisioning based on their location in the distribution network. The main contribution of our approach is that a guaranteed level of frequency regulation can be guaranteed at the feeder head, while ensuring that the outputs of individual DERs conform to some well-defined notion of fairness. The approach we adopt leverages an optimization-based perspective and suitable linearizations of the power-flow equations to embed notions of fairness and information regarding the physics of the power flows within the distribution network into the droop slopes. Time-domain simulations from a differential algebraic equation model of the 39-bus New England test-case system augmented with three instances of the IEEE 37-node distribution-network with frequency-sensitive DERs are provided to validate our approach.

A comparative analysis of genetic differentiation across six shared willow host species in leaf- and bud-galling sawflies.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sanna A Leppänen

Full Text Available Genetic divergence and speciation in plant-feeding insects could be driven by contrasting selection pressures imposed by different plant species and taxa. While numerous examples of host-associated differentiation (HAD have been found, the overall importance of HAD in insect diversification remains unclear, as few studies have investigated its frequency in relation to all speciation events. One promising way to infer the prevalence and repeatability of HAD is to estimate genetic differentiation in multiple insect taxa that use the same set of hosts. To this end, we measured and compared variation in mitochondrial COI and nuclear ITS2 sequences in population samples of leaf-galling Pontania and bud-galling Euura sawflies (Hymenoptera: Tenthredinidae collected from six Salix species in two replicate locations in northern Fennoscandia. We found evidence of frequent HAD in both species complexes, as individuals from the same willow species tended to cluster together on both mitochondrial and nuclear phylogenetic trees. Although few fixed differences among the putative species were found, hierarchical AMOVAs showed that most of the genetic variation in the samples was explained by host species rather than by sampling location. Nevertheless, the levels of HAD measured across specific pairs of host species were not correlated in the two focal galler groups. Hence, our results support the hypothesis of HAD as a central force in herbivore speciation, but also indicate that evolutionary trajectories are only weakly repeatable even in temporally overlapping radiations of related insect taxa.

Characterization of Crystal Chirality in Amino Acids Using Low-Frequency Raman Spectroscopy.

Science.gov (United States)

Aviv, Hagit; Nemtsov, Irena; Mastai, Yitzhak; Tischler, Yaakov R

2017-10-19

We present a new method for differentiating racemic crystals from enantiopure crystals. Recently, developments in optical filters have enabled the facile use of Raman spectroscopy to detect low-frequency vibrational (LFV) modes. Here, for the first time, we use Raman spectroscopy to characterize the LFV modes for crystalline organic materials composed of chiral molecules. The LF-Raman spectra of racemic and enantiopure crystals exhibit a significant variation, which we attribute to different hydrogen-bond networks in the chiral crystal structures. Across a representative set of amino acids, we observed that when comparing racemic versus enantiopure crystals, the available LFV modes and their relative scattering intensity are strong functions of side chain polarity. Thus, LF-Raman can be used as a method that is complementary to the currently used methods for characterizing crystal chirality due to simpler, faster, and more sensitive measurements, along with the small sample size required, which is limited by the laser-beam diameter in the focus.

Acoustic markers to differentiate gender in prepubescent children's speaking and singing voice.

Science.gov (United States)

Guzman, Marco; Muñoz, Daniel; Vivero, Martin; Marín, Natalia; Ramírez, Mirta; Rivera, María Trinidad; Vidal, Carla; Gerhard, Julia; González, Catalina

2014-10-01

Investigation sought to determine whether there is any acoustic variable to objectively differentiate gender in children with normal voices. A total of 30 children, 15 boys and 15 girls, with perceptually normal voices were examined. They were between 7 and 10 years old (mean: 8.1, SD: 0.7 years). Subjects were required to perform the following phonatory tasks: (1) to phonate sustained vowels [a:], [i:], [u:], (2) to read a phonetically balanced text, and (3) to sing a song. Acoustic analysis included long-term average spectrum (LTAS), fundamental frequency (F0), speaking fundamental frequency (SFF), equivalent continuous sound level (Leq), linear predictive code (LPC) to obtain formant frequencies, perturbation measures, harmonic to noise ratio (HNR), and Cepstral peak prominence (CPP). Auditory perceptual analysis was performed by four blinded judges to determine gender. No significant gender-related differences were found for most acoustic variables. Perceptual assessment showed good intra and inter rater reliability for gender. Cepstrum for [a:], alpha ratio in text, shimmer for [i:], F3 in [a:], and F3 in [i:], were the parameters that composed the multivariate logistic regression model to best differentiate male and female children's voices. Since perceptual assessment reliably detected gender, it is likely that other acoustic markers (not evaluated in the present study) are able to make clearer gender differences. For example, gender-specific patterns of intonation may be a more accurate feature for differentiating gender in children's voices. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Frequency of Haemophilus spp. in urinary and and genital tract samples

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tatjana Marijan,

2010-02-01

Full Text Available Aim To determine the prevalence and antibiotic susceptibility of Haemophilus influenzae and H. parainfluenzae isolated from the urinary and genital tracts. Methods Identification of strains bacteria Haemophilus spp. was carried out by using API NH identifi-cation system, and antibiotic susceptibility was performed by Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion method. Results A total number of 50 (0,03% H. influenzae and 14 (0,01% H. parainfluenzae (out of 180, 415 samples were isolated from genitourinary tract. From urine samples of the girls under 15 years of age these bacteria were isolated in 13 (0,88% and two (0,13% cases, respectively, and only in one case(0,11% of the UTI in boys (H. influenzae. In persons of fertile age, it was only H. influenzae bacteria that was found in urine samples of the five women (0,04% and in three men (0,22%. As a cause of vulvovaginitis, H. influenzae was isolated in four (5,63%, and H. parainfluenzae in two (2,82% girls. In persons of fertile age, H. influenzae was isolated from 10 (0,49% smears of the cervix, and in nine (1,74% male samples. H. parainfluenzae was isolated from seven (1,36% male samples. (p<0.01. Susceptibility testing of H. influenzae and H. parainfluenzae revealed that both pathogens were signifi- cantly resistant to cotrimoxasol only (26.0% and 42.9%, respectively. Conclusion In the etiology of genitourinary infections of girls during childhood, genital infections of women in fertile age (especially in pregnant women, and men with cases of epididimytis and/or orchitis,it is important to think about this rare and demanding bacteria in terms of cultivation.

Phase noise characterization of a QD-based diode laser frequency comb.

Science.gov (United States)

Vedala, Govind; Al-Qadi, Mustafa; O'Sullivan, Maurice; Cartledge, John; Hui, Rongqing

2017-07-10

We measure, simultaneously, the phases of a large set of comb lines from a passively mode locked, InAs/InP, quantum dot laser frequency comb (QDLFC) by comparing the lines to a stable comb reference using multi-heterodyne coherent detection. Simultaneity permits the separation of differential and common mode phase noise and a straightforward determination of the wavelength corresponding to the minimum width of the comb line. We find that the common mode and differential phases are uncorrelated, and measure for the first time for a QDLFC that the intrinsic differential-mode phase (IDMP) between adjacent subcarriers is substantially the same for all subcarrier pairs. The latter observation supports an interpretation of 4.4ps as the standard deviation of IDMP on a 200µs time interval for this laser.

Effect of centrifugal force on natural frequency of lateral vibration of rotating shafts

Science.gov (United States)

Behzad, M.; Bastami, A. R.

2004-07-01

This paper investigates the effect of shaft rotation on its natural frequency. Apart from gyroscopic effect, the axial force originated from centrifugal force and the Poisson effect results in change of shaft natural frequency. D'Alembert principle for shaft in cylindrical co-ordinate system, along with the stress-strain relation, gives the non-homogenous linear differential equation, which can be used to calculate axial stress in the shaft. Numerical results of this study show that axial stress produced by shaft rotation has a major effect on the natural frequency of long high-speed shafts, while shaft diameter has no influence on the results. In addition, change in lateral natural frequency due to gyroscopic effect is compared with the results of this study.

Novel Design of Recursive Differentiator Based on Lattice Wave Digital Filter

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

R. Barsainya

2017-04-01

Full Text Available In this paper, a novel design of third and fifth order differentiator based on lattice wave digital filter (LWDF, established on optimizing L_1-error approximation function using cuckoo search algorithm (CSA is proposed. We present a novel realization of minimum multiplier differentiator using LWD structure leading to requirement of optimizing only N coefficients for Nth order differentiator. The gamma coefficients of lattice wave digital differentiator (LWDD are computed by minimizing the L_1-norm fitness function leading to a flat response. The superiority of the proposed LWDD is evident by comparing it with other differentiators mentioned in the literature. The magnitude response of the designed LWDD is found to be of high accuracy with flat response in a wide frequency range. The simulation and statistical results validates that the designed minimum multiplier LWDD circumvents the existing one in terms of minimum absolute magnitude error, mean relative error (dB and efficient structural realization, thereby making the proposed LWDD a promising approach to digital differentiator design.

The neural bases of spatial frequency processing during scene perception

Science.gov (United States)

Kauffmann, Louise; Ramanoël, Stephen; Peyrin, Carole

2014-01-01

Theories on visual perception agree that scenes are processed in terms of spatial frequencies. Low spatial frequencies (LSF) carry coarse information whereas high spatial frequencies (HSF) carry fine details of the scene. However, how and where spatial frequencies are processed within the brain remain unresolved questions. The present review addresses these issues and aims to identify the cerebral regions differentially involved in low and high spatial frequency processing, and to clarify their attributes during scene perception. Results from a number of behavioral and neuroimaging studies suggest that spatial frequency processing is lateralized in both hemispheres, with the right and left hemispheres predominantly involved in the categorization of LSF and HSF scenes, respectively. There is also evidence that spatial frequency processing is retinotopically mapped in the visual cortex. HSF scenes (as opposed to LSF) activate occipital areas in relation to foveal representations, while categorization of LSF scenes (as opposed to HSF) activates occipital areas in relation to more peripheral representations. Concomitantly, a number of studies have demonstrated that LSF information may reach high-order areas rapidly, allowing an initial coarse parsing of the visual scene, which could then be sent back through feedback into the occipito-temporal cortex to guide finer HSF-based analysis. Finally, the review addresses spatial frequency processing within scene-selective regions areas of the occipito-temporal cortex. PMID:24847226

Discrimination Between Inrush and Short Circuit Currents in Differential Protection of Power Transformer Based on Correlation Method Using the Wavelet Transform

OpenAIRE

M. Rasoulpoor; M. Banejad; A. Ahmadyfard

2011-01-01

This paper presents a novel technique for transformer differential protection to prevent incorrect operation due to inrush current. The proposed method in this paper is based on time-frequency transform known as the Wavelet transform. The discrete Wavelet transform is used for analysis the differential current signals in time and frequency domains. The investigation on the energy distribution of the signal on the discrete Wavelet transform components shows the difference distribution between ...

The Differentiation and Promotion of Students' Rights in Portugal

Science.gov (United States)

Veiga, Feliciano; Garcia, Fernando; Neto, Felix; Almeida, Leandro

2009-01-01

This investigation includes a differential study (Study 1) and a quasi-experimental research (Study 2). In Study 1, the objective was to establish to what extent students' rights existed and analyse the differentiation between students' rights with Portuguese and immigrant mothers, throughout school years. The sample consisted of 537 students with…

Income differential of female labor in Southern Brazil: dual approach

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rita de Cassia Garcia Margonato

2014-06-01

Full Text Available This study analyzes the formation and income differential of female labor in Southern Brazil in 2002 and 2009 based on microdata from the National Sample Survey (PNAD.The methodology is to estimate the selection and wages equations using the Heckman's Sample Selection Model (1979. For the measurement of the female income differential in commerce, industry and domestic service, compared to income of women in the service sector it is applied an adaptation of the Oaxaca-Blinder Decomposition (1973 adapted by Jann (2008. It was confirmed the hypothesis that segmentation occurs in the female labor market in Southern Brazil because the income differential cannot be explained only by personal attributes (productive or not and by formal work. There are specificities in the sectors (sector effect determining the income differential of women´s income in the labor market, moreover the sector effect explained 33% of the wage differential observed in industry, also explained 29% in the commerce and 35% of the female income gaps when compared to the service sector, which is considered as in advantage.

Measurement of flaw size in a weld sample by ultrasonic frequency analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Whaley, H.L. Jr.; Adler, L.; Cook, K.V.; McClung, R.W.

1975-05-01

An ultrasonic frequency analysis technique has been developed and applied to the measurement of flaws in an 8-in.-thick heavy-section steel specimen belonging to the Pressure Vessel Research Committee program. Using the technique the flaws occurring in the weld area were characterized in quantitative terms of both dimension and orientation. Several modifications of the technique were made during the study to include the application of several transducers and to consider ultrasonic mode conversion. (U.S.)

Impact of blood sampling in very preterm infants

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Madsen, L P; Rasmussen, M K; Bjerregaard, L L

2000-01-01

; the groups were then subdivided into critically ill or not. Diagnostic blood sampling and blood transfusion events were recorded. In total, 1905 blood samples (5,253 analysis) were performed, corresponding to 0.7 samples (1.9 analysis) per day per infant. The highest frequencies were found during the first....../kg. For the extremely preterm infants a significant correlation between sampled and transfused blood volume was found (mean 37.1 and 33.3 ml/kg, respectively, r = + 0.71, p = 0.0003). The most frequently requested analyses were glucose, sodium and potassium. Few blood gas analyses were requested (1.9/ infant). No blood...... losses attributable to excessive generous sampling were detected. The results show an acceptable low frequency of sampling and transfusion events for infants of GA 28-32 weeks. The study emphasizes the necessity of thorough reflection and monitoring of blood losses when ordering blood sampling...

Time and frequency weightings and the assessment of sound exposure

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ordoñez, Rodrigo Pizarro; de Toro, Miguel Angel Aranda; Hammershøi, Dorte

2010-01-01

Since the development of averaging/integrating sound level meters and frequency weighting networks in the 1950’s, measurement of the physical characteristics of sound has not changed a great deal. Advances have occurred in how the measured values are used (day-night averages, limit and action...... of the exposure. This information is being used to investigate metrics that can differentiate temporal characteristics (impulsive, fluctuating) as well as frequency characteristics (narrow-band or tonal dominance) of sound exposures. This presentation gives an overview of the existing sound measurement...... and analysis methods, that can provide a better representation of the effects of sound exposures on the hearing system...

Properties of barium strontium titanate at millimeter wave frequencies

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Osman, Nurul [Department of Physics, Universiti Putra Malaysia (Malaysia); Free, Charles [Department of Engineering and Design, University of Sussex (United Kingdom)

2015-04-24

The trend towards using higher millimetre-wave frequencies for communication systems has created a need for accurate characterization of materials to be used at these frequencies. Barium Strontium Titanate (BST) is a ferroelectric material whose permittivity is known to change as a function of applied electric field and have found varieties of application in electronic and communication field. In this work, new data on the properties of BST characterize using the free space technique at frequencies between 145 GHz and 155 GHz for both thick film and bulk samples are presented. The measurement data provided useful information on effective permittivity and loss tangent for all the BST samples. Data on the material transmission, reflection properties as well as loss will also be presented. The outcome of the work shows through practical measurement, that BST has a high permittivity with moderate losses and the results also shows that BST has suitable properties to be used as RAM for high frequency application.

Snack frequency: associations with healthy and unhealthy food choices.

Science.gov (United States)

Hartmann, Christina; Siegrist, Michael; van der Horst, Klazine

2013-08-01

We examined associations between snack frequency, sociodemographic characteristics, BMI, dietary and eating behaviour. In order to identify whether various subgroups of high-frequency snack consumers exist, we investigated underlying food patterns and lifestyle factors. The data were based on the Swiss Food Panel Questionnaire of 2010, which included an FFQ, questions relating to sociodemographics and lifestyle factors. Data were examined using ANOVA, regression analysis and hierarchical cluster analysis. Gender differences were also investigated in the analysis of the data. A sample of 6189 adults participating in the Swiss Food Panel filled in a questionnaire (response rate 30%). The sample consisted of both men and women, with a mean age of 54?4 (SD 13?5) years. There was no association between snack frequency and BMI. Consumption frequency of sweets and savouries as well as fruit intake increased with increasing snack frequency. Additionally, three different subgroups of high-frequency snack consumers could be revealed: healthy, moderate and unhealthy dietary-pattern groups. The latter included respondents who were less health-conscious and was characterized by high alcohol consumption frequency, daily breakfast skipping and watching television during the main meal. High snack frequency occurred in the context of healthy as well as unhealthy dietary behaviour and lifestyle patterns. Women made healthier dietary food choices and were more likely to consume fruits as snacks, while men chose unhealthy foods, such as sweets and savouries, more often.

Genetic differentiation and population structure of five ethnic groups of Punjab (North-West India).

Science.gov (United States)

Singh, Gagandeep; Talwar, Indu; Sharma, Rubina; Matharoo, Kawaljit; Bhanwer, A J S

2016-12-01

The state of Punjab in the North-West part of India has acted as the main passage for all the major human invasions into the Indian subcontinent. It has resulted in the mixing of foreign gene pool into the local populations, which led to an extensive range of genetic diversity and has influenced the genetic structure of populations in Punjab, North-West India. The present study was conducted to examine the genetic structure, relationships, and extent of genetic differentiation in five Indo-European speaking ethnic groups of Punjab. A total of 1021 unrelated samples belonging to Banias, Brahmins, Jat Sikhs, Khatris, and Scheduled castes were analyzed for four human-specific Ins/Del polymorphic loci (ACE, APO, PLAT, and D1) and three restriction fragment length polymorphisms ESR (PvuII), LPL (PvuII), and T2 (MspI) using Polymerase chain reaction (PCR). All the loci were found to be polymorphic among the studied populations. The frequency of the Alu insertion at APO locus was observed to exhibit the highest value (82.6-96.3 %), whereas D1 exhibited the lowest (26.5-45.6 %) among all the ethnic groups. The average heterozygosity among the studied populations ranged from 0.3816 in Banias to 0.4163 in Khatris. The F ST values ranged from 0.0418 to 0.0033 for the PLAT and LPL loci, respectively, with an average value being 0.0166. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that Banias and Khatris are genetically closest to each other. The Jat Sikhs are genetically close to Brahmins and are distant from the Banias. The Jat Sikhs, Banias, Brahmins, and Khatris are genetically very distant from the Scheduled castes. Overall, Uniform allele frequency distribution patterns, high average heterozygosity values, and a small degree of genetic differentiation in this study suggest a genetic proximity among the selected populations. A low level of genetic differentiation was observed in the studied population groups indicating that genetic drift might have been small or negligible in shaping

A differential optical interferometer for measuring short pulses of surface acoustic waves.

Science.gov (United States)

Shaw, Anurupa; Teyssieux, Damien; Laude, Vincent

2017-09-01

The measurement of the displacements caused by the propagation of a short pulse of surface acoustic waves on a solid substrate is investigated. A stabilized time-domain differential interferometer is proposed, with the surface acoustic wave (SAW) sample placed outside the interferometer. Experiments are conducted with surface acoustic waves excited by a chirped interdigital transducer on a piezoelectric lithium niobate substrate having an operational bandwidth covering the 200-400MHz frequency range and producing 10-ns pulses with 36nm maximum out-of-plane displacement. The interferometric response is compared with a direct electrical measurement obtained with a receiving wide bandwidth interdigital transducer and good correspondence is observed. The effects of varying the path difference of the interferometer and the measurement position on the surface are discussed. Pulse compression along the chirped interdigital transducer is observed experimentally. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Compilation of a preliminary checklist for the differential diagnosis of neurogenic stuttering

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mariska Lundie

2014-06-01

Objectives: The aim of this study was to describe and highlight the characteristics of NS in order to compile a preliminary checklist for accurate diagnosis and intervention. Method: An explorative, applied mixed method, multiple case study research design was followed. Purposive sampling was used to select four participants. A comprehensive assessment battery was compiled for data collection. Results: The results revealed a distinct pattern of core stuttering behaviours in NS, although discrepancies existed regarding stuttering severity and frequency. It was also found that DS and NS can co-occur. The case history and the core stuttering pattern are important considerations during differential diagnosis, as these are the only consistent characteristics in people with NS. Conclusion: It is unlikely that all the symptoms of NS are present in an individual. The researchers scrutinised the findings of this study and the findings of previous literature to compile a potentially workable checklist.

High-frequency signal and noise estimates of CSR GRACE RL04

Science.gov (United States)

Bonin, Jennifer A.; Bettadpur, Srinivas; Tapley, Byron D.

2012-12-01

A sliding window technique is used to create daily-sampled Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) solutions with the same background processing as the official CSR RL04 monthly series. By estimating over shorter time spans, more frequent solutions are made using uncorrelated data, allowing for higher frequency resolution in addition to daily sampling. Using these data sets, high-frequency GRACE errors are computed using two different techniques: assuming the GRACE high-frequency signal in a quiet area of the ocean is the true error, and computing the variance of differences between multiple high-frequency GRACE series from different centers. While the signal-to-noise ratios prove to be sufficiently high for confidence at annual and lower frequencies, at frequencies above 3 cycles/year the signal-to-noise ratios in the large hydrological basins looked at here are near 1.0. Comparisons with the GLDAS hydrological model and high frequency GRACE series developed at other centers confirm CSR GRACE RL04's poor ability to accurately and reliably measure hydrological signal above 3-9 cycles/year, due to the low power of the large-scale hydrological signal typical at those frequencies compared to the GRACE errors.

Frequency of Psychological Disorders amongst Children in Urban Areas of Tehran

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Narges Joshaghani

2010-06-01

Full Text Available Objective: To evaluate the frequency of different psychiatric disorders among 7 to 12 years old children in urban areas of Tehran. "nMethod: A sample of 799 children (6 to 11 years old were selected from 250 clusters of the entire 22 municipality areas of Tehran using a multistage sampling method from 250 clusters from the entire 22 municipality areas of Tehran. . After responding to a Persian version of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ parent-report form, the Persian version of Kiddie Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia - Present and Lifetime (K-SADS-PL was administered to 241 children and their families. The frequency of child psychological disorders was determined using the results of K-SADS-PL. "n Results:The overall frequency of any psychological disorders in the sample of children was 17.9 percent. Among the interviewed children childrenwho were interviewed, the most prevalent diagnoses were Attention-Deficit/ Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD (8.6 percent8.6%, Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD (7.3 percent7.3%, and separation anxiety disorder (SAD (5.9 percent5.9%. There were not any statistically significant differences between sexes in the frequency of psychological disorders except enuresis that was more frequent in the boys and anorexia nervosa that was observed more frequently in the girls . "nConclusion:Higher frequency of ADHD and ODD and SAD among the studied children warrantswarrants more specific evaluation of frequency and possible causes of these high frequency rates. The frequency of psychological disorders in the studied children was comparable to the that of other studies.

Addictive Potential of Internet Applications and Differential Correlates of Problematic Use in Internet Gamers versus Generalized Internet Users in a Representative Sample of Adolescents.

Science.gov (United States)

Rosenkranz, Tabea; Müller, Kai W; Dreier, Michael; Beutel, Manfred E; Wölfling, Klaus

2017-01-01

This paper examines the addictive potential of 8 different Internet applications, distinguishing male and female users. Moreover, differential correlates of problematic use are investigated in Internet gamers (IG) and generalized Internet users (GIU). In a representative sample of 5,667 adolescents aged 12-19 years, use of Internet applications, problematic Internet use, psychopathologic symptoms (emotional problems, hyperactivity/inattention, and psychosomatic complaints), personality (conscientiousness and extraversion), psychosocial correlates (perceived stress and self-efficacy), and coping strategies were assessed. The addictive potential of Internet applications was examined in boys and girls using regression analysis. MANOVAs were conducted to examine differential correlates of problematic Internet use between IG and GIU. Chatting and social networking most strongly predicted problematic Internet use in girls, while gaming was the strongest predictor in boys. Problematic IG exhibited multiple psychosocial problems compared to non-problematic IG. In problematic Internet users, GIU reported even higher psychosocial burden and displayed dysfunctional coping strategies more frequently than gamers. The results extend previous findings on the addictive potential of Internet applications and validate the proposed distinction between specific and generalized problematic Internet use. In addition to Internet gaming disorder, future studies should also focus on other highly addictive Internet applications, that is, chatting or social networking, regarding differential correlates of problematic use. © 2017 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Allele frequency analysis of Chinese chestnut ( Castanea mollissima ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The aim of this study was to establish a method for allele frequency detection in bulk samples. The abundance of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) products in bulk leaf samples was detected using fluorescent labeled Simple sequence repeat (SSR) primers and an Applied biosystems (AB) automatic DNA analyzer.

Frequency-domain method for separating signal and noise

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

无

2000-01-01

A new method for separation of signal and noise (SSN) is put forward. Frequency is redefined according to the features of signal and its derivative in the sampl ing time interval, thus double orthogonal basis (DOB) is constructed so that a signal can be precisely signified with a linear combination of low-frequency DOB . Under joint consideration in time domain (TD) and frequency domain (FD), a method on SSN with high accuracy is derived and a matched algorithm is designed and analyzed. This method is applicable to SSN in multiple frequency bands, and convenient in applying signal characteristics in TD and FD synthetically with highe raccuracy.

Frequency-domain method for separating signal and noise

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

王正明; 段晓君

2000-01-01

A new method for separation of signal and noise (SSN) is put forward. Frequency is redefined according to the features of signal and its derivative in the sampling time interval, thus double orthogonal basis (DOB) is constructed so that a signal can be precisely signified with a linear combination of low-frequency DOB. Under joint consideration in time domain (TD) and frequency domain (FD), a method on SSN with high accuracy is derived and a matched algorithm is designed and analyzed. This method is applicable to SSN in multiple frequency bands, and convenient in applying signal characteristics in TD and FD synthetically with higher accuracy.

Nonlinear Dynamics of Cantilever-Sample Interactions in Atomic Force Microscopy

Science.gov (United States)

Cantrell, John H.; Cantrell, Sean A.

2010-01-01

The interaction of the cantilever tip of an atomic force microscope (AFM) with the sample surface is obtained by treating the cantilever and sample as independent systems coupled by a nonlinear force acting between the cantilever tip and a volume element of the sample surface. The volume element is subjected to a restoring force from the remainder of the sample that provides dynamical equilibrium for the combined systems. The model accounts for the positions on the cantilever of the cantilever tip, laser probe, and excitation force (if any) via a basis set of set of orthogonal functions that may be generalized to account for arbitrary cantilever shapes. The basis set is extended to include nonlinear cantilever modes. The model leads to a pair of coupled nonlinear differential equations that are solved analytically using a matrix iteration procedure. The effects of oscillatory excitation forces applied either to the cantilever or to the sample surface (or to both) are obtained from the solution set and applied to the to the assessment of phase and amplitude signals generated by various acoustic-atomic force microscope (A-AFM) modalities. The influence of bistable cantilever modes of on AFM signal generation is discussed. The effects on the cantilever-sample surface dynamics of subsurface features embedded in the sample that are perturbed by surface-generated oscillatory excitation forces and carried to the cantilever via wave propagation are accounted by the Bolef-Miller propagating wave model. Expressions pertaining to signal generation and image contrast in A-AFM are obtained and applied to amplitude modulation (intermittent contact) atomic force microscopy and resonant difference-frequency atomic force ultrasonic microscopy (RDF-AFUM). The influence of phase accumulation in A-AFM on image contrast is discussed, as is the effect of hard contact and maximum nonlinearity regimes of A-AFM operation.

Evaluating Frequency Quality of Nordic System using PMU data

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Xu, Zhao; Østergaard, Jacob; Togeby, Mikael

2008-01-01

This paper focuses on analysing frequency quality of Nordic power system using measurements from Phasor Measurement Units (PMU). The PMU data of one year long period is used which has very high time resolution (20 ms per sample) and is able to provide detailed information in evaluating frequency...

Modal effects on amplitude perturbations on subionospheric signals (trimpis) deduced from two-frequency measurements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dowden, R.L.; Adams, C.D.D.

1989-01-01

Interference between the first two modes of Earth-ionosphere waveguide propagation at the high end of the VLF band (> 18 kHz) increases with distance from the transmitter out to very large distances and can add amplitude perturbations to the phase perturbations (trimpis) produced by lightning-induced electron precipitation (LEP) on the great circle path. Since the two modes have slightly different phase velocities, an interference pattern or standing wave is formed which is shifted slightly along the propagation path by the LEP-induced change in differential phase velocity. The model effect at the receiver depends on the local gradient (along the great circle path) of amplitude with respect to the differential phase. Since this differential or mode beat phase varies with frequency, measurement of the resultant amplitude at two close frequencies enables an estimation of the modal effects. In this study, measurements were made at Dunedin at the two MSK frequencies, 22,250 Hz and 22,350 Hz, of the transmitter NWC, during a night of frequent one-dimensional trimpis (i.e., those produced by large-area LEP occurring close to the great circle path) and of strong and varying modal interference. Modal generation or modification of trimpi amplitude was related to the local gradient of amplitude as expected. From these results it was deduced that modal modification of echo trimpis (those produced by small area LEP occurring well off the great circle path), even under extreme conditions, is insignificant

Low-frequency vibration treatment of bone marrow stromal cells induces bone repair in vivo

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shengwei He

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Objective(s:To study the effect of low-frequency vibration on bone marrow stromal cell differentiation and potential bone repair in vivo. Materials and Methods:Forty New Zealand rabbits were randomly divided into five groups with eight rabbits in each group. For each group, bone defects were generated in the left humerus of four rabbits, and in the right humerus of the other four rabbits. To test differentiation, bones were isolated and demineralized, supplemented with bone marrow stromal cells, and implanted into humerus bone defects. Varying frequencies of vibration (0, 12.5, 25, 50, and 100 Hz were applied to each group for 30 min each day for four weeks. When the bone defects integrated, they were then removed for histological examination. mRNA transcript levels of runt-related transcription factor 2, osteoprotegerin, receptor activator of nuclear factor k-B ligan, and pre-collagen type 1 a were measured. Results:Humeri implanted with bone marrow stromal cells displayed elevated callus levels and wider, more prevalent, and denser trabeculae following treatment at 25 and 50 Hz. The mRNA levels of runt-related transcription factor 2, osteoprotegerin, receptor activator of nuclear factor k-B ligand, and pre-collagen type 1 a were also markedly higher following 25 and 50 Hz treatment. Conclusion:Low frequency (25–50 Hz vibration in vivo can promote bone marrow stromal cell differentiation and repair bone injury.

On the performance of joint iterative detection and decoding in coherent optical channels with laser frequency fluctuations

Science.gov (United States)

Castrillón, Mario A.; Morero, Damián A.; Agazzi, Oscar E.; Hueda, Mario R.

2015-08-01

The joint iterative detection and decoding (JIDD) technique has been proposed by Barbieri et al. (2007) with the objective of compensating the time-varying phase noise and constant frequency offset experienced in satellite communication systems. The application of JIDD to optical coherent receivers in the presence of laser frequency fluctuations has not been reported in prior literature. Laser frequency fluctuations are caused by mechanical vibrations, power supply noise, and other mechanisms. They significantly degrade the performance of the carrier phase estimator in high-speed intradyne coherent optical receivers. This work investigates the performance of the JIDD algorithm in multi-gigabit optical coherent receivers. We present simulation results of bit error rate (BER) for non-differential polarization division multiplexing (PDM)-16QAM modulation in a 200 Gb/s coherent optical system that includes an LDPC code with 20% overhead and net coding gain of 11.3 dB at BER = 10-15. Our study shows that JIDD with a pilot rate ⩽ 5 % compensates for both laser phase noise and laser frequency fluctuation. Furthermore, since JIDD is used with non-differential modulation formats, we find that gains in excess of 1 dB can be achieved over existing solutions based on an explicit carrier phase estimator with differential modulation. The impact of the fiber nonlinearities in dense wavelength division multiplexing (DWDM) systems is also investigated. Our results demonstrate that JIDD is an excellent candidate for application in next generation high-speed optical coherent receivers.

Cosmological constraints on the very low frequency gravitational-wave background

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Seto, Naoki; Cooray, Asantha

2006-01-01

The curl modes of cosmic microwave background polarization allow one to indirectly constrain the primordial background of gravitational waves with frequencies around 10 -18 to 10 -16 Hz. The proposed high precision timing observations of a large sample of millisecond pulsars with the pulsar timing array or with the square kilometer array can either detect or constrain the stochastic gravitational-wave background at frequencies greater than roughly 0.1 yr -1 . While existing techniques are limited to either observe or constrain the gravitational-wave background across six or more orders of magnitude between 10 -16 and 10 -10 Hz, we suggest that the anisotropy pattern of time variation of the redshift related to a sample of high-redshift objects can be used to study the background around a frequency of 10 -12 Hz. Useful observations to detect an anisotropy signal in the global redshift change include spectroscopic observations of the Ly-α forest in absorption towards a sample of quasars, redshifted 21 cm line observations either in absorption or emission towards a sample of neutral HI regions before or during reionization, and high-frequency (0.1 to 1 Hz) gravitational-wave analysis of a sample of neutron star-neutron star binaries detected with gravitational-wave instruments such as the Decihertz Interferometer Gravitational Wave Observatory (DECIGO). For reasonable observations expected in the future involving extragalactic sources, we find limits at the level of Ω GW -6 at a frequency around 10 -12 Hz while the ultimate limit is likely to be around Ω GW -11 . On the other hand, if there is a background of gravitational waves at 10 -12 Hz with an amplitude larger than this limit, its presence will be visible as a measurable anisotropy in the time-evolving redshift of extragalactic sources

Sparse Frequency Waveform Design for Radar-Embedded Communication

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chaoyun Mai

2016-01-01

Full Text Available According to the Tag application with function of covert communication, a method for sparse frequency waveform design based on radar-embedded communication is proposed. Firstly, sparse frequency waveforms are designed based on power spectral density fitting and quasi-Newton method. Secondly, the eigenvalue decomposition of the sparse frequency waveform sequence is used to get the dominant space. Finally the communication waveforms are designed through the projection of orthogonal pseudorandom vectors in the vertical subspace. Compared with the linear frequency modulation waveform, the sparse frequency waveform can further improve the bandwidth occupation of communication signals, thus achieving higher communication rate. A certain correlation exists between the reciprocally orthogonal communication signals samples and the sparse frequency waveform, which guarantees the low SER (signal error rate and LPI (low probability of intercept. The simulation results verify the effectiveness of this method.

Optoelectronic time-domain characterization of a 100 GHz sampling oscilloscope

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Füser, H; Baaske, K; Kuhlmann, K; Judaschke, R; Pierz, K; Bieler, M; Eichstädt, S; Elster, C

2012-01-01

We have carried out an optoelectronic measurement of the impulse response of an ultrafast sampling oscilloscope with a nominal bandwidth of 100 GHz within a time window of approximately 100 ps. Our experimental technique also considers frequency components above the cut-off frequency of higher order modes of the 1.0 mm coaxial line, which is shown to be important for the specification of the impulse response of ultrafast sampling oscilloscopes. Additionally, we have measured the reflection coefficient of the sampling head induced by the mismatch of the sampling circuit and the coaxial connector which is larger than 0.5 for certain frequencies. The uncertainty analysis has been performed using the Monte Carlo method of Supplement 1 to the 'Guide to the Expression of Uncertainty in Measurement' and correlations in the estimated impulse response have been determined. Our measurements extend previous work which deals with the characterization of 70 GHz oscilloscopes and the measurement of 100 GHz oscilloscopes up to the cut-off frequency of higher order modes

Sensitivity of Mantel Haenszel Model and Rasch Model as Viewed From Sample Size

OpenAIRE

ALWI, IDRUS

2011-01-01

The aims of this research is to study the sensitivity comparison of Mantel Haenszel and Rasch Model for detection differential item functioning, observed from the sample size. These two differential item functioning (DIF) methods were compared using simulate binary item respon data sets of varying sample size,  200 and 400 examinees were used in the analyses, a detection method of differential item functioning (DIF) based on gender difference. These test conditions were replication 4 tim...

Differential gene expression profiling of human adipose stem cells differentiating into smooth muscle-like cells by TGFβ1/BMP4

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Elçin, Ayşe Eser; Parmaksiz, Mahmut; Dogan, Arin; Seker, Sukran; Durkut, Serap; Dalva, Klara; Elçin, Yaşar Murat, E-mail: elcinmurat@gmail.com

2017-03-15

Regenerative repair of the vascular system is challenging from the perspectives of translational medicine and tissue engineering. There are fundamental hurdles in front of creating bioartificial arteries, which involve recaputilation of the three-layered structure under laboratory settings. Obtaining and maintaining smooth muscle characteristics is an important limitation, as the transdifferentiated cells fail to display mature phenotype. This study aims to shed light on the smooth muscle differentiation of human adipose stem cells (hASCs). To this end, we first acquired hASCs from lipoaspirate samples. Upon characterization, the cells were induced to differentiate into smooth muscle (SM)-like cells using a variety of inducer combinations. Among all, TGFβ1/BMP4 combination had the highest differentiation efficiency, based on immunohistochemical analyses. hSM-like cell samples were compared to hASCs and to the positive control, human coronary artery-smooth muscle cells (hCA-SMCs) through gene transcription profiling. Microarray findings revealed the activation of gene groups that function in smooth muscle differentiation, signaling pathways, extracellular modeling and cell proliferation. Our results underline the effectiveness of the growth factors and suggest some potential variables for detecting the SM-like cell characteristics. Evidence in transcriptome level was used to evaluate the TGFβ1/BMP4 combination as a previously unexplored effector for the smooth muscle differentiation of adipose stem cells. - Highlights: • Human adipose stem cells (hASCs) were isolated, characterized and cultured. • Growth factor combinations were evaluated for their effectiveness in differentiation using IHC. • hASCs were differentiated into smooth muscle (SM)-like cells using TGF-β1 and BMP4 combination. • Microarray analysis was performed for hASCs, SM-like cells and coronary artery-SMCs. • Microarray data was used to perform hierarchical clustering and interpretation

Low dose reconstruction algorithm for differential phase contrast imaging.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Zhentian; Huang, Zhifeng; Zhang, Li; Chen, Zhiqiang; Kang, Kejun; Yin, Hongxia; Wang, Zhenchang; Marco, Stampanoni

2011-01-01

Differential phase contrast imaging computed tomography (DPCI-CT) is a novel x-ray inspection method to reconstruct the distribution of refraction index rather than the attenuation coefficient in weakly absorbing samples. In this paper, we propose an iterative reconstruction algorithm for DPCI-CT which benefits from the new compressed sensing theory. We first realize a differential algebraic reconstruction technique (DART) by discretizing the projection process of the differential phase contrast imaging into a linear partial derivative matrix. In this way the compressed sensing reconstruction problem of DPCI reconstruction can be transformed to a resolved problem in the transmission imaging CT. Our algorithm has the potential to reconstruct the refraction index distribution of the sample from highly undersampled projection data. Thus it can significantly reduce the dose and inspection time. The proposed algorithm has been validated by numerical simulations and actual experiments.

Frequency dependence of p-mode frequency shifts induced by magnetic activity in Kepler solar-like stars

Science.gov (United States)

Salabert, D.; Régulo, C.; Pérez Hernández, F.; García, R. A.

2018-04-01

The variations of the frequencies of the low-degree acoustic oscillations in the Sun induced by magnetic activity show a dependence on radial order. The frequency shifts are observed to increase towards higher-order modes to reach a maximum of about 0.8 μHz over the 11-yr solar cycle. A comparable frequency dependence is also measured in two other main sequence solar-like stars, the F-star HD 49933, and the young 1 Gyr-old solar analog KIC 10644253, although with different amplitudes of the shifts of about 2 μHz and 0.5 μHz, respectively. Our objective here is to extend this analysis to stars with different masses, metallicities, and evolutionary stages. From an initial set of 87 Kepler solar-like oscillating stars with known individual p-mode frequencies, we identify five stars showing frequency shifts that can be considered reliable using selection criteria based on Monte Carlo simulations and on the photospheric magnetic activity proxy Sph. The frequency dependence of the frequency shifts of four of these stars could be measured for the l = 0 and l = 1 modes individually. Given the quality of the data, the results could indicate that a physical source of perturbation different from that in the Sun is dominating in this sample of solar-like stars.

Compressive sampling of polynomial chaos expansions: Convergence analysis and sampling strategies