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Sample records for acm sigmod international

  1. Repeatability & Workability Evaluation of SIGMOD 2009

    KAUST Repository

    Manegold, Stefan

    2010-12-15

    SIGMOD 2008 was the first database conference that offered to test submitters\\' programs against their data to verify the repeatability of the experiments published [1]. Given the positive feedback concerning the SIGMOD 2008 repeatability initiative, SIGMOD 2009 modified and expanded the initiative with a workability assessment.

  2. Repeatability & Workability Evaluation of SIGMOD 2009

    KAUST Repository

    Manegold, Stefan; Manolescu, Ioana; Afanasiev, Loredana; Feng, Jieling; Gou, G.; Hadjieleftheriou, Marios; Harizopoulos, Stavros; Kalnis, Panos; Karanasos, Konstantinos; Laurent, Dominique; Lupu, M.; Onose, N.; Ré , C.; Sans, Virginie; Senellart, Pierre; Wu, T.; Shasha, Dennis E.

    2010-01-01

    SIGMOD 2008 was the first database conference that offered to test submitters' programs against their data to verify the repeatability of the experiments published [1]. Given the positive feedback concerning the SIGMOD 2008 repeatability initiative, SIGMOD 2009 modified and expanded the initiative with a workability assessment.

  3. Proceedings of the 2nd ACM SIGSPATIAL International Workshop on Indoor Spatial Awareness

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    These proceedings contain the papers selected for presentation at the Second International Workshop on Indoor Spatial Awareness, hosted by ACM SIGSPATIAL and held in conjunction with the18th ACM SIGSPATIAL International Conference on Advances in Geographic Information Systems (ACM SIGSPATIAL GIS...

  4. Repeatability and Workability Evaluation of SIGMOD 2011

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    2011-01-01

    SIGMOD has offered, since 2008, to verify the experiments published in the papers accepted at the conference. This year, we have been in charge of reproducing the experiments provided by the authors (repeatability), and exploring changes to experiment parameters (workability). In this paper, we a...... find that most experiments are distributed as Linux packages accompanied by instructions on how to setup and run the experiments. We are still far from the vision of executable papers...

  5. Semantic intrusion detection with multisensor data fusion using ...

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    spatiotemporal relations to form complex events which model the intrusion patterns. ... Wireless sensor networks; complex event processing; event stream; ...... of the 2006 ACM SIGMOD International Conference on Management of Data, 407– ...

  6. Proceedings of the 2014 ACM international conference on Interactive experiences for TV and online video

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    P. Olivier (Patrick); P. Wright; T. Bartindale; M. Obrist (Marianna); P.S. Cesar Garcia (Pablo Santiago); S. Basapur

    2014-01-01

    htmlabstractIt is our great pleasure to introduce the 2014 ACM International Conference on Interactive Experiences for Television and Online Video -- ACM TVX 2014. ACM TVX is a leading annual conference that brings together international researchers and practitioners from a wide range of

  7. VANET '13: Proceeding of the Tenth ACM International Workshop on Vehicular Inter-networking, Systems, and Applications

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Gozalvez, J.; Kargl, Frank; Mittag, J.; Kravets, R.; Tsai, M.; Unknown, [Unknown

    This year marks a very important date for the ACM international workshop on Vehicular inter-networking, systems, and applications as ACM VANET celebrates now its 10th edition. Starting in 2004 as "ACM international workshop on Vehicular ad hoc networks" already the change in title indicates that

  8. From Intra-transaction to Generalized Inter-transaction: Landscaping Multidimensional Contexts in Association Rule Mining

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Li, Q; Feng, L.; Wong, A.K.Y.

    The problem of mining multidimensional inter-transactional association rules was recently introduced in [ACM Trans. Inform. Syst. 18(4) (2000) 423; Proc. of the ACM SIGMOD Workshop on Research Issues on Data Mining and Knowledge Discovery, Seattle, Washington, June 1998, p. 12:1]. It extends the

  9. Proceedings of the 16th ACM SIGPLAN international conference on Functional programming

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Danvy, Olivier

    Welcome to the 16th ACM SIGPLAN International Conference on Functional Programming -- ICFP'11. The picture, on the front cover, is of Mount Fuji, seen from the 20th floor of the National Institute of Informatics (NII). It was taken by Sebastian Fischer in January 2011. In Japanese, the characters...

  10. THE BERKELEY DATA ANALYSIS SYSTEM (BDAS): AN OPEN SOURCE PLATFORM FOR BIG DATA ANALYTICS

    Science.gov (United States)

    2017-09-01

    duplication and overlap, as well as variations in schemas, quality, and provenance. • Diversity of queries and users: The factors outlined above mean...Reliable Approximate Query Processing Systems. ACM SIGMOD, 2014. [30] Jiannan Wang, Sanjay Krishnan, Michael Franklin, Ken Goldberg , Tim Kraska, Tova... Goldberg . A Methodology for Learning, Analyzing, and Mitigating Social Influence Bias in Recommender Systems. ACM Conference on Recommender Systems

  11. The Cronus Distributed DBMS (Database Management System) Project

    Science.gov (United States)

    1989-10-01

    projects, e.g., HiPAC [Dayal 88] and Postgres [Stonebraker 86]. Although we expect to use these techniques, they have been developed for centralized...Computing Systems, June 1989. (To appear). [Stonebraker 86] Stonebraker, M. and Rowe, L. A., "The Design of POSTGRES ," Proceedings ACM SIGMOD Annual

  12. A Mediator Architecture for Abstract Data Access

    Science.gov (United States)

    1990-02-23

    Almost- Hierarchical Descriptions, Artificial Intelligence 14, 1980, pp.1 -3 9 . [201 M.Stonebraker: The Design of POSTGRES , Proc. ACM SIGMOD Conf...Trans. on Office Information Systems, Vol.5, No.1, January 1987, pp. 48 - 69. [5] Stonebraker, M., Rowe, L., "The Design of POSTGRES ," Proceedings of

  13. ACME-III and ACME-IV Final Campaign Reports

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Biraud, S. C. [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)

    2016-01-01

    The goals of the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Climate Research Facility’s third and fourth Airborne Carbon Measurements (ACME) field campaigns, ACME-III and ACME-IV, are: 1) to measure and model the exchange of CO2, water vapor, and other greenhouse gases by the natural, agricultural, and industrial ecosystems of the Southern Great Plains (SGP) region; 2) to develop quantitative approaches to relate these local fluxes to the concentration of greenhouse gases measured at the Central Facility tower and in the atmospheric column above the ARM SGP Central Facility, 3) to develop and test bottom-up measurement and modeling approaches to estimate regional scale carbon balances, and 4) to develop and test inverse modeling approaches to estimate regional scale carbon balance and anthropogenic sources over continental regions. Regular soundings of the atmosphere from near the surface into the mid-troposphere are essential for this research.

  14. Highlights from ACM SIGSPATIAL GIS 2011: the 19th ACM SIGSPATIAL International Conference on Advances in Geographic Information Systems: (Chicago, Illinois - November 1 - 4, 2011)

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jensen, Christian S.; Ofek, Eyal; Tanin, Egemen

    2012-01-01

    ACM SIGSPATIAL GIS 2011 was the 19th gathering of the premier event on spatial information and Geographic Information Systems (GIS). It is also the fourth year that the conference was held under the auspices of ACM's most recent special interest group, SIGSPATIAL. Since its start in 1993, the con...

  15. Foreword

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Chrysanthis, P. K.; Jensen, Christian Søndergaard; Kumar, V.

    2006-01-01

    it is our great pleasure to welcome you all to the Fifth ACM International Workshop on Data Engineering for Wireless and Mobile Access (MobiDE 2006), which is held in conjunction with ACM SIGMOD/PODS 2006. This workshop brings together researchers in databases, networking, and mobile computing...... of very high quality, making the selection process quite competitive. All submissions were reviewed by at least 3 members of the Program Committee. This was followed by a discussion phase, where the reviewers of each submission had the opportunity to discuss the submission and its reviews. As a result, 10...... in the program. This talk probes into the consumer side of the mobile environment.The program reflects the depth and breadth of the field, with sessions covering important aspects of mobility, location-based processing, and the introduction of sensor technology into the real world. Thus, these proceedings...

  16. ACM CCS 2013-2015 Student Travel Support

    Science.gov (United States)

    2016-10-29

    ACM CCS 2013-2015 Student Travel Support Under the ARO funded effort titled “ACM CCS 2013-2015 Student Travel Support,” from 2013 to 2015, George...Computer and Communications Security (ACM CCS ). The views, opinions and/or findings contained in this report are those of the author(s) and should not...AGENCY NAME(S) AND ADDRESS (ES) U.S. Army Research Office P.O. Box 12211 Research Triangle Park, NC 27709-2211 travel grant, acm ccs REPORT

  17. ACM Bundles on Del Pezzo surfaces

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Joan Pons-Llopis

    2009-11-01

    Full Text Available ACM rank 1 bundles on del Pezzo surfaces are classified in terms of the rational normal curves that they contain. A complete list of ACM line bundles is provided. Moreover, for any del Pezzo surface X of degree less or equal than six and for any n ≥ 2 we construct a family of dimension ≥ n − 1 of non-isomorphic simple ACM bundles of rank n on X.

  18. Porcine bladder acellular matrix (ACM): protein expression, mechanical properties

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Farhat, Walid A; Chen Jun; Haig, Jennifer; Antoon, Roula; Litman, Jessica; Yeger, Herman; Sherman, Christopher; Derwin, Kathleen

    2008-01-01

    Experimentally, porcine bladder acellular matrix (ACM) that mimics extracellular matrix has excellent potential as a bladder substitute. Herein we investigated the spatial localization and expression of different key cellular and extracellular proteins in the ACM; furthermore, we evaluated the inherent mechanical properties of the resultant ACM prior to implantation. Using a proprietary decellularization method, the DNA contents in both ACM and normal bladder were measured; in addition we used immunohistochemistry and western blots to quantify and localize the different cellular and extracellular components, and finally the mechanical testing was performed using a uniaxial mechanical testing machine. The mean DNA content in the ACM was significantly lower in the ACM compared to the bladder. Furthermore, the immunohistochemical and western blot analyses showed that collagen I and IV were preserved in the ACM, but possibly denatured collagen III in the ACM. Furthermore, elastin, laminin and fibronectin were mildly reduced in the ACM. Although the ACM did not exhibit nucleated cells, residual cellular components (actin, myosin, vimentin and others) were still present. There was, on the other hand, no significant difference in the mean stiffness between the ACM and the bladder. Although our decellularization method is effective in removing nuclear material from the bladder while maintaining its inherent mechanical properties, further work is mandatory to determine whether these residual DNA and cellular remnants would lead to any immune reaction, or if the mechanical properties of the ACM are preserved upon implantation and cellularization

  19. Porcine bladder acellular matrix (ACM): protein expression, mechanical properties.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Farhat, Walid A; Chen, Jun; Haig, Jennifer; Antoon, Roula; Litman, Jessica; Sherman, Christopher; Derwin, Kathleen; Yeger, Herman

    2008-06-01

    Experimentally, porcine bladder acellular matrix (ACM) that mimics extracellular matrix has excellent potential as a bladder substitute. Herein we investigated the spatial localization and expression of different key cellular and extracellular proteins in the ACM; furthermore, we evaluated the inherent mechanical properties of the resultant ACM prior to implantation. Using a proprietary decellularization method, the DNA contents in both ACM and normal bladder were measured; in addition we used immunohistochemistry and western blots to quantify and localize the different cellular and extracellular components, and finally the mechanical testing was performed using a uniaxial mechanical testing machine. The mean DNA content in the ACM was significantly lower in the ACM compared to the bladder. Furthermore, the immunohistochemical and western blot analyses showed that collagen I and IV were preserved in the ACM, but possibly denatured collagen III in the ACM. Furthermore, elastin, laminin and fibronectin were mildly reduced in the ACM. Although the ACM did not exhibit nucleated cells, residual cellular components (actin, myosin, vimentin and others) were still present. There was, on the other hand, no significant difference in the mean stiffness between the ACM and the bladder. Although our decellularization method is effective in removing nuclear material from the bladder while maintaining its inherent mechanical properties, further work is mandatory to determine whether these residual DNA and cellular remnants would lead to any immune reaction, or if the mechanical properties of the ACM are preserved upon implantation and cellularization.

  20. Porcine bladder acellular matrix (ACM): protein expression, mechanical properties

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Farhat, Walid A [Department of Surgery, Division of Urology, University of Toronto and Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON M5G 1X8 (Canada); Chen Jun; Haig, Jennifer; Antoon, Roula; Litman, Jessica; Yeger, Herman [Department of Developmental and Stem Cell Biology, Research Institute, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON M5G 1X8 (Canada); Sherman, Christopher [Department of Anatomic Pathology, Sunnybrook and Women' s College Health Sciences Centre, Toronto, ON (Canada); Derwin, Kathleen [Department of Biomedical Engineering, Lerner Research Institute and Orthopaedic Research Center, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, OH (United States)], E-mail: walid.farhat@sickkids.ca

    2008-06-01

    Experimentally, porcine bladder acellular matrix (ACM) that mimics extracellular matrix has excellent potential as a bladder substitute. Herein we investigated the spatial localization and expression of different key cellular and extracellular proteins in the ACM; furthermore, we evaluated the inherent mechanical properties of the resultant ACM prior to implantation. Using a proprietary decellularization method, the DNA contents in both ACM and normal bladder were measured; in addition we used immunohistochemistry and western blots to quantify and localize the different cellular and extracellular components, and finally the mechanical testing was performed using a uniaxial mechanical testing machine. The mean DNA content in the ACM was significantly lower in the ACM compared to the bladder. Furthermore, the immunohistochemical and western blot analyses showed that collagen I and IV were preserved in the ACM, but possibly denatured collagen III in the ACM. Furthermore, elastin, laminin and fibronectin were mildly reduced in the ACM. Although the ACM did not exhibit nucleated cells, residual cellular components (actin, myosin, vimentin and others) were still present. There was, on the other hand, no significant difference in the mean stiffness between the ACM and the bladder. Although our decellularization method is effective in removing nuclear material from the bladder while maintaining its inherent mechanical properties, further work is mandatory to determine whether these residual DNA and cellular remnants would lead to any immune reaction, or if the mechanical properties of the ACM are preserved upon implantation and cellularization.

  1. AcmD, a homolog of the major autolysin AcmA of Lactococcus lactis, binds to the cell wall and contributes to cell separation and autolysis

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Visweswaran, Ganesh Ram R; Steen, Anton; Leenhouts, Kees; Szeliga, Monika; Ruban, Beata; Hesseling-Meinders, Anne; Dijkstra, Bauke W; Kuipers, Oscar P; Kok, Jan; Buist, Girbe

    2013-01-01

    Lactococcus lactis expresses the homologous glucosaminidases AcmB, AcmC, AcmA and AcmD. The latter two have three C-terminal LysM repeats for peptidoglycan binding. AcmD has much shorter intervening sequences separating the LysM repeats and a lower iso-electric point (4.3) than AcmA (10.3). Under

  2. Quark ACM with topologically generated gluon mass

    Science.gov (United States)

    Choudhury, Ishita Dutta; Lahiri, Amitabha

    2016-03-01

    We investigate the effect of a small, gauge-invariant mass of the gluon on the anomalous chromomagnetic moment (ACM) of quarks by perturbative calculations at one-loop level. The mass of the gluon is taken to have been generated via a topological mass generation mechanism, in which the gluon acquires a mass through its interaction with an antisymmetric tensor field Bμν. For a small gluon mass ( ACM at momentum transfer q2 = -M Z2. We compare those with the ACM calculated for the gluon mass arising from a Proca mass term. We find that the ACM of up, down, strange and charm quarks vary significantly with the gluon mass, while the ACM of top and bottom quarks show negligible gluon mass dependence. The mechanism of gluon mass generation is most important for the strange quarks ACM, but not so much for the other quarks. We also show the results at q2 = -m t2. We find that the dependence on gluon mass at q2 = -m t2 is much less than at q2 = -M Z2 for all quarks.

  3. Porosity of porcine bladder acellular matrix: impact of ACM thickness.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Farhat, Walid; Chen, Jun; Erdeljan, Petar; Shemtov, Oren; Courtman, David; Khoury, Antoine; Yeger, Herman

    2003-12-01

    The objectives of this study are to examine the porosity of bladder acellular matrix (ACM) using deionized (DI) water as the model fluid and dextran as the indicator macromolecule, and to correlate the porosity to the ACM thickness. Porcine urinary bladders from pigs weighing 20-50 kg were sequentially extracted in detergent containing solutions, and to modify the ACM thickness, stretched bladders were acellularized in the same manner. Luminal and abluminal ACM specimens were subjected to fixed static DI water pressure (10 cm); and water passing through the specimens was collected at specific time interval. While for the macromolecule porosity testing, the diffusion rate and direction of 10,000 MW fluoroescein-labeled dextrans across the ACM specimens mounted in Ussing's chambers were measured. Both experiments were repeated on the thin stretched ACM. In both ACM types, the fluid porosity in both directions did not decrease with increased test duration (3 h); in addition, the abluminal surface was more porous to fluid than the luminal surface. On the other hand, when comparing thin to thick ACM, the porosity in either direction was higher in the thick ACM. Macromolecule porosity, as measured by absorbance, was higher for the abluminal thick ACM than the luminal side, but this characteristic was reversed in the thin ACM. Comparing thin to thick ACM, the luminal side in the thin ACM was more porous to dextran than in the thick ACM, but this characteristic was reversed for the abluminal side. The porcine bladder ACM possesses directional porosity and acellularizing stretched urinary bladders may increase structural density and alter fluid and macromolecule porosity. Copyright 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res 67A: 970-974, 2003

  4. Distribution of the ACME-arcA gene among meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus haemolyticus and identification of a novel ccr allotype in ACME-arcA-positive isolates.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pi, Borui; Yu, Meihong; Chen, Yagang; Yu, Yunsong; Li, Lanjuan

    2009-06-01

    The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence and characteristics of ACME (arginine catabolic mobile element)-arcA-positive isolates among meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus haemolyticus (MRSH). ACME-arcA, native arcA and SCCmec elements were detected by PCR. Susceptibilities to 10 antimicrobial agents were compared between ACME-arcA-positive and -negative isolates by chi-square test. PFGE was used to investigate the clonal relatedness of ACME-arcA-positive isolates. The phylogenetic relationships of ACME-arcA and native arcA were analysed using the neighbour-joining methods of mega software. A total of 42 (47.7 %) of 88 isolates distributed in 13 PFGE types were positive for the ACME-arcA gene. There were no significant differences in antimicrobial susceptibility between ACME-arcA-positive and -negative isolates. A novel ccr allotype (ccrAB(SHP)) was identified in ACME-arcA-positive isolates. Among 42 ACME-arcA-positive isolates: 8 isolates harboured SCCmec V, 8 isolates harboured class C1 mec complex and ccrAB(SHP); 22 isolates harbouring class C1 mec complex and 4 isolates harbouring class C2 mec complex were negative for all known ccr allotypes. The ACME-arcA-positive isolates were first found in MRSH with high prevalence and clonal diversity, which suggests a mobility of ACME within MRSH. The results from this study revealed that MRSH is likely to be one of the potential reservoirs of ACME for Staphylococcus aureus.

  5. Searching Spontaneous Conversational Speech. Proceedings of ACM SIGIR Workshop (SSCS2008)

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Köhler, J.; Larson, M; de Jong, Franciska M.G.; Ordelman, Roeland J.F.; Kraaij, W.

    2008-01-01

    The second workshop on Searching Spontaneous Conversational Speech (SSCS 2008) was held in Singapore on July 24, 2008 in conjunction with the 31st Annual International ACM SIGIR Conference. The goal of the workshop was to bring the speech community and the information retrieval community together.

  6. Additive Construction with Mobile Emplacement (ACME)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vickers, John

    2015-01-01

    The Additive Construction with Mobile Emplacement (ACME) project is developing technology to build structures on planetary surfaces using in-situ resources. The project focuses on the construction of both 2D (landing pads, roads, and structure foundations) and 3D (habitats, garages, radiation shelters, and other structures) infrastructure needs for planetary surface missions. The ACME project seeks to raise the Technology Readiness Level (TRL) of two components needed for planetary surface habitation and exploration: 3D additive construction (e.g., contour crafting), and excavation and handling technologies (to effectively and continuously produce in-situ feedstock). Additionally, the ACME project supports the research and development of new materials for planetary surface construction, with the goal of reducing the amount of material to be launched from Earth.

  7. CLIC-ACM: Acquisition and Control System

    CERN Document Server

    Bielawski, B; Magnoni, S

    2014-01-01

    CLIC [1] (Compact Linear Collider) is a world-wide collaboration to study the next terascale lepton collider, relying upon a very innovative concept of two-beamacceleration. In this scheme, the power is transported to the main accelerating structures by a primary electron beam. The Two Beam Module (TBM) is a compact integration with a high filling factor of all components: RF, Magnets, Instrumentation, Vacuum, Alignment and Stabilization. This paper describes the very challenging aspects of designing the compact system to serve as a dedicated Acquisition & Control Module (ACM) for all signals of the TBM. Very delicate conditions must be considered, in particular radiation doses that could reach several kGy in the tunnel. In such severe conditions shielding and hardened electronics will have to be taken into consideration. In addition, with more than 300 ADC&DAC channels per ACM and about 21000 ACMs in total, it appears clearly that power consumption will be an important issue. It is also obvious that...

  8. Design of ACM system based on non-greedy punctured LDPC codes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lu, Zijun; Jiang, Zihong; Zhou, Lin; He, Yucheng

    2017-08-01

    In this paper, an adaptive coded modulation (ACM) scheme based on rate-compatible LDPC (RC-LDPC) codes was designed. The RC-LDPC codes were constructed by a non-greedy puncturing method which showed good performance in high code rate region. Moreover, the incremental redundancy scheme of LDPC-based ACM system over AWGN channel was proposed. By this scheme, code rates vary from 2/3 to 5/6 and the complication of the ACM system is lowered. Simulations show that more and more obvious coding gain can be obtained by the proposed ACM system with higher throughput.

  9. Analysis on working pressure selection of ACME integral test facility

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chen Lian; Chang Huajian; Li Yuquan; Ye Zishen; Qin Benke

    2011-01-01

    An integral effects test facility, advanced core cooling mechanism experiment facility (ACME) was designed to verify the performance of the passive safety system and validate its safety analysis codes of a pressurized water reactor power plant. Three test facilities for AP1000 design were introduced and review was given. The problems resulted from the different working pressures of its test facilities were analyzed. Then a detailed description was presented on the working pressure selection of ACME facility as well as its characteristics. And the approach of establishing desired testing initial condition was discussed. The selected 9.3 MPa working pressure covered almost all important passive safety system enables the ACME to simulate the LOCAs with the same pressure and property similitude as the prototype. It's expected that the ACME design would be an advanced core cooling integral test facility design. (authors)

  10. News from the Library: A one-stop-shop for computing literature: ACM Digital Library

    CERN Multimedia

    CERN Library

    2011-01-01

    The Association for Computing Machinery, ACM, is the world’s largest educational and scientific computing society. Among others, the ACM provides the computing field's premier Digital Library and serves its members and the computing profession with leading-edge publications, conferences, and career resources.   ACM Digital Library is available to the CERN community. The most popular journal here at CERN is Communications of the ACM. However, the collection offers access to a series of other valuable important academic journals such as Journal of the ACM and even fulltext of a series of classical books. In addition, users have access to the ACM Guide to Computing Literature, the most comprehensive bibliographic database focusing on computing, integrated with ACM’s full-text articles and including features such as ACM Author Profile Pages - which provides bibliographic and bibliometric data for over 1,000,000 authors in the field. ACM Digital Library is an excellent com...

  11. Characterization of a Novel Arginine Catabolic Mobile Element (ACME) and Staphylococcal Chromosomal Cassette mec Composite Island with Significant Homology to Staphylococcus epidermidis ACME type II in Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Genotype ST22-MRSA-IV.

    LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

    Shore, Anna C

    2011-02-22

    The arginine catabolic mobile element (ACME) is prevalent among ST8-MRSA-IVa (USA300) isolates and evidence suggests that ACME enhances the ability of ST8-MRSA-IVa to grow and survive on its host. ACME has been identified in a small number of isolates belonging to other MRSA clones but is widespread among coagulase-negative staphylococci (CoNS). This study reports the first description of ACME in two distinct strains of the pandemic ST22-MRSA-IV clone. A total of 238 MRSA isolates recovered in Ireland between 1971 and 2008 were investigated for ACME using a DNA microarray. Twenty-three isolates (9.7%) were ACME-positive, all were either MRSA genotype ST8-MRSA-IVa (7\\/23, 30%) or ST22-MRSA-IV (16\\/23, 70%). Whole-genome sequencing and comprehensive molecular characterization revealed the presence of a novel 46-kb ACME and SCCmec composite island (ACME\\/SCCmec-CI) in ST22-MRSA-IVh isolates (n = 15). This ACME\\/SCCmec-CI consists of a 12-kb DNA region previously identified in ACME type II in S. epidermidis ATCC 12228, a truncated copy of the J1 region of SCCmec I and a complete SCCmec IVh element. The composite island has a novel genetic organization with ACME located within orfX and SCCmec located downstream of ACME. One pvl-positive ST22-MRSA-IVa isolate carried ACME located downstream of SCCmec IVa as previously described in ST8-MRSA-IVa. These results suggest that ACME has been acquired by ST22-MRSA-IV on two independent occasions. At least one of these instances may have involved horizontal transfer and recombination events between MRSA and CoNS. The presence of ACME may enhance dissemination of ST22-MRSA-IV, an already successful MRSA clone.

  12. Contribution of the collagen adhesin Acm to pathogenesis of Enterococcus faecium in experimental endocarditis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nallapareddy, Sreedhar R; Singh, Kavindra V; Murray, Barbara E

    2008-09-01

    Enterococcus faecium is a multidrug-resistant opportunist causing difficult-to-treat nosocomial infections, including endocarditis, but there are no reports experimentally demonstrating E. faecium virulence determinants. Our previous studies showed that some clinical E. faecium isolates produce a cell wall-anchored collagen adhesin, Acm, and that an isogenic acm deletion mutant of the endocarditis-derived strain TX0082 lost collagen adherence. In this study, we show with a rat endocarditis model that TX0082 Deltaacm::cat is highly attenuated versus wild-type TX0082, both in established (72 h) vegetations (P Acm the first factor shown to be important for E. faecium pathogenesis. In contrast, no mortality differences were observed in a mouse peritonitis model. While 5 of 17 endocarditis isolates were Acm nonproducers and failed to adhere to collagen in vitro, all had an intact, highly conserved acm locus. Highly reduced acm mRNA levels (>or=50-fold reduction relative to an Acm producer) were found in three of these five nonadherent isolates, including the sequenced strain TX0016, by quantitative reverse transcription-PCR, indicating that acm transcription is downregulated in vitro in these isolates. However, examination of TX0016 cells obtained directly from infected rat vegetations by flow cytometry showed that Acm was present on 40% of cells grown during infection. Finally, we demonstrated a significant reduction in E. faecium collagen adherence by affinity-purified anti-Acm antibodies from E. faecium endocarditis patient sera, suggesting that Acm may be a potential immunotarget for strategies to control this emerging pathogen.

  13. Asbestos-Containing Materials (ACM) and Demolition

    Science.gov (United States)

    There are specific federal regulatory requirements that require the identification of asbestos-containing materials (ACM) in many of the residential buildings that are being demolished or renovated by a municipality.

  14. De afschaffing van de bezwaarfase bij boetebesluiten van de ACM

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Jans, J.H.; Outhuijse, A.

    Per 1 maart 2013 ontstaat door samenvoeging van de NMa, de OPTA en de Consumentenautoriteit, de Autoriteit Consument en Markt. Om de ACM slagvaardig te laten functioneren, wordt voorgesteld het handhavingsinstrumentarium m.b.t. het markttoezicht van de ACM te vereenvoudigen. Eén van de voorstellen

  15. ACME: A Basis for Architecture Exchange

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Wile, David

    2003-01-01

    .... It remains useful in that role, but since the project's inception the Acme language and its support toolkit have grown into a solid foundation upon which new software architecture design and analysis...

  16. Characterization of a novel arginine catabolic mobile element (ACME) and staphylococcal chromosomal cassette mec composite island with significant homology to Staphylococcus epidermidis ACME type II in methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus genotype ST22-MRSA-IV.

    LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

    Shore, Anna C

    2011-05-01

    The arginine catabolic mobile element (ACME) is prevalent among methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) isolates of sequence type 8 (ST8) and staphylococcal chromosomal cassette mec (SCCmec) type IVa (USA300) (ST8-MRSA-IVa isolates), and evidence suggests that ACME enhances the ability of ST8-MRSA-IVa to grow and survive on its host. ACME has been identified in a small number of isolates belonging to other MRSA clones but is widespread among coagulase-negative staphylococci (CoNS). This study reports the first description of ACME in two distinct strains of the pandemic ST22-MRSA-IV clone. A total of 238 MRSA isolates recovered in Ireland between 1971 and 2008 were investigated for ACME using a DNA microarray. Twenty-three isolates (9.7%) were ACME positive, and all were either MRSA genotype ST8-MRSA-IVa (7\\/23, 30%) or MRSA genotype ST22-MRSA-IV (16\\/23, 70%). Whole-genome sequencing and comprehensive molecular characterization revealed the presence of a novel 46-kb ACME and staphylococcal chromosomal cassette mec (SCCmec) composite island (ACME\\/SCCmec-CI) in ST22-MRSA-IVh isolates (n=15). This ACME\\/SCCmec-CI consists of a 12-kb DNA region previously identified in ACME type II in S. epidermidis ATCC 12228, a truncated copy of the J1 region of SCCmec type I, and a complete SCCmec type IVh element. The composite island has a novel genetic organization, with ACME located within orfX and SCCmec located downstream of ACME. One PVL locus-positive ST22-MRSA-IVa isolate carried ACME located downstream of SCCmec type IVa, as previously described in ST8-MRSA-IVa. These results suggest that ACME has been acquired by ST22-MRSA-IV on two independent occasions. At least one of these instances may have involved horizontal transfer and recombination events between MRSA and CoNS. The presence of ACME may enhance dissemination of ST22-MRSA-IV, an already successful MRSA clone.

  17. Inhibition of Enterococcus faecium adherence to collagen by antibodies against high-affinity binding subdomains of Acm.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nallapareddy, Sreedhar R; Sillanpää, Jouko; Ganesh, Vannakambadi K; Höök, Magnus; Murray, Barbara E

    2007-06-01

    Strains of Enterococcus faecium express a cell wall-anchored protein, Acm, which mediates adherence to collagen. Here, we (i) identify the minimal and high-affinity binding subsegments of Acm and (ii) show that anti-Acm immunoglobulin Gs (IgGs) purified against these subsegments reduced E. faecium TX2535 strain collagen adherence up to 73 and 50%, respectively, significantly more than the total IgGs against the full-length Acm A domain (28%) (P Acm adherence with functional subsegment-specific antibodies raises the possibility of their use as therapeutic or prophylactic agents.

  18. Pomegranate MR images analysis using ACM and FCM algorithms

    Science.gov (United States)

    Morad, Ghobad; Shamsi, Mousa; Sedaaghi, M. H.; Alsharif, M. R.

    2011-10-01

    Segmentation of an image plays an important role in image processing applications. In this paper segmentation of pomegranate magnetic resonance (MR) images has been explored. Pomegranate has healthy nutritional and medicinal properties for which the maturity indices and quality of internal tissues play an important role in the sorting process in which the admissible determination of features mentioned above cannot be easily achieved by human operator. Seeds and soft tissues are the main internal components of pomegranate. For research purposes, such as non-destructive investigation, in order to determine the ripening index and the percentage of seeds in growth period, segmentation of the internal structures should be performed as exactly as possible. In this paper, we present an automatic algorithm to segment the internal structure of pomegranate. Since its intensity of stem and calyx is close to the internal tissues, the stem and calyx pixels are usually labeled to the internal tissues by segmentation algorithm. To solve this problem, first, the fruit shape is extracted from its background using active contour model (ACM). Then stem and calyx are removed using morphological filters. Finally the image is segmented by fuzzy c-means (FCM). The experimental results represent an accuracy of 95.91% in the presence of stem and calyx, while the accuracy of segmentation increases to 97.53% when stem and calyx are first removed by morphological filters.

  19. 76 FR 64943 - Proposed Cercla Administrative Cost Recovery Settlement; ACM Smelter and Refinery Site, Located...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-10-19

    ... Settlement; ACM Smelter and Refinery Site, Located in Cascade County, MT AGENCY: Environmental Protection... projected future response costs concerning the ACM Smelter and Refinery NPL Site (Site), Operable Unit 1..., Helena, MT 59626. Mr. Sturn can be reached at (406) 457-5027. Comments should reference the ACM Smelter...

  20. Study on the percent of frequency of ACME-Arca in clinical isolates ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    ACME is a mobile element of Arginine catabolic in Staphylococcus epidermidis that codes specific virulence factors. The purpose of this study was to examine the specific features and prevalence of ACME-arcA in the isolates of Staphylococcus epidermidis resistant to Methicillin isolated by clinical samples in Isfahan.

  1. On-resin conversion of Cys(Acm)-containing peptides to their corresponding Cys(Scm) congeners.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mullen, Daniel G; Weigel, Benjamin; Barany, George; Distefano, Mark D

    2010-05-01

    The Acm protecting group for the thiol functionality of cysteine is removed under conditions (Hg(2+)) that are orthogonal to the acidic milieu used for global deprotection in Fmoc-based solid-phase peptide synthesis. This use of a toxic heavy metal for deprotection has limited the usefulness of Acm in peptide synthesis. The Acm group may be converted to the Scm derivative that can then be used as a reactive intermediate for unsymmetrical disulfide formation. It may also be removed by mild reductive conditions to generate unprotected cysteine. Conversion of Cys(Acm)-containing peptides to their corresponding Cys(Scm) derivatives in solution is often problematic because the sulfenyl chloride reagent used for this conversion may react with the sensitive amino acids tyrosine and tryptophan. In this protocol, we report a method for on-resin Acm to Scm conversion that allows the preparation of Cys(Scm)-containing peptides under conditions that do not modify other amino acids. (c) 2010 European Peptide Society and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  2. CNTF-ACM promotes mitochondrial respiration and oxidative stress in cortical neurons through upregulating L-type calcium channel activity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sun, Meiqun; Liu, Hongli; Xu, Huanbai; Wang, Hongtao; Wang, Xiaojing

    2016-09-01

    A specialized culture medium termed ciliary neurotrophic factor-treated astrocyte-conditioned medium (CNTF-ACM) allows investigators to assess the peripheral effects of CNTF-induced activated astrocytes upon cultured neurons. CNTF-ACM has been shown to upregulate neuronal L-type calcium channel current activity, which has been previously linked to changes in mitochondrial respiration and oxidative stress. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate CNTF-ACM's effects upon mitochondrial respiration and oxidative stress in rat cortical neurons. Cortical neurons, CNTF-ACM, and untreated control astrocyte-conditioned medium (UC-ACM) were prepared from neonatal Sprague-Dawley rat cortical tissue. Neurons were cultured in either CNTF-ACM or UC-ACM for a 48-h period. Changes in the following parameters before and after treatment with the L-type calcium channel blocker isradipine were assessed: (i) intracellular calcium levels, (ii) mitochondrial membrane potential (ΔΨm), (iii) oxygen consumption rate (OCR) and adenosine triphosphate (ATP) formation, (iv) intracellular nitric oxide (NO) levels, (v) mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, and (vi) susceptibility to the mitochondrial complex I toxin rotenone. CNTF-ACM neurons displayed the following significant changes relative to UC-ACM neurons: (i) increased intracellular calcium levels (p ACM (p ACM promotes mitochondrial respiration and oxidative stress in cortical neurons through elevating L-type calcium channel activity.

  3. The acellular matrix (ACM) for bladder tissue engineering: A quantitative magnetic resonance imaging study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cheng, Hai-Ling Margaret; Loai, Yasir; Beaumont, Marine; Farhat, Walid A

    2010-08-01

    Bladder acellular matrices (ACMs) derived from natural tissue are gaining increasing attention for their role in tissue engineering and regeneration. Unlike conventional scaffolds based on biodegradable polymers or gels, ACMs possess native biomechanical and many acquired biologic properties. Efforts to optimize ACM-based scaffolds are ongoing and would be greatly assisted by a noninvasive means to characterize scaffold properties and monitor interaction with cells. MRI is well suited to this role, but research with MRI for scaffold characterization has been limited. This study presents initial results from quantitative MRI measurements for bladder ACM characterization and investigates the effects of incorporating hyaluronic acid, a natural biomaterial useful in tissue-engineering and regeneration. Measured MR relaxation times (T(1), T(2)) and diffusion coefficient were consistent with increased water uptake and glycosaminoglycan content observed on biochemistry in hyaluronic acid ACMs. Multicomponent MRI provided greater specificity, with diffusion data showing an acellular environment and T(2) components distinguishing the separate effects of increased glycosaminoglycans and hydration. These results suggest that quantitative MRI may provide useful information on matrix composition and structure, which is valuable in guiding further development using bladder ACMs for organ regeneration and in strategies involving the use of hyaluronic acid.

  4. Clinical isolates of Enterococcus faecium exhibit strain-specific collagen binding mediated by Acm, a new member of the MSCRAMM family.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nallapareddy, Sreedhar R; Weinstock, George M; Murray, Barbara E

    2003-03-01

    A collagen-binding adhesin of Enterococcus faecium, Acm, was identified. Acm shows 62% similarity to the Staphylococcus aureus collagen adhesin Cna over the entire protein and is more similar to Cna (60% and 75% similarity with Cna A and B domains respectively) than to the Enterococcus faecalis collagen-binding adhesin, Ace, which shares homology with Acm only in the A domain. Despite the detection of acm in 32 out of 32 E. faecium isolates, only 11 of these (all clinical isolates, including four vancomycin-resistant endocarditis isolates and seven other isolates) exhibited binding to collagen type I (CI). Although acm from three CI-binding vancomycin-resistant E. faecium clinical isolates showed 100% identity, analysis of acm genes and their promoter regions from six non-CI-binding strains identified deletions or mutations that introduced stop codons and/or IS elements within the gene or the promoter region in five out of six strains, suggesting that the presence of an intact functional acm gene is necessary for binding of E. faecium strains to CI. Recombinant Acm A domain showed specific and concentration-dependent binding to collagen, and this protein competed with E. faecium binding to immobilized CI. Consistent with the adherence phenotype and sequence data, probing with Acm-specific IgGs purified from anti-recombinant Acm A polyclonal rabbit serum confirmed the surface expression of Acm in three out of three collagen-binding clinical isolates of E. faecium tested, but in none of the strains with a non-functional pseudo acm gene. Introduction of a functional acm gene into two non-CI-binding natural acm mutant strains conferred a CI-binding phenotype, further confirming that native Acm is sufficient for the binding of E. faecium to CI. These results demonstrate that acm, which encodes a potential virulence factor, is functional only in certain infection-derived clinical isolates of E. faecium, and suggest that Acm is the primary adhesin responsible for the

  5. Formation of personality’s acme-qualities as a component of physical education specialists’ acmeological competence

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    T.Hr. Dereka

    2016-10-01

    Full Text Available Purpose: to determine characteristics of acme-qualities’ formation in physical education specialists and determine correlations between components. Material: in the research students of “Physical education” specialty (n=194 participated. For assessment personality’s qualities special tests were used. Organization abilities, communicative abilities, creative potential, demand in achievement, emotional information level, control of emotions and etc. were assessed. Results: we determined components of personality’s acme-competence component in physical education specialists. We found density and orientation of correlation and influence of acme-qualities on personality’s component. By the results of factorial analysis we grouped, classified components by four factors and created their visual picture. The accumulated percentage of the studied factors’ dispersion was determined. Conclusions: continuous professional training of physical education specialists on acme-principles resulted in formation of personality’s acme-qualities. They facilitate manifestation of personality’s activity in the process of professional formation and constant self-perfection.

  6. Hypofractionated stereotactic radiotherapy (HFSRT) for who grade I anterior clinoid meningiomas (ACM).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Demiral, Selcuk; Dincoglan, Ferrat; Sager, Omer; Gamsiz, Hakan; Uysal, Bora; Gundem, Esin; Elcim, Yelda; Dirican, Bahar; Beyzadeoglu, Murat

    2016-11-01

    While microsurgical resection plays a central role in the management of ACMs, extensive surgery may be associated with substantial morbidity particularly for tumors in intimate association with critical structures. In this study, we evaluated the use of HFSRT in the management of ACM. A total of 22 patients with ACM were treated using HFSRT. Frameless image guided volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) was performed with a 6 MV linear accelerator (LINAC). The total dose was 25 Gy delivered in five fractions over five consecutive treatment days. Local control (LC) and progression free survival (PFS) rates were calculated using the Kaplan-Meier method. Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events, version 4.0 was used in toxicity grading. Out of the total 22 patients, outcomes of 19 patients with at least 36 months of periodic follow-up were assessed. Median patient age was 40 years old (range 24-77 years old). Median follow-up time was 53 months (range 36-63 months). LC and PFS rates were 100 and 89.4 % at 1 and 3 years, respectively. Only two patients (10.5 %) experienced clinical deterioration during the follow-up period. LINAC-based HFSRT offers high rates of LC and PFS for patients with ACMs.

  7. Representation of deforestation impacts on climate, water, and nutrient cycles in the ACME earth system model

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cai, X.; Riley, W. J.; Zhu, Q.

    2017-12-01

    Deforestation causes a series of changes to the climate, water, and nutrient cycles. Employing a state-of-the-art earth system model—ACME (Accelerated Climate Modeling for Energy), we comprehensively investigate the impacts of deforestation on these processes. We first assess the performance of the ACME Land Model (ALM) in simulating runoff, evapotranspiration, albedo, and plant productivity at 42 FLUXNET sites. The single column mode of ACME is then used to examine climate effects (temperature cooling/warming) and responses of runoff, evapotranspiration, and nutrient fluxes to deforestation. This approach separates local effects of deforestation from global circulation effects. To better understand the deforestation effects in a global context, we use the coupled (atmosphere, land, and slab ocean) mode of ACME to demonstrate the impacts of deforestation on global climate, water, and nutrient fluxes. Preliminary results showed that the land component of ACME has advantages in simulating these processes and that local deforestation has potentially large impacts on runoff and atmospheric processes.

  8. Transient Inverse Calibration of the Site-Wide Groundwater Flow Model (ACM-2): FY03 Progress Report

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Vermeul, Vince R.; Bergeron, Marcel P.; Cole, C R.; Murray, Christopher J.; Nichols, William E.; Scheibe, Timothy D.; Thorne, Paul D.; Waichler, Scott R.; Xie, YuLong

    2003-01-01

    DOE and PNNL are working to strengthen the technical defensibility of the groundwater flow and transport model at the Hanford Site and to incorporate uncertainty into the model. One aspect of the initiative is developing and using a three-dimensional transient inverse model to estimate the hydraulic conductivities, specific yields, and other parameters using data from Hanford since 1943. The focus of the alternative conceptual model (ACM-2) inverse modeling initiative documented in this report was to address limitations identified in the ACM-1 model, complete the facies-based approach for representing the hydraulic conductivity distribution in the Hanford and middle Ringold Formations, develop the approach and implementation methodology for generating multiple ACMs based on geostatistical data analysis, and develop an approach for inverse modeling of these stochastic ACMs. The primary modifications to ACM-2 transient inverse model include facies-based zonation of Units 1 (Hanford ) and 5 (middle Ringold); an improved approach for handling run-on recharge from upland areas based on watershed modeling results; an improved approach for representing artificial discharges from site operations; and minor changes to the geologic conceptual model. ACM-2 is the first attempt to fully incorporate the facies-based approach to represent the hydrogeologic structure. Further refinement and additional improvements to overall model fit will be realized during future inverse simulations of groundwater flow and transport. In addition, preliminary work was completed on an approach and implementation for generating an inverse modeling of stochastic ACMs. These techniques were applied to assess the uncertainty in the facies-based zonation of the Hanford formation and the geological structure of Ringold mud units. The geostatistical analysis used a preliminary interpretation of the facies-based zonation that was not consistent with that used in ACM-2. Although the overall objective of

  9. Autolysis of Lactococcus lactis caused by induced overproduction of its major autolysin, AcmA

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Buist, Girbe; Karsens, H; Nauta, A; van Sinderen, D; Venema, G; Kok, J

    The optical density of a culture of Lactococcus lactis MG1363 was reduced more than 60% during prolonged stationary phase, Reduction in optical density (autolysis) was almost absent in a culture of an isogenic mutant containing a deletion in the major autolysin gene, acmA. An acmA mutant carrying

  10. Timely activation of budding yeast APCCdh1 involves degradation of its inhibitor, Acm1, by an unconventional proteolytic mechanism.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Michael Melesse

    Full Text Available Regulated proteolysis mediated by the ubiquitin proteasome system is a fundamental and essential feature of the eukaryotic cell division cycle. Most proteins with cell cycle-regulated stability are targeted for degradation by one of two related ubiquitin ligases, the Skp1-cullin-F box protein (SCF complex or the anaphase-promoting complex (APC. Here we describe an unconventional cell cycle-regulated proteolytic mechanism that acts on the Acm1 protein, an inhibitor of the APC activator Cdh1 in budding yeast. Although Acm1 can be recognized as a substrate by the Cdc20-activated APC (APCCdc20 in anaphase, APCCdc20 is neither necessary nor sufficient for complete Acm1 degradation at the end of mitosis. An APC-independent, but 26S proteasome-dependent, mechanism is sufficient for complete Acm1 clearance from late mitotic and G1 cells. Surprisingly, this mechanism appears distinct from the canonical ubiquitin targeting pathway, exhibiting several features of ubiquitin-independent proteasomal degradation. For example, Acm1 degradation in G1 requires neither lysine residues in Acm1 nor assembly of polyubiquitin chains. Acm1 was stabilized though by conditional inactivation of the ubiquitin activating enzyme Uba1, implying some requirement for the ubiquitin pathway, either direct or indirect. We identified an amino terminal predicted disordered region in Acm1 that contributes to its proteolysis in G1. Although ubiquitin-independent proteasome substrates have been described, Acm1 appears unique in that its sensitivity to this mechanism is strictly cell cycle-regulated via cyclin-dependent kinase (Cdk phosphorylation. As a result, Acm1 expression is limited to the cell cycle window in which Cdk is active. We provide evidence that failure to eliminate Acm1 impairs activation of APCCdh1 at mitotic exit, justifying its strict regulation by cell cycle-dependent transcription and proteolytic mechanisms. Importantly, our results reveal that strict cell

  11. Timely Activation of Budding Yeast APCCdh1 Involves Degradation of Its Inhibitor, Acm1, by an Unconventional Proteolytic Mechanism

    Science.gov (United States)

    Melesse, Michael; Choi, Eunyoung; Hall, Hana; Walsh, Michael J.; Geer, M. Ariel; Hall, Mark C.

    2014-01-01

    Regulated proteolysis mediated by the ubiquitin proteasome system is a fundamental and essential feature of the eukaryotic cell division cycle. Most proteins with cell cycle-regulated stability are targeted for degradation by one of two related ubiquitin ligases, the Skp1-cullin-F box protein (SCF) complex or the anaphase-promoting complex (APC). Here we describe an unconventional cell cycle-regulated proteolytic mechanism that acts on the Acm1 protein, an inhibitor of the APC activator Cdh1 in budding yeast. Although Acm1 can be recognized as a substrate by the Cdc20-activated APC (APCCdc20) in anaphase, APCCdc20 is neither necessary nor sufficient for complete Acm1 degradation at the end of mitosis. An APC-independent, but 26S proteasome-dependent, mechanism is sufficient for complete Acm1 clearance from late mitotic and G1 cells. Surprisingly, this mechanism appears distinct from the canonical ubiquitin targeting pathway, exhibiting several features of ubiquitin-independent proteasomal degradation. For example, Acm1 degradation in G1 requires neither lysine residues in Acm1 nor assembly of polyubiquitin chains. Acm1 was stabilized though by conditional inactivation of the ubiquitin activating enzyme Uba1, implying some requirement for the ubiquitin pathway, either direct or indirect. We identified an amino terminal predicted disordered region in Acm1 that contributes to its proteolysis in G1. Although ubiquitin-independent proteasome substrates have been described, Acm1 appears unique in that its sensitivity to this mechanism is strictly cell cycle-regulated via cyclin-dependent kinase (Cdk) phosphorylation. As a result, Acm1 expression is limited to the cell cycle window in which Cdk is active. We provide evidence that failure to eliminate Acm1 impairs activation of APCCdh1 at mitotic exit, justifying its strict regulation by cell cycle-dependent transcription and proteolytic mechanisms. Importantly, our results reveal that strict cell-cycle expression profiles

  12. Comparative study of numerical schemes of TVD3, UNO3-ACM and optimized compact scheme

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Duck-Joo; Hwang, Chang-Jeon; Ko, Duck-Kon; Kim, Jae-Wook

    1995-01-01

    Three different schemes are employed to solve the benchmark problem. The first one is a conventional TVD-MUSCL (Monotone Upwind Schemes for Conservation Laws) scheme. The second scheme is a UNO3-ACM (Uniformly Non-Oscillatory Artificial Compression Method) scheme. The third scheme is an optimized compact finite difference scheme modified by us: the 4th order Runge Kutta time stepping, the 4th order pentadiagonal compact spatial discretization with the maximum resolution characteristics. The problems of category 1 are solved by using the second (UNO3-ACM) and third (Optimized Compact) schemes. The problems of category 2 are solved by using the first (TVD3) and second (UNO3-ACM) schemes. The problem of category 5 is solved by using the first (TVD3) scheme. It can be concluded from the present calculations that the Optimized Compact scheme and the UN03-ACM show good resolutions for category 1 and category 2 respectively.

  13. An Unexpected Location of the Arginine Catabolic Mobile Element (ACME) in a USA300-Related MRSA Strain

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Damkjær Bartels, Mette; Hansen, Lars H.; Boye, Kit

    2011-01-01

    In methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), the arginine catabolic mobile element (ACME) was initially described in USA300 (t008-ST8) where it is located downstream of the staphylococcal cassette chromosome mec (SCCmec). A common health-care associated MRSA in Copenhagen, Denmark (t024......-ST8) is clonally related to USA300 and is frequently PCR positive for the ACME specific arcA-gene. This study is the first to describe an ACME element upstream of the SCCmec in MRSA. By traditional SCCmec typing schemes, the SCCmec of t024-ST8 strain M1 carries SCCmec IVa, but full sequencing...... of SCCmec, M1 had two new DR between the orfX gene and the J3 region of the SCCmec. The region between the orfX DR (DR1) and DR2 contained the ccrAB4 genes. An ACME II-like element was located between DR2 and DR3. The entire 26,468 bp sequence between DR1 and DR3 was highly similar to parts of the ACME...

  14. Preliminary proceedings of the 2001 ACM SIGPLAN Haskell workshop

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Hinze, R.

    2001-01-01

    This volume contains the preliminary proceedings of the 2001 ACM SIGPLAN Haskell Workshop, which was held on 2nd September 2001 in Firenze, Italy. The final proceedings will published by Elsevier Science as an issue of Electronic Notes in Theoretical Computer Science (Volume 59). The

  15. ACME: A scalable parallel system for extracting frequent patterns from a very long sequence

    KAUST Repository

    Sahli, Majed

    2014-10-02

    Modern applications, including bioinformatics, time series, and web log analysis, require the extraction of frequent patterns, called motifs, from one very long (i.e., several gigabytes) sequence. Existing approaches are either heuristics that are error-prone, or exact (also called combinatorial) methods that are extremely slow, therefore, applicable only to very small sequences (i.e., in the order of megabytes). This paper presents ACME, a combinatorial approach that scales to gigabyte-long sequences and is the first to support supermaximal motifs. ACME is a versatile parallel system that can be deployed on desktop multi-core systems, or on thousands of CPUs in the cloud. However, merely using more compute nodes does not guarantee efficiency, because of the related overheads. To this end, ACME introduces an automatic tuning mechanism that suggests the appropriate number of CPUs to utilize, in order to meet the user constraints in terms of run time, while minimizing the financial cost of cloud resources. Our experiments show that, compared to the state of the art, ACME supports three orders of magnitude longer sequences (e.g., DNA for the entire human genome); handles large alphabets (e.g., English alphabet for Wikipedia); scales out to 16,384 CPUs on a supercomputer; and supports elastic deployment in the cloud.

  16. Proceedings of the ACM SIGIR Workshop ''Searching Spontaneous Conversational Speech''

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    de Jong, Franciska M.G.; Oard, Douglas; Ordelman, Roeland J.F.; Raaijmakers, Stephan

    2007-01-01

    The Proceedings contain the contributions to the workshop on Searching Spontaneous Conversational Speech organized in conjunction with the 30th ACM SIGIR, Amsterdam 2007. The papers reflect some of the emerging focus areas and cross-cutting research topics, together addressing evaluation metrics,

  17. Automated software system for checking the structure and format of ACM SIG documents

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mirza, Arsalan Rahman; Sah, Melike

    2017-04-01

    Microsoft (MS) Office Word is one of the most commonly used software tools for creating documents. MS Word 2007 and above uses XML to represent the structure of MS Word documents. Metadata about the documents are automatically created using Office Open XML (OOXML) syntax. We develop a new framework, which is called ADFCS (Automated Document Format Checking System) that takes the advantage of the OOXML metadata, in order to extract semantic information from MS Office Word documents. In particular, we develop a new ontology for Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) Special Interested Group (SIG) documents for representing the structure and format of these documents by using OWL (Web Ontology Language). Then, the metadata is extracted automatically in RDF (Resource Description Framework) according to this ontology using the developed software. Finally, we generate extensive rules in order to infer whether the documents are formatted according to ACM SIG standards. This paper, introduces ACM SIG ontology, metadata extraction process, inference engine, ADFCS online user interface, system evaluation and user study evaluations.

  18. Molecular characteristics of clinical methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus pseudintermedius harboring arginine catabolic mobile element (ACME) from dogs and cats.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, Ching; Wan, Min-Tao; Lauderdale, Tsai-Ling; Yeh, Kuang-Sheng; Chen, Charles; Hsiao, Yun-Hsia; Chou, Chin-Cheng

    2017-06-01

    This study aimed to investigate the presence of arginine catabolic mobile element (ACME) and its associated molecular characteristics in methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus pseudintermedius (MRSP). Among the 72 S. pseudintermedius recovered from various infection sites of dogs and cats, 52 (72.2%) were MRSP. ACME-arcA was detected commonly (69.2%) in these MRSP isolates, and was more frequently detected in those from the skin than from other body sites (P=0.047). There was a wide genetic diversity among the ACME-arcA-positive MRSP isolates, which comprised three SCCmec types (II-III, III and V) and 15 dru types with two predominant clusters (9a and 11a). Most MRSP isolates were multidrug-resistant. Since S. pseudintermedius could serve as a reservoir of ACME, further research on this putative virulence factor is recommended. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  19. AcmB Is an S-Layer-Associated β-N-Acetylglucosaminidase and Functional Autolysin in Lactobacillus acidophilus NCFM.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Johnson, Brant R; Klaenhammer, Todd R

    2016-09-15

    Autolysins, also known as peptidoglycan hydrolases, are enzymes that hydrolyze specific bonds within bacterial cell wall peptidoglycan during cell division and daughter cell separation. Within the genome of Lactobacillus acidophilus NCFM, there are 11 genes encoding proteins with peptidoglycan hydrolase catalytic domains, 9 of which are predicted to be functional. Notably, 5 of the 9 putative autolysins in L. acidophilus NCFM are S-layer-associated proteins (SLAPs) noncovalently colocalized along with the surface (S)-layer at the cell surface. One of these SLAPs, AcmB, a β-N-acetylglucosaminidase encoded by the gene lba0176 (acmB), was selected for functional analysis. In silico analysis revealed that acmB orthologs are found exclusively in S-layer- forming species of Lactobacillus Chromosomal deletion of acmB resulted in aberrant cell division, autolysis, and autoaggregation. Complementation of acmB in the ΔacmB mutant restored the wild-type phenotype, confirming the role of this SLAP in cell division. The absence of AcmB within the exoproteome had a pleiotropic effect on the extracellular proteins covalently and noncovalently bound to the peptidoglycan, which likely led to the observed decrease in the binding capacity of the ΔacmB strain for mucin and extracellular matrices fibronectin, laminin, and collagen in vitro These data suggest a functional association between the S-layer and the multiple autolysins noncovalently colocalized at the cell surface of L. acidophilus NCFM and other S-layer-producing Lactobacillus species. Lactobacillus acidophilus is one of the most widely used probiotic microbes incorporated in many dairy foods and dietary supplements. This organism produces a surface (S)-layer, which is a self-assembling crystalline array found as the outermost layer of the cell wall. The S-layer, along with colocalized associated proteins, is an important mediator of probiotic activity through intestinal adhesion and modulation of the mucosal immune

  20. A functional collagen adhesin gene, acm, in clinical isolates of Enterococcus faecium correlates with the recent success of this emerging nosocomial pathogen.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nallapareddy, Sreedhar R; Singh, Kavindra V; Okhuysen, Pablo C; Murray, Barbara E

    2008-09-01

    Enterococcus faecium recently evolved from a generally avirulent commensal into a multidrug-resistant health care-associated pathogen causing difficult-to-treat infections, but little is known about the factors responsible for this change. We previously showed that some E. faecium strains express a cell wall-anchored collagen adhesin, Acm. Here we analyzed 90 E. faecium isolates (99% acm(+)) and found that the Acm protein was detected predominantly in clinically derived isolates, while the acm gene was present as a transposon-interrupted pseudogene in 12 of 47 isolates of nonclinical origin. A highly significant association between clinical (versus fecal or food) origin and collagen adherence (P Acm detected by whole-cell enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and flow cytometry. Thirty-seven of 41 sera from patients with E. faecium infections showed reactivity with recombinant Acm, while only 4 of 30 community and hospitalized patient control group sera reacted (P Acm were present in all 14 E. faecium endocarditis patient sera. Although pulsed-field gel electrophoresis indicated that multiple strains expressed collagen adherence, multilocus sequence typing demonstrated that the majority of collagen-adhering isolates, as well as 16 of 17 endocarditis isolates, are part of the hospital-associated E. faecium genogroup referred to as clonal complex 17 (CC17), which has emerged globally. Taken together, our findings support the hypothesis that Acm has contributed to the emergence of E. faecium and CC17 in nosocomial infections.

  1. Comparison of the chemical behaviour of humanized ACMS VS. Human IGG radiolabeled with 99mTc

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rivero Santamaria, Alejandro; Zayas Crespo, Francisco; Mesa Duennas, Niurka; Castillo Vitloch, Adolfo J.

    2003-01-01

    The purpose of this work is to compare the chemical behaviour of humanized AcMs vs. human IgG radiolabeled with 99 mTc. to this end, 3 immunoglobulins were analyzed, the IgG (human), the humanized monoclonal antibody R3 (Acm-R3h) and the humanized monoclonal antibody T1. The results obtained reveal slight differences as regards the behaviour of theses immunoglobulins before the labelling with 99T c, which shows differences in the chemical behaviour of these proteins. Although in theory the modifications that are made to the AcMs in order to humanize them must not affect their chemical behaviour, the obtained data indicate that the conditions for their radiolabelling should not be extrapolated from other proteins; on the contrary, particular procedures should be elaborated for each AcM-h

  2. Listening to professional voices: draft 2 of the ACM code of ethics and professional conduct

    OpenAIRE

    Flick, Catherine; Brinkman, Bo; Gotterbarn, D. W.; Miller, Keith; Vazansky, Kate; Wolf, Marty J.

    2017-01-01

    The file attached to this record is the author's final peer reviewed version. The Publisher's final version can be found by following the DOI link. For the first time since 1992, the ACM Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct (the Code) is being updated. The Code Update Task Force in conjunction with the Committee on Professional Ethics is seeking advice from ACM members on the update. We indicated many of the motivations for changing the Code when we shared Draft 1 of Code 2018 with the ...

  3. Model Diagnostics for the Department of Energy's Accelerated Climate Modeling for Energy (ACME) Project

    Science.gov (United States)

    Smith, B.

    2015-12-01

    In 2014, eight Department of Energy (DOE) national laboratories, four academic institutions, one company, and the National Centre for Atmospheric Research combined forces in a project called Accelerated Climate Modeling for Energy (ACME) with the goal to speed Earth system model development for climate and energy. Over the planned 10-year span, the project will conduct simulations and modeling on DOE's most powerful high-performance computing systems at Oak Ridge, Argonne, and Lawrence Berkeley Leadership Compute Facilities. A key component of the ACME project is the development of an interactive test bed for the advanced Earth system model. Its execution infrastructure will accelerate model development and testing cycles. The ACME Workflow Group is leading the efforts to automate labor-intensive tasks, provide intelligent support for complex tasks and reduce duplication of effort through collaboration support. As part of this new workflow environment, we have created a diagnostic, metric, and intercomparison Python framework, called UVCMetrics, to aid in the testing-to-production execution of the ACME model. The framework exploits similarities among different diagnostics to compactly support diagnosis of new models. It presently focuses on atmosphere and land but is designed to support ocean and sea ice model components as well. This framework is built on top of the existing open-source software framework known as the Ultrascale Visualization Climate Data Analysis Tools (UV-CDAT). Because of its flexible framework design, scientists and modelers now can generate thousands of possible diagnostic outputs. These diagnostics can compare model runs, compare model vs. observation, or simply verify a model is physically realistic. Additional diagnostics are easily integrated into the framework, and our users have already added several. Diagnostics can be generated, viewed, and manipulated from the UV-CDAT graphical user interface, Python command line scripts and programs

  4. Extra-Margins in ACM's Adjusted NMa ‘Mortgage-Rate-Calculation Method

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Dijkstra, M.; Schinkel, M.P.

    2013-01-01

    We analyse the development since 2004 of our concept of extra-margins on Dutch mortgages (Dijkstra & Schinkel, 2012), based on funding cost estimations in ACM (2013), which are an update of those in NMa (2011). Neither costs related to increased mortgage-specific risks, nor the inclusion of Basel

  5. A Prediction of the Damping Properties of Hindered Phenol AO-60/polyacrylate Rubber (AO-60/ACM) Composites through Molecular Dynamics Simulation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, Da-Wei; Zhao, Xiu-Ying; Zhang, Geng; Li, Qiang-Guo; Wu, Si-Zhu

    2016-05-01

    Molecule dynamics (MD) simulation, a molecular-level method, was applied to predict the damping properties of AO-60/polyacrylate rubber (AO-60/ACM) composites before experimental measures were performed. MD simulation results revealed that two types of hydrogen bond, namely, type A (AO-60) -OH•••O=C- (ACM), type B (AO-60) - OH•••O=C- (AO-60) were formed. Then, the AO-60/ACM composites were fabricated and tested to verify the accuracy of the MD simulation through dynamic mechanical thermal analysis (DMTA). DMTA results showed that the introduction of AO-60 could remarkably improve the damping properties of the composites, including the increase of glass transition temperature (Tg) alongside with the loss factor (tan δ), also indicating the AO-60/ACM(98/100) had the best damping performance amongst the composites which verified by the experimental.

  6. ACM-based automatic liver segmentation from 3-D CT images by combining multiple atlases and improved mean-shift techniques.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ji, Hongwei; He, Jiangping; Yang, Xin; Deklerck, Rudi; Cornelis, Jan

    2013-05-01

    In this paper, we present an autocontext model(ACM)-based automatic liver segmentation algorithm, which combines ACM, multiatlases, and mean-shift techniques to segment liver from 3-D CT images. Our algorithm is a learning-based method and can be divided into two stages. At the first stage, i.e., the training stage, ACM is performed to learn a sequence of classifiers in each atlas space (based on each atlas and other aligned atlases). With the use of multiple atlases, multiple sequences of ACM-based classifiers are obtained. At the second stage, i.e., the segmentation stage, the test image will be segmented in each atlas space by applying each sequence of ACM-based classifiers. The final segmentation result will be obtained by fusing segmentation results from all atlas spaces via a multiclassifier fusion technique. Specially, in order to speed up segmentation, given a test image, we first use an improved mean-shift algorithm to perform over-segmentation and then implement the region-based image labeling instead of the original inefficient pixel-based image labeling. The proposed method is evaluated on the datasets of MICCAI 2007 liver segmentation challenge. The experimental results show that the average volume overlap error and the average surface distance achieved by our method are 8.3% and 1.5 m, respectively, which are comparable to the results reported in the existing state-of-the-art work on liver segmentation.

  7. A Novel Observation-Guided Approach for Evaluating Mesoscale Convective Systems Simulated by the DOE ACME Model

    Science.gov (United States)

    Feng, Z.; Ma, P. L.; Hardin, J. C.; Houze, R.

    2017-12-01

    Mesoscale convective systems (MCSs) are the largest type of convective storms that develop when convection aggregates and induces mesoscale circulation features. Over North America, MCSs contribute over 60% of the total warm-season precipitation and over half of the extreme daily precipitation in the central U.S. Our recent study (Feng et al. 2016) found that the observed increases in springtime total and extreme rainfall in this region are dominated by increased frequency and intensity of long-lived MCSs*. To date, global climate models typically do not run at a resolution high enough to explicitly simulate individual convective elements and may not have adequate process representations for MCSs, resulting in a large deficiency in projecting changes of the frequency of extreme precipitation events in future climate. In this study, we developed a novel observation-guided approach specifically designed to evaluate simulated MCSs in the Department of Energy's climate model, Accelerated Climate Modeling for Energy (ACME). The ACME model has advanced treatments for convection and subgrid variability and for this study is run at 25 km and 100 km grid spacings. We constructed a robust MCS database consisting of over 500 MCSs from 3 warm-season observations by applying a feature-tracking algorithm to 4-km resolution merged geostationary satellite and 3-D NEXRAD radar network data over the Continental US. This high-resolution MCS database is then down-sampled to the 25 and 100 km ACME grids to re-characterize key MCS properties. The feature-tracking algorithm is adapted with the adjusted characteristics to identify MCSs from ACME model simulations. We demonstrate that this new analysis framework is useful for evaluating ACME's warm-season precipitation statistics associated with MCSs, and provides insights into the model process representations related to extreme precipitation events for future improvement. *Feng, Z., L. R. Leung, S. Hagos, R. A. Houze, C. D. Burleyson

  8. HT 2011 : Proceedings of the 22nd ACM Conference on Hypertext and Hypermedia, Eindhoven, The Netherlands, June 6-9, 2011

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    De Bra, P.M.E.; Gronbak, K.

    2011-01-01

    Foreword. It is our great pleasure to welcome you to ACM Hypertext 2011, the 22nd ACM Conference on Hypertext and Hypermedia, and to the "Land of the Innovator", the campus of the Eindhoven University of Technology, located in the "city of light" Eindhoven, the Netherlands. Hypertext is an exciting

  9. ADAPTIF CONSERVATION (ACM MODEL IN INCREASING FAMILY SUPPORT AND COMPLIANCE TREATMENT IN PATIENT WITH PULONARY TUBERCULOSIS IN SURABAYA CITY REGION

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Siti Nur Kholifah

    2017-04-01

    Full Text Available Introduction: Tuberculosis (TB in Indonesia is still health problem and the prevalence rate is high. Discontinuing medication and lack of family support are the causalities. Numbers of strategies to overcome are seemingly not succeeded. Roles and responsibilities of family nursing are crucial to improve participation, motivation of individual, family and community in prevention, including pulmonary tuberculosis. Unfortunately, models of pulmonary tuberculosis currently unavailable. The combination of adaptation and conservation in complementarily improving family support and compliance in medication is introduced in this study. Method: This research intended to analyze Adaptive Conservation Model (ACM in extending family support and treatment compliance. Modeling steps including model analysis, expert validation, field trial, implementation and recommending the output model. Research subject involves 15 families who implement family Assistance and supervision in Medication (ASM and other 15 families with ACM. Result: The study revealed ACM is better than ASM on the case of family support and medication compliances. It supports the role of environment as influential factor on individual health belief, values and decision making. Therefore, it is advised to apply ACM in enhancing family support and compliance of pulmonary TB patients. Discussion: Social and family supports to ACM group obtained by developing interaction through communication. Family interaction necessary to improve family support to pulmonary tuberculosis patients. And social support plays as motivator to maintain compliance on medication

  10. Development and first application of an Aerosol Collection Module (ACM) for quasi online compound specific aerosol measurements

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hohaus, Thorsten; Kiendler-Scharr, Astrid; Trimborn, Dagmar; Jayne, John; Wahner, Andreas; Worsnop, Doug

    2010-05-01

    Atmospheric aerosols influence climate and human health on regional and global scales (IPCC, 2007). In many environments organics are a major fraction of the aerosol influencing its properties. Due to the huge variety of organic compounds present in atmospheric aerosol current measurement techniques are far from providing a full speciation of organic aerosol (Hallquist et al., 2009). The development of new techniques for compound specific measurements with high time resolution is a timely issue in organic aerosol research. Here we present first laboratory characterisations of an aerosol collection module (ACM) which was developed to allow for the sampling and transfer of atmospheric PM1 aerosol. The system consists of an aerodynamic lens system focussing particles on a beam. This beam is directed to a 3.4 mm in diameter surface which is cooled to -30 °C with liquid nitrogen. After collection the aerosol sample can be evaporated from the surface by heating it to up to 270 °C. The sample is transferred through a 60cm long line with a carrier gas. In order to test the ACM for linearity and sensitivity we combined it with a GC-MS system. The tests were performed with octadecane aerosol. The octadecane mass as measured with the ACM-GC-MS was compared versus the mass as calculated from SMPS derived total volume. The data correlate well (R2 0.99, slope of linear fit 1.1) indicating 100 % collection efficiency. From 150 °C to 270 °C no effect of desorption temperature on transfer efficiency could be observed. The ACM-GC-MS system was proven to be linear over the mass range 2-100 ng and has a detection limit of ~ 2 ng. First experiments applying the ACM-GC-MS system were conducted at the Jülich Aerosol Chamber. Secondary organic aerosol (SOA) was formed from ozonolysis of 600 ppbv of b-pinene. The major oxidation product nopinone was detected in the aerosol and could be shown to decrease from 2 % of the total aerosol to 0.5 % of the aerosol over the 48 hours of

  11. Responses of Mixed-Phase Cloud Condensates and Cloud Radiative Effects to Ice Nucleating Particle Concentrations in NCAR CAM5 and DOE ACME Climate Models

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, X.; Shi, Y.; Wu, M.; Zhang, K.

    2017-12-01

    Mixed-phase clouds frequently observed in the Arctic and mid-latitude storm tracks have the substantial impacts on the surface energy budget, precipitation and climate. In this study, we first implement the two empirical parameterizations (Niemand et al. 2012 and DeMott et al. 2015) of heterogeneous ice nucleation for mixed-phase clouds in the NCAR Community Atmosphere Model Version 5 (CAM5) and DOE Accelerated Climate Model for Energy Version 1 (ACME1). Model simulated ice nucleating particle (INP) concentrations based on Niemand et al. and DeMott et al. are compared with those from the default ice nucleation parameterization based on the classical nucleation theory (CNT) in CAM5 and ACME, and with in situ observations. Significantly higher INP concentrations (by up to a factor of 5) are simulated from Niemand et al. than DeMott et al. and CNT especially over the dust source regions in both CAM5 and ACME. Interestingly the ACME model simulates higher INP concentrations than CAM5, especially in the Polar regions. This is also the case when we nudge the two models' winds and temperature towards the same reanalysis, indicating more efficient transport of aerosols (dust) to the Polar regions in ACME. Next, we examine the responses of model simulated cloud liquid water and ice water contents to different INP concentrations from three ice nucleation parameterizations (Niemand et al., DeMott et al., and CNT) in CAM5 and ACME. Changes in liquid water path (LWP) reach as much as 20% in the Arctic regions in ACME between the three parameterizations while the LWP changes are smaller and limited in the Northern Hemispheric mid-latitudes in CAM5. Finally, the impacts on cloud radiative forcing and dust indirect effects on mixed-phase clouds are quantified with the three ice nucleation parameterizations in CAM5 and ACME.

  12. Microstructure and chemical bonding of DLC films deposited on ACM rubber by PACVD

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Martinez-Martinez, D.; Schenkel, M.; Pei, Y.T.; Sánchez-López, J.C.; Hosson, J.Th.M. De

    2011-01-01

    The microstructure and chemical bonding of DLC films prepared by plasma assisted chemical vapor deposition on acrylic rubber (ACM) are studied in this paper. The temperature variation produced by the ion impingement during plasma cleaning and subsequent film deposition was used to modify the film

  13. Theoretical interpretation of the nuclear structure of 88Se within the ACM and the QPM models.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gratchev, I. N.; Thiamova, G.; Alexa, P.; Simpson, G. S.; Ramdhane, M.

    2018-02-01

    The four-parameter algebraic collective model (ACM) Hamiltonian is used to describe the nuclear structure of 88Se. It is shown that the ACM is capable of providing a reasonable description of the excitation energies and relative positions of the ground-state band and γ band. The most probable interpretation of the nuclear structure of 88Se is that of a transitional nucleus. The Quasiparticle-plus-Phonon Model (QPM) was also applied to describe the nuclear motion in 88Se. Preliminarily calculations show that the collectivity of second excited state {2}2+ is weak and that this state contains a strong two-quasiparticle component.

  14. EarthServer: Cross-Disciplinary Earth Science Through Data Cube Analytics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Baumann, P.; Rossi, A. P.

    2016-12-01

    & Applications ACM. [3] Baumann, Peter, et al. (2014) In Proc. 10th ICDM, 194-201. [4] Dumitru, A. et al. (2014) In Proc ACM SIGMOD Workshop on Data Analytics in the Cloud (DanaC'2014), 1-4.

  15. Air Traffic Complexity Measurement Environment (ACME): Software User's Guide

    Science.gov (United States)

    1996-01-01

    A user's guide for the Air Traffic Complexity Measurement Environment (ACME) software is presented. The ACME consists of two major components, a complexity analysis tool and user interface. The Complexity Analysis Tool (CAT) analyzes complexity off-line, producing data files which may be examined interactively via the Complexity Data Analysis Tool (CDAT). The Complexity Analysis Tool is composed of three independently executing processes that communicate via PVM (Parallel Virtual Machine) and Unix sockets. The Runtime Data Management and Control process (RUNDMC) extracts flight plan and track information from a SAR input file, and sends the information to GARP (Generate Aircraft Routes Process) and CAT (Complexity Analysis Task). GARP in turn generates aircraft trajectories, which are utilized by CAT to calculate sector complexity. CAT writes flight plan, track and complexity data to an output file, which can be examined interactively. The Complexity Data Analysis Tool (CDAT) provides an interactive graphic environment for examining the complexity data produced by the Complexity Analysis Tool (CAT). CDAT can also play back track data extracted from System Analysis Recording (SAR) tapes. The CDAT user interface consists of a primary window, a controls window, and miscellaneous pop-ups. Aircraft track and position data is displayed in the main viewing area of the primary window. The controls window contains miscellaneous control and display items. Complexity data is displayed in pop-up windows. CDAT plays back sector complexity and aircraft track and position data as a function of time. Controls are provided to start and stop playback, adjust the playback rate, and reposition the display to a specified time.

  16. Internal currents in PEMFC during start-up or shut-down

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Maranzana, G.; Lottin, O.; Moyne, C.; Dillet, J.; Lamibrac, A.; Mainka, J.; Didierjean, S. [Nancy Univ. - CNRS (France). LEMTA

    2010-07-01

    Experiments show that the internal currents that occur during PEMFC start-up can reach up to 1 Acm{sup -2}. This is far more important than the expected order of magnitude of the current densities associated with carbon oxidation, which is only of a few mAcm{sup -2}. The predominant phenomenon that explains the internal currents is the charge and discharge of the double layer capacitances. A simple model with constant values of the electric parameters yields numerical results close to the experimental ones. It also explains the transient voltage rise (over the steady state open circuit voltage) that is sometimes observed experimentally shortly after the fuel cell start up. (orig.)

  17. ACME: A scalable parallel system for extracting frequent patterns from a very long sequence

    KAUST Repository

    Sahli, Majed; Mansour, Essam; Kalnis, Panos

    2014-01-01

    -long sequences and is the first to support supermaximal motifs. ACME is a versatile parallel system that can be deployed on desktop multi-core systems, or on thousands of CPUs in the cloud. However, merely using more compute nodes does not guarantee efficiency

  18. ACME - Algorithms for Contact in a Multiphysics Environment API Version 1.0

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    BROWN, KEVIN H.; SUMMERS, RANDALL M.; GLASS, MICHEAL W.; GULLERUD, ARNE S.; HEINSTEIN, MARTIN W.; JONES, REESE E.

    2001-01-01

    An effort is underway at Sandia National Laboratories to develop a library of algorithms to search for potential interactions between surfaces represented by analytic and discretized topological entities. This effort is also developing algorithms to determine forces due to these interactions for transient dynamics applications. This document describes the Application Programming Interface (API) for the ACME (Algorithms for Contact in a Multiphysics Environment) library

  19. Effects of activated ACM on expression of signal transducers in cerebral cortical neurons of rats.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Xiaojing; Li, Zhengli; Zhu, Changgeng; Li, Zhongyu

    2007-06-01

    To explore the roles of astrocytes in the epileptogenesis, astrocytes and neurons were isolated, purified and cultured in vitro from cerebral cortex of rats. The astrocytes were activated by ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF) and astrocytic conditioned medium (ACM) was collected to treat neurons for 4, 8 and 12 h. By using Western blot, the expression of calmodulin dependent protein kinase II (CaMK II), inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and adenylate cyclase (AC) was detected in neurons. The results showed that the expression of CaMK II, iNOS and AC was increased significantly in the neurons treated with ACM from 4 h to 12 h (PACM and such signal pathways as NOS-NO-cGMP, Ca2+/CaM-CaMK II and AC-cAMP-PKA might take part in the signal transduction of epileptogenesis.

  20. Segmentation of solid subregion of high grade gliomas in MRI images based on active contour model (ACM)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Seow, P.; Win, M. T.; Wong, J. H. D.; Abdullah, N. A.; Ramli, N.

    2016-03-01

    Gliomas are tumours arising from the interstitial tissue of the brain which are heterogeneous, infiltrative and possess ill-defined borders. Tumour subregions (e.g. solid enhancing part, edema and necrosis) are often used for tumour characterisation. Tumour demarcation into substructures facilitates glioma staging and provides essential information. Manual segmentation had several drawbacks that include laborious, time consuming, subjected to intra and inter-rater variability and hindered by diversity in the appearance of tumour tissues. In this work, active contour model (ACM) was used to segment the solid enhancing subregion of the tumour. 2D brain image acquisition data using 3T MRI fast spoiled gradient echo sequence in post gadolinium of four histologically proven high-grade glioma patients were obtained. Preprocessing of the images which includes subtraction and skull stripping were performed and then followed by ACM segmentation. The results of the automatic segmentation method were compared against the manual delineation of the tumour by a trainee radiologist. Both results were further validated by an experienced neuroradiologist and a brief quantitative evaluations (pixel area and difference ratio) were performed. Preliminary results of the clinical data showed the potential of ACM model in the application of fast and large scale tumour segmentation in medical imaging.

  1. Segmentation of solid subregion of high grade gliomas in MRI images based on active contour model (ACM)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Seow, P; Win, M T; Wong, J H D; Ramli, N; Abdullah, N A

    2016-01-01

    Gliomas are tumours arising from the interstitial tissue of the brain which are heterogeneous, infiltrative and possess ill-defined borders. Tumour subregions (e.g. solid enhancing part, edema and necrosis) are often used for tumour characterisation. Tumour demarcation into substructures facilitates glioma staging and provides essential information. Manual segmentation had several drawbacks that include laborious, time consuming, subjected to intra and inter-rater variability and hindered by diversity in the appearance of tumour tissues. In this work, active contour model (ACM) was used to segment the solid enhancing subregion of the tumour. 2D brain image acquisition data using 3T MRI fast spoiled gradient echo sequence in post gadolinium of four histologically proven high-grade glioma patients were obtained. Preprocessing of the images which includes subtraction and skull stripping were performed and then followed by ACM segmentation. The results of the automatic segmentation method were compared against the manual delineation of the tumour by a trainee radiologist. Both results were further validated by an experienced neuroradiologist and a brief quantitative evaluations (pixel area and difference ratio) were performed. Preliminary results of the clinical data showed the potential of ACM model in the application of fast and large scale tumour segmentation in medical imaging. (paper)

  2. Validation of the Adolescent Concerns Measure (ACM): Evidence from Exploratory and Confirmatory Factor Analysis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ang, Rebecca P.; Chong, Wan Har; Huan, Vivien S.; Yeo, Lay See

    2007-01-01

    This article reports the development and initial validation of scores obtained from the Adolescent Concerns Measure (ACM), a scale which assesses concerns of Asian adolescent students. In Study 1, findings from exploratory factor analysis using 619 adolescents suggested a 24-item scale with four correlated factors--Family Concerns (9 items), Peer…

  3. TWO NOVEL ACM (ACTIVE CONTOUR MODEL) METHODS FOR INTRAVASCULAR ULTRASOUND IMAGE SEGMENTATION

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chen, Chi Hau; Potdat, Labhesh; Chittineni, Rakesh

    2010-01-01

    One of the attractive image segmentation methods is the Active Contour Model (ACM) which has been widely used in medical imaging as it always produces sub-regions with continuous boundaries. Intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) is a catheter based medical imaging technique which is used for quantitative assessment of atherosclerotic disease. Two methods of ACM realizations are presented in this paper. The gradient descent flow based on minimizing energy functional can be used for segmentation of IVUS images. However this local operation alone may not be adequate to work with the complex IVUS images. The first method presented consists of basically combining the local geodesic active contours and global region-based active contours. The advantage of combining the local and global operations is to allow curves deforming under the energy to find only significant local minima and delineate object borders despite noise, poor edge information and heterogeneous intensity profiles. Results for this algorithm are compared to standard techniques to demonstrate the method's robustness and accuracy. In the second method, the energy function is appropriately modified and minimized using a Hopfield neural network. Proper modifications in the definition of the bias of the neurons have been introduced to incorporate image characteristics. The method overcomes distortions in the expected image pattern, such as due to the presence of calcium, and employs a specialized structure of the neural network and boundary correction schemes which are based on a priori knowledge about the vessel geometry. The presented method is very fast and has been evaluated using sequences of IVUS frames.

  4. Enabling Chemistry of Gases and Aerosols for Assessment of Short-Lived Climate Forcers: Improving Solar Radiation Modeling in the DOE-ACME and CESM models

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Prather, Michael [Univ. of California, Irvine, CA (United States)

    2018-01-12

    This proposal seeks to maintain the DOE-ACME (offshoot of CESM) as one of the leading CCMs to evaluate near-term climate mitigation. It will implement, test, and optimize the new UCI photolysis codes within CESM CAM5 and new CAM versions in ACME. Fast-J is a high-order-accuracy (8 stream) code for calculating solar scattering and absorption in a single column atmosphere containing clouds, aerosols, and gases that was developed at UCI and implemented in CAM5 under the previous BER/SciDAC grant.

  5. International workshop on multimodal virtual and augmented reality (workshop summary)

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Hürst, W.O.; Iwai, Daisuke; Balakrishnan, Prabhakaran

    2016-01-01

    Virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) are expected by many to become the next wave of computing with significant impacts on our daily lives. Motivated by this, we organized a workshop on “Multimodal Virtual and Augmented Reality (MVAR)” at the 18th ACM International Conference on

  6. Construction of improved temperature-sensitive and mobilizable vectors and their use for constructing mutations in the adhesin-encoding acm gene of poorly transformable clinical Enterococcus faecium strains.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nallapareddy, Sreedhar R; Singh, Kavindra V; Murray, Barbara E

    2006-01-01

    Inactivation by allelic exchange in clinical isolates of the emerging nosocomial pathogen Enterococcus faecium has been hindered by lack of efficient tools, and, in this study, transformation of clinical isolates was found to be particularly problematic. For this reason, a vector for allelic replacement (pTEX5500ts) was constructed that includes (i) the pWV01-based gram-positive repAts replication region, which is known to confer a high degree of temperature intolerance, (ii) Escherichia coli oriR from pUC18, (iii) two extended multiple-cloning sites located upstream and downstream of one of the marker genes for efficient cloning of flanking regions for double-crossover mutagenesis, (iv) transcriptional terminator sites to terminate undesired readthrough, and (v) a synthetic extended promoter region containing the cat gene for allelic exchange and a high-level gentamicin resistance gene, aph(2'')-Id, to distinguish double-crossover recombination, both of which are functional in gram-positive and gram-negative backgrounds. To demonstrate the functionality of this vector, the vector was used to construct an acm (encoding an adhesin to collagen from E. faecium) deletion mutant of a poorly transformable multidrug-resistant E. faecium endocarditis isolate, TX0082. The acm-deleted strain, TX6051 (TX0082Deltaacm), was shown to lack Acm on its surface, which resulted in the abolishment of the collagen adherence phenotype observed in TX0082. A mobilizable derivative (pTEX5501ts) that contains oriT of Tn916 to facilitate conjugative transfer from the transformable E. faecalis strain JH2Sm::Tn916 to E. faecium was also constructed. Using this vector, the acm gene of a nonelectroporable E. faecium wound isolate was successfully interrupted. Thus, pTEX5500ts and its mobilizable derivative demonstrated their roles as important tools by helping to create the first reported allelic replacement in E. faecium; the constructed this acm deletion mutant will be useful for assessing the

  7. An international observational study suggests that artificial intelligence for clinical decision support optimizes anemia management in hemodialysis patients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Barbieri, Carlo; Molina, Manuel; Ponce, Pedro; Tothova, Monika; Cattinelli, Isabella; Ion Titapiccolo, Jasmine; Mari, Flavio; Amato, Claudia; Leipold, Frank; Wehmeyer, Wolfgang; Stuard, Stefano; Stopper, Andrea; Canaud, Bernard

    2016-08-01

    Managing anemia in hemodialysis patients can be challenging because of competing therapeutic targets and individual variability. Because therapy recommendations provided by a decision support system can benefit both patients and doctors, we evaluated the impact of an artificial intelligence decision support system, the Anemia Control Model (ACM), on anemia outcomes. Based on patient profiles, the ACM was built to recommend suitable erythropoietic-stimulating agent doses. Our retrospective study consisted of a 12-month control phase (standard anemia care), followed by a 12-month observation phase (ACM-guided care) encompassing 752 patients undergoing hemodialysis therapy in 3 NephroCare clinics located in separate countries. The percentage of hemoglobin values on target, the median darbepoetin dose, and individual hemoglobin fluctuation (estimated from the intrapatient hemoglobin standard deviation) were deemed primary outcomes. In the observation phase, median darbepoetin consumption significantly decreased from 0.63 to 0.46 μg/kg/month, whereas on-target hemoglobin values significantly increased from 70.6% to 76.6%, reaching 83.2% when the ACM suggestions were implemented. Moreover, ACM introduction led to a significant decrease in hemoglobin fluctuation (intrapatient standard deviation decreased from 0.95 g/dl to 0.83 g/dl). Thus, ACM support helped improve anemia outcomes of hemodialysis patients, minimizing erythropoietic-stimulating agent use with the potential to reduce the cost of treatment. Copyright © 2016 International Society of Nephrology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  8. Proceeding of the ACM/IEEE-CS Joint Conference on Digital Libraries (1st, Roanoke, Virginia, June 24-28, 2001).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Association for Computing Machinery, New York, NY.

    Papers in this Proceedings of the ACM/IEEE-CS Joint Conference on Digital Libraries (Roanoke, Virginia, June 24-28, 2001) discuss: automatic genre analysis; text categorization; automated name authority control; automatic event generation; linked active content; designing e-books for legal research; metadata harvesting; mapping the…

  9. acme: The Amendable Coal-Fire Modeling Exercise. A C++ Class Library for the Numerical Simulation of Coal-Fires

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wuttke, Manfred W.

    2017-04-01

    At LIAG, we use numerical models to develop and enhance understanding of coupled transport processes and to predict the dynamics of the system under consideration. Topics include geothermal heat utilization, subrosion processes, and spontaneous underground coal fires. Although the details make it inconvenient if not impossible to apply a single code implementation to all systems, their investigations go along similar paths: They all depend on the solution of coupled transport equations. We thus saw a need for a modular code system with open access for the various communities to maximize the shared synergistic effects. To this purpose we develop the oops! ( open object-oriented parallel solutions) - toolkit, a C++ class library for the numerical solution of mathematical models of coupled thermal, hydraulic and chemical processes. This is used to develop problem-specific libraries like acme( amendable coal-fire modeling exercise), a class library for the numerical simulation of coal-fires and applications like kobra (Kohlebrand, german for coal-fire), a numerical simulation code for standard coal-fire models. Basic principle of the oops!-code system is the provision of data types for the description of space and time dependent data fields, description of terms of partial differential equations (pde), their discretisation and solving methods. Coupling of different processes, described by their particular pde is modeled by an automatic timescale-ordered operator-splitting technique. acme is a derived coal-fire specific application library, depending on oops!. If specific functionalities of general interest are implemented and have been tested they will be assimilated into the main oops!-library. Interfaces to external pre- and post-processing tools are easily implemented. Thus a construction kit which can be arbitrarily amended is formed. With the kobra-application constructed with acme we study the processes and propagation of shallow coal seam fires in particular in

  10. Autonomic Cluster Management System (ACMS): A Demonstration of Autonomic Principles at Work

    Science.gov (United States)

    Baldassari, James D.; Kopec, Christopher L.; Leshay, Eric S.; Truszkowski, Walt; Finkel, David

    2005-01-01

    Cluster computing, whereby a large number of simple processors or nodes are combined together to apparently function as a single powerful computer, has emerged as a research area in its own right. The approach offers a relatively inexpensive means of achieving significant computational capabilities for high-performance computing applications, while simultaneously affording the ability to. increase that capability simply by adding more (inexpensive) processors. However, the task of manually managing and con.guring a cluster quickly becomes impossible as the cluster grows in size. Autonomic computing is a relatively new approach to managing complex systems that can potentially solve many of the problems inherent in cluster management. We describe the development of a prototype Automatic Cluster Management System (ACMS) that exploits autonomic properties in automating cluster management.

  11. Analysis of Residual Nuclide in a ACM and ACCT of 100-MeV proton beamline By measurement X-ray Spectrum

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Park, Jeong-Min; Yun, Sang-Pil; Kim, Han-Sung; Kwon, Hyeok-Jung; Cho, Yong-Sub [Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Gyeongju (Korea, Republic of)

    2015-10-15

    The proton beam is provides to users as various energy range from 20 MeV to 100 MeV. After protons generated from the ion source are accelerated to 100 MeV and irradiated to target through bending magnet and AC magnet. At this time, relatively high dose X-ray is emitted due to collision of proton and components of beamline. The generated X-ray is remaining after the accelerator is turned off and analyzing residual nuclides through the measurement of X-ray spectrum. Then identify the components that are the primary cause of residual nuclides are detected form the AC magnet(ACM) and associated components (ACCT). Analysis of the X-ray spectrum generated form the AC magnet(ACM) and AC current transformer(ACCT) of 100 MeV beamline according to the proton beam irradiation, most of the residual nuclides are identified it can be seen that emission in the stainless steel by beam loss.

  12. ARM Airborne Carbon Measurements VI (ARM-ACME VI) Field Campaign Report

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Biraud, Sebastien [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)

    2017-05-01

    From October 1, 2015 through September 30, 2016, AAF deployed a Cessna 206 aircraft over the Southern Great Plains, collecting observations of trace gas mixing ratios over the ARM/SGP Central Facility. The aircraft payload included two Atmospheric Observing Systems (AOS Inc.) analyzers for continuous measurements of CO2, and a 12-flask sampler for analysis of carbon cycle gases (CO2, CO, CH4, N2O, 13CO2). The aircraft payload also includes solar/infrared radiation measurements. This research (supported by DOE ARM and TES programs) builds upon previous ARM-ACME missions. The goal of these measurements is to improve understanding of: (a) the carbon exchange of the ARM region; (b) how CO2 and associated water and energy fluxes influence radiative forcing, convective processes, and CO2 concentrations over the ARM region, and (c) how greenhouse gases are transported on continental scales.

  13. Gaseous Non-Premixed Flame Research Planned for the International Space Station

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stocker, Dennis P.; Takahashi, Fumiaki; Hickman, J. Mark; Suttles, Andrew C.

    2014-01-01

    Thus far, studies of gaseous diffusion flames on the International Space Station (ISS) have been limited to research conducted in the Microgravity Science Glovebox (MSG) in mid-2009 and early 2012. The research was performed with limited instrumentation, but novel techniques allowed for the determination of the soot temperature and volume fraction. Development is now underway for the next experiments of this type. The Advanced Combustion via Microgravity Experiments (ACME) project consists of five independent experiments that will be conducted with expanded instrumentation within the stations Combustion Integrated Rack (CIR). ACMEs goals are to improve our understanding of flame stability and extinction limits, soot control and reduction, oxygen-enriched combustion which could enable practical carbon sequestration, combustion at fuel lean conditions where both optimum performance and low emissions can be achieved, the use of electric fields for combustion control, and materials flammability. The microgravity environment provides longer residence times and larger length scales, yielding a broad range of flame conditions which are beneficial for simplified analysis, e.g., of limit behaviour where chemical kinetics are important. The detailed design of the modular ACME hardware, e.g., with exchangeable burners, is nearing completion, and it is expected that on-orbit testing will begin in 2016.

  14. Selective desulfurization of cysteine in the presence of Cys(Acm) in polypeptides obtained by native chemical ligation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pentelute, Brad L; Kent, Stephen B H

    2007-02-15

    Increased versatility for the synthesis of proteins and peptides by native chemical ligation requires the ability to ligate at positions other than Cys. Here, we report that Raney nickel can be used under standard conditions for the selective desulfurization of Cys in the presence of Cys(Acm). This simple and practical tactic enables the more common Xaa-Ala junctions to be used as ligation sites for the chemical synthesis of Cys-containing peptides and proteins. [reaction: see text].

  15. BioSTEC 2017: 10th International Joint Conference on Biomedical Engineering Systems and Technologies : Proceedings Volume 5: HealthInf

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    2017-01-01

    This book contains the proceedings of the 10th International Joint Conference on Biomedical Engineering Systems and Technologies (BIOSTEC 2017). This conference is sponsored by the Institute for Systems and Technologies of Information, Control and Communication (INSTICC), in cooperation with the ACM

  16. Preventive maintenance plan of the air-conditioning duct using the ACM-sensor

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fukuba, Kazushi; Ito, Takanobu; Kojima, Akiko; Tanji, Kazuhiro; Sato, Yuki

    2013-01-01

    Air-conditioning duct is difficult to predict the date to occur of corrosion such as affect the function. Therefore, the current conservation method is mostly corrective maintenance. Therefore, we used the test pieces of six types and ACM-sensor in order to solve the corrosion speed from corrosion environment and relationship of corrosion quantity of test pieces. In addition, was used the duct molded articles various in order to check the corrosion degree of when processed the duct. As a result, we were selected crust body constituting a duct and optimal combination of the flange by solve the corrosion speed of the test pieces various. Thus, it performs preventive disposal before to occur of corrosion such as affect the function by predicting the duct life from corrosion speed, and lead to stability and safe operating by appropriate maintenance of equipment. (author)

  17. Design of ET(B) receptor agonists: NMR spectroscopic and conformational studies of ET7-21[Leu7, Aib11, Cys(Acm)15].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hewage, Chandralal M; Jiang, Lu; Parkinson, John A; Ramage, Robert; Sadler, Ian H

    2002-03-01

    In a previous report we have shown that the endothelin-B receptor-selective linear endothelin peptide, ET-1[Cys (Acm)1,15, Ala3, Leu7, Aib11], folds into an alpha-helical conformation in a methanol-d3/water co-solvent [Hewage et al. (1998) FEBS Lett., 425, 234-238]. To study the requirements for the structure-activity relationships, truncated analogues of this peptide were subjected to further studies. Here we report the solution conformation of ET7-21[Leu7, Aib11, Cys(Acm)15], in a methanol-d3/water co-solvent at pH 3.6, by NMR spectroscopic and molecular modelling studies. Further truncation of this short peptide results in it displaying poor agonist activity. The modelled structure shows that the peptide folds into an alpha-helical conformation between residues Lys9-His16, whereas the C-terminus prefers no fixed conformation. This truncated linear endothelin analogue is pivotal for designing endothelin-B receptor agonists.

  18. International Congress on Information and Communication Technology

    CERN Document Server

    Bhatt, Yogesh; Joshi, Amit; Mishra, Durgesh

    2016-01-01

    This volume contains 69 papers presented at ICICT 2015: International Congress on Information and Communication Technology. The conference was held during 9th and 10th October, 2015, Udaipur, India and organized by CSI Udaipur Chapter, Division IV, SIG-WNS, SIG-e-Agriculture in association with ACM Udaipur Professional Chapter, The Institution of Engineers (India), Udaipur Local Centre and Mining Engineers Association of India, Rajasthan Udaipur Chapter. This volume contains papers mainly focused on ICT for Managerial Applications, E-governance, IOT and e-Mining.

  19. CLIC-ACM: generic modular rad-hard data acquisition system based on CERN GBT versatile link

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bielawski, B.; Locci, F.; Magnoni, S.

    2015-01-01

    CLIC is a world-wide collaboration to study the next ''terascale'' lepton collider, relying upon a very innovative concept of two-beam-acceleration. This accelerator, currently under study, will be composed of the subsequence of 21000 two-beam-modules. Each module requires more than 300 analogue and digital signals which need to be acquired and controlled in a synchronous way. CLIC-ACM (Acquisition and Control Module) is the 'generic' control and acquisition module developed to accommodate the controls of all these signals for various sub-systems and related specification in term of data bandwidth, triggering and timing synchronization. This paper describes the system architecture with respect to its radiation-tolerance, power consumption and scalability

  20. HPDC ´12 : proceedings of the 21st ACM symposium on high-performance parallel and distributed computing, June 18-22, 2012, Delft, The Netherlands

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Epema, D.H.J.; Kielmann, T.; Ripeanu, M.

    2012-01-01

    Welcome to ACM HPDC 2012! This is the twenty-first year of HPDC and we are pleased to report that our community continues to grow in size, quality and reputation. The program consists of three days packed with presentations on the latest developments in high-performance parallel and distributed

  1. Unified Access Architecture for Large-Scale Scientific Datasets

    Science.gov (United States)

    Karna, Risav

    2014-05-01

    data formats have been anticipated and considered during the design of the unified architecture. The research focuses on the feasibility of the designed coupling mechanism and the evaluation of the efficiency and benefits of our proposed unified access architecture. Zhang 2011: Zhang, Ying and Kersten, Martin and Ivanova, Milena and Nes, Niels, SciQL: Bridging the Gap Between Science and Relational DBMS, Proceedings of the 15th Symposium on International Database Engineering Applications, 2011. Baumann 98: Baumann, P., Dehmel, A., Furtado, P., Ritsch, R., Widmann, N., "The Multidimensional Database System RasDaMan", SIGMOD 1998, Proceedings ACM SIGMOD International Conference on Management of Data, June 2-4, 1998, Seattle, Washington, 1998. hadoop1: hadoop.apache.org, "Hadoop", http://hadoop.apache.org/, [Online; accessed 12-Jan-2014]. scalapack1: netlib.org/scalapack, "ScaLAPACK", http://www.netlib.org/scalapack,[Online; accessed 12-Jan-2014]. r1: r-project.org, "R", http://www.r-project.org/,[Online; accessed 12-Jan-2014]. matlab1: mathworks.com, "Matlab Documentation", http://www.mathworks.de/de/help/matlab/,[Online; accessed 12-Jan-2014]. scidbusr1: scidb.org, "SciDB User's Guide", http://scidb.org/HTMLmanual/13.6/scidb_ug,[Online; accessed 01-Dec-2013].

  2. 3rd International Conference on Simulation and Modeling Methodologies, Technologies and Applications

    CERN Document Server

    Koziel, Slawomir; Kacprzyk, Janusz; Leifsson, Leifur; Ören, Tuncer

    2015-01-01

    This book includes extended and revised versions of a set of selected papers from the 3rd International Conference on Simulation and Modeling Methodologies, Technologies and Applications (SIMULTECH 2013) which was co-organized by the Reykjavik University (RU) and sponsored by the Institute for Systems and Technologies of Information, Control and Communication (INSTICC). SIMULTECH 2013 was held in cooperation with the ACM SIGSIM - Special Interest Group (SIG) on SImulation and Modeling (SIM), Movimento Italiano Modellazione e Simulazione (MIMOS) and AIS Special Interest Group on Modeling and Simulation (AIS SIGMAS) and technically co-sponsored by the Society for Modeling & Simulation International (SCS), Liophant Simulation, Simulation Team and International Federation for Information Processing (IFIP). This proceedings brings together researchers, engineers, applied mathematicians and practitioners working in the advances and applications in the field of system simulation.

  3. Experimental determination of the partitioning coefficient and volatility of important BVOC oxidation products using the Aerosol Collection Module (ACM) coupled to a PTR-ToF-MS

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gkatzelis, G.; Hohaus, T.; Tillmann, R.; Schmitt, S. H.; Yu, Z.; Schlag, P.; Wegener, R.; Kaminski, M.; Kiendler-Scharr, A.

    2015-12-01

    Atmospheric aerosol can alter the Earth's radiative budget and global climate but can also affect human health. A dominant contributor to the submicrometer particulate matter (PM) is organic aerosol (OA). OA can be either directly emitted through e.g. combustion processes (primary OA) or formed through the oxidation of organic gases (secondary organic aerosol, SOA). A detailed understanding of SOA formation is of importance as it constitutes a major contribution to the total OA. The partitioning between the gas and particle phase as well as the volatility of individual components of SOA is yet poorly understood adding uncertainties and thus complicating climate modelling. In this work, a new experimental methodology was used for compound-specific analysis of organic aerosol. The Aerosol Collection Module (ACM) is a newly developed instrument that deploys an aerodynamic lens to separate the gas and particle phase of an aerosol. The particle phase is directed to a cooled sampling surface. After collection particles are thermally desorbed and transferred to a detector for further analysis. In the present work, the ACM was coupled to a Proton Transfer Reaction-Time of Flight-Mass Spectrometer (PTR-ToF-MS) to detect and quantify organic compounds partitioning between the gas and particle phase. This experimental approach was used in a set of experiments at the atmosphere simulation chamber SAPHIR to investigate SOA formation. Ozone oxidation with subsequent photochemical aging of β-pinene, limonene and real plant emissions from Pinus sylvestris (Scots pine) were studied. Simultaneous measurement of the gas and particle phase using the ACM-PTR-ToF-MS allows to report partitioning coefficients of important BVOC oxidation products. Additionally, volatility trends and changes of the SOA with photochemical aging are investigated and compared for all systems studied.

  4. Fabrication of 93.7 m long PLD-EuBCO + BaHfO_3 coated conductors with 103 A/cm W at 77 K under 3 T

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yoshida, T.; Ibi, A.; Takahashi, T.; Yoshizumi, M.; Izumi, T.; Shiohara, Y.

    2015-01-01

    Highlights: • A 93.7 m long EuBCO + BHO CC with 103 A/cm W at 77 K under 3 T was obtained. • The 93.7 m long CC showed high I_c values and high n-values with high uniformity. • The average I_c value at 77 K under 3 T was estimated by that at 77 K under 0.3 T. - Abstract: Introduction of artificial pinning centers such as BaHfO_3 (BHO), BaZrO_3 (BZO) and BaSnO_3 (BSO) into REBa_2Cu_3O_7_−_δ (REBCO) coated conductor (CC) layers could improve the in-field critical currents (I_c) in wide ranges of temperatures and magnetic fields. In particular, a combination of EuBCO + BHO has been found to be effective for attaining high in-field I_c performance by means of IBAD/PLD process in short length samples. In this work, we have successfully fabricated a 93.7 m long EuBCO + BHO CC with 103 A/cm W at 77 K under a magnet field (B) of 3 T applied perpendicular to the CC (B//c). The 93.7 m long EuBCO + BHO CC had high uniformity of I_c values and n-values without any trend of fluctuations, independent of the external field up to 0.3 T. I_c–B–applied angle (θ) profiles of the 93.7 m long EuBCO + BHO CC sample showed the high in-field I_c values in all directions of applied magnetic fields especially B//c (at θ ∼ 180°, I_c = 157 A/cm W) at 77 K under 3 T. The profiles were about the same as those in a short length sample.

  5. Evidence for heterogeneity of astrocyte de-differentiation in vitro: astrocytes transform into intermediate precursor cells following induction of ACM from scratch-insulted astrocytes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, Hao; Qian, Xin-Hong; Cong, Rui; Li, Jing-wen; Yao, Qin; Jiao, Xi-Ying; Ju, Gong; You, Si-Wei

    2010-04-01

    Our previous study definitely demonstrated that the mature astrocytes could undergo a de-differentiation process and further transform into pluripotential neural stem cells (NSCs), which might well arise from the effect of diffusible factors released from scratch-insulted astrocytes. However, these neurospheres passaged from one neurosphere-derived from de-differentiated astrocytes possessed a completely distinct characteristic in the differentiation behavior, namely heterogeneity of differentiation. The heterogeneity in cell differentiation has become a crucial but elusive issue. In this study, we show that purified astrocytes could de-differentiate into intermediate precursor cells (IPCs) with addition of scratch-insulted astrocyte-conditioned medium (ACM) to the culture, which can express NG2 and A2B5, the IPCs markers. Apart from the number of NG2(+) and A2B5(+) cells, the percentage of proliferative cells as labeled with BrdU progressively increased with prolonged culture period ranging from 1 to 10 days. Meanwhile, the protein level of A2B5 in cells also increased significantly. These results revealed that not all astrocytes could de-differentiate fully into NSCs directly when induced by ACM, rather they generated intermediate or more restricted precursor cells that might undergo progressive de-differentiation to generate NSCs.

  6. Improving simulated spatial distribution of productivity and biomass in Amazon forests using the ACME land model

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, X.; Thornton, P. E.; Ricciuto, D. M.; Shi, X.; Xu, M.; Hoffman, F. M.; Norby, R. J.

    2017-12-01

    Tropical forests play a crucial role in the global carbon cycle, accounting for one third of the global NPP and containing about 25% of global vegetation biomass and soil carbon. This is particularly true for tropical forests in the Amazon region, as it comprises approximately 50% of the world's tropical forests. It is therefore important for us to understand and represent the processes that determine the fluxes and storage of carbon in these forests. In this study, we show that the implementation of phosphorus (P) cycle and P limitation in the ACME Land Model (ALM) improves simulated spatial pattern of NPP. The P-enabled ALM is able to capture the west-to-east gradient of productivity, consistent with field observations. We also show that by improving the representation of mortality processes, ALM is able to reproduce the observed spatial pattern of above ground biomass across the Amazon region.

  7. Can Pearlite form Outside of the Hultgren Extrapolation of the Ae3 and Acm Phase Boundaries?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Aranda, M. M.; Rementeria, R.; Capdevila, C.; Hackenberg, R. E.

    2016-02-01

    It is usually assumed that ferrous pearlite can form only when the average austenite carbon concentration C 0 lies between the extrapolated Ae3 ( γ/ α) and Acm ( γ/ θ) phase boundaries (the "Hultgren extrapolation"). This "mutual supersaturation" criterion for cooperative lamellar nucleation and growth is critically examined from a historical perspective and in light of recent experiments on coarse-grained hypoeutectoid steels which show pearlite formation outside the Hultgren extrapolation. This criterion, at least as interpreted in terms of the average austenite composition, is shown to be unnecessarily restrictive. The carbon fluxes evaluated from Brandt's solution are sufficient to allow pearlite growth both inside and outside the Hultgren Extrapolation. As for the feasibility of the nucleation events leading to pearlite, the only criterion is that there are some local regions of austenite inside the Hultgren Extrapolation, even if the average austenite composition is outside.

  8. Enterococcus faecium biofilm formation: identification of major autolysin AtlAEfm, associated Acm surface localization, and AtlAEfm-independent extracellular DNA Release.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Paganelli, Fernanda L; Willems, Rob J L; Jansen, Pamela; Hendrickx, Antoni; Zhang, Xinglin; Bonten, Marc J M; Leavis, Helen L

    2013-04-16

    Enterococcus faecium is an important multidrug-resistant nosocomial pathogen causing biofilm-mediated infections in patients with medical devices. Insight into E. faecium biofilm pathogenesis is pivotal for the development of new strategies to prevent and treat these infections. In several bacteria, a major autolysin is essential for extracellular DNA (eDNA) release in the biofilm matrix, contributing to biofilm attachment and stability. In this study, we identified and functionally characterized the major autolysin of E. faecium E1162 by a bioinformatic genome screen followed by insertional gene disruption of six putative autolysin genes. Insertional inactivation of locus tag EfmE1162_2692 resulted in resistance to lysis, reduced eDNA release, deficient cell attachment, decreased biofilm, decreased cell wall hydrolysis, and significant chaining compared to that of the wild type. Therefore, locus tag EfmE1162_2692 was considered the major autolysin in E. faecium and renamed atlAEfm. In addition, AtlAEfm was implicated in cell surface exposure of Acm, a virulence factor in E. faecium, and thereby facilitates binding to collagen types I and IV. This is a novel feature of enterococcal autolysins not described previously. Furthermore, we identified (and localized) autolysin-independent DNA release in E. faecium that contributes to cell-cell interactions in the atlAEfm mutant and is important for cell separation. In conclusion, AtlAEfm is the major autolysin in E. faecium and contributes to biofilm stability and Acm localization, making AtlAEfm a promising target for treatment of E. faecium biofilm-mediated infections. IMPORTANCE Nosocomial infections caused by Enterococcus faecium have rapidly increased, and treatment options have become more limited. This is due not only to increasing resistance to antibiotics but also to biofilm-associated infections. DNA is released in biofilm matrix via cell lysis, caused by autolysin, and acts as a matrix stabilizer. In this study

  9. Multilingual Information Discovery and AccesS (MIDAS): A Joint ACM DL'99/ ACM SIGIR'99 Workshop.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Oard, Douglas; Peters, Carol; Ruiz, Miguel; Frederking, Robert; Klavans, Judith; Sheridan, Paraic

    1999-01-01

    Discusses a multidisciplinary workshop that addressed issues concerning internationally distributed information networks. Highlights include multilingual information access in media other than character-coded text; cross-language information retrieval and multilingual metadata; and evaluation of multilingual systems. (LRW)

  10. Additive Construction with Mobile Emplacement (ACME) / Automated Construction of Expeditionary Structures (ACES) Materials Delivery System (MDS)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mueller, R. P.; Townsend, I. I.; Tamasy, G. J.; Evers, C. J.; Sibille, L. J.; Edmunson, J. E.; Fiske, M. R.; Fikes, J. C.; Case, M.

    2018-01-01

    The purpose of the Automated Construction of Expeditionary Structures, Phase 3 (ACES 3) project is to incorporate the Liquid Goods Delivery System (LGDS) into the Dry Goods Delivery System (DGDS) structure to create an integrated and automated Materials Delivery System (MDS) for 3D printing structures with ordinary Portland cement (OPC) concrete. ACES 3 is a prototype for 3-D printing barracks for soldiers in forward bases, here on Earth. The LGDS supports ACES 3 by storing liquid materials, mixing recipe batches of liquid materials, and working with the Dry Goods Feed System (DGFS) previously developed for ACES 2, combining the materials that are eventually extruded out of the print nozzle. Automated Construction of Expeditionary Structures, Phase 3 (ACES 3) is a project led by the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) and supported by NASA. The equivalent 3D printing system for construction in space is designated Additive Construction with Mobile Emplacement (ACME) by NASA.

  11. 80 A/cm2 electron beams from metal targets irradiated by KrCl and XeCl excimer lasers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Beloglazov, A.; Martino, M.; Nassisi, V.

    1996-05-01

    Due to the growing demand for high-current and long-duration electron-beam devices, laser electron sources were investigated in our laboratory. Experiments on electron-beam generation and propagation from aluminium and copper targets illuminated by XeCl (308 nm) and KrCl (222 nm) excimer lasers, were carried out under plasma ignition due to laser irradiation. This plasma supplied a spontaneous accelerating electric field of about 370 kV/m without an external accelerating voltage. By applying the modified one-dimensional Poisson equation, we computed the expected current and we also estimated the plasma concentration during the accelerating process. At 40 kV of accelerating voltage, an output current pulse of about 80 A/cm2 was detected from an Al target irradiated by the shorter wavelength laser.

  12. Efficient operation scheduling for adsorption chillers using predictive optimization-based control methods

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bürger, Adrian; Sawant, Parantapa; Bohlayer, Markus; Altmann-Dieses, Angelika; Braun, Marco; Diehl, Moritz

    2017-10-01

    Within this work, the benefits of using predictive control methods for the operation of Adsorption Cooling Machines (ACMs) are shown on a simulation study. Since the internal control decisions of series-manufactured ACMs often cannot be influenced, the work focuses on optimized scheduling of an ACM considering its internal functioning as well as forecasts for load and driving energy occurrence. For illustration, an assumed solar thermal climate system is introduced and a system model suitable for use within gradient-based optimization methods is developed. The results of a system simulation using a conventional scheme for ACM scheduling are compared to the results of a predictive, optimization-based scheduling approach for the same exemplary scenario of load and driving energy occurrence. The benefits of the latter approach are shown and future actions for application of these methods for system control are addressed.

  13. Proceedings of International Conference on Communication and Networks

    CERN Document Server

    Verma, Pramode; Trivedi, Bhushan

    2017-01-01

    The volume contains 75 papers presented at International Conference on Communication and Networks (COMNET 2015) held during February 19–20, 2016 at Ahmedabad Management Association (AMA), Ahmedabad, India and organized by Computer Society of India (CSI), Ahmedabad Chapter, Division IV and Association of Computing Machinery (ACM), Ahmedabad Chapter. The book aims to provide a forum to researchers to propose theory and technology on the networks and services, share their experience in IT and telecommunications industries and to discuss future management solutions for communication systems, networks and services. It comprises of original contributions from researchers describing their original, unpublished, research contribution. The papers are mainly from 4 areas – Security, Management and Control, Protocol and Deployment, and Applications. The topics covered in the book are newly emerging algorithms, communication systems, network standards, services, and applications. .

  14. A Type System For Certified Runtime Type Analysis

    Science.gov (United States)

    2002-12-01

    1999 ACM SIGPLAN International Conf. on Functional Pro- gramming (ICFP’99), pages 183–196. ACM Press, September 1999. [Min97] Yasuhiko Minamide. Full...lifting of type parameters. Technical report, RIMS, Kyoto University, 1997. [MMH96] Yasuhiko Minamide, Greg Morrisett, and Robert Harper. Typed

  15. OJPOT: Online Judge & Practice Oriented Teaching Idea in Programming Courses

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Gui Ping; Chen, Shu Yu; Yang, Xin; Feng, Rui

    2016-01-01

    Practical abilities are important for students from majors including Computer Science and Engineering, and Electrical Engineering. Along with the popularity of ACM International Collegiate Programming Contest (ACM/ICPC) and other programming contests, online judge (OJ) websites achieve rapid development, thus providing a new kind of programming…

  16. Temperature profiles from mechanical bathythermograph (MBT) casts from the USS ACME in the North Pacific Ocean in support of the Fleet Observations of Oceanographic Data (FLOOD) project from 1968-04-05 to 1968-04-25 (NODC Accession 6800642)

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — MBT data were collected from the USS ACME in support of the Fleet Observations of Oceanographic Data (FLOOD) project. Data were collected by US Navy; Ships of...

  17. Supplier–customer relationships: Weaknesses in south african automotive supply chains

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M. J. Naude

    2012-11-01

    Full Text Available The South African automotive industry, which is an important sector in the South African economy, needs to function efficiently if it is to compete internationally. However, South African automotive components manufacturers (ACMs are not internationally competitive and automotive assemblers, also known as original equipment manufacturers (OEMs, often import cheaper components from abroad. All parties in the South African automotive supply chains need each other to ensure optimal efficiency and competitiveness. Furthermore, it is vital that good relationships exist between customers and suppliers in the automotive supply chains in South Africa. ACMs are central to automotive supply chains. A survey was conducted among ACMs to determine the nature of relationships that exist between buyers and suppliers in South Africa’s automotive supply chains. The results showed that collaborative relationships do indeed exist between members of the supply chain but that communication, understanding of the parties’ situations and cooperation can improve this relationship and so create total alliance between OEMs and ACMs.

  18. Framework for developing realistic MANET simulations

    CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

    Burke, ID

    2010-04-01

    Full Text Available : Proceedings of the second ACM international workshop on Principles of mobile computing. Toulouse, France, 2002. ACM. Chin, K.-W., Judge, J., Williams, A. & Kermode, R., 2002. Implementation experience with MANET routing protocols. SIGCOMM Comput. Commun... & computing. Long Beach, CA, USA, 2001. ACM. Fall, K. & Varadhan, K., 2003. NS-Manual. [PDF] Available at: http://www.isi.edu/nsnam/ns/doc/ns_doc.pdf . Garrido, P.P., Malumbres, M.P. & Calafate, C.T., 2008. ns-2 vs. OPNET: a comparative study of the IEEE...

  19. Persistent Data/Knowledge Base

    Science.gov (United States)

    1991-06-01

    systems, the most powerful and representative one is probably POSTGRES [20], from the Univer- sity of California at Berkeley. POSTGRES is so named...The POSTGRES system provides objects, Ob- ject IDentifiers (OIDs), compound objects, multiple inheritance, versions, historical data, procedures, and...Stonebreaker and L. Rowe, 1986: The Design of POSTGRES . Pro- ceedings of SIGMOD Conference, Washington DC. [21] U. Dayal and J. Smith, 1985: PROBES: A

  20. A multicopper oxidase is essential for manganese oxidation and laccase-like activity in Pedomicrobium sp. ACM 3067.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ridge, Justin P; Lin, Marianne; Larsen, Eloise I; Fegan, Mark; McEwan, Alastair G; Sly, Lindsay I

    2007-04-01

    Pedomicrobium sp. ACM 3067 is a budding-hyphal bacterium belonging to the alpha-Proteobacteria which is able to oxidize soluble Mn2+ to insoluble manganese oxide. A cosmid, from a whole-genome library, containing the putative genes responsible for manganese oxidation was identified and a primer-walking approach yielded 4350 bp of novel sequence. Analysis of this sequence showed the presence of a predicted three-gene operon, moxCBA. The moxA gene product showed homology to multicopper oxidases (MCOs) and contained the characteristic four copper-binding motifs (A, B, C and D) common to MCOs. An insertion mutation of moxA showed that this gene was essential for both manganese oxidation and laccase-like activity. The moxB gene product showed homology to a family of outer membrane proteins which are essential for Type I secretion in Gram-negative bacteria. moxBA has not been observed in other manganese-oxidizing bacteria but homologues were identified in the genomes of several bacteria including Sinorhizobium meliloti 1021 and Agrobacterium tumefaciens C58. These results suggest that moxBA and its homologues constitute a family of genes encoding an MCO and a predicted component of the Type I secretion system.

  1. Human factors in computing systems: focus on patient-centered health communication at the ACM SIGCHI conference.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wilcox, Lauren; Patel, Rupa; Chen, Yunan; Shachak, Aviv

    2013-12-01

    Health Information Technologies, such as electronic health records (EHR) and secure messaging, have already transformed interactions among patients and clinicians. In addition, technologies supporting asynchronous communication outside of clinical encounters, such as email, SMS, and patient portals, are being increasingly used for follow-up, education, and data reporting. Meanwhile, patients are increasingly adopting personal tools to track various aspects of health status and therapeutic progress, wishing to review these data with clinicians during consultations. These issues have drawn increasing interest from the human-computer interaction (HCI) community, with special focus on critical challenges in patient-centered interactions and design opportunities that can address these challenges. We saw this community presenting and interacting at the ACM SIGCHI 2013, Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, (also known as CHI), held April 27-May 2nd, 2013 at the Palais de Congrès de Paris in France. CHI 2013 featured many formal avenues to pursue patient-centered health communication: a well-attended workshop, tracks of original research, and a lively panel discussion. In this report, we highlight these events and the main themes we identified. We hope that it will help bring the health care communication and the HCI communities closer together. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  2. InAs/GaAs quantum dot lasers with InGaP cladding layer grown by solid-source molecular-beam epitaxy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yeh, N.-T.; Liu, W.-S.; Chen, S.-H.; Chiu, P.-C.; Chyi, J.-I.

    2002-01-01

    This letter presents the lasing properties of InAs/GaAs quantum dot lasers with InGaP cladding layers grown by solid-source molecular-beam epitaxy. These Al-free lasers exhibit a threshold current density of 138 A/cm 2 , an internal loss of 1.35 cm -1 , and an internal quantum efficiency of 31% at room temperature. At a low temperature, a very high characteristic temperature of 425 K and very low threshold current density of 30 A/cm 2 are measured

  3. Improving simulated long-term responses of vegetation to temperature and precipitation extremes using the ACME land model

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ricciuto, D. M.; Warren, J.; Guha, A.

    2017-12-01

    While carbon and energy fluxes in current Earth system models generally have reasonable instantaneous responses to extreme temperature and precipitation events, they often do not adequately represent the long-term impacts of these events. For example, simulated net primary productivity (NPP) may decrease during an extreme heat wave or drought, but may recover rapidly to pre-event levels following the conclusion of the extreme event. However, field measurements indicate that long-lasting damage to leaves and other plant components often occur, potentially affecting the carbon and energy balance for months after the extreme event. The duration and frequency of such extreme conditions is likely to shift in the future, and therefore it is critical for Earth system models to better represent these processes for more accurate predictions of future vegetation productivity and land-atmosphere feedbacks. Here we modify the structure of the Accelerated Climate Model for Energy (ACME) land surface model to represent long-term impacts and test the improved model against observations from experiments that applied extreme conditions in growth chambers. Additionally, we test the model against eddy covariance measurements that followed extreme conditions at selected locations in North America, and against satellite-measured vegetation indices following regional extreme events.

  4. Recent changes in flood damage in the United States from observations and ACME model

    Science.gov (United States)

    Leng, G.; Leung, L. R.

    2017-12-01

    Despite efforts to mitigate flood hazards in flood-prone areas, survey- and report-based flood databases show that flood damage has increased and emerged as one of the most costly disaster in the United States since the 1990s. Understanding the mechanism driving the changes in flood damage is therefore critical for reducing flood risk. In this study, we first conduct a comprehensive analysis of the changing characteristics of flood damage at local, state and country level. Results show a significant increasing trend in the number of flood hazards, causing economic losses of up to $7 billion per year. The ratio of flood events that caused tangible economical cost to the total flood events has exhibited a non-significant increasing trend before 2007 followed by a significant decrease, indicating a changing vulnerability to floods. Analysis also reveals distinct spatial and temporal patterns in the threshold intensity of flood hazards with tangible economical cost. To understand the mechanism behind the increasing flood damage, we develop a flood damage economic model coupled with the integrated hydrological modeling system of ACME that features a river routing model with an inundation parameterization and a water use and regulation model. The model is evaluated over the country against historical records. Several numerical experiments are then designed to explore the mechanisms behind the recent changes in flood damage from the perspective of flood hazard, exposure and vulnerability, which constitute flood damage. The role of human activities such as reservoir operations and water use in modifying regional floods are also explored using the new tool, with the goal of improving understanding and modeling of vulnerability to flood hazards.

  5. A Study on How Conference Papers are Extended into Journal Articles in the Fields of Information Management

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yu-Hui Lu

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available In recent years, some scholarly journals have indicated that they accept rewritten or extended version of a conference paper as long as new content are added to the journal article manuscript and that the original conference paper is included in the references. The extended publishing of conference papers now becomes topic worthy of investigation. This study analyzed the extended works of the conference papers from three major conferences in the fields of information management, i.e., Association for Computing Machinery (ACM’s ACM Conference on Electronic Commerce (ACM EC, ACM Conference on Knowledge Discovery and Data Mining (ACM KDD, and ACM International Conference on Information and Knowledge Management (ACM CIKM. Papers from the 2011 meetings were used as the sample to understand to what extent conference papers have been extended into journal articles and other forms and the lag between conference and journal publishing. It also examined the differences between the conference papers and their extended versions (i.e., journal papers by comparing the changes in authorship, references, article length, tables, and figures. It reveals the current practices of extending conference papers for journal publishing in the information management fields and may help us understand the contemporary scholarly publishing behavior. [Article content in Chinese

  6. Fixing the Problem With Empathy: Development and Validation of the Affective and Cognitive Measure of Empathy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vachon, David D; Lynam, Donald R

    2016-04-01

    Low empathy is a criterion for most externalizing disorders, and empathy training is a regular component of treatment for aggressive people, from school bullies to sex offenders. However, recent meta-analytic evidence suggests that current measures of empathy explain only 1% of the variance in aggressive behavior. A new assessment of empathy was developed to more fully represent the empathy construct and better predict important outcomes--particularly aggressive behavior and externalizing psychopathology. Across three independent samples (N = 210-708), the 36-item Affective and Cognitive measure of Empathy (ACME) was internally consistent, structurally reliable, and invariant across sex. The ACME bore significant associations to important outcomes, which were incremental relative to other measures of empathy and generalizable across sex. Importantly, the affective scales of the ACME-particularly a new "Affective Dissonance" scale--yielded moderate to strong associations with aggressive behavior and externalizing disorders. The ACME is a short, reliable, and useful measure of empathy. © The Author(s) 2015.

  7. WIDM'12 : the proceedings of the twelfth ACM international workshop on Web information and data management, November 2, 2012, Maui, Hawaii, USA

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Fletcher, G.H.L.; Mitra, P.

    2012-01-01

    We give an overview of WIDM 2012, held in conjunction with CIKM2012 inMaui, Hawaii. WIDM 2012 is the twelfth in a series of international workshops on Web Information and Data Management held in conjunction with CIKM since 1998. The objective of the workshop is to bring together researchers and

  8. Immature osteoblastic MG63 cells possess two calcitonin gene-related peptide receptor subtypes that respond differently to [Cys(Acm)(2,7)] calcitonin gene-related peptide and CGRP(8-37).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kawase, Tomoyuki; Okuda, Kazuhiro; Burns, Douglas M

    2005-10-01

    Calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) is clearly an anabolic factor in skeletal tissue, but the distribution of CGRP receptor (CGRPR) subtypes in osteoblastic cells is poorly understood. We previously demonstrated that the CGRPR expressed in osteoblastic MG63 cells does not match exactly the known characteristics of the classic subtype 1 receptor (CGRPR1). The aim of the present study was to further characterize the MG63 CGRPR using a selective agonist of the putative CGRPR2, [Cys(Acm)(2,7)]CGRP, and a relatively specific antagonist of CGRPR1, CGRP(8-37). [Cys(Acm)(2,7)]CGRP acted as a significant agonist only upon ERK dephosphorylation, whereas this analog effectively antagonized CGRP-induced cAMP production and phosphorylation of cAMP response element-binding protein (CREB) and p38 MAPK. Although it had no agonistic action when used alone, CGRP(8-37) potently blocked CGRP actions on cAMP, CREB, and p38 MAPK but had less of an effect on ERK. Schild plot analysis of the latter data revealed that the apparent pA2 value for ERK is clearly distinguishable from those of the other three plots as judged using the 95% confidence intervals. Additional assays using 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine or the PKA inhibitor N-(2-[p-bromocinnamylamino]ethyl)-5-isoquinolinesulfonamide hydrochloride (H-89) indicated that the cAMP-dependent pathway was predominantly responsible for CREB phosphorylation, partially involved in ERK dephosphorylation, and not involved in p38 MAPK phosphorylation. Considering previous data from Scatchard analysis of [125I]CGRP binding in connection with these results, these findings suggest that MG63 cells possess two functionally distinct CGRPR subtypes that show almost identical affinity for CGRP but different sensitivity to CGRP analogs: one is best characterized as a variation of CGRPR1, and the second may be a novel variant of CGRPR2.

  9. From the Padua Muscle Days, the Basic and Applied Myology and the European Journal of Translational Myology to the A&CM Carraro Foundation for Translational Myology

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ugo Carraro

    2017-09-01

    Full Text Available As a young researched I had the option to work on skeletal muscle at the University of Padova, Italy. Introduced to the study of muscle denervation/reinnervation, I started a project on long term denervated muscle that still is my primary interest and took me from rodents’ models of chronic muscle denervation to human spinal cord injury-related muscle denervation and its managements. On the way, I organized a series of conferences in Euganei Hills, Padua, Italy and an international journal, the Basic and Applied Myology. From 2010 this journal changed name to European Journal of Translational Myology, whose contents are focused on Myology, though they have important implications in aging, several neurological disorders and cancer cachexia. A relatively large community of Basic Biologists, Clinicians and Biomedical Technologists (usually meeting separately in very different specialty Conferences recognized the need of a Meeting Series focused on Translational Myology. Thus the Padua Muscle Days (PMD started more than 25 years ago. The next events of the PMD Series will be in Autumn 2017 an one-day Seminar on Easy Aging and a three-day event: The 2017 Fall Padua Experts’ Meeting. During the 2018Spring PMD, the Giovanni Salviati Memorial will be organized to honor a beloved friend and excellent scientist, who abruptly disappeared twenty years ago at the peak of his research activities. Many friends and still-active pupils accepted invitation and will provide the backbone of the Program of the 2018Spring PaduaMuscleDay to be held, March 14-16, 2018 in Euganei Hills and Padua (Italy. All these events will be sponsored by the Interdepartmental Research Centre of Myology of the University of Padova and by the A&CM Carraro Foundation for Translational Myology.

  10. Evaluation of Malware Target Recognition Deployed in a Cloud-Based Fileserver Environment

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-03-01

    many of these detection techniques could be evaded with simple obfuscation. Kolter and Maloof extend Schultz’s research in [KM04] and [KM06]. Their...69 [KM04] Jeremy Z. Kolter and Marcus A. Maloof. Learning to detect malicious executables in the wild. In Proceedings of the tenth ACM SIGKDD...international conference on Knowledge discovery and data mining, KDD ’04, pages 470–478, New York, NY, USA, 2004. ACM. [KM06] J.Z. Kolter and M.A. Maloof

  11. A mechanistic diagnosis of the simulation of soil CO2 efflux of the ACME Land Model

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liang, J.; Ricciuto, D. M.; Wang, G.; Gu, L.; Hanson, P. J.; Mayes, M. A.

    2017-12-01

    Accurate simulation of the CO2 efflux from soils (i.e., soil respiration) to the atmosphere is critical to project global biogeochemical cycles and the magnitude of climate change in Earth system models (ESMs). Currently, the simulated soil respiration by ESMs still have a large uncertainty. In this study, a mechanistic diagnosis of soil respiration in the Accelerated Climate Model for Energy (ACME) Land Model (ALM) was conducted using long-term observations at the Missouri Ozark AmeriFlux (MOFLUX) forest site in the central U.S. The results showed that the ALM default run significantly underestimated annual soil respiration and gross primary production (GPP), while incorrectly estimating soil water potential. Improved simulations of soil water potential with site-specific data significantly improved the modeled annual soil respiration, primarily because annual GPP was simultaneously improved. Therefore, accurate simulations of soil water potential must be carefully calibrated in ESMs. Despite improved annual soil respiration, the ALM continued to underestimate soil respiration during peak growing seasons, and to overestimate soil respiration during non-peak growing seasons. Simulations involving increased GPP during peak growing seasons increased soil respiration, while neither improved plant phenology nor increased temperature sensitivity affected the simulation of soil respiration during non-peak growing seasons. One potential reason for the overestimation of the soil respiration during non-peak growing seasons may be that the current model structure is substrate-limited, while microbial dormancy under stress may cause the system to become decomposer-limited. Further studies with more microbial data are required to provide adequate representation of soil respiration and to understand the underlying reasons for inaccurate model simulations.

  12. Validation of an ambulatory capacity measure in Parkinson disease: a construct derived from the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Parashos, Sotirios A; Elm, Jordan; Boyd, James T; Chou, Kelvin L; Dai, Lin; Mari, Zoltan; Morgan, John C; Sudarsky, Lewis; Wielinski, Catherine L

    2015-01-01

    A construct calculated as the sum of items 13-15, 29, 30 of the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) has been used as an "Ambulatory Capacity Measure" (ACM) in Parkinson disease (PD). Its construct validity has never been examined. A similar construct, consisting of the mean value of the same UPDRS items has been used under the acronym PIGD as a measure of postural instability and gait disorder in PD. To examine the construct validity of the ACM and PIGD in PD. We analyzed data in an existing database of 340 PD patients, Hoehn and Yahr stages (HYS) 1-5 who participated in a study of falls. Number of falls (NOF) was recorded over 4 weeks, and UPDRS (mental, ADL, and motor subscales), HYS, Activities Based Confidence Scale (ABC), Freezing of Gait Questionnaire (FOG), Five Times Sit-to-Stand (FTSS), Timed Up-and Go (TUG), Gait Velocity (GV), and Berg Balance Scale (BBS) evaluations were performed. Internal consistency was assessed by Cronbach's alpha. Construct validity was assessed through correlations of the ACM and PIGD to these measures and to their summed-ranks. A coefficient of determination was calculated through linear regression. Mean age was 71.4, mean age at diagnosis 61.4 years; 46% were women; mean UPDRS subscale scores were: Mental 3.7; ADL 15.7; motor: 27.1; mean ACM was 6.51, and mean PIGD 1.30. Cronbach's alpha was 0.78 for both ACM and PIGD. Spearman correlation coefficients between the ACM/PIGD and ABC, FOG, TUG, GV and BBS were 0.69, 0.72, 0.67, 0.58, and 0.70 respectively. Correlation between the ACM/PIGD and summed-ranks of HYS, NOF, ABC, FOG, FTSS, TUG, GV and BBS was high (Spearman r = 0.823, p < 0.0001); 68% of the variability in the summed-ranks was explained by ACM/PIGD. The ACM and the PIGD are valid global measures and accurately reflect the combined effects of the various components of ambulatory capacity in PD patients with HY stages 1-4.

  13. Preface

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Brand, van den M.G.J.; Gasevic, D.; Gray, J.; Brand, van den M.G.J.; Gasevic, D.; Gray, J.

    2010-01-01

    We are pleased to present the proceedings of the Second International Conference on Software Language Engineering (SLE 2009). The conference was held in Denver, Colorado (USA) during October 5–6, 2009 and was co-located with the 12th IEEE/ACM International Conference on Model-Driven Engineering

  14. ACMS-Data

    Data.gov (United States)

    Department of Homeland Security — The Records of CBP training activities in the academies and in-service field training. This data is for processing by COTS Application Acadis Readiness Suite and is...

  15. Modelling discontinuous well log signal to identify lithological ...

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    1Indian School of Mines (ISM), Dhanbad 826 004, India. ... new wavelet transform-based algorithm to model the abrupt discontinuous changes from well log data by taking care of ...... the 11th ACM International Conference on Multimedia,.

  16. Learning from Learning: the experiences with implementing Adaptive Collaborative Forest Management in Zimbabwe.

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Mutimukuru, T.; Almekinders, C.J.M.

    2011-01-01

    Convinced that participatory resource management is the way forward in the conservation of natural resources, despite the increasing criticism of participatory approaches, the Centre for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) initiated a multi-country adaptive collaborative management (ACM)

  17. Lytr, a phage-derived amidase is most effective in induced lysis of Lactococcus lactis compared with other lactococcal amidases and glucosaminidases

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Steen, Anton; van Schalkwijk, Saskia; Buist, Girbe; Twigt, Marja; Szeliga, Monika; Meijer, Wilco; Kuipers, Oscar P.; Kok, Jan; Hugenholtz, Jeroen

    In the genome of Lactococcus lactis IL1403 five genes encoding peptidoglycan hydrolases are present: four glucosaminidases (acmA, acmB, acmC and acmD) and an endopeptidase (yjgB). Genes for six prophage lysins have also been identified. The genes acmB, acmC, acmD, yjgB and the lysin lytR of prophage

  18. Exposure characteristics of positive tone electron beam resist containing p-chloro-α-methylstyrene

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ochiai, Shunsuke; Takayama, Tomohiro; Kishimura, Yukiko; Asada, Hironori; Sonoda, Manae; Iwakuma, Minako; Hoshino, Ryoichi

    2017-07-01

    The positive tone resist consisted of methyl-α-chloroacrylate (ACM) and α-methylstyrene (MS) has higher sensitivity and higher dry etching resistance than poly (methylmethacrylate) (PMMA) due to the presence of a chlorine atom and a phenyl group. Copolymers consisted of ACM and p-chloro-α-methylstyrene (PCMS), where the additional chlorine atom is introduced in phenyl group compared with ACM-MS resist are synthesized and their exposure characteristics are investigated. ACM-PCMS resist with the ACM:PCMS composition ratio of 49:51 indicates the high solubility for amyl acetate developer. As the ACM composition ratio increases, the solubility of ACM-PCMS resist is suppressed. In both ACM-PCMS and ACM-MS resists, the sensitivity decreases while the contrast increases with increasing ACM ratio. When the composition ratio of ACM:PCMS is 69:31, 100/100 nm line and space pattern having a good shape is obtained at 120 μC/cm2 which is comparable to the required exposure dose for conventional ACM-MS resist with ACM:MS=50:50. Dry etching resistance of ACM:PCMS resists for Ar gas is also presented.

  19. 40 CFR Appendix A to Subpart M of... - Interpretive Rule Governing Roof Removal Operations

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ...-containing material (ACM) is material containing more than one percent asbestos as determined using the... NESHAP classifies ACM as either “friable” or “nonfriable”. Friable ACM is ACM that, when dry, can be crumbled, pulverized or reduced to powder by hand pressure. Nonfriable ACM is ACM that, when dry, cannot be...

  20. Novel derivatives of aclacinomycin A block cancer cell migration through inhibition of farnesyl transferase.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Magi, Shigeyuki; Shitara, Tetsuo; Takemoto, Yasushi; Sawada, Masato; Kitagawa, Mitsuhiro; Tashiro, Etsu; Takahashi, Yoshikazu; Imoto, Masaya

    2013-03-01

    In the course of screening for an inhibitor of farnesyl transferase (FTase), we identified two compounds, N-benzyl-aclacinomycin A (ACM) and N-allyl-ACM, which are new derivatives of ACM. N-benzyl-ACM and N-allyl-ACM inhibited FTase activity with IC50 values of 0.86 and 2.93 μM, respectively. Not only ACM but also C-10 epimers of each ACM derivative failed to inhibit FTase. The inhibition of FTase by N-benzyl-ACM and N-allyl-ACM seems to be specific, because these two compounds did not inhibit geranylgeranyltransferase or geranylgeranyl pyrophosphate (GGPP) synthase up to 100 μM. In cultured A431 cells, N-benzyl-ACM and N-allyl-ACM also blocked both the membrane localization of H-Ras and activation of the H-Ras-dependent PI3K/Akt pathway. In addition, they inhibited epidermal growth factor (EGF)-induced migration of A431 cells. Thus, N-benzyl-ACM and N-allyl-ACM inhibited EGF-induced migration of A431 cells by inhibiting the farnesylation of H-Ras and subsequent H-Ras-dependent activation of the PI3K/Akt pathway.

  1. 78 FR 15014 - Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank Holding Company

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-03-08

    ... Meyer, Jr., individually and as trustee of the: ACM, Jr. 2010 3Y GRAT A, the ACM, Jr. 2010 3Y GRAT B, the ACM, Jr. 2010 3Y GRAT C, the ACM, Jr. 2013 2Y GRAT A, the ACM, Jr. 2013 2Y GRAT B, the ACM, Jr. 2013 2Y GRAT C, the ACM, Jr. 2013 2Y GRAT D, the Katharine Clara Kimmel Non- Exempt Trust C/U Elisabeth...

  2. Artifical Intelligence for Human Computing

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Huang, Th.S.; Nijholt, Antinus; Pantic, Maja; Pentland, A.; Unknown, [Unknown

    2007-01-01

    This book constitutes the thoroughly refereed post-proceedings of two events discussing AI for Human Computing: one Special Session during the Eighth International ACM Conference on Multimodal Interfaces (ICMI 2006), held in Banff, Canada, in November 2006, and a Workshop organized in conjunction

  3. Acemetacin cocrystals and salts: structure solution from powder X-ray data and form selection of the piperazine salt.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sanphui, Palash; Bolla, Geetha; Nangia, Ashwini; Chernyshev, Vladimir

    2014-03-01

    Acemetacin (ACM) is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID), which causes reduced gastric damage compared with indomethacin. However, acemetacin has a tendency to form a less soluble hydrate in the aqueous medium. We noted difficulties in the preparation of cocrystals and salts of acemetacin by mechanochemical methods, because this drug tends to form a hydrate during any kind of solution-based processing. With the objective to discover a solid form of acemetacin that is stable in the aqueous medium, binary adducts were prepared by the melt method to avoid hydration. The coformers/salt formers reported are pyridine carboxamides [nicotinamide (NAM), isonicotinamide (INA), and picolinamide (PAM)], caprolactam (CPR), p-aminobenzoic acid (PABA), and piperazine (PPZ). The structures of an ACM-INA cocrystal and a binary adduct ACM-PABA were solved using single-crystal X-ray diffraction. Other ACM cocrystals, ACM-PAM and ACM-CPR, and the piperazine salt ACM-PPZ were solved from high-resolution powder X-ray diffraction data. The ACM-INA cocrystal is sustained by the acid⋯pyridine heterosynthon and N-H⋯O catemer hydrogen bonds involving the amide group. The acid⋯amide heterosynthon is present in the ACM-PAM cocrystal, while ACM-CPR contains carboxamide dimers of caprolactam along with acid-carbonyl (ACM) hydrogen bonds. The cocrystals ACM-INA, ACM-PAM and ACM-CPR are three-dimensional isostructural. The carboxyl⋯carboxyl synthon in ACM-PABA posed difficulty in assigning the position of the H atom, which may indicate proton disorder. In terms of stability, the salts were found to be relatively stable in pH 7 buffer medium over 24 h, but the cocrystals dissociated to give ACM hydrate during the same time period. The ACM-PPZ salt and ACM-nicotinamide cocrystal dissolve five times faster than the stable hydrate form, whereas the ACM-PABA adduct has 2.5 times faster dissolution rate. The pharmaceutically acceptable piperazine salt of acemetacin exhibits superior

  4. MiR-320a as a Potential Novel Circulating Biomarker of Arrhythmogenic CardioMyopathy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sommariva, Elena; D'Alessandra, Yuri; Farina, Floriana Maria; Casella, Michela; Cattaneo, Fabio; Catto, Valentina; Chiesa, Mattia; Stadiotti, Ilaria; Brambilla, Silvia; Dello Russo, Antonio; Carbucicchio, Corrado; Vettor, Giulia; Riggio, Daniela; Sandri, Maria Teresa; Barbuti, Andrea; Vernillo, Gianluca; Muratori, Manuela; Dal Ferro, Matteo; Sinagra, Gianfranco; Moimas, Silvia; Giacca, Mauro; Colombo, Gualtiero Ivanoe; Pompilio, Giulio; Tondo, Claudio

    2017-07-06

    Diagnosis of Arrhythmogenic CardioMyopathy (ACM) is challenging and often late after disease onset. No circulating biomarkers are available to date. Given their involvement in several cardiovascular diseases, plasma microRNAs warranted investigation as potential non-invasive diagnostic tools in ACM. We sought to identify circulating microRNAs differentially expressed in ACM with respect to Healthy Controls (HC) and Idiopathic Ventricular Tachycardia patients (IVT), often in differential diagnosis. ACM and HC subjects were screened for plasmatic expression of 377 microRNAs and validation was performed in 36 ACM, 53 HC, 21 IVT. Variable importance in data partition was estimated through Random Forest analysis and accuracy by Receiver Operating Curves. Plasmatic miR-320a showed 0.53 ± 0.04 fold expression difference in ACM vs. HC (p ACM (n = 13) and HC (n = 17) with athletic lifestyle, a ACM precipitating factor. Importantly, ACM patients miR-320a showed 0.78 ± 0.05 fold expression change vs. IVT (p = 0.03). When compared to non-invasive ACM diagnostic parameters, miR-320a ranked highly in discriminating ACM vs. IVT and it increased their accuracy. Finally, miR-320a expression did not correlate with ACM severity. Our data suggest that miR-320a may be considered a novel potential biomarker of ACM, specifically useful in ACM vs. IVT differentiation.

  5. Joint Labeling Of Multiple Regions of Interest (Rois) By Enhanced Auto Context Models.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Minjeong; Wu, Guorong; Guo, Yanrong; Shen, Dinggang

    2015-04-01

    Accurate segmentation of a set of regions of interest (ROIs) in the brain images is a key step in many neuroscience studies. Due to the complexity of image patterns, many learning-based segmentation methods have been proposed, including auto context model (ACM) that can capture high-level contextual information for guiding segmentation. However, since current ACM can only handle one ROI at a time, neighboring ROIs have to be labeled separately with different ACMs that are trained independently without communicating each other. To address this, we enhance the current single-ROI learning ACM to multi-ROI learning ACM for joint labeling of multiple neighboring ROIs (called e ACM). First, we extend current independently-trained single-ROI ACMs to a set of jointly-trained cross-ROI ACMs, by simultaneous training of ACMs for all spatially-connected ROIs to let them to share their respective intermediate outputs for coordinated labeling of each image point. Then, the context features in each ACM can capture the cross-ROI dependence information from the outputs of other ACMs that are designed for neighboring ROIs. Second, we upgrade the output labeling map of each ACM with the multi-scale representation, thus both local and global context information can be effectively used to increase the robustness in characterizing geometric relationship among neighboring ROIs. Third, we integrate ACM into a multi-atlases segmentation paradigm, for encompassing high variations among subjects. Experiments on LONI LPBA40 dataset show much better performance by our e ACM, compared to the conventional ACM.

  6. Knowledge and use of asthma control measurement tools in the ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Objective: To investigate the knowledge and use of asthma control measurement (ACM) tools in the management of asthma among doctors working in family and internal medicine practice in Nigeria. Method: A questionnaire based on the global initiative on asthma (GINA) guideline was self-administered by 194 doctors.

  7. Awareness Support in Scientific Event Management with ginkgo

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Reinhardt, Wolfgang; Maicher, Julian; Drachsler, Hendrik; Sloep, Peter

    2011-01-01

    Reinhardt, W., Maicher, J., Drachsler, H., & Sloep, P. B. (2011). Awareness Support in Scientific Event Management with ginkgo. In Proceedings of the 11th International Conference on Knowledge Management and Knowledge Technologies (i-Know’11) (pp. 40:1–40:8). New York, NY, USA: ACM.

  8. Future Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) Design Methodologies and Tool Flows

    Science.gov (United States)

    2008-07-01

    Cruickshank, J. E. Gaffney and R. D. Melbourne, Australia : ACM, 1992. Proceedings of the 14th International Conference on Software Engineering. pp. 327-337... Ridge Compiler Collection Stone Ridge Technology 48 A.3 FPGA Architecture Survey Company Niche 3P plus 1 Technology Coarse-grain configurable IP

  9. Adaptive Modeling of Details for Physically-Based Sound Synthesis and Propagation

    Science.gov (United States)

    2015-03-21

    CONTENTS LIST OF TABLES...Rauber, A., and Merkl, D. (2002). Content -based organization and visualization of music archives. In Proceedings of the tenth ACM international...Interactive simulation of complex audiovisual scenes. Presence: Teleoper. Virtual Environ., 13:99–111. van den Doel, K., Kry, P., and Pai, D. (2001

  10. MO-F-CAMPUS-I-04: Magnetic Resonance Imaging of An in Vitro 3D Tumor Model

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Veiga, C; Long, T; Siow, B; Loizidou, M; Royle, G; Ricketts, K

    2015-01-01

    Purpose: To investigate the use of an in vitro 3D tumor model (tumoroid) as a bio-phantom for repetitive and sequential magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies. Methods: The tissue engineered tumoroid comprised an artificial cancer mass (ACM) containing 30 million HT29 cancer cells seeded in a collagen type I matrix, whose density was increased by plastic compression (dry/wet weight=40%). The ACM was embedded in an uncompressed collagen gel that mimicked the tumor stroma, and the tumoroid was incubated for 24h before imaging. Images were acquired using the 1T ICON™ (Bruker Corporation, Billerica, MA) MRI scanner. T1 maps were calculated using an IR-RARE sequence (TE=12ms, TR=10000ms, 7 inversion times), while for T2 maps a MSME technique (TR=6000ms, 16 echoes) was used. T1 and T2 fittings were performed using a pixel-wise approach to produce relaxometric parametric maps. Results: The images acquired and corresponding T1 and T2 maps indicate contrast between the ACM and the stroma. T1 was 2500 and 2800ms, while T2 was 520 and 760ms, for the ACM and stroma respectively. The ACM construct was not homogenous and internal features were visible, which can be explained by local gradients of cell and/or collagen density. The viability of the cells was confirmed via confocal microscopy for several days after the imaging session, demonstrating the suitability of the tumoroid for sequential imaging studies. Conclusions: We have engineered a tumor model compatible with repetitive and sequential MRI. We found T1 and T2 contrast between the ACM and stroma using a pre-clinical MRI scanner. The model, which enables controllable cell and matrix densities, has potential for a wide range of applications in radiotherapy, such as to study tumor progression and to validate imaging biomarkers. Further work is necessary to understand the mechanisms behind the contrast achieved, and to correlate findings with biology and histology data

  11. MO-F-CAMPUS-I-04: Magnetic Resonance Imaging of An in Vitro 3D Tumor Model

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Veiga, C; Long, T; Siow, B; Loizidou, M; Royle, G; Ricketts, K [University College London, London (United Kingdom)

    2015-06-15

    Purpose: To investigate the use of an in vitro 3D tumor model (tumoroid) as a bio-phantom for repetitive and sequential magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies. Methods: The tissue engineered tumoroid comprised an artificial cancer mass (ACM) containing 30 million HT29 cancer cells seeded in a collagen type I matrix, whose density was increased by plastic compression (dry/wet weight=40%). The ACM was embedded in an uncompressed collagen gel that mimicked the tumor stroma, and the tumoroid was incubated for 24h before imaging. Images were acquired using the 1T ICON™ (Bruker Corporation, Billerica, MA) MRI scanner. T1 maps were calculated using an IR-RARE sequence (TE=12ms, TR=10000ms, 7 inversion times), while for T2 maps a MSME technique (TR=6000ms, 16 echoes) was used. T1 and T2 fittings were performed using a pixel-wise approach to produce relaxometric parametric maps. Results: The images acquired and corresponding T1 and T2 maps indicate contrast between the ACM and the stroma. T1 was 2500 and 2800ms, while T2 was 520 and 760ms, for the ACM and stroma respectively. The ACM construct was not homogenous and internal features were visible, which can be explained by local gradients of cell and/or collagen density. The viability of the cells was confirmed via confocal microscopy for several days after the imaging session, demonstrating the suitability of the tumoroid for sequential imaging studies. Conclusions: We have engineered a tumor model compatible with repetitive and sequential MRI. We found T1 and T2 contrast between the ACM and stroma using a pre-clinical MRI scanner. The model, which enables controllable cell and matrix densities, has potential for a wide range of applications in radiotherapy, such as to study tumor progression and to validate imaging biomarkers. Further work is necessary to understand the mechanisms behind the contrast achieved, and to correlate findings with biology and histology data.

  12. After Action Report: Cursor On Target International User Group Meeting (2nd). Held on 1-2 April 2014

    Science.gov (United States)

    2014-04-01

    is ready access to the cafeteria and Starbucks coffee bar in an area where all can travel without escort. Use of the ACME facilities adjacent to... price ” they were willing to “pay” in terms of potential modifications to current CoT practices and implementations. Future discussions should focus

  13. Efficient Security Mechanisms for the Border Gateway Routing Protocol

    Science.gov (United States)

    1997-08-22

    Finding Algorithm for Loop- Free Routing. IEEE/ACM Transactions on Networking, 5(1):148{160, Feb. 1997. [7] International Standards Organization. ISO/IEC...Jersey 07974, Feb. 1985. ftp://netlib.att.com/netlib/att/cs/ cstr /117.ps.Z. [16] S. L. Murphy. Presentation in Panel on \\Security Architecture for the

  14. Architecture Support for Runtime Integration and Verification of Component-based Systems of Systems

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Gonzalez, A.; Piel, E.; Gross, H.G.

    2008-01-01

    Preprint of paper published in: ASE 2008 - 23rd IEEE/ACM International Conference on Automated Software Engineering, 15-19 September 2008; doi:10.1109/ASEW.2008.4686292 Systems-of-Systems (SoS) represent a novel kind of system, for which runtime evolution is a key requirement, as components join and

  15. Influence of miscibility phenomenon on crystalline polymorph transition in poly(vinylidene fluoride)/acrylic rubber/clay nanocomposite hybrid.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Abolhasani, Mohammad Mahdi; Naebe, Minoo; Jalali-Arani, Azam; Guo, Qipeng

    2014-01-01

    In this paper, intercalation of nanoclay in the miscible polymer blend of poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) and acrylic rubber(ACM) was studied. X-ray diffraction was used to investigate the formation of nanoscale polymer blend/clay hybrid. Infrared spectroscopy and X-ray analysis revealed the coexistence of β and γ crystalline forms in PVDF/Clay nanocomposite while α crystalline form was found to be dominant in PVDF/ACM/Clay miscible hybrids. Flory-Huggins interaction parameter (B) was used to further explain the miscibility phenomenon observed. The B parameter was determined by combining the melting point depression and the binary interaction model. The estimated B values for the ternary PVDF/ACM/Clay and PVDF/ACM pairs were all negative, showing both proper intercalation of the polymer melt into the nanoclay galleries and the good miscibility of PVDF and ACM blend. The B value for the PVDF/ACM blend was almost the same as that measured for the PVDF/ACM/Clay hybrid, suggesting that PVDF chains in nanocomposite hybrids interact with ACM chains and that nanoclay in hybrid systems is wrapped by ACM molecules.

  16. Ketonization of Proline Residues in the Peptide Chains of Actinomycins by a 4-Oxoproline Synthase.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Semsary, Siamak; Crnovčić, Ivana; Driller, Ronja; Vater, Joachim; Loll, Bernhard; Keller, Ullrich

    2018-04-04

    X-type actinomycins (Acms) contain 4-hydroxyproline (Acm X 0 ) or 4-oxoproline (Acm X 2 ) in their β-pentapeptide lactone rings, whereas their α ring contains proline. We demonstrate that these Acms are formed through asymmetric condensation of Acm half molecules (Acm halves) containing proline with 4-hydroxyproline- or 4-oxoproline-containing Acm halves. In turn, we show-using an artificial Acm half analogue (PPL 1) with proline in its peptide chain-their conversion into the 4-hydroxyproline- and 4-oxoproline-containing Acm halves, PPL 0 and PPL 2, in mycelial suspensions of Streptomyces antibioticus. Two responsible genes of the Acm X biosynthetic gene cluster of S. antibioticus, saacmM and saacmN, encoding a cytochrome P450 monooxygenase (Cyp) and a ferredoxin were identified. After coexpression in Escherichia coli, their gene products converted PPL 1 into PPL 0 and PPL 2 in vivo as well as in situ in permeabilized cell of the transformed E. coli strain in conjunction with the host-encoded ferredoxin reductase in a NADH (NADPH)-dependent manner. saAcmM has high sequence similarity to the Cyp107Z (Ema) family of Cyps, which can convert avermectin B1 into its keto derivative, 4''-oxoavermectin B1. Determination of the structure of saAcmM reveals high similarity to the Ema structure but with significant differences in residues decorating their active sites, which defines saAcmM and its orthologues as a distinct new family of peptidylprolineketonizing Cyp. © 2018 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  17. Report on the "Secure Vehicular Communications: Results and Challenges Ahead" Workshop

    OpenAIRE

    Papadimitratos, Panos; Hubaux, Jean-Pierre

    2008-01-01

    © ACM, (2008). This is the author’s version of the work. It is posted here by permission of ACM for your personaluse. Not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in ACM SIGMOBILE Mobile Computing and Communications Review . http://doi.acm.org/10.114510/1394555.1394567 .QC 20110712

  18. Influence of Miscibility Phenomenon on Crystalline Polymorph Transition in Poly(Vinylidene Fluoride)/Acrylic Rubber/Clay Nanocomposite Hybrid

    Science.gov (United States)

    Abolhasani, Mohammad Mahdi; Naebe, Minoo; Jalali-Arani, Azam; Guo, Qipeng

    2014-01-01

    In this paper, intercalation of nanoclay in the miscible polymer blend of poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) and acrylic rubber(ACM) was studied. X-ray diffraction was used to investigate the formation of nanoscale polymer blend/clay hybrid. Infrared spectroscopy and X-ray analysis revealed the coexistence of β and γ crystalline forms in PVDF/Clay nanocomposite while α crystalline form was found to be dominant in PVDF/ACM/Clay miscible hybrids. Flory-Huggins interaction parameter (B) was used to further explain the miscibility phenomenon observed. The B parameter was determined by combining the melting point depression and the binary interaction model. The estimated B values for the ternary PVDF/ACM/Clay and PVDF/ACM pairs were all negative, showing both proper intercalation of the polymer melt into the nanoclay galleries and the good miscibility of PVDF and ACM blend. The B value for the PVDF/ACM blend was almost the same as that measured for the PVDF/ACM/Clay hybrid, suggesting that PVDF chains in nanocomposite hybrids interact with ACM chains and that nanoclay in hybrid systems is wrapped by ACM molecules. PMID:24551141

  19. Influence of miscibility phenomenon on crystalline polymorph transition in poly(vinylidene fluoride/acrylic rubber/clay nanocomposite hybrid.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mohammad Mahdi Abolhasani

    Full Text Available In this paper, intercalation of nanoclay in the miscible polymer blend of poly(vinylidene fluoride (PVDF and acrylic rubber(ACM was studied. X-ray diffraction was used to investigate the formation of nanoscale polymer blend/clay hybrid. Infrared spectroscopy and X-ray analysis revealed the coexistence of β and γ crystalline forms in PVDF/Clay nanocomposite while α crystalline form was found to be dominant in PVDF/ACM/Clay miscible hybrids. Flory-Huggins interaction parameter (B was used to further explain the miscibility phenomenon observed. The B parameter was determined by combining the melting point depression and the binary interaction model. The estimated B values for the ternary PVDF/ACM/Clay and PVDF/ACM pairs were all negative, showing both proper intercalation of the polymer melt into the nanoclay galleries and the good miscibility of PVDF and ACM blend. The B value for the PVDF/ACM blend was almost the same as that measured for the PVDF/ACM/Clay hybrid, suggesting that PVDF chains in nanocomposite hybrids interact with ACM chains and that nanoclay in hybrid systems is wrapped by ACM molecules.

  20. Genetic basis of arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Karmouch, Jennifer; Protonotarios, Alexandros; Syrris, Petros

    2018-05-01

    To date 16 genes have been associated with arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy (ACM). Mutations in these genes can lead to a broad spectrum of phenotypic expression ranging from disease affecting predominantly the right or left ventricle, to biventricular subtypes. Understanding the genetic causes of ACM is important in diagnosis and management of the disorder. This review summarizes recent advances in molecular genetics and discusses the application of next-generation sequencing technology in genetic testing in ACM. Use of next-generation sequencing methods has resulted in the identification of novel causative variants and genes for ACM. The involvement of filamin C in ACM demonstrates the genetic overlap between ACM and other types of cardiomyopathy. Putative pathogenic variants have been detected in cadherin 2 gene, a protein involved in cell adhesion. Large genomic rearrangements in desmosome genes have been systematically investigated in a cohort of ACM patients. Recent studies have identified novel causes of ACM providing new insights into the genetic spectrum of the disease and highlighting an overlapping phenotype between ACM and dilated cardiomyopathy. Next-generation sequencing is a useful tool for research and genetic diagnostic screening but interpretation of identified sequence variants requires caution and should be performed in specialized centres.

  1. 77 FR 30005 - Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health, Statement of Organization, Functions, and...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-05-21

    .... Specifically, it realigns these functions in the Office of the Surgeon General (ACM) and abolishes the Office... Section AC.20, Functions, delete Paragraph ``I. Office of Surgeon General (ACM),'' in its entirety and replace with the following: I. Office of the Surgeon General (ACM) Section ACM.00 Mission: The Office of...

  2. Adaptive Coding and Modulation Experiment With NASA's Space Communication and Navigation Testbed

    Science.gov (United States)

    Downey, Joseph; Mortensen, Dale; Evans, Michael; Briones, Janette; Tollis, Nicholas

    2016-01-01

    National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)'s Space Communication and Navigation Testbed is an advanced integrated communication payload on the International Space Station. This paper presents results from an adaptive coding and modulation (ACM) experiment over S-band using a direct-to-earth link between the SCaN Testbed and the Glenn Research Center. The testing leverages the established Digital Video Broadcasting Second Generation (DVB-S2) standard to provide various modulation and coding options, and uses the Space Data Link Protocol (Consultative Committee for Space Data Systems (CCSDS) standard) for the uplink and downlink data framing. The experiment was conducted in a challenging environment due to the multipath and shadowing caused by the International Space Station structure. Several approaches for improving the ACM system are presented, including predictive and learning techniques to accommodate signal fades. Performance of the system is evaluated as a function of end-to-end system latency (round-trip delay), and compared to the capacity of the link. Finally, improvements over standard NASA waveforms are presented.

  3. Growth and acid production of Lactobacillus delbrueckii ssp. bulgaricus ATCC 11842 in the fermentation of algal carcass.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, C; Zhang, G F; Mao, X; Wang, J Y; Duan, C Y; Wang, Z J; Liu, L B

    2016-06-01

    Algal carcass is a low-value byproduct of algae after its conversion to biodiesel. Dried algal carcass is rich in protein, carbohydrate, and multiple amino acids, and it is typically well suited for growth and acid production of lactic acid bacteria. In this study, Lactobacillus delbrueckii ssp. bulgaricus ATCC 11842 was used to ferment different algal carcass media (ACM), including 2% ACM, 2% ACM with 1.9% glucose (ACM-G), and 2% ACM with 1.9% glucose and 2g/L amino acid mixture (ACM-GA). Concentrations of organic acids (lactic acid and acetic acid), acetyl-CoA, and ATP were analyzed by HPLC, and activities of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), acetokinase (ACK), pyruvate kinase (PK), and phosphofructokinase (PFK) were determined by using a chemical approach. The growth of L. bulgaricus cells in ACM-GA was close to that in the control medium (de Man, Rogosa, and Sharpe). Lactic acid and acetic acid contents were greatly reduced when L. bulgaricus cells were grown in ACM compared with the control medium. Acetyl-CoA content varied with organic acid content and was increased in cells grown in different ACM compared with the control medium. The ATP content of L. bulgaricus cells in ACM was reduced compared with that of cells grown in the control medium. Activities of PFK and ACK of L. bulgaricus cells grown in ACM were higher and those of PK and LDH were lower compared with the control. Thus, ACM rich in nutrients may serve as an excellent substrate for growth by lactic acid bacteria, and addition of appropriate amounts of glucose and amino acids can improve growth and acid production. Copyright © 2016 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  4. Genetic interrelations in the actinomycin biosynthetic gene clusters of Streptomyces antibioticus IMRU 3720 and Streptomyces chrysomallus ATCC11523, producers of actinomycin X and actinomycin C

    Science.gov (United States)

    Crnovčić, Ivana; Rückert, Christian; Semsary, Siamak; Lang, Manuel; Kalinowski, Jörn; Keller, Ullrich

    2017-01-01

    Sequencing the actinomycin (acm) biosynthetic gene cluster of Streptomyces antibioticus IMRU 3720, which produces actinomycin X (Acm X), revealed 20 genes organized into a highly similar framework as in the bi-armed acm C biosynthetic gene cluster of Streptomyces chrysomallus but without an attached additional extra arm of orthologues as in the latter. Curiously, the extra arm of the S. chrysomallus gene cluster turned out to perfectly match the single arm of the S. antibioticus gene cluster in the same order of orthologues including the the presence of two pseudogenes, scacmM and scacmN, encoding a cytochrome P450 and its ferredoxin, respectively. Orthologues of the latter genes were both missing in the principal arm of the S. chrysomallus acm C gene cluster. All orthologues of the extra arm showed a G +C-contents different from that of their counterparts in the principal arm. Moreover, the similarities of translation products from the extra arm were all higher to the corresponding translation products of orthologue genes from the S. antibioticus acm X gene cluster than to those encoded by the principal arm of their own gene cluster. This suggests that the duplicated structure of the S. chrysomallus acm C biosynthetic gene cluster evolved from previous fusion between two one-armed acm gene clusters each from a different genetic background. However, while scacmM and scacmN in the extra arm of the S. chrysomallus acm C gene cluster are mutated and therefore are non-functional, their orthologues saacmM and saacmN in the S. antibioticus acm C gene cluster show no defects seemingly encoding active enzymes with functions specific for Acm X biosynthesis. Both acm biosynthetic gene clusters lack a kynurenine-3-monooxygenase gene necessary for biosynthesis of 3-hydroxy-4-methylanthranilic acid, the building block of the Acm chromophore, which suggests participation of a genome-encoded relevant monooxygenase during Acm biosynthesis in both S. chrysomallus and S

  5. Cancer recurrence and mortality after pediatric heart transplantation for anthracycline cardiomyopathy: A report from the Pediatric Heart Transplant Study (PHTS) group.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bock, Matthew J; Pahl, Elfriede; Rusconi, Paolo G; Boyle, Gerard J; Parent, John J; Twist, Clare J; Kirklin, James K; Pruitt, Elizabeth; Bernstein, Daniel

    2017-08-01

    We aimed to determine whether malignancy after pediatric HTx for ACM affects overall post-HTx survival. Patients ACM in the PHTS database between 1993 and 2014 were compared to those with DCM. A 2:1 matched DCM cohort was also compared. Wait-list and post-HTx survival, along with freedom from common HTx complications, were compared. Eighty subjects were listed due to ACM, whereas 1985 were listed for DCM. Although wait-list survival was higher in the ACM group, post-HTx survival was lower for the ACM cohort. Neither difference persisted in the matched cohort analysis. Primary cause of death in the ACM group was infection, which was higher than the DCM group. Malignancy rates were not different. All ACM malignancies were due to PTLD without primary cancer recurrence or SMN. Long-term graft survival after pediatric HTx for ACM is no different than for matched DCM peers, nor is there an increased risk of any malignancy. However, risk of infection and death from infection after HTx are higher in the ACM group. Further studies are needed to assess the effects of prior chemotherapy on susceptibility to infection in this group. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  6. Dedifferentiation, Proliferation, and Redifferentiation of Adult Mammalian Cardiomyocytes After Ischemic Injury.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Wei Eric; Li, Liangpeng; Xia, Xuewei; Fu, Wenbin; Liao, Qiao; Lan, Cong; Yang, Dezhong; Chen, Hongmei; Yue, Rongchuan; Zeng, Cindy; Zhou, Lin; Zhou, Bin; Duan, Dayue Darrel; Chen, Xiongwen; Houser, Steven R; Zeng, Chunyu

    2017-08-29

    Adult mammalian hearts have a limited ability to generate new cardiomyocytes. Proliferation of existing adult cardiomyocytes (ACMs) is a potential source of new cardiomyocytes. Understanding the fundamental biology of ACM proliferation could be of great clinical significance for treating myocardial infarction (MI). We aim to understand the process and regulation of ACM proliferation and its role in new cardiomyocyte formation of post-MI mouse hearts. β-Actin-green fluorescent protein transgenic mice and fate-mapping Myh6-MerCreMer-tdTomato/lacZ mice were used to trace the fate of ACMs. In a coculture system with neonatal rat ventricular myocytes, ACM proliferation was documented with clear evidence of cytokinesis observed with time-lapse imaging. Cardiomyocyte proliferation in the adult mouse post-MI heart was detected by cell cycle markers and 5-ethynyl-2-deoxyuridine incorporation analysis. Echocardiography was used to measure cardiac function, and histology was performed to determine infarction size. In vitro, mononucleated and bi/multinucleated ACMs were able to proliferate at a similar rate (7.0%) in the coculture. Dedifferentiation proceeded ACM proliferation, which was followed by redifferentiation. Redifferentiation was essential to endow the daughter cells with cardiomyocyte contractile function. Intercellular propagation of Ca 2+ from contracting neonatal rat ventricular myocytes into ACM daughter cells was required to activate the Ca 2+ -dependent calcineurin-nuclear factor of activated T-cell signaling pathway to induce ACM redifferentiation. The properties of neonatal rat ventricular myocyte Ca 2+ transients influenced the rate of ACM redifferentiation. Hypoxia impaired the function of gap junctions by dephosphorylating its component protein connexin 43, the major mediator of intercellular Ca 2+ propagation between cardiomyocytes, thereby impairing ACM redifferentiation. In vivo, ACM proliferation was found primarily in the MI border zone. An ischemia

  7. Explanation of low efficiency droop in semipolar $(20\\bar 2\\bar 1)$ InGaN/GaN LEDs through evaluation of carrier recombination coefficients

    OpenAIRE

    Monavarian, Morteza; Rashidi, Arman; Aragon, Andrew A.; Oh, Sang H.; Nami, Mohsen; DenBaars, Steve P.; Feezell, Daniel F.

    2017-01-01

    We report the carrier dynamics and recombination coefficients in single-quantum-well semipolar $(20\\bar 2\\bar 1)$ InGaN/GaN light-emitting diodes emitting at 440 nm with 93% peak internal quantum efficiency. The differential carrier lifetime is analyzed for various injection current densities from 5 $A/cm^2$ to 10 $kA/cm^2$, and the corresponding carrier densities are obtained. The coupling of internal quantum efficiency and differential carrier lifetime vs injected carrier density ($n$) enab...

  8. A comparison of properties between carboxylated acrylic rubbers prepared by γ-ray irradiation and chemical method

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wang Weiwei; Chang Zhenqi; Wang Mozhen; Zhang Zhicheng; Lv Pin

    2006-01-01

    Acrylic rubbers (ACM) carboxylated by acrylic acid or itaconic acid were prepared by 60 Co γ-ray or chemical-initiator (K 2 S 2 O 8 ) induced emulsion copolymerization. The polymers were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR). Acid value, molecular weight and polydispersity index (PDI) of the polymers were determined by non-aqueous titration method and gel permeation chromatography (GPC), respectively. Vulcanization and mechanical properties of the filled ACM were studied by rheometric measurement, gel fraction analysis, mechanical property tests and dynamic mechanical thermal analysis (DMTA). The results show that the ACMs prepared by γ-ray irradiation have lower acid value, higher molecular weight and narrower PDI than chemically prepared ACMs of the same compositions. The itaconic acid carboxylated ACM has better cure characteristics and mechanical properties than the acrylic acid carboxylated ACM. The itaconic acid carboxylated ACM prepared by γ-ray irradiation has higher gel fraction and better cure characteristics as well as mechanical properties than that prepared by chemical method. (authors)

  9. Effect of carbonization temperature on the physical and electrochemical properties of supercapacitor electrode from fibers of oil palm empty fruit bunches

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ishak, M. M.; Deraman, M., E-mail: madra@ukm.my; Talib, I. A.; Basri, N. H.; Omar, R.; Nor, N. S. M.; Dolah, B. N. M. [School of Applied Physics, Faculty of Science and Technology, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600 Bangi, Selangor (Malaysia); Awitdrus,; Farma, R.; Taer, E. [School of Applied Physics, Faculty of Science and Technology, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600 Bangi, Selangor (Malaysia); Department of Physics, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, University of Riau, 28293 Pekanbaru, Riau (Indonesia)

    2015-04-16

    Self-adhesive carbon grains (SACG) was prepared from fibers of oil palm empty fruit bunches. The SACG green monoliths were carbonized in N{sub 2} environment at 400, 500, 600 and 700°C to produce carbon monoliths labeled as CM1, CM2, CM3 and CM4 respectively. The CMs were activated in CO{sub 2} surrounding at 800°C for 1 hour to produce activated carbon monolith electrodes (ACM1, ACM2, ACM3 and ACM4). The physical properties of the CMs and ACMs were investigated using X-ray diffraction, field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and N{sub 2} adsorption-desorption isotherm techniques. ACMs were used as electrode to fabricate symmetry supercapacitor cells and the cells’ performances were investigated using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), cyclic voltammetry (CV) and galvanostatic charge-discharge (GCD) standard techniques. In this paper we report the physical and electrochemical properties of the ACM electrodes by analyzing the influence of the carbonization temperature on these properties.

  10. Effect of carbonization temperature on the physical and electrochemical properties of supercapacitor electrode from fibers of oil palm empty fruit bunches

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ishak, M. M.; Deraman, M.; Talib, I. A.; Basri, N. H.; Omar, R.; Nor, N. S. M.; Dolah, B. N. M.; Awitdrus,; Farma, R.; Taer, E.

    2015-01-01

    Self-adhesive carbon grains (SACG) was prepared from fibers of oil palm empty fruit bunches. The SACG green monoliths were carbonized in N 2 environment at 400, 500, 600 and 700°C to produce carbon monoliths labeled as CM1, CM2, CM3 and CM4 respectively. The CMs were activated in CO 2 surrounding at 800°C for 1 hour to produce activated carbon monolith electrodes (ACM1, ACM2, ACM3 and ACM4). The physical properties of the CMs and ACMs were investigated using X-ray diffraction, field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and N 2 adsorption-desorption isotherm techniques. ACMs were used as electrode to fabricate symmetry supercapacitor cells and the cells’ performances were investigated using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), cyclic voltammetry (CV) and galvanostatic charge-discharge (GCD) standard techniques. In this paper we report the physical and electrochemical properties of the ACM electrodes by analyzing the influence of the carbonization temperature on these properties

  11. Generalized Wideband Cyclic MUSIC

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zhang-Meng Liu

    2009-01-01

    Full Text Available The method of Spectral Correlation-Signal Subspace Fitting (SC-SSF fails to separate wideband cyclostationary signals with coherent second-order cyclic statistics (SOCS. Averaged Cyclic MUSIC (ACM method made up for the drawback to some degree via temporally averaging the cyclic cross-correlation of the array output. This paper interprets ACM from another perspective and proposes a new DOA estimation method by generalizing ACM for wideband cyclostationary signals. The proposed method successfully makes up for the aforementioned drawback of SC-SSF and obtains a more satisfying performance than ACM. It is also demonstrated that ACM is a simplified form of the proposed method when only a single spectral frequency is exploited, and the integration of the frequencies within the signal bandwidth helps the new method to outperform ACM.

  12. Acute Confusional Migraine: Distinct Clinical Entity or Spectrum of Migraine Biology?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ashar M. Farooqi

    2018-02-01

    Full Text Available The goal of this review is to explore the literature reports of acute confusional migraine (ACM including patient characteristics, migraine symptomatology, and proposed diagnostic criteria. A literature review was conducted using PubMed, Scopus and Web of Science using the terms “confusional migraine” and “confusional state in migraine”. All the relevant articles from 1970 to 2016 were included. A total of 120 patients were found in the literature. Most of the cases were seen in the pediatric population with a slight male predominance. Personal or family history of migraine was common. Most patients had a headache prior to the confusional state. In addition to confusion and agitation, some developed visual (32.5% and/or sensory symptoms (19% and/or speech problems (39% either prior to or during the confusional state. Data on treatment outcomes is lacking. Patients with most common forms of migraine report attention and cognitive disturbances but awareness remains intact as opposed to patients with ACM. ACM is a distinct entity and should be included as part of the appendix of International Classification of Headache Disoders-3 beta version (ICHD-3β criteria. Prospective studies are needed to further study this disorder and its association with other migraine forms.

  13. Central role for GSK3β in the pathogenesis of arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chelko, Stephen P; Asimaki, Angeliki; Andersen, Peter; Bedja, Djahida; Amat-Alarcon, Nuria; DeMazumder, Deeptankar; Jasti, Ravirasmi; MacRae, Calum A; Leber, Remo; Kleber, Andre G; Saffitz, Jeffrey E; Judge, Daniel P

    2016-04-21

    Arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy (ACM) is characterized by redistribution of junctional proteins, arrhythmias, and progressive myocardial injury. We previously reported that SB216763 (SB2), annotated as a GSK3β inhibitor, reverses disease phenotypes in a zebrafish model of ACM. Here, we show that SB2 prevents myocyte injury and cardiac dysfunction in vivo in two murine models of ACM at baseline and in response to exercise. SB2-treated mice with desmosome mutations showed improvements in ventricular ectopy and myocardial fibrosis/inflammation as compared with vehicle-treated (Veh-treated) mice. GSK3β inhibition improved left ventricle function and survival in sedentary and exercised Dsg2 mut/mut mice compared with Veh-treated Dsg2 mut/mut mice and normalized intercalated disc (ID) protein distribution in both mutant mice. GSK3β showed diffuse cytoplasmic localization in control myocytes but ID redistribution in ACM mice. Identical GSK3β redistribution is present in ACM patient myocardium but not in normal hearts or other cardiomyopathies. SB2 reduced total GSK3β protein levels but not phosphorylated Ser 9-GSK3β in ACM mice. Constitutively active GSK3β worsens ACM in mutant mice, while GSK3β shRNA silencing in ACM cardiomyocytes prevents abnormal ID protein distribution. These results highlight a central role for GSKβ in the complex phenotype of ACM and provide further evidence that pharmacologic GSKβ inhibition improves cardiomyopathies due to desmosome mutations.

  14. Data Acquisition System Design for Advanced Core-Cooling Mechanism Experiment

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhang, Ziyang; Tian, Fang; Zhang, Tao; Wang, Shen

    2011-01-01

    Data Acquisition System (DAS) design for Advanced Core-Cooling Mechanism Experiment(ACME) is studied in the paper. DAS is an important connection between test facility and result analysis. Firstly, it introduces DAS and its design requirement for ACME. Nearly one thousand data resources need record in ACME. They have different types and acquisition frequencies. In order to record these data, a large scale and high speed layered data acquisition system is developed. Secondly, it discusses the DAS design for ACME, including the analog signal adjusting circuits, clock circuit design, sampling frequencies, data storage and transmission by large database system, anti-interference and etc. Analog signal adjusting circuits are necessary to deal with different kinds of input data to gain standard data resources. Some data change slowly and others change in several seconds according to the test performed on ACME. So it is difficult to use uniform sampling frequencies, and a layered data acquisition system is introduced. A large database is built to store data for ACME test, which keeps data safer and makes subsequent data handling more convenient. A database hot backup is also applied to ensure data safety. The software of DAS is built by Labview, which can provide intuitionist result and friendly interface. Another important function of DAS is the ACME safety protection. Finally, the characteristics and improvement of DAS for ACME is analyzed compared to other test facility. Besides friendly user interface, DAS of ACME can also assure higher data precision and sampling frequency

  15. Source localization of intermittent rhythmic delta activity in a patient with acute confusional migraine: cross-spectral analysis using standardized low-resolution brain electromagnetic tomography (sLORETA).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Dae-Eun; Shin, Jung-Hyun; Kim, Young-Hoon; Eom, Tae-Hoon; Kim, Sung-Hun; Kim, Jung-Min

    2016-01-01

    Acute confusional migraine (ACM) shows typical electroencephalography (EEG) patterns of diffuse delta slowing and frontal intermittent rhythmic delta activity (FIRDA). The pathophysiology of ACM is still unclear but these patterns suggest neuronal dysfunction in specific brain areas. We performed source localization analysis of IRDA (in the frequency band of 1-3.5 Hz) to better understand the ACM mechanism. Typical IRDA EEG patterns were recorded in a patient with ACM during the acute stage. A second EEG was obtained after recovery from ACM. To identify source localization of IRDA, statistical non-parametric mapping using standardized low-resolution brain electromagnetic tomography was performed for the delta frequency band comparisons between ACM attack and non-attack periods. A difference in the current density maximum was found in the dorsal anterior cingulated cortex (ACC). The significant differences were widely distributed over the frontal, parietal, temporal and limbic lobe, paracentral lobule and insula and were predominant in the left hemisphere. Dorsal ACC dysfunction was demonstrated for the first time in a patient with ACM in this source localization analysis of IRDA. The ACC plays an important role in the frontal attentional control system and acute confusion. This dysfunction of the dorsal ACC might represent an important ACM pathophysiology.

  16. Ruptura de Tendones Extensores de Dedos por Cubito Plus Idiopático Bilateral

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gustavo Alberto Breglia

    2012-11-01

    Full Text Available Background: Hyaline cartilage has only a very restricted capability of regeneration in the adult. The incidence of chondral lesions at the knee is high, especially those of Grade II/III (Outerbridge. Therapies combining cells and biological scaffolds are promising biological approaches for the treatment of cartilage defects. The aim of this study is to analyze the characteristics of in vitro culture of human chondrocytes on decellularized amniochorionic membrane (ACM. Methods: Between December 2010 and December 2011, 16 samples of cartilage from a living donor were processed, but only 7 of them were analyzed. Chondrocytes were grown and amplified on plastic and on ACM. The following analyses were carried out with those cells: interactions between cells and ACM; ACM capacity as a matrix for cells; and behavior of cells cultured on ACM. Results: In vitro chondrocytes exhibited phenotypic changes in the presence of ACM. The cells were able to adhere and remain on the spongy region of the membrane. Electron microscopy of cultured ACM showed cells, well preserved organelles, endoplasmic reticulum and desmosomes junctions. Conclusions: The feasibility of culturing chondrocytes on ACM was shown in this work. The cells were able to adhere, remain and differentiate on this membrane during the study period.

  17. Nitrogen-doped porous carbon monoliths from polyacrylonitrile (PAN) and carbon nanotubes as electrodes for supercapacitors

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Yanqing; Fugetsu, Bunshi; Wang, Zhipeng; Gong, Wei; Sakata, Ichiro; Morimoto, Shingo; Hashimoto, Yoshio; Endo, Morinobu; Dresselhaus, Mildred; Terrones, Mauricio

    2017-01-01

    Nitrogen-doped porous activated carbon monoliths (NDP-ACMs) have long been the most desirable materials for supercapacitors. Unique to the conventional template based Lewis acid/base activation methods, herein, we report on a simple yet practicable novel approach to production of the three-dimensional NDP-ACMs (3D-NDP-ACMs). Polyacrylonitrile (PAN) contained carbon nanotubes (CNTs), being pre-dispersed into a tubular level of dispersions, were used as the starting material and the 3D-NDP-ACMs were obtained via a template-free process. First, a continuous mesoporous PAN/CNT based 3D monolith was established by using a template-free temperature-induced phase separation (TTPS). Second, a nitrogen-doped 3D-ACM with a surface area of 613.8 m2/g and a pore volume 0.366 cm3/g was obtained. A typical supercapacitor with our 3D-NDP-ACMs as the functioning electrodes gave a specific capacitance stabilized at 216 F/g even after 3000 cycles, demonstrating the advantageous performance of the PAN/CNT based 3D-NDP-ACMs. PMID:28074847

  18. Nitrogen-doped porous carbon monoliths from polyacrylonitrile (PAN) and carbon nanotubes as electrodes for supercapacitors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Yanqing; Fugetsu, Bunshi; Wang, Zhipeng; Gong, Wei; Sakata, Ichiro; Morimoto, Shingo; Hashimoto, Yoshio; Endo, Morinobu; Dresselhaus, Mildred; Terrones, Mauricio

    2017-01-11

    Nitrogen-doped porous activated carbon monoliths (NDP-ACMs) have long been the most desirable materials for supercapacitors. Unique to the conventional template based Lewis acid/base activation methods, herein, we report on a simple yet practicable novel approach to production of the three-dimensional NDP-ACMs (3D-NDP-ACMs). Polyacrylonitrile (PAN) contained carbon nanotubes (CNTs), being pre-dispersed into a tubular level of dispersions, were used as the starting material and the 3D-NDP-ACMs were obtained via a template-free process. First, a continuous mesoporous PAN/CNT based 3D monolith was established by using a template-free temperature-induced phase separation (TTPS). Second, a nitrogen-doped 3D-ACM with a surface area of 613.8 m 2 /g and a pore volume 0.366 cm 3 /g was obtained. A typical supercapacitor with our 3D-NDP-ACMs as the functioning electrodes gave a specific capacitance stabilized at 216 F/g even after 3000 cycles, demonstrating the advantageous performance of the PAN/CNT based 3D-NDP-ACMs.

  19. 77 FR 15145 - Ares Capital Corporation et al.;

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-03-14

    ... Capital Corporation (the ``Company''), Ares Capital Management LLC (``ACM'') and Ivy Hill Asset Management...''). The Board has delegated daily management and investment authority to ACM pursuant to an investment advisory and management agreement between ACM and the [[Page 15146

  20. Genetic interrelations in the actinomycin biosynthetic gene clusters of Streptomyces antibioticus IMRU 3720 and Streptomyces chrysomallus ATCC11523, producers of actinomycin X and actinomycin C

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Crnovčić I

    2017-04-01

    Full Text Available Ivana Crnovčić,1 Christian Rückert,2 Siamak Semsary,1 Manuel Lang,1 Jörn Kalinowski,2 Ullrich Keller1 1Institut für Chemie, Technische Universität Berlin, Berlin-Charlottenburg, 2Technology Platform Genomics, Center for Biotechnology, Bielefeld University, Bielefeld, Germany Abstract: Sequencing the actinomycin (acm biosynthetic gene cluster of Streptomyces antibioticus IMRU 3720, which produces actinomycin X (Acm X, revealed 20 genes organized into a highly similar framework as in the bi-armed acm C biosynthetic gene cluster of Streptomyces chrysomallus but without an attached additional extra arm of orthologues as in the latter. Curiously, the extra arm of the S. chrysomallus gene cluster turned out to perfectly match the single arm of the S. antibioticus gene cluster in the same order of orthologues including the the presence of two pseudogenes, scacmM and scacmN, encoding a cytochrome P450 and its ferredoxin, respectively. Orthologues of the latter genes were both missing in the principal arm of the S. chrysomallus acm C gene cluster. All orthologues of the extra arm showed a G +C-contents different from that of their counterparts in the principal arm. Moreover, the similarities of translation products from the extra arm were all higher to the corresponding translation products of orthologue genes from the S. antibioticus acm X gene cluster than to those encoded by the principal arm of their own gene cluster. This suggests that the duplicated structure of the S. chrysomallus acm C biosynthetic gene cluster evolved from previous fusion between two one-armed acm gene clusters each from a different genetic background. However, while scacmM and scacmN in the extra arm of the S. chrysomallus acm C gene cluster are mutated and therefore are non-functional, their orthologues saacmM and saacmN in the S. antibioticus acm C gene cluster show no defects seemingly encoding active enzymes with functions specific for Acm X biosynthesis. Both acm

  1. Interactive Synthesis of Code Level Security Rules

    Science.gov (United States)

    2017-04-01

    Proceedings of the 9th ACM conference on Computer and communications security, pages 235–244. ACM, 2002. [19] J. Davis. Hacking of government computers...Inductive programming meets the real world. Communications of the ACM, 58(11):90–99, 2015. [24] S. Hallem, B. Chelf, Y. Xie, and D. Engler. A system and...Software Engineering, pages 462–473. ACM, 2015. [37] S. H. Muggleton, D. Lin, and A. Tamaddoni-Nezhad. Meta-interpretive learning of higher- order dyadic

  2. Novel Acetone Metabolism in a Propane-Utilizing Bacterium, Gordonia sp. Strain TY-5▿

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kotani, Tetsuya; Yurimoto, Hiroya; Kato, Nobuo; Sakai, Yasuyoshi

    2007-01-01

    In the propane-utilizing bacterium Gordonia sp. strain TY-5, propane was shown to be oxidized to 2-propanol and then further oxidized to acetone. In this study, the subsequent metabolism of acetone was studied. Acetone-induced proteins were found in extracts of cells induced by acetone, and a gene cluster designated acmAB was cloned on the basis of the N-terminal amino acid sequences of acetone-induced proteins. The acmA and acmB genes encode a Baeyer-Villiger monooxygenase (BVMO) and esterase, respectively. The BVMO encoded by acmA was purified from acetone-induced cells of Gordonia sp. strain TY-5 and characterized. The BVMO exhibited NADPH-dependent oxidation activity for linear ketones (C3 to C10) and cyclic ketones (C4 to C8). Escherichia coli expressing the acmA gene oxidized acetone to methyl acetate, and E. coli expressing the acmB gene hydrolyzed methyl acetate. Northern blot analyses revealed that polycistronic transcription of the acmAB gene cluster was induced by propane, 2-propanol, and acetone. These results indicate that the acmAB gene products play an important role in the metabolism of acetone derived from propane oxidation and clarify the propane metabolism pathway of strain TY-5 (propane → 2-propanol → acetone → methyl acetate → acetic acid + methanol). This paper provides the first evidence for BVMO-dependent acetone metabolism. PMID:17071761

  3. Multiresolution Algorithms for Processing Giga-Models: Real-time Visualization, Reasoning, and Interaction

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-04-23

    Interactive Virtual Hair Salon , Presence, (05 2007): 237. doi: 2012/04/17 12:55:26 31 Theodore Kim, Jason Sewall, Avneesh Sud, Ming Lin. Fast...in Games , Utrecht, Netherlands, Nov. 2009. Keynote Speaker, IADIS International Conference on Computer Graphics and Visualization, Portugal, June 2009...Keynote Speaker, ACM Symposium on Virtual Reality Software and Technology, Bordeaux, France, October 2008. Invited Speaker, Motion in Games , Utrecht

  4. A Comprehensive Theory of Algorithms for Wireless Networks and Mobile Systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    2016-06-08

    pages 109-118, July 2015. [3] Magnus Halldorsson, Stephan Holzer and Nancy Lynch. A Local Broadcast Layer for the SINR Network Model. ACM Symposium on...publication, 2014. [9] Magnus Halldorsson, Stephan Holzer, Pradipta Mitra and Roger Wattenhofer. The Power of Oblivious Wireless Power. Submitted for...David Peleg. Nonuniform SINR+Voronoi Diagrams are Effectively Uniform. In Yoram Moses, editor, Distributed Computing: 29th International Symposium

  5. Improved Dynamic Modeling of the Cascade Distillation Subsystem and Analysis of Factors Affecting Its Performance

    Science.gov (United States)

    Perry, Bruce A.; Anderson, Molly S.

    2015-01-01

    The Cascade Distillation Subsystem (CDS) is a rotary multistage distiller being developed to serve as the primary processor for wastewater recovery during long-duration space missions. The CDS could be integrated with a system similar to the International Space Station Water Processor Assembly to form a complete water recovery system for future missions. A preliminary chemical process simulation was previously developed using Aspen Custom Modeler® (ACM), but it could not simulate thermal startup and lacked detailed analysis of several key internal processes, including heat transfer between stages. This paper describes modifications to the ACM simulation of the CDS that improve its capabilities and the accuracy of its predictions. Notably, the modified version can be used to model thermal startup and predicts the total energy consumption of the CDS. The simulation has been validated for both NaC1 solution and pretreated urine feeds and no longer requires retuning when operating parameters change. The simulation was also used to predict how internal processes and operating conditions of the CDS affect its performance. In particular, it is shown that the coefficient of performance of the thermoelectric heat pump used to provide heating and cooling for the CDS is the largest factor in determining CDS efficiency. Intrastage heat transfer affects CDS performance indirectly through effects on the coefficient of performance.

  6. A NEW COMBINED LOCAL AND NON-LOCAL PBL MODEL FOR METEOROLOGY AND AIR QUALITY MODELING

    Science.gov (United States)

    A new version of the Asymmetric Convective Model (ACM) has been developed to describe sub-grid vertical turbulent transport in both meteorology models and air quality models. The new version (ACM2) combines the non-local convective mixing of the original ACM with local eddy diff...

  7. 76 FR 60871 - In the Matter of Certain Toner Cartridges and Components Thereof; Notice of Commission Final...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-09-30

    ...-Toner''); Alpha Image Tech of South El Monte, California (``Alpha Image''); ACM Technologies, Inc. of Corona, California (``ACM''); Virtual Imaging Products Inc. of North York, Ontario; Acecom Inc.--San... Image, Copy Tech, LTT, C&R, ACM, Ink Master, Direct Billing, Ink Tech, QCI, IJSS, Acecom, Ninestar Tech...

  8. Novel active contour model based on multi-variate local Gaussian distribution for local segmentation of MR brain images

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zheng, Qiang; Li, Honglun; Fan, Baode; Wu, Shuanhu; Xu, Jindong

    2017-12-01

    Active contour model (ACM) has been one of the most widely utilized methods in magnetic resonance (MR) brain image segmentation because of its ability of capturing topology changes. However, most of the existing ACMs only consider single-slice information in MR brain image data, i.e., the information used in ACMs based segmentation method is extracted only from one slice of MR brain image, which cannot take full advantage of the adjacent slice images' information, and cannot satisfy the local segmentation of MR brain images. In this paper, a novel ACM is proposed to solve the problem discussed above, which is based on multi-variate local Gaussian distribution and combines the adjacent slice images' information in MR brain image data to satisfy segmentation. The segmentation is finally achieved through maximizing the likelihood estimation. Experiments demonstrate the advantages of the proposed ACM over the single-slice ACM in local segmentation of MR brain image series.

  9. Skin derived precursor Schwann cell-generated acellular matrix modified chitosan/silk scaffolds for bridging rat sciatic nerve gap.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhu, Changlai; Huang, Jing; Xue, Chengbin; Wang, Yaxian; Wang, Shengran; Bao, Shuangxi; Chen, Ruyue; Li, Yuan; Gu, Yun

    2017-12-27

    Extracellular/acellular matrix has been attracted much research interests for its unique biological characteristics, and ACM modified neural scaffolds shows the remarkable role of promoting peripheral nerve regeneration. In this study, skin-derived precursors pre-differentiated into Schwann cells (SKP-SCs) were used as parent cells to generate acellular(ACM) for constructing a ACM-modified neural scaffold. SKP-SCs were co-cultured with chitosan nerve guidance conduits (NGC) and silk fibroin filamentous fillers, followed by decellularization to stimulate ACM deposition. This NGC-based, SKP-SC-derived ACM-modified neural scaffold was used for bridging a 10 mm long rat sciatic nerve gap. Histological and functional evaluation after grafting demonstrated that regenerative outcomes achieved by this engineered neural scaffold were better than those achieved by a plain chitosan-silk fibroin scaffold, and suggested the benefits of SKP-SC-derived ACM for peripheral nerve repair. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ireland Ltd and Japan Neuroscience Society. All rights reserved.

  10. Genetic Etiology for Alcohol-Induced Cardiac Toxicity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ware, James S; Amor-Salamanca, Almudena; Tayal, Upasana; Govind, Risha; Serrano, Isabel; Salazar-Mendiguchía, Joel; García-Pinilla, Jose Manuel; Pascual-Figal, Domingo A; Nuñez, Julio; Guzzo-Merello, Gonzalo; Gonzalez-Vioque, Emiliano; Bardaji, Alfredo; Manito, Nicolas; López-Garrido, Miguel A; Padron-Barthe, Laura; Edwards, Elizabeth; Whiffin, Nicola; Walsh, Roddy; Buchan, Rachel J; Midwinter, William; Wilk, Alicja; Prasad, Sanjay; Pantazis, Antonis; Baski, John; O'Regan, Declan P; Alonso-Pulpon, Luis; Cook, Stuart A; Lara-Pezzi, Enrique; Barton, Paul J; Garcia-Pavia, Pablo

    2018-05-22

    Alcoholic cardiomyopathy (ACM) is defined by a dilated and impaired left ventricle due to chronic excess alcohol consumption. It is largely unknown which factors determine cardiac toxicity on exposure to alcohol. This study sought to evaluate the role of variation in cardiomyopathy-associated genes in the pathophysiology of ACM, and to examine the effects of alcohol intake and genotype on dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) severity. The authors characterized 141 ACM cases, 716 DCM cases, and 445 healthy volunteers. The authors compared the prevalence of rare, protein-altering variants in 9 genes associated with inherited DCM. They evaluated the effect of genotype and alcohol consumption on phenotype in DCM. Variants in well-characterized DCM-causing genes were more prevalent in patients with ACM than control subjects (13.5% vs. 2.9%; p = 1.2 ×10 -5 ), but similar between patients with ACM and DCM (19.4%; p = 0.12) and with a predominant burden of titin truncating variants (TTNtv) (9.9%). Separately, we identified an interaction between TTN genotype and excess alcohol consumption in a cohort of DCM patients not meeting ACM criteria. On multivariate analysis, DCM patients with a TTNtv who consumed excess alcohol had an 8.7% absolute reduction in ejection fraction (95% confidence interval: -2.3% to -15.1%; p ACM patients. TTNtv represent a prevalent genetic predisposition for ACM, and are also associated with a worse left ventricular ejection fraction in DCM patients who consume alcohol above recommended levels. Familial evaluation and genetic testing should be considered in patients presenting with ACM. Copyright © 2018 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  11. Optimal arrangement of magnetic coils for functional magnetic stimulation of the inspiratory muscles in dogs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lin, Vernon Weh-Hau; Zhu, Ercheng; Sasse, Scott A; Sassoon, Catherine; Hsiao, Ian N

    2005-12-01

    In an attempt to maximize inspiratory pressure and volume, the optimal position of a single or of dual magnetic coils during functional magnetic stimulation (FMS) of the inspiratory muscles was evaluated in twenty-three dogs. Unilateral phrenic magnetic stimulation (UPMS) or bilateral phrenic magnetic stimulation (BPMS), posterior cervical magnetic stimulation (PCMS), anterior cervical magnetic stimulation (ACMS) as well as a combination of PCMS and ACMS were performed. Trans-diaphragmatic pressure (Pdi), flow, and lung volume changes with an open airway were measured. Transdiaphragmatic pressure was also measured with an occluded airway. Changes in inspiratory parameters during FMS were compared with 1) electrical stimulation of surgically exposed bilateral phrenic nerves (BPES) and 2) ventral root electrical stimulation at C5-C7 (VRES C5-C7). Relative to the Pdi generated by BPES of 36.3 +/- 4.5 cm H2O (Mean +/- SEM), occluded Pdi(s) produced by UPMS, BPMS, PCMS, ACMS, and a combined PCMS + ACMS were 51.7%, 61.5%, 22.4%, 100.3%, and 104.5% of the maximal Pdi, respectively. Pdi(s) produced by UPMS, BPMS, PCMS, ACMS, and combined ACMS + PCMS were 38.0%, 45.2%, 16.5%, 73.8%, and 76.8%, respectively, of the Pdi induced by VRES (C5-C7) (48.0 +/- 3.9 cm H2O). The maximal Pdi(s) generated during ACMS and combined PCMS + ACMS were higher than the maximal Pdi(s) generated during UPMS, BPMS, or PCMS (p BPMS or PCMS. ACMS can be used to generate sufficient inspiratory pressure, flow, and volume for activation of the inspiratory muscles.

  12. Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Porous Mullite

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hsiung, Chwan-Hai Harold

    Mullite (3 Al2O3 : 2 SiO2) is a technologically important ceramic due to its thermal stability, corrosion resistance, and mechanical robustness. One variant, porous acicular mullite (ACM), has a unique needle-like microstructure and is the material platform for The Dow Chemical Company's diesel particulate filter AERIFY(TM). The investigation described herein focuses on the microstructure-mechanical property relationships in acicular mullites as well as those with traditional porous microstructures with the goal of illuminating the critical factors in determining their modulus, strength, and toughness. Mullites with traditional pore morphologies were made to serve as references via slipcasting of a kaolinite-alumina-starch slurry. The starch was burned out to leave behind a pore network, and the calcined body was then reaction-sintered at 1600C to form mullite. The samples had porosities of approximately 60%. Pore size and shape were altered by using different starch templates, and pore size was found to influence the stiffness and toughness. The ACM microstructure was varied along three parameters: total porosity, pore size, and needle size. Total porosity was found to dominate the mechanical behavior of ACM, while increases in needle and pore size increased the toughness at lower porosities. ACM was found to have much improved (˜130%) mechanical properties relative to its non-acicular counterpart at the same porosity. A second set of investigations studied the role of the intergranular glassy phase which wets the needle intersections of ACM. Removal of the glassy phase via an HF etch reduced the mechanical properties by ˜30%, highlighting the intergranular phase's importance to the enhanced mechanical properties of ACM. The composition of the glassy phase was altered by doping the ACM precursor with magnesium and neodymium. Magnesium doping resulted in ACM with greatly reduced fracture strength and toughness. Studies showed that the mechanical properties of the

  13. Active contour modes Crisp: new technique for segmentation of the lungs in CT images

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Reboucas Filho, Pedro Pedrosa; Cortez, Paulo Cesar; Holanda, Marcelo Alcantara

    2011-01-01

    This paper proposes a new active contour model (ACM), called ACM Crisp, and evaluates the segmentation of lungs in computed tomography (CT) images. An ACM draws a curve around or within the object of interest. This curve changes its shape, when some energy acts on it and moves towards the edges of the object. This process is performed by successive iterations of minimization of a given energy, associated with the curve. The ACMs described in the literature have limitations when used for segmentations of CT lung images. The ACM Crisp model overcomes these limitations, since it proposes automatic initiation and new external energy based on rules and radiological pulmonary densities. The paper compares other ACMs with the proposed method, which is shown to be superior. In order to validate the algorithm a medical expert in the field of Pulmonology of the Walter Cantidio University Hospital from the Federal University of Ceara carried out a qualitative analysis. In these analyses 100 CT lung images were used. The segmentation efficiency was evaluated into 5 categories with the following results for the ACM Crisp: 73% excellent, without errors, 20% acceptable, with small errors, and 7% reasonable, with large errors, 0% poor, covering only a small part of the lung, and 0% very bad, making a totally incorrect segmentation. In conclusion the ACM Crisp is considered a useful algorithm to segment CT lung images, and with potential to integrate medical diagnosis systems. (author)

  14. Enhancement of tumor cell killing in vitro by pre- and post-irradiation exposure to aclacinomycin A

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bill, C.A.; Mendoza, A.; Vrdoljak, E.; Tofilon, P.J.

    1993-01-01

    Aclacinomycin A (ACM), a potent inducer of leukemic cell differentiation, significantly enhances the radiosensitivity of a human colon tumor cell line (Clone A) when cultures are exposed to 15-nM concentrations for 3 days before irradiation. We now demonstrate that incubation with ACM after irradiation can also enhance Clone A cell killing. The maximum increase in cell killing, based on colony-forming ability, occurred when Clone A cells were exposed for 1 h to 5 μM ACM model added 1 or 2 h after irradiation. The post-irradiation ACM protocol reduced the terminal slope (as reflected by D o ) of the radiation cell survival curve with no change in the low-dose, shoulder region of the curve (D q value). In contrast, for pre-irradiation treatment with ACM (15 nM, 3 days), the shoulder region of the curve was reduced with no change in the terminal slope. For pre- and post-irradiation ACM treatment the dose enhancement factors at 0.10 survival were 1.22 and 1.28, respectively. When ACM was given both before and after irradiation both the shoulder and terminal slope values decreased to produce a dose enhancement factor at a surviving fraction of 0.10 of 1.50. These data suggest that the enhanced cell killing produced by pre- and post-irradiation treatment with ACM is achieved through different mechanisms. (author) 26 refs., 3 tabs., 2 figs

  15. ARM Airborne Carbon Measurements (ARM-ACME) and ARM-ACME 2.5 Final Campaign Reports

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Biraud, S. C. [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Tom, M. S. [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Sweeney, C. [NOAA Earth Systems Research Lab., Boulder, CO (United States)

    2016-01-01

    We report on a 5-year multi-institution and multi-agency airborne study of atmospheric composition and carbon cycling at the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Climate Research Facility’s Southern Great Plains (SGP) site, with scientific objectives that are central to the carbon-cycle and radiative-forcing goals of the U.S. Global Change Research Program and the North American Carbon Program (NACP). The goal of these measurements is to improve understanding of 1) the carbon exchange of the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) SGP region; 2) how CO2 and associated water and energy fluxes influence radiative-forcing, convective processes, and CO2 concentrations over the ARM SGP region, and 3) how greenhouse gases are transported on continental scales.

  16. Molecular Characterization of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus from Outpatients in Northern Japan: Increasing Tendency of ST5/ST764 MRSA-IIa with Arginine Catabolic Mobile Element.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Aung, Meiji Soe; Kawaguchiya, Mitsuyo; Urushibara, Noriko; Sumi, Ayako; Ito, Masahiko; Kudo, Kenji; Morimoto, Shigeo; Hosoya, Shino; Kobayashi, Nobumichi

    2017-07-01

    Arginine catabolic mobile element (ACME) is a genomic island of staphylococcus and is considered to confer enhanced ability to survive and growth on host bacterial cells. ACME has been typically identified in Panton-Valentine Leukocidin (PVL)-positive ST8 methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) with SCCmec type IVa (USA300 clone), and it is also found in other lineages at low frequency. Prevalence and molecular characteristics of PVL + and/or ACME + MRSA were investigated for 624 clinical isolates collected from outpatients in northern Japan from 2013 to 2014. Both PVL genes and ACME type I were detected in nine isolates (1.4%), which were ST8-MRSA-SCCmec IVa/spa type t008/agr-I; whereas solely PVL genes were positive in two isolates, ST30-MRSA-SCCmec IV and ST59-MRSA-SCCmec V. ACME type II' (previously referred to as ACME ΔII) was detected in 36 isolates (5.8%) with SCCmec II and V (32 and 4 isolates, respectively), exhibiting an increased rate within SCCmec II-MRSA (7.1%) compared with our previous studies (0.86-4.5%, 2008-2011). ACME II'-positive MRSA strains were classified into ST5-SCCmec IIa/V or ST764-SCCmec IIa belonging to five different spa types, with t002 being dominant. They harbored mostly enterotoxin gene clusters (seg-sei-sem-sen-seo-seu) and some more enterotoxin genes (seb1, seb2, sec3, sel, sep), showing resistance to more antimicrobials than ST8-MRSA-SCCmec IVa. ACME-SCCmec composite island (CI) of the 36 ACME II'-positive MRSA was classified into five types (ii)-(vi), among which type (ii) (orfX-ΨSCC ΔJ1 SCCmec I -ACME II'-SCCmec II) was dominant and subdivided into the A3 variant and the less common A2 variant. CI types (v) and (vi) were considered novel genetic organizations having speG (acetyltransferase genes for polyamines) in inserted SCC4610/SCC266-like genetic elements. The present study revealed increased prevalence and genetic diversity of the ST5/ST764-MRSA-SCCmec II with ACME II' in northern Japan.

  17. RGD-modified liposomes enhance efficiency of aclacinomycin A delivery: evaluation of their effect in lung cancer

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Feng C

    2015-08-01

    Full Text Available Chan Feng,1,* Xiaoyan Li,2,* Chunyan Dong,1 Xuemei Zhang,1 Xie Zhang,1 Yong Gao11Department of Oncology, Shanghai East Hospital, Tongji University, Shanghai, 2Shanghai Tenth People’s Hospital, Tongji University, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China*These authors contributed equally to this workAbstract: In this study, long-circulating Arg-Gly-Asp (RGD-modified aclacinomycin A (ACM liposomes were prepared by thin film hydration method. Their morphology, particle size, encapsulation efficiency, and in vitro release were investigated. The RGD-ACM liposomes was about 160 nm in size and had the visual appearance of a yellowish suspension. The zeta potential was -22.2 mV and the encapsulation efficiency was more than 93%. The drug-release behavior of the RGD-ACM liposomes showed a biphasic pattern, with an initial burst release and followed by sustained release at a constant rate. After being dissolved in phosphate-buffered saline (pH 7.4 and kept at 4°C for one month, the liposomes did not aggregate and still had the appearance of a milky white colloidal solution. In a pharmacokinetic study, rats treated with RGD-ACM liposomes showed slightly higher plasma concentrations than those treated with ACM liposomes. Maximum plasma concentrations of RGD-ACM liposomes and ACM liposomes were 4,532 and 3,425 ng/mL, respectively. RGD-ACM liposomes had a higher AUC0–∞ (1.54-fold, mean residence time (2.09-fold, and elimination half-life (1.2-fold when compared with ACM liposomes. In an in vivo study in mice, both types of liposomes inhibited growth of human lung adenocarcinoma (A549 cells and markedly decreased tumor size when compared with the control group. There were no obvious pathological tissue changes in any of the treatment groups. Our results indicate that RGD-modified ACM liposomes have a better antitumor effect in vivo than their unmodified counterparts.Keywords: RGD, aclacinomycin A, long-circulating liposomes, pharmacokinetic, tumor

  18. TREC Microblog 2012 Track: Real-Time Algorithm for Microblog Ranking Systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-11-01

    such as information about the tweet and the user profile. We collected those tweets by means of web crawler and extract several features from the raw...Mining Text Data. 2012. [5] D. Feltoni. Twittersa: un sistema per l’analisi del sentimento nelle reti sociali. Master’s thesis, Roma Tre University...Morris. Twittersearch: a comparison of microblog search and web search. Proceedings of the fourth ACM international conference on Web search, 2011

  19. MCloud: Secure Provenance for Mobile Cloud Users

    Science.gov (United States)

    2016-10-03

    Feasibility of Smartphone Clouds, 2015 15th IEEE/ACM International Symposium on Cluster, Cloud and Grid Computing (CCGrid). 04-MAY- 15, Shenzhen, China...compromised kernel, with the highest privilege. MCloud context data gathered by smartphone sensors can now be relayed correctly and with integrity...aspects of people’s daily online and physical activities. Yet, in critical settings it is especially difficult to ascertain and assert an acceptable level

  20. Designing Robust and Resilient Tactical MANETs

    Science.gov (United States)

    2014-09-25

    0. doi: B. Tan , J. Ni, R. Srikant. Q-CSMA: Queue-Length-Based CSMA/CA Algorithms for Achieving Maximum Throughput and Low Delay in Wireless Networks...INFOCOM 2012 Mini-Conference. 01-JAN-12, . : , J. Katz , Y. Lindell. Aggregate Message Authentication Codes, RSA 2008 . 01-JAN-08, . : , J. Ni, Bo Tan ...Haas, Yih-Chun Hu, Nicola Laurenti. Low-Cost Mitigation of Privacy Loss due to Radiometric Identification, Eighth ACM International Workshop on

  1. Testing Mediators of Reduced Drinking for Veterans in Alcohol Care Management.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moskal, Dezarie; Maisto, Stephen A; Possemato, Kyle; Lynch, Kevin G; Oslin, David W

    2018-03-26

    Alcohol Care Management (ACM) is a manualized treatment provided by behavioral health providers working in a primary care team aimed at increasing patients' treatment engagement and decreasing their alcohol use. Research has shown that ACM is effective in reducing alcohol consumption; however, the mechanisms of ACM are unknown. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to examine the mechanisms of change in ACM in the context of a randomized clinical trial evaluating the effectiveness of ACM. This study performed secondary data analysis of existing data from a larger study that involved a sample of U.S. veterans (N = 163) who met criteria for current alcohol dependence. Upon enrollment into the study, participants were randomized to receive either ACM or standard care. ACM was delivered in-person or by telephone within the primary care clinic and focused on the use of oral naltrexone and manualized psychosocial support. According to theory, we hypothesized several ACM treatment components that would mediate alcohol consumption outcomes: engagement in addiction treatment, reduced craving, and increased readiness to change. Parallel mediation models were performed by the PROCESS macro Model 4 in SPSS to test study hypotheses. The institutional review boards at each of the participating facilities approved all study procedures before data collection. As hypothesized, results showed that treatment engagement mediated the relation between treatment and both measures of alcohol consumption outcomes, the percentage of alcohol abstinent days, and the percentage of heavy drinking days. Neither craving nor readiness to change mediated the treatment effect on either alcohol consumption outcome. Findings suggest that ACM may be effective in changing drinking patterns partially due to an increase in treatment engagement. Future research may benefit from evaluating the specific factors that underlie increased treatment engagement. The current study provides evidence that alcohol

  2. National, regional and global mortality due to alcoholic cardiomyopathy in 2015.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Manthey, Jakob; Probst, Charlotte; Rylett, Margaret; Rehm, Jürgen

    2018-03-13

    (1) A comprehensive mortality assessment of alcoholic cardiomyopathy (ACM) and (2) examination of under-reporting using vital statistics data. A modelling study estimated sex-specific mortality rates for each country, which were subsequently aggregated by region and globally. Input data on ACM mortality were obtained from death registries for n=91 countries. For n=99 countries, mortality estimates were predicted using aggregate alcohol data from WHO publications. Descriptive additional analyses illustrated the scope of under-reporting. In 2015, there were an estimated 25 997 (95% CI 17 385 to 49 096) global deaths from ACM. This translates into 6.3% (95% CI 4.2% to 11.9%) of all global deaths from cardiomyopathy being caused by alcohol. There were large regional variations with regard to mortality burden. While the majority of ACM deaths were found in Russia (19 749 deaths, 76.0% of all ACM deaths), for about one-third of countries (n=57) less than one ACM death was found. Under-reporting was identified for nearly every second country with civil registration data. Overall, two out of three global ACM deaths might be misclassified. The variation of ACM mortality burden is greater than for other alcohol-attributable diseases, and partly may be the result of stigma and lack of detection. Misclassification of ACM fatalities is a systematic phenomenon, which may be caused by low resources, lacking standards and stigma associated with alcohol-use disorders. Clinical management may be improved by including routine alcohol assessments. This could contribute to decrease misclassifications and to provide the best available treatment for affected patients. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2018. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

  3. Atrial remodeling and metabolic dysfunction in idiopathic isolated fibrotic atrial cardiomyopathy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cui, Chang; Jiang, Xiaohong; Ju, Weizhu; Wang, Jiaxian; Wang, Daowu; Sun, Zheng; Chen, Minglong

    2018-04-26

    Idiopathic isolated fibrotic atrial cardiomyopathy (IIF-ACM) is a novel subtype of cardiomyopathy characterized by atrial fibrosis that does not involve the ventricular myocardium and is associated with significant atrial tachyarrhythmia. The mechanisms underlying its pathogenesis are unknown. Atrium samples were obtained from 3 patients with IIF-ACM via surgical intervention. Control samples were consisted of 3 atrium biopsies from patients with congenital heart disease and normal sinus rhythm, matched for gender, age and basic clinical characteristics. Comparative histology, immunofluorescence staining, electron microscopy and proteomics analyses were carried out to explore the unique pathogenesis of IIF-ACM. IIF-ACM atria displayed disordered myofibrils, profound fibrosis and mitochondrial damages compared to the control atria. Proteomics profiling identified metabolic pathways as the most profound changes in IIF-ACM. Our study suggested that metabolic changes in the atrial myocardium caused mitochondrial oxidative stress and potential cell damage, which further led to atrial fibrosis and myofibril disorganization, the characteristic phenotype of IIF-ACM. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  4. Enhancement of critical currents in bulk and Ag-sheathed Bi(Pb)-2223 superconductors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Brauer, D.J.; Eujen, R.; Hudepohl, J.

    1991-01-01

    This paper reports on the superconducting properties of the Bi(Pb)-2223 phase that have been optimized. Prolonged annealing of coarse powder raised j c in bulk samples to as high as 1100 Acm -2 at 77 K. the temperature dependence was studied between 96 and 4.2 K whereby j c rose gradually from 120 to 2100 Acm -2 . T c dropped from 107 K to 64 K in magnetic fields up to 4 T but decreased by only 1 K/T in higher fields. A tape prepared by rolling and subsequent annealing of Ag tubes containing Bi(Pb)-2223 powder exhibited a j c of 1700 Acm -2 at 77 K and 11000 Acm -2 at 4.2 K. The latter j c dropped to 3000 Acm -2 in a magnetic field of 0.25 t, but it was still 1200 Acm -2 in a 10 T field. A tape fabricated by pressing a drawn and annealed wire proved to be less sensitive to low magnetic fields

  5. Experimental study to distinguish the effects of methanol slip and water vapour on a high temperature PEM fuel cell at different operating conditions

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Thomas, Sobi; Vang, Jakob Rabjerg; Araya, Samuel Simon

    2017-01-01

    The objective of this paper is to separate out the effects of methanol and water vapour on a high temperature polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell under different temperatures (160°C and 180°C) and current densities (0.2Acm-2, 0.4Acm-2 and 0.6Acm-2). The degradation rates at the different curre...

  6. Evaluation of rotor-bearing system dynamic response to unbalance. [air conditioning equipment

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thaller, R. E.; Ozimek, D. W.

    1979-01-01

    The vibration environment within air conditioner rotating machinery referred to as an air cycle machine (ACM) was investigated to effectively increase ACM reliability. To assist in the selection of design changes which would result in improved ACM performance, various design modifications were incorporated into a baseline ACM configuration. For each design change, testing was conducted with the best balance achieveable (baseline) and with various degrees of unbalance. Relationships between unbalance (within the context of design changes) and the parameters associated with design goals were established. The results of rotor dynamics tests used to establish these relationships are presented.

  7. Optimization of Life Cycle Extension of Asphalt Concrete Mixtures in regard to Material Properties, Structural Design, and Economic Implications

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jan Mikolaj

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Design of ACM life cycle is defined with respect to traffic load acting on the pavement and road class for a period of about 20 years. In practice, reconstruction is usually pending until the end of the life cycle after which the reconstruction takes place and the original materials are replaced by new materials. Life cycle of the pavement construction in road structure is significantly longer than that of the ACM; it is therefore necessary to consider ACM from a long term viewpoint, that is, exceeding their life expectancy. This paper describes a methodology which consists of analytical calculations, experimental measurements, and optimization of the ACM life cycle with the use of a rehabilitation action to provide new physical properties of pavement surfacing in different periods of the original life cycle. The aim is to attain maximal economic effectiveness, by minimizing financial costs for rehabilitation and maintenance and economic costs of road user. Presented method allows deriving optimal life cycle from various rehabilitation alternatives for particular ACM with the fact that all the necessary parameters are derived from specific experimental measurements and calculations. The method is applicable to all types of ACM materials; however, for each material, it is necessary to carry out the necessary measurements and tests. The article describes the methodology and case study results for a particular type of ACM material.

  8. The anaemia control model: Does it help nephrologists in therapeutic decision-making in the management of anaemia?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bucalo, María Laura; Barbieri, Carlo; Roca, Susana; Ion Titapiccolo, Jasmine; Ros Romero, Maria Soledad; Ramos, Rosa; Albaladejo, Mercedes; Manzano, Diana; Mari, Flavio; Molina, Manuel

    2018-06-03

    Anaemia is common in haemodialysis patients and treating it with erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (ESAs) is complex due to many factors. To assess the usefulness of the Anaemia Control Model (ACM) in the treatment of anaemia in haemodialysis. ACM is a software that predicts the optimal dose of darbepoetin and iron sucrose to achieve target haemoglobin (Hb) and ferritin levels, and makes prescription suggestions. Study conducted in dialysis clinics lasting 18months with two intervention phases (IPs) with ACM (IP1, n:213; IP2, n:218) separated by a control phase (CP, n:219). The primary outcome was the percentage of Hb in range and the median dose of ESAs, and the secondary outcomes were transfusion, hospitalisation and cardiovascular events. Clinical and patient analyses were performed. Hb variability was assessed by the standard deviation (SD) of the Hb. We also analysed the patients with most of the suggestions confirmed (ACM compliant group). ACM increased the percentage of Hb in range: 80.9% in IP2, compared with 72.7% in the CP and reduced the intake of darbepoetin (IP1: 20 [70]; CP 30 [80] μg P=0.032) with less Hb fluctuation (0.91±0.49 in the CP to 0.82±0.37g/dl in IP2, P<0.05), improving in the ACM compliant group. The secondary outcomes decreased with the use of ACM. ACM helps to obtain better anaemia results in haemodialysis patients, minimising the risks of treatment with ESAs and reducing costs. Copyright © 2018 Sociedad Española de Nefrología. Published by Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

  9. Preprint Traffic Management and Forecasting System Based on 3D GIS

    OpenAIRE

    Li, Xiaoming; Lv, Zhihan; Hu, Jinxing; Zhang, Baoyun; Yin, Ling; Zhong, Chen; Wang, Weixi; Feng, Shengzhong

    2015-01-01

    This is the preprint version of our paper on 2015 15th IEEE/ACM International Symposium on Cluster, Cloud and Grid Computing (CCGrid). This paper takes Shenzhen Futian comprehensive transportation junction as the case, and makes use of continuous multiple real-time dynamic traffic information to carry out monitoring and analysis on spatial and temporal distribution of passenger flow under different means of transportation and service capacity of junction from multi-dimensional space-time pers...

  10. Neuromorphic Computing for Very Large Test and Evaluation Data Analysis

    Science.gov (United States)

    2014-05-01

    Conference on Neural Networks IEEE , (To be published in IEEE Xplore ) Liu, B., Chen, Y., Wysocki, B., Huang, T., “The Circuit Realization of a...A. "Compact Method for Modeling and Simulation of Memristor Devices: Ion Conductor Chalcogenide-Based Memristor Devices," IEEE /ACM International...R.E.; Rogers, S.; , "A Memristor Device Model," Electron Device Letters, IEEE , Vol. 32, no.10, Oct. 2011, pp.1436-1438 Approved for Public

  11. Three Dimensionally Interconnected Silicon Nanomembranes for Optical Phased Array (OPA) and Optical True Time Delay (TTD) Applications

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-06-01

    Joshi, C. Batten, Y. Kwon, S . Beamer, I Shamim , K. Asanovic, and V. Stojanovic, in NOCS 󈧍 Proceedings of the 2009 3rd ACM/IEEE international...Applications 5a. CONTRACT NUMBER 5b. GRANT NUMBER 5c. PROGRAM ELEMENT NUMBER 6. AUTHOR( S ) 5d. PROJECT NUMBER 5e. TASK NUMBER 5f. WORK UNIT...NUMBER 7. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION NAME( S ) AND ADDRESS(ES) University of Texas,Microelectronic Research Center, Nanophotonics and Optical Interconnects

  12. Effect of electrolyte concentration on performance of supercapacitor carbon electrode from fibers of oil palm empty fruit bunches

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Farma, R.; Awitdrus,; Taer, E. [School of Applied Physics, Faculty of Science and Technology, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600 Bangi, Selangor (Malaysia); Departement of Physics, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, University of Riau, 28293 Pekanbaru, Riau (Indonesia); Deraman, M., E-mail: madra@ukm.my; Talib, I. A.; Omar, R.; Ishak, M. M.; Basri, N. H.; Dolah, B. N. M. [School of Applied Physics, Faculty of Science and Technology, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600 Bangi, Selangor (Malaysia)

    2015-04-16

    Fibers of oil palm empty fruit bunches were used to produce self-adhesive carbon grains (SACG). The SACG green monoliths were carbonized in N{sub 2} environment at 800°C to produce carbon monoliths (CM) and the CM was CO{sub 2} activated at 800°C for 4 hour to produce activated carbon monolith electrodes (ACM). The physical properties of the CMs and ACMs were investigated using X-ray diffraction, field emission scanning electron microscopy and nitrogen adsorption-desorption. ACMs were used as electrode to fabricate symmetry supercapacitor cells and the cells which used H{sub 2}SO{sub 4} electrolyte at 0.5, 1.0 and 1.5 M were investigated using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, cyclic voltammetry and galvanostatic charge-discharge standard techniques. In this paper we report the physical properties of the ACM electrodes and the effect of electrolyte concentration on the electrochemical properties the ACM electrodes.

  13. Effect of electrolyte concentration on performance of supercapacitor carbon electrode from fibers of oil palm empty fruit bunches

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Farma, R.; Awitdrus,; Taer, E.; Deraman, M.; Talib, I. A.; Omar, R.; Ishak, M. M.; Basri, N. H.; Dolah, B. N. M.

    2015-01-01

    Fibers of oil palm empty fruit bunches were used to produce self-adhesive carbon grains (SACG). The SACG green monoliths were carbonized in N 2 environment at 800°C to produce carbon monoliths (CM) and the CM was CO 2 activated at 800°C for 4 hour to produce activated carbon monolith electrodes (ACM). The physical properties of the CMs and ACMs were investigated using X-ray diffraction, field emission scanning electron microscopy and nitrogen adsorption-desorption. ACMs were used as electrode to fabricate symmetry supercapacitor cells and the cells which used H 2 SO 4 electrolyte at 0.5, 1.0 and 1.5 M were investigated using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, cyclic voltammetry and galvanostatic charge-discharge standard techniques. In this paper we report the physical properties of the ACM electrodes and the effect of electrolyte concentration on the electrochemical properties the ACM electrodes

  14. Acemetacin cocrystal structures by powder X-ray diffraction

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bolla, Geetha

    2017-01-01

    Cocrystals of acemetacin drug (ACM) with nicotinamide (NAM), p-aminobenzoic acid (PABA), valerolactam (VLM) and 2-pyridone (2HP) were prepared by melt crystallization and their X-ray crystal structures determined by high-resolution powder X-ray diffraction. The powerful technique of structure determination from powder data (SDPD) provided details of molecular packing and hydrogen bonding in pharmaceutical cocrystals of acemetacin. ACM–NAM occurs in anhydrate and hydrate forms, whereas the other structures crystallized in a single crystalline form. The carboxylic acid group of ACM forms theacid–amide dimer three-point synthon R 3 2(9)R 2 2(8)R 3 2(9) with three different syn amides (VLM, 2HP and caprolactam). The conformations of the ACM molecule observed in the crystal structures differ mainly in the mutual orientation of chlorobenzene fragment and the neighboring methyl group, being anti (type I) or syn (type II). ACM hydrate, ACM—NAM, ACM–NAM-hydrate and the piperazine salt of ACM exhibit the type I conformation, whereas ACM polymorphs and other cocrystals adopt the ACM type II conformation. Hydrogen-bond interactions in all the crystal structures were quantified by calculating their molecular electrostatic potential (MEP) surfaces. Hirshfeld surface analysis of the cocrystal surfaces shows that about 50% of the contribution is due to a combination of strong and weak O⋯H, N⋯H, Cl⋯H and C⋯H interactions. The physicochemical properties of these cocrystals are under study. PMID:28512568

  15. Acemetacin cocrystal structures by powder X-ray diffraction

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Geetha Bolla

    2017-05-01

    Full Text Available Cocrystals of acemetacin drug (ACM with nicotinamide (NAM, p-aminobenzoic acid (PABA, valerolactam (VLM and 2-pyridone (2HP were prepared by melt crystallization and their X-ray crystal structures determined by high-resolution powder X-ray diffraction. The powerful technique of structure determination from powder data (SDPD provided details of molecular packing and hydrogen bonding in pharmaceutical cocrystals of acemetacin. ACM–NAM occurs in anhydrate and hydrate forms, whereas the other structures crystallized in a single crystalline form. The carboxylic acid group of ACM forms theacid–amide dimer three-point synthon R32(9R22(8R32(9 with three different syn amides (VLM, 2HP and caprolactam. The conformations of the ACM molecule observed in the crystal structures differ mainly in the mutual orientation of chlorobenzene fragment and the neighboring methyl group, being anti (type I or syn (type II. ACM hydrate, ACM—NAM, ACM–NAM-hydrate and the piperazine salt of ACM exhibit the type I conformation, whereas ACM polymorphs and other cocrystals adopt the ACM type II conformation. Hydrogen-bond interactions in all the crystal structures were quantified by calculating their molecular electrostatic potential (MEP surfaces. Hirshfeld surface analysis of the cocrystal surfaces shows that about 50% of the contribution is due to a combination of strong and weak O...H, N...H, Cl...H and C...H interactions. The physicochemical properties of these cocrystals are under study.

  16. Theoretical and experimental analysis of amplitude control ablation and bipolar ablation in creating linear lesion and discrete lesions for treating atrial fibrillation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yan, Shengjie; Wu, Xiaomei; Wang, Weiqi

    2017-09-01

    Radiofrequency (RF) energy is often used to create a linear lesion or discrete lesions for blocking the accessory conduction pathways for treating atrial fibrillation. By using finite element analysis, we study the ablation effect of amplitude control ablation mode (AcM) and bipolar ablation mode (BiM) in creating a linear lesion and discrete lesions in a 5-mm-thick atrial wall; particularly, the characteristic of lesion shape has been investigated in amplitude control ablation. Computer models of multipolar catheter were developed to study the lesion dimensions in atrial walls created through AcM, BiM and special electrodes activated ablation methods in AcM and BiM. To validate the theoretical results in this study, an in vitro experiment with porcine cardiac tissue was performed. At 40 V/20 V root mean squared (RMS) of the RF voltage for AcM, the continuous and transmural lesion was created by AcM-15s, AcM-5s and AcM-ad-20V ablation in 5-mm-thick atrial wall. At 20 V RMS for BiM, the continuous but not transmural lesion was created. AcM ablation yielded asymmetrical and discrete lesions shape, whereas the lesion shape turned to more symmetrical and continuous as the electrodes alternative activated period decreased from 15 s to 5 s. Two discrete lesions were created when using AcM, AcM-ad-40V, BiM-ad-20V and BiM-ad-40V. The experimental and computational thermal lesion shapes created in cardiac tissue were in agreement. Amplitude control ablation technology and bipolar ablation technology are feasible methods to create continuous lesion or discrete for pulmonary veins isolation.

  17. Do Adaptive Comanagement Processes Lead to Adaptive Comanagement Outcomes? A Multicase Study of Long-term Outcomes Associated with the National Riparian Service Team's Place-based Riparian Assistance

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jill A. Smedstad

    2013-12-01

    Full Text Available Adaptive comanagement (ACM is a novel approach to environmental governance that combines the dynamic learning features of adaptive management with the linking and network features of collaborative management. There is growing interest in the potential for ACM to resolve conflicts around natural resource management and contribute to greater social and ecological resilience, but little is known about how to catalyze long lasting ACM arrangements. We contribute to knowledge on this topic by evaluating the National Riparian Service Team's (NRST efforts to catalyze ACM of public lands riparian areas in seven cases in the western U.S. We found that the NRST's approach offers a relatively novel model for integrating joint fact-finding, multiple forms of knowledge, and collaborative problem solving to improve public lands riparian grazing management. With this approach, learning and dialogue often helped facilitate the development of shared understanding and trust, key features of ACM. Their activities also influenced changes in assessment, monitoring, and management approaches to public lands riparian area grazing, also indicative of a transition to ACM. Whereas these effects often aligned with the NRST's immediate objectives, i.e., to work through a specific issue or point of conflict, there was little evidence of long-term effects beyond the specific issue or intervention; that is, in most cases the initiative did not influence longer term changes in place-based governance and institutions. Our results suggest that the success of interventions aimed at catalyzing the transformation of governance arrangements toward ACM may hinge on factors external to the collaborative process such as the presence or absence of (1 dynamic local leadership and (2 high quality agreements regarding next steps for the group. Efforts to establish long lasting ACM institutions may also face significant constraints and barriers, including existing laws and regulations

  18. The incidence of Arnold–Chiari malformation in neurological practice

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    E. A. Kantimirova

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Arnold-Chiari malformation (ACM is a group of congenital hindbrain malformations affecting the structural relationships between the cerebellum, brain stem, top cervical spinal cord, and bones of the skull base. In clinical practice, ACM types 0 and 1 are more common and types 2, 3, and 4 belong to rare severe (often fatal congenital malformations.Objective: to study gender differences in the incidence of ACM types 0 and 1 in outpatient neurological practice.Patients and methods. A total 2039 case records of outpatients who had visited a neurologist of the Krasnoyarsk University clinic in 2008–2014 were analyzed. Neurological and neuroradiological (1.5 Tesla brain magnetic resonance imaging, phase-contrast spinal cerebral fluid flow imaging diagnostic techniques were used. 3.4% (70/2039 of cases were randomized according to the criteria of inclusion and exception. An entire sample included 70 ACM patients (median age, 25 [17; 34] years (30 (42.8–7.1% men and 40 (57.2–7.1% women.Results. There was an increase in the incidence of ACM type 1 in the women than in the men. Conclusion. It is necessary to develop a new strategy for the prophylactic medical examination of patients with ACM to improve primary and specialized outpatient health care.

  19. Optimizing Human Input in Social Network Analysis

    Science.gov (United States)

    2018-01-23

    7] T. L. Lai and H. Robbins, “Asymptotically efficient adaptive allocation rules,” Advances in applied mathematics , vol. 6, no. 1, pp. 4–22, 1985. [8...W. Whitt, “Heavy traffic limit theorems for queues: a survey,” in Mathematical Methods in Queueing Theory. Springer, 1974, pp. 307–350. [9] H...Regret lower bounds and optimal algorithms,” in Proceedings of the 2015 ACM SIGMETRICS International Conference on Measurement and Modeling of Computer

  20. Assessment of occupational exposure to asbestos fibers: Contribution of analytical transmission electron microscopy analysis and comparison with phase-contrast microscopy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Eypert-Blaison, Céline; Romero-Hariot, Anita; Clerc, Frédéric; Vincent, Raymond

    2018-03-01

    From November 2009 to October 2010, the French general directorate for labor organized a large field-study using analytical transmission electron microscopy (ATEM) to characterize occupational exposure to asbestos fibers during work on asbestos containing materials (ACM). The primary objective of this study was to establish a method and to validate the feasibility of using ATEM for the analysis of airborne asbestos of individual filters sampled in various occupational environments. For each sampling event, ATEM data were compared to those obtained by phase-contrast optical microscopy (PCOM), the WHO-recommended reference technique. A total of 265 results were obtained from 29 construction sites where workers were in contact with ACM. Data were sorted depending on the combination of the ACM type and the removal technique. For each "ACM-removal technique" combination, ATEM data were used to compute statistical indicators on short, fine and WHO asbestos fibers. Moreover, exposure was assessed taking into account the use of respiratory protective devices (RPD). As in previous studies, no simple relationship was found between results by PCOM and ATEM counting methods. Some ACM, such as asbestos-containing plasters, generated very high dust levels, and some techniques generated considerable levels of dust whatever the ACM treated. On the basis of these observations, recommendations were made to measure and control the occupational exposure limit. General prevention measures to be taken during work with ACM are also suggested. Finally, it is necessary to continue acquiring knowledge, in particular regarding RPD and the dust levels measured by ATEM for the activities not evaluated during this study.

  1. Central role for GSK3β in the pathogenesis of arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy

    OpenAIRE

    Chelko, Stephen P.; Asimaki, Angeliki; Andersen, Peter; Bedja, Djahida; Amat-Alarcon, Nuria; DeMazumder, Deeptankar; Jasti, Ravirasmi; MacRae, Calum A.; Leber, Remo; Kleber, Andre G.; Saffitz, Jeffrey E.; Judge, Daniel P.

    2016-01-01

    Arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy (ACM) is characterized by redistribution of junctional proteins, arrhythmias, and progressive myocardial injury. We previously reported that SB216763 (SB2), annotated as a GSK3β inhibitor, reverses disease phenotypes in a zebrafish model of ACM. Here, we show that SB2 prevents myocyte injury and cardiac dysfunction in vivo in two murine models of ACM at baseline and in response to exercise. SB2-treated mice with desmosome mutations showed improvements in ventricu...

  2. Supply chain challenges in the South African automotive sector: do location, size and age matter?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Micheline Juliana Naude

    2013-11-01

    Full Text Available The South African automotive industry makes an important contribution to the South African economy. However, there are deficiencies within the local automotive component manufacturers’ (ACMs supplier base and therefore automotive assemblers, or original equipment manufacturers (OEMs, have to import many of their parts requirements. These deficiencies are caused by ACMs’ lack of technology, global supply capability, cost competitiveness and their geographic location (ACMs are scattered across the country. A study was conducted to explore the supply chain challenges South African ACMs face and whether the location, size and age of participating ACMs have a bearing on whether they face the same challenges. The results revealed that the most significant supply chain challenges in South Africa were in the customer relationship category. From the hypotheses testing, the conclusion could be drawn that, in general, participating ACMs face common supply chain challenges, irrespective of their location, age and size.This article contributes to the published research on the topic and the findings reveal that business opportunities in the automotive industry exist for entrepreneurs aspiring to enter into the automotive component industry.

  3. Transcranial doppler in sickle cell anaemia: evaluation of brain blood flow parameters in children of Aracaju, Northeast - Brazil Doppler transcraniano em portadores de anemia falciforme: estudo dos parâmetros de fluxo sangüíneo cerebral em crianças de Aracaju, Sergipe

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hyder Aragão de Melo

    2008-06-01

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Environmental factors interfere on sickle cell anaemia (SCA. Transcanial Doppler (TCD is important to evaluate cerebrovascular disease. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate brain haemodynamic profile of children with SCA in Sergipe. METHODS: Cross sectional study (group1: SCA patients aged 3-18; group2: age and sex matched healthy individuals. Baseline brain flow was evaluated. RESULTS: Group1=34 patients; group 2=81 controls. SCA patients had mean velocity (MV=125.69 cm/s±23.40; pulsatility index (PI=0.66±0.10; middle cerebral artery ratio (MCAr=14.53±15.23; right anterior cerebral artery/right middle cerebral artery=0.77±0.20; left anterior cerebral artery/left middle cerebral artery=0.78±0.20. Controls had MV=79.44±15.54; PI=0.82±0.11; MCAr=13.19±13.77; right anterior cerebral artery/right middle cerebral artery=0.80±0.16; left anterior cerebral artery/left middle cerebral artery=0.84±0.18. MV and PI differences were statistically significant between groups. MV was related to age but not to gender. CONCLUSION: MV evaluation using TCD was similar to international standards and possible to be used in our setting.INTRODUÇÃO: Aspectos ambientais interferem na apresentação da anemia falciforme (AF. Doppler transcraniano (DTC é útil na avaliação do risco para doença cerebrovascular em pacientes com AF. OBJETIVO: Avaliar o perfil hemodinâmico cerebral de crianças com AF em Sergipe. MÉTODO: Estudo transversal (grupo1: portadores de AF 3-18 anos; grupo2: indivíduos saudáveis, pareados por idade e gênero. Foram avaliadas medidas de fluxo sangüíneo cerebral basal. RESULTADOS: Grupo1 (n=34: velocidade média (Vm=125,69 cm/s ±23,40; índice de pulsatilidade (Ip=0,66±0,10; relação entre artéria cerebral média (ACMs=14,53±15,23; artéria cerebral anterior (ACA/ACM direita=0,77±0,20; ACA/ACM esquerda=0,78±0,20. Grupo 2 (n=81: Vm=79,44 cm/s ±15,54; Ip=0,82±0,11, relação entre ACMs=13,19±13,77, ACA/ACM direita=0,80±0

  4. Validation of chronic kidney disease risk categorization system in Chinese patients with kidney disease: A cohort study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Qingyan; Lv, Jicheng; Li, Haixia; Jiao, Lili; Yang, Hongyun; Song, Yinan; Xu, Guobin

    2015-12-01

    To validate the Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO) guidelines risk stratification system based on the combination of estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and proteinuria. This was a cohort study. A total of 1219 study population were recruited. Estimated GFR and proteinuria measured by using 24 h urine protein excretion rate (PER) were predictors. Adverse outcomes included all-cause mortality (ACM) and end-stage renal disease (ESRD). Follow-up was done by regular visit, telephone interview and electronic medical records. Over a median follow-up of 4.6 years, 153 (12.6%) and 43 (3.5%) patients experienced ESRD and ACM, respectively. On multivariable analysis, the adjusted hazard ratio for ESRD and ACM (compared with patients with eGFR > 60 mL/min per 1.7  m²) was of 29.8 and 3.6 for those with eGFR of 15-29 mL/min per 1.73 m², respectively. The adjusted hazard ratio for ESRD and ACM (compared with patients with PER  500 mg/24h. Higher KDIGO guidelines risk categories (indicating lower eGFR or higher proteinuria) were associated with a graded increase in the risk for the ESRD (P < 0.001) and ACM (P < 0.001). Reclassification of KDIGO guidelines risk categories yielded net reclassification improvements for those with ESRD or ACM event (NRIevents ) of 33.3% or 30.2%. Lower eGFR and higher proteinuria are risk factors for ESRD and ACM in Chinese patients. The KDIGO guidelines risk categorization system assigned patients who went on to have the event to more appropriate CKD risk categories. © 2015 Asian Pacific Society of Nephrology.

  5. Learning Representation and Control in Markov Decision Processes

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-10-21

    449–456. MIT Press, 2006. [35] D. Koller and N. Friedman. Graphical Models. MIT Press, 2009. [36] J. Zico Kolter and Andrew Y. Ng. Regularization and...ICML ’09, pages 521–528, New York, NY, USA, 2009. ACM. [37] J. Zico Kolter and Andrew Y. Ng. Regularization and feature selection in least-squares...temporal differ- ence learning. In Proceedings of 27 th International Conference on Machine Learning, 2009. [38] J. Zico Z. Kolter . The Fixed Points of Off

  6. Heterosis for green fruit yield and its components in chilli (Capsicum annuum var. longicum (D.G) Sendt) over environments

    OpenAIRE

    M. P. Patel, A. R. Patel, J.B. Patel and J.A.Patel

    2010-01-01

    Heterosis for green fruits and related characters in chilli was studied in line × tester fashion involving five GMS lines and 10 testers. The hybridsdiffered significantly for all the characters, as evident from their highly significant mean square values. Mean squares due to hybrids ×environments were significant for all the characters except average fruit weight, which indicated more sensitivity of hybrids to environments. Thehybrids ACMS 8 ×IPS -2005 -15, ACMS 5 × IPS -2005 -15, ACMS 6 × A...

  7. GtfA and GtfB Are Both Required for Protein O-Glycosylation in Lactobacillus plantarum

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, I-Chiao; van Swam, Iris I.; Tomita, Satoru; Morsomme, Pierre; Rolain, Thomas; Hols, Pascal; Bron, Peter A.

    2014-01-01

    Acm2, the major autolysin of Lactobacillus plantarum WCFS1, was recently found to be O-glycosylated with N-acetylhexosamine, likely N-acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc). In this study, we set out to identify the glycosylation machinery by employing a comparative genomics approach to identify Gtf1 homologues, which are involved in fimbria-associated protein 1 (Fap1) glycosylation in Streptococcus parasanguinis. This in silico approach resulted in the identification of 6 candidate L. plantarum WCFS1 genes with significant homology to Gtf1, namely, tagE1 to tagE6. These candidate genes were targeted by systematic gene deletion, followed by assessment of the consequences on glycosylation of Acm2. We observed a changed mobility of Acm2 on SDS-PAGE in the tagE5E6 deletion strain, while deletion of other tagE genes resulted in Acm2 mobility comparable to that of the wild type. Subsequent mass spectrometry analysis of excised and in-gel-digested Acm2 confirmed the loss of glycosylation on Acm2 in the tagE5E6 deletion mutant, whereas a lectin blot using GlcNAc-specific succinylated wheat germ agglutinin (sWGA) revealed that besides Acm2, tagE5E6 deletion also abolished all but one other sWGA-reactive, protease-sensitive signal. Only complementation of both tagE5 and tagE6 restored those sWGA lectin signals, establishing that TagE5 and TagE6 are both required for the glycosylation of Acm2 as well as the vast majority of other sWGA-reactive proteins. Finally, sWGA lectin blotting experiments using a panel of 8 other L. plantarum strains revealed that protein glycosylation is a common feature in L. plantarum strains. With the establishment of these enzymes as protein glycosyltransferases, we propose to rename TagE5 and TagE6 as GtfA and GtfB, respectively. PMID:24532775

  8. Risk prediction in stable cardiovascular disease using a high-sensitivity cardiac troponin T single biomarker strategy compared to the ESC-SCORE.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Biener, Moritz; Giannitsis, Evangelos; Kuhner, Manuel; Zelniker, Thomas; Mueller-Hennessen, Matthias; Vafaie, Mehrshad; Stoyanov, Kiril M; Neumann, Franz-Josef; Katus, Hugo A; Hochholzer, Willibald; Valina, Christian Marc

    2018-01-01

    To evaluate the prognostic performance of high-sensitivity cardiac troponin T (hs-cTnT) compared with the ESC-SCORE. We included low-risk outpatients with stable cardiovascular (CV) disease categorised into need for non-secondary and secondary prevention. The prognostication of hs-cTnT at index visit was compared with the European Society of Cardiology-Systematic COronary Risk Evaluation (ESC-SCORE) with respect to all-cause mortality (ACM) and two composite endpoints (ACM, acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and stroke and ACM, AMI, stroke and rehospitalisation for acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and decompensated heart failure (DHF)). Within a median follow-up of 796 days, a total of 16 deaths, 32 composite endpoints of ACM, AMI and stroke and 83 composite endpoints of ACM, AMI, stroke, rehospitalisation for ACS and DHF were observed among 693 stable low-risk outpatients. Using C-statistics, measurement of hs-cTnT alone outperformed the ESC-SCORE for the prediction of ACM in the entire study population (Δarea under the curve (AUC) 0.221, p=0.0039) and both prevention groups (non-secondary: ΔAUC 0.164, p=0.0208; secondary: ΔAUC 0.264, p=0.0134). For the prediction of all other secondary endpoints, hs-cTnT was at least as effective as the ESC-SCORE, both in secondary and non-secondary prevention. Using continuous and categorical net reclassification improvement and integrated discrimination improvement, hs-cTnT significantly improved reclassification regarding all endpoints in the entire population and in the secondary prevention cohort. In non-secondary prevention, hs-cTnT improved reclassification only for ACM. The results were confirmed in an independent external cohort on 2046 patients. Hs-cTnT is superior to the multivariable ESC-SCORE for the prediction of ACM and a composite endpoint in stable outpatients with and without relevant CV disease. NCT01954303; Pre-results.

  9. Participation of the arcRACME protein in self-activation of the arc operon located in the arginine catabolism mobile element in pandemic clone USA300.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rozo, Zayda Lorena Corredor; Márquez-Ortiz, Ricaurte Alejandro; Castro, Betsy Esperanza; Gómez, Natasha Vanegas; Escobar-Pérez, Javier

    2017-07-01

    Staphylococcus aureus pandemic clone USA300 has, in addition to its constitutive arginine catabolism (arc) gene cluster, an arginine catabolism mobile element (ACME) carrying another such cluster, which gives this clone advantages in colonisation and infection. Gene arcR, which encodes an oxygen-sensitive transcriptional regulator, is inside ACME and downstream of the constitutive arc gene cluster, and this situation may have an impact on its activation. Different relative expression behaviours are proven here for arcRACME and the arcACME operon compared to the constitutive ones. We also show that the artificially expressed recombinant ArcRACME protein binds to the promoter region of the arcACME operon; this mechanism can be related to a positive feedback model, which may be responsible for increased anaerobic survival of the USA300 clone during infection-related processes.

  10. Sulfidization of an aluminocobaltomolybdenum catalyst using the 35S radioisotope

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Isagulyants, G.V.; Greish, A.A.; Kogan, V.M.

    1987-01-01

    It has been established that in aluminocobaltomolybdenum catalyst sulfidized with elemental sulfur there are two types of sulfur, free and bound. The maximum amount of bound sulfur in ACM catalyst is 6.6 wt. %, which corresponds to practically complete sulfidation of the ACM catalyst. In the presence of hydrogen an equilibrium distribution of bound sulfur is achieved in a granule of ACM catalyst irrespective of the temperature of sulfidation. In a nitrogen atmosphere it is primarily the surface layers of the catalyst that are sulfured

  11. Cost-benefit analysis of avian influenza control in Nepal.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Karki, S; Lupiani, B; Budke, C M; Karki, N P S; Rushton, J; Ivanek, R

    2015-12-01

    Numerous outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza A strain H5N1 have occurred in Nepal since 2009 despite implementation of a national programme to control the disease through surveillance and culling of infected poultry flocks. The objective of the study was to use cost-benefit analysis to compare the current control programme (CCP) with the possible alternatives of: i) no intervention (i.e., absence of control measures [ACM]) and ii) vaccinating 60% of the national poultry flock twice a year. In terms of the benefit-cost ratio, findings indicate a return of US $1.94 for every dollar spent in the CCP compared with ACM. The net present value of the CCP versus ACM, i.e., the amount of money saved by implementing the CCP rather than ACM, is US $861,507 (the benefits of CCP [prevented losses which would have occurred under ACM] minus the cost of CCP). The vaccination programme yields a return of US $2.32 for every dollar spent when compared with the CCR The net present value of vaccination versus the CCP is approximately US $12 million. Sensitivity analysis indicated thatthe findings were robust to different rates of discounting, whereas results were sensitive to the assumed market loss and the number of birds affected in the outbreaks under the ACM and vaccination options. Overall, the findings of the study indicate that the CCP is economically superior to ACM, but that vaccination could give greater economic returns and may be a better control strategy. Future research should be directed towards evaluating the financial feasibility and social acceptability of the CCP and of vaccination, with an emphasis on evaluating market reaction to the presence of H5N1 infection in the country.

  12. ENHANCEMENT OF DAMPING PERFORMANCE OF POLYMERS BY FUNCTIONAL SMALL MOLECULES

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    Chi-fei Wu; Saburo Akiyama

    2002-01-01

    The addition effects of organic small molecular substances N,N'-dicyclohexyl-benzothiazyl-2-sulfenamide (DZ) and 3,9-bis{ 1, 1-dimethyl-2[β-(3-tert-butyl-4-hydroxy-5-methylphenyl)propionyloxy]ethyl}-2,4,8, 10-tetraoxaspiro[5,5]-undecane (AO-80) on the dynamic mechanical properties of chlorinated polyethylene (CPE), chlorinated polypropylene (CPP), acrylate rubber (ACM) and their blends were investigated. In the case of compatible systems such as CPE/DZ and ACM/AO-80, the height of the loss tangent (tanδ) peak of a matrix polymer (CPE or ACM) increases, and its peak position shifts to a higher temperature with the addition of DZ or AO-80. By contrast, for incompatible CPE/AO-80, a novel transition appeared above the glass transition temperature of CPE. This additional transition was assigned to dissociation of the intermolecular hydrogen bond between the α-hydrogen of CPE and the hydroxyl groups of AO-80 within the AO-80-rich domain. This will provide a new concept for developing damping material. However, the minimum value between two tanδ peaks is lower. It was found that the temperature dependence of tanδ could be improved by adding chlorinated paraffin (CP) or ACM to CPE/AO-80. In addition, another ternary system of ACM/CPP with more AO-80 was found to be a very good self-adhesive damping material because of the appearance of a novel transition due to an interfacial layer of ACM/CPP.

  13. Effect of Artocarpus communis Extract on UVB Irradiation-Induced Oxidative Stress and Inflammation in Hairless Mice

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Feng-Lin Yen

    2013-02-01

    Full Text Available Administration of antioxidants and anti-inflammatory agents is an effective strategy for preventing ultraviolet (UV irradiation-induced skin damage. Artocarpus communis possesses several pharmacological activities, such as antioxidant, anticancer and anti-inflammation. However, the photoprotective activity of methanol extract of A. communis heartwood (ACM in ultraviolet irradiation-induced skin damage has not yet been investigated. The present study was performed using ultraviolet absorption, histopathological observation, antioxidant and anti-inflammation assays to elucidate the mechanism of the photoprotective activity of ACM. Our results indicated that ACM displayed a UVA and UVB absorption effect and then effectively decreased scaly skin, epidermis thickness and sunburn cells during ultraviolet irradiation in hairless mice. ACM not only decreased ultraviolet irradiation-mediated oxidative stress, including lowering the overproduction of reactive oxygen species and lipid peroxidation (p < 0.05, but also reduced the levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines, including tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α and interleukin 1β. Additionally, ACM can decrease the synthesis of cytosolic phospholipase A2, cyclooxygenase, inducible nitric oxide synthase and vascular cell adhesion molecular-1 via inhibiting TNF-α-independent pathways (p < 0.05 in UVB-mediated inflammation and formation of sunburn cells. Consequently, we concluded that ACM extract has a photoprotective effect against UVB-induced oxidative stress and inflammation due to its sunscreen property, and its topical formulations may be developed as therapeutic and/or cosmetic products in further studies.

  14. Exploring digenic inheritance in arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    König, Eva; Volpato, Claudia Béu; Motta, Benedetta Maria; Blankenburg, Hagen; Picard, Anne; Pramstaller, Peter; Casella, Michela; Rauhe, Werner; Pompilio, Giulio; Meraviglia, Viviana; Domingues, Francisco S; Sommariva, Elena; Rossini, Alessandra

    2017-12-08

    Arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy (ACM) is an inherited genetic disorder, characterized by the substitution of heart muscle with fibro-fatty tissue and severe ventricular arrhythmias, often leading to heart failure and sudden cardiac death. ACM is considered a monogenic disorder, but the low penetrance of mutations identified in patients suggests the involvement of additional genetic or environmental factors. We used whole exome sequencing to investigate digenic inheritance in two ACM families where previous diagnostic tests have revealed a PKP2 mutation in all affected and some healthy individuals. In family members with PKP2 mutations we determined all genes that harbor variants in affected but not in healthy carriers or vice versa. We computationally prioritized the most likely candidates, focusing on known ACM genes and genes related to PKP2 through protein interactions, functional relationships, or shared biological processes. We identified four candidate genes in family 1, namely DAG1, DAB2IP, CTBP2 and TCF25, and eleven candidate genes in family 2. The most promising gene in the second family is TTN, a gene previously associated with ACM, in which the affected individual harbors two rare deleterious-predicted missense variants, one of which is located in the protein's only serine kinase domain. In this study we report genes that might act as digenic players in ACM pathogenesis, on the basis of co-segregation with PKP2 mutations. Validation in larger cohorts is still required to prove the utility of this model.

  15. Self-contained induction of neurons from human embryonic stem cells.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tsuyoshi Okuno

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Neurons and glial cells can be efficiently induced from mouse embryonic stem (ES cells in a conditioned medium collected from rat primary-cultured astrocytes (P-ACM. However, the use of rodent primary cells for clinical applications may be hampered by limited supply and risk of contamination with xeno-proteins. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We have developed an alternative method for unimpeded production of human neurons under xeno-free conditions. Initially, neural stem cells in sphere-like clusters were induced from human ES (hES cells after being cultured in P-ACM under free-floating conditions. The resultant neural stem cells could circumferentially proliferate under subsequent adhesive culture, and selectively differentiate into neurons or astrocytes by changing the medium to P-ACM or G5, respectively. These hES cell-derived neurons and astrocytes could procure functions similar to those of primary cells. Interestingly, a conditioned medium obtained from the hES cell-derived astrocytes (ES-ACM could successfully be used to substitute P-ACM for induction of neurons. Neurons made by this method could survive in mice brain after xeno-transplantation. CONCLUSION/SIGNIFICANCE: By inducing astrocytes from hES cells in a chemically defined medium, we could produce human neurons without the use of P-ACM. This self-serving method provides an unlimited source of human neural cells and may facilitate clinical applications of hES cells for neurological diseases.

  16. Dry friction damping couple at high frequencies

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Půst, Ladislav; Pešek, Luděk; Košina, Jan; Radolfová, Alena

    2014-01-01

    Roč. 8, č. 1 (2014), s. 91-100 ISSN 1802-680X Institutional support: RVO:61388998 Keywords : dry friction * damping * high frequencies Subject RIV: BI - Acoustics http://www.kme.zcu.cz/acm/acm/article/view/239/265

  17. Preparation of Highly Porous Binderless Active Carbon Monoliths from Waste Aspen Sawdust

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dawei Li

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Waste aspen sawdust was used as a precursor to prepare binderless active carbon monoliths (ACMs with high porosities. The ACMs were prepared by activation with H3PO4 at different activation temperatures (500 to 700 °C and retention times (1 to 3 h. Their morphologies, yields, textural properties, and microcrystalline structures were investigated using scanning electron microscopy (SEM, an analytical balance, N2 adsorption/desorption techniques, and X-ray diffraction (XRD. The results indicated that waste aspen sawdust could be successfully converted into highly porous binderless ACMs. The apparent specific surface area (SSA and yield of ACMs were in the range of 688 to 951 m2/g and 26.6 to 36.2%, respectively. Highly microporous ACMs with a micropore percentage of 91.1%, apparent specific surface area of 951 m2/g, pore volume of 0.481 mL/g, and bulk density of 0.56 g/mL could be produced by activation at 700 °C for 1 h. Increasing the activation temperature or retention time increased the specific surface area, pore volume, and turbostratic degree, but decreased the yield.

  18. Facilitated transport of Cr(III) through activated composite membrane containing di-(2-ethylhexyl)phosphoric acid (DEHPA) as carrier agent

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Arslan, Gulsin [Department of Chemistry, Selcuk University, 42031, Campus, Konya (Turkey); Tor, Ali, E-mail: ator@selcuk.edu.tr [Department of Environmental Engineering, Selcuk University, 42031 Campus, Konya (Turkey); Cengeloglu, Yunus; Ersoz, Mustafa [Department of Chemistry, Selcuk University, 42031, Campus, Konya (Turkey)

    2009-06-15

    The facilitated transport of chromium(III) through activated composite membrane (ACM) containing di-(2-ethylhexyl) phosphoric acid (DEHPA) was investigated. DEHPA was immobilised by interfacial polymerisation on polysulfone layer which was deposited on non-woven fabric by using spin coater. Then, ACM was characterised by using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), contact angle measurements and atomic force microscopy (AFM). Initially, batch experiments of liquid-liquid distribution of Cr(III) and the extractant (DEHPA) were carried out to determine the appropriate pH of the feed phase and the results showed that maximum extraction of Cr(III) was achieved at a pH of 4. It was also found that Cr(III) and DEHPA reacted in 1/1 molar ratio. The effects of Cr(III) (in feed phase), HCl (in stripping phase) and DEHPA (in ACM) concentrations were investigated. DEHPA concentration varies from 0.1 to 1.0 M and it was determined that the transport of Cr(III) increased with the carrier concentration up to 0.8 M. It was also observed that the transport of Cr(III) through the ACM tended to increase with Cr(III) and HCl concentrations. The stability of ACM was also confirmed with replicate experiments.

  19. Facilitated transport of Cr(III) through activated composite membrane containing di-(2-ethylhexyl)phosphoric acid (DEHPA) as carrier agent

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Arslan, Gulsin; Tor, Ali; Cengeloglu, Yunus; Ersoz, Mustafa

    2009-01-01

    The facilitated transport of chromium(III) through activated composite membrane (ACM) containing di-(2-ethylhexyl) phosphoric acid (DEHPA) was investigated. DEHPA was immobilised by interfacial polymerisation on polysulfone layer which was deposited on non-woven fabric by using spin coater. Then, ACM was characterised by using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), contact angle measurements and atomic force microscopy (AFM). Initially, batch experiments of liquid-liquid distribution of Cr(III) and the extractant (DEHPA) were carried out to determine the appropriate pH of the feed phase and the results showed that maximum extraction of Cr(III) was achieved at a pH of 4. It was also found that Cr(III) and DEHPA reacted in 1/1 molar ratio. The effects of Cr(III) (in feed phase), HCl (in stripping phase) and DEHPA (in ACM) concentrations were investigated. DEHPA concentration varies from 0.1 to 1.0 M and it was determined that the transport of Cr(III) increased with the carrier concentration up to 0.8 M. It was also observed that the transport of Cr(III) through the ACM tended to increase with Cr(III) and HCl concentrations. The stability of ACM was also confirmed with replicate experiments.

  20. CMT scaling analysis and distortion evaluation in passive integral test facility

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Deng Chengcheng; Qin Benke; Wang Han; Chang Huajian

    2013-01-01

    Core makeup tank (CMT) is the crucial device of AP1000 passive core cooling system, and reasonable scaling analysis of CMT plays a key role in the design of passive integral test facilities. H2TS method was used to perform scaling analysis for both circulating mode and draining mode of CMT. And then, the similarity criteria for CMT important processes were applied in the CMT scaling design of the ACME (advanced core-cooling mechanism experiment) facility now being built in China. Furthermore, the scaling distortion results of CMT characteristic Ⅱ groups of ACME were calculated. At last, the reason of scaling distortion was analyzed and the distortion evaluation was conducted for ACME facility. The dominant processes of CMT circulating mode can be adequately simulated in the ACME facility, but the steam condensation process during CMT draining is not well preserved because the excessive CMT mass leads to more energy to be absorbed by cold metal. However, comprehensive analysis indicates that the ACME facility with high-pressure simulation scheme is able to properly represent CMT's important phenomena and processes of prototype nuclear plant. (authors)

  1. Proposed Expansion of Acme Landfill Operations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    1982-08-01

    hazardous waste ponds that use solar evaporation processes to dispose of liquid hazardous wastes have an indefinite life, the quantity of liquid that may...determined at a later date. The use of solar evaporation ponds, for example, would preclude the use of spreading and compaction equipment used for...pesticides in spray cans, residual chemical solvents in steel drums, herbicide residues on grass clippings, or organic wastes in disposable baby diapers , a

  2. The Acme of Skill: Nonkinetic Warfare

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Teo, Cheng H

    2008-01-01

    ... impairment of the enemy's will to fight. Four global trends identified in this paper -- economic prosperity, freedom of information, the rise of nationalism, and globalization and interdependence -- are possible causes for this shift...

  3. The Acme of Skill: Nonkinetic Warfare

    Science.gov (United States)

    2008-05-01

    results are mixed. For the im- mense cost that often accompanies war, the returns of war are not guaranteed. On nonkinetic operations, it may appear that...ing, together with other kinetic capabilities such as emphasizing irregular operations, increasing ground troop levels, and recruiting foreign

  4. Augmented Reality for Maintenance and Repair (ARMAR)

    Science.gov (United States)

    2007-08-01

    implementations by leveraging more robust vision algorithms or by using fiducials. 57 Fi gu re 2 3. A ug m en te d co nt ro ls st at e di ag ra m 58...34 Proceedings of the IEEE Conference on Virtual Reality (VR 󈧇), Washington, DC, 2003, p. 199. [18] W. Friedrich , "ARVIKA-Augmented Reality for...and ACM International Symposium on Mixed and Augmented Reality (ISMAR 󈧊), Santa Barbara , CA, 2006, pp. 105-108. [33] S. G. Rao, S. J. Schmugge

  5. Protective effect of astrocyte-conditioned medium on neurons following hypoxia and mechanical injury

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    YAN Ji-wen

    2013-02-01

    Full Text Available 【Abstract】Objective: To investigate the protec-tive effect of mouse astrocyte-conditioned medium (ACM on hypoxic and mechanically injured neurons by a cell model in vitro, and to explore the possible mechanism. Methods: The model of hypoxic neuronal injury was caused by 3% O 2 in three-gas incubator. Neurons were cul-tured with ordinary medium or 20% ACM respectively and randomly divided into hypoxic group (hypoxia for 4, 8, 24 h and marked as H4R0, H8R0, H24R0 and hypoxia reoxygenation group (H4R24, H8R24, H24R24. Mechanical injury model was developed by scratching neurons cultured in 20% ACM or ordinary medium to different degrees. Neu-rons in both medium were divided into normal control group, mild, moderate and severe injury groups. The 20% ACM was added 24 h before hypoxia/reoxygenation or mechanical injury. The morphology and survival of neurons were observed and counted by trypan blue staining. The concentration of NO, lactic dehydrogenase (LDH and membrane ATPase activity were detected by corresponding kits. Results: It was showed that 20% ACM can obviously promote the survival rate of hypoxia/reoxygenated neurons and scratched neurons as well. The morphology and num-ber of neurons exposed to hypoxia or scratch injury showed great difference between groups with or without ACM treatment. Compared with control group, the concentration of NO and LDH was much lower in hypoxic/reoxygenated neurons treated with 20% ACM, and the ATPase activity was higher. For the mechanical injury model, neurons with moderate injury also revealed a lower NO and LDH concen-tration than the control group. All the differences were sta-tistically significant (P<0.05. Conclusion: ACM can promote the survival and func-tional recovery of neurons following hypoxia or scratching to a certain degree. The mechanism may be associated with reducing the synthesis and release of NO and LDH as well as increasing the activity of membrane ATPase. Key words: Glial cell line

  6. Research Article Special Issue

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    2016-05-15

    May 15, 2016 ... ... such as [14,17]. In [19] this is introduced as atomic verification capability. Here .... 26th ACM Symposium on Theory of Computing,pages 544–553. ACM, 1994. ... Self-tallying elections and perfect ballot secrecy. In Proc. 5th.

  7. 78 FR 18533 - Airworthiness Directives; Lindstrand Hot Air Balloons Ltd Appliances

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-03-27

    ... Airworthiness Directives; Lindstrand Hot Air Balloons Ltd Appliances AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration... Hot Air Balloons Ltd female ACME threaded hose connectors, part numbers HS6139 and HS6144, installed... follows: * * * * * (c) Applicability This AD applies to Lindstrand Hot Air Balloons Ltd female ACME...

  8. High current density M-type cathodes for vacuum electron devices

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Li Ji; Yu Zhiqiang; Shao Wensheng; Zhang Ke; Gao Yujuan; Yuan Haiqing; Wang Hui; Huang Kaizhi; Chen Qilue; Yan Suqiu; Cai Shaolun

    2005-01-01

    We investigated high current density emission capabilities of M-type cathodes used for vacuum electron devices (VEDs). The experimental results of emission and lifetime evaluating in both close-spaced diode structure and electron gun testing vehicles are given. Emission current densities measured in the diode structure at 1020 deg. C Br in the CW mode were above 10 A/cm 2 ; while in electron gun testing vehicles, emission current densities were above 8 A/cm 2 in CW mode and above 32 A/cm 2 in pulsed mode, respectively. The current density above 94 A/cm 2 has been acquired in no. 0306 electron gun vehicle while the practical temperature is 1060 deg. C Br . For a comparison some of the data from I-scandate cathodes are presented. Finally, several application examples in practical travelling wave tubes (TWTs) and multi beam klystrons (MBKs) are also reported

  9. Improved Dynamic Modeling of the Cascade Distillation Subsystem and Integration with Models of Other Water Recovery Subsystems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Perry, Bruce; Anderson, Molly

    2015-01-01

    The Cascade Distillation Subsystem (CDS) is a rotary multistage distiller being developed to serve as the primary processor for wastewater recovery during long-duration space missions. The CDS could be integrated with a system similar to the International Space Station (ISS) Water Processor Assembly (WPA) to form a complete Water Recovery System (WRS) for future missions. Independent chemical process simulations with varying levels of detail have previously been developed using Aspen Custom Modeler (ACM) to aid in the analysis of the CDS and several WPA components. The existing CDS simulation could not model behavior during thermal startup and lacked detailed analysis of several key internal processes, including heat transfer between stages. The first part of this paper describes modifications to the ACM model of the CDS that improve its capabilities and the accuracy of its predictions. Notably, the modified version of the model can accurately predict behavior during thermal startup for both NaCl solution and pretreated urine feeds. The model is used to predict how changing operating parameters and design features of the CDS affects its performance, and conclusions from these predictions are discussed. The second part of this paper describes the integration of the modified CDS model and the existing WPA component models into a single WRS model. The integrated model is used to demonstrate the effects that changes to one component can have on the dynamic behavior of the system as a whole.

  10. The study of conjugation of anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody for labeling with metallic or lanthanides radionuclides

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Akanji, Akinkunmi Ganiyu

    2012-01-01

    Lymphomas are malignancies or cancers that start from the malign transformation of a lymphocyte in the lymphatic system. Generally, lymphomas start from the lymph nodes or from the agglomeration of the lymphatic tissues, organs like stomach, intestines, in some cases it can involve the bone marrow and the blood, it can also disseminate to other organs. Lymphomas are divided in two major categories: Hodgkin lymphoma and non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL). Patient with NHL are generally treated with radiotherapy alone or combined with immunotherapy using monoclonal antibody rituximab (MabThera®). Currently, monoclonal antibodies (Acm) conjugated with bifunctional chelate agents and radiolabeled with metallic or lanthanides radionuclides are a treatment reality for patients with NHL by the principle of radioimmunotherapy (RIT). This study focused on the conditions of conjugation of Acm rituximab (MabThera®) with bifunctional chelating agents DOTA and DTPA. Various parameters were studied: method of Acm purification, conditions of Acm conjugation, the method for determination of number of chelate agent coupled to the Acm, method for purification of the conjugated antibody Acm, conditions of labeling of the conjugated antibody with lutetium-177, method of purification of the radiolabeled immuno conjugate, method of radiochemical purity (RP), specific binding in vitro Raji cells (Human Burkitt) and biological distribution performed in normal Balb-c mouse. The three methodologies employed in pre-purification of Acm (dialysis, size exclusion chromatograph and dial filtration) demonstrated to be efficient; they provided sample recovery exceeding 90%. However, the methodology of dial filtration presents minimal sample loss, and gave the final recovery of the sample in micro liters; thereby facilitating sample use in subsequent experiments. Numbers of chelators attached to the Acm molecule was proportional to the molar ratio studied. When we evaluated the influence of different

  11. The study of conjugation of anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody for labeling with metallic or lanthanides radionuclides; Estudo de conjugacao do anticorpo anti-CD20 para marcacao com radionuclideos metalicos ou lantanideos

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Akanji, Akinkunmi Ganiyu

    2012-07-01

    Lymphomas are malignancies or cancers that start from the malign transformation of a lymphocyte in the lymphatic system. Generally, lymphomas start from the lymph nodes or from the agglomeration of the lymphatic tissues, organs like stomach, intestines, in some cases it can involve the bone marrow and the blood, it can also disseminate to other organs. Lymphomas are divided in two major categories: Hodgkin lymphoma and non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL). Patient with NHL are generally treated with radiotherapy alone or combined with immunotherapy using monoclonal antibody rituximab (MabThera Registered-Sign ). Currently, monoclonal antibodies (Acm) conjugated with bifunctional chelate agents and radiolabeled with metallic or lanthanides radionuclides are a treatment reality for patients with NHL by the principle of radioimmunotherapy (RIT). This study focused on the conditions of conjugation of Acm rituximab (MabThera Registered-Sign ) with bifunctional chelating agents DOTA and DTPA. Various parameters were studied: method of Acm purification, conditions of Acm conjugation, the method for determination of number of chelate agent coupled to the Acm, method for purification of the conjugated antibody Acm, conditions of labeling of the conjugated antibody with lutetium-177, method of purification of the radiolabeled immuno conjugate, method of radiochemical purity (RP), specific binding in vitro Raji cells (Human Burkitt) and biological distribution performed in normal Balb-c mouse. The three methodologies employed in pre-purification of Acm (dialysis, size exclusion chromatograph and dial filtration) demonstrated to be efficient; they provided sample recovery exceeding 90%. However, the methodology of dial filtration presents minimal sample loss, and gave the final recovery of the sample in micro liters; thereby facilitating sample use in subsequent experiments. Numbers of chelators attached to the Acm molecule was proportional to the molar ratio studied. When we evaluated

  12. The influence of underwater data transmission sounds on the displacement behaviour of captive harbour seals (Phoca vitulina)

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Kastelein, R.A.; Heul, S. van der; Verboom, W.C.; Triesscheijn, R.J.V.; Jennings, N.V.

    2006-01-01

    To prevent grounding of ships and collisions between ships in shallow coastal waters, an underwater data collection and communication network (ACME) using underwater sounds to encode and transmit data is currently under development. Marine mammals might be affected by ACME sounds since they may use

  13. De publieke handhavingsprocedures van het mededingingsrecht in het licht van de mensenrechten

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Beumer, A.E.

    2016-01-01

    Public enforcement of competition law is in the hands of the Netherlands Authority for Consumers & Markets (ACM). The ACM has a wide variety of instruments at its disposal to combat unfair competition. The increasing attention to administrative fines, the qualification of the administrative fine as

  14. Determination of magnetic resonance imaging biomarkers for multiple sclerosis treatment effects

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Lyksborg, Mark

    based on the ACM method. Using ACM, localized statistical differences were detected in the bilateral motor tracts. The most interesting result of the lesion segmentation method study, was that it achieved a segmentation performance which was batter than two competing methods relative to the manual...

  15. Application of the Monte Carlo method for investigation of dynamical parameters of rotors supported by magnetorheological squeeze film damping devices

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Zapoměl, Jaroslav; Ferfecki, Petr; Kozánek, Jan

    2014-01-01

    Roč. 8, č. 1 (2014), s. 129-138 ISSN 1802-680X Institutional support: RVO:61388998 Keywords : uncertain parameters of rigid motors * magnetorheological dampers * force transmission * Monte Carlo method Subject RIV: BI - Acoustics http://www.kme.zcu.cz/acm/acm/article/view/247/275

  16. On the Relationship between Variational Level Set-Based and SOM-Based Active Contours

    Science.gov (United States)

    Abdelsamea, Mohammed M.; Gnecco, Giorgio; Gaber, Mohamed Medhat; Elyan, Eyad

    2015-01-01

    Most Active Contour Models (ACMs) deal with the image segmentation problem as a functional optimization problem, as they work on dividing an image into several regions by optimizing a suitable functional. Among ACMs, variational level set methods have been used to build an active contour with the aim of modeling arbitrarily complex shapes. Moreover, they can handle also topological changes of the contours. Self-Organizing Maps (SOMs) have attracted the attention of many computer vision scientists, particularly in modeling an active contour based on the idea of utilizing the prototypes (weights) of a SOM to control the evolution of the contour. SOM-based models have been proposed in general with the aim of exploiting the specific ability of SOMs to learn the edge-map information via their topology preservation property and overcoming some drawbacks of other ACMs, such as trapping into local minima of the image energy functional to be minimized in such models. In this survey, we illustrate the main concepts of variational level set-based ACMs, SOM-based ACMs, and their relationship and review in a comprehensive fashion the development of their state-of-the-art models from a machine learning perspective, with a focus on their strengths and weaknesses. PMID:25960736

  17. Progress in scale-up of second-generation HTS conductor

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Selvamanickam, V.; Chen, Y.; Xiong, X.; Xie, Y.; Zhang, X.; Qiao, Y.; Reeves, J.; Rar, A.; Schmidt, R.; Lenseth, K.

    2007-01-01

    Tremendous progress has been recently made in the achievement of high-performance, high-speed, long-length second-generation (2G) HTS conductors. Using ion beam assisted deposition (IBAD) MgO and metal organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD), SuperPower has scaled up tape lengths to 427 m with a minimum critical current value of 191 A/cm corresponding to a critical current x length performance of 81,550 m. Tape speeds up to 120 m/h have been reached with IBAD MgO, up to 80 m/h with buffer deposition and up to 45 m/h with MOCVD, all in single pass processing of 12 mm wide tape. Critical current value of 227 A/cm has been achieved in a 203 m long tape produced in an all-high-speed fabrication process. Critical current values have been raised to 721 A/cm, 592 A/cm and 486 A/cm in short, reel-to-reel processed tape, over 1 m length and over 11.1 m, respectively, using thicker MOCVD HTS films. Finally, over 10,000 m of copper-stabilized, 4 mm wide conductor has been produced and tested for delivery to the Albany Cable project. The average critical current of the 10,000 m lot was 81 A

  18. Progress in scale-up of second-generation HTS conductor

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Selvamanickam, V. [SuperPower Inc., 450 Duane Avenue, Schenectady, NY 12304 (United States)], E-mail: vselva@igc.com; Chen, Y.; Xiong, X.; Xie, Y.; Zhang, X.; Qiao, Y.; Reeves, J.; Rar, A.; Schmidt, R.; Lenseth, K. [SuperPower Inc., 450 Duane Avenue, Schenectady, NY 12304 (United States)

    2007-10-01

    Tremendous progress has been recently made in the achievement of high-performance, high-speed, long-length second-generation (2G) HTS conductors. Using ion beam assisted deposition (IBAD) MgO and metal organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD), SuperPower has scaled up tape lengths to 427 m with a minimum critical current value of 191 A/cm corresponding to a critical current x length performance of 81,550 m. Tape speeds up to 120 m/h have been reached with IBAD MgO, up to 80 m/h with buffer deposition and up to 45 m/h with MOCVD, all in single pass processing of 12 mm wide tape. Critical current value of 227 A/cm has been achieved in a 203 m long tape produced in an all-high-speed fabrication process. Critical current values have been raised to 721 A/cm, 592 A/cm and 486 A/cm in short, reel-to-reel processed tape, over 1 m length and over 11.1 m, respectively, using thicker MOCVD HTS films. Finally, over 10,000 m of copper-stabilized, 4 mm wide conductor has been produced and tested for delivery to the Albany Cable project. The average critical current of the 10,000 m lot was 81 A.

  19. Morphological changes during enhanced carbonation of asbestos containing material and its comparison to magnesium silicate minerals

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gadikota, Greeshma; Natali, Claudio; Boschi, Chiara; Park, Ah-Hyung Alissa

    2014-01-01

    The disintegration of asbestos containing materials (ACM) over time can result in the mobilization of toxic chrysotile ((Mg, Fe) 3 Si 2 O 5 (OH) 4 )) fibers. Therefore, carbonation of these materials can be used to alter the fibrous morphology of asbestos and help mitigate anthropogenic CO 2 emissions, depending on the amount of available alkaline metal in the materials. A series of high pressure carbonation experiments were performed in a batch reactor at P CO2 of 139 atm using solvents containing different ligands (i.e., oxalate and acetate). The results of ACM carbonation were compared to those of magnesium silicate minerals which have been proposed to permanently store CO 2 via mineral carbonation. The study revealed that oxalate even at a low concentration of 0.1 M was effective in enhancing the extent of ACM carbonation and higher reaction temperatures also resulted in increased ACM carbonation. Formation of phases such as dolomite ((Ca, Mg)(CO 3 ) 2 ), whewellite (CaC 2 O 4 ·H 2 O) and glushinskite (MgC 2 O 4 ·2H 2 O) and a reduction in the chrysotile content was noted. Significant changes in the particle size and surface morphologies of ACM and magnesium silicate minerals toward non-fibrous structures were observed after their carbonation

  20. Studies on the effects of adriamycin-derivatives in combination with X-rays on MeWo- and Be11-cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Krueger, M.; Beuningen, D. van; Streffer, C.

    1990-01-01

    The survival rate of human melanoma cells after X-ray irradiation, treamtment with adriamycin derivatives and combined treatment with X-rays and adriamycin derivatives was measured by means of the colony formation test. After X-ray irradiation the melanoma cells showed a high resistance for cell survival. In all tests the Be11-cells were more resistant than MeWo-cells. On combined exposure especially with higher doses of adriamycin derivatives, both cell lines showed the interesting effect, that with increasing concentration the survival rate decreased whereas the D 0 increased. Aclacinomycin-A (ACM-A) and Pirarubicin reduced recovery processes after X-ray irradiation. Therefore Be11-cells showed a four times higher DMF (dosis modifying factor) after ACM-A-treatment than MeWo-cells. Low ACM-A-concentrations combined with low X-ray doses showed on both cell lines supraadditive effects. The effect of pirarubicin was in most of the tests only additive. Compared with ACM-A, pirarubicin was less cytotoxic, showed a larger therapeutic range, caused a smaller D 0 and D q and had a supraadditive effect in low concentrations on both cell lines. For clinical combined therapy with patients ACM-A is probably better suited than pirarubicin. (orig.) [de

  1. Effects of MgO impurities and micro-cracks on the critical current density of Ti-sheathed MgB2 wires

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Liang, G.; Alessandrini, M.; Yen, F.; Hanna, M.; Fang, H.; Hoyt, C.; Lv, B.; Zeng, J.; Salama, K.

    2007-01-01

    Ti-sheathed monocore MgB 2 wires with improved magnetic critical current density (J c ) have been fabricated by in situ powder-in-tube (PIT) method and characterized by magnetization, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and electrical resistivity measurements. For the best wire, the magnetic J c values at 5 K and fields of 2 T, 5 T, and 8 T are 4.1 x 10 5 A/cm 2 , 7.8 x 10 4 A/cm 2 , and 1.4 x 10 4 A/cm 2 , respectively. At 20 K and fields of 0.5 T and 3 T, the J c values are about 3.6 x 10 5 A/cm 2 and 3.1 x 10 4 A/cm 2 , respectively, which are much higher than those of the Fe-sheathed mono-core MgB 2 wires fabricated with the same in situ PIT process and under the same fabricating conditions. It appears that the overall J c for the average Ti-sheathed wires is comparable to that of the Fe-sheathed wires. Our X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy analysis indicates that J c in the Ti-sheathed MgB 2 wires can be strongly suppressed by MgO impurities and micro-cracks

  2. Welcome to the TEI’10 Proceedings

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Pederson, Thomas; Shaer, Orit; Wakkary, Ron

    2010-01-01

    We welcome you to the proceedings of the 4th ACM International Conference on Tangible, Embedded, and Embodied Interaction -- TEI'10, held in Cambridge, Massachusetts, on the 25th -27th of January 2010. TEI'10 continues the pursuit of key areas of innovation in respect to tangible, embedded...... as Explorations aimed at attracting thought provoking, evocative, visually and sensually rich work by a diverse group of creators. 46 submissions were received from which an expert jury accepted 10 contributions. These contributions are interwoven into the papers and demonstration tracks at the conference...

  3. Study of coupled heat and water transfer in proton exchange membrane fuel cells by the way of internal measurements

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Thomas, A; Maranzana, G; Didierjean, S; Dillet, J; Lottin, O

    2012-01-01

    Measurements of electrode temperatures within a proton exchange membrane fuel cell were performed using platinum wires. A temperature difference of 7°C between the electrodes and the bipolar plates was observed for a cell operating at a current density of 1.5 A.cm −2 . These measurements show a strong non-uniformity of the temperature profile through membrane electrode assembly (MEA) that future phenomenological models must take into account. In addition, the simultaneous measurements of heat and water flux through the MEA leads to the conclusion that produced water crosses the diffusion layer in vapor phase. A very simple heat transfer model is proposed.

  4. Internal Audit Service | Internal Audit Service

    Science.gov (United States)

    their internal auditing function in the areas of professional excellence, quality of service and Students and teachers Media Internal Audit Service Navbar Toggle Home About the Staff Risk Assessment and Planning Internal Audit Process Search for Search Home The mission of the Fermilab Internal Audit Service

  5. System approach to development of professional competence of ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    This article examines the issue of developing the professional competence of students and managers with the use of acme logical technologies. The influence of acme logical technologies, which are used in professional-oriented creative projects, is regarded, considering its effect on the development of professional ...

  6. High current density in bulk YBa2Cu3O/sub x/ superconductor

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Salama, K.; Selvamanickam, V.; Gao, L.; Sun, K.

    1989-01-01

    A liquid phase processing method for the fabrication of bulk YBa 2 Cu 3 O/sub x/ superconductors with large current carrying capacity has been developed. Slow cooling through the peritectic transformation (1030--980 degree C) has been shown to control the microstructure of these superconductors. A cooling rate of 1 degree C/h in this temperature range has yielded a microstructure with long plate type, thick grains oriented over a wide area. Current density up to 18 500 A/cm 2 has been obtained by continuous direct current measurements and in excess of 62 000 A/cm 2 with pulse current of 10 ms duration and 75 000 A/cm 2 using 1 ms pulse. The strong magnetic field dependence observed in sintered bulk 1-2-3 superconductors is also minimized to a large extent where a current density in excess of 37 000 A/cm 2 is obtained in a field of 6000 G

  7. Security of statistical data bases: invasion of privacy through attribute correlational modeling

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Palley, M.A.

    1985-01-01

    This study develops, defines, and applies a statistical technique for the compromise of confidential information in a statistical data base. Attribute Correlational Modeling (ACM) recognizes that the information contained in a statistical data base represents real world statistical phenomena. As such, ACM assumes correlational behavior among the database attributes. ACM proceeds to compromise confidential information through creation of a regression model, where the confidential attribute is treated as the dependent variable. The typical statistical data base may preclude the direct application of regression. In this scenario, the research introduces the notion of a synthetic data base, created through legitimate queries of the actual data base, and through proportional random variation of responses to these queries. The synthetic data base is constructed to resemble the actual data base as closely as possible in a statistical sense. ACM then applies regression analysis to the synthetic data base, and utilizes the derived model to estimate confidential information in the actual database.

  8. Absence of a primary role for TTN missense variants in arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy: From a clinical and pathological perspective.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Kai; Song, Jiangping; Wang, Zhen; Rao, Man; Chen, Liang; Hu, Shengshou

    2018-05-01

    Arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy (ACM) is an inheritable heart disease characterized by fibro-fatty replacement of the myocardium. TTN missense variants were previously reported as a pathogenic factor for ACM. TTN missense variants are commonly identified in ACM, but have limited effect on the phenotype of ACM. We sequenced 15 ACM-related genes in 35 patients who had a heart transplantation and quantified myocardium, and fibrous and adipose tissue in blocks of the explanted heart. Clinical and pathological characteristics were compared between patients with TTN variants and others. Pedigree analysis was performed in 3 families with TTN variants. TTN variants were detected in 11 patients (all missense, 9 heterozygous and 2 oligogenic form). The TTN truncating variant was absent in the cohort. Patients with TTN variants had late onset age of the disease (31 ±13 years vs 17 ±3 years, P = 0.049) and age of heart transplantation (41 ±14 years vs 24 ±9 years, P = 0.027), larger left ventricle end-diastolic diameter (62 ±10 mm vs 45 ±10 mm, P = 0.019), smaller right ventricular outflow tract (34 ±14 mm vs 50 ±15 mm, P = 0.046), more myocardium (40.8% ±29.4% vs 13.8% ±11.0%, P = 0.017), and less adipose tissue (43.0% ±30.9% vs 66.9% ±18.5%, P = 0.036) in right ventricle than those with desmosomal variants. There was few difference between patients with TTN variants and those without variants. Pedigrees showed none of the family members with TTN missense variants had a disease phenotype, indicating a very low penetrance. TTN missense variants was commonly identified in ACM patients in this cohort, but hardly played a primary role in ACM as causative variants. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  9. Quantitative analysis of aortic regurgitation: real-time 3-dimensional and 2-dimensional color Doppler echocardiographic method--a clinical and a chronic animal study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shiota, Takahiro; Jones, Michael; Tsujino, Hiroyuki; Qin, Jian Xin; Zetts, Arthur D.; Greenberg, Neil L.; Cardon, Lisa A.; Panza, Julio A.; Thomas, James D.

    2002-01-01

    BACKGROUND: For evaluating patients with aortic regurgitation (AR), regurgitant volumes, left ventricular (LV) stroke volumes (SV), and absolute LV volumes are valuable indices. AIM: The aim of this study was to validate the combination of real-time 3-dimensional echocardiography (3DE) and semiautomated digital color Doppler cardiac flow measurement (ACM) for quantifying absolute LV volumes, LVSV, and AR volumes using an animal model of chronic AR and to investigate its clinical applicability. METHODS: In 8 sheep, a total of 26 hemodynamic states were obtained pharmacologically 20 weeks after the aortic valve noncoronary (n = 4) or right coronary (n = 4) leaflet was incised to produce AR. Reference standard LVSV and AR volume were determined using the electromagnetic flow method (EM). Simultaneous epicardial real-time 3DE studies were performed to obtain LV end-diastolic volumes (LVEDV), end-systolic volumes (LVESV), and LVSV by subtracting LVESV from LVEDV. Simultaneous ACM was performed to obtain LVSV and transmitral flows; AR volume was calculated by subtracting transmitral flow volume from LVSV. In a total of 19 patients with AR, real-time 3DE and ACM were used to obtain LVSVs and these were compared with each other. RESULTS: A strong relationship was found between LVSV derived from EM and those from the real-time 3DE (r = 0.93, P <.001, mean difference (3D - EM) = -1.0 +/- 9.8 mL). A good relationship between LVSV and AR volumes derived from EM and those by ACM was found (r = 0.88, P <.001). A good relationship between LVSV derived from real-time 3DE and that from ACM was observed (r = 0.73, P <.01, mean difference = 2.5 +/- 7.9 mL). In patients, a good relationship between LVSV obtained by real-time 3DE and ACM was found (r = 0.90, P <.001, mean difference = 0.6 +/- 9.8 mL). CONCLUSION: The combination of ACM and real-time 3DE for quantifying LV volumes, LVSV, and AR volumes was validated by the chronic animal study and was shown to be clinically applicable.

  10. International Trade. International Business

    OpenAIRE

    Мохнюк, А. М.; Mokhniuk, A. M.

    2015-01-01

    Work programme of the study course “International Trade. International Business” was prepared in accordance with educational and vocational training program for bachelors of training direction 6.030601 “Management”.

  11. The Snackbot: Documenting the Design of a Robot for Long-term Human-Robot Interaction

    Science.gov (United States)

    2009-03-01

    distributed robots. Proceedings of the Computer Supported Cooperative Work Conference’02. NY: ACM Press. [18] Kanda, T., Takayuki , H., Eaton, D., and...humanoid robots. Proceedings of HRI’06. New York, NY: ACM Press, 351-352. [23] Nabe, S., Kanda, T., Hiraki , K., Ishiguro, H., Kogure, K., and Hagita

  12. Cloud Computing at the Tactical Edge

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-10-01

    Web Services and Cloud Computing to Create Next-Generation Mobile Applications,” 627-634. Proceedings of the 24th ACM SIGPLAN Conference Companion on...the 1st Workshop on Mobile Middleware. Leuven, Belgium, December 2008. ACM, 2008. [Kumar 2010] Kumar, K. & Lu, Y. “ Cloud Computing for Mobile Users

  13. Electrically injected GaAsBi/GaAs single quantum well laser diodes

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Juanjuan Liu

    2017-11-01

    Full Text Available We present electrically injected GaAs/GaAsBi single quantum well laser diodes (LDs emitting at a record long wavelength of 1141 nm at room temperature grown by molecular beam epitaxy. The LDs have excellent device performances with internal quantum efficiency of 86%, internal loss of 10 cm-1 and transparency current density of 196 A/cm2. The LDs can operate under continuous-wave mode up to 273 K. The characteristic temperature are extracted to be 125 K in the temperature range of 77∼150 K, and reduced to 90 K in the range of 150∼273 K. The temperature coefficient of 0.3 nm/K is extracted in the temperature range of 77∼273 K.

  14. Orofacial clinical features in Arnold Chiari type I malformation: A case series.

    Science.gov (United States)

    de Arruda, José-Alcides; Figueiredo, Eugênia; Monteiro, João-Luiz; Barbosa, Livia-Mirelle; Rodrigues, Cleomar; Vasconcelos, Belmiro

    2018-04-01

    Arnold Chiari malformation (ACM) is characterized by an anatomical defect at the base of the skull where the cerebellum and the spinal cord herniate through the foramen magnum into the cervical spinal canal. Among the subtypes of the condition, ACM type I (ACM-I) is particularly outstanding because of the severity of symptoms. This study aimed to analyze the orofacial clinical manifestations of patients with ACM-I, and discuss their demographic distribution and clinical features in light of the literature. A case series with patients with ACM-I treated between 2012 and 2015 was described. The sample consisted of patients who were referred by the Department of Neurosurgery to the Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Service of Hospital da Restauração in Brazil for the assessment of facial symptomatology. A questionnaire was applied to evaluate the presence of painful orofacial findings. Data are reported using descriptive statistical methods. Mean patient age was 39.3 years and the sample consisted mostly of male patients. A high prevalence of headache (50%) and pain in the neck (66.7%) and masticatory muscles (50%) was found. Only one patient reported difficulty in performing mandibular movements and two reported jaw clicking sounds. Mean mouth opening was 40.83 mm. ACM-I patients may exhibit orofacial symptoms which may mimic temporomandibular joint disorders. This study brings interesting information that could help clinicians and oral and maxillofacial surgeons to understand this uncommon condition and also help with the diagnosis of patients with similar physical characteristics by referring them to a neurosurgeon. Key words: Arnold-Chiari malformation, facial pain, diagnosis, orofacial.

  15. [Arnold-Chiari malformation in Noonan syndrome and other syndromes of the RAS/MAPK pathway].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ejarque, Ismael; Millán-Salvador, José M; Oltra, Silvestre; Pesudo-Martínez, José V; Beneyto, Magdalena; Pérez-Aytés, Antonio

    2015-05-01

    Noonan syndrome (NS) and other syndromes with a similar phenotype, such as LEOPARD, cardiofaciocutaneous, Costello and Legius, are associated to mutations in genes included in the RAS/MAPK pathway (RASopathies), which is an important signalling pathway related to cell proliferation. Tonsillar descent into the upper cervical spinal canal, known as Arnold-Chiari malformation (ACM), has been reported in patients with NS and this has led some researchers to suggest that ACM could be part of the phenotypic spectrum of NS. We report two cases of NS and ACM. Case 1: 29-year-old female with Noonan phenotype who underwent surgery at the age of nine years due to pulmonary valve stenosis. At the age of 27, she presented symptomatic ACM that required surgical decompression. She presented the c.922A>G (N308D) mutation in the gene PTPN that belongs to the RAS/MAPK pathway. Case 2: a 10-year-old female with Noonan phenotype and asymptomatic ACM detected in magnetic resonance imaging of the brain. She was a carrier of the c.923A>G (N308S) mutation in gene PTPN11. Six patients with this association have been found in the literature, four with the Noonan phenotype and two with LEOPARD. Our two patients provide supplementary evidence that backs up the hypothesis by which ACM would be part of the phenotypic spectrum of NS. The small number of reported cases of patients with this association does not allow us to draw up recommendations about when and how often neuroimaging studies should be performed; a careful neurological examination, however, should be included in the anticipatory health guidelines in syndromes involving the RAS/MAPK pathway.

  16. Satellite Media Broadcasting with Adaptive Coding and Modulation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Georgios Gardikis

    2009-01-01

    Full Text Available Adaptive Coding and Modulation (ACM is a feature incorporated into the DVB-S2 satellite specification, allowing real-time adaptation of transmission parameters according to the link conditions. Although ACM was originally designed for optimizing unicast services, this article discusses the expansion of its usage to broadcasting streams as well. For this purpose, a general cross-layer adaptation approach is proposed, along with its realization into a fully functional experimental network, and test results are presented. Finally, two case studies are analysed, assessing the gain derived by ACM in a real large-scale deployment, involving HD services provision to two different geographical areas.

  17. Cerebral and spinal MR-findings in patients with postrepair myelomeningocele

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Just, M.; Thelen, M.; Ludwig, B.

    1990-01-01

    In 114 patients with postrepair myelomeningocele MRI of the spine was performed. Tethered cord (89%) and associated malformations (syrinx, lipoma etc.) (33%) were the most important findings. Additional MRI scans of the head (44 patients) revealed numerous further anomalies. Arnold Chiari malformation was found in 76% of the patients (ACM I: 32%, ACM II: 44%). In the ACM II group compression of lower cranial nerves, brain stem, and cerebellum can lead to considerable neurologic symptoms. Therefore in patients with progressive neurologic dysfunction a complete investigation of the whole spine and brain is necessary. MRI proves to be the diagnostic procedure of choice in patients with dysraphic myelodysplasia. (orig.)

  18. Micro-structure Engineering of InGaN/GaN Quantum Wells for High Brightness Light Emitting Devices

    KAUST Repository

    Shen, Chao

    2013-01-01

    diameter (D) micro-LED-pillar was achieved, compared to that of a 200 μm diameter LED (20 A/cm2), both at 10 V bias voltage. In addition, an increase in sustained quantum efficiency from 70.2% to 83.7% at high injection current density (200 A/cm2

  19. Prioritizing Asbestos Removal from Various Facilities Using the INSIGHT II+ Expert System

    Science.gov (United States)

    1986-07-01

    34chronic lung disease" (30), the Johns-Manville Company was established in 1902. This company was to play a dramatic role , socially, politically and...determine recommendations for controlling the asbestos fiber release from the ACM. ’Pr iasbes ’ queries the user about the condition of the ACM through

  20. Do adaptive comanagement processes lead to adaptive comanagement outcomes? A multicase study of long-term outcomes associated with the national riparian service team's place-based riparian assistance

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jill A. Smedstad; Hannah. Gosnell

    2013-01-01

    Adaptive comanagement (ACM) is a novel approach to environmental governance that combines the dynamic learning features of adaptive management with the linking and network features of collaborative management. There is growing interest in the potential for ACM to resolve conflicts around natural resource management and contribute to greater social and ecological...

  1. Overview of Special Issue

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Hiemstra, Djoerd; Harman, Donna; Allan, James; Kelly, Diane; Belkin, Nicholas J.; Bennet, Paul; Callan, Jamie; Clarke, Charles; Diaz, Fernando; Dumais, Susan; Ferro, Nicola; Harman, Donna; Ruthven, Ian; Sakai, Tetsuya; Smucker, Mark D.; Zobel, Justin

    2017-01-01

    This special issue of SIGIR Forum marks the 40th anniversary of the ACM SIGIR Conference by showcasing papers selected for the ACM SIGIR Test of Time Award from the years 1978-2001. These papers document the history and evolution of IR research and practice, and illustrate the intellectual impact

  2. Morphological changes during enhanced carbonation of asbestos containing material and its comparison to magnesium silicate minerals

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Gadikota, Greeshma [Department of Chemical Engineering, Columbia University, 500 West 120th Street, New York, NY 10027 (United States); Natali, Claudio; Boschi, Chiara [Institute of Geosciences and Earth Resources – National Research Council, Pisa (Italy); Park, Ah-Hyung Alissa, E-mail: ap2622@columbia.edu [Department of Earth and Environmental Engineering, Columbia University, 500 West 120th Street, New York, NY 10027 (United States); Department of Chemical Engineering, Columbia University, 500 West 120th Street, New York, NY 10027 (United States); Lenfest Center for Sustainable Energy, Columbia University, 500 West 120th Street, New York, NY 10027 (United States)

    2014-01-15

    The disintegration of asbestos containing materials (ACM) over time can result in the mobilization of toxic chrysotile ((Mg, Fe){sub 3}Si{sub 2}O{sub 5}(OH){sub 4})) fibers. Therefore, carbonation of these materials can be used to alter the fibrous morphology of asbestos and help mitigate anthropogenic CO{sub 2} emissions, depending on the amount of available alkaline metal in the materials. A series of high pressure carbonation experiments were performed in a batch reactor at P{sub CO2} of 139 atm using solvents containing different ligands (i.e., oxalate and acetate). The results of ACM carbonation were compared to those of magnesium silicate minerals which have been proposed to permanently store CO{sub 2} via mineral carbonation. The study revealed that oxalate even at a low concentration of 0.1 M was effective in enhancing the extent of ACM carbonation and higher reaction temperatures also resulted in increased ACM carbonation. Formation of phases such as dolomite ((Ca, Mg)(CO{sub 3}){sub 2}), whewellite (CaC{sub 2}O{sub 4}·H{sub 2}O) and glushinskite (MgC{sub 2}O{sub 4}·2H{sub 2}O) and a reduction in the chrysotile content was noted. Significant changes in the particle size and surface morphologies of ACM and magnesium silicate minerals toward non-fibrous structures were observed after their carbonation.

  3. Proceedings from the Annual Army Environmental R&D Symposium (16th) Held 23-25 June 1992 at Fort Magruder Inn and Conference Center, Williamsburg, Virginia

    Science.gov (United States)

    1992-06-01

    photoactivity. The second prong was to evaluate the perovskite materials to utilize the lattice oxygen for the oxidation step and was found unsuccessful...Loalized 0 Distributed (*24) WowK damage to ACM. Q Yes 0 NO 0 Lca -Hzed 0 Distributed (25) Proximity (P) of ACM to repaWrromzine mainm uin A. Friable

  4. Nuclear fuel cycle: international market, international constraints and international cooperation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Imai, R.

    1977-01-01

    Some of the constraints on the nuclear fuel cycle are ones arising from economic and financial reasons, those caused by uranium resources and their distribution, those arising from technical reasons, issues of public acceptance, and those quite independent of normal industrial considerations, but caused by elements of international politics. The nuclear fuel cycle and the international market, matters of nuclear non-proliferation, and international cooperation are discussed

  5. Cardiovascular Comorbidity and Mortality in Men With Prostate Cancer Treated With Brachytherapy-Based Radiation With or Without Hormonal Therapy

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Nanda, Akash, E-mail: akash.nanda@orlandohealth.com [Department of Radiation Oncology, MD Anderson Cancer Center Orlando, Orlando, Florida (United States); Chen, Ming-Hui [Department of Statistics, University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut (United States); Moran, Brian J.; Braccioforte, Michelle H. [Prostate Cancer Foundation of Chicago, Westmont, Illinois (United States); D' Amico, Anthony V. [Department of Radiation Oncology, Brigham and Women' s Hospital/Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts (United States)

    2013-04-01

    Purpose: To assess the impact of coronary artery disease (CAD) risk factors and sequelae on the risk of all-cause mortality (ACM) in men treated for prostate cancer (PC). Methods and Materials: The study cohort comprised 5077 men with PC consecutively treated with curative intent between 1997 and 2006 at the Chicago Prostate Cancer Center. Cox and Fine and Gray's competing risks regression multivariable analyses were performed, assessing whether cardiovascular comorbidity impacted the risk of ACM and PC-specific mortality, respectively, adjusting for CAD risk factors (diabetes mellitus, hypercholesterolemia, or hypertension) and sequelae (congestive heart failure or myocardial infarction), age, year and type of treatment, and known PC prognostic factors. Results: When compared with men with no comorbidity there was a significantly increased risk of ACM in men with congestive heart failure or myocardial infarction (adjusted hazard ratio [AHR] 1.96, P<.001) and in men with diabetes mellitus (AHR 1.60, P=.03) and hypertension (AHR 1.25, P=.04). In contrast, men with hypercholesterolemia had a similar risk of ACM (AHR 0.68, P=.17) when compared with men with no comorbidity. Other factors associated with a significantly increased risk of ACM included age (AHR 1.09, P<.001), prostate-specific antigen level (AHR 1.25, P=.008), and Gleason score 8-10 disease (AHR 1.71, P=.003). Cardiovascular comorbidity did not impact the risk of PC-specific mortality. Conclusions: In addition to age and unfavorable PC prognostic factors, select CAD risk factors and sequelae are associated with an increased risk of ACM in men treated for PC. These comorbidity prognostic factors predict time courses of mortality from competing causes, which may be factored into the decision-making process when considering management options for PC in a given individual.

  6. Cardiovascular Comorbidity and Mortality in Men With Prostate Cancer Treated With Brachytherapy-Based Radiation With or Without Hormonal Therapy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nanda, Akash; Chen, Ming-Hui; Moran, Brian J.; Braccioforte, Michelle H.; D'Amico, Anthony V.

    2013-01-01

    Purpose: To assess the impact of coronary artery disease (CAD) risk factors and sequelae on the risk of all-cause mortality (ACM) in men treated for prostate cancer (PC). Methods and Materials: The study cohort comprised 5077 men with PC consecutively treated with curative intent between 1997 and 2006 at the Chicago Prostate Cancer Center. Cox and Fine and Gray's competing risks regression multivariable analyses were performed, assessing whether cardiovascular comorbidity impacted the risk of ACM and PC-specific mortality, respectively, adjusting for CAD risk factors (diabetes mellitus, hypercholesterolemia, or hypertension) and sequelae (congestive heart failure or myocardial infarction), age, year and type of treatment, and known PC prognostic factors. Results: When compared with men with no comorbidity there was a significantly increased risk of ACM in men with congestive heart failure or myocardial infarction (adjusted hazard ratio [AHR] 1.96, P<.001) and in men with diabetes mellitus (AHR 1.60, P=.03) and hypertension (AHR 1.25, P=.04). In contrast, men with hypercholesterolemia had a similar risk of ACM (AHR 0.68, P=.17) when compared with men with no comorbidity. Other factors associated with a significantly increased risk of ACM included age (AHR 1.09, P<.001), prostate-specific antigen level (AHR 1.25, P=.008), and Gleason score 8-10 disease (AHR 1.71, P=.003). Cardiovascular comorbidity did not impact the risk of PC-specific mortality. Conclusions: In addition to age and unfavorable PC prognostic factors, select CAD risk factors and sequelae are associated with an increased risk of ACM in men treated for PC. These comorbidity prognostic factors predict time courses of mortality from competing causes, which may be factored into the decision-making process when considering management options for PC in a given individual

  7. Semi-analytical stochastic analysis of the generalized van der Pol system

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Náprstek, Jiří; Fischer, Cyril

    (2018) ISSN 1802-680X R&D Projects: GA ČR(CZ) GA15-01035S Institutional support: RVO:68378297 Keywords : stochastic stability * generalized van der Pol system * stochastic averaging * limit cycles Subject RIV: JM - Building Engineering OBOR OECD: Construction engineering, Municipal and structural engineering https://www.kme.zcu.cz/acm/acm/article/view/407

  8. Extending quantum efficiency roll-over threshold with compositionally graded InGaN/GaN LED

    KAUST Repository

    Mishra, Pawan; Ng, Tien Khee; Janjua, Bilal; Shen, Chao; Eid, Jessica; Alyamani, Ahmed Y.; El-Desouki, Munir M.; Ooi, Boon S.

    2014-01-01

    We report a significant improvement in the electrical characteristic of compositionally graded InGaN/GaN multiple-quantum-well (MQWs) micro-LED. The efficiency droop in this device occurred at ∼20 times higher injection levels (∼275 A/cm2) compared to a conventional step-MQWs microLED (∼14 A/cm2).

  9. Vibration of imperfect rotating disk

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Půst, Ladislav; Pešek, Luděk

    2011-01-01

    Roč. 5, č. 2 (2011), s. 205-216 ISSN 1802-680X R&D Projects: GA ČR GA101/09/1166 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z20760514 Keywords : bladed disk * imperfect disk * travelling waves Subject RIV: BI - Acoustics http://www.kme.zcu.cz/acm/index.php/acm/article/view/86

  10. Extending quantum efficiency roll-over threshold with compositionally graded InGaN/GaN LED

    KAUST Repository

    Mishra, Pawan

    2014-12-01

    We report a significant improvement in the electrical characteristic of compositionally graded InGaN/GaN multiple-quantum-well (MQWs) micro-LED. The efficiency droop in this device occurred at ∼20 times higher injection levels (∼275 A/cm2) compared to a conventional step-MQWs microLED (∼14 A/cm2).

  11. International Criminalization of International Terrorizm

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alexander Grigoryevich Volevodz

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Analysis and studying of the terrorism in all its facets is a complex entangled problem with less clear legal regulation that it might seem at first glance, especially after its transformation from local phenomenon into a world threat. Hitherto terrorism and actions connected to it have been criminalized by the majority of states. There are in modern criminal law whole systems of rules on criminal liability for terrorism which differs considerably from country to country. Terrorism has been criminalized in numerous international regional and universal antiterrorist legal instruments. The author notes that differences in definitions that are enshrined in them hinders international cooperation in criminal matters with respect to terrorist cases. Difficulties reside in the necessity to meet the dual criminality requirement and in the political offense exception. These difficulties can only be overcome through elaboration of a universally recognized definition of the notion of international terrorism and making it legally binding via its inclusion into a universal convention. The issue of definition of international terrorism is an important part of an efficient mutual assistance among states in fight against this crime. In this article the author accounts of actual ways of tackling by the international community of the issue of criminalization of international terrorism and of factors influencing them.

  12. Modification of solid surface by intense pulsed light-ion and metal-ion beams

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nakagawa, Y.; Ariyoshi, T.; Hanjo, H.; Tsutsumi, S.; Fujii, Y.; Itami, M.; Okamoto, A.; Ogawa, S.; Hamada, T.; Fukumaru, F.

    1989-03-01

    Metal surfaces of Al, stainless-steel and Ti were bombarded with focused intense pulsed proton and carbon ion beams (energy ˜ 80 keV, current density ≲ 1000 A/cm 2, pulse width ˜ 300 ns). Thin titanium carbide layers were produced by carbon-ion irradiation on the titanium surface. The observed molten surface structures and recrystallized layer (20 μm depth) indicated that the surfaces reached high temperatures as a result of the irradiation. The implantation of intense pulsed metal ion beams (Al +, ˜ 20 A/cm 2) with simultaneous deposition of anode metal vapor on Ti and Fe made a mixed layer of AlTi and AlFe of about 0.5 μm depth. Ti and B multilayered films evaporated on glass substrates were irradiated by intense pulsed proton beams of relatively lower current density (10-200 A/cm 2). Ti films containing B atoms above 10 at.% were obtained. When the current density was about 200 A/cm 2 diffraction peaks of TiB 2 appeared.

  13. In situ observation of electron-beam-induced dewetting of CdSe thin film embedded in SiO2

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Fabrim, Zacarias Eduardo; Kjelstrup-Hansen, Jakob; Fichtner, Paulo F. P.

    In this work we show the dewetting process of the CdSe thin films induced by electron beam irradiation. A multilayer heterostructure of SiO2/CdSe/SiO2 was made by a magnetron sputtering process. A plan-view (PV) sample was irradiated with 200 kV electrons in the TEM with two current densities: 0.......33 A.cm2 and 1.0 A.cm2 and at 80 kV with 0.37 A.cm2. The dewetting of the CdSe film is inferred by a number of micrographs taken during the irradiation. The microstructural changes were analyzed under the assumption of being induced by ballistic collision effects in the absence of sample heating....

  14. Investigation of the alpha cluster model and the density matrix expansion in ion-ion collision

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rashdan, M.B.M.

    1986-01-01

    This thesis deals with the investigation of the alpha cluster model (ACM) of brink and studies of the accuracy of the density matrix expansion (DME) approximation in deriving the real part of the ion-ion optical potential. the ACM is applied to calculate the inelastic 0 1 + →2 1 + charge form factor for electron scattering by 12 C to investigate the validity of this model for 12 C nucleus. it is found that the experimental curve can be fitted over the entire range of the momentum transfer by a generator - coordinate state for the 2 1 + state that consist of a superposition of two triangular ACM states with two different cluster separations and the same oscillator parameter

  15. Climate Modeling: Ocean Cavities below Ice Shelves

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Petersen, Mark Roger [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States). Computer, Computational, and Statistical Sciences Division

    2016-09-12

    The Accelerated Climate Model for Energy (ACME), a new initiative by the U.S. Department of Energy, includes unstructured-mesh ocean, land-ice, and sea-ice components using the Model for Prediction Across Scales (MPAS) framework. The ability to run coupled high-resolution global simulations efficiently on large, high-performance computers is a priority for ACME. Sub-ice shelf ocean cavities are a significant new capability in ACME, and will be used to better understand how changing ocean temperature and currents influence glacial melting and retreat. These simulations take advantage of the horizontal variable-resolution mesh and adaptive vertical coordinate in MPAS-Ocean, in order to place high resolution below ice shelves and near grounding lines.

  16. Numerical approximation of flow in a symmetric channel with vibrating walls

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Sváček, P.; Horáček, Jaromír

    2010-01-01

    Roč. 4, č. 2 (2010), s. 225-236 ISSN 1802-680X R&D Projects: GA MŠk OC09019 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z20760514 Keywords : biomechanics of voice production * incompressible Navier-Stokes equations * ALE method Subject RIV: BI - Acoustics http://www.kme.zcu.cz/acm/index.php/acm/article/view/62

  17. Finite element modelling of vocal tract changes after voice therapy

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Vampola, T.; Laukkanen, A. M.; Horáček, Jaromír; Švec, J. G.

    2011-01-01

    Roč. 5, č. 1 (2011), s. 77-88 ISSN 1802-680X R&D Projects: GA ČR GA101/08/1155 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z20760514 Keywords : biomechanics of human voice * voice production modelling * vocal excersing * voice training Subject RIV: BI - Acoustics http://www.kme.zcu.cz/acm/index.php/acm/article/view/138

  18. Teaching to Tinker

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Cermak-Sassenrath, Daniel; Mollenbach, Emilie

    2015-01-01

    Daniel Cermak-Sassenrath, Emilie Mølllenbach. Teaching to Tinker - Making as an Educational Strategy. Workshop description. In: Proceedings of NordiCHI 2014: Fun, Fast, Foundational. New York: ACM, forthcoming.......Daniel Cermak-Sassenrath, Emilie Mølllenbach. Teaching to Tinker - Making as an Educational Strategy. Workshop description. In: Proceedings of NordiCHI 2014: Fun, Fast, Foundational. New York: ACM, forthcoming....

  19. Automatic Configuration of Programmable Logic Controller Emulators

    Science.gov (United States)

    2015-03-01

    download.php?articleid= sec v6 n12 2013 3 . [FGM+99] Roy Fielding, Jim Gettys, Jeffrey Mogul, Henrik Frystyk, Larry Masin- ter, Paul Leach, and Tim...2011 ACM SIGCOMM Conference on, IMC ’11, pages 397–412, New York, NY, USA, 2011. ACM. [LBZH13] Patrick LaRoche, Aimee Burrows , and A. Nur Zincir

  20. Fish Oil-Derived Long-Chain n-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids Reduce Expression of M1-Associated Macrophage Markers in an ex vivo Adipose Tissue Culture Model, in Part through Adiponectin.

    Science.gov (United States)

    De Boer, Anna A; Monk, Jennifer M; Liddle, Danyelle M; Power, Krista A; Ma, David W L; Robinson, Lindsay E

    2015-01-01

    Adipose tissue (AT) macrophages (ATM) play a key role in obesity-associated pathologies, and their phenotype can be influenced by the local tissue microenvironment. Interestingly, long-chain n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC n-3 PUFA) and the LC n-3 PUFA-upregulated adipokine, adiponectin (Ad), may mitigate excessive ATM inflammatory M1-polarization responses. However, to what extent LC n-3 PUFA and Ad work in concert to affect macrophage phenotype has not been examined. Thus, we used an established ex vivo AT organ culture model using visceral AT from mice fed a control (CON; 10% w/w safflower oil) n-6 PUFA-rich diet or an isocaloric fish oil (FO; 3% w/w menhaden oil + 7% w/w safflower oil)-derived LC n-3 PUFA-rich diet to generate AT conditioned media (ACM). We then evaluated if CON or FO ACM affected macrophage polarization markers in a model designed to mimic acute [18 h ACM plus lipopolysaccharide (LPS) for the last 6 h] or chronic (macrophages treated with LPS-challenged CON or FO ACM for 24 h) inflammation ± Ad-neutralizing antibody and the LPS-neutralizing agent, polymyxin B. In the acute inflammation model, macrophages treated with FO ACM had decreased lipid uptake and mRNA expression of M1 markers (Nos2, Nfκb, Il6, Il18, Ccl2, and Ccl5) compared with CON ACM (p ≤ 0.05); however, these effects were largely attenuated when Ad was neutralized (p > 0.05). Furthermore, in the chronic inflammation model, macrophages treated with FO ACM had decreased mRNA expression of M1 markers (Nos2, Tnfα, Ccl2, and Il1β) and IL-6 and CCL2 secretion (p ≤ 0.05); however, some of these effects were lost when Ad was neutralized, and were further exacerbated when both Ad and LPS were neutralized. Taken together, this work shows that LC n-3 PUFA and Ad work in concert to suppress certain M1 macrophage responses. Thus, future strategies to modulate the ATM phenotype should consider the role of both LC n-3 PUFA and Ad in mitigating obese AT

  1. Fish oil-derived long-chain n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids reduce expression of M1-associated macrophage markers in an ex vivo adipose tissue culture model, in part through adiponectin

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Anna A. De Boer

    2015-10-01

    Full Text Available Adipose tissue (AT macrophages (ATM play a key role in obesity-associated pathologies, and their phenotype can be influenced by the local tissue microenvironment. Interestingly, long-chain n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC n-3 PUFA and the LC n-3 PUFA-upregulated adipokine, adiponectin (Ad, may mitigate excessive ATM inflammatory M1-polarization responses. However, to what extent LC n-3 PUFA and Ad work in concert to affect macrophage phenotype has not been examined. Thus, we used an established ex vivo AT organ culture model using visceral AT from mice fed a control (CON; 10% w/w safflower oil n-6 PUFA-rich diet or an isocaloric fish-oil (FO; 3% w/w menhaden oil + 7% w/w safflower oil-derived LC n-3 PUFA-rich diet to generate AT conditioned media (ACM. We then evaluated if CON or FO ACM affected macrophage polarization markers in a model designed to mimic acute (18 h ACM plus LPS for the last 6 h or chronic (macrophages treated with LPS-challenged CON or FO ACM for 24 h inflammation ± Ad-neutralizing antibody and the LPS-neutralizing agent, polymyxin B. In the acute inflammation model, macrophages treated with FO ACM had decreased lipid uptake and mRNA expression of M1 markers (Nos2, Nfκb, Il6, Il18, Ccl2 and Ccl5 compared with CON ACM (p≤0.05; however, these effects were largely attenuated when Ad was neutralized (p>0.05. Further, in the chronic inflammation model, macrophages treated with FO ACM had decreased mRNA expression of M1 markers (Nos2, Tnfα, Ccl2 and Il1β and IL-6 and CCL2 secretion (p≤0.05; however, some of these effects were lost when Ad was neutralized, and were further exacerbated when both Ad and LPS were neutralized. Taken together, this work shows that LC n-3 PUFA and Ad work in concert to suppress certain M1 macrophage responses. Thus, future strategies to modulate the ATM phenotype should consider the role of both LC n-3 PUFA and Ad in mitigating obese AT inflammation.

  2. High performance tunnel injection InGaN/GaN quantum Dot light emitting diodes emitting in the green (λ=495nm)

    KAUST Repository

    Zhang, Meng

    2011-05-01

    InGaN/GaN self-organized quantum dots with density of (2-5)×10 10 cm-2, internal quantum efficiency of 32% and a reduced recombination lifetime of 0.6 ns were grown by plasma assisted molecular beam epitaxy. The photoluminescence spectra of the dots peak at 495 nm at 300 K. The characteristics of tunnel injection InGaN/GaN quantum dot light emitting diodes are presented. The current density at maximum efficiency is 90.2 A/cm 2, which is superior to equivalent multiquantum well devices. © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  3. Generation of monoclonal antibodies against prostate specific antigen (PSA) for the detection of PSA and its purification

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Acevedo Castro, Boris Ernesto

    2012-01-01

    The prostate cancer in Cuba is a problem of health (2672 diagnosed cases and 2769 deaths in 2007). Various diagnostic methods have been implemented for the detection and management of this disease, emphasizing among them (PSA) prostate-specific antigen serological determination. At this work was generated and characterized a panel of 11 antibodies (AcMs) monoclonal IgG1 detected with high affinity described major epitopes of the PSA, both in solution and attached to the test plate. From the panel obtained AcMs was the standardization of an essay type ELISA for the detection of serum total PSA (associated and free) equimolar, based on antibody monoclonal CB-PSA.4 in the coating and the CB-PSA.9 coupled with biotin as liner, with a detection limit of 0.15 ng/mL. Similarly, standardized system for detection in serum free PSA, based on the AcMs CB-PSA.4 (coating) and CB-PSA.2 coupled with biotin (liner), with a detection limit of 0.5 ng/mL. Finally, with the purpose of using PSA as standard in trials type ELISA, developed a simple method of inmunopurificación based on the AcM, CB-PSA.2, which was obtained the PSA with a purity exceeding 90%. Immunoassay Centre on the basis of the AcMs panel and the results of this study, developed and recorded two diagnostic systems for the detection of PSA in human serum. (author)

  4. Estimation of the economic and health impact of complications of type 2 diabetes mellitus in the autonomous community of Madrid (Spain).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Arrieta, Francisco; Rubio-Terrés, Carlos; Rubio-Rodríguez, Darío; Magaña, Ana; Piñera, Marbella; Iglesias, Pedro; Nogales, Pedro; Calañas, Alfonso; Novella, Blanca; Botella-Carretero, José Ignacio; Debán, Carlos; Zamarrón, Isabel; Mora, Gustavo; Balsa, José Antonio; Vázquez, Clotilde

    2014-04-01

    To estimate the economic and health impact of chronic complications (macrovascular and microvascular) of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in the autonomous community of Madrid (Spain) (ACM). The number of expected complications was obtained from a descriptive, cross-sectional study on a cohort of 3,268 patients with T2DM from the ACM. Cost of complications (€, 2012) was assessed both at hospitals and in primary care. The number of medical visits in primary care and drug treatment for complications were collected by a panel of 21 physicians experienced in treatment of T2DM. Population and epidemiological data and healthcare costs were obtained from Spanish sources. Univariate sensitivity analyses were performed. It is estimated that there are 390,944 patients with T2DM in the ACM, and that they experience 172,406 and 212,283 macrovascular and microvascular complications respectively during their lifetimes. Mean cost of T2DM complications per patient is estimated at € 4,121.54 (66% due to macrovascular complications). The economic impact of T2DM complications in the ACM would be € 1,611 million (1,065 and 545 millions from macrovascular and microvascular complications respectively). The economic impact would range from € 1,249 and 2.509 million euro depending on T2DM prevalence. Complications of T2DM have a great health and economic impact in ACM. Copyright © 2013 SEEN. Published by Elsevier Espana. All rights reserved.

  5. Generation of monoclonal antibodies against prostate specific antigen (PSA) for the detection of PSA and its purification; Generación de anticuerpos monoclonales contra el antígeno específico de próstata (PSA) para la detección del PSA y su purificación

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Acevedo Castro, Boris Ernesto [Centro de Ingeniería Genética y Biotecnología, CIGB, La Habana (Cuba)

    2012-07-01

    The prostate cancer in Cuba is a problem of health (2672 diagnosed cases and 2769 deaths in 2007). Various diagnostic methods have been implemented for the detection and management of this disease, emphasizing among them (PSA) prostate-specific antigen serological determination. At this work was generated and characterized a panel of 11 antibodies (AcMs) monoclonal IgG1 detected with high affinity described major epitopes of the PSA, both in solution and attached to the test plate. From the panel obtained AcMs was the standardization of an essay type ELISA for the detection of serum total PSA (associated and free) equimolar, based on antibody monoclonal CB-PSA.4 in the coating and the CB-PSA.9 coupled with biotin as liner, with a detection limit of 0.15 ng/mL. Similarly, standardized system for detection in serum free PSA, based on the AcMs CB-PSA.4 (coating) and CB-PSA.2 coupled with biotin (liner), with a detection limit of 0.5 ng/mL. Finally, with the purpose of using PSA as standard in trials type ELISA, developed a simple method of inmunopurificación based on the AcM, CB-PSA.2, which was obtained the PSA with a purity exceeding 90%. Immunoassay Centre on the basis of the AcMs panel and the results of this study, developed and recorded two diagnostic systems for the detection of PSA in human serum. (author)

  6. A β-Ta system for current induced magnetic switching in the absence of external magnetic field

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Wenzhe; Qian, Lijuan; Xiao, Gang

    2018-05-01

    Magnetic switching via Giant Spin Hall Effect (GSHE) has received great interest for its role in developing future spintronics logic or memory devices. In this work, a new material system (i.e. a transition metal sandwiched between two ferromagnetic layers) with interlayer exchange coupling is introduced to realize the deterministic field-free perpendicular magnetic switching. This system uses β-Ta, as the GSHE agent to generate a spin current and as the interlayer exchange coupling medium to generate an internal field. The critical switching current density at zero field is on the order of 106 A/cm2 due to the large spin Hall angle of β-Ta. The internal field, along with switching efficiency, depends strongly on the orthogonal magnetization states of two ferromagnetic coupling layers in this system.

  7. The ACM Periodical Bank: A Retrospective View.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Clarke, Jack A.

    1980-01-01

    Evaluates a cooperative venture in interlibrary lending of periodicals planned and executed by ten midwestern colleges. The study traces the consortium's history from 1967 to the present, describing successes and problems. (RAA)

  8. The Development of Customary International Law by International Organizations

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Odermatt, Jed

    2017-01-01

    In his Fourth Report on the Identification of Customary International Law (2016), Special Rapporteur Michael Wood confirmed that ‘[i]n certain cases, the practice of international organizations also contributes to the expression, or creation, of rules of customary international law.......’ That the practice of international organizations can be relevant when identifying customary international law is relatively uncontroversial. The practice of states within international organizations such as the UN General Assembly, for example, may contribute to the development of custom. Yet, there is little...... discussion about whether and how the practice of international organizations as such may contribute to the development of customary international law. This contribution discusses the organization that is the most capable of contributing to the development of customary international law in its own right...

  9. Dynamics of beam pair coupled by visco-elastic interlayer

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Náprstek, Jiří; Hračov, Stanislav

    2015-01-01

    Roč. 9, č. 2 (2015), s. 127-140 ISSN 1802-680X R&D Projects: GA ČR(CZ) GP13-41574P; GA ČR(CZ) GA15-01035S Institutional support: RVO:68378297 Keywords : double-beam dynamics * visco-elastic interlayer * kinematic damping Subject RIV: JM - Building Engineering http://www.kme.zcu.cz/acm/acm/article/view/292

  10. The international law commission and international environmental law

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ramcharan, B.G.

    1975-01-01

    If the oceans are destroyed through pollution there will be nothing left to manage. Protection against pollution is thus a fundamental aspect of ocean management. What legal principles are available for the protection of the oceans. This paper brings together the relevant practice of the foremost international body responsible for the codification and development of international law: the International Law Commission. It describes the work of the Commission concerning: 1) pollution of the high seas; 2) pollution of international watercourses; and 3) international responsibility for environmental hazards. It concludes by expressing the hope that the Commission will further study, codify and develop international environmental law

  11. Internationalism and Globalization as Contexts for International Education

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cambridge, James; Thompson, Jeff

    2004-01-01

    A problem with the construction of an inclusive definition of international education is that the word 'international' has a variety of connotations. It is proposed that the term 'international education' is ambiguous because it appears to refer to contrasting usages in educational studies. International education is frequently discussed in the…

  12. From Public International to International Public Law: Translating World Public Opinion into International Public Authority

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    von Bogdandy, A.; Goldmann, M.; Venzke, I.

    This article argues that increasing demands in world public opinion for legitimate and effective international institutions require a paradigm shift in public international law. There is a part of public international law that should be better understood as international public law because it

  13. Electrical and microstructural characterization of silver sheathed high Tc superconductors wires and ribbons

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chaffron, L.; Regnier, P.; Schmirgeld, L.; Maurice, F.; Aguillon, C.; Senoussi, S.

    1991-01-01

    High Tc superconductors wires and ribbons were prepared according to the powder in tube method. It is shown that the electrical performances of the so prepared superconductors can be considerably improved, first by increasing as much as possible the density of the green body before sintering, and afterwards by melt texturing the sintered conductors. Some measurements of the transport critical current density of our conductors as a function of their diameter or their thickness are then presented and compared with indirect values obtained via the Bean method. The highest transport Jc measured in the present study, before melt texturing, are: 2250 and 5100 A/cm 2 at 77 and 63 K respectively, for a 50 μm thick silver sheathed ribbon. These figures compare nicely with the values of the intergranular critical current densities determined from magnetic measurements which are: 2100 and 5000 A/cm 2 at the same temperatures, and 40000 A/cm 2 at 4.2 K. Much higher intergranular values, in the range of 10 5 A/cm 2 were obtained after melt texturing the wires. Finally, microstructural characterizations carried out by X-ray diffraction, electron microprobe analysis and transmission electron microscopy are reported and discussed

  14. Breaking the current density threshold in spin-orbit-torque magnetic random access memory

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Yin; Yuan, H. Y.; Wang, X. S.; Wang, X. R.

    2018-04-01

    Spin-orbit-torque magnetic random access memory (SOT-MRAM) is a promising technology for the next generation of data storage devices. The main bottleneck of this technology is the high reversal current density threshold. This outstanding problem is now solved by a new strategy in which the magnitude of the driven current density is fixed while the current direction varies with time. The theoretical limit of minimal reversal current density is only a fraction (the Gilbert damping coefficient) of the threshold current density of the conventional strategy. The Euler-Lagrange equation for the fastest magnetization reversal path and the optimal current pulse is derived for an arbitrary magnetic cell and arbitrary spin-orbit torque. The theoretical limit of minimal reversal current density and current density for a GHz switching rate of the new reversal strategy for CoFeB/Ta SOT-MRAMs are, respectively, of the order of 105 A/cm 2 and 106 A/cm 2 far below 107 A/cm 2 and 108 A/cm 2 in the conventional strategy. Furthermore, no external magnetic field is needed for a deterministic reversal in the new strategy.

  15. Prognostic value of exercise capacity among patients with treated depression: The Henry Ford Exercise Testing (FIT) Project.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ahmed, Amjad M; Qureshi, Waqas T; Sakr, Sherif; Blaha, Michael J; Brawner, Clinton A; Ehrman, Jonathan K; Keteyian, Steven J; Al-Mallah, Mouaz H

    2018-04-01

    Exercise capacity is associated with survival in the general population. Whether this applies to patients with treated depression is not clear. High exercise capacity remains associated with lower risk of all-cause mortality (ACM) and nonfatal myocardial infraction (MI) among patients with treated depression. We included 5128 patients on antidepressant medications who completed a clinically indicated exercise stress test between 1991 and 2009. Patients were followed for a median duration of 9.4 years for ACM and 4.5 years for MI. Exercise capacity was estimated in metabolic equivalents of tasks (METs). Cox proportional hazards regression models were used. Patients with treated depression who achieved ≥12 METs (vs those achieving model, exercise capacity was associated with a lower ACM (HR per 1-MET increase in exercise capacity: 0.82, 95% CI: 0.79-0.85, P capacity had an inverse association with both ACM and nonfatal MI in patients with treated depression, independent of cardiovascular risk factors. These results highlight the potential impact of assessing exercise capacity to identify risk, as well as promoting an active lifestyle among treated depression patients. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  16. The prognostic value of sST2 and galectin-3 considering different aetiologies in non-ischaemic heart failure.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Binas, David; Daniel, Hanna; Richter, Anette; Ruppert, Volker; Schlüter, Klaus-Dieter; Schieffer, Bernhard; Pankuweit, Sabine

    2018-01-01

    Several studies indicate a prognostic value of sST2 and galectin-3 in heart failure (HF). While previous studies focused on ischaemic cause of HF, we investigated the role of sST2 and galectin-3 in patients with non-ischaemic dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM). sST2 and galectin-3 serum concentrations were measured in 262 subjects with DCM. Survival rates were determined for all-cause mortality (ACM) and cardiac mortality (CM). In a univariate model, sST2 as a continuous variable was a predictor of ACM (HR 1.05; 95% CI 1.03 to 1.07, PACM (HR 1.10; 95% CI 1.05 to 1.17, PACM (HR 1.04; 95% CI 1.01 to 1.07, P=0.019) was significant. In a multivariate model, the prognostic value of the sST2 main group remained intact for ACM (HR 1.04; 95% CI 1.02 to 1.07, P=0.003).Univariate and multivariate analysis of galectin-3 as continuous variable did not show any significant result. However, in a quartile model, intermediate values of galectin-3 were significantly associated with a lower event rate of ACM and CM. The study revealed that sST2 predicts ACM and CM in patients with non-ischaemic HF and could be useful especially in patients with inflammatory background. Our findings that intermediate levels of galectin-3 allow for better prognosis were new and different to other investigations. NCT03090425; Results.

  17. Challenges imposed by International Environmental Law to Classical International Law

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Fabian Augusto Cárdenas Castañeda

    2010-05-01

    Full Text Available The emergence of international environmental law has produced important challenges to the very foundations of public international law. Traditional concepts such as state sovereignty, subjects of international law, and the early perspectives of national security are being transformed. The needs of the contemporary international society differ from the ones of the Wesphalian conception, situations which clearly explains the raise of alternative views for the understanding of the current dynamics of international law, where concepts like res communis, common concerns and simply “commons” take a privileged place in the study of international law. The foregoing has been strengthened by the international development of the so called erga ommnes obligations, label which is being used by international environmental law as the perfect explanation of its own existence. This academic article presents and studies the abovementioned concepts trying to compare what international law used to be before the emergence of international environmental law and what it is and what it should be in order to attend the developments and challenges imposed by the contemporary international society, particularly by international environmental law, a new fi eld of the corpus juris of public international law.

  18. International Ecohealth Forum 2008 | IDRC - International ...

    International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

    ... the International Forum on Ecosystem Approaches to Human Health (Montreal, ... the International Association of Ecology and Health (IAEH), and a Brazilian ... Nutrition, health policy, and ethics in the age of public-private partnerships.

  19. Phantom-Calibrated versus Automatic Coronary Artery Mass Quantification with Multidetector-Row Computed Tomography: In Vitro and In Vivo Study

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Serafin, Z.; Lasek, W.; Laskowska, K.

    2008-01-01

    Background: Coronary artery calcium scoring is used as a method for cardiovascular risk stratification and monitoring of coronary heart disease. Automatic software-based calcium mass calculation has been proposed to improve the performance of the procedure. Purpose: To compare two algorithms of calcium mass measurement, automatic and phantom calibrated, with respect to correlation, measurement error, and accuracy in vitro and in vivo. Material and Methods: A cardiac phantom with calcium cylinder inserts was scanned with sequential non-overlapping collimation 4x2.5 mm, at 120 kV and 165 mAs. Fifty adults (37 men; mean age 46.2 years) were examined with the same settings using prospective electrocardiographic triggering to detect and quantify coronary artery calcifications. Calculations were performed with two methods: software-based automatic calcium mass measurement (ACM) and phantom-calibrated calcium mass measurement (CCM). Results: The total phantom calcium masses measured with ACM and CCM were 175.0±13.8 mg and 163.0±4.4 mg, respectively (P<0.0001), and ACM produced a higher mean error (4.5 vs. 3.2; P<0.05). Results of ACM and CCM were strongly correlated to each other (R=0.73-0.96; P<0.0001). Mean image noise in the patient study was 8.72±1.68 HU. Results of patient calcium scoring with ACM and CCM were significantly different (median 70.3 mg and 59.7 mg, respectively; P<0.0001), with a mean systematic error of 17.5% (limit of agreement between 14.6% and 20.4%). The use of ACM resulted in an altered quartile classification for 14% of patients, as compared to CCM; all of these patients were classified into a higher category. Conclusion: Our data indicate that multidetector-row computed tomography coronary calcium mass determination based on dedicated phantom calibration shows lower measurement error than an automatic software-based calculation method. The tested automatic software does not yet seem to be a reliable option for calcium mass measurement

  20. Phantom-Calibrated versus Automatic Coronary Artery Mass Quantification with Multidetector-Row Computed Tomography: In Vitro and In Vivo Study

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Serafin, Z.; Lasek, W.; Laskowska, K. (Dept. of Radiology and Diagnostic Imaging, Nicolaus Copernicus Univ., Collegium Medicum, Bydgoszcz (Poland))

    2008-11-15

    Background: Coronary artery calcium scoring is used as a method for cardiovascular risk stratification and monitoring of coronary heart disease. Automatic software-based calcium mass calculation has been proposed to improve the performance of the procedure. Purpose: To compare two algorithms of calcium mass measurement, automatic and phantom calibrated, with respect to correlation, measurement error, and accuracy in vitro and in vivo. Material and Methods: A cardiac phantom with calcium cylinder inserts was scanned with sequential non-overlapping collimation 4x2.5 mm, at 120 kV and 165 mAs. Fifty adults (37 men; mean age 46.2 years) were examined with the same settings using prospective electrocardiographic triggering to detect and quantify coronary artery calcifications. Calculations were performed with two methods: software-based automatic calcium mass measurement (ACM) and phantom-calibrated calcium mass measurement (CCM). Results: The total phantom calcium masses measured with ACM and CCM were 175.0+-13.8 mg and 163.0+-4.4 mg, respectively (P<0.0001), and ACM produced a higher mean error (4.5 vs. 3.2; P<0.05). Results of ACM and CCM were strongly correlated to each other (R=0.73-0.96; P<0.0001). Mean image noise in the patient study was 8.72+-1.68 HU. Results of patient calcium scoring with ACM and CCM were significantly different (median 70.3 mg and 59.7 mg, respectively; P<0.0001), with a mean systematic error of 17.5% (limit of agreement between 14.6% and 20.4%). The use of ACM resulted in an altered quartile classification for 14% of patients, as compared to CCM; all of these patients were classified into a higher category. Conclusion: Our data indicate that multidetector-row computed tomography coronary calcium mass determination based on dedicated phantom calibration shows lower measurement error than an automatic software-based calculation method. The tested automatic software does not yet seem to be a reliable option for calcium mass measurement

  1. Identification of key peptidoglycan hydrolases for morphogenesis, autolysis, and peptidoglycan composition of Lactobacillus plantarum WCFS1

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rolain Thomas

    2012-10-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Lactobacillus plantarum is commonly used in industrial fermentation processes. Selected strains are also marketed as probiotics for their health beneficial effects. Although the functional role of peptidoglycan-degrading enzymes is increasingly documented to be important for a range of bacterial processes and host-microbe interactions, little is known about their functional roles in lactobacilli. This knowledge holds important potential for developing more robust strains resistant to autolysis under stress conditions as well as peptidoglycan engineering for a better understanding of the contribution of released muramyl-peptides as probiotic immunomodulators. Results Here, we explored the functional role of the predicted peptidoglycan hydrolase (PGH complement encoded in the genome of L. plantarum by systematic gene deletion. From twelve predicted PGH-encoding genes, nine could be individually inactivated and their corresponding mutant strains were characterized regarding their cell morphology, growth, and autolysis under various conditions. From this analysis, we identified two PGHs, the predicted N-acetylglucosaminidase Acm2 and NplC/P60 D,L-endopeptidase LytA, as key determinants in the morphology of L. plantarum. Acm2 was demonstrated to be required for the ultimate step of cell separation of daughter cells, whereas LytA appeared to be required for cell shape maintenance and cell-wall integrity. We also showed by autolysis experiments that both PGHs are involved in the global autolytic process with a dominant role for Acm2 in all tested conditions, identifying Acm2 as the major autolysin of L. plantarum WCFS1. In addition, Acm2 and the putative N-acetylmuramidase Lys2 were shown to play redundant roles in both cell separation and autolysis under stress conditions. Finally, the analysis of the peptidoglycan composition of Acm2- and LytA-deficient derivatives revealed their potential hydrolytic activities by the

  2. International opportunities and value creation in international entrepreneurship.

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Mainela, Tuija; Puhakka, Vesa; Wakkee, Ingrid; Marinova, Svetla; Larimo, Jorma; Nummela, Niina

    2016-01-01

    International entrepreneurship (IE) as a field of research has emerged at the intersection of internationalization and entrepreneurship theories. At this intersection it has come to emphasize the activities centered on international opportunities. International opportunities, then, are about value

  3. Efficient adsorption of Hg (II) ions in water by activated carbon modified with melamine

    Science.gov (United States)

    Qin, Hangdao; Meng, Jingling; Chen, Jing

    2018-04-01

    Removal of Hg (II) ions from industrial wastewater is important for the water treatment, and adsorption is an efficient treatment process. Activated carbon (AC) was modified with melamine, which introduced nitrogen-containing functional groups onto AC surface. Original AC and melamine modified activated carbon (ACM) were characterized by elemental analysis, N2 adsorption-desorption, determination of the pH of the point of zero charge (pHpzc) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and their performance in the adsorption of Hg(II) ions was investigated. Langmuir model fitted the experimental data of equilibrium isotherms well. ACM showed the higher Hg (II) ions adsorption capacity, increasing more than more than 1.8 times compared to the original one. Moreover, ACM showed a wider pH range for the maximum adsorption than the parent AC.

  4. Investigation of the fabrication process of hot-worked stainless-steel and Mo sheathed PbMo6 S8 wires

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yamasaki, H.; Kimura, Y.

    1988-01-01

    Stainless-steel and Mo sheathed PbMo 6 S 8 wires have been fabricated by hot working from modified PbS, Mo, and MoS 2 mixed powders which were prepared by reacting Pb, Mo, and S at 530 0 C. Critical current densities were investigated for different preparation conditions, and it is revealed that obtaining continuous current path between PbMo 6 S 8 grains is the most important factor to achieve high critical current density. The J/sub c/ value of 2.8 x 10 4 Acm 2 (8 T), 7.8 x 10 3 Acm 2 (15 T), and 1.3 x 10 3 Acm 2 (23 T) was observed for the PbMo 6 S/sub 7.0/ wire heat treated at 700 0 C.copic

  5. REFLECTIONS ON PRODUCTION INTERNALIZATION AND ITS INTERNATIONAL TRADE IMPLICATIONS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    CLIPA RALUCA IRINA

    2014-06-01

    Full Text Available Vertically-integrated multinational companies place the different stages of production and marketing chain in different countries, looking for advantages such as low production costs, lower taxes, abundant resources and so on, while benefiting from the advantages of economies of scale, control of supplies or outlets. In fact, this vertical integration of multinational companies has led to the expansion of intra-firm trade and "internalized" operations, thus creating their own markets for the vertically-integrated production. Internationally active firms operate in a way that replaces the different functions of an open market with internal transactions, i.e. intra-firm transactions, whenever internal transaction costs are lower than the open-market ones. The direct consequence over international trade is the increase of intra-firm share of trade flows to one third of world trade, those companies making a suppression of international market segments that act in favour of an internal market. The creation of a multinational market and the enhancement of intra-firm trade have profound quantitative and qualitative implications on the composition, geographic orientation and dynamics of international trade. This paper deals with the issue of production internalization, with an overview of the main contributions made to the theory of internalization, while tackling its relative dimension. However, we intend to highlight the implications of this phenomenon on international trade. The work methodology falls within the range of qualitative approaches: logical argumentation, critical theoretical analysis.

  6. Quantifying Nanoparticle Internalization Using a High Throughput Internalization Assay.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mann, Sarah K; Czuba, Ewa; Selby, Laura I; Such, Georgina K; Johnston, Angus P R

    2016-10-01

    The internalization of nanoparticles into cells is critical for effective nanoparticle mediated drug delivery. To investigate the kinetics and mechanism of internalization of nanoparticles into cells we have developed a DNA molecular sensor, termed the Specific Hybridization Internalization Probe - SHIP. Self-assembling polymeric 'pHlexi' nanoparticles were functionalized with a Fluorescent Internalization Probe (FIP) and the interactions with two different cell lines (3T3 and CEM cells) were studied. The kinetics of internalization were quantified and chemical inhibitors that inhibited energy dependent endocytosis (sodium azide), dynamin dependent endocytosis (Dyngo-4a) and macropinocytosis (5-(N-ethyl-N-isopropyl) amiloride (EIPA)) were used to study the mechanism of internalization. Nanoparticle internalization kinetics were significantly faster in 3T3 cells than CEM cells. We have shown that ~90% of the nanoparticles associated with 3T3 cells were internalized, compared to only 20% of the nanoparticles associated with CEM cells. Nanoparticle uptake was via a dynamin-dependent pathway, and the nanoparticles were trafficked to lysosomal compartments once internalized. SHIP is able to distinguish between nanoparticles that are associated on the outer cell membrane from nanoparticles that are internalized. This study demonstrates the assay can be used to probe the kinetics of nanoparticle internalization and the mechanisms by which the nanoparticles are taken up by cells. This information is fundamental for engineering more effective nanoparticle delivery systems. The SHIP assay is a simple and a high-throughput technique that could have wide application in therapeutic delivery research.

  7. Climate Science's Globally Distributed Infrastructure

    Science.gov (United States)

    Williams, D. N.

    2016-12-01

    The Earth System Grid Federation (ESGF) is primarily funded by the Department of Energy's (DOE's) Office of Science (the Office of Biological and Environmental Research [BER] Climate Data Informatics Program and the Office of Advanced Scientific Computing Research Next Generation Network for Science Program), the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and the National Science Foundation (NSF), the European Infrastructure for the European Network for Earth System Modeling (IS-ENES), and the Australian National University (ANU). Support also comes from other U.S. federal and international agencies. The federation works across multiple worldwide data centers and spans seven international network organizations to provide users with the ability to access, analyze, and visualize data using a globally federated collection of networks, computers, and software. Its architecture employs a series of geographically distributed peer nodes that are independently administered and united by common federation protocols and application programming interfaces (APIs). The full ESGF infrastructure has now been adopted by multiple Earth science projects and allows access to petabytes of geophysical data, including the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP; output used by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change assessment reports), multiple model intercomparison projects (MIPs; endorsed by the World Climate Research Programme [WCRP]), and the Accelerated Climate Modeling for Energy (ACME; ESGF is included in the overarching ACME workflow process to store model output). ESGF is a successful example of integration of disparate open-source technologies into a cohesive functional system that serves the needs the global climate science community. Data served by ESGF includes not only model output but also observational data from satellites and instruments, reanalysis, and generated images.

  8. International criminal justice: a pillar for the international rule of law

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gonzalo Aguilar Cavallo

    2012-12-01

    Full Text Available The international criminal justice has experienced a rapid change over the past years. This circumstance has underscored the need for interaction and complementation between international and domestic law. Some authors consider that the international criminal justice, and the activities of its tribunals, jeopardize the legality of international law. Our vision is that international criminal justice is a central pillar of the rule of law, at the national and the international levels. Far from undermining the legality of international law, international criminal justice paves the way towards a true international public order.

  9. A Model of Onion Routing With Provable Anonymity

    Science.gov (United States)

    2006-08-30

    Lysyanskaya. “A Formal Treatment of Onion Routing.” CRYPTO 2005, pp. 169.187, 2005. [4] David Chaum . “The dining cryptographers problem...1988. [5] David Chaum . “Untraceable Electronic Mail, Return Addresses, and Digital Pseudonyms.” Communi- cations of the ACM, 24(2), pp. 84-88, 1981...network layer.” ACM Conference on Computer and Communications Security, pp. 193-206, 2002. [11] David Goldschlag, Michael Reed, and Paul Syverson

  10. Automatic Performance Evaluation for Video Summarization

    Science.gov (United States)

    2004-07-01

    Multimedia 2002, pp.189–198. [14] S. Uchihashi, J. Foote, A. Girgensohn and J. Boreczky, “Video Manga : Generating Seman- tically Meaningful Video...DeMenthon, V. Kobla and D. Doermann, “Video Summarization by Curve Simplification”, ACM Multimedia 98, Bristol, England, pp. 211-218, September 1998. 26 [2...J. Au, “Video Keyframe Production by Efficient Clustering of Compressed Chromaticity Signatures”, ACM Multimedia 2000, Juan-Les-Pins, France, pp. 365

  11. DESPIC: Detecting Early Signatures of Persuasion in Information Cascades

    Science.gov (United States)

    2015-08-27

    Rio de Janeiro , Brazil. ACM 2013...on   World   Wide   Web  companion,  pp.  1351-­‐1358,  May  13–17,  2013,   Rio   de   Janeiro ,  Brazil.  ACM  2013... de   facto   text   indexing   technology   in   industry.   Thanks   to   the   customized   index   structures,  

  12. Ductile–brittle behavior at blunted cavities in 3D iron crystals uncovered and covered by copper atoms

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Pelikán, Vladimír; Hora, Petr; Červená, Olga; Spielmannová, Alena; Machová, Anna

    2010-01-01

    Roč. 4, č. 2 (2010), s. 191-200 ISSN 1802-680X R&D Projects: GA ČR(CZ) GA101/07/0789; GA AV ČR KJB200760802 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z20760514 Keywords : molecular dynamics * bcc iron crystal * blunted cavity * copper cover * ductile –brittle behavior Subject RIV: JG - Metallurgy http://www.kme.zcu.cz/acm/index.php/acm/article/view/48

  13. Selected Publications in Image Understanding and Computer Vision from 1974 to 1983

    Science.gov (United States)

    1985-04-18

    Germany, September 26-28, 1978), Plenum, New York, 1979. 9. Reconnaissance des Formes et Intelligence Artificielle (2’me Congres AFCET-IRIA, Toulouse...the last decade. .To L..... ABBREVIATIONS - AI Artificial Intelligence BC Biological Cybernetics CACM Communications of the ACM CG Computer Graphics... Intelligence PACM Proceedings of the ACM "P-IEEE Proceedings of the IEEE P-NCC Proceedings of the National Computer Conference PR Pattern Recognition PRL

  14. Pengaruh Pemasaran Internal dan Kualitas Layanan Internal Terhadap Kepuasan Pelanggan Internal (Studi Pada Industri Kepariwisataan di Daerah Istimewa Yogyakarta

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jumadi Jumadi

    2016-06-01

    Full Text Available The aim of this research is to investigate the implication of internal marketing and internal service quality effectivity towards internal customer satisfaction in Tourism Industry in Yogyakarta Special Territory. This internal marketing studyinvolves variables of motivation and reward system, effective communication, effective employee's selection, effective recruitment, effective development, effective support system, and healthy work environment. While the internal quality service aspects that will be examined in this study are: tangible, emphaty, responsiveness, reliability and assurance, and then their influences on internal customer satisfaction would be analyzed.The sample size is 210 respondents,which is determined using purposive sampling method. The main instrument for data collection in this study is through questionnaire. The analysis tool used to examine the hypothesis of the study is Structural Equation Modeling using AMOS Version 20.0 Software. The result of the study shows that: Internal marketing and internal quality service significantly influence internal customers satisfation. However, the internal quality service influence the internal customers satisfaction more significantly. Therefore the managers in tourism industry should improve the internal marketing more than the internal quality service.

  15. Precipitation collector bias and its effects on temporal trends and spatial variability in National Atmospheric Deposition Program/National Trends Network data

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wetherbee, Gregory A.

    2017-01-01

    Precipitation samples have been collected by the National Atmospheric Deposition Program's (NADP) National Trends Network (NTN) using the Aerochem Metrics Model 301 (ACM) collector since 1978. Approximately one-third of the NTN ACM collectors have been replaced with N-CON Systems, Inc. Model ADS 00-120 (NCON) collectors. Concurrent data were collected over 6 years at 12 NTN sites using colocated ACM and NCON collectors in various precipitation regimes. Linear regression models of the colocated data were used to adjust for relative bias between the collectors. Replacement of ACM collectors with NCON collectors resulted in shifts in 10-year seasonal precipitation-weighted mean concentration (PWMC) trend slopes for: cations (−0.001 to −0.007 mgL−1yr−1), anions (−0.009 to −0.028 mgL−1yr−1), and hydrogen ion (+0.689 meqL-1yr−1). Larger shifts in NO3− and SO4−2 seasonal PWMC trend slopes were observed in the Midwest and Northeast US, where concentrations are generally higher than in other regions. Geospatial analysis of interpolated concentration rasters indicated regions of accentuated variability introduced by incorporation of NCON collectors into the NTN.

  16. Radioprotective Effect of Achillea millefolium L Against Genotoxicity Induced by Ionizing Radiation in Human Normal Lymphocytes

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Somayeh Shahani

    2015-04-01

    Full Text Available The radioprotective effect of Achillea millefolium L (ACM extract was investigated against genotoxicity induced by ionizing radiation (IR in human lymphocytes. Peripheral blood samples were collected from human volunteers and incubated with the methanolic extract of ACM at different concentrations (10, 50, 100, and 200 μg/mL for 2 hours. At each dose point, the whole blood was exposed in vitro to 2.5 Gy of X-ray and then the lymphocytes were cultured with mitogenic stimulation to determine the micronuclei in cytokinesis-blocked binucleated cell. Antioxidant capacity of the extract was determined using free radical-scavenging method. The treatment of lymphocytes with the extract showed a significant decrease in the incidence of micronuclei binucleated cells, as compared with similarly irradiated lymphocytes without any extract treatment. The maximum protection and decrease in frequency of micronuclei were observed at 200 μg/mL of ACM extract which completely protected genotoxicity induced by IR in human lymphocytes. Achillea millefolium extract exhibited concentration-dependent radical-scavenging activity on 1,1-diphenyl-2-picryl hydrazyl free radicals. These data suggest that the methanolic extract of ACM may play an important role in the protection of normal tissues against genetic damage induced by IR.

  17. Design and reliability analysis of high-speed and continuous data recording system based on disk array

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jiang, Changlong; Ma, Cheng; He, Ning; Zhang, Xugang; Wang, Chongyang; Jia, Huibo

    2002-12-01

    In many real-time fields the sustained high-speed data recording system is required. This paper proposes a high-speed and sustained data recording system based on the complex-RAID 3+0. The system consists of Array Controller Module (ACM), String Controller Module (SCM) and Main Controller Module (MCM). ACM implemented by an FPGA chip is used to split the high-speed incoming data stream into several lower-speed streams and generate one parity code stream synchronously. It also can inversely recover the original data stream while reading. SCMs record lower-speed streams from the ACM into the SCSI disk drivers. In the SCM, the dual-page buffer technology is adopted to implement speed-matching function and satisfy the need of sustainable recording. MCM monitors the whole system, controls ACM and SCMs to realize the data stripping, reconstruction, and recovery functions. The method of how to determine the system scale is presented. At the end, two new ways Floating Parity Group (FPG) and full 2D-Parity Group (full 2D-PG) are proposed to improve the system reliability and compared with the Traditional Parity Group (TPG). This recording system can be used conveniently in many areas of data recording, storing, playback and remote backup with its high-reliability.

  18. Interactive effects of trait and state affect on top-down control of attention.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hur, Juyoen; Miller, Gregory A; McDavitt, Jenika R B; Spielberg, Jeffrey M; Crocker, Laura D; Infantolino, Zachary P; Towers, David N; Warren, Stacie L; Heller, Wendy

    2015-08-01

    Few studies have investigated how attentional control is affected by transient affective states while taking individual differences in affective traits into consideration. In this study, participants completed a color-word Stroop task immediately after undergoing a positive, neutral or negative affective context manipulation (ACM). Behavioral performance was unaffected by any ACM considered in isolation. For individuals high in trait negative affect (NA), performance was impaired by the negative but not the positive or neutral ACM. Neuroimaging results indicate that activity in primarily top-down control regions of the brain (inferior frontal gyrus and dorsal anterior cingulate cortex) was suppressed in the presence of emotional arousal (both negative and positive ACMs). This effect appears to have been exacerbated or offset by co-occurring activity in other top-down control regions (parietal) and emotion processing regions (orbitofrontal cortex, amygdala and nucleus accumbens) as a function of the valence of state affect (positive or negative) and trait affect (trait NA or trait PA). Neuroimaging results are consistent with behavioral findings. In combination, they indicate both additive and interactive influences of trait and state affect on top-down control of attention. © The Author (2015). Published by Oxford University Press. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  19. Ingenious Snake: An Adaptive Multi-Class Contours Extraction

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Baolin; Zhou, Shoujun

    2018-04-01

    Active contour model (ACM) plays an important role in computer vision and medical image application. The traditional ACMs were used to extract single-class of object contours. While, simultaneous extraction of multi-class of interesting contours (i.e., various contours with closed- or open-ended) have not been solved so far. Therefore, a novel ACM model named “Ingenious Snake” is proposed to adaptively extract these interesting contours. In the first place, the ridge-points are extracted based on the local phase measurement of gradient vector flow field; the consequential ridgelines initialization are automated with high speed. Secondly, the contours’ deformation and evolvement are implemented with the ingenious snake. In the experiments, the result from initialization, deformation and evolvement are compared with the existing methods. The quantitative evaluation of the structure extraction is satisfying with respect of effectiveness and accuracy.

  20. La Esencia de la Ingeniería de Software: El Núcleo de Semat

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ivar Jacobson

    2013-06-01

    Full Text Available Esta es una traducción del artículo que se publicó en Communications of the ACM en Diciembre de 2012 bajo el título “The Essence of Software Engineering: The SEMAT Kernel” y se realiza debido a la importancia que adquiere el tema para la audiencia de hispanoparlantes, de forma que se pueda generar un acceso a lo que constituye uno de los últimos adelantos en Ingeniería de Software. Nota: Artículo publicado originalmente en Communications of the ACM, vol. 55, no. 12, december 2012, pp. 42-49. El traductor declara tener autorización de los autores para difundir la versión en español en la Revista Latinoamericana de Ingeniería de Software, sin que ello presente incompatibilidades o vulnere los derechos de Communications of the ACM.

  1. International Relations

    OpenAIRE

    McGlinchey, S.

    2017-01-01

    A ‘Day 0’ introduction to International Relations for beginners. Written by a range of emerging and established experts, the chapters offer a broad sweep of the basic components of International Relations and the key contemporary issues that concern the discipline. The narrative arc forms a complete circle, taking readers from no knowledge to competency. The journey starts by examining how the international system was formed and ends by reflecting that International Relations is always adapti...

  2. International law

    CERN Document Server

    Shaw, Malcolm N

    2017-01-01

    International Law is the definitive and authoritative text on the subject, offering Shaw's unbeatable combination of clarity of expression and academic rigour and ensuring both understanding and critical analysis in an engaging and authoritative style. Encompassing the leading principles, practice and cases, and retaining and developing the detailed references which encourage and assist the reader in further study, this new edition motivates and challenges students and professionals while remaining accessible and engaging. Fully updated to reflect recent case law and treaty developments, this edition contains an expanded treatment of the relationship between international and domestic law, the principles of international humanitarian law, and international criminal law alongside additional material on international economic law.

  3. Mineralogical conversion of asbestos containing materials

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pulsford, S.K.; Foltz, A.D.; Ek, R.B.

    1996-01-01

    The principal objective of the Technical Task Plan (TTP) is to demonstrate a thermal-chemical mineralogical asbestos conversion unit at the Hanford Site, which converts non-radiological asbestos containing materials (ACMs) into an asbestos-free material. The permanent thermal-chemical mineralogical conversion of ACMs to a non-toxic, non-hazardous, potentially marketable end product should not only significantly reduce the waste stream volumes but terminate the open-quotes cradle to graveclose quotes ownership liabilities

  4. Droop-free AlxGa1-xN/AlyGa1-yN quantum-disks-in-nanowires ultraviolet LED emitting at 337 nm on metal/silicon substrates

    KAUST Repository

    Janjua, Bilal

    2017-01-18

    Currently the AlGaN-based ultraviolet (UV) solid-state lighting research suffers from numerous challenges. In particular, low internal quantum efficiency, low extraction efficiency, inefficient doping, large polarization fields, and high dislocation density epitaxy constitute bottlenecks in realizing high power devices. Despite the clear advantage of quantum-confinement nanostructure, it has not been widely utilized in AlGaN-based nanowires. Here we utilize the self-assembled nanowires (NWs) with embedding quantum-disks (Qdisks) to mitigate these issues, and achieve UV emission of 337 nm at 32 A/cm (80 mA in 0.5 × 0.5 mm device), a turn-on voltage of ∼5.5 V and droop-free behavior up to 120 A/cm of injection current. The device was grown on a titanium-coated n-type silicon substrate, to improve current injection and heat dissipation. A narrow linewidth of 11.7 nm in the electroluminescence spectrum and a strong wavefunctions overlap factor of 42% confirm strong quantum confinement within uniformly formed AlGaN/AlGaN Qdisks, verified using transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The nitride-based UV nanowires light-emitting diodes (NWs-LEDs) grown on low cost and scalable metal/silicon template substrate, offers a scalable, environment friendly and low cost solution for numerous applications, such as solid-state lighting, spectroscopy, medical science and security.

  5. Droop-free AlxGa1-xN/AlyGa1-yN quantum-disks-in-nanowires ultraviolet LED emitting at 337 nm on metal/silicon substrates

    KAUST Repository

    Janjua, Bilal; Sun, Haiding; Zhao, Chao; Anjum, Dalaver H.; Priante, Davide; Alhamoud, Abdullah A.; Wu, Feng-Yu; Li, Xiaohang; Albadri, Abdulrahman M.; Alyamani, Ahmed Y.; El-Desouki, Munir M.; Ng, Tien Khee; Ooi, Boon S.

    2017-01-01

    Currently the AlGaN-based ultraviolet (UV) solid-state lighting research suffers from numerous challenges. In particular, low internal quantum efficiency, low extraction efficiency, inefficient doping, large polarization fields, and high dislocation density epitaxy constitute bottlenecks in realizing high power devices. Despite the clear advantage of quantum-confinement nanostructure, it has not been widely utilized in AlGaN-based nanowires. Here we utilize the self-assembled nanowires (NWs) with embedding quantum-disks (Qdisks) to mitigate these issues, and achieve UV emission of 337 nm at 32 A/cm (80 mA in 0.5 × 0.5 mm device), a turn-on voltage of ∼5.5 V and droop-free behavior up to 120 A/cm of injection current. The device was grown on a titanium-coated n-type silicon substrate, to improve current injection and heat dissipation. A narrow linewidth of 11.7 nm in the electroluminescence spectrum and a strong wavefunctions overlap factor of 42% confirm strong quantum confinement within uniformly formed AlGaN/AlGaN Qdisks, verified using transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The nitride-based UV nanowires light-emitting diodes (NWs-LEDs) grown on low cost and scalable metal/silicon template substrate, offers a scalable, environment friendly and low cost solution for numerous applications, such as solid-state lighting, spectroscopy, medical science and security.

  6. International Specialization

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kleindienst, Ingo; Geisler Asmussen, Christian; Hutzschenreuter, Thomas

    2012-01-01

    Whether and how international diversification and cross-border arbitrage affects firm performance remains one of the major unresolved research questions in the strategy and international business literatures. We propose that knowing how much a firm has internationally diversified tells us very...... little about performance implications, if we do not know, and do not ask, how the firm has diversified. Therefore, building on the two broad arguments of operating flexibility and location-specific commitment, we develop a theoretical framework that focuses on the extent to which a firm's international...... arbitrage strategy is characterized by specialization versus replication and argue that these different strategies may have differential impact on profitability and risk reduction. Developing a sophisticated measure of international specialization and using a unique panel data set of 92 German MNEs to test...

  7. Alternative international currencies

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rozhentsova Vladimirovna Elena

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available The modern international monetary system has a number of flaws and therefore needs cardinal change. Hence, economists from all over the world are suggesting alternative international currencies that would make the international monetary system more efficient. However, it is essential when approaching the creation of a new international currency to analyze and take into account the experience of all the past international currencies. Therefore this paper begins with an exploration of the drawbacks of each of the past and present international currencies. Drawing on this analysis a justification will be made for the necessity of introducing a new international currency, pointing to the requirements it should meet. Further on, this paper proposes an alternative theoretically possible variant of the international currency, with a fixed value relative to a commodity basket. An abstract example is used to demonstrate its composition and circulation mechanism.

  8. Pengaruh Pemasaran Internal dan Kualitas Layanan Internal Terhadap Kepuasan Pelanggan Internal (Studi Pada Industri Kepariwisataan di Daerah Istimewa Yogyakarta)

    OpenAIRE

    Jumadi Jumadi

    2016-01-01

    The aim of this research is to investigate the implication of internal marketing and internal service quality effectivity towards internal customer satisfaction in Tourism Industry in Yogyakarta Special Territory. This internal marketing studyinvolves variables of motivation and reward system, effective communication, effective employee's selection, effective recruitment, effective development, effective support system, and healthy work environment. While the internal quality service aspects ...

  9. Properties of second phase (BaSnO3, Sn) added-YBCO thick films

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ban, E.; Matsuoka, Y.

    1997-01-01

    The improvement of the critical current density J c of YBCO thick films has been attempted by adding BaSnO 3 powder and ultrafine Sn particles, whose diameter is about 2 μm and 7 x 10 -2 μm, respectively. It was found that the addition of a small amount of these particles was effective for the enhancement of J c of thick films prepared by a liquid-phase processing method. The 1 wt.% BaSnO 3 films fired at T s =1040-1060 C and the 3 wt.% Sn films (T s =1030-1060 C) showed J c values (77 K, 0 T) of about 2.1-2.4 x 10 3 Acm -2 and 3.1-3.5 x 10 3 Acm -2 , respectively, as compared to 2.0 x 10 3 Acm -2 for the undoped films. (orig.)

  10. Formation and physical properties of YBCO thick films grown by using the electrophoretic deposition method

    CERN Document Server

    Kim, U J; Kim, Y C; Han, S K; Kang, K Y

    1999-01-01

    Thick films of the YBa sub 2 Cu sub 3 O subgamma sub - subdelta (YBCO) superconductor were prepared by using the electrophoretic deposition technique and a flexible wire as the substrate. The transition temperature of the wires was 91 K, the intragranular magnetic critical current density J sub c sub g sup m sup a sup g was about 10 sup 5 A/cm sup 2 at 77 K in a weak field, and the transport J sub c sup t sup r sup a sup n sup s was about 365 A/cm sup 2 at 77 K. We calculated the intergranular magnetic critical current J sub c sub J sup m sup a sup g and the activation energy from the AC-susceptibility measurements, and their values were about 444 A/cm sup 2 at 77 K and 2.02 eV, respectively.

  11. The International Criminal Court and the construction of International Public Order

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sofia Santos

    2014-11-01

    Full Text Available Envisioning an international public order means envisioning an order sustained by a legal and institutional framework that ensures effective collective action with a view to defending fundamental values of the international community and to solving common global problems, in line with the universalist vision of international law. Envisioning the construction of an international public order means considering that this framework, which embraces and promotes the respect for human rights focused particularly on human dignity, is consolidating and evolving based on the International Criminal Court (ICC. The establishment of the ICC added an international punitive perennial facet to international humanitarian law and international human rights law and linked justice to peace, to security and to the well-being of the world, reaffirming the principles and objectives of the Charter of the United Nations (UN. Nevertheless, the affirmation process of an international criminal justice by punishing those responsible for the most serious crimes of concern to the international community as a whole, faces numerous obstacles of political and normative character. This article identifies the central merits of the Rome Statute and ICC’s practice and indicates its limitations caused by underlying legal-political tensions and interpretive questions relating to the crime of aggression and crimes against humanity. Finally, the article argues for the indispensability of rethinking the jurisdiction of the ICC, defending the categorization of terrorism as an international crime, and of articulating its mission with the "responsibility to protect", which may contribute to the consolidation of the ICC and of international criminal law and reinforce its role in the construction of an effective international public order.

  12. Relationship between the international marketing research and the international marketing information system

    OpenAIRE

    Grubor Aleksandar

    2004-01-01

    Real and complete understanding relationship between the international marketing research and the international marketing information system requires recognizing essentials of the both concept. The international marketing research constitutes a process with coherent phases, whereas the international marketing information system is a part of integrated company's information system. Approach to learning relationship between the international marketing research and the international marketing in...

  13. Study of double charm B decays with the LHCb experiment at CERN and track reconstruction for the LHCb upgrade

    CERN Document Server

    AUTHOR|(CDS)2091576; Rademacker, Jonas

    Double charmed $B$ meson decays are dominated by the Cabibbo favoured $b\\rightarrow c (W^{-} \\rightarrow \\overline{c}s)$ transition. This thesis presents the study of $B^{0}\\rightarrow D^{0}\\overline{D}^{0}K^{\\ast 0}$ decay which has never been observed so far. The branching ratio is quoted with respect to the $B^{0}\\rightarrow D^{\\ast -} D^{0} K^{+}$ decay mode. No $K^{\\ast0}$ mass window selection is applied in sigmode, reconstructing the $K\\pi$ system as a $K^{\\ast0}$. The invariant mass of the $K\\pi$ system is selected to be in full allowed phase space: $ m(K) + m(\\pi) < m(K\\pi) < m(B)-2 m(D^{0})$. $D^{0}$ mesons are reconstructed through the Cabibbo favoured $D^{0}\\rightarrow K^{-}\\pi^{+}$ mode and the $K^{\\ast 0}$ as $K^{+}\\pi^{-}$. The integrated luminosity of 3fb$^{-1}$ collected by LHCb during LHC Run 1 are used to select and reconstruct $B{0}\\rightarrow D^{0}\\overline{D}^{0} K^{\\ast 0}$ leading to a preliminary branching ratio corresponding to: $$\\dfrac{\\mathcal{B}(B{0}\\rightarrow D^{0}\\over...

  14. Detection of diverse genotypes of Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus from hospital personnel and the environment in Armenia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hermine V. Mkrtchyan

    2017-02-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA is a public health concern internationally. Studies examining a range of cohorts have been reported from various regions of the world, but little is known about the molecular epidemiology of MRSA in Armenia. Methods Between May and September 2013, twenty isolates of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA; mecA positive were recovered from hospital personnel (n = 10; 9 females, 1 male and environmental sites (n = 10 in the maternity ward of one of the teaching hospitals in Armenia. Results Multi-locus sequence type clonal complex (MLST-CC assignments inferred from spa typing data revealed the majority belonged to 3 pandemic lineages of MRSA including: t008-CC8-SCCmecV (n = 10; 7 from personnel; t021-CC30-SCCmecIV (n = 5; all environmental; and t1523-CC45 (n = 2; 1 from personnel, one harboured SCCmecV the other was SCCmec non-typable. The remainder identified as belonging to genotype t364-CC182, both of which harboured a novel SCCmec cassette with kdp, rif5, ccrB2 and ccrC detected by PCR (both from personnel; and t325-CC88-SCCmecIV (n = 1; environmental. All MRSA were negative for the Panton-Valentine Leukocidin (PVL locus and three CC8 strains were positive for the arginine catabolic element (ACME. Conclusions In this small study, we report for the first time of the occurrence of diverse MRSA genotypes belonging to both pandemic and more sporadic international clones in Armenia harbouring the smaller SCCmec types and/or ACME, both of which have been associated with strain fitness. Further surveillance is warranted to better understand the prevalence, clinical and molecular epidemiology of MRSA throughout Armenia.

  15. A new monoclonal antibody for the radio immune diagnosis of colorectal cancer; Nuevo ACM para el radioinmunodiagnostico de cancer colorrectal

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ramos, M [Centro de Inmunologia Molecular, La Habana (Cuba); and others

    1998-12-31

    Colorectal cancer is the third cause of death among malignant neoplasms in Cuba. Different labeled monoclonal antibodies have been used for the diagnosis and follow-up of this tumors bu immunoscintigraphy. Recently, a new MAB ior c5 have been developed at Center of Molecular Immunology, Havana, Cuba. It recognizes a new tumors associated antigen: IOR C2, found in most of colorectal adenocarcinomas. The aim of the present work was to assess the diagnostic utility of this antibody, Labelled with 99m Tc, as well as to study its pharmacokinetics, biodistribution and internal dosimetry

  16. Influence of Precursor Composition on the Microstructure and Superconducting Properties of Dy-Ba-Cu-O filaments

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ikebe, Y; Ban, E; Matsuoka, Y; Nishijima, G; Watanabe, K

    2006-01-01

    Dy-Ba-Cu-O filaments have been successfully fabricated by a solution spinning method. The relationship between the partial melting temperature and the transport J c value at 77 K of the filamentary sample was systematically investigated. Two kinds of precursor filaments with starting composition of Dy:Ba:Cu = 1.18:2.12:3.09 (sample A)and Dy:Ba:Cu = 1.00:2.00:3.00 (sample B) were partially melted in 1%O 2 + Ar atmospheric gas and oxygenated in pure 100% O 2 gas. Samples partially melted at a wide temperature range of 990-1040 deg. C had J c values higher than 10 4 A/cm 2 . Both sample A and sample B partially melted at 1020 deg. C exhibited the maximum J c value higher than 4.2 x 10 4 A/cm 2 and 2.0 x 10 4 A/cm 2 , respectively. These samples had a dense microstructure consisting predominantly of Dy123 and finely dispersed Dy211 particles. The Dy211 particles with a diameter of about 1μm were finely dispersed in sample A, while the particles with a diameter of about 5μm were observed in sample B. The J c values of both samples were maintained about 2.0 x 10 3 A/cm 2 up to 14 T

  17. Astrocytes expressing ALS‐linked mutant FUS induce motor neuron death through release of tumor necrosis factor‐alpha

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kia, Azadeh; McAvoy, Kevin; Krishnamurthy, Karthik; Trotti, Davide

    2018-01-01

    Mutations in fused in sarcoma (FUS) are linked to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a fatal neurodegenerative disease affecting both upper and lower motor neurons. While it is established that astrocytes contribute to the death of motor neurons in ALS, the specific contribution of mutant FUS (mutFUS) through astrocytes has not yet been studied. Here, we used primary astrocytes expressing a N‐terminally GFP tagged R521G mutant or wild‐type FUS (WTFUS) and show that mutFUS‐expressing astrocytes undergo astrogliosis, damage co‐cultured motor neurons via activation of an inflammatory response and produce conditioned medium (ACM) that is toxic to motor neurons in isolation. Time lapse imaging shows that motor neuron cultures exposed to mutFUS ACM, but not WTFUS ACM, undergo significant cell loss, which is preceded by progressive degeneration of neurites. We found that Tumor Necrosis Factor‐Alpha (TNFα) is secreted into ACM of mutFUS‐expressing astrocytes. Accordingly, mutFUS astrocyte‐mediated motor neuron toxicity is blocked by targeting soluble TNFα with neutralizing antibodies. We also found that mutant astrocytes trigger changes to motor neuron AMPA receptors (AMPAR) that render them susceptible to excitotoxicity and AMPAR‐mediated cell death. Our data provide the first evidence of astrocytic involvement in FUS‐ALS, identify TNFα as a mediator of this toxicity, and provide several potential therapeutic targets to protect motor neurons in FUS‐linked ALS. PMID:29380416

  18. Reducing the occurrence of plant events through improved human performance

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ross, T.; Burkhart, A.D.

    1993-01-01

    During a routine control room surveillance, the reactor operator is distracted by an alarming secondary annunciator and a telephone call. When the reactor operator resumes the surveillance, he inadvertently performs the procedural steps out of order. This causes a reportable nuclear event. How can procedure-related human performance problems such as this be prevented? The question is vitally important for the nuclear industry. The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission's Office for Analysis and Evaluation of Operational Data observed, open-quotes With the perceived reduction in the number of events caused by equipment failures, INPO and other industry groups and human performance experts agree that a key to continued improvement in plant performance and safety is improved human performance.close quotes In fact, open-quotes more than 50% of the reportable events occurring at nuclear power plants involve human error.close quotes Prevention (or correction) of a human performance problem is normally based on properly balancing the following three factors: (1) supervisory involvement; (2) personnel training; and (3) procedures. The nuclear industry is implementing a formula known as ACME, which better balances supervisory involvement, personnel training, and procedures. Webster's New World Dictionary defines acme as the highest point, the peak. ACME human performance is the goal: ACME Adherence to and use of procedures; Self-Checking; Management Involvement; and Event Investigations

  19. Evaluation of prognostic and predictive factors in breast cancer in Cuba. Its role in personalized therapy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Álvarez Goyanes, Rosa Irene

    2011-01-01

    The identification of prognostic and predictive factors in breast cancer has allowed applying personalized therapeutic programs without achieving, still, the individualization for all patients. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the frequency of estrogen receptors, progesterone and HER2 along with the expression of the EGFR1 and ganglioside NglicolilGM3. 1509 patients found the frequency of expression of the aforementioned receivers, which were correlated with the morphological and General variables. It was compared the AcM recognition ior egf/r3 with a game of diagnosis - shopping, and the AcM 14F7 vitro tissue fresh and included in paraffin and in vivo labelled with 99mTc. It was obtained the frequency in Cuba of these prognostic and prediction markers of response, noting her hormone dependence of tumor associated with less aggressive features. The AcM 14F7 showed a broad recognition that was not correlated with prognostic factors, but was able to detect live in primary breast tumors. The ior egf/r3 exhibited 100% specificity and positive predictive value, as well as a sensitivity and negative predictive value of 68 and 73% respectively. The recognition of the AcM 14F7 and ior egf/r3 opens a new possibility of therapeutic directed against these targets for breast cancer (author)

  20. Director, Risk Management and Internal Audit | IDRC - International ...

    International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

    Directs the establishment of an IDRC strategy for Internal Audit that outlines the ... process and are developed with an understanding of IDRC context and business model; ... Planning, Conduct and Reporting of Internal Audit Engagements:.

  1. International Responsibility and the Systemic Character of International Law

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Saganek Przemysław

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available The question whether international law is a system is one of the modern topics discussed by specialists of international law. The text of P. Saganek poses this question with respect to the rules on international responsibility. The two aims are to establish whether the rules on state responsibility are a system themselves and whether they may prima facie support the idea of international law as such a system. The two prima facie answers are positive. Every violation of international law gives rise to state responsibility if it can be attributed to a state and no circumstance precluding wrongfulness is in place. In this sense the rules on state responsibility form a sub-system supporting the thesis on the systemic nature of international law. On a closer analysis one can encounter several doubts as to both answers. Paradoxically those rules are too ideal, too systemic. The author – without denying the necessity of several if not the majority of the identified rules – refers to a tendency of presenting as law some non-binding documents prepared by expert groups. This is a part of a wider process of ‘paper-law’. In this sense expert groups engage in ‘creating the language’ in which the true subjects of international law are expected to speak.

  2. Windows® Internals

    CERN Document Server

    Russinovich, Mark E; Ionescu, Alex

    2009-01-01

    See how the core components of the Windows operating system work behind the scenes-guided by a team of internationally renowned internals experts. Fully updated for Windows Server 2008 and Windows Vista, this classic guide delivers key architectural insights on system design, debugging, performance, and support-along with hands-on experiments to experience Windows internal behavior firsthand.Delve inside Windows architecture and internals:Understand how the core system and management mechanisms work-from the object manager to services to the registryExplore internal system data structures usin

  3. Relationship between the international marketing research and the international marketing information system

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Grubor Aleksandar

    2004-01-01

    Full Text Available Real and complete understanding relationship between the international marketing research and the international marketing information system requires recognizing essentials of the both concept. The international marketing research constitutes a process with coherent phases, whereas the international marketing information system is a part of integrated company's information system. Approach to learning relationship between the international marketing research and the international marketing information system is distinguish in domestic than in the foreign expert literature.

  4. The International School Industry: Examining International Schools through an Economic Lens

    Science.gov (United States)

    MacDonald, James

    2006-01-01

    Based upon the results of a quantitative analysis of tuition revenues generated by international schools, it is argued that international schools can be examined in terms of a global multi-billion dollar industry and that business theory can be, and is being, applied in international schools today. This article proposes that international schools…

  5. Abreviaciones utilizadas

    OpenAIRE

    2015-01-01

    AAP: Archivo Arzobispal de Piura. AAT: Archivo Arzobispal de Trujillo ACM: Archivo de la Comunidad de Mórrope. ACMS: Archivo Castillo Muro Sime. A.D.Cj.: Archivo Departamental de Cajamarca. A.D.H.: Archivo Departamental de Huánuco. A.D.L.: Archivo Departamental de Lambayeque. AD.L.L.: Archivo Departamental de La Libertad. A.D.P.: Archivo Departamental de Piura. A.D.T.: Archivo Departamental de Trujillo (La Libertad). A.E.Cj.: Archivo Episcopal de Cajamarca. AFA: Archivo del Fuero Agrario. AFS...

  6. Juris International

    CERN Document Server

    A database on international trade law aimed at lawyers and legal counsel in developing and transition economies. Juris International is a multilingual collection (English, Spanish, and French) of legal information on international trade. Juris International aims to facilitate and reduce the work involved in research for business lawyers, advisers and in-house counsel, and state organizations in developing nd transition economies, by providing access to texts which have often been difficult to obtain. Its objective is to gather a large quantity of basic information at one site (favoring complete legal texts), without the need to send for the information, and consequently without excessive communication costs for users who d benefit from an efficient and cheap telecommunications network.

  7. Importance of Internal Audit and Internal Control in an organization - Case Study

    OpenAIRE

    Bubilek, Olga

    2017-01-01

    This research is a descriptive case study of a company. It presents concepts of the internal audit and internal control based on an example of a Finnish company. The research examines the role and importance that internal audit and internal controls have in an organization. The main research question is “What is the role and importance of internal audit and internal control in an organization” Additional sub-questions relating to the case company that will allow for better understanding of...

  8. Effect of current on the microstructure and performance of (Bi2Te3)0.2(Sb2Te3)0.8 thermoelectric material via field activated and pressure assisted sintering

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chen Ruixue; Meng Qingsen; Fan Wenhao; Wang Zhong

    2011-01-01

    (Bi 2 Te 3 ) 0.2 (Sb 2 Te 3 ) 0.8 thermoelectric material was sintered via a field activated and pressure assisted sintering (FAPAS) process. By applying different current intensity (0, 60, 320 A/cm 2 ) in the sintering process, the effects of electric current on the microstructure and thermoelectric performance were investigated. This demonstrated that the application of electric current in the sintering process could significantly improve the uniformity and density of (Bi 2 Te 3 ) 0.2 (Sb 2 Te 3 ) 0.8 samples. When the current intensity was raised to 320 A/cm 2 , the preferred orientation of grains was observed. Moreover, positive effects on the thermoelectric performance of applying electric current in the sintering process were also confirmed. An increase of 0.02 and 0.11 in the maximum figure of merit ZT value could be acquired by applying current of 60 and 320 A/cm 2 , respectively. (semiconductor materials)

  9. An Antifungal Combination Matrix Identifies a Rich Pool of Adjuvant Molecules that Enhance Drug Activity against Diverse Fungal Pathogens

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nicole Robbins

    2015-11-01

    Full Text Available There is an urgent need to identify new treatments for fungal infections. By combining sub-lethal concentrations of the known antifungals fluconazole, caspofungin, amphotericin B, terbinafine, benomyl, and cyprodinil with ∼3,600 compounds in diverse fungal species, we generated a deep reservoir of chemical-chemical interactions termed the Antifungal Combinations Matrix (ACM. Follow-up susceptibility testing against a fluconazole-resistant isolate of C. albicans unveiled ACM combinations capable of potentiating fluconazole in this clinical strain. We used chemical genetics to elucidate the mode of action of the antimycobacterial drug clofazimine, a compound with unreported antifungal activity that synergized with several antifungals. Clofazimine induces a cell membrane stress for which the Pkc1 signaling pathway is required for tolerance. Additional tests against additional fungal pathogens, including Aspergillus fumigatus, highlighted that clofazimine exhibits efficacy as a combination agent against multiple fungi. Thus, the ACM is a rich reservoir of chemical combinations with therapeutic potential against diverse fungal pathogens.

  10. High critical currents in Y-Ba-Cu-O superconductors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jin, S.; Tiefel, T.H.; Sherwood, R.C.; Davis, M.E.; van Dover, R.B.; Kammlott, G.W.; Fastnacht, R.A.; Keith, H.D.

    1988-01-01

    Melt-textured growth of polycrystalline YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7 √/sub δ/ superconductor using directional solidification created an essentially 100% dense structure consisting of long, needle- or plate-shaped crystals preferentially aligned parallel to the a-b conduction plane. The new microstructure, which completely replaces the previous granular and random structure in the sintered precursor, exhibits dramatically improved transport J/sub c/ values at 77 K of ∼17 000 Acm 2 in zero field and ∼4000 Acm 2 at H = 1 T (as compared to ∼500 and ∼1 Acm 2 , respectively, for the as-sintered structure), with the severe field dependence of J/sub c/ (''weak-link'' problem) no longer evident in the new melt-textured material. The improvement in J/sub c/ is attributed to the combined effects of densification, alignment of crystals, and formation of cleaner grain boundaries. Microstructure and distribution of various phases present in the melt-textured material are discussed in relation to the superconducting properties

  11. A novel thermoplastic elastomer based on dynamically vulcanized polypropylene/acrylic rubber blends

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    2008-08-01

    Full Text Available Thermoplastic elastomer based on polypropylene (PP and acrylic rubber (ACM was investigated, with special attention on the compatibilization and dynamic vulcanization. ACM component contains chlorine and carboxyl groups along the backbone, which act as center for the curing and reactive compatibilization. The last event was carried out by adding a combination of maleic anhydride-modified PP (PP-g-MA and triethylene tetramine (TETA, which act as interfacial agents between PP and ACM phases. The effectiveness of the compatibilization was suggested from mixing torque and viscosity, determined from rheological measurements. Outstanding mechanical performance, especially elongation at break, and better tensile set (lower values were obtained with the compatibilization. The dynamic vulcanization also resulted in good mechanical properties for compatibilized blends, but the performance was inferior to that observed for non vulcanized blends. The effect of the compatibilization and/or dynamic vulcanization on the dynamic mechanical, thermal, morphological and stress relaxation properties was investigated.

  12. Preparation and properties of high-Tc Bi-oxide superconductors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Maeda, H.

    1989-01-01

    Bulk superconductors of Pb-doped Bi-oxide system (BSCCO) dominated with the high-Tc phase have the critical transition temperature, Tc of 110 K, and the upper critical fields, H c2 of 140 T at OK and 60 T at 77 K. A highly dense and a highly oriented microstructure is obtained by inserting an intermediate uniaxial pressing process. The critical current density, Jc at 77 K in zero field, Jc (77K,OT) of some 5000 A/cm 2 can be easily obtained by this process, and the field dependence of Jc is also improved. Flexible high-Tc BSCCO ribbons with a Jc (77K,Ot) of 1850 A/cm 2 have been successfully prepared by the combined process of doctor blade casting, cold rolling and sintering. Aq-sheeted multifilamentary wires with 1330 filaments and tapes with 30 filaments have also been successfully fabricated and the 36-filament tape shows a Jc(77K,OT) of 1050 A/cm 2 . (Auth.). 7 refs.; 7 figs

  13. High Temperature Co-electrolysis of Steam and CO2 in an SOC stack: Performance and Durability

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Chen, Ming; Høgh, Jens Valdemar Thorvald; Nielsen, Jens Ulrik

    2012-01-01

    C and -0.5 A/cm2 with no long term degradation, as long as the inlet gases to the Ni/YSZ electrode were cleaned [3]. In this work, co-electrolysis of steam and carbon dioxide was studied in a TOFC® 10-cell stack, containing 3 different types ofNi/YSZ electrode supported cells with a footprint of 12X12 cm2....... The stack was operated at 800 oC and -0.75 A/cm2 with 60% conversion for a period of 1000 hours. One type of the cells showed no long term degradation but actually activation during the entire electrolysis period, while the other two types degraded. The performance and durability of the different cell types...... is discussed with respect to cell material composition and microstructure. The results of this study show that long term electrolysis is feasible without notable degradation also at lower temperature (800 oC) and higher current density (-0.75 A/cm2)....

  14. Long-term operation of a solid oxide cell stack for coelectrolysis of steam and CO2

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Agersted, Karsten; Chen, Ming; Blennow, Peter

    2016-01-01

    of synthetic fuels such as methane, methanol or DME. Previously we have reported electrolysis operation of solid oxide cell stacks for periods up to about 1000 hours. In this work, operation of a Haldor Topsoe 8-cell stack (stack design of 2014) in co-electrolysis mode for 6000 hours is reported. The stack....... Initial operation at 700 oC and -0.25 A/cm2 lasted for only 120 hours due to severe degradation of the bottom cell. Regaining the stack performance was realized by increasing the operation temperature to 750 oC. After reactivation, the stack showed negligible degradation at 750 oC and -0.25 A/cm2...... and about 1.4 %/1000 h performance degradation at 750 oC and -0.5 A/cm2. This study demonstrates feasibility of long-term co-electrolysis operation via SOEC stacks and of careful temperature variation as a tool to regain the stack performance....

  15. International health law : an emerging field of public international law

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Toebes, Brigit

    This article discusses the nature and scope of international health law as an emerging field of public international law. It is argued that the protection of health reflects a pressing social need that should now be spoken of in the vocabulary of international law. Furthermore, there is an urgent

  16. Brief International Cognitive Assessment for MS (BICAMS): international standards for validation.

    OpenAIRE

    Benedict, R; Amato, Mp; Boringa, J; Brochet, B; Foley, F; Fredrikson, S; Hamalainen, P; Hartung, H; Krupp, L; Penner, I; Reder, A; Langdon, D.

    2012-01-01

    An international expert consensus committee recently recommended a brief battery of tests for cognitive evaluation in multiple sclerosis. The Brief International Cognitive Assessment for MS (BICAMS) battery includes tests of mental processing speed and memory. Recognizing that resources for validation will vary internationally, the committee identified validation priorities, to facilitate international acceptance of BICAMS. Practical matters pertaining to implementation across different langu...

  17. Models of international entrepreneurship

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Rask, Morten; Servais, Per

    2012-01-01

    on International Entrepreneurship, and specifically but not exclusively, International New Ventures (INVs). The three resulting ‘meta-models’ depict the activities and loci of such firms (Figure 1), the motivating factors that give rise to such firms (Figure 2) and their growth modalities and strategies (Figure 3......). These models reflect the merger of entrepreneurship and international business into the field of international entrepreneurship. Managers in international entrepreneurial firms and students in international business and entrepreneurship can use the models as framework for understanding international...... entrepreneurship....

  18. The ICC, International Criminal Justice and International Politics

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    short, does it have a future, and how shall it remain relevant in the future? This article is a think piece ... Introduction. The International Criminal ... in its operations by international politics, are the ICC's weaknesses a function of its very nature or ...

  19. International Regulations Dealing with Alternative Dispute Resolution for International Commercial Disputes

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Angelica Rosu

    2009-06-01

    Full Text Available At present, no generally applied international ADR rules exist. However, manylegislative initiatives registered in time. The United Nations Commission on International TradeLaw adopted, thus, a Model Law on International Commercial Conciliation in 2002. The EuropeanUnion has also been active in the area of ADR presenting in May 2008 a Directive on CertainAspects of Mediation in Civil and Commercial Matters that represents its most important initiativesin this field. There are also various international conventions that deal with dispute resolution suchas the International Convention on the Settlement of Investment Disputes. The many legislativeinitiatives are useful, even necessary.

  20. International study for an international career: a survey of the motivations and aspirations of international students in the UK

    OpenAIRE

    Packwood, Helen; Findlay, Allan; McCollum, David

    2015-01-01

    There are currently 435,000 international students studying in UK Universities. This paper investigates the forces driving student mobility and the relationship between student migration and future mobility plans. The research, based on a survey of over 3000 international students and interviews with senior staff in International Offices at ten UK Universities confirms the importance of understanding international student mobility as part of wider mobility trajectories.

  1. internal branding

    OpenAIRE

    Rai, Anu; Omanga, Josphat

    2014-01-01

    The project report provides an insight into internal branding of two different leading firms – Coca-Cola and Google. The aim of this project report is to study how these two companies use internal branding to promote or build brand performance of the company. This report follows a qualitative research method. The report is deductive in nature and hence, it is guided by the literatures of internal branding. The project report conducted research on brand identity, brand commitment and brand loy...

  2. Internal branding

    OpenAIRE

    Rijal, Ramesh; Dhakal, Rajendra

    2015-01-01

    The project report provides an insight into internal branding of two different leading firms – Coca-Cola and Google. The aim of this project report is to study how these two companies use internal branding to promote or build brand performance of the company. This report follows a qualitative research method. The report is deductive in nature and hence, it is guided by the literatures of internal branding. The project report conducted research on brand identity, brand commitment and brand loy...

  3. Predicting E-commerce Consumer Behaviour Using Sparse Session Data

    OpenAIRE

    Thorrud, Thorstein Kaldahl; Myklatun, Øyvind

    2015-01-01

    This thesis research consumer behavior in an e-commerce domain by using a data set of sparse session data collected from an anonymous European e-commerce site. The goal is to predict whether a consumer session results in a purchase, and if so, which items are purchased. The data is supplied by the ACM Recommender System Challenge, which is a yearly challenge held by the ACM Recommender System Conference. Classification is used for predicting whether or not a session made a purchase, as w...

  4. Database Publication Practices

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bernstein, P.A.; DeWitt, D.; Heuer, A.

    2005-01-01

    There has been a growing interest in improving the publication processes for database research papers. This panel reports on recent changes in those processes and presents an initial cut at historical data for the VLDB Journal and ACM Transactions on Database Systems.......There has been a growing interest in improving the publication processes for database research papers. This panel reports on recent changes in those processes and presents an initial cut at historical data for the VLDB Journal and ACM Transactions on Database Systems....

  5. Study of a very low cost air combat maneuvering trainer aircraft

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hill, G. C.; Bowles, J. V.

    1976-01-01

    A very low cost aircraft for performing Air Combat Maneuvering (ACM) training was studied using the BD-5J sport plane as a point of departure. The installation of a larger engine and increased fuel capacity were required to meet the performance and mission objectives. Reduced wing area increased the simulation of the ACM engagement, and a comparison with current tactical aircraft is presented. Other factors affecting the training transfer are considered analytically, but a flight evaluation is recommended to determine the concept utility.

  6. 78 FR 18321 - International Code Council: The Update Process for the International Codes and Standards

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-03-26

    ... Energy Conservation Code. International Existing Building Code. International Fire Code. International... Code. International Property Maintenance Code. International Residential Code. International Swimming Pool and Spa Code International Wildland-Urban Interface Code. International Zoning Code. ICC Standards...

  7. Internal Bleeding

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... Fractures (Part II) Additional Content Medical News Internal Bleeding By Amy H. Kaji, MD, PhD, Associate Professor, ... Emergency First Aid Priorities Cardiac Arrest Choking Internal Bleeding Severed or Constricted Limbs or Digits Soft-Tissue ...

  8. International and internal migration measured from the School Census in England.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Simpson, Ludi; Marquis, Naomi; Jivraj, Stephen

    2010-01-01

    The School Census is the only regularly updated dataset covering almost all of the population of a specific age, which records changes of address along with ethnicity and some family economic circumstances. It can be used to measure internal and international family migration as shown in this report. The School Census is suited to identify and quantify new local migration streams between censuses, successfully identifying the local distribution of Eastern European immigration in the decade since 2000. The measures do not provide a complete measure of migration, either internally or internationally. The exclusion of those outside the state school system means that internal migration is under-estimated, and international migration is approximately measured. The advantages of the School Census are its frequent updates, its fine geographical information, and its indicators of ethnicity and low family income, which powerfully complement other sources.

  9. Attracting International Hotels

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Assaf, A. George; Josiassen, Alexander; Agbola, Frank Wogbe

    2015-01-01

    With the increased international competition facing hotel chains, it is essential that the next destination they enter is the most attractive option possible. The host destinations too have a keen interest in strategically positioning themselves in order to attract international hotels since...... their presence has several positive effects. Using, for the first time, actual on-location data we investigate the factors that matter most for international hotels when selecting host destinations. Specifically, we identify 23 factors that make a destination an attractive (or unattractive) location...... for international hotels. We then rank these. The results show that welcomeness, infrastructure, and crime rate are the three most important factors that influence the location of international hotels in host destinations....

  10. What skills should new internal medicine interns have in july? A national survey of internal medicine residency program directors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Angus, Steven; Vu, T Robert; Halvorsen, Andrew J; Aiyer, Meenakshy; McKown, Kevin; Chmielewski, Amy F; McDonald, Furman S

    2014-03-01

    The transition from medical student to intern may cause stress and burnout in new interns and the delivery of suboptimal patient care. Despite a formal set of subinternship curriculum guidelines, program directors have expressed concern regarding the skill set of new interns and the lack of standardization in that skill set among interns from different medical schools. To address these issues, the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education's Next Accreditation System focuses on the development of a competency-based education continuum spanning undergraduate, graduate, and continuing medical education. In 2010, the Clerkship Directors in Internal Medicine subinternship task force, in collaboration with the Association of Program Directors in Internal Medicine survey committee, surveyed internal medicine residency program directors to determine which competencies or skills they expected from new medical school graduates. The authors summarized the results using categories of interest. In both an item rank list and free-text responses, program directors were nearly uniform in ranking the skills they deemed most important for new interns-organization and time management and prioritization skills; effective communication skills; basic clinical skills; and knowing when to ask for assistance. Stakeholders should use the results of this survey as they develop a milestone-based curriculum for the fourth year of medical school and for the internal medicine subinternship. By doing so, they should develop a standardized set of skills that meet program directors' expectations, reduce the stress of transitions across the educational continuum, and improve the quality of patient care.

  11. International double taxation

    OpenAIRE

    Körbl, Hugo

    2012-01-01

    1 Summary This thesis deals with the issue of international double taxation of income and capital and methods for its solution. International double taxation is an issue which states began to deal with in the late 19th century. This interest intensified after the First World War when also the League of Nations (predecessor of the United Nations) began to deal with international double taxation. Most attention the phenomenon of double taxation of income and capital with an international elemen...

  12. Effects of accelerated closing of the five oldest coal-fired power plants [in the Netherlands]; Effecten van versneld sluiten van de vijf oudste kolencentrales

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Seebregts, A.J. [ECN Beleidsstudies, Amsterdam (Netherlands)

    2013-09-15

    This memo outlines the possible effects of the early closing of the five oldest coal-fired power plants in the Netherlands, as part of the Dutch Energy Agreement, still to be concluded at this time. It concerns plants from four power producers: RWE/Essent, E.ON, GDF Suez Netherlands and EPZ. The decision or the agreement to reduce coal capacity is likely to affect prices in the Dutch electricity market. The Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM) must make a judgment about the possible adverse effect within the framework of the (European) cartel legislation. By order of ACM the author has carried out several calculations of which the results and starting points of the calculations are summarized in this paper [Dutch] Deze notitie schetst de mogelijke effecten van het vervroegd sluiten van de vijf oudste kolencentrales in Nederland, als onderdeel van het nog te sluiten Energieakkoord. Het betreft centrales van vier producenten: RWE/Essent, E.ON, GDF Suez Nederland en EPZ. Het besluit c.q. de afspraak om kolenvermogen uit de markt te halen heeft mogelijk invloed op de prijzen op de Nederlandse elektriciteitsmarkt. De ACM moet een oordeel vellen over de mogelijke ongewenstheid van dat effect in het kader van de (Europese) kartelwetgeving. Om een indicatie te krijgen van de effecten, heeft de ACM aan ECN gevraagd een aantal berekeningen uit te voeren. De resultaten en de uitgangspunten van deze berekeningen staan in deze notitie samengevat.

  13. Electron beam initiated modification of acrylic elastomer in presence of polyfunctional monomers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Vijayabaskar, V.; Bhattacharya, S.; Tikku, V.K.; Bhowmick, A.K.

    2004-01-01

    The structural changes of an acrylic rubber (ACM) in presence and absence of polyfunctional monomers like trimethylolpropane triacrylate, tripropyleneglycol diacrylate, trimethylolmethane tetraacrylate and trimethylolpropane trimethacrylate at different doses of electron beam (EB) irradiations were investigated with the help of FTIR spectroscopy (in the attenuated total reflectance mode) and sol-gel analysis. As the radiation dose increases, the concentration of carbonyl group increases in the ACM rubber due to aerial oxidation. This is corroborated from the increase in the absorbance values at 1734 and 1160 cm -1 , which are due to carbonyl and C-O-C stretching frequencies, respectively. The increase in crosslinking is revealed by the increase in percentage gel content with radiation dose. The lifetime of spurs formed and the critical dose, an important criterion for overlapping of spurs have been determined for both grafted and ungrafted ACM rubber using a mathematical model. The predominance of crosslinking by electronic stopping with energetic EB projectile and the increase in effective radius of crosslinking have also been verified by this model. The doses at which the synergistic occurrence of both dislinking and endlinking steps originate have been calculated using linear energy transfer of EB. The ratio of scissioning to crosslinking for ACM rubber has been determined by using Charlesby-Pinner equation. The mechanical properties have been studied for different modified and unmodified systems and the tensile strength is found to increase with grafting of polyfunctional monomers

  14. Melt-textured growth of polycrystalline YBa2Cu3O7√/sub δ/ with high transport J/sub c/ at 77 K

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jin, S.; Tiefel, T.H.; Sherwood, R.C.; van Dover, R.B.; Davis, M.E.; Kammlott, G.W.; Fastnacht, R.A.

    1988-01-01

    The progress toward major applications of YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7 √/sub δ/-type high-T/sub c/ superconductors has been hindered by low critical current densities (J/sub c/) and their significant deterioration in weak magnetic fields. The present work demonstrates that these problems can successfully be overcome through proper microstructural control using molten oxide processing. Melt-textured growth of YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7 √/sub δ/ from a supercooled melt created an essentially 100% dense structure consisting of locally aligned, long, needle-shaped grains (typically 40--600 μm in length). The needles appear to have their long axes parallel to the conduction plane (basal plane) of the orthorhombic structure, with a low-angle orientation change between adjacent grains. This new microstructure, which completely replaces the previous granular and random structure of the sintered precursor, exhibits a dramatically higher transport J/sub c/ (7400 Acm 2 at 77 K) than the typical sintered materials (J/sub c/ = 150--600 Acm 2 ). Even more significant is the much reduced field dependence of J/sub c/(≅1000 Acm 2 at H = 1 T as compared to ≅1 Acm 2 in the sintered structure), indicating that the coupling between grains is much stronger in the new structure. The mechanism responsible for the suppressed weak-link behavior in the melt-textured material is inferred to be the combined effects of the densification, alignment of crystals, and formation of cleaner grain boundaries

  15. DLTS Analysis and Interface Engineering of Solution Route Fabricated Zirconia Based MIS Devices Using Plasma Treatment

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kumar, Arvind; Mondal, Sandip; Koteswara Rao, K. S. R.

    2018-02-01

    In this work, we have fabricated low-temperature sol-gel spin-coated and oxygen (O2) plasma treated ZrO2 thin film-based metal-insulator-semiconductor devices. To understand the impact of plasma treatment on the Si/ZrO2 interface, deep level transient spectroscopy measurements were performed. It is reported that the interface state density ( D it) comes down to 7.1 × 1010 eV-1 cm-2 from 4 × 1011 eV-1 cm-2, after plasma treatment. The reduction in D it is around five times and can be attributed to the passivation of oxygen vacancies near the Si/ZrO2 interface, as they try to relocate near the interface. The energy level position ( E T) of interfacial traps is estimated to be 0.36 eV below the conduction band edge. The untreated ZrO2 film displayed poor leakage behavior due to the presence of several traps within the film and at the interface; O2 plasma treated films show improved leakage current density as they have been reduced from 5.4 × 10-8 A/cm2 to 1.98 × 10-9 A/cm2 for gate injection mode and 6.4 × 10-8 A/cm2 to 6.3 × 10-10 A/cm2 for substrate injection mode at 1 V. Hence, we suggest that plasma treatment might be useful in future device fabrication technology.

  16. Generalized internal multiple imaging

    KAUST Repository

    Zuberi, Mohammad Akbar Hosain

    2014-12-04

    Various examples are provided for generalized internal multiple imaging (GIMI). In one example, among others, a method includes generating a higher order internal multiple image using a background Green\\'s function and rendering the higher order internal multiple image for presentation. In another example, a system includes a computing device and a generalized internal multiple imaging (GIMI) application executable in the computing device. The GIMI application includes logic that generates a higher order internal multiple image using a background Green\\'s function and logic that renders the higher order internal multiple image for display on a display device. In another example, a non-transitory computer readable medium has a program executable by processing circuitry that generates a higher order internal multiple image using a background Green\\'s function and renders the higher order internal multiple image for display on a display device.

  17. Generalized internal multiple imaging

    KAUST Repository

    Zuberi, Mohammad Akbar Hosain; Alkhalifah, Tariq

    2014-01-01

    Various examples are provided for generalized internal multiple imaging (GIMI). In one example, among others, a method includes generating a higher order internal multiple image using a background Green's function and rendering the higher order internal multiple image for presentation. In another example, a system includes a computing device and a generalized internal multiple imaging (GIMI) application executable in the computing device. The GIMI application includes logic that generates a higher order internal multiple image using a background Green's function and logic that renders the higher order internal multiple image for display on a display device. In another example, a non-transitory computer readable medium has a program executable by processing circuitry that generates a higher order internal multiple image using a background Green's function and renders the higher order internal multiple image for display on a display device.

  18. Internal Control: Peran Dan Perkembangannya

    OpenAIRE

    Murtin, Alek

    2000-01-01

    Perhatian terhadap pentingnya internal control dalam organisasi berjalan dari waktu ke waktu untuk meningkatkan fungsi internal control yang disesuaikan dengan perkembangan lingkungan organisasi, dimulai dengan adanya internal check, kemudian internal control system, internal control structure dan terakhir adalah internal control-integrated framework. Internal control system sempat berkembang beberapa tahun di Indonesia yang selanjutnya digantikan oleh internal control structure yang digunaka...

  19. Influence Implementation Internal Control To Quality Audit Internal Education Consultant In Indonesian

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nur Zeina Maya Sari

    2015-08-01

    Full Text Available Abstract This research focus to quality audit internal with accountancy Inspection. Hameed 1995 found that the most important factors that affect auditing quality are auditors experience honesty and the knowledge in accounting and auditing standards. Research into this express an inspection of Intern Accountancy amp attributed to Monetary inspection an consultant education with quality. Audit quality is obtained by a process of identifying and administering the activities needed to achieve the quality objectives . Since an entityamp8223s internal control is under the purview of its audit committee Krishnan 2005 the relation between audit committee quality and internal control weaknesses is a subject to be investigated. The methodology used is a quantitative analysis by examining the relationship between variables conceptually. While some study its accounting activity. In self-supporting internal control. Internal control is defined as a process affected by an entitys board of directors management and other personnel designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the achievement of objectives International Organization of Supreme Audit Institutions 1998 its bearing by reporting level an environment and reduction conduct in reporting result of mistake. What finally involvement by Audit Intern can be of benefit. In addition to researching into proposing Audit Intern can improve the target of consultant education going concern.

  20. Reinventing US Internal Migration Studies in the Age of International Migration.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ellis, Mark

    2012-03-01

    I argue that researchers have sidelined attention to issues raised by US internal migration as they shifted focus to the questions posed by the post-1960s rise in US immigration. In this paper, I offer some reasons about why immigration has garnered more attention and why there needs to be greater consideration of US internal migration and its significant and myriad social, economic, political, and cultural impacts. I offer three ideas for motivating more research into US internal geographic mobility that would foreground its empirical and conceptual connections to international migration. First, there should be more work on linked migration systems investigating the connections between internal and international flows. Second, the questions asked about immigrant social, cultural, and economic impacts and adaptations in host societies should also be asked about internal migrants. Third, and more generally, migration researchers should jettison the assumption that the national scale is the pre-eminent delimiter of migration types and processes. Some groups can move easily across borders; others are constrained in their moves within countries. These subnational scales and constraints will become more visible if migration research decentres the national from its theory and empirics.

  1. International Illiquidity

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Malkhozov, Aytek; Mueller, Philippe; Vedolin, Andrea

    -predicted effect of funding conditions on asset prices internationally. Global illiquidity lowers the slope and increases the intercept of the international security market line. Local illiquidity helps explain the variation in alphas, Sharpe ratios, and the performance of betting-against-beta (BAB) strategies...

  2. International Perspectives on the Profile of Highly Talented International Business Professionals

    Science.gov (United States)

    van Heugten, Petra; Heijne-Penninga, Marjolein; Robbe, Patricia; Jaarsma, Debbie; Wolfensberger, Marca

    2017-01-01

    There is a global demand for talented managers and leaders. To meet this demand, higher education institutions are developing talent programs. However, international perception of talent is diffuse. In this study, our profile of highly talented international business professionals was internationally validated by 172 participants, representing…

  3. Argue internal audit on how to promote the nuclear power enterprise internal control

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Li Xiaoming

    2012-01-01

    In order to strengthen and standardize enterprise internal control, improve the management level and risk prevention ability, five departments jointly established the basic rules of internal control in enterprises, large and medium-sized enterprises as the national power enterprise, the enterprise internal audit executive power in strengthening and perfecting internal control, and in the enterprise internal control of play an active role. (author)

  4. New technology for fabrication of multifilament NbTi composite

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yang, Y.K.; Ma, W.M.; Peng, W.N.

    1988-01-01

    Explosive bonding-rolling-drawing process has been developed to produce NbTi multifilamentary superconductors. Multifilamentary wires of 0.5mm in diameter and 2.5km in length with 199 filaments of 25μm in dia. have been produced using this process. The critical current density (Jc) is 1.94x10 5 A/cm 2 at 4.2K and 5T for short samples and 4.9x10 4 A/cm 2 and 4.2/K and 8.5T for the magnet have been reached

  5. Preparing superconducting nanopowder based YBCO/Ag tapes

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Paturi, P.; Raittila, J.; Grivel, J.C.

    2002-01-01

    YBCO nanopowder consisting of 1-3 nm thick and 40 nm wide particles has been used to make silver clad superconducting tapes. After annealing in nitrogen at 945 degreesC for 10 h a critical current of 5.02 A (3300 A/cm(2)) was attained, Annealing in mixed atmosphere of oxygen and nitrogen was also...... carried out and this procedure produced tapes with a critical current of 2.83 A (2200 A/cm(2)). These tapes show very good characteristics in magnetic fields. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved....

  6. Progress in the development of BSCCO-2212 superconductors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Walker, M.S.; Dietderich, D.R.

    1992-11-01

    BSCCO-2212 powders were uniformly dip coated on silver ribbons of 1 meter lengths. Short sample sandwiches of various combinations of silver and the dip coated ribbon were reacted to form possible conductor geometries for characterization and testing. Optical and Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) examination of surfaces and cross sections showed good but still not ideal microstructure. Representative critical current densities at 6 T and 4.2 K ranged from 8 x 10 3 A/cm 2 for sandwich samples to 2 x 10 4 A/cm 2 for open-faced samples

  7. Diagnóstico não invasivo da anemia fetal pela medida do pico de velocidade sistólica na dopplervelocimetria da artéria cerebral média Noninvasive fetal anemia diagnosis by middle cerebral artery peak systolic velocity waveform measurement

    OpenAIRE

    Marcos Roberto Taveira; Antônio Carlos Vieira Cabral; Henrique Vítor Leite; Isabela Gomes de Melo; Ana Paula Brum de Miranda Lopes

    2004-01-01

    OBJETIVO: avaliar se existe associação entre a medida do pico de velocidade sistólica (PVS) na dopplervelocimetria da artéria cerebral média (ACM) e a concentração de hemoglobina fetal e determinar a sua capacidade diagnóstica. MÉTODOS: entre janeiro de 2000 e maio de 2003, 44 gestantes isoimunizadas foram submetidas a transfusão intra-uterina. Realizou-se estudo dopplervelocimétrico da ACM antes de cada transfusão fetal, sempre com intervalo inferior a 3 horas, antecedendo o procedimento. O ...

  8. The International Criminal Court

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Damgaard, Ciara Therése

    This article considers whether acts of international terrorism can and should be prosecuted before the International Criminal Court as crimes against humanity.......This article considers whether acts of international terrorism can and should be prosecuted before the International Criminal Court as crimes against humanity....

  9. Internal Social Media

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Madsen, Vibeke Thøis

    2018-01-01

    Internal social media is a web-based communication arena that provides all organizational members with a communication opportunity. The media has emerged in organizations since 2004, and is increasingly seen as a way of giving employees a voice in organizations which can benefit the organization...... in terms of knowledge sharing, collaboration, and employee participation and engagement. The first wave of studies of internal social media was primarily from an information-systems perspective and focused more on its adoption, its affordances, and the outcome of its introduction. The second wave...... of studies was more concerned with studying the dynamics of communication on internal social media, in order to understand coworkers as strategic communicators and how communication on internal social media can constitute the organization. With a successful introduction of internal social media, coworkers...

  10. The ICC, International Criminal Justice and International Politics ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    The International Criminal Court (ICC) came into being as a result of a desire by the international community to establish a permanent body to deliver criminal justice instead of the formula of ad hoc tribunals that had become the norm. The coming into force of the Rome Statute in 2002 was greeted with euphoria as it ...

  11. International oil law

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Torkzad, B.

    1997-01-01

    The 1973 energy crisis demonstrated that the international petroleum industry is not totally free. Very often it has been the object of an organization, even during the domination of international oil companies which have established a petroleum international system with a system of concession rights. This system is based on an oligopolistic structure which had the characteristics of a monopoly. This vertically integrated structure of the world petroleum industry during the 1920-1950 era was more or less locked up by the system of concessions. The incompatibility of this system of excessively long concession contracts with the economical development needs of oil exporting countries has led to their abolishment. They have been replaced by new agreements. As soon as the creation of stable and permanent international oil organizations (OPEC, OAPEC, IEA), an institutional right has been established which has generated international rights and principles governing the contractual relations between oil exporting and oil importing countries. This international petroleum right is both original and specific, it is evolutive, contractual and normative. (J.S.)

  12. Benefits of International Collaboration on the International Space Station

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hasbrook, Pete; Robinson, Julie A.; Brown Tate, Judy; Thumm, Tracy; Cohen, Luchino; Marcil, Isabelle; De Parolis, Lina; Hatton, Jason; Umezawa, Kazuo; Shirakawa, Masaki; hide

    2017-01-01

    The International Space Station is a valuable platform for research in space, but the benefits are limited if research is only conducted by individual countries. Through the efforts of the ISS Program Science Forum, international science working groups, and interagency cooperation, international collaboration on the ISS has expanded as ISS utilization has matured. Members of science teams benefit from working with counterparts in other countries. Scientists and institutions bring years of experience and specialized expertise to collaborative investigations, leading to new perspectives and approaches to scientific challenges. Combining new ideas and historical results brings synergy and improved peer-reviewed scientific methods and results. World-class research facilities can be expensive and logistically complicated, jeopardizing their full utilization. Experiments that would be prohibitively expensive for a single country can be achieved through contributions of resources from two or more countries, such as crew time, up- and downmass, and experiment hardware. Cooperation also avoids duplication of experiments and hardware among agencies. Biomedical experiments can be completed earlier if astronauts or cosmonauts from multiple agencies participate. Countries responding to natural disasters benefit from ISS imagery assets, even if the country has no space agency of its own. Students around the world participate in ISS educational opportunities, and work with students in other countries, through open curriculum packages and through international competitions. Even experiments conducted by a single country can benefit scientists around the world, through specimen sharing programs and publicly accessible "open data" repositories. For ISS data, these repositories include GeneLab and the Physical Science Informatics System. Scientists can conduct new research using ISS data without having to launch and execute their own experiments. Multilateral collections of research

  13. MONJU AS AN INTERNATIONAL ASSET: INTERNATIONAL ASSISTANCE AND COOPERATION

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rodriguez, G.; Wisner, R.S.; Stuart, R.

    2004-01-01

    The role of the fast breeder reactor prototype Monju has expanded to meet the challenges of the 21st century. Today instead of being merely a demonstration of an economical, safe, environmentally responsible source of energy, as originally designed, it has also the capability to be transformed into a unique International Irradiations Test Facility. The potential for Monju's role in the Generation IV nuclear energy systems development, and fast reactor research and development area is clear. Its incomparable fast neutron spectrum density will be a major interest not only for Sodium Fast Reactor but for all the Generation IV concepts. As Monju's potential future role is laid out, plans for future tests can be made. Tests of advanced fuels and materials in support of the Advanced Fuel Cycle Initiative, as well as Minor Actinide Burning can be envisaged. Tests planned on transmutation of minor actinides have the objectives of an industrial demonstration of the reduction of toxic wastes and the stewardship burden of the long-lived wastes. Tests and demonstrations carried out at Monju will provide a bridge from existing Generation III fast reactor systems, now in the later stages of their projected operational lifetimes, to Generation IV nuclear energy systems. The JNC founded the International Cooperation and Technology Development Center and the International Research Fellowship program to facilitate this international effort. The Center exists specifically to formulate and perform projects ensuring the maximum technical benefit from Monju. The staff includes physicists, engineers and nuclear industry leaders from around the world. Research Fellowships center is based on several technical areas: advanced instrumentation, inspection techniques, plant reliability and safety, nucleonics, sodium handling technologies, irradiation and experiment management and coordination and advanced post-irradiation examination capabilities and techniques. This paper describes the recent

  14. Estimated Glomerular Filtration Rate, Cardiovascular Events and Mortality Across Age Groups Among Individuals Older Than 60 Years in Southern Europe.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Salvador-González, Betlem; Gil-Terrón, Neus; Cerain-Herrero, M Jesús; Subirana, Isaac; Güell-Miró, Roser; Rodríguez-Latre, Luisa M; Cunillera-Puértolas, Oriol; Elosua, Roberto; Grau, Maria; Vila, Joan; Pascual-Benito, Luisa; Mestre-Ferrer, Jordi; Ramos, Rafel; Baena-Díez, José Miguel; Soler-Vila, Maria; Alonso-Bes, Eva; Ruipérez-Guijarro, Laura; Álvarez-Funes, Virtudes; Freixes-Villaró, Esther; Rodríguez-Pascual, Mercedes; Martínez-Castelao, Alberto

    2018-06-01

    Individuals with a decreased estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) are at increased risk of all-cause (ACM) and cardiovascular mortality; there is ongoing debate about whether older individuals with eGFR 45 to 59mL/min/1.73 m 2 are also at increased risk. We evaluated the association between eGFR and ACM and cardiovascular events (CVE) in people aged 60 to 74 and ≥ 75 years in a population with a low coronary disease incidence. We conducted a retrospective cohort study by using primary care and hospital electronic records. We included 130 233 individuals aged ≥ 60 years with creatinine measurement between January 1, 2010 and December 31, 2011; eGFR was estimated by using the Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration creatinine equation. The independent association between eGFR and the risk of ACM and hospital admission due to CVE were determined with Cox and Fine-Gray regressions, respectively. The median was age 70 years, and 56.1% were women; 13.5% had eGFR < 60 (69.7% eGFR 45-59). During a median follow-up of 38.2 months, 6474 participants died and 3746 had a CVE. For ACM and CVE, the HR in older individuals became significant at eGFR < 60. Fully adjusted HR for ACM in the eGFR 45 to 59 category were 1.61; 95%CI, 1.37-1.89 and 1.19; 95%CI, 1.10-1.28 in 60- to 74-year-olds and ≥ 75-year-olds, respectively; for CVE HR were 1.28; 95%CI, 1.08-1.51 and 1.12; 95%CI, 0.99-1.26. In a region with low coronary disease incidence, the risk of death and CVE increased with decreasing eGFR. In ≥ 75-year-olds, the eGFR 45 to 59 category, which had borderline risk for CVE, included many individuals without significant additional risk. Copyright © 2017 Sociedad Española de Cardiología. Published by Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

  15. International Fisheries Agreements

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Pintassilgo, Pedro; Kronbak, Lone Grønbæk; Lindroos, Marko

    2015-01-01

    This paper surveys the application of game theory to the economic analysis of international fisheries agreements. The relevance of this study comes not only from the existence of a vast literature on the topic but especially from the specific features of these agreements. The emphasis of the survey...... is on coalition games, an approach that has become prominent in the fisheries economics literature over the last decade. It is shown that coalition games were first applied to international fisheries agreements in the late 1990s addressing cooperative issues under the framework of characteristic function games...... and stability of international fisheries agreements. A key message that emerges from this literature strand is that self-enforcing cooperative management of internationally shared fish stocks is generally difficult to achieve. Hence, the international legal framework and regulations play a decisive role...

  16. International indsats

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Sachs, Therese

    En analyse af Beredskabsstyrelsens internationale engagement og muligheder for international indsats fremover. Forslag til struktur logistisk og materielt samt til udvikling af personel-kompetencer......En analyse af Beredskabsstyrelsens internationale engagement og muligheder for international indsats fremover. Forslag til struktur logistisk og materielt samt til udvikling af personel-kompetencer...

  17. International Curriculums.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Neal, Larry L.

    This workshop presentation on international curriculums in the field of parks, recreation, leisure, cultural services, and travel/tourism comments that the literature is replete with articles addressing what the field is about, but not about curriculum issues, models, and structure. It reports an international survey of 12 college educators…

  18. Perspectives on the International and Internal Nuclear Security Regime

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jang, Sung Soon

    2015-01-01

    The term, 'Nuclear Security' became more familiar to Korean public after the government hosted 2012 Seoul Nuclear Security Summit. Nuclear Security is prevention of, detection of and response to criminal or intentional unauthorized acts involving or directed at nuclear material, other radioactive material, associated facilities, or associated activities. Nuclear Security includes physical protection, security of radioactive sources, nuclear forensics, nuclear smuggling prevention, border monitoring, and cyber security with regard to nuclear and other radiological materials. This abstract will review recent international trends and discuss the nuclear security regime in the Republic of Korea (ROK). The international Nuclear Security Regime has been strengthened. The upcoming Chicago Summit in 2016 and the entry into force of the Amendment of Convention on Physical Protection of Nuclear Materials (CPPNM) will bring major changes in nuclear security. The Republic of Korea hosted the 2012 Seoul Summit and strengthened domestic regime to meet international standards. The ROK has worked hard to contribute to the international security regime and to establish a robust domestic security regime against terrorist threats. Even if the nuclear security regime is robust, Risk-informed Nuclear Security management should be established to meet international standards and to implement effective as well as an efficient nuclear security regime

  19. Perspectives on the International and Internal Nuclear Security Regime

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Jang, Sung Soon [Korea Nuclear Non-proliferation and Control, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

    2015-10-15

    The term, 'Nuclear Security' became more familiar to Korean public after the government hosted 2012 Seoul Nuclear Security Summit. Nuclear Security is prevention of, detection of and response to criminal or intentional unauthorized acts involving or directed at nuclear material, other radioactive material, associated facilities, or associated activities. Nuclear Security includes physical protection, security of radioactive sources, nuclear forensics, nuclear smuggling prevention, border monitoring, and cyber security with regard to nuclear and other radiological materials. This abstract will review recent international trends and discuss the nuclear security regime in the Republic of Korea (ROK). The international Nuclear Security Regime has been strengthened. The upcoming Chicago Summit in 2016 and the entry into force of the Amendment of Convention on Physical Protection of Nuclear Materials (CPPNM) will bring major changes in nuclear security. The Republic of Korea hosted the 2012 Seoul Summit and strengthened domestic regime to meet international standards. The ROK has worked hard to contribute to the international security regime and to establish a robust domestic security regime against terrorist threats. Even if the nuclear security regime is robust, Risk-informed Nuclear Security management should be established to meet international standards and to implement effective as well as an efficient nuclear security regime.

  20. Neurology and international organizations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mateen, Farrah J

    2013-07-23

    A growing number of international stakeholders are engaged with neurologic diseases. This article provides a brief overview of important international stakeholders in the practice of neurology, including global disease-specific programs, United Nations agencies, governmental agencies with international influence, nongovernmental organizations, international professional organizations, large private donors, private-public partnerships, commercial interests, armed forces, and universities and colleges. The continued engagement of neurologists is essential for the growing number of international organizations that can and should incorporate neurologic disease into their global agendas.

  1. Processes of Internal and International Migration from Chitwan, Nepal.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bohra, Pratikshya; Massey, Douglas S

    2009-01-01

    In this study we examine which factors predict internal and international migration from Chitwan, a flat valley located in the South-Central region of Nepal, seeking to measure the effect of theoretically specified variables such as human capital, social capital, physical capital, and neighborhood socioeconomic conditions while controlling for demographic variables. We use data from the Chitwan Valley Family Study (CVFS) to estimate a series of discrete time event history models of first and repeat migration to three competing destinations: other locations within Chitwan, other districts within Nepal, and places outside of Nepal. Results support hypotheses derived from neoclassical economics, the theory of new economics of migration, social capital theory, and cumulative causation theory. Our results underscore the need for a synthetic theoretical model that incorporates factors operating at the individual, household, and community levels. The use of multiple explanatory models yields a clearer picture of the forces driving internal and international migration from rural districts in developing nations such as Nepal.

  2. Customer Satisfaction in Internal Customer Service : Case: Abloy Oy Internal Customer Service

    OpenAIRE

    Turunen, Susanna

    2011-01-01

    ABSTRACT Turunen, Susanna Marita 2011. Customer Satisfaction in Internal Customer Service. Case: Abloy Oy Internal Customer Service. Master’s thesis. Kemi-Tornio University of Applied Sciences. Business and Culture. Pages 73. Appendix 1. This thesis discusses and studies service quality and customer satisfaction in internal customer service. The main objective is to find out what the service quality level in the internal customer service at Abloy Oy is and whether there exists a diffe...

  3. The Internal Audit Outsourcing

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Grzegorz Gołębiowski

    2010-06-01

    Full Text Available The article explores an issue of the internal audit outsourcing. It indicates the differences between internal audit, outsourcing and cosourcing of this service as well as their advantages and disadvantages. Drawing from the research on internal audit outsourcing the recent market trends were identified as well as motivations for choosing different forms of internal auditing.

  4. Models og International Entrepreneurship

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Rask, Morten; Servais, Per

    2015-01-01

    on International Entrepreneurship, and specifically but not exclusively, International New Ventures (INVs). The three resulting ‘meta-models’ depict the activities and loci of such firms, the motivating factors that give rise to such firms and their growth modalities and strategies. These models reflect the merger...... of entrepreneurship and international business into the field of international entrepreneurship....

  5. International network competition

    OpenAIRE

    Tangerås, Thomas P.; Tåg, Joacim

    2014-01-01

    We analyse network competition in a market with international calls. National regulatory agencies (NRAs) have incentives to set regulated termination rates above marginal cost to extract rent from international call termination. International network ownership and deregulation are alternatives to combat the incentives of NRAs to distort termination rates. We provide conditions under which each of these policies increase efficiency and aggregate welfare. Our findings provide theoretical suppor...

  6. International relations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Anon.

    2008-01-01

    Concerning international relations, the different meetings in the field of nuclear safety are reported (Western european nuclear regulator association or Wenra, Nea, IAEA, northern dimension environmental partnership or N.D.E.P., nuclear safety and security group or N.S.S.G., international nuclear regulators association or I.N.R.A.). (N.C.)

  7. International Education: The International Baccalaureate, Montessori and Global Citizenship

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brunold-Conesa, Cynthia

    2010-01-01

    The International Baccalaureate (IB) programs and Montessori education both claim to promote values associated with global citizenship in order to help prepare students for new challenges presented by an increasingly globalized world. While the IB's secondary programs are widespread in international schools, Montessori programs at that level are…

  8. International safeguards and international nuclear trade

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Felten, P.

    1991-01-01

    A particular feature of nuclear trade is the need to ensure a good equilibrium between technology transfer and the requirements linked to non proliferation of nuclear weapons. The recent dramatic changes that occurred on the international scene have particularly underlined the difficulty to reach this equilibrium, reminding us the fragility of the existing order and the responsibility of the nuclear community in the field of non-proliferation. Consequently, there is a need for an international thorough review of the actual non proliferation tools developed until now. This review could lead to reconsider some of the dogmas upon which the present safeguard system is based

  9. Compatibilization efficiency of carboxylated nitrile rubber and epoxy pre-polymer in nitrile/acrylic rubber blends

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Micheli L. Celestin

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available An investigation has been made of the effects from a compatibilizer, viz. carboxylated nitrile rubber (XNBR, on several properties of nitrile rubber (NBR and acrylic rubber (ACM blends, including curing characteristics, mechanical, dynamic mechanical and dielectric properties. The presence of XNBR until 10 phr resulted in an improvement of the ultimate tensile properties, especially elongation at break. The mechanical properties associated to the volume fraction of rubber in the network (Vr and torque values suggest the co-vulcanization phenomenon imparted by the compatibilization. The oil resistance of NBR/ACM (50:50 wt. (% blends (compatibilized and non compatibilized was similar to that observed for pure ACM and significantly higher than NBR. The addition of small amounts of epoxy pre-polymer in combination with XNBR resulted in an additional improvement of the tensile properties. The dynamic mechanical and dielectric properties of the blends were also investigated. The loss modulus values of the compatibilized blends were significantly lower indicating an increase of the elastic characteristics. All blends presented two dielectric relaxation peaks confirming the heterogeneity of the compatibilized blends

  10. Pulsed negative hydrogen source for currents up to one ampere

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Prelec, K.; Sluyters, T.

    1975-01-01

    During the 2nd Symposium on Ion Sources and Formation of Ion Beams, the development of a Mk II pulsed double slit magnetron source for the production of negative hydrogen ions was discussed. The source was capable of yielding beam currents up to 125 milliamperes, corresponding to current densities of 1.25 A/cm 2 . In order to increase negative hydrogen beam intensities by an order of magnitude (this would be quite useful for initial high energy neutral injector systems on Tokamaks), a larger, Mk III magnetron has been constructed, with the number of slits increased up to six. The idea was to utilize in a more efficient way the plasma width. In addition, such a source geometry will be more adaptable for beam formation and acceleration than single slit structures. With three extraction slits, a negative hydrogen yield of 300 mA was obtained with current densities of 1.2 A/cm 2 ; preliminary results with six extraction slits showed beam currents in excess of half an ampere with averaged current densities in excess of 0.75 A/cm 2 . (U.S.)

  11. Arithmetically Cohen-Macaulay sets of points in P^1 x P^1

    CERN Document Server

    Guardo, Elena

    2015-01-01

    This brief presents a solution to the interpolation problem for arithmetically Cohen-Macaulay (ACM) sets of points in the multiprojective space P^1 x P^1.  It collects the various current threads in the literature on this topic with the aim of providing a self-contained, unified introduction while also advancing some new ideas.  The relevant constructions related to multiprojective spaces are reviewed first, followed by the basic properties of points in P^1 x P^1, the bigraded Hilbert function, and ACM sets of points.  The authors then show how, using a combinatorial description of ACM points in P^1 x P^1, the bigraded Hilbert function can be computed and, as a result, solve the interpolation problem.  In subsequent chapters, they consider fat points and double points in P^1 x P^1 and demonstrate how to use their results to answer questions and problems of interest in commutative algebra.  Throughout the book, chapters end with a brief historical overview, citations of related results, and, where relevan...

  12. MPAS-Ocean NESAP Status Report

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Petersen, Mark Roger [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Arndt, William [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Keen, Noel [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)

    2017-04-19

    NESAP performance improvements on MPAS-Ocean have resulted in a 5% to 7% speed-up on each of the examined systems including Cori-KNL, Cori-Haswell, and Edison. These tests were configured to emulate a production workload by using 128 nodes and a high-resolution ocean domain. Overall, the gap between standard and many-core architecture performance has been narrowed, but Cori-KNL remains considerably under-performing relative to Edison. NESAP code alterations affected 600 lines of code, and most of these improvements will benefit other MPAS codes (sea ice, land ice) that are also components within ACME. Modifications are fully tested within MPAS. Testing in ACME across many platforms is underway, and must be completed before the code is merged. In addition, a ten-year production ACME global simulation was conducted on Cori-KNL in late 2016 with the pre-NESAP code in order to test readiness and configurations for scientific studies. Next steps include assessing performance across a range of nodes, threads per node, and ocean resolutions on Cori-KNL.

  13. [Improvement and the mechanism of cardiac function by knockdown of ADAM10 in adriamycin-induced cardiomyopathy rats].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Xiaoou; Xie, Lili; He, Bing; Huang, Wei

    2018-01-01

    Objective To study the role of a disintegrin and metalloproteinase10 (ADAM10) in shedding neural cadherin (N-cadherin) and develop an approach to interfere the process of ventricular remodeling in adriamycin-induced cardiomyopathy (ACM) rats. Methods In a rat model of ACM, the effects of intraperitoneal injection of the lentiviral RNAi vector of ADAM10 on the morphology of cardiomyocytes and contractile function were observed by HE staining and color Doppler echocardiography. The expressions of N-cadherin and C-terminal fragment 1 (CTF1) were detected by Western blotting and immunohistochemistry. Results In the in vivo experiment, a large amount of fluorescence was seen in the isolated primary cardiomyocytes, which indicated that the transfection in the rat model was successful. In the treatment group, the morphology of cardiomyocytes and function of the heart were evidently improved, N-cadherin protein expression was remarkably up-regulated and CTF1 protein was obviously down-regulated compared with the model group. Conclusion Knock-down of ADAM10 increases N-cadherin expression and decreases CTF1 expression, thus improves cardiac function in the rat model of ACM.

  14. Aplicación de una biblioteca de anticuerpos lineales humanos frente al polisacárido capsular de Neisseria meningitidis serogrupo B

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Emigdio León-Toirac

    2013-12-01

    Full Text Available Neisseria meningitidis serogrupo B produce aún morbimortalidad significativa. Su polisacárido capsular muestra similitud estructural con proteínas humanas y pobre inmunogenicidad, obstaculizando así el desarrollo de vacunas y anticuerpos monoclonales (AcM y policlonales contra esta bacteria. Recientemente se han creado bibliotecas artificiales de anticuerpos humanos expresados en bacteriófagos que reconocen específicamente a moléculas diana existentes, con la ventaja sobre los AcM convencionales por su rápida obtención, sin utilización de animales de laboratorio, lo que emerge como alternativa atractiva para la producción de AcM contra antígenos peculiares o complejos. Se realizó un trabajo de investigación básica, utilizando una biblioteca de fagos filamentosos que expresan constitutivamente regiones variables de anticuerpos humanos, que se enfrentó al polisacárido capsular de N. meningitidis serogrupo B. Los resultados que se obtuvieron mediante ELISA policlonal sugieren la existencia de anticuerpos humanos expresados en fagos que lo reconocen.

  15. Caracterização de anticorpos monoclonais contra rotavírus bovino e suas aplicações como ferramenta de diagnóstico Characterization of monoclonal antibodies against bovine rotavirus and their diagnostic applications

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    P.A. Beck

    2007-06-01

    Full Text Available Anticorpos monoclonais (AcM para rotavírus bovino foram caracterizados para sua aplicação como ferramenta de diagnóstico, utilizando-se as técnicas de isotipificação, dot-blot, western-blot, imunofluorescência indireta (IFI e ELISA de captura. A caracterização imunoquímica demonstrou que os cinco AcM 1G5, 4F7, 1E12, 4F3 e 3C12 foram do isótipo IgG2a. Pela técnica de dot-blot, os AcM 1G5, 4F7, 1E12, 4F3 detectaram antígenos do rotavírus, em diferentes concentrações, e dois AcM (1E12 e 4F3 reconheceram proteínas virais pela técnica de western-blot. Todos os AcM reagiram positivamente na técnica de IFI em cultivo celular e foram capazes de detectar antígeno viral em amostras fecais bovinas e humanas, pela técnica de ELISA de captura. Identificaram-se dois grupos de AcM, um deles formado pelos AcM 4F7, 1E12 e 1G5, para seu possível uso na detecção de antígeno viral em fezes por meio do ELISA de captura ou dot-blot e outro pelos 4F3 e 3C12, que podem ser usados para detectar antígeno viral em culturas de células por meio de IFI.This work was carried out to characterize and evaluate five bovine rotavirus, monoclonal antibodies (MAbs, as a diagnosis tool, by isotyping, dot-blot, western-blot, indirect immunofluorescence (IFI and ELISA techniques. The immunochemistry characterization showed that all five MAbs (4F7, 4F3, 1G5, 1E12 and 3C12 were IgG2a isotype. The dot-blot immunoassay showed that 1G5, 4F7, 1E12 and 4F3 detected viral antigen in different concentrations and two MAbs (1E12 and 4F3 recognized viral proteins by western-blot. All MAbs detected viral antigen in bovine and human fecal samples by capture ELISA technique and viral antigen in infected MA-104 cell culture by IFI. In conclusion, two groups of Mabs were indetified: one with Mabs 4F7, 1E12 and 1G5 showed the best results to detect rotavirus antigen in fecal samples by capture ELISA or dot-blot techniques assay and other with 4F3 and 3C12 which may be used to

  16. Monoclonal antibody anti-AFB1: scale-up in vitro for biotools development Anticorpo monoclonal antiAFB1: produção in vitro visando desenvolvimento de bioferramentas

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Eiko Nakagawa Itano

    2010-12-01

    Full Text Available Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1 is a mycotoxin classified as group 1 (human carcinogen by International Agency for Research on Cancer - IARC, causing hazardous contamination in a wide variety of food and feed, where the monitoring depends on precision and accuracy of analytical method. The culture of AFB1 specific monoclonal antibody (mAb secreting hybridoma was performed for further development of immunochemical methods. The growth of hybridoma AF2 was carried out in RPMI medium + 15 % fetal bovine serum (FBS, as well as the same medium gradually amended with H-SFM medium (25, 50, 75 and 100 % H-SFM. The protein concentration in the culture supernatant ranged from 1.80 to 10.88 mg/mL. The culture amended with FBS-free synthetic H-SFM medium reached production of reagent with higher degree of purity and lower risk, in addition to lower protein content (2.29 mg/mL reached with 100 % H-SFM, which approaches the real content of pure mAb. The indirect competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ic-ELISA and SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE showed anti-AFB1 activity and IgG corresponding bands, respectively, indicating feasible application of mAb produced in 100, 75 and 50 % H-SFM for further use in the development of AFB1 detecting biotools. This mAb production can be an initial step that can supply the self-sufficient immune-reagent in the rapid diagnosis at national condition, which is essential in the food quality and safety.Aflatoxina B1 (AFB1 é uma micotoxina classificada pela International Agency for Research on Cancer - IARC no Grupo 1 (carcinógeno ao humano, responsável pelo perigo de contaminação em ampla variedade de alimento e ração, cujo monitoramento depende de metodologia analítica precisa e exata. O trabalho visou cultivo do hibridoma secretor de anticorpo monoclonal (AcM específico para AFB1 visando desenvolvimento de métodos imunoquímicos. Hibridoma AF2 foi cultivado em meio RPMI + 15 % de soro fetal bovino (SFB

  17. The emerging international constitutional order: the implications of hierarchy in international law for the coherence and legitimacy of international decision-making

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    E de Wet

    2007-11-01

    Full Text Available The article examines the contours and implications of the emerging international constitutional order. The "constitutional" nature of this order relates to the fact that it contains certain fundamental substantive and structural norms that form a supreme legal framework for the exercise of public power. The substantive elements primarily include the value system of the international legal order, meaning norms of positive law with a strong ethical underpinning (notably human rights norms that have acquired a special hierarchical standing vis-à-vis other international norms through state practice. The structural elements refer to the subjects of the international legal order that collectively constitute the international community (polity, as well as the mechanisms for enforcement of the international value system. This vision of an international constitutional model is inspired by the intensification in the shift of public decision-making away from the nation state towards international actors of a regional (for example EU or functional (for example WTO, UN nature, and its eroding impact on the notion of a “total” constitutional order, where the fundamental substantive and structural norms that form the supreme legal framework for the exercise of public power are concentrated in the nation state. It is also inspired by the belief that such a supreme legal framework is only possible in a system where different national, regional and functional legal orders complement each other in order to form an international constitutional order.

  18. International cooperation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2008-01-01

    In this chapter international cooperation of the Division for Radiation Safety, NPP Decommissioning and Radwaste Management of the VUJE, a. s. is presented. Very important is cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency. This cooperation has various forms - national and regional projects of technical cooperation, coordinated research activities, participation of our experts in preparation of the IAEA documentation etc.

  19. Internal Affairs Allegations

    Data.gov (United States)

    Montgomery County of Maryland — This dataset contains allegations brought to the attention of the Internal Affairs Division either through external complaints or internal complaint or recognition....

  20. Systematic review and meta-analysis of reduction in all-cause mortality from walking and cycling and shape of dose response relationship.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kelly, Paul; Kahlmeier, Sonja; Götschi, Thomas; Orsini, Nicola; Richards, Justin; Roberts, Nia; Scarborough, Peter; Foster, Charlie

    2014-10-24

    Walking and cycling have shown beneficial effects on population risk of all-cause mortality (ACM). This paper aims to review the evidence and quantify these effects, adjusted for other physical activity (PA). We conducted a systematic review to identify relevant studies. Searches were conducted in November 2013 using the following health databases of publications: Embase (OvidSP); Medline (OvidSP); Web of Knowledge; CINAHL; SCOPUS; SPORTDiscus. We also searched reference lists of relevant texts and reviews. Eligible studies were prospective cohort design and reporting walking or cycling exposure and mortality as an outcome. Only cohorts of individuals healthy at baseline were considered eligible. Extracted data included study population and location, sample size, population characteristics (age and sex), follow-up in years, walking or cycling exposure, mortality outcome, and adjustment for other co-variables. We used random-effects meta-analyses to investigate the beneficial effects of regular walking and cycling. Walking (18 results from 14 studies) and cycling (8 results from 7 studies) were shown to reduce the risk of all-cause mortality, adjusted for other PA. For a standardised dose of 11.25 MET.hours per week (or 675 MET.minutes per week), the reduction in risk for ACM was 11% (95% CI = 4 to 17%) for walking and 10% (95% CI = 6 to 13%) for cycling. The estimates for walking are based on 280,000 participants and 2.6 million person-years and for cycling they are based on 187,000 individuals and 2.1 million person-years. The shape of the dose-response relationship was modelled through meta-analysis of pooled relative risks within three exposure intervals. The dose-response analysis showed that walking or cycling had the greatest effect on risk for ACM in the first (lowest) exposure interval. The analysis shows that walking and cycling have population-level health benefits even after adjustment for other PA. Public health approaches would have the biggest impact

  1. The precautionary principle in international environmental law and international jurisprudence

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tubić Bojan

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available This paper analysis international regulation of the precautionary principle as one of environmental principles. This principle envisages that when there are threats of serious and irreparable harm, as a consequence of certain economic activity, the lack of scientific evidence and full certainty cannot be used as a reason for postponing efficient measures for preventing environmental harm. From economic point of view, the application of precautionary principle is problematic, because it creates larger responsibility for those who create possible risks, comparing to the previous period. The precautionary principle can be found in numerous international treaties in this field, which regulate it in a very similar manner. There is no consensus in doctrine whether this principle has reached the level of international customary law, because it was interpreted differently and it was not accepted by large number of countries in their national legislations. It represents a developing concept which is consisted of changing positions on adequate roles of science, economy, politics and law in the field of environmental protection. This principle has been discussed in several cases before International Court of Justice and International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea.

  2. International Telecommunication Control: International Law and the Ordering of Satellite and Other Forms of International Broadcasting.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Smith, Delbert D.

    The need for and the available alternatives for international telecommunication controls are examined, and a functional approach to this area of law is offered. Information from a number of areas is collected and examined as it relates to the basic problem. These areas include general principles of international law, the activities of the…

  3. A first approach to Arrhythmogenic Cardiomyopathy detection through ECG and Hidden Markov Models

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Jimenez-Serrano, S.; Sanz Sanchez, J.; Martínez Hinarejos, C.D.; Igual Muñoz, B.; Millet Roig, J.; Zorio Grima, Z.; Castells, F.

    2016-07-01

    Arrhythmogenic Cardiomyopathy (ACM) is a heritable cardiac disease causing sudden cardiac death in young people. Its clinical diagnosis includes major and minor criteria based on alterations of the electrocardiogram (ECG). The aim of this study is to evaluate Hidden Markov Models (HMM) in order to assess its possible potential of classification among subjects affected by ACM and those relatives who do not suffer the disease through 12-lead ECG recordings. Database consists of 12-lead ECG recordings from 32 patients diagnosed with ACM, and 37 relatives of those affected, but without gene mutation. Using the HTK toolkit and a hold-out strategy in order to train and evaluate a set of HMM models, we performed a grid search through the number of states and Gaussians across these HMM models. Results show that two different HMM models achieved the best balance between sensibility and specificity. The first one needed 35 states and 2 Gaussians and its performance was 0.7 and 0.8 in sensibility and specificity respectively. The second one achieved a sensibility and specificity values of 0.8 and 0.7 respectively with 50 states and 4 Gaussians. The results of this study show that HMM models can achieve an acceptable level of sensibility and specificity in the classification among ECG registers between those affected by ACM and the control group. All the above suggest that this approach could help to detect the disease in a non-invasive way, especially within the context of family screening, improving sensitivity in detection by ECG. (Author)

  4. Assessing asbestos exposure potential in nonindustrial settings.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chang, S N; White, L E; Scott, W D

    1987-01-01

    The presence of asbestos containing materials (ACM) in office and commercial buildings is a significant environmental problem. Asbestosis, mesothelioma and lung cancer have been linked with industrial exposure to airborne asbestos. The extensive use of asbestos products in buildings has raised concerns about the widespread exposure of the general public to asbestos in nonoccupational settings. The presence of asbestos in a building does not necessarily mean that significant exposure of the occupants of the building has occurred, but it is important that the asbestos be monitored regularly to ensure that fibers do not become airborne. If ACM are contained within a matrix and not disturbed, exposure is unlikely. However, if the asbestos becomes friable (crumbling) or if building maintenance, repair, renovation or other activities disturb ACM, airborne asbestos fibers may be a source of exposure to the occupants of the building. Currently, asbestos exposure assessment is conducted by a phase contrast light microscope (PCM) technique. Due to its inherent limitation in resolution and the generic counting rules used, analysis by the PCM method underestimates the airborne asbestos fiber concentration as compared to analysis by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). It is important that the air monitoring results analyzed by PCM be interpreted carefully in conjunction with a survey by a professional to judge the physical condition of the ACM in buildings. Exposure levels to airborne asbestos fibers vary from day to day and depend on the physical condition of the material involved and the type of operating and maintenance program in place.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

  5. Emancipating Labor Internationalism

    OpenAIRE

    Waterman, Peter

    2004-01-01

    The secular trinity of c19th socialism was Labor-Internationalism-Emancipation. As early-industrial capitalism developed into a national-industrial-colonial capitalism, the internationalism of labor became literally international, and simultaneously lost its emancipatory aspiration and capacity (or vice versa). The dramatic – and labor-devastating – development of a globalised-networked-informatised capitalism is raising the necessity and possibility of a new kind of labor internationalis...

  6. International business transactions

    OpenAIRE

    Buczkowski, Bogdan

    2016-01-01

    Running a business on an international scale requires not only a substantial body of knowledge but also the ability to apply it in practice. That is why our textbook, with a vast collection of practical examples, discusses a wide variety of pertinent issues connected with business operations in international markets, from international market analysis, drafting business plans, concluding business transactions and the insurance of goods through to customs clearance procedures and professional ...

  7. International Construction Measurement Standard

    OpenAIRE

    Mitchell, Charles

    2016-01-01

    The International Construction Measurement Standard Coalition (the Coalition) was formed on 17 June 2015 after meeting at the International Monetary Fund in Washington DC, USA. The Coalition, comprising the organisations listed below at the date of publication, aims to bring about consistency in construction cost reporting standards internationally. This is achieved by the creation and adoption of this ICMS, an agreed international standard for the structuring and presentation of cost reports...

  8. Review of research in internal-wave and internal-tide deposits of China: Discussion

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    G. Shanmugam

    2014-10-01

    Full Text Available This discussion of a review article by [27], published in the Journal of Palaeogeography (2(1: 56– 65, is aimed at illustrating that interpretations of ten ancient examples in China and one in the central Appalachians (USA as deep-water deposits of internal waves and internal tides are unsustainable. This critical assessment is based on an in-depth evaluation of oceanographic and sedimentologic data on internal waves and internal tides derived from 332 print and online published works during 1838–January 2013, which include empirical data on the physical characteristics of modern internal waves and internal tides from 51 regions of the world’s oceans [108]. In addition, core and outcrop descriptions of deep-water strata from 35 case studies worldwide carried out by the author during 1974–2011, and a selected number of case studies published by other researchers are evaluated for identifying the sedimentological challenges associated with distinguishing types of bottom-current reworked sands in the ancient sedimentary record. The emerging conclusion is that any interpretation of ancient strata as deposits of internal waves and internal tides is premature.

  9. Iaverage current mode (ACM) control for switching power converters

    OpenAIRE

    2014-01-01

    Providing a fast current sensor direct feedback path to a modulator for controlling switching of a switched power converter in addition to an integrating feedback path which monitors average current for control of a modulator provides fast dynamic response consistent with system stability and average current mode control. Feedback of output voltage for voltage regulation can be combined with current information in the integrating feedback path to limit bandwidth of the voltage feedback signal.

  10. Cultural Diversity among Heads of International Schools: Potential Implications for International Education

    Science.gov (United States)

    Slough-Kuss, Yvonne

    2014-01-01

    This article considers the influence that regional associations of international schools have on individual school members. The role of heads of international schools is explored in terms of their collective regional community influence on the fundamental school level. A revision of Thompson's model of international education is proposed…

  11. Teaching International Economics and Trade--Concepts in International Relations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Starbird, Caroline; DeBoer, Dale; Pettit, Jenny

    2004-01-01

    The purpose of this book is to introduce students to real-life issues in international economics. The sections of the book are: (1) The Advantages of Trade; (2) Judging NAFTA; (3) Does Globalization Benefit Poor Countries?; (4) Pocket Guide to International Financial Institutions; (5) What Do You Know about the WTO?; (6) Free Trade and Shifting…

  12. 75 FR 19944 - International Code Council: The Update Process for the International Codes and Standards

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-16

    ... documents from ICC's Chicago District Office: International Code Council, 4051 W Flossmoor Road, Country... Energy Conservation Code. International Existing Building Code. International Fire Code. International...

  13. Factors Affecting the Internal Audit Effectiveness

    OpenAIRE

    Mustika, Adhista Cahya

    2015-01-01

    This study tests the factors that influence the internal audit effectiveness, including internal auditor competencies, internal auditor independence, auditee support to internal audit activity, and the internal and external auditor relationship. Using the internal auditor inspectorate in Java Province, Indonesia, we found that the internal audit effectiveness can be attained through increase internal audit competence, independence and strong relationship between internal and external auditor....

  14. Special issue of Higher-Order and Symbolic Computation

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Danvy, Olivier; Sabry, Amr

    This issue of HOSC is dedicated to the general topic of continuations. It grew out of the third ACM SIGPLAN Workshop on Continuations (CW'01), which took place in London, UK on January 16, 2001 [3]. The notion of continuation is ubiquitous in many different areas of computer science, including...... and streamline Filinski's earlier work in the previous special issue of HOSC (then LISP and Symbolic Computation) that grew out of the first ACM SIGPLAN Workshop on Continuations [1, 2]. Hasegawa and Kakutani's article is the journal version of an article presented at FOSSACS 2001 and that received the EATCS...

  15. Development of a beam current monitor by using an amorphous magnetic core

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kobayashi, T.; Ueda, T.; Yoshida, Y.; Miya, K.; Tagawa, S.; Kobayashi, H.

    1993-01-01

    The high performance amorphous magnetic core monitor (ACM) for the measurement of electron beam currents has been developed. This monitor is composed of an amorphous magnetic core, radiation shields, a winding, magnetic absorbers, a ceramic vacuum duct and a SMA connecter. The ACM showed the very fast rise and fall times (< 1 ns), the high sensitivity (5 V/A at 50 Ω load), the good linearity, and good S/N ratio due to the high permeability of the amorphous magnetic core. The monitor works as a primary transformer. The time-response was simulated by an electric circuit analysis code. (orig.)

  16. Towards an International Code for administrative cooperation in tax matter and international tax governance

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Eva Andrés Aucejo

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available There is not a “Global Code” that encodes the duty of cooperation between tax authorities in the world, concerning the global tax system. This article addresses this issue by proposing a global Code of administrative cooperation in tax matters including both tax relations: between States, and between States, taxpayers and intermediary’s agents. It follows a wide concept of tax governance. The findings of this research have highlighted several practical applications for future practice. article analyses, firstly, the State of the question, starting with the legal sources (international and European sources of hard law and soft law reviewing the differences with the Code as here proposed. It also examines some important Agents who emit relevant normative in international administrative tax cooperation and the role that these agents are developing nowadays (sometimes international organizations but also States like the United States, which Congress enacted the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act, FATCA. Overlapping and gaps between different regulations are underlined. Finally, the consequences of this “General Code” lack for the functioning of a good international governance, are described. Hence, the need to create an International Cooperation Code on tax matters and international fiscal governance is concluded. That Code could be proposed by any International Organization as the World Bank nature, for instance, or the International Monetary Fund or whichever International or European Organization. This instrument could be documented through a multilateral instrument (soft law, to be signed by the States to become an international legal source (hard law. Filling this Code as Articulated Text (form could be very useful for the International Community towards an International Tax Governance.

  17. Regulating Internalities

    OpenAIRE

    Sunstein, Cass Robert; Allcott, Hunt

    2015-01-01

    This paper offers a framework for regulating internalities. Using a simple economic model, we provide four principles for designing and evaluating behaviorally-motivated policy. We then outline rules for determining which contexts reliably reflect true preferences and discuss empirical strategies for measuring internalities. As a case study, we focus on energy efficiency policy, including Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards and appliance and lighting energy efficiency standards.

  18. Generalized internal multiple imaging

    KAUST Repository

    Zuberi, M. A. H.

    2014-08-05

    Internal multiples deteriorate the image when the imaging procedure assumes only single scattering, especially if the velocity model does not have sharp contrasts to reproduce such scattering in the Green’s function through forward modeling. If properly imaged, internal multiples (internally scattered energy) can enhance the seismic image. Conventionally, to image internal multiples, accurate, sharp contrasts in the velocity model are required to construct a Green’s function with all the scattered energy. As an alternative, we have developed a generalized internal multiple imaging procedure that images any order internal scattering using the background Green’s function (from the surface to each image point), constructed from a smooth velocity model, usually used for conventional imaging. For the first-order internal multiples, the approach consisted of three steps, in which we first back propagated the recorded surface seismic data using the background Green’s function, then crosscorrelated the back-propagated data with the recorded data, and finally crosscorrelated the result with the original background Green’s function. This procedure images the contribution of the recorded first-order internal multiples, and it is almost free of the single-scattering recorded energy. The cost includes one additional crosscorrelation over the conventional single-scattering imaging application. We generalized this method to image internal multiples of any order separately. The resulting images can be added to the conventional single-scattering image, obtained, e.g., from Kirchhoff or reverse-time migration, to enhance the image. Application to synthetic data with reflectors illuminated by multiple scattering (double scattering) demonstrated the effectiveness of the approach.

  19. Internal control reporting and accounting quality : Insight "comply-or-explain" internal control regime

    OpenAIRE

    Cao Thi Thanh, Huyen; Cheung, Tina

    2010-01-01

    Nowadays, there exist two reporting regimes, rules-based and principle-based (comply-or-explain). In the rules-based environment, researchers have studied the relationship between internal control quality and accounting quality. Prior studies have suggested that reports on internal control are an effective way for investors to evaluate the quality of the firm‟s internal control. By having a sound system of internal control, it creates reliance upon the firm‟s financial reporting. Therefore, t...

  20. A Realistic International Economics.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Culbertson, John M.

    1987-01-01

    Criticizes college textbooks for adopting a "party line" of laissez-faire economic doctrine which asserts the benefits of free trade. Offers an alternative interpretation of international trade, covering such topics as the effect of unregulated international trade on wage levels, and international lending. (JDH)

  1. Petroleum and international policy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pertuzio, A.

    2002-01-01

    To illustrate the relation between the petroleum and the international policy, the author presents the place of the petroleum industry in the international relations by an analysis of the historical aspects, the states and international organizations interventions and the prices evolution. (A.L.B.)

  2. Producing the "International" Child: Negotiations of Language in an International Preschool in Japan

    Science.gov (United States)

    Imoto, Yuki

    2011-01-01

    This article provides an ethnographic account of an "international preschool" in Japan, describing how ideologies of "English" and "internationalism" are produced and consumed among the parents, teachers and directors, in their common goal of socialising an "international" child. (Contains 6 notes.)

  3. International Relations:

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    This is the textbook for the Open University module International Relations: Continuity and Change in Global Politics. Instead of leading with a succession of theoretical 'isms', the module structures its presentation of the subject around six teaching ‘blocks’, each of which explores a dilemma...... • Block 6: Continuity or change in global politics? Each block introduces new IR theories through discussions of the substantive dilemmas and adds in a layered way levels of analysis and conceptual complexity......., or dimension of variation. The dilemmas in question were chosen for the way they capture key themes in the field of International Studies (IR) as well as central aspects of the ‘international’ itself (ir). The six Blocks are: • Block 1: Co-operation or conflict? Introducing international relations • Block 2...

  4. International Year of Pulses 2016 | 2016 International Year of Pulses

    Science.gov (United States)

    the Year in collaboration with Governments, relevant organizations, non-governmental organizations and the composition of pulses Image 4 Wrapping up the International Year of Pulses The 5 key messages to food security Infographic Pulses and climate change International Year of Pulses 2016 The 68th UN

  5. Bowett's law of international institutions

    CERN Document Server

    Sands, Philippe

    2009-01-01

    Bowett's Law of International Institutions is the leading introduction to this complex, important and growing area of international law, with increasing significance for developments at the national level. Covering all the major global, regional and judicial institutions and all international organisations that regulate aspects of development and providing an introductory overview of the law of international organisations, including international courts and tribunals as a whole. The book offers a basic framework, insights into some of the more essential issues, and indications of where to find more detail. Bowett's is essential reading for students of international law and international relations and will also be of considerable interest to lawyers practising in the area.

  6. International Scientific and Technical Organisations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nunez-Lagos Rogla, R.

    2003-01-01

    The nuclear scientific and technical world is well aware of the EURATOM and IAEA activities but usually other international scientific and technical organisations relevant for their ordinary work are unknown. In this article three international organisations are described briefly, the International Union of Pure and Applied Physics (IUPAP). International Union of Pure and Applied chemistry (IUPAC) and the international council of Science (ICSU). (Author)

  7. The law of the international civil service institutional law and practice in international organisations

    CERN Document Server

    Ullrich, Gerhard

    2018-01-01

    Gerhard Ullrich provides an overall review of the employment law of international intergovernmental organisations. In the first part of the book, he explains the basics of employment law and provides statistical data. He comments extensively on the privileges and immunities of international officials. The core of the book is dedicated to the examination of the legal sources for international civil service law. Here, the international administrative tribunals' case law on the general principles of law occupies a particularly broad area. A second legal source are the structures and elements of the statutory employment in international organisations. The author finally comments on the system of legal protection for the staff of the international civil service.

  8. International Mindedness in Practice: The Evidence from International Baccalaureate Schools

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hacking, Elisabeth Barratt; Blackmore, Chloe; Bullock, Kate; Bunnell, Tristan; Donnelly, Michael; Martin, Susan

    2018-01-01

    International Mindedness is an overarching construct related to multilingualism, intercultural understanding and global engagement (Hill, 2012). The concept is central to the International Baccalaureate (IB) and sits at the heart of its education policies and programmes. The aim of this research study was to examine systematically how schools…

  9. International certification in developing countries: the role of internal and external institutional pressure.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fikru, Mahelet G

    2014-11-01

    This paper examines the different internal and external institutional factors that affect the decision of businesses in developing countries to adopt international certification (IC). Past studies focus on pressure from international laws, the role of multinationals, and businesses mimicking practices of their counterparts in developed countries. This paper finds that, in addition to these external factors, internal factors may have a significant role. Even though environmental regulation is weak in developing countries, governments do not ignore industrial pollution and casualties. They respond by increasing bureaucratic regulations for businesses and this can affect the decision to adopt IC. Furthermore, internal pressure may come from workers' unions that push for a safe and healthy working environment. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

  10. Unit III: International Conflict.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Maxey, Phyllis

    1983-01-01

    This lesson helps students understand the global network involved in international events. Students have an opportunity to examine the impact of international law and the role of international organizations, national governments, and private individuals in the effort to secure the release of United States hostages in Iran. (AM)

  11. Internal disruption in tokamaks

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kuvshinov, B.N.; Savrukhin, P.V.

    1990-01-01

    A review of results of experimental and theoretical investigations of internal disruption in tokamaks is given. Specific features of various types of saw-tooth oscillations are described and their classification is performed. Theoretical models of the process of development of internal disruption instability are discussed. Effect of internal disruption on parameters of plasma, confined in tokamak, is considered. Scalings of period and amplitude of saw-tooth oscillations, as well as version radius are presented. Different methods for stabilizing instability of internal disruption are described

  12. Internal disruptions in tokamaks

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kuvshinov, B.N.; Savrukhin, P.V.

    1990-01-01

    Experimental and theoretical studies of the phenomenon of internal disruptions in tokamaks are reviewed. A classification scheme is introduced and the features of different types of sawtooth oscillations are described. A theoretical model for the development of the internal disruption instability is discussed. The effect of internal disruptions on the parameters of plasma confined in tokamaks is discussed. Scaling laws for the period and amplitude of sawtooth oscillations, as well as for the inversion radius, are presented. Different methods of stabilizing the internal disruption instability are described

  13. The International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) international organisation: which laws apply to this international nuclear operator?

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Grammatico-Vidal, L.

    2009-01-01

    ITER is being carried out by way of international collaboration between seven partners (the European atomic energy community -EURATOM-, China, India, Japan, Russia, south korea and the United states) which together represent more than half the world population. From a project organisation point of view, it is supported by both financial and in-kind contributions provided by each of the partner; each member makes its contribution through a special legal entity called a 'domestic agency' to an international organisation which was set up by the Agreement on the Establishment of an International Fusion Energy Organization for the joint Implementation of the ITER project signed in Paris on 21. november 2006 and which entered into force on 24. october 2007 after ratification by each of the partners. The international agreement is to remain in effect for a period of 35 years and may be renewed for a period of 10 years without any change to its content. It is supplemented by an agreement of the same date on the privileges and immunities of the organisation and of its staff. The function of the ITER organisation is to construct, commission, operate and permanently shutdown the ITER facility, to encourage their exploitation by laboratories, other institutions and personnel participating in the fusion energy research and development programmes of its members and to promote public understanding and acceptance of fusion energy. The unique institutional structure for this project will be described briefly in the introduction before analysing the law applicable to this international organisation, a French nuclear operator, unique in France today. (N.C.)

  14. The prepossession of international institutions for energy. The example International Energy Agency (IEA)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fell, H.J.

    2007-01-01

    In the contribution under consideration, the author reports on the fact that large international energy agencies, which are advisory active in energy questions active, affect the world-wide policy. In particular, these are the International Atomic Energy Authority in Vienna (Austria) and the International Energy Agency in Paris (France). The International Energy Agency is considered world-wide as the most important institution for all energy questions. Nearly annually, it publishes the World Energy Outlook by summarizing the most important current energy data of the world, prognoses the future power supply and makes future energy prices. The reality of the International Energy Agency looks completely differently: It performs no own sciences, but consists of statisticians, who gather only statistical data without scientific analysis. The author of this contribution summarizes the work of the International Energy Agency in three points: (a) Promotion of the interests of companies in mineral oil, natural gas, coal and atomic energy; (b) Hindering the world-wide conversion of renewable energy; (c) Endangerment of the world economy and prevention of an effective climate protection. The International Energy Agency does not justice to its own goal of a reliable, economical and pollution free power supply

  15. International perspectives on plagiarism and considerations for teaching international trainees.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Heitman, Elizabeth; Litewka, Sergio

    2011-01-01

    In the increasingly global community of biomedical science and graduate science education, many US academic researchers work with international trainees whose views on scientific writing and plagiarism can be strikingly different from US norms. Although a growing number of countries and international professional organizations identify plagiarism as research misconduct, many international trainees come from research environments where plagiarism is ill-defined and even commonly practiced. Two research-ethics educators consider current perspectives on plagiarism around the world and contend that US research-training programs should focus on trainees' scientific writing skills and acculturation, not simply on preventing plagiarism. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  16. Revising Sangiovanni's reciprocity-based internationalism: towards international egalitarian obligations

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Conor Heaney

    2016-06-01

    Full Text Available To whom do we owe obligations of socio-economic justice? How are such obligations generated? Internationalism denotes a range of approaches to these questions. This paper examines Andrea Sangiovanni's—an internationalist—response to these questions. Sangiovanni argues that we owe egalitarian obligations only to those in the state, and that egalitarian obligations are generated through relationships of ‘reciprocity’. His is a ‘reciprocity-based internationalism’ (RBI. RBI has two components—one normative and another empirical. In this paper, I will assume the normative component, but reject its empirical component. My rejection of the empirical component has normative implications for RBI, which generate egalitarian obligations beyond the state. In other words, my revision of RBI is an argument in favour of international egalitarian obligations not generated through cosmopolitanism, but through internationalism.

  17. International Business Education: Identifying the Emergent Topics in International Business and Their Relevance for Knowledge Development.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yeoh, Poh-Lin

    2001-01-01

    Sampled faculty in international business (IB) to better understand emerging themes in that area. Seven major topical areas were uncovered: general knowledge of IB, international trade and institutions, cross-cultural issues, managing global operations, international ethics, international monetary systems, and international political/regulatory…

  18. International law and United Nations

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Savić Matej

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available Along with centuries-lasting open military pretensions of world superpowers, modern diplomacy has developed, as beginning a war, as well as coming to peace demanded political activity which resulted, first in signing, and then coming into effect of international documents, on the basis of which, a foundation for the modern international order has been cast. Further on, by the formation of international organizations, codification has been allowed, as well as a progressive development of international law. Additionally, in the sense of preserving international peace and security, first the League of Nations was formed, and following the ending of World War II, the UN. Generally, the functioning of the United Nation's organs, has been regulated by legal rules, however political goals, tendencies, and mechanisms which the member states are using determine greatly the activity above all of the Security Council, but furthermore of the General Assembly, as a plenary organ. Nevertheless, the achieved results of the Commission for International Law in the meaning of creation of international conventions, as well as state adhering to the same, present unassailable achievements in the sense of development of international law. On the other hand, tendencies of motion of international relationships are aimed at establishing a multi-polar system in the international community. Today, the political scene is assuming a new appearance, by which the nearly built international system is already awaiting further progressive development.

  19. THE INTERNAL CONTROL MODELS IN ROMANIA

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    TEODORESCU CRISTIAN DRAGOȘ

    2015-06-01

    Full Text Available Internal control is indissolubly linked to business and accounting. Throughout history, domestic and international trade has grown exponentially, which has led to an increasing complexity of internal control, to new methods and techniques to control the business. The literature has presented the first models of internal control in the Sumerian period (3600 - 3200 BC, and the emergence and development of internal control in Egypt, Persia, Greek and Roman Empire, in the Middle Ages till modern times. The purpose of this article is to present the models of internal control in Romania, starting from the principles of the classical model of internal control (COSO model. For a better understanding of the implication of internal control in terms of public and private sector, I have structured the article in the following parts: (a the definition of internal control in the literature; (b the presentation of the COSO model; (c internal control and internal audit in public institutions; (d internal control issues in accounting regulations on the individual and consolidated annual financial statements; (e internal / managerial control; (f conclusions.

  20. International medical cooperation project for State of Libya using international medical tourism system in Thailand

    OpenAIRE

    奥寺, 敬; 坂本, 美重

    2013-01-01

    International medical cooperation project for State of Libya is reported. The concept of this project is to treat Libyan injured people using international medical tourism system in Thailand. Management of patient, including evaluation, domestic and international transportation arrangement of hospital, is supported by Normeca International Co., Ltd, (Pattaya, Thailand). Treatment of Libyan patient in two international hospitals (Bangpakok 9 Hospital and Navamin 9 Hopsital) in Bangkok was succ...

  1. True Yellow Light-Emitting Diodes as Phosphor for Tunable Color-Rendering Index Laser-Based White Light

    KAUST Repository

    Janjua, Bilal; Ng, Tien Khee; Zhao, Chao; Prabaswara, Aditya; Consiglio, Giuseppe Bernardo; Priante, Davide; Shen, Chao; Elafandy, Rami T.; Anjum, Dalaver H.; Alhamoud, Abdullah A.; Alatawi, Abdullah A.; Yang, Yang; Alyamani, Ahmed Y.; El-Desouki, Munir M.; Ooi, Boon S.

    2016-01-01

    An urgent challenge for the lighting research community is the lack of efficient optical devices emitting in between 500 and 600 nm, resulting in the “green-yellow gap”. In particular, true green (∼555 nm) and true yellow (∼590 nm), along with blue and red, constitute four technologically important colors. The III-nitride material system, being the most promising choice of platform to bridge this gap, still suffers from high dislocation density and poor crystal quality in realizing high-power, efficient devices. Particularly, the high polarization fields in the active region of such 2D quantum confined structures prevent efficient recombination of carriers. Here we demonstrate a true yellow nanowire (NW) light emitting diode (LED) with peak emission of 588 nm at 29.5 A/cm2 (75 mA in a 0.5 × 0.5 mm2 device) and a low turn-on voltage of ∼2.5 V, while having an internal quantum efficiency of 39%, and without “efficiency droop” up to an injection current density of 29.5 A/cm2. By mixing yellow light from a NW LED in reflective configuration with that of a red, green, and blue laser diode (LD), white light with a correlated color temperature of ∼6000 K and color-rendering index of 87.7 was achieved. The nitride-NW-based device offers a robust, long-term stability for realizing yellow light emitters for tunable color-rendering index solid-state lighting, on a scalable, low-cost, foundry-compatible titanium/silicon substrate, suitable for industry uptake.

  2. True Yellow Light-Emitting Diodes as Phosphor for Tunable Color-Rendering Index Laser-Based White Light

    KAUST Repository

    Janjua, Bilal

    2016-10-11

    An urgent challenge for the lighting research community is the lack of efficient optical devices emitting in between 500 and 600 nm, resulting in the “green-yellow gap”. In particular, true green (∼555 nm) and true yellow (∼590 nm), along with blue and red, constitute four technologically important colors. The III-nitride material system, being the most promising choice of platform to bridge this gap, still suffers from high dislocation density and poor crystal quality in realizing high-power, efficient devices. Particularly, the high polarization fields in the active region of such 2D quantum confined structures prevent efficient recombination of carriers. Here we demonstrate a true yellow nanowire (NW) light emitting diode (LED) with peak emission of 588 nm at 29.5 A/cm2 (75 mA in a 0.5 × 0.5 mm2 device) and a low turn-on voltage of ∼2.5 V, while having an internal quantum efficiency of 39%, and without “efficiency droop” up to an injection current density of 29.5 A/cm2. By mixing yellow light from a NW LED in reflective configuration with that of a red, green, and blue laser diode (LD), white light with a correlated color temperature of ∼6000 K and color-rendering index of 87.7 was achieved. The nitride-NW-based device offers a robust, long-term stability for realizing yellow light emitters for tunable color-rendering index solid-state lighting, on a scalable, low-cost, foundry-compatible titanium/silicon substrate, suitable for industry uptake.

  3. Preparing for the primary care clinic: an ambulatory boot camp for internal medicine interns

    Science.gov (United States)

    Esch, Lindsay M.; Bird, Amber-Nicole; Oyler, Julie L.; Lee, Wei Wei; Shah, Sachin D.; Pincavage, Amber T.

    2015-01-01

    Introduction Internal medicine (IM) interns start continuity clinic with variable ambulatory training. Multiple other specialties have utilized a boot camp style curriculum to improve surgical and procedural skills, but boot camps have not been used to improve interns’ ambulatory knowledge and confidence. The authors implemented and assessed the impact of an intern ambulatory boot camp pilot on primary care knowledge, confidence, and curricular satisfaction. Methods During July 2014, IM interns attended ambulatory boot camp. It included clinically focused case-based didactic sessions on common ambulatory topics as well as orientation to the clinic and electronic medical records. Interns anonymously completed a 15-question pre-test on topics covered in the boot camp as well as an identical post-test after the boot camp. The interns were surveyed regarding their confidence and satisfaction. Results Thirty-eight interns participated in the boot camp. Prior to the boot camp, few interns reported confidence managing common outpatient conditions. The average pre-test knowledge score was 46.3%. The average post-test knowledge score significantly improved to 76.1% (pinterns reported that the boot camp was good preparation for clinics and 97% felt that the boot camp boosted their confidence. Conclusions The ambulatory boot camp pilot improved primary care knowledge, and interns thought it was good preparation for clinic. The ambulatory boot camp was well received and may be an effective way to improve the preparation of interns for primary care clinic. Further assessment of clinical performance and expansion to other programs and specialties should be considered. PMID:26609962

  4. OCRWM international procedures

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1986-03-01

    These international procedures provide guidance and assistance for the Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management (OCRWM) and for OCRWM Project Offices, contractors and subcontractors in conducting international activities. They supplement the relevant Department of Energy (DOE) orders (which are referenced), not supplant them

  5. International user studies

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Nielsen, Lene; Madsen, Sabine; Jensen, Iben

    In this report, we present the results of a research project about international user studies. The project has been carried out by researchers from the Center for Persona Research and –Application, The IT University in Copenhagen and the Department of Learning and Philosophy, Aalborg University...... in Sydhavnen, and it is funded by InfinIT. Based on a qualitative interview study with 15 user researchers from 11 different companies, we have investigated how companies collect and present data about users on international markets. Key findings are: Companies do not collect data about end users in all...... the countries/regions they operate in. Instead, they focus on a few strategic markets. International user studies tend to be large-scale studies that involve the effort of many both internal and external/local human resources. The studies typically cover 2-4 countries/regions and many end users in each country...

  6. The International Mycological Association: its history in brief with summaries of its International Mycological Congresses and diverse international relationships.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Simmons, Emory G

    2010-06-01

    This history presents a review of International Mycological Association activities, its international congresses, and its relationships with regional mycological associations as well as with international organizations of other scientific disciplines. The IMA was organized in 1971 during the First Mycological Congress (IMC-1) convened at Exeter, U.K. In the period 1971 to 2010, nine international congresses have been held, each with its own organizational structure but under the guidance of one of the successive inter-Congress management groups of IMA officers and executive committee members. The congress list includes Exeter, U.K.; Tampa, U.S.A.; Tokyo, Japan; Regensburg, Germany; Vancouver, Canada; Jerusalem, Israel; Oslo, Norway; Cairns, Australia; and Edinburgh, Scotland. Inter-congress activities of each IMA executive group are summarized. The characteristics of each congress are surveyed as to organization, programming, attendance numbers, finances, and satellite meetings.The IMA has sponsored the establishment of Regional Mycological Associations beginning in 1977 and has lent operational funding. Regional associations currently are functional and hold their own regional congresses in Africa, Asia, Australasia, Europe, and Latin America. The relationships of the IMA with other organizations recognized within the supra-national International Council of Scientific Unions are discussed.

  7. International nuclear power status 2001; International kernekraftstatus 2001

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lauritzen, B.; Majborn, B.; Nonboel, E.; Oelgaard, P.L. (eds.)

    2002-04-01

    This report is the eighth in a series of annual reports on the international development of nuclear power with special emphasis on reactor safety. For 2001, the report contains: 1) General trends in the development of nuclear power; 2) Nuclear terrorism; 3) Statistical information on nuclear power production (in 2000); 4) An overview of safety-relevant incidents in 2001; 5) The development in West Europe; 6) The development in East Europe; 7) The development in the rest of the world; 8) Development of reactor types; 9) The nuclear fuel cycle; 10) International nuclear organisations. (au)

  8. Autologous Collagen Matrix (ACM): Lower Pole Support With a Supero-Anterior Capsular Flap in Secondary Subpectoral Breast Augmentation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Montemurro, Paolo; Cheema, Mubashir; Hedén, Per; Avvedimento, Stefano; Agko, Mouchammed; Quattrini Li, Alessandro

    2017-05-01

    Secondary aesthetic breast surgery is a complex and challenging scenario. It requires the surgeon to identify contributing factors, provide patient education, make a further management plan, and optimize the conditions for a favorable result. Various techniques have been described in literature but the rate of reoperation is still high. The first author has been using a supero-anterior capsular flap with a neopectoral subcapsular pocket and an implant change in these cases. To review the patient characteristics, indications, and early results of using part of the existing implant capsule for secondary subpectoral breast augmentations. All patients who underwent secondary breast augmentation, over a period of 2 years by the first author (P.M.), using the supero-anterior capsular flap technique were included. The technique involves dissection of a new subpectoral pocket and uses the existing implant capsule as an internal brassiere. A total of 36 patients were operated by this technique. Of these, 17 patients had developed a complication while 19 patients wanted a change in size only. At a mean follow up of 10.2 months, there was no bottoming out, double bubble, or capsular contracture. This reliable technique provides stable results as shown by low rate of complications with the existing follow up. © 2017 The American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, Inc. Reprints and permission: journals.permissions@oup.com

  9. What Is International about International Schools? An Institutional Legitimacy Perspective

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bunnell, Tristan; Fertig, Michael; James, Chris

    2016-01-01

    In recent years, the number of International Schools around the world has increased rapidly largely as a result of growth of new forms of International Schools, which differ markedly from the traditional forms. These new forms: are often operated on a for-profit commercial basis; are usually for children from the local (indigenous), wealthy…

  10. Internal and International Migration Across the Urban Hierarchy in Albania.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lerch, Mathias

    2016-01-01

    The interactions between the processes of urbanization and international migration in less developed and transition countries have important repercussions for socioeconomic development, but are not well understood. Based on the retrospective data from the Albanian Living Standards Measurement Survey 2008, we first assess the geography of migration in terms of the rural-urban continuum, the urban hierarchy and the outside world since 1990. We then investigate the spatio-temporal diffusion of rural-to-urban and international movements using survival models. Results reveal an immediate onset of large-scale rural exodus, despite the post-communist crisis. Internal migrants mainly moved to the capital, bypassing secondary cities, and were predominantly female. Initially, international migrants were primarily men who tended to originate from the main urban agglomerations. The diffusion of opportunities to emigrate down the urban hierarchy and across the sexes then redirected the rural exodus abroad, despite domestic economic development. This evolution in population mobility is related to the gendered patterns and interlinkages of the two flows, as well as to rising inequalities within the urban hierarchy.

  11. International perspectives on the profile of highly talented international business professionals

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    van Heugten, Petronella; Heijne-Penninga, Marjolein; Robbe, Patricia; Jaarsma, Debbie

    2017-01-01

    There is a global demand for talented managers and leaders. To meet this demand, higher education institutions are developing talent programs. However, international perception of talent is diffuse. In this study, our profile of highly talented international business professionals was

  12. International Student Success

    Science.gov (United States)

    Smith, Clayton

    2016-01-01

    This article, with a focus on North American postsecondary education, identifies international students as a strategic enrollment management institutional priority; presents themes in the international student retention, satisfaction, and success research literature; and describes related best practices. It also presents the findings from an…

  13. Celebrating international collaboration: reflections on the first Virtual International Practice Development Conference

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Moira Stephens

    2016-11-01

    Full Text Available This article reports on the first Virtual International Practice Development Conference, held in May 2015 to celebrate International Nurses Day. The article describes key aspects of its planning, offers a flavour of the event itself and sets out an evaluation, including learning points and recommendations to assist with planning similar events in the future. Central to our learning are: The need for practice developers to grasp skills in technology associated with virtual space The need to embrace virtual space itself as another means by which creative and communicative spaces can be established for active learning and practice development activities The potential advantages that international virtual engagement has over face-to-face national or international engagement The delivery of this virtual event made a significant international contribution to global practice development activity within the International Practice Development Collaborative and to enabling practice developers to connect and celebrate on a more global basis. Implications for practice: Virtual space technology skills can assist with sharing and translating practice development research, innovations and critical commentary Virtual space can provide an adjunct to creative and communicative learning spaces Global networking opportunities can be developed and enhanced through the use of virtual space technology Practice developers need to role model the use of virtual technologies

  14. Exploration of the perceptions of emergency physicians and interns regarding the medical documentation practices of interns.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Isoardi, Jonathon; Spencer, Lyndall; Sinnott, Michael; Nicholls, Kim; O'Connor, Angela; Jones, Fleur

    2013-08-01

    The primary objective of the present study was to learn the factors that influence the documentation practices of ED interns. A second objective was to identify the expectations of emergency physicians (EPs) towards the medical record documentation of ED interns. A qualitative design was adopted using semi-structured interviews in convenience samples drawn from both groups. Eighteen interviews were conducted with intern volunteers and 10 with EP volunteers. One (5%) intern and two (20%) EPs had received medical documentation training. Factors that encouraged interns' documentation included: patient acuity (the more critical the condition, the more comprehensive the documentation) and the support of senior colleagues. Inhibiting factors included uncertainty about how much to write, and the shift being worked (interns indicated they wrote less at night). Factors of consequence to senior personnel included the apparent reluctance of interns to document management plans. They noted that interns frequently confine their notes to assessment, investigations and treatments, whereas EPs preferred records that demonstrated intern thought processes and included such matters as future actions to follow immediate treatment. A positive theme that emerged included the high level of support interns received from their senior colleagues. Another theme, the influence of patient acuity, held both positive and negative implications for intern writing practices. The lack of formal training is an impediment to the production of useful medical records by ED interns. One solution proposed by both interns and senior personnel was the introduction of the subject into intern education programmes. © 2013 Australasian College for Emergency Medicine and Australasian Society for Emergency Medicine.

  15. The International Active Learning Space

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Manners, Ian James

    2015-01-01

    -Danish students receive the basic international and intercultural skills and knowledge they need in current society. The English-language masters’ seminars I teach at the Department of Political Science are international in terms of students and teacher, but they are also Active Learning seminars......-Danish students (and sometimes teachers) rarely speak to each other or learn each other’s names. In the international AL spaces I create, students must work together on joint tasks which require interaction to address tasks and integration in order to benefit from the multinational activity groups. Planning AL...... that complete the seminar soon become vocal advocates of international AL. Ultimately, enriching student learning through immersing Danish and international students in an international AL space is, for me, the best way of ensuring an internationalised learning outcome, rather than just international mobility....

  16. EM International. Volume 1

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    1993-07-01

    It is the intent of EM International to describe the Office of Environmental Restoration and Waste Management`s (EM`s) various roles and responsibilities within the international community. Cooperative agreements and programs, descriptions of projects and technologies, and synopses of visits to international sites are all highlighted in this semiannual journal. Focus on EM programs in this issue is on international collaboration in vitrification projects. Technology highlights covers: in situ sealing for contaminated sites; and remote sensors for toxic pollutants. Section on profiles of countries includes: Arctic contamination by the former Soviet Union, and EM activities with Germany--cooperative arrangements.

  17. Repair of articular cartilage defects by tissue-engineered cartilage constructed with adipose-derived stem cells and acellular cartilaginous matrix in rabbits.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Z J; An, R Z; Zhao, J Y; Zhang, Q; Yang, J; Wang, J B; Wen, G Y; Yuan, X H; Qi, X W; Li, S J; Ye, X C

    2014-06-18

    After injury, inflammation, or degeneration, articular cartilage has limited self-repair ability. We aimed to explore the feasibility of repair of articular cartilage defects with tissue-engineered cartilage constructed by acellular cartilage matrices (ACMs) seeded with adipose-derived stem cells (ADSCs). The ADSCs were isolated from 3-month-old New Zealand albino rabbit by using collagenase and cultured and amplified in vitro. Fresh cartilage isolated from adult New Zealand albino rabbit were freeze-dried for 12 h and treated with Triton X-100, DNase, and RNase to obtain ACMs. ADSCs were seeded in the acellular cartilaginous matrix at 2x10(7)/mL, and cultured in chondrogenic differentiation medium for 2 weeks to construct tissue-engineered cartilage. Twenty-four New Zealand white rabbits were randomly divided into A, B, and C groups. Engineered cartilage was transplanted into cartilage defect position of rabbits in group A, group B obtained ACMs, and group C did not receive any transplants. The rabbits were sacrificed in week 12. The restored tissue was evaluated using macroscopy, histology, immunohistochemistry, and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). In the tissue-engineered cartilage group (group A), articular cartilage defects of the rabbits were filled with chondrocyte-like tissue with smooth surface. Immunohistochemistry showed type II-collagen expression and Alcian blue staining was positive. TEM showed chondrocytes in the recesses, with plenty of secretary matrix particles. In the scaffold group (group B), the defect was filled with fibrous tissue. No repaired tissue was found in the blank group (group C). Tissue-engineered cartilage using ACM seeded with ADSCs can help repair articular cartilage defects in rabbits.

  18. Parallel motif extraction from very long sequences

    KAUST Repository

    Sahli, Majed

    2013-01-01

    Motifs are frequent patterns used to identify biological functionality in genomic sequences, periodicity in time series, or user trends in web logs. In contrast to a lot of existing work that focuses on collections of many short sequences, modern applications require mining of motifs in one very long sequence (i.e., in the order of several gigabytes). For this case, there exist statistical approaches that are fast but inaccurate; or combinatorial methods that are sound and complete. Unfortunately, existing combinatorial methods are serial and very slow. Consequently, they are limited to very short sequences (i.e., a few megabytes), small alphabets (typically 4 symbols for DNA sequences), and restricted types of motifs. This paper presents ACME, a combinatorial method for extracting motifs from a single very long sequence. ACME arranges the search space in contiguous blocks that take advantage of the cache hierarchy in modern architectures, and achieves almost an order of magnitude performance gain in serial execution. It also decomposes the search space in a smart way that allows scalability to thousands of processors with more than 90% speedup. ACME is the only method that: (i) scales to gigabyte-long sequences; (ii) handles large alphabets; (iii) supports interesting types of motifs with minimal additional cost; and (iv) is optimized for a variety of architectures such as multi-core systems, clusters in the cloud, and supercomputers. ACME reduces the extraction time for an exact-length query from 4 hours to 7 minutes on a typical workstation; handles 3 orders of magnitude longer sequences; and scales up to 16, 384 cores on a supercomputer. Copyright is held by the owner/author(s).

  19. Dependences of microstructure and critical current density on the thickness of YBa2Cu3O7-x film prepared by pulsed laser deposition on buffered Ni–W tape

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Xu, Da; Wang, Ying; Liu, Linfei; Li, Yijie

    2013-01-01

    YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7−x (YBCO) films with different thicknesses were fabricated on buffered Ni–W tapes by pulsed laser deposition. The thickness dependences of microstructure and critical current density (J c ) of YBCO film were systematically investigated. The microstructure and surface morphology of YBCO film were characterized by X-ray diffraction, optical microscopy, field emission scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy. And the critical current (I c ) of YBCO film was measured by the conventional four-probe method. We found that the full width at half maximum values of both omega and phi scan rocking curves, the content of a-axis oriented grain, and surface roughness of YBCO film all increased with augmenting the thickness of YBCO film. It was also found that with increasing the thickness of YBCO film from 0.3 μm to 1.5 μm, the I c of YBCO film increased from 72 A/cm to 248 A/cm and yet J c of YBCO film decreased from 2.1 × 10 6 A/cm 2 to 1.6 × 10 6 A/cm 2 . Our results indicated that the microstructure and J c of YBCO film were largely dependent on the thickness of YBCO film under the optimized deposition condition of substrate temperature. - Highlights: ► YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7−x (YBCO) films with different thicknesses were grown on metallic tapes. ► The texture and critical current were dependent on the thickness of YBCO film. ► Thickness effect was weakened by fabricating YBCO film layer by layer

  20. Effectiveness of telephone-based aftercare case management for adult patients with unipolar depression compared to usual care: A randomized controlled trial.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Laura Kivelitz

    Full Text Available Patients with depression often have limited access to outpatient psychotherapy following inpatient treatment. The objective of the study was to evaluate the long-term effectiveness of a telephone-based aftercare case management (ACM intervention for patients with depression.We performed a prospective randomized controlled trial in four psychotherapeutic inpatient care units with N = 199 patients with major depression or dysthymia (F32.x, F33.x, F34.1, according to the ICD-10. The ACM consisted of six phone contacts at two-week intervals performed by trained and certified psychotherapists. The control group received usual care (UC. The primary outcome was depressive symptom severity (BDI-II at 9-month follow-up, and secondary outcomes were health-related quality of life (SF-8, EQ-5D, self-efficacy (SWE, and the proportion of patients initiating outpatient psychotherapy. Mixed model analyses were conducted to compare improvements between treatment groups.Regarding the primary outcome of symptom severity, the groups did not significantly differ after 3 months (p = .132; ES = -0.23 or at the 9-month follow-up (p = .284; ES = -0.20. No significant differences in health-related quality of life or self-efficacy were found between groups. Patients receiving ACM were more likely to be in outpatient psychotherapy after 3 months (OR: 3.00[1.12-8.07]; p = .029 and 9 months (OR: 4.78 [1.55-14.74]; p = .006 than those receiving UC.Although telephone-based ACM did not significantly improve symptom severity, it seems to be a valuable approach for overcoming treatment barriers to the clinical pathways of patients with depression regarding their access to outpatient psychotherapy.