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Sample records for aco patinavel sem

  1. Financial Performance of Rural Medicare ACOs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nattinger, Matthew C; Mueller, Keith; Ullrich, Fred; Zhu, Xi

    2018-12-01

    The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has facilitated the development of Medicare accountable care organizations (ACOs), mostly through the Medicare Shared Savings Program (MSSP). To inform the operation of the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation's (CMMI) ACO programs, we assess the financial performance of rural ACOs based on different levels of rural presence. We used the 2014 performance data for Medicare ACOs to examine the financial performance of rural ACOs with different levels of rural presence: exclusively rural, mostly rural, and mixed rural/metropolitan. Of the ACOs reporting performance data, we identified 97 ACOs with a measurable rural presence. We found that successful rural ACO financial performance is associated with the ACO's organizational type (eg, physician-based) and that 8 of the 11 rural ACOs participating in the Advanced Payment Program (APP) garnered savings for Medicare. Unlike previous work, we did not find an association between ACO size or experience and rural ACO financial performance. Our findings suggest that rural ACO financial success is likely associated with factors unique to rural environments. Given the emphasis CMS has placed on rural ACO development, further research to identify these factors is warranted. © 2016 National Rural Health Association.

  2. Comparação entre a medida contínua do débito cardíaco e por termodiluição em bolus durante a revascularização miocárdica sem circulação extracorpórea

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kim Sílvia M.

    2004-01-01

    Full Text Available JUSTIFICATIVA E OBJETIVOS: A cirurgia de revascularização miocárdica sem o uso de circulação extracorpórea (CEC relaciona-se a importantes alterações hemodinâmicas bruscas, que podem não ser prontamente detectadas pela medida contínua de débito cardíaco. Este estudo compara resultados obtidos pela medida do índice cardíaco com o cateter de artéria pulmonar com filamento térmico (Baxter Edwards Critical Care, Irvine, CA com o método padrão por termodiluição com solução, durante a anastomose coronariana distal. MÉTODO: Dez pacientes submetidos à cirurgia de revascularização miocárdica sem CEC foram monitorizados com o cateter de artéria pulmonar com filamento térmico. As medidas de índice cardíaco foram obtidas em quatro momentos: no início da anestesia, enquanto o tórax ainda estava fechado (M1, após a esternotomia (M2, após a estabilização do coração com o aparelho octopus (M3 e ao final da anastomose coronariana distal (M4. RESULTADOS: Houve diminuição significativa (p < 0,05 do índice cardíaco durante a anastomose coronariana, detectada pela medida com termodiluição com bolus de solução. O índice cardíaco variou de 2,8 ± 0,7 para 2,3 ± 0,8 l.min.m-2 no início da anastomose e 2,5 ± 0,8 l.min.m-2 ao final da mesma. Essa variação não foi detectada pela medida contínua (de 3 ± 0,6 para 3,2 ± 0,5 e 3,1 ± 0,6 l.min.m-2 durante a anastomose coronariana. CONCLUSÕES: A medida de débito cardíaco contínuo utilizando o cateter de artéria pulmonar com filamento térmico apresentou atraso na detecção das alterações hemodinâmicas agudas relacionadas à mudança do posicionamento do coração na cirurgia de revascularização miocárdica sem CEC.

  3. Pioneer ACO PUF

    Data.gov (United States)

    U.S. Department of Health & Human Services — Pioneer ACO PUF - To address the increasing number of requests for Pioneer ACO data, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has created a standard...

  4. Elaboração e caracterização de cookies sem glúten enriquecidos com farinha de coco: uma alternativa para celíacos

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ana Maria Queiroz

    2017-05-01

    Full Text Available Resumo Os celíacos encontram dificuldades na adoção de uma dieta totalmente isenta de glúten e com qualidade nutricional. Para tanto, objetivou-se desenvolver e avaliar cookies sem glúten enriquecidos com farinha de coco. A farinha de coco com elevado teor de cinzas, proteínas e lipídios pode ser utilizada para enriquecer produtos alimentícios. Foram elaborados cookies com base na composição de uma mistura da Federação Nacional das Associações de Celíacos do Brasil - Fenacelbra (“mix de farinha preparada II” para cookies sem glúten: Padrão FP (formulação semelhante à composição do “mix de farinha preparada II” da Fenacelbra, F1 (modificação de FP com substituição da fécula de batata por 10% de farinha de coco, F2 (modificação de FP com adição de 5% de farinha de coco, F3 (modificação de FP com substituição do polvilho doce por 5% de farinha de coco. Os cookies foram avaliados quanto às características físicas (peso pós-cocção, diâmetro e espessura pós-cocção, fator de expansão, rendimento, Aw, dureza e cor – L*a*b*, físico-químicas (umidade, cinzas, proteínas, lipídios, carboidratos e valor calórico, aceitabilidade quanto aos atributos sensoriais (aceitação global, aparência, cor, aroma, sabor e textura e atitude de compra. A adição de farinha de coco às formulações melhorou as propriedades nutricionais dos cookies sem glúten, aumentando o teor de lipídios e proteínas, e reduzindo o teor de carboidratos. Os cookies desenvolvidos apresentaram boa aceitação sensorial e intenção de compra satisfatória., A adição de 10% de farinha de coco em substituição da fécula de batata na formulação F1 não alterou as características sensoriais do produto, porém proporcionou propriedades físicas e físico-químicas superiores. Dessa forma, cookies sem glúten enriquecidos com farinha de coco constituem uma alternativa viável de alimentos destinados para pessoas portadoras de

  5. Organizational Attributes Associated With Medicare ACO Quality Performance.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhu, Xi; Mueller, Keith; Huang, Huang; Ullrich, Fred; Vaughn, Thomas; MacKinney, A Clinton

    2018-05-08

    To evaluate associations between geographic, structural, and service-provision attributes of Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) participating in the Medicare Shared Savings Program (MSSP) and the ACOs' quality performance. We conducted cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses of ACO quality performance using data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and additional sources. The sample included 322 and 385 MSSP ACOs that had successfully reported quality measures in 2014 and 2015, respectively. Results show that after adjusting for other organizational factors, rural ACOs' average quality score was comparable to that of ACOs serving other geographic categories. ACOs with hospital-system sponsorship, larger beneficiary panels, and higher posthospitalization follow-up rates achieved better quality performance. There is no significant difference in average quality performance between rural ACOs and other ACOs after adjusting for structural and service-provision factors. MSSP ACO quality performance is positively associated with hospital-system sponsorship, beneficiary panel size, and posthospitalization follow-up rate. © 2018 National Rural Health Association.

  6. Retransplante cardíaco em criança sem o uso de hemoderivados Heart retransplantation in children without the use of blood product

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Antonio Alceu dos Santos

    2012-06-01

    Full Text Available Este artigo relata um caso de retransplante cardíaco sem o uso de hemoderivados, em uma criança de 6 anos, com miocardiopatia dilatada grave, após rejeição crônica do enxerto e refratária ao tratamento clínico. Para evitar transfusão sanguínea nessa cirurgia, foi realizado planejamento multidisciplinar, que envolveu o uso de eritropoietina no pré-operatório, hemodiluição normovolêmica aguda e recuperação de sangue autólogo no intraoperatório (cell saver, bem como hemostasia meticulosa e redução de flebotomias no pós-operatório.This article reports a case of a cardiac retransplantation without the use of blood products, in a 6 year old, with severe dilated cardiomyopathy after chronic graft rejection and refractory to clinical treatment. To avoid a blood transfusion in this surgery a multidisciplinary approach was planned, which involved the use of preoperative erythropoietin, acute normovolemic hemodilution and intraoperative cell savage with autologous blood recovery system, as well as a meticulous hemostasis and reduced postoperative phlebotomy.

  7. Tumores cardíacos primarios

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rosa Eugenia Díaz Garriga

    2013-10-01

    Full Text Available Introducción: los tumores cardíacos primarios son aquellos que se originan en Miocardio o Pericardio. El 90% son benignos, no son invasivos, pero debido a su localización pueden provocar alteraciones hemodinámicas graves y arrítmias. Presentación del caso: dos casos portadores de tumores cardíacos diagnosticados en la etapa prenatal, una gestante de 32 años, portadora de una Neurofribromatosis que en la ecocardiografía fetal de su hijo, se identifican dos tipos de tumores cardíacos, un mixoma auricular y un fibroma, y un niño que desde la etapa prenatal se diagnosticó un rabdomioma, lo cual se confirmó al nacimiento y que regresó espontáneamente. Conclusiones: a ecocardiografía fetal permite cada vez con más frecuencia, el diagnóstico intraútero de tumores cardíacos. Los rabdomiomas regresan en más del 50% de los casos, pero pueden ser un marcador de Esclerosis Tuberosa. Los tumores cardiacos se asocian a otras afecciones congénitas y requieren de tratamiento quirúrgico. Aspectos todos a tener en consideración para realizar el asesoramiento genético a la familia.

  8. Pioneer ACO Model

    Data.gov (United States)

    U.S. Department of Health & Human Services — The Pioneer ACO Model is designed for health care organizations and providers that are already experienced in coordinating care for patients across care settings. It...

  9. Unveiling the unicorn: a leader's guide to ACO preparation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Aslin, Paul

    2011-01-01

    The great uncertainty surrounding healthcare reform provides little incentive for action. However, as healthcare leaders wait for final rules and clarity about accountable care organizations (ACOs), inaction is the inappropriate response. Several central themes emerge from research about beginning the ACO process. Leaders should be able to understand and articulate ACO concepts. They should champion embracing cultural change while partnering with physicians. Inventory of skills and capabilities should take place to understand any deficiencies required to implement an ACO. Finally, a plan should be formed by asking strategic questions on each platform needed to ensure performance and strategic goals are at the forefront of decisions regarding structure and function of an ACO. It takes a visionary leader to accept these challenges.

  10. ACO model should encourage efficient care delivery.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Toussaint, John; Krueger, David; Shortell, Stephen M; Milstein, Arnold; Cutler, David M

    2015-09-01

    The independent Office of the Actuary for CMS certified that the Pioneer ACO model has met the stringent criteria for expansion to a larger population. Significant savings have accrued and quality targets have been met, so the program as a whole appears to be working. Ironically, 13 of the initial 32 enrollees have left. We attribute this to the design of the ACO models which inadequately support efficient care delivery. Using Bellin-ThedaCare Healthcare Partners as an example, we will focus on correctible flaws in four core elements of the ACO payment model: finance spending and targets, attribution, and quality performance. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  11. Layered ACO-OFDM for intensity-modulated direct-detection optical wireless transmission.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Qi; Qian, Chen; Guo, Xuhan; Wang, Zhaocheng; Cunningham, David G; White, Ian H

    2015-05-04

    Layered asymmetrically clipped optical orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (ACO-OFDM) with high spectral efficiency is proposed in this paper for optical wireless transmission employing intensity modulation with direct detection. In contrast to the conventional ACO-OFDM, which only utilizes odd subcarriers for modulation, leading to an obvious spectral efficiency loss, in layered ACO-OFDM, the subcarriers are divided into different layers and modulated by different kinds of ACO-OFDM, which are combined for simultaneous transmission. In this way, more subcarriers are used for data transmission and the spectral efficiency is improved. An iterative receiver is also proposed for layered ACO-OFDM, where the negative clipping distortion of each layer is subtracted once it is detected so that the signals from different layers can be recovered. Theoretical analysis shows that the proposed scheme can improve the spectral efficiency by up to 2 times compared with conventional ACO-OFDM approaches with the same modulation order. Meanwhile, simulation results confirm a considerable signal-to-noise ratio gain over ACO-OFDM at the same spectral efficiency.

  12. The asthma-chronic obstructive pulmonary disease overlap syndrome (ACOS): opportunities and challenges.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Barrecheguren, Miriam; Esquinas, Cristina; Miravitlles, Marc

    2015-01-01

    Some individuals share characteristics of asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The asthma-COPD overlap syndrome (ACOS) has been defined as symptoms of increased variability of airflow in association with an incompletely reversible airflow obstruction. In this review, we present the latest findings in the diagnosis, characterization and management of ACOS. Around 15-20% of COPD patients may have an ACOS. Patients with ACOS are characterized by increased reversibility of airflow obstruction, eosinophilic bronchial and systemic inflammation, and increased response to inhaled corticosteroids, compared with the remaining patients with COPD. Patients with ACOS have more frequent exacerbations, more wheezing and dyspnoea, but similar cough and sputum production compared with COPD. The relevance of the ACOS is to identify patients with COPD who may have underlying eosinophilic inflammation that responds to inhaled corticosteroids. So far, the previous diagnosis of asthma in a patient with COPD is the more reliable criterion for ACOS. Ongoing studies will clarify if concentrations of blood eosinophils may be useful to identify this subgroup of patients with COPD. If this is the case, the interest of ACOS may shift to that of eosinophilic COPD, which is easier to diagnose and has clear therapeutic implications.

  13. Substantial Physician Turnover And Beneficiary 'Churn' In A Large Medicare Pioneer ACO.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hsu, John; Vogeli, Christine; Price, Mary; Brand, Richard; Chernew, Michael E; Mohta, Namita; Chaguturu, Sreekanth K; Weil, Eric; Ferris, Timothy G

    2017-04-01

    Alternative payment models, such as accountable care organizations (ACOs), attempt to stimulate improvements in care delivery by better alignment of payer and provider incentives. However, limited attention has been paid to the physicians who actually deliver the care. In a large Medicare Pioneer ACO, we found that the number of beneficiaries per physician was low (median of seventy beneficiaries per physician, or less than 5 percent of a typical panel). We also found substantial physician turnover: More than half of physicians either joined (41 percent) or left (18 percent) the ACO during the 2012-14 contract period studied. When physicians left the ACO, most of their attributed beneficiaries also left the ACO. Conversely, about half of the growth in the beneficiary population was because of new physicians affiliating with the ACO; the remainder joined after switching physicians. These findings may help explain the muted financial impact ACOs have had overall, and they raise the possibility of future gaming on the part of ACOs to artificially control spending. Policy refinements include coordinated and standardized risk-sharing parameters across payers to prevent any dilution of the payment incentives or confusion from a cacophony of incentives across payers. Project HOPE—The People-to-People Health Foundation, Inc.

  14. Determinants of success in Shared Savings Programs: An analysis of ACO and market characteristics.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ouayogodé, Mariétou H; Colla, Carrie H; Lewis, Valerie A

    2017-03-01

    Medicare's Accountable Care Organization (ACO) programs introduced shared savings to traditional Medicare, which allow providers who reduce health care costs for their patients to retain a percentage of the savings they generate. To examine ACO and market factors associated with superior financial performance in Medicare ACO programs. We obtained financial performance data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS); we derived market-level characteristics from Medicare claims; and we collected ACO characteristics from the National Survey of ACOs for 215 ACOs. We examined the association between ACO financial performance and ACO provider composition, leadership structure, beneficiary characteristics, risk bearing experience, quality and process improvement capabilities, physician performance management, market competition, CMS-assigned financial benchmark, and ACO contract start date. We examined two outcomes from Medicare ACOs' first performance year: savings per Medicare beneficiary and earning shared savings payments (a dichotomous variable). When modeling the ACO ability to save and earn shared savings payments, we estimated positive regression coefficients for a greater proportion of primary care providers in the ACO, more practicing physicians on the governing board, physician leadership, active engagement in reducing hospital re-admissions, a greater proportion of disabled Medicare beneficiaries assigned to the ACO, financial incentives offered to physicians, a larger financial benchmark, and greater ACO market penetration. No characteristic of organizational structure was significantly associated with both outcomes of savings per beneficiary and likelihood of achieving shared savings. ACO prior experience with risk-bearing contracts was positively correlated with savings and significantly increased the likelihood of receiving shared savings payments. In the first year, performance is quite heterogeneous, yet organizational structure does not

  15. Feocromocitoma cardíaco

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gustavo L. Knop

    2006-01-01

    Full Text Available Los feocromocitomas cardíacos primarios (FCP son sumamente infrecuentes. Hasta el presente son menos de 50 los casos comunicados en el mundo. Presentamos el caso de un tumor intrapericárdico, que resultó ser un feocromocitoma primario, en una mujer de mediana edad, cuyo signo principal fue hipertensión arterial severa (HTAs. Los estudios diagnósticos por imágenes corroboraron la presencia de un tumor intrapericárdico como único hallazgo y los estudios bioquímicos de catecolaminas y sus metabolitos excretados por orina reafirmaron el diagnóstico etiológico. El tumor fue resecado quirúrgicamente sin complicaciones mediante cirugía cardíaca convencional con circulación extracorpórea (CEC y paro cardíaco con cardioplejía. Siete meses después de la operación, la paciente se encuentra asintomática y normotensa.

  16. Paro Cardíaco en el Embarazo

    OpenAIRE

    Manuel Eduardo Sáenz Madrigal; Carlos Adrián Vindas Morera

    2013-01-01

    El paro cardíaco en el embarazo presenta un escenario único en el que están incluidos dos pacientes: la madre y el feto. El manejo de este escenario requiere de un equipo multidisciplinario incluyendo especialistas en anestesia, obstetricia, neonatología, cardiología y en ocasiones cirugía cardíaca. Los protocolos de soporte vital básico y soporte cardíaco avanzado deben ser implementados, sin embargo, dados los cambios anatómicos y fisiológicos que ocurren en el embarazo, algunas modificacio...

  17. Super ACO FEL oscillation at 300 nm

    CERN Document Server

    Nutarelli, D; Renault, E; Nahon, L; Couprie, Marie Emmanuelle

    2000-01-01

    Some recent improvements, involving both the optical cavity mirrors and the positron beam dynamics in the storage ring, have allowed us to achieve a laser oscillation at 300 nm on the Super ACO Storage Ring FEL. The Super ACO storage ring is operated at 800 MeV which is the nominal energy for the usual synchrotron radiation users, and the highest energy for a storage ring FEL. The lasing at 300 nm could be kept during 2 h per injection, with a stored current ranging between 30 and 60 mA. The FEL characteristics are presented here. The longitudinal stability and the FEL optics behaviour are also discussed.

  18. The correlation between accelerated and field corrosion tests performed in carbon steel and weathering steel coupons, coated and non-coated; Correlacao entre ensaios acelerados e ensaios de campo em corpos-de-provas de aco carbono e aco patinavel, sem e com revestimento

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Antunes, Renato Altobelli

    2002-07-01

    The performance of four different organic coating systems applied to carbon and weathering steel coupons has been assessed in this investigation. applied on the surface of carbon steel and weathering steel coupons. The coupons have been evaluated using five different tests, three field tests and two accelerated tests. The field tests were carried out at three atmospheric stations, located at COSIPA in Cubatao-SP, at Alto da Serra in Cubatao-SP and at Paula Souza in Sao Paulo city. The accelerated tests consisted of (a) exposure to alternate cycles of ultraviolet radiation/condensation combined with salt spray cycles (UVCON combined with Salt Spray) and of (b) exposure to alternate cycles of ultraviolet radiation/condensation combined with the Prohesion test. The performance of the coatings was assessed by visual observation and photographs, using a method based on ASTM D-610, ASTM D-714 and ASTM-1654 standards to rank them. The oxide phases formed on the surfaces of the non-coated specimens of carbon and weathering steels, exposed to the same tests performed with the coated specimens, were identified using three different techniques: X-ray diffraction, Raman microscopy and Moessbauer spectroscopy. In the field tests, the specimens have been exposed for 1, 2, 3, 6 and 9 months. In the accelerated ones, the results were obtained after 1340 hours (4 cycles) test. The main component identified in all the specimens collected from the field tests and from the UVCON combined with the Prohesion test was lepidocrocite ({gamma}-FeOOH). Goethite ({alpha}-FeOOH ) and magnetite (Fe{sub 3}O{sub 4}) were identified as the other two main phases present in ali the specimens. In the UVCON combined with Salt Spray test, the dominant phase was magnetite, followed by goethite and lepidocrocite. The morphology of the rust formed on the specimens was examined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Structures corresponding to goethite and lepidocrocited were recognized on ali specimens

  19. Susceptibility to false memories in patients with ACoA aneurysm.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Borsutzky, Sabine; Fujiwara, Esther; Brand, Matthias; Markowitsch, Hans J

    2010-08-01

    We examined ACoA patients regarding their susceptibility to a range of false memory phenomena. We targeted provoked confabulation, false recall and false recognition in the Deese-Roediger-McDermott-paradigm (DRM-paradigm) as well as false recognition in a mirror reading task. ACoA patients produced more provoked confabulations and more false recognition in mirror reading than comparison subjects. Conversely, false recall/false recognition in the DRM-paradigm were similar in patients and controls. Whereas the former two indices of false memories were correlated, no relationship was revealed with the DRM-paradigm. Our results suggest that rupture of ACoA aneurysm leads to an increased susceptibility to a subset of false memories types. Copyright (c) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  20. Trasplante cardíaco: organización e indicaciones

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    José M. Revuelta

    2008-01-01

    La experiencia clínica está demostrando que las indicaciones y las contraindicaciones del trasplante cardíaco están en constante cambio, debido principalmente a los avances en los cuidados pre, per y postoperatorios, a los nuevos fármacos y otras novedosas alternativas terapéuticas. La clase funcional (NY HA del paciente es poco precisa para indicar el trasplante cardíaco, por lo que se precisa de otras determinaciones, como el consumo máximo de oxígeno: VO2 máx < 10 ml/kg/min conlleva un mortalidad hospitalaria elevada. Asimismo, la fracción de eyección ventricular izquierda disminuida (FEVI < 20% no debe considerarse como el indicador principal para establecer la indicación de trasplante, siendo necesario valorar otros factores de riesgo preoperatorios. En la última década, la experiencia ha puesto de manifiesto que algunas de las contraindicaciones absolutas, antes vigentes, no siempre deben desaconsejar el trasplante cardíaco.

  1. MODELO ACO PARA LA RECOLECCIÓN DE RESIDUOS POR CONTENEDORES ACO MODEL APPLIED TO THE WASTE COLLECTION BY CONTAINERS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Eduardo Salazar Hornig

    2009-08-01

    Full Text Available ACO es una metaheurística inspirada en el comportamiento de las colonias de hormigas para solucionar problemas de optimización combinatoria, por medio de la utilización de agentes computacionales simples que trabajan de manera cooperativa y se comunican mediante rastros de feromona artificiales. En este trabajo se presenta un modelo para resolver el Problema de Recolección de Residuos Domiciliarios por Contenedores, el que aplica un concepto de secuencias parciales de recolección que deben ser unidas para minimizar la distancia total de recolección. El problema de unir las secuencias parciales se representa como un TSP, el que es resuelto mediante un algoritmo ACO. En base a recomendaciones de la literatura, se calibran experimentalmente los parámetros del algoritmo y se recomiendan rangos de valores que representan buenos rendimientos promedio. El modelo se aplica a un sector de recolección de la comuna de San Pedro de la Paz, Chile, obteniéndose rutas de recolección que reducen la distancia total recorrida respecto de la actual ruta utilizada y de la solución obtenida con otro modelo desarrollado previamente.ACO is a metaheuristic inspired in the behavior of natural ant colonies to solve combinatorial optimization problems, based on simple agents that work cooperatively communicating by artificial pheromone trails. In this paper a model to solve the municipal waste collection problem by containers is presented, which applies a concept of partial collection sequences that must be joined to minimize the total collection distance. The problem to join the partial collection sequences is represented as a TSP, which is solved by an ACO algorithm. Based on the literature, algorithm parameters are experimentally calibrated and range of variations that represents good average solutions are recommended. The model is applied to a waste collection sector of the San Pedro de la Paz commune in Chile, obtaining recollection routes with less total

  2. Hardware-efficient signal generation of layered/enhanced ACO-OFDM for short-haul fiber-optic links.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Qibing; Song, Binhuang; Corcoran, Bill; Boland, David; Zhu, Chen; Zhuang, Leimeng; Lowery, Arthur J

    2017-06-12

    Layered/enhanced ACO-OFDM is a promising candidate for intensity modulation and direct-detection based short-haul fiber-optic links due to its both power and spectral efficiency. In this paper, we firstly demonstrate a hardware-efficient real-time 9.375 Gb/s QPSK-encoded layered/enhanced asymmetrical clipped optical OFDM (L/E-ACO-OFDM) transmitter using a Virtex-6 FPGA. This L/E-ACO-OFDM signal is successfully transmitted over 20-km uncompensated standard single-mode fiber (S-SMF) using a directly modulated laser. Several methods are explored to reduce the FPGA's logic resource utilization by taking advantage of the L/E-ACO-OFDM's signal characteristics. We show that the logic resource occupation of L/E-ACO-OFDM transmitter is almost the same as that of DC-biased OFDM transmitter when they achieve the same spectral efficiency, proving its great potential to be used in a real-time short-haul optical transmission link.

  3. Hospitals Participating In ACOs Tend To Be Large And Urban, Allowing Access To Capital And Data.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Colla, Carrie H; Lewis, Valerie A; Tierney, Emily; Muhlestein, David B

    2016-03-01

    Relationships between physicians and hospitals have changed considerably over the past decade, as hospitals and physician groups have integrated and new public and private payment policies have created financial interdependence. The extent to which accountable care organizations (ACOs) involve hospitals in their operations may prove to be vitally important, because managing hospital care is a key part of improving health care quality and lowering cost growth. Using primary data on ACO composition and capabilities paired with hospital characteristics, we found that 20 percent of US hospitals were part of an ACO in 2014. Hospitals that were in urban areas, were nonprofit, or had a smaller share of Medicare patients were more likely to participate in ACOs, compared to hospitals that were in more rural areas, were for-profit or government owned, or had a larger share of Medicare patients, respectively. Qualitative data identified the following advantages of including a hospital in an ACO: the availability of start-up capital, advanced data sharing, and engagement of providers across the care continuum. Although the 63 percent of ACOs that included hospitals offered more comprehensive services compared to ACOs without hospitals, we found no differences between the two groups in their ability to manage hospital-related aspects of patient care. Project HOPE—The People-to-People Health Foundation, Inc.

  4. RNA Interference of 1-Aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic Acid Oxidase (ACO1 and ACO2 Genes Expression Prolongs the Shelf Life of Eksotika (Carica papaya L. Papaya Fruit

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rogayah Sekeli

    2014-06-01

    Full Text Available The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of using RNA interference in down regulating the expression of 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid oxidase gene in Eksotika papaya. One-month old embryogenic calli were separately transformed with Agrobacterium strain LBA 4404 harbouring the three different RNAi pOpOff2 constructs bearing the 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid oxidase gene. A total of 176 putative transformed lines were produced from 15,000 calli transformed, selected, then regenerated on medium supplemented with kanamycin. Integration and expression of the targeted gene in putatively transformed lines were verified by PCR and real-time RT-PCR. Confined field evaluation of a total of 31 putative transgenic lines planted showed a knockdown expression of the targeted ACO1 and ACO2 genes in 13 lines, which required more than 8 days to achieve the full yellow colour (Index 6. Fruits harvested from lines pRNAiACO2 L2-9 and pRNAiACO1 L2 exhibited about 20 and 14 days extended post-harvest shelf life to reach Index 6, respectively. The total soluble solids contents of the fruits ranged from 11 to 14° Brix, a range similar to fruits from non-transformed, wild type seed-derived plants.

  5. Do accountable care organizations (ACOs) help or hinder primary care physicians' ability to deliver high-quality care?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Berenson, Robert A; Burton, Rachel A; McGrath, Megan

    2016-09-01

    Many view advanced primary care models such as the patient-centered medical home as foundational for accountable care organizations (ACOs), but it remains unclear how these two delivery reforms are complementary and how they may produce conflict. The objective of this study was to identify how joining an ACO could help or hinder a primary care practice's efforts to deliver high-quality care. This qualitative study involved interviews with a purposive sample of 32 early adopters of advanced primary care and/or ACO models, drawn from across the U.S. and conducted in mid-2014. Interview notes were coded using qualitative data analysis software, permitting topic-specific queries which were then summarized. Respondents perceived many potential benefits of joining an ACO, including care coordination staff, data analytics, and improved communication with other providers. However, respondents were also concerned about added "bureaucratic" requirements, referral restrictions, and a potential inability to recoup investments in practice improvements. Interviewees generally thought joining an ACO could complement a practice's efforts to deliver high-quality care, yet noted some concerns that could undermine these synergies. Both the advantages and disadvantages of joining an ACO seemed exacerbated for small practices, since they are most likely to benefit from additional resources yet are most likely to chafe under added bureaucratic requirements. Our identification of the potential pros and cons of joining an ACO may help providers identify areas to examine when weighing whether to enter into such an arrangement, and may help ACOs identify potential areas for improvement. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  6. Tailoring Systems Engineering Processes in a Conceptual Design Environment: A Case Study at NASA Marshall Spaceflight Center's ACO

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mulqueen, John; Maples, C. Dauphne; Fabisinski, Leo, III

    2012-01-01

    This paper provides an overview of Systems Engineering as it is applied in a conceptual design space systems department at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Marshall Spaceflight Center (MSFC) Advanced Concepts Office (ACO). Engineering work performed in the NASA MFSC's ACO is targeted toward the Exploratory Research and Concepts Development life cycle stages, as defined in the International Council on Systems Engineering (INCOSE) System Engineering Handbook. This paper addresses three ACO Systems Engineering tools that correspond to three INCOSE Technical Processes: Stakeholder Requirements Definition, Requirements Analysis, and Integration, as well as one Project Process Risk Management. These processes are used to facilitate, streamline, and manage systems engineering processes tailored for the earliest two life cycle stages, which is the environment in which ACO engineers work. The role of systems engineers and systems engineering as performed in ACO is explored in this paper. The need for tailoring Systems Engineering processes, tools, and products in the ever-changing engineering services ACO provides to its customers is addressed.

  7. Housing, Transportation, And Food: How ACOs Seek To Improve Population Health By Addressing Nonmedical Needs Of Patients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fraze, Taressa; Lewis, Valerie A; Rodriguez, Hector P; Fisher, Elliott S

    2016-11-01

    Addressing nonmedical needs-such as the need for housing-is critical to advancing population health, improving the quality of care, and lowering the costs of care. Accountable care organizations (ACOs) are well positioned to address these needs. We used qualitative interviews with ACO leaders and site visits to examine how these organizations addressed the nonmedical needs of their patients, and the extent to which they did so. We developed a typology of medical and social services integration among ACOs that disentangles service and organizational integration. We found that the nonmedical needs most commonly addressed by ACOs were the need for transportation and housing and food insecurity. ACOs identified nonmedical needs through processes that were part of the primary care visit or care transformation programs. Approaches to meeting patients' nonmedical needs were either individualized solutions (developed patient by patient) or targeted approaches (programs developed to address specific needs). As policy makers continue to provide incentives for health care organizations to meet a broader spectrum of patients' needs, these findings offer insights into how health care organizations such as ACOs integrate themselves with nonmedical organizations. Project HOPE—The People-to-People Health Foundation, Inc.

  8. Quantificação de tecido conjuntivo do músculo cardíaco de cães

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hildebrando Gomes Benedicto

    2003-01-01

    Full Text Available Objetivou-se, neste trabalho, estudar a proporção de tecido conjuntivo existente na fração ventricular direita e esquerda do músculo cardíaco de cães, buscando, através da morfometria, dados referentes a inter-relação entre o tecido conjuntivo e o tecido muscular cardíaco, para o conhecimento das relações anátomo-funcionais da estrutura cardíaca, característica de determinados processos ligados a diminuição do trabalho do órgão. Utilizou-se 6 corações de cães SRD, machos e fêmeas, com idade entre 48 e 150 meses, pesando entre 18 e 30 Kg, sem alterações cardíacas, confirmado mediante exames eletrocardiográfico e ecocardiográfico. Preparou-se o material oriundo de três regiões ventriculares em relação a sua base, proximal, média e distal, tanto da face direita quanto da esquerda, segundo as técnicas histológicas convencionais e corados com Picrosirius red, Fucsina-Paraldeido e Tricromo de Gomori, para evidenciação das fibras conjuntivas. As lâminas foram analisadas com auxílio do Axioscópio Zeiss acoplado ao programa de análise de imagens KS-400 Zeiss. A quantidade de tecido conjuntivo no Ventrículo Esquerdo variou de 0,44 a 26,26%; no Ventrículo Direito variou de 0,97 a 21,18%; no ápice variou de 1,32 a 29,24% e no septo interventricular variou de 5,41 a 11,24%. Os resultados obtidos mostram que há uma complexa rede de fibras conjuntivas envolvendo as fibras do tecido muscular cardíaco e que sua quantidade e disposição é muito variada, dependendo da região estudada.

  9. [ACOS: Clinical and functional features The Russian formulation mesalazine (kansalazine) in the therapy of ulcerative colitis].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sobko, E A; Chubarova, S V; Demko, I V; Loktionova, M M; Ishchenko, O P; Solovyeva, I A; Kraposhina, A Yu; Gordeeva, N V

    To investigate the clinical and functional parameters in patients with asthma-chronic obstructive pulmonary disease overlap syndrome (ACOS) versus those with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and asthma. A total of 129 people were examined. 51 patients with ACOS were followed up in Group 1; Group 2 included 38 patients with severe asthma; Group 3 consisted of 40 patients with severe COPD. All the patients underwent clinical examination: history data collection, physical examination, evaluation of disease symptoms, and study of respiratory function (spirometry, body plethysmography). ACOS is clinically characterized by considerable demands for emergency drugs and by more frequent asthmatic fits and exacerbations, which require hospitalization. The parameters of bronchial resistance in ACOS were established to be increased throughout the follow-up period and to be comparable with those in patients with COPD. In the patients with ACOS, the severity of pulmonary hyperinflation was associated with increased demands for emergency drugs (r=0.59; p=0.015). Fixed bronchial obstruction in ACOS can be caused by smoking intensity and duration associated with increased bronchial resistance in expiration (r=0.51; p=0.003) and intrathoracic volume (r=0.71; p=0.0001); as well as increased body mass index (p<0.001) and disease duration, which were interrelated with a reduction in the forced expiratory volume in one second/forced vital capacity ratio (r=-0.63; p=0.001 and r=-0.71; p=0.0034, respectively). Patients with ACOS show more severe clinical manifestations and a substantial increase in functional residual capacity and intrathoracic volume throughout the follow-up period, suggesting that the distal bronchi are impaired and pulmonary hyperinflation develops.

  10. ACO-Initialized Wavelet Neural Network for Vibration Fault Diagnosis of Hydroturbine Generating Unit

    OpenAIRE

    Xiao, Zhihuai; He, Xinying; Fu, Xiangqian; Malik, O. P.

    2015-01-01

    Considering the drawbacks of traditional wavelet neural network, such as low convergence speed and high sensitivity to initial parameters, an ant colony optimization- (ACO-) initialized wavelet neural network is proposed in this paper for vibration fault diagnosis of a hydroturbine generating unit. In this method, parameters of the wavelet neural network are initialized by the ACO algorithm, and then the wavelet neural network is trained by the gradient descent algorithm. Amplitudes of the fr...

  11. Impact of Provider Participation in ACO Programs on Preventive Care Services, Patient Experiences, and Health Care Expenditures in US Adults Aged 18-64.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hong, Young-Rock; Sonawane, Kalyani; Larson, Samantha; Mainous, Arch G; Marlow, Nicole M

    2018-05-15

    Little is known about the impact of accountable care organization (ACO) on US adults aged 18-64. To examine whether having a usual source of care (USC) provider participating in an ACO affects receipt of preventive care services, patient experiences, and health care expenditures among nonelderly Americans. A cross-sectional analysis of the 2015 Medical Organizations Survey linked with the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey. Survey respondents aged 18-64 with an identified USC and continuous health insurance coverage during 2015. Preventative care services (routine checkup, flu vaccination, and cancer screening), patient experiences with health care (access to care, interaction quality with providers, and global satisfaction), and health care expenditures (total and out-of-pocket expenditures) for respondents with USC by ACO and non-ACO provider groups. Among 1563, nonelderly Americans having a USC, we found that nearly 62.7% [95% confidence interval (CI), 58.6%-66.7%; representing 15,722,208 Americans] were cared for by ACO providers. Our analysis showed no significant differences in preventive care services or patient experiences between ACO and non-ACO groups. Adjusted mean total health expenditures were slightly higher for the ACO than non-ACO group [$7016 (95% CI, $4949-$9914) vs. $6796 (95% CI, $4724-$9892)]; however, this difference was not statistically significant (P=0.250). Our findings suggest that having a USC provider participating in an ACO is not associated with preventive care services use, patient experiences, or health care expenditures among a nonelderly population.

  12. ACO-Initialized Wavelet Neural Network for Vibration Fault Diagnosis of Hydroturbine Generating Unit

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zhihuai Xiao

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Considering the drawbacks of traditional wavelet neural network, such as low convergence speed and high sensitivity to initial parameters, an ant colony optimization- (ACO- initialized wavelet neural network is proposed in this paper for vibration fault diagnosis of a hydroturbine generating unit. In this method, parameters of the wavelet neural network are initialized by the ACO algorithm, and then the wavelet neural network is trained by the gradient descent algorithm. Amplitudes of the frequency components of the hydroturbine generating unit vibration signals are used as feature vectors for wavelet neural network training to realize mapping relationship from vibration features to fault types. A real vibration fault diagnosis case result of a hydroturbine generating unit shows that the proposed method has faster convergence speed and stronger generalization ability than the traditional wavelet neural network and ACO wavelet neural network. Thus it can provide an effective solution for online vibration fault diagnosis of a hydroturbine generating unit.

  13. Construction of the Orsay ACO storage ring, 1: progress report. 2: detecting systems; La construction de l'anneau de stockage ACO d'Orsay, 1: etat des travaux. 2: systemes de detection

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Blanc-Lapierre, A; Arzelier, G; Beck, R A; Belbeoch, R; Boutouyrie, B; Bruck, H; Burnod, L; Gendreau, G; Gratreau, P; Haissinski, J; Jolivot, R; Laborde, J; Le Duff, J; Leleux, G; Marin, P C; Milman, B; Sommer, E; Zyngier, H [Laboratoire de l' Accelerateur Lineaire, 91 - Orsay (France); [Commissariat a l' Energie Atomique, Saclay (France). Centre d' Etudes Nucleaires; Augustin, J E; Rumpf, F; Silva, E

    1966-07-01

    1. - A brief progress report is given, with mention of the difficulties solved since the 1963 Dubna Conference and the extra facilities which will be available on the ring (beam observation and measurements); 2. - Typical large solid angle detecting systems and equipment for accurate monitoring under construction at Orsay are also presented. Emphasis is put on some peculiar features at ACO as a tool for physics: long experimental straight section and short length of the bunches. (authors) [French] 1. - Un bref rapport est presente sur l'etat d'avancement du projet ACO en precisant les difficultes resolues depuis la Conference de Dubna en 1963, et les moyens nouveaux mis en place sur l'anneau pour les observations et mesures sur les faisceaux; 2. - Des systemes de detection a grand angle solide et de monitorage precis, en construction a Orsay, sont egalement presentes. On insiste sur quelques traits particuliers d'ACO en tant qu'outil de travail de physique: section droite experimentale longue et paquets courts. (auteurs)

  14. ALOHA Cabled Observatory (ACO): Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP): Velocity

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — The University of Hawaii's ALOHA ("A Long-term Oligotrophic Habitat Assessment") Cabled Observatory (ACO) is located 100 km north of the island of Oahu, Hawaii (22...

  15. 178. Linfoma cardíaco. Una neoplasia infrecuente

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    E. Sandoval

    2010-01-01

    Conclusiones: Los linfomas cardíacos son de alto grado de agresividad. La localización principal es la aurícula derecha, con clínica inespecífica y variable. No existe claro consenso sobre el tratamiento de elección, pero parece haber mayor supervivencia con tratamiento combinado con quimioterapia con antraciclínicos y radioterapia.

  16. Bending The Spending Curve By Altering Care Delivery Patterns: The Role Of Care Management Within A Pioneer ACO.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hsu, John; Price, Mary; Vogeli, Christine; Brand, Richard; Chernew, Michael E; Chaguturu, Sreekanth K; Weil, Eric; Ferris, Timothy G

    2017-05-01

    Accountable care organizations (ACOs) appear to lower medical spending, but there is little information on how they do so. We examined the impact of patient participation in a Pioneer ACO and its care management program on rates of emergency department (ED) visits and hospitalizations and on Medicare spending. We used data for the period 2009-14, exploiting naturally staggered program entry to create concurrent controls to help isolate the program effects. The care management program (the ACO's primary intervention) targeted beneficiaries with elevated but modifiable risks for future spending. ACO participation had a modest effect on spending, in line with previous estimates. Participation in the care management program was associated with substantial reductions in rates for hospitalizations and both all and nonemergency ED visits, as well as Medicare spending, when compared to preparticipation levels and to rates and spending for a concurrent sample of beneficiaries who were eligible for but had not yet started the program. Rates of ED visits and hospitalizations were reduced by 6 percent and 8 percent, respectively, and Medicare spending was reduced by 6 percent. Targeting beneficiaries with modifiable high risks and shifting care away from the ED represent viable mechanisms for altering spending within ACOs. Project HOPE—The People-to-People Health Foundation, Inc.

  17. 288. Feocromocitoma Cardíaco a Nivel Del Surco Interauricular

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    C. Iglesias Gil

    2012-04-01

    La localización extraadrenal de los feocromocitomas es infrecuente, siendo la torácica inferior al 2% y la intrapericárdica excepcional. Dado que son escasos los reportes de tumores secretores de catecolaminas a nivel cardíaco, presentamos este caso.

  18. Processing time tolerance-based ACO algorithm for solving job-shop scheduling problem

    Science.gov (United States)

    Luo, Yabo; Waden, Yongo P.

    2017-06-01

    Ordinarily, Job Shop Scheduling Problem (JSSP) is known as NP-hard problem which has uncertainty and complexity that cannot be handled by a linear method. Thus, currently studies on JSSP are concentrated mainly on applying different methods of improving the heuristics for optimizing the JSSP. However, there still exist many problems for efficient optimization in the JSSP, namely, low efficiency and poor reliability, which can easily trap the optimization process of JSSP into local optima. Therefore, to solve this problem, a study on Ant Colony Optimization (ACO) algorithm combined with constraint handling tactics is carried out in this paper. Further, the problem is subdivided into three parts: (1) Analysis of processing time tolerance-based constraint features in the JSSP which is performed by the constraint satisfying model; (2) Satisfying the constraints by considering the consistency technology and the constraint spreading algorithm in order to improve the performance of ACO algorithm. Hence, the JSSP model based on the improved ACO algorithm is constructed; (3) The effectiveness of the proposed method based on reliability and efficiency is shown through comparative experiments which are performed on benchmark problems. Consequently, the results obtained by the proposed method are better, and the applied technique can be used in optimizing JSSP.

  19. The development and psychometric validation of an instrument to evaluate nurses' attitudes towards communication with the patient (ACO).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Giménez-Espert, María Del Carmen; Prado-Gascó, Vicente Javier

    2018-05-01

    Patient communication is a key skill for nurses involved in clinical care. Its measurement is a complex phenomenon that can be addressed through attitude evaluation. To develop and psychometrically test a measure of nurses' attitudes towards communication with patients (ACO), to study the relationship between these dimensions, and to analyse nursing attitudes. To develop and psychometrically test the ACO questionnaire. All hospitals in the province of Valencia were invited by e-mail to distribute the ACO instrument. Ten hospitals took part in the study. The study population was composed of a convenience sample of 400 hospital nurses on general or special services. The inclusion criteria were nurses at the selected centres who had previously provided an informed consent to participate. A literature review and expert consultation (N = 10) was used to develop the content of the questionnaire. The 62-item version of the instrument was applied to a convenience sample of 400 nurses between May 2015 and March 2016. Factor structure was evaluated with exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis (EFA, CFA), and reliability was evaluated with Cronbach's alpha, composite reliability (CR), and average variance extracted (AVE). The final instrument (ACO), composed of 25 items grouped into three attitude dimensions (cognitive, affective and behavioural), had good psychometric properties. In the study sample, nurses had a favourable attitude towards communication. The cognitive and affective dimensions of the ACO should be able to predict the behaviour dimension. The ACO is useful for evaluating current clinical practices, identifying educational needs and assessing the effectiveness of communication training or other interventions intended to improve communication. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  20. A performance improvement and cost-efficient ACO-OFDM scheme for visible light communications

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Tiantian; Zhou, Ji; Zhang, Zhenshan; Qiao, Yaojun; Su, Fei; Yang, Aiying

    2017-11-01

    In this paper, we propose a performance improvement and cost-efficient discrete Hartley transform (DHT)-based asymmetrically clipped optical orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (ACO-OFDM) scheme for visible light communications (VLC). The simple one-dimensional modulation constellation and simplified encoding structure reduce the complexity of system considerably. The DHT-spreading technique is employed to reduce peak-to-average power ratio (PAPR) of ACO-OFDM signals. Moreover, the intra-symbol frequency-domain averaging (ISFA) technique is used to increase the accuracy of channel estimation by removing the effect of ambient noise in the VLC channel effectively. To verify the feasibility of the proposed scheme, we study its performance via simulation. This scheme reduces the requirement to the resolution of DAC and increases the tolerance to the nonlinear characteristics of LED, both of which are cost-efficient. At forward error correction (FEC) limit (BER = 1 × 10-3), simulation results illustrate that compared with DHT-based ACO-OFDM without the ISFA technique, our scheme has 3.2 dB and 2.7 dB improvement of the required Eb /N0 when BPSK and 4-PAM are modulated, respectively.

  1. Optimization of reload of nuclear power plants using ACO together with the GENES reactor physics code

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lima, Alan M.M. de; Freire, Fernando S.; Nicolau, Andressa S.; Schirru, Roberto, E-mail: alan@lmp.ufrj.br, E-mail: andressa@lmp.ufrj.br, E-mail: schirru@lmp.ufrj.br, E-mail: ffreire@eletronuclear.gov.br [Coordenacao de Pos-Graduacao e Pesquisa de Engenharia (PEN/COPPE/UFRJ), Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil); Eletrobras Termonuclear S.A. (ELETRONUCLEAR), Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil)

    2017-11-01

    The Nuclear reload of a Pressurized Water Reactor (PWR) occurs whenever the burning of the fuel elements can no longer maintain the criticality of the reactor, that is, it cannot maintain the Nuclear power plant operates within its nominal power. Nuclear reactor reload optimization problem consists of finding a loading pattern of fuel assemblies in the reactor core in order to minimize the cost/benefit ratio, trying to obtain maximum power generation with a minimum of cost, since in all reloads an average of one third of the new fuel elements are purchased. This loading pattern must also satisfy constraints of symmetry and security. In practice, it consists of the placing 121 fuel elements in 121 core positions, in the case of the Angra 1 Brazilian Nuclear Power Plant (NPP), making this new arrangement provide the best cost/benefit ratio. It is an extremely complex problem, since it has around 1% of great places. A core of 121 fuel elements has approximately 10{sup 13} combinations and 10{sup 11} great locations. With this number of possible combinations it is impossible to test all, in order to choose the best. In this work a system called ACO-GENES is proposed in order to optimization the Nuclear Reactor Reload Problem. ACO is successfully used in combination problems, and it is expected that ACO-GENES will show a robust optimization system, since in addition to optimizing ACO, it allows important prior knowledge such as K infinite, burn, etc. After optimization by ACO-GENES, the best results will be validated by a licensed reactor physics code and will be compared with the actual results of the cycle. (author)

  2. Optimization of reload of nuclear power plants using ACO together with the GENES reactor physics code

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lima, Alan M.M. de; Freire, Fernando S.; Nicolau, Andressa S.; Schirru, Roberto

    2017-01-01

    The Nuclear reload of a Pressurized Water Reactor (PWR) occurs whenever the burning of the fuel elements can no longer maintain the criticality of the reactor, that is, it cannot maintain the Nuclear power plant operates within its nominal power. Nuclear reactor reload optimization problem consists of finding a loading pattern of fuel assemblies in the reactor core in order to minimize the cost/benefit ratio, trying to obtain maximum power generation with a minimum of cost, since in all reloads an average of one third of the new fuel elements are purchased. This loading pattern must also satisfy constraints of symmetry and security. In practice, it consists of the placing 121 fuel elements in 121 core positions, in the case of the Angra 1 Brazilian Nuclear Power Plant (NPP), making this new arrangement provide the best cost/benefit ratio. It is an extremely complex problem, since it has around 1% of great places. A core of 121 fuel elements has approximately 10"1"3 combinations and 10"1"1 great locations. With this number of possible combinations it is impossible to test all, in order to choose the best. In this work a system called ACO-GENES is proposed in order to optimization the Nuclear Reactor Reload Problem. ACO is successfully used in combination problems, and it is expected that ACO-GENES will show a robust optimization system, since in addition to optimizing ACO, it allows important prior knowledge such as K infinite, burn, etc. After optimization by ACO-GENES, the best results will be validated by a licensed reactor physics code and will be compared with the actual results of the cycle. (author)

  3. Topology in two dimensions. II - The Abell and ACO cluster catalogues

    Science.gov (United States)

    Plionis, Manolis; Valdarnini, Riccardo; Coles, Peter

    1992-09-01

    We apply a method for quantifying the topology of projected galaxy clustering to the Abell and ACO catalogues of rich clusters. We use numerical simulations to quantify the statistical bias involved in using high peaks to define the large-scale structure, and we use the results obtained to correct our observational determinations for this known selection effect and also for possible errors introduced by boundary effects. We find that the Abell cluster sample is consistent with clusters being identified with high peaks of a Gaussian random field, but that the ACO shows a slight meatball shift away from the Gaussian behavior over and above that expected purely from the high-peak selection. The most conservative explanation of this effect is that it is caused by some artefact of the procedure used to select the clusters in the two samples.

  4. Prevalence of nursing diagnosis of decreased cardiac output and the predictive value of defining characteristics in patients under evaluation for heart transplant Prevalencia del diagnóstico de enfermería de disminución del gasto cardíaco y valor predictivo de las características definidoras en pacientes en fase de evaluación para trasplante cardíaco Prevalência do diagnóstico de enfermagem de débito cardíaco diminuído e valor preditivo das características definidoras em pacientes em avaliação para transplante cardíaco

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lígia Neres Matos

    2012-04-01

    Full Text Available The purposes of the study were to identify the prevalence of defining characteristics (DC of decreased cardiac output (DCO in patients with cardiac insufficiency under evaluation for heart transplantation, and to ascertain the likelihood of defining characteristics being predictive factors for the existence of reduction in cardiac output. Data was obtained by retrospective documental analysis of the clinical records of right-sided heart catheterizations in 38 patients between 2004 and 2009. The results showed that 71.1% of the patients had decreased cardiac output (measured by cardiac index. The majority of the NANDA-International defining characteristics for DCO were more frequent in individuals with reduced cardiac index levels. The study emphasizes the odds ratio (OR for increased Systemic Vascular Resistance of OR=4.533, of the third heart sound with OR=3.429 and the reduced ejection fraction with OR=2.850. By obtaining the predictive values for the defining characteristics the study identifies them as diagnostic indicators of decreased cardiac output.El estudio tiene como objetivos identificar la prevalencia de las características definitorias de la disminución del gasto cardíaco (DGC en pacientes con insuficiencia cardíaca (IC en evaluación para el trasplante de corazón y ver la probabilidad de las características definitorias sean factores predictivos de la existencia de una disminución del gasto cardíaco. Los datos se obtuvieron mediante el análisis documental retrospectivo de historias clínicas de cateterismo cordiaco derecho en 38 pacientes con insuficiencia cardíaca en la evaluación para el trasplante de corazón entre 2004 y 2009. Los resultados mostraron que el 71% de los pacientes habían reducido el gasto cardíaco (medido por el índice cardíaco. La mayoría de las características definitorias de la NANDA-International para el DGC fueron más frecuentes en individuos con índice cardíaco reducido. Los aspectos m

  5. Betting on change: Tenet deal with Vanguard shows it's primed to try ACO effort, new payment model.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kutscher, Beth

    2013-07-01

    Tenet Healthcare Corp.'s acquisition of Vanguard Health Systems is a sign the investor-owned chain is willing to take a chance on alternative payment models such as accountable care organizations. There's no certainty that ACOs will deliver the improvements on quality or cost savings, but Vanguard Vice Chairman Keith Pitts, left, says his system's Pioneer ACO in Detroit has already achieved some cost savings.

  6. Protocolo del manejo y selección del donante cardíaco

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    José Elizalde

    2008-01-01

    Full Text Available El trasplante cardíaco es una terapia aceptada en grupos de pacientes afectos de insuficiencia cardíaca terminal. El envejecimiento progresivo de los donantes y la reducción del número de traumatismos craneoencefálicos mortales obliga a una valoración exhaustiva en cada caso. La ecocardiografía es, hoy en día, una exploración obligada en la valoración del donante. La Organización Nacional de Trasplantes ha elaborado un protocolo de manejo del donante torácico para optimizar su aprovechamiento. Se revisan los criterios de selección del donante cardíaco insistiendo en las contraindicaciones, en el despistaje de enfermedad coronaria y el mantenimiento durante el proceso de selección.

  7. Trasplante cardíaco pediátrico: pasado, presente y futuro

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    María-Teresa González-López

    2017-01-01

    Conclusión: El trasplante cardíaco pediátrico presenta óptimos resultados en nuestro medio, superponibles a series mundiales. Aunque el perfil de riesgo está incrementándose, los resultados actuales reflejan los avances en el manejo de estos pacientes.

  8. Solving optimum operation of single pump unit problem with ant colony optimization (ACO) algorithm

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yuan, Y; Liu, C

    2012-01-01

    For pumping stations, the effective scheduling of daily pump operations from solutions to the optimum design operation problem is one of the greatest potential areas for energy cost-savings, there are some difficulties in solving this problem with traditional optimization methods due to the multimodality of the solution region. In this case, an ACO model for optimum operation of pumping unit is proposed and the solution method by ants searching is presented by rationally setting the object function and constrained conditions. A weighted directed graph was constructed and feasible solutions may be found by iteratively searching of artificial ants, and then the optimal solution can be obtained by applying the rule of state transition and the pheromone updating. An example calculation was conducted and the minimum cost was found as 4.9979. The result of ant colony algorithm was compared with the result from dynamic programming or evolutionary solving method in commercial software under the same discrete condition. The result of ACO is better and the computing time is shorter which indicates that ACO algorithm can provide a high application value to the field of optimal operation of pumping stations and related fields.

  9. Silencing of ACO decreases reproduction and energy metabolism in triazophos-treated female brown plant hoppers, Nilaparvata lugens Stål (Hemiptera: Delphacidae).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Zong-Yu; Jiang, Yi-Ping; Li, Lei; You, Lin-Lin; Wu, You; Xu, Bin; Ge, Lin-Quan; Wu, Jin-Cai

    2016-03-01

    The brown plant hopper (BPH), Nilaparvata lugens Stål (Hemiptera: Delphacidae), is a major pest affecting rice in Asia, and outbreaks of this pest are closely linked to pesticide-induced stimulation of reproduction. Therefore, the BPH is a classic example of a resurgent pest. However, the effects of different genes on the regulation of pesticide-induced reproductive stimulation in the BPH are unclear. In this study, the regulatory effects of acyl-coenzyme A oxidase (ACO) on the reproduction and biochemistry of the BPH were investigated with gene silencing. The number of eggs laid per female by triazophos (TZP)+dsACO BPH females was significantly lower than those of TZP-treated (without ACO silencing) or TZP+GFP females (negative control), with the number of eggs decreasing by 30.8% (from 529.5 to 366.3) and 32.0% (from 540.5 to 366.3), respectively. The preoviposition period, oviposition period, and longevity of the TZP-treated females were also influenced by dsACO treatment. Additionally, the amounts of crude fat, protein, and some fatty acids (oleic acid, palmitic acid, linoleic acid, stearic acid, and myristoleic acid) in TZP+dsACO females were significantly lower than in TZP-treated females. Thus, ACO is one of the key genes regulating the TZP-induced stimulation of reproduction in BPH females. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  10. Dynamic Fuzzy Logic Parameter Tuning for ACO and Its Application in the Fuzzy Logic Control of an Autonomous Mobile Robot

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Oscar Castillo

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available Ant Colony Optimization (ACO is a population-based constructive meta-heuristic that exploits a form of past performance memory inspired by the foraging behaviour of real ants. The behaviour of the ACO algorithm is highly dependent on the values defined for its parameters. Adaptation and parameter control are recurring themes in the field of bio-inspired algorithms. The present paper explores a new approach to diversity control in ACO. The central idea is to avoid or slow down full convergence through the dynamic variation of certain parameters. The performance of different variants of the ACO algorithm was observed to choose one as the basis for the proposed approach. A convergence fuzzy logic controller with the objective of maintaining diversity at some level to avoid premature convergence was created. Encouraging results have been obtained on its application to the design of fuzzy controllers. In particular, the optimization of membership functions for a unicycle mobile robot trajectory control is presented with the proposed method.

  11. Applications of UV-storage ring free electron lasers: the case of super-ACO

    CERN Document Server

    Nahon, L; Couprie, Marie Emmanuelle; Merola, F; Dumas, P; Marsi, M; Taleb-Ibrahimi, A; Nutarelli, D; Roux, R; Billardon, M

    1999-01-01

    The potential of UV-storage ring free electron lasers (SRFELs) for the performance of original application experiments is shown with a special emphasis concerning their combination with the naturally synchronized synchrotron radiation (SR). The first two-color FEL+SR experiment, performed in surface science at Super-ACO is reported. The experimental parameters found to be the most important as gathered from the acquired experience, are underlined and discussed. Finally, future prospects for the scientific program of the Super-ACO FEL are presented with two-color experiments combining the FEL with SR undulator-based XUV and VUV beamlines as well as with a SR white light bending magnet beamline emiting in the IR-UV (20 mu m-0.25 mu m).

  12. ENHANCED HYBRID PSO – ACO ALGORITHM FOR GRID SCHEDULING

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    P. Mathiyalagan

    2010-07-01

    Full Text Available Grid computing is a high performance computing environment to solve larger scale computational demands. Grid computing contains resource management, task scheduling, security problems, information management and so on. Task scheduling is a fundamental issue in achieving high performance in grid computing systems. A computational GRID is typically heterogeneous in the sense that it combines clusters of varying sizes, and different clusters typically contains processing elements with different level of performance. In this, heuristic approaches based on particle swarm optimization and ant colony optimization algorithms are adopted for solving task scheduling problems in grid environment. Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO is one of the latest evolutionary optimization techniques by nature. It has the better ability of global searching and has been successfully applied to many areas such as, neural network training etc. Due to the linear decreasing of inertia weight in PSO the convergence rate becomes faster, which leads to the minimal makespan time when used for scheduling. To make the convergence rate faster, the PSO algorithm is improved by modifying the inertia parameter, such that it produces better performance and gives an optimized result. The ACO algorithm is improved by modifying the pheromone updating rule. ACO algorithm is hybridized with PSO algorithm for efficient result and better convergence in PSO algorithm.

  13. Free electron laser on the ACO storage ring

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Elleaume, P.

    1984-06-01

    This dissertation presents the design and characteristics of a Free Electron Laser built on the electron storage ring ACO at Orsay. The weak optical gain available (approximately 0.1% per pass) necessitated the use of an optical klystron instead of an undulator and the use of mirror with extremely high reflectivity. The laser characteristics: spectra, micro and macro-temporal structures, transverse structure and power are presented. They are in very good agreement with a classical theory based on the Lorentz force and Maxwell equations [fr

  14. Interdisciplinariedade: entre o desejo e a prática dos profissionais do transplante cardíaco no Instituto Dante Pazzanese de Cardiologia

    OpenAIRE

    Santos, Nadja Maria Codá dos

    2005-01-01

    Esta dissertação tem o objetivo geral de: analisar a prática interdisciplinar nos 13 anos de transplante cardíaco no Instituto Dante Pazzanese de Cardiologia IDPC. Buscou como objetivos específicos: resgatar a história do transplante cardíaco no IDPC; analisar as perspectivas dos profissionais sobre a contribuição de sua profissão e das demais para o trabalho interdisciplinar; estudar contribuição do Serviço Social para a prática interdisciplinar. Na prática do transplante cardíaco, inserid...

  15. Towards the Fourier limit on the super-ACO Storage Ring FEL

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Couprie, M.E.; De Ninno, G.; Moneron, G.; Nutarelli, D.; Hirsch, M.; Garzella, D.; Renault, E.; Roux, R.; Thomas, C.

    2001-01-01

    Systematic studies on the Free Electron Laser (FEL) line and micropulse have been performed on the Super-ACO storage ring FEL with a monochromator and a double-sweep streak camera under various conditions of operation (detuning, 'CW' and Q-switched mode). From these data, it appears that the FEL is usually operated very close to the Fourier limit

  16. Towards the Fourier limit on the super-ACO Storage Ring FEL

    CERN Document Server

    Couprie, Marie Emmanuelle; Garzella, D; Hirsch, M; Moneron, G; Nutarelli, D; Renault, E; Roux, R; Thomas, C

    2001-01-01

    Systematic studies on the Free Electron Laser (FEL) line and micropulse have been performed on the Super-ACO storage ring FEL with a monochromator and a double-sweep streak camera under various conditions of operation (detuning, 'CW' and Q-switched mode). From these data, it appears that the FEL is usually operated very close to the Fourier limit.

  17. Caso clínico del Departamento de Psiquiatría: Trastorno afectivo bipolar 1, episodio maníaco

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    José Manuel Calvo Gómez

    1995-04-01

    Full Text Available Se trata de un paciente de 21 años con un cuadro clínico de una semana de evolución cuyas características satisfacen los criterios diagnósticos de la Cuarta Edición del Manual Estadístico y Diagnóstico de los Trastornos Mentales (DSM IV para trastorno afectivo bipolar 1,episodio maníaco severo con características psicóticas congruentes con el estado de ánimo. Criterios diagnósticos para trastorno afectivo bipolar 1: A. Actualmente (o recientemente en episodio maníaco. B. Ha existido previamente al menos un episodio depresivo mayor, episodio maníaco o episodio mixto. C. Los episodios afectivos de los criterios A y B no son producidos por un trastorno esquizoafectivo y no están superpuestos sobre esquizofrenia, trastorno esquizofreniforme, trastorno delirante, o trastorno psicótico no especificado en otro sitio.

  18. Certeza diagnóstica en la mortalidad de una población de pacientes con trasplante cardíaco

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marcos Amuchástegui

    2008-01-01

    Full Text Available RESUMENIntroducciónA pesar de que la morbimortalidad en el trasplante cardíaco ha sido motivo de extensoanálisis, la mayoría de los estudios y registros de mortalidad en pacientes trasplantados sebasan sobre datos clínicos. En la bibliografía existen comunicaciones aisladas de autopsiasen pacientes con trasplante cardíaco.ObjetivoDeterminar la importancia de la realización de estudios anatomopatológicos para el diagnósticode causa de muerte en un programa de trasplante cardíaco.Material y métodosSe incluyeron todos los pacientes con trasplante cardíaco fallecidos entre enero 1990 y enero2005. El diagnóstico definitivo de la causa de muerte fue corroborado por autopsia obiopsia de órgano sólido. Las causas de muerte evaluadas fueron falla precoz del injerto,rechazo celular, infección, enfermedad vascular del injerto, neoplasia y otros.ResultadosDurante el período en estudio 73 pacientes fueron sometidos a trasplante cardíaco; de ellos,fallecieron 31. Se obtuvieron 12 autopsias y 7 biopsias de órgano sólido que certificaron lacausa de muerte (61%. La causa de muerte más frecuente fue el rechazo celular mayor degrado III. En el 12,9%, la anatomía patológica difirió de la sospecha clínica de la causa demuerte.ConclusiónLa información clinicopatológica derivada de estudios post mortem es un indicador de nuestrarealidad asistencial y se constituye en un pilar fundamental para el conocimiento y elmanejo futuro de los pacientes trasplantados, por lo que consideramos que la realización deautopsias en estos pacientes es de vital importancia.REV ARGENT CARDIOL 2008;76:292-294.

  19. Integrating Medication Therapy Management (MTM Services Provided by Community Pharmacists into a Community-Based Accountable Care Organization (ACO

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Brian Isetts

    2017-10-01

    Full Text Available (1 Background: As the U.S. healthcare system evolves from fee-for-service financing to global population-based payments designed to be accountable for both quality and total cost of care, the effective and safe use of medications is gaining increased importance. The purpose of this project was to determine the feasibility of integrating medication therapy management (MTM services provided by community pharmacists into the clinical care teams and the health information technology (HIT infrastructure for Minnesota Medicaid recipients of a 12-county community-based accountable care organization (ACO. (2 Methods: The continuous quality improvement evaluation methodology employed in this project was the context + mechanism = outcome (CMO model to account for the fact that programs only work insofar as they introduce promising ideas, solutions and opportunities in the appropriate social and cultural contexts. Collaborations between a 12-county ACO and 15 community pharmacies in Southwest Minnesota served as the social context for this feasibility study of MTM referrals to community pharmacists. (3 Results: All 15 community pharmacy sites were integrated into the HIT infrastructure through Direct Secure Messaging, and there were 32 recipients who received MTM services subsequent to referrals from the ACO at 5 of the 15 community pharmacies over a 1-year implementation phase. (4 Conclusion: At the conclusion of this project, an effective electronic communication and MTM referral system was activated, and consideration was given to community pharmacists providing MTM in future ACO shared savings agreements.

  20. Domainwise Web Page Optimization Based On Clustered Query Sessions Using Hybrid Of Trust And ACO For Effective Information Retrieval

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dr. Suruchi Chawla

    2015-08-01

    Full Text Available Abstract In this paper hybrid of Ant Colony OptimizationACO and trust has been used for domainwise web page optimization in clustered query sessions for effective Information retrieval. The trust of the web page identifies its degree of relevance in satisfying specific information need of the user. The trusted web pages when optimized using pheromone updates in ACO will identify the trusted colonies of web pages which will be relevant to users information need in a given domain. Hence in this paper the hybrid of Trust and ACO has been used on clustered query sessions for identifying more and more relevant number of documents in a given domain in order to better satisfy the information need of the user. Experiment was conducted on the data set of web query sessions to test the effectiveness of the proposed approach in selected three domains Academics Entertainment and Sports and the results confirm the improvement in the precision of search results.

  1. Tamponamento cardíaco tardio traumático: análise de cinco casos Traumatic late cardiac tamponade: analysis of five cases

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    FERNANDO LUIZ WESTPHAL

    2000-09-01

    Full Text Available São analisados cinco casos de tamponamento cardíaco tardio traumático. Os pacientes eram masculinos, idade média de 26,2 anos, vítimas de ferimento por arma branca em região precordial, área de Ziedler, sendo admitidos em centro de referência para trauma. Foram classificados pelo índice fisiológico de Ivatury para trauma cardíaco e inicialmente tratados por pleurotomia intercostal e reposição volêmica, com estabilização do quadro hemodinâmico e respiratório. Os pacientes foram readmitidos após intervalo de oito a 24 dias (mediana de 20 dias, agora no serviço de cirurgia torácica de um hospital de referência terciária, com sinais de tamponamento cardíaco. Os exames diagnósticos confirmaram derrame pericárdico com espessamento pericárdico associado a encarceramento de base pulmonar esquerdo em quatro casos, os quais foram abordados por toracotomia póstero-lateral, com realização de pericardiectomia parcial e descorticação pulmonar. Um paciente evoluiu com pericardite purulenta, comprovada por exames complementares, e foi submetido à drenagem pericárdica subxifóidea. Ocorreu arritmia pós-operatória em um paciente; os demais evoluíram sem complicações pós-operatórias ou recidiva do tamponamento.Five traumatic late cardiac tamponade cases were analyzed. All patients were male, mean age was 26.2, victims of thoracic penetrating stabbing wound in the precordial region, Ziedler area, admitted to a trauma reference center. They were classified by the Ivatury physiological index for cardiac trauma. The first treatment approach was intercostal pleurectomy and volemic resuscitation followed by hemodynamic and respiratory recovery. Patients with cardiac tamponade symptoms were re-admitted within an interval from eight to twenty four days (mean 20 days in a thoracic surgery service of a tertiary reference hospital. Diagnostic exams confirmed thickening and pericardial effusion associated with a left pulmonary base

  2. The Effect of Nonnormality on CB-SEM and PLS-SEM Path Estimates

    OpenAIRE

    Z. Jannoo; B. W. Yap; N. Auchoybur; M. A. Lazim

    2014-01-01

    The two common approaches to Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) are the Covariance-Based SEM (CB-SEM) and Partial Least Squares SEM (PLS-SEM). There is much debate on the performance of CB-SEM and PLS-SEM for small sample size and when distributions are nonnormal. This study evaluates the performance of CB-SEM and PLS-SEM under normality and nonnormality conditions via a simulation. Monte Carlo Simulation in R programming language was employed to generate data based on the theoretical model w...

  3. Expression Study of LeGAPDH, LeACO1, LeACS1A, and LeACS2 in Tomato Fruit (Solanum lycopersicum

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Pijar Riza Anugerah

    2015-10-01

    Full Text Available Tomato is a climacteric fruit, which is characterized by ripening-related increase of respiration and elevated ethylene synthesis. Ethylene is the key hormone in ripening process of climacteric fruits. The objective of this research is to study the expression of three ethylene synthesis genes: LeACO1, LeACS1A, LeACS2, and a housekeeping gene LeGAPDH in ripening tomato fruit. Specific primers have been designed to amplify complementary DNA fragment of LeGAPDH (143 bp, LeACO1 (240 bp, LeACS1A (169 bp, and LeACS2 (148 bp using polymerase chain reaction. Nucleotide BLAST results of the complementary DNA fragments show high similarity with LeGAPDH (NM_001247874.1, LeACO1 (NM_001247095.1, LeACS1A (NM_001246993.1, LeACS2 (NM_001247249.1, respectively. Expression study showed that LeACO1, LeACS1A, LeACS2, and LeGAPDH genes were expressed in ripening tomato fruit. Isolation methods, reference sequences, and primers used in this study can be used in future experiments to study expression of genes responsible for ethylene synthesis using quantitative polymerase chain reaction and to design better strategy for controlling fruit ripening in agroindustry.

  4. Estimación del gasto cardíaco: Utilidad en la práctica clínica. Monitorización disponible invasiva y no invasiva

    OpenAIRE

    García, X.; Mateu, L.; Maynar, J.; Mercadal, J.; Ochagavía, A.; Ferrandiz, A.

    2011-01-01

    Esta revisión pretende profundizar en el conocimiento del gasto cardíaco, sus variables y sus condicionantes, así como repasar exhaustivamente las diferentes técnicas disponibles para su monitorización y establecer las situaciones en que el conocimiento del gasto cardíaco nos aporta una información fundamental en el manejo del paciente crítico. La técnica de Fick, utilizada en los inicios para calcular el gasto cardíaco de los pacientes, ha sido sustituida hoy en día en la práctica clínica po...

  5. Implementation of a Pilot ACO Payment Model and the Use of Discretionary and Non-Discretionary Cardiovascular Care

    Science.gov (United States)

    Colla, Carrie. H.; Goodney, Philip P.; Lewis, Valerie A.; Nallamothu, Brahmajee K.; Gottlieb, Daniel J.; Meara, Ellen R.

    2014-01-01

    Background Accountable care organizations (ACOs) seek to reduce growth in healthcare spending while ensuring high-quality care. We hypothesized that ACO implementation would selectively limit utilization of discretionary cardiovascular care (defined as care occurring in the absence of indications such as myocardial infarction or stroke), while maintaining high-quality care such as non-discretionary cardiovascular imaging and procedures. Methods and Results The intervention group was composed of fee-for-service Medicare patients (n=819,779) from 10 groups participating in a Medicare pilot ACO, the Physician Group Practice Demonstration (PGPD). Matched controls were patients (n=934,621) from non-participating groups in the same regions. We compared utilization of cardiovascular care before (2002-2004) and after (2005-2009) PGPD implementation, studying both discretionary and non-discretionary carotid and coronary imaging and procedures. Our main outcome measure was the difference in the proportion of patients treated with imaging and procedures, among patients of PGPD practices compared to patients in control practices, before and after PGPD implementation (difference-in-difference). For discretionary imaging, the difference-in-difference between PGPD practices and controls was not statistically significant for discretionary carotid imaging (0.17%; 95% CI -0.51% to 0.85%, p=0.595) or discretionary coronary imaging (-0.19%; 95% CI -0.73% to 0.35%, p=0.468). Similarly, the difference-in-difference was also minimal for discretionary carotid revascularization (0.003%; 95% CI -0.008% to 0.002%, p=0.705) and coronary revascularization (-0.02%, 95% CI -0.11% to 0.07%, p=0.06). The difference-in-difference associated with PGPD implementation was also essentially zero for non-discretionary cardiovascular imaging or procedures. Conclusions Implementation of a pilot ACO did not limit the utilization of discretionary or non-discretionary cardiovascular care in ten large health

  6. Bioimpedância transtorácica comparada à ressonância magnética na avaliação do débito cardíaco

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Humberto Villacorta Junior

    Full Text Available FUNDAMENTO: A ressonância magnética cardíaca é considerada o método padrão-ouro para o cálculo de volumes cardíacos. A bioimpedância transtorácica cardíaca avalia o débito cardíaco. Não há trabalhos que validem essa medida comparada à ressonância. OBJETIVO: Avaliar o desempenho da bioimpedância transtorácica cardíaca no cálculo do débito cardíaco, índice cardíaco e volume sistólico, utilizando a ressonância como padrão-ouro. MÉTODOS: Avaliados 31 pacientes, com média de idade de 56,7 ± 18 anos, sendo 18 (58% do sexo masculino. Foram excluídos os pacientes cuja indicação para a ressonância magnética cardíaca incluía avaliação sob estresse farmacológico. A correlação entre os métodos foi avaliada pelo coeficiente de Pearson, e a dispersão das diferenças absolutas em relação à média foi demonstrada pelo método de Bland-Altman. A concordância entre os métodos foi realizada pelo coeficiente de correlação intraclasses. RESULTADOS: A média do débito cardíaco pela bioimpedância transtorácica cardíaca e pela ressonância foi, respectivamente, 5,16 ± 0,9 e 5,13 ± 0,9 L/min. Observou-se boa correlação entre os métodos para o débito cardíaco (r = 0,79; p = 0,0001, índice cardíaco (r = 0,74; p = 0,0001 e volume sistólico (r = 0,88; p = 0,0001. A avaliação pelo gráfico de Bland-Altman mostrou pequena dispersão das diferenças em relação à média, com baixa amplitude dos intervalos de concordância. Houve boa concordância entre os dois métodos quando avaliados pelo coeficiente de correlação intraclasses, com coeficientes para débito cardíaco, índice cardíaco e volume sistólico de 0,78, 0,73 e 0,88, respectivamente (p < 0,0001 para todas as comparações. CONCLUSÃO: A bioimpedância transtorácica cardíaca mostrou-se acurada no cálculo do débito cardíaco quando comparada à ressonância magnética cardíaca.

  7. Omalizumab (anti-IgE) therapy in the asthma-COPD overlap syndrome (ACOS) and its effects on circulating cytokine levels.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yalcin, Arzu Didem; Celik, Betul; Yalcin, Ata Nevzat

    2016-06-01

    The term "asthma-chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) overlap syndrome" (ACOS) has been applied to the condition, in which a person has clinical features of both asthma and COPD. The patients (N = 10) were presented to our clinic with low lung function, limited reversibility of airway obstruction, hyperinflation, abnormal body composition, dyspnea and episodic wheezing. Based on the clinical and laboratory findings, the patients were diagnosed with ACOS. Patients' serum IL-2 (sIL-2), sIL-4 sIL-6, sIL-10, sIL-17, sTNF-α and sIFN-γ levels were investigated as an apoptotic marker and a marker for inflammation. Having undergone omalizumab treatment and a long-term (12 months) later, patients had a decreased IgE, fractional exhaled nitric oxide concentrations (FENO), eosinophil, neutrophils, macrophages, eosinophil cationic peptide (ECP) and sIL-4 levels. To our knowledge, this is the first documentation of omalizumab use in ACOS. We demonstrated decreased IL-4, allergic pulmonary symptoms (dyspnea, wheezing, bronchial hyper responsiveness) and migraine attacks in the patients.

  8. Current situation of asthma-COPD overlap syndrome (ACOS) in Chinese patients older than 40 years with airflow limitation: rationale and design for a multicenter, cross-sectional trial (study protocol).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kang, Jian; Yao, Wanzhen; Cai, Baiqiang; Chen, Ping; Ling, Xia; Shang, Hongyan

    2016-12-01

    Asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are the frequently occurring chronic airway diseases, and the overlapping syndrome observed in the majority of patients has been recently defined as asthma-COPD overlap syndrome (ACOS) by the Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung (GOLD, 2014) and Global initiative for Asthma (GINA, 2015). The proportion, features, and clinical practice of ACOS still remain elusive in China. We are conducting this multicenter, cross-sectional, observational study (NCT02600221) to investigate the distributions of chronic obstructive diseases in patients >40 years of age with chronic airflow limitation in China along with determination of the main clinical practice and features of these diseases. The study will also explore the factors that may influence the exacerbations and severity of ACOS in Chinese patients (>40 years of age). A total of 2,000 patients (age, ≥40 years; either sex) who are clinically diagnosed as having asthma, COPD/chronic bronchitis/emphysema, or ACOS for at least 12 months with airflow limitation [post-bronchodilator forced expiratory volume in 1 second/forced vital capacity (FEV 1 /FVC): current situation, main clinical practice, and features of ACOS, asthma, and COPD conditions in Chinese patients. The insights will be helpful in designing optimal management strategies for ACOS and redefining the healthcare development programs.

  9. Endovascular repair of an aorto-iliac aneurysm succeeded by kidney transplantation Tratamento endovascular de aneurisma aorto-ilíaco sucedido por transplante renal

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marcelo Bellini Dalio

    2010-09-01

    posicionamento da endoprótese, sem migração ou endoleak. O reparo endovascular do aneurisma aortoilíaco em paciente com insuficiência renal terminal em hemodiálise mostrou-se exequível, seguro e eficaz, e não comprometeu o sucesso do transplante renal posterior.

  10. Citrus CitNAC62 cooperates with CitWRKY1 to participate in citric acid degradation via up-regulation of CitAco3.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Shao-Jia; Yin, Xue-Ren; Wang, Wen-Li; Liu, Xiao-Fen; Zhang, Bo; Chen, Kun-Song

    2017-06-15

    Citric acid is the predominant organic acid of citrus fruit. Degradation of citric acid occurs during fruit development, influencing fruit acidity. Associations of CitAco3 transcripts and citric acid degradation have been reported for citrus fruit. Here, transient overexpression of CitAco3 significantly reduced the citric acid content of citrus leaves and fruits. Using dual luciferase assays, it was shown that CitNAC62 and CitWRKY1 could transactivate the promoter of CitAco3. Subcellular localization results showed that CitWRKY1 was located in the nucleus and CitNAC62 was not. Yeast two-hybrid analysis and bimolecular fluorescence complementation (BiFC) assays indicated that the two differently located transcription factors could interact with each other. Furthermore, BiFC showed that the protein-protein interaction occurred only in the nucleus, indicating the potential mobility of CitNAC62 in plant cells. A synergistic effect on citrate content was observed between CitNAC62 and CitWRKY1. Transient overexpression of CitNAC62 or CitWRKY1 led to significantly lower citrate content in citrus fruit. The combined expression of CitNAC62 and CitWRKY1 resulted in lower citrate content compared with the expression of CitNAC62 or CitWRKY1 alone. The transcript abundance of CitAco3 was consistent with the citrate content. Thus, we propose that a complex of CitWRKY1 and CitNAC62 contributes to citric acid degradation in citrus fruit, potentially via modulation of CitAco3. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Experimental Biology.

  11. A Family of ACO Routing Protocols for Mobile Ad Hoc Networks

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rupérez Cañas, Delfín; Sandoval Orozco, Ana Lucila; García Villalba, Luis Javier; Kim, Tai-hoon

    2017-01-01

    In this work, an ACO routing protocol for mobile ad hoc networks based on AntHocNet is specified. As its predecessor, this new protocol, called AntOR, is hybrid in the sense that it contains elements from both reactive and proactive routing. Specifically, it combines a reactive route setup process with a proactive route maintenance and improvement process. Key aspects of the AntOR protocol are the disjoint-link and disjoint-node routes, separation between the regular pheromone and the virtual pheromone in the diffusion process and the exploration of routes, taking into consideration the number of hops in the best routes. In this work, a family of ACO routing protocols based on AntOR is also specified. These protocols are based on protocol successive refinements. In this work, we also present a parallelized version of AntOR that we call PAntOR. Using programming multiprocessor architectures based on the shared memory protocol, PAntOR allows running tasks in parallel using threads. This parallelization is applicable in the route setup phase, route local repair process and link failure notification. In addition, a variant of PAntOR that consists of having more than one interface, which we call PAntOR-MI (PAntOR-Multiple Interface), is specified. This approach parallelizes the sending of broadcast messages by interface through threads. PMID:28531159

  12. A Family of ACO Routing Protocols for Mobile Ad Hoc Networks.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rupérez Cañas, Delfín; Sandoval Orozco, Ana Lucila; García Villalba, Luis Javier; Kim, Tai-Hoon

    2017-05-22

    In this work, an ACO routing protocol for mobile ad hoc networks based on AntHocNet is specified. As its predecessor, this new protocol, called AntOR, is hybrid in the sense that it contains elements from both reactive and proactive routing. Specifically, it combines a reactive route setup process with a proactive route maintenance and improvement process. Key aspects of the AntOR protocol are the disjoint-link and disjoint-node routes, separation between the regular pheromone and the virtual pheromone in the diffusion process and the exploration of routes, taking into consideration the number of hops in the best routes. In this work, a family of ACO routing protocols based on AntOR is also specified. These protocols are based on protocol successive refinements. In this work, we also present a parallelized version of AntOR that we call PAntOR. Using programming multiprocessor architectures based on the shared memory protocol, PAntOR allows running tasks in parallel using threads. This parallelization is applicable in the route setup phase, route local repair process and link failure notification. In addition, a variant of PAntOR that consists of having more than one interface, which we call PAntOR-MI (PAntOR-Multiple Interface), is specified. This approach parallelizes the sending of broadcast messages by interface through threads.

  13. Qualidade de vida de pacientes submetidos ao transplante cardíaco: aplicação da escala Whoqol-Bref

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Maria Isis Freire de Aguiar

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available FUNDAMENTO: O sucesso do transplante cardíaco significa garantir a sobrevida dos pacientes com cardiopatia e permitir-lhes desenvolver suas atividades diárias. O transplante cardíaco apresenta-se como a primeira opção de tratamento na falência cardíaca, representando um aumento de sobrevida e qualidade de vida dos transplantados. OBJETIVO: Avaliar a qualidade de vida de pacientes submetidos ao transplante cardíaco através da aplicação de uma escala padronizada (Whoqol-Bref. MÉTODOS: Estudo exploratório descritivo de abordagem quantitativa, realizado com 55 pacientes submetidos ao transplante cardíaco, em um período entre o terceiro e o 103º mês, que realizam acompanhamento na Unidade de Transplante e Insuficiência Cardíaca em um Hospital de Referência em Cardiologia na cidade de Fortaleza, CE. Os dados foram coletados no período de fevereiro a abril de 2009, por meio da aplicação de um questionário padronizado pela Organização Mundial da Saúde e utilização de dados constantes nos prontuários. RESULTADOS: Com relação ao domínio físico, 62,8% e 58,3% dos pacientes, dos sexos masculino e feminino, respectivamente, estão satisfeitos. No domínio psicológico, dentre pacientes do sexo masculino, 65,1% apresentam satisfação quanto à qualidade de vida e, no sexo feminino, 58,3% encontram-se satisfeitas. No domínio das relações sociais, observou-se que, no sexo masculino, 53,5% estão muito satisfeitos, e apresentou-se um nível de satisfação de 100% no sexo feminino. No domínio do meio ambiente, 65,1% do sexo masculino encontram-se satisfeitos, e no sexo feminino, 83,3% estão satisfeitas. CONCLUSÃO: O transplante cardíaco teve bastante influência na qualidade de vida dos pacientes transplantados, pois os resultados mostram-se estatisticamente significantes no pós-transplante.

  14. Treinamento físico de natação promove remodelamento cardíaco e melhora a perfusão sanguínea no músculo cardíaco de SHR via mecanismo dependente de adenosina

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Juliana Gonçalves de Barros

    2011-06-01

    Full Text Available INTRODUÇÃO: Exercícios físicos são utilizados como terapia não farmacológica para o tratamento da hipertensão arterial, e o treinamento físico (TF por natação é reconhecido por produzir remodelamento cardíaco em animais experimentais. Entretanto, a ação vasodilatadora da adenosina (ado resultante do exercício físico como prevenção e tratamento da hipertensão é pouco explorada. OBJETIVO: Avaliar o remodelamento cardíaco e o papel da adenosina na distribuição do fluxo sanguíneo para o miocárdio após treinamento físico em SHR. Método: 28 SHR machos babies e adultos foram submetidos ao TF aeróbio de natação, durante 10 semanas (5x/sem -1h/dia. Foram utilizados protocolos de microesferas coloridas para avaliar fluxo sanguíneo, técnicas de morfologia para avaliar hipertrofia cardíaca e análises bioquímicas para verificar atividade de enzimas envolvidas na formação de adenosina. RESULTADOS: TF por natação atenuou a evolução da HA em SHR babies (S: 145 ± 2; T: 140 ± 2mmHg, promoveu bradicardia de repouso em SHR adultos (S: 340 ± 4; T: 321 ± 6bpm e desenvolveu HC nos dois grupos (TB: 12%; TA: 10%. Na condição basal, o TF aumentou o FS coronário em SHR babies (S: 4.745 ± 2.145; T: 6.970 ± 2.374mi/coração e maior resposta vasodilatadora à infusão de adenosina foi observada (S: 18.946 ± 6.685; T: 25.045 ± 7.031mi/coração. Neste grupo, o TF promoveu maior atividade da enzima 5'-nucleotidase, levando à maior formação de adenosina (S: 0,45 ± 0,09; T: 1,01 ± 0,05. CONCLUSÃO: O TF de natação, além de desenvolver HC e apresentar maior hidrólise de AMP, promoveu aumento no FS coronário, sendo mostrado que desempenha um importante papel na regulação da hipertensão

  15. Primary cardiac lymphoma in dogLinfoma cardíaco primário em cão

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mirela Tinucci Costa

    2013-10-01

    Full Text Available Lymphomas are malignant neoplasm characterized by proliferation of lymphocytes that originate primarily in lymphoid organ such as lymph nodes, liver, spleen and bone marrow. However the feature of continuous migration of lymphocytes in different organs, this tumor can develop in any organ. Although lymphoma is a very common hematopoietic neoplasm in dogs, cardiac location is rare. The diagnosis of primary cardiac lymphoma may be performed when there is involvement of the heart and / or the pericardium without evidence of involvement in other organs. In veterinary medicine there are few reports on the diagnosis, treatment and prognosis of cardiac lymphoma. Therefore, the purpose of this report is to describe a case of cardiac lymphoma in which the patient responded favorably to chemotherapy employee with disease-free interval of 19 months and highlight the importance of including this neoplasm in the differential diagnosis of diseases that affect the cardiovascular system. Os linfomas são neoplasias caracterizadas pela proliferação maligna de linfócitos, que originamse principalmente em órgão linfóides como linfonodos, fígado, baço e medula óssea. Entretanto pela característica de contínua migração dos linfócitos por diferentes órgãos, esta neoplasia pode se desenvolver em qualquer órgão. Embora o linfoma seja a neoplasia hematopoiética de maior incidência em cães, a localização cardíaca é rara. O diagnóstico de linfoma cardíaco primário pode ser realizado quando há envolvimento do coração e/ou pericárdio sem evidências de ocorrência de órgãos linfáticos ou extranodais. Em medicina veterinária existem poucos relatos sobre o diagnóstico, tratamento e prognóstico desta neoplasia cardíaca. Portanto o objetivo do presente relato é descrever um caso de linfoma cardíaco em que o paciente respondeu favoravelmente ao tratamento quimioterápico empregado com intervalo livre de doença de 19 meses e salientar a

  16. Sedação com sufentanil e clonidina em pacientes submetidos a cateterismo cardíaco

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Anita Perpetua Carvalho Rocha

    2011-03-01

    Full Text Available FUNDAMENTO: A sedação para a realização de cateterismo cardíaco tem sido alvo de preocupação. Benzodiazepínicos, agonistas alfa-2 adrenérgicos e opioides são utilizados para esse fim, entretanto, cada um destes medicamentos possui vantagens e desvantagens. OBJETIVO: Avaliar a eficácia do sufentanil e da clonidina como sedativos em pacientes submetidos a cateterismo cardíaco, observando o impacto dos mesmos sobre os parâmetros hemodinâmicos e respiratórios, a presença de efeitos colaterais, além da satisfação do paciente e do hemodinamicista com o exame. MÉTODOS: Trata-se de um ensaio clínico prospectivo, duplo-cego, randomizado e controlado, que envolveu 60 pacientes que receberam 0,1 µg/kg de sufentanil ou 0,5 µg/kg de clonidina antes da realização do cateterismo cardíaco. O escore de sedação segundo a escala de Ramsay, a necessidade de utilização de midazolam, os efeitos colaterais, os parâmetros hemodinâmicos e respiratórios foram registrados, sendo os dados analisados em 06 diferentes momentos. RESULTADOS: O comportamento da pressão arterial, da frequência cardíaca e da frequência respiratória foi semelhante nos dois grupos, entretanto, no momento 2, os pacientes do grupo sufentanil (Grupo S apresentaram menor escore de sedação segundo a escala de Ramsay, e a saturação periférica da oxihemoglobina foi menor que o grupo clonidina (Grupo C no momento 6. Os pacientes do Grupo S apresentaram maior incidência de náusea e vômito pós-operatório que os pacientes do Grupo C. A satisfação dos pacientes foi maior no grupo clonidina. Os hemodinamicistas mostraram-se satisfeitos nos dois grupos. CONCLUSÃO: O sufentanil e a clonidina foram efetivos como sedativos em pacientes submetidos a cateterismo cardíaco.

  17. Eight reasons payer interoperability and data sharing are essential in ACOs. Interoperability standards could be a prerequisite to measuring care.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mookencherry, Shefali

    2012-01-01

    It makes strategic and business sense for payers and providers to collaborate on how to take substantial cost out of the healthcare delivery system. Acting independently, neither medical groups, hospitals nor health plans have the optimal mix of resources and incentives to significantly reduce costs. Payers have core assets such as marketing, claims data, claims processing, reimbursement systems and capital. It would be cost prohibitive for all but the largest providers to develop these capabilities in order to compete directly with insurers. Likewise, medical groups and hospitals are positioned to foster financial interdependence among providers and coordinate the continuum of patient illnesses and care settings. Payers and providers should commit to reasonable clinical and cost goals, and share resources to minimize expenses and financial risks. It is in the interest of payers to work closely with providers on risk-management strategies because insurers need synergy with ACOs to remain cost competitive. It is in the interest of ACOs to work collaboratively with payers early on to develop reasonable and effective performance benchmarks. Hence, it is essential to have payer interoperability and data sharing integrated in an ACO model.

  18. SEM Anthology

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rodgers, Michelle; Zimar, Heather

    2004-01-01

    The "SEM Anthology" is a compilation of articles by more than 30 enrollment management professionals from a variety of institutions across the country. This collection, which has appeared in SEM Monthly over the past year, chronicles Strategic Enrollment Management efforts at campuses nationwide. The book illustrates the successes and challenges…

  19. BER Performance of Stratified ACO-OFDM for Optical Wireless Communications over Multipath Channel

    OpenAIRE

    Gebeyehu, Zelalem Hailu; Langat, Philip Kibet; Maina, Ciira Wa

    2018-01-01

    In intensity modulation/direct detection- (IM/DD-) based optical OFDM systems, the requirement of the input signal to be real and positive unipolar imposes a reduction of system performances. Among previously proposed unipolar optical OFDM schemes for optical wireless communications (OWC), asymmetrically clipped optical OFDM (ACO-OFDM) and direct current biased optical OFDM (DCO-OFDM) are the most accepted ones. But those proposed schemes experience either spectral efficiency loss or energy e...

  20. Significados dos episódios maníacos para pacientes com transtorno bipolar em remissão: um estudo qualitativo

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Luiz Carlos Pereira Bin

    2014-07-01

    Full Text Available Objetivo Discutir os significados da vivência de episódios maníacos para pacientes com transtorno bipolar (TAB. Métodos Trata-se de uma pesquisa qualitativa, feita por meio de entrevistas semidirigidas em profundidade, em uma amostra fechada pelo critério de saturação com oito pacientes com TAB em remissão. A técnica de tratamento de dados foi feita por meio da análise de conteúdo das entrevistas transcritas na íntegra e categorização. Os resultados foram submetidos à validação externa, no Laboratório de Pesquisa Clínico-Qualitativa do Departamento de Psicologia Médica e Psiquiatria da Unicamp, composto por 37 pesquisadores do método, entre eles mestrandos, doutorandos, pós-doutorados e pesquisadores seniores. Resultados Foram identificadas três categorias – Ambivalência e vergonha: pensar ou não pensar sobre os episódios maníacos; Organizando sentimentos pessoais: a remissão como um momento de autoconsciência; Episódios maníacos estruturando relações interpessoais versus projeções da angústia. Conclusão Os achados da presente pesquisa contribuem para a maior compreensão dos quadros maníacos no TAB, que podem auxiliar nas reflexões acerca da relação profissional-paciente, para elaborar estratégias para aderência e para as medidas terapêuticas e preventivas da recorrência dos episódios. Podem auxiliar a equipe de saúde envolvida no acompanhamento desses casos e também os pesquisadores na investigação da contribuição dos significados aqui discutidos nos fenômenos de aderência ao tratamento e de um melhor prognóstico.

  1. NHETS - Estudo de Necrópsias de Pacientes Submetidos a Transplante Cardíaco

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Thiago Ninck Valette

    2014-06-01

    Full Text Available Fundamento: Discordâncias entre diagnóstico pre e post-mortem são relatadas na literatura, podendo variar de 4,1 a 49,8% dentre os casos encaminhados para exame necroscópico, com importante repercussão no tratamento dos pacientes. Objetivo: Analisar pacientes com óbito após o transplante cardíaco e confrontar os diagnósticos pre e post-mortem. Métodos: Por meio da revisão de prontuários, foram analisados dados clínicos, presença de comorbidades, esquema de imunossupressão, exames laboratoriais, causa clínica do óbito e causa do óbito à necrópsia. Foram confrontadas, então, a causa clínica e a causa necroscópica do óbito de cada paciente. Resultados: Foram analisados 48 óbitos submetidos à necrópsia no período de 2000 a 2010; 29 (60,4% tiveram diagnósticos clínico e necroscópico concordantes, 16 (33,3% tiveram diagnósticos discordantes e três (6,3% tiveram diagnóstico não esclarecido. Entre os discordantes, 15 (31,3% apresentaram possível impacto na sobrevida e um (2,1% não apresentou impacto na sobrevida. O principal diagnóstico clínico feito equivocadamente foi o de infecção, com cinco casos (26,7% dos discordantes, seguido por rejeição hiperaguda, com quatro casos (20% dos discordantes, e tromboembolismo pulmonar, com três casos (13,3% dos discordantes. Conclusão: Discordâncias entre o diagnóstico clínico e achados da necrópsia são comumente encontradas no transplante cardíaco. Novas estratégias no aperfeiçoamento do diagnóstico clínico devem ser introduzidas, considerando-se os resultados da necrópsia para melhoria do tratamento da insuficiência cardíaca por meio do transplante cardíaco.

  2. Advanced SEM imaging

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Joy, D. C.; Newbury, D. E.

    1998-01-01

    The scanning electron microscope (SEM) represents the most promising tool for metrology, defect review, and for the analysis of ULSI structures, but both fundamental problems such as electron-solid interactions, and practical considerations such as electron-optical constraints, are now setting a limit to performance. This paper examines the directions in which an advanced SEM might be developed to overcome these constraints. The SEM also offers considerable promise as a tool for the high spatial resolution X-ray microanalysis, especially for those situations where a thin cross-section is not practical and first surface analysis is required. The ways in which this capability can be incorporated in an advanced SEM are examined

  3. Advanced SEM imaging

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Joy, D.C.; Newbury, D.E.; Newbury, D.E.

    1998-01-01

    The scanning electron microscope (SEM) represents the most promising tool for metrology, defect review, and for the analysis of ULSI structures, but both fundamental problems such as electron-solid interactions, and practical considerations such as electron-optical constraints, are now setting a limit to performance. This paper examines the directions in which an advanced SEM might be developed to overcome these constraints. The SEM also offers considerable promise as a tool for the high spatial resolution X-ray microanalysis, especially for those situations where a thin cross-section is not practical and first surface analysis is required. The ways in which this capability can be incorporated in an advanced SEM are examined. copyright 1998 American Institute of Physics

  4. Técnica para correção de truncus arteriosus tipos I e II sem condutos extracardíacos Technique for correction of truncus arteriosus type I and II without extracardiac conduits

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Miguel Barbero-Marcial

    1989-04-01

    Full Text Available Uma nova técnica para correção cirúrgica do truncus arteriosus (TA sem o uso de conduto extracardíaco foi realizada em 7 pacientes, senão 6 do tipo I, e do tipo II em 1 paciente; a idade variou de 2 a 9 meses. O tronco comum foi septado com retalho, dividindo-o em uma posição aórtica e outra pulmonar; a comunicação interventricular (CIV foi fechada através de ventriculotomia; anastomose direta entre as artérias pulmonares e o ventrículo direito foi realizada, sendo a parede anterior construída com retalho de pericárdio bovino com válvula monocúspide. Houve apenas 1 óbito no pós-operatório. Nos 6 pacientes restantes, a relação entre as pressões sistólicas ventrículo direito/ventrículo esquerdo (VD/VE foi menor que 0,51 em 5 pacientes; em 1 paciente, essa relação foi de 0,60, associada a CIV residual. Todos os pacientes encontram-se em classe funcional I (NYHA, em um período de 1 a 14 meses de pós-operatório. Baseados nestes resultados, propomos esta técnica para pacientes com TA tipo I ou II, no primeiro ano de vida.A new corrective surgery for truncus arteriosus (TA without the use of extracardiac conduit was employed in 7 patients with truncus (TA type I in 6 cases and type II in 1 case, aged from two to nine months. The common TA was septated with a patch into aortic and pulmonary segments and the ventricular septal defect was closed through ventriculotomy; a direct anastomosis between the pulmonary arteries and the right ventricle was performed, the anterior wall of this, being contructed with a patch with a monocusp valve. There was one imediate postoperative death. In the surviving six patients the RV/LV postoperative peak systolic was less than 0.51 in five and 0.60 in one with residual VSD; all are in functional class I, in postoperative period between one and fourteen months. Based in these results we propose this technique for patients with type I or II, in the first year of life.

  5. Tests were inconclusive: California's experiment with ACOs raises questions about whether they'll save money.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vesely, Rebecca

    2010-11-01

    In California, many providers have been working in accountable care organizations for decades, and they say they can work well. "It's not the type of organization that defines the success of an ACO, it's the leadership," said Tom Williams, executive director of the Oakland, Calif.-based Integrated Healthcare Association. "For success, there needs to be alignment between hospitals and physicians."

  6. Transient absorption spectroscopy in biology using the Super-ACO storage ring FEL and the synchrotron radiation combination

    CERN Document Server

    Renault, E; De Ninno, G; Garzella, D; Hirsch, M; Nahon, L; Nutarelli, D

    2001-01-01

    The Super-ACO storage ring FEL, covering the UV range down to 300 nm with a high average power (300 mW at 350 nm) together with a high stability and long lifetime, is a unique tool for the performance of users applications. We present here the first pump-probe two color experiments on biological species using a storage ring FEL coupled to the synchrotron radiation. The intense UV pulse of the Super-ACO FEL is used to prepare a high initial concentration of chromophores in their first singlet electronic excited state. The nearby bending magnet synchrotron radiation provides, on the other hand a pulsed, white light continuum (UV-IR), naturally synchronized with the FEL pulses and used to probe the photochemical subsequent events and the associated transient species. We have demonstrated the feasibility with a dye molecule (POPOP) observing a two-color effect, signature of excited state absorption and a temporal signature with Acridine. Applications on various chromophores of biological interest are carried out,...

  7. Anastomose cavo-pulmonar total sem uso de material protético

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Valdester C. PINTO Jr.

    1998-07-01

    Full Text Available Objetivo: Demonstrar a viabilidade na feitura de túnel cava inferior-cava superior com retalho da parede atrial direita, evitando o emprego de material protético. Casuística e Métodos: Foram operados 2 pacientes nos quais se empregou a técnica de anastomose cavo-pulmonar total, sem uso de material protético. O primeiro caso, A.L.M., masc, 4 anos, 15 kg, era portador de atresia tricúspide (EP, com comunicação interventricular (CIV restritiva. O segundo caso, M.E.N.O., fem, 15 anos, 47 kg, tinha doença de Ebstein. O controle pós-operatório dos pacientes foi feito com ecocardiograma e cateterismo cardíaco. As operações foram realizadas com o emprego de circulação extracorpórea (CEC, e cardioplegia sangüínea como método de proteção miocárdica. A canulação das cavas foi o mais distal possível. A tunelização foi realizada com retalho de tecido atrial direito, suturado ao septo interatrial, deixando-se o seio coronariano e a comunicação interatrial (CIA para a esquerda. Resultados: Ambos os pacientes evoluíram, sem complicações, na UTI. O primeiro apresentou derrame pleural discreto à direita, e o segundo mantém-se em estimulação artificial (VVI,R. Conclusões: A tunelização intra-atrial para anastomose cavo-pulmonar total pode ser realizada sem o uso de material protético, evitando-se os riscos advindos do seu emprego (calcificação, retração, embolização.The authors describe two cases (one tricuspid atresia without TGA or pulmonary stenosis, but with a restrictive IVC: the second of an Ebstein disease of total cavo-pulmonary anastomosis using only the tissue of the atrial wall, avoiding any prosthetic material. Both cases were done under cardiopulmonary bypass and cold blood cardioplegia. A flap of the right atrial wall was used to re-direct the blood flow. Pleural effusion in one patient and complete AV block in the other were the complications found. They conclude that right intra-atrial tunneling for

  8. Acute Care of At-Risk Newborns (ACoRN: quantitative and qualitative educational evaluation of the program in a region of China

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Singhal Nalini

    2012-06-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background The Acute Care of at-Risk Newborns (ACoRN program was developed in Canada for trained health care providers for the identification and management of newborns who are at-risk and/or become unwell in the first few hours or days after birth. The ACoRN process follows an 8-step framework that enables the evaluation and management of babies irrespective of the experience or expertise of the caregiving individual or team. This study assesses the applicability of the program to Chinese pediatric practitioners. Methods Course content and educational materials were translated from English into Chinese by bilingual neonatal practitioners. Confidence and knowledge questionnaires were developed and reviewed for face and content validity by a team of ACoRN instructors. Bilingual Chinese instructors were trained at the tertiary perinatal centre in Hangzhou Zhejiang to deliver the course at 15 level II county hospitals. Participants completed pre- and post-course confidence and knowledge questionnaires and provided feedback through post-course focus groups. Results 216 physicians and nurses were trained. Confidence and knowledge relating to neonatal stabilization improved significantly following the courses. Participants rated course utility and function between 4.2 and 4.6/5 on all items. Pre/post measures of confidence were significantly correlated with post course knowledge. Focus group data supported the perceived value of the program and recommended course adjustments to include pre-course reading, and increased content related to simulation, communication skills, and management of respiratory illness and jaundice. Conclusions ACoRN, a Canadian educational program, appears to be well received by Chinese health care providers and results in improved knowledge and confidence. International program adaptation for use by health care professionals requires structured and systematic evaluation to ensure that the program meets the needs of

  9. SEM analysis for irradiated materials

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Liu Xiaosong; Yao Liang

    2008-06-01

    A radiation-proof Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) system is introduced. It has been widely used in various areas. For analyzing radioactive samples, normal SEM system needs lots of alterations. Based on KYKY-2800B SEM, the sample room, belt line, operating table and aerator were updated. New radiation-proof SEM system has used to analytic surface contaminated samples and RPV materials samples. An elementary means of SEM analysis for radioactive samples was studied, and this examination supported some available references for further irradiated fuel researches. (authors)

  10. Doctors on deck. ACOs led by doctors seek to manage costs, quality and hospital relationships.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Evans, Melanie

    2012-04-16

    Most of the first crop of ACOs in the Medicare Shared Savings Program are owned and operated by physicians without formal participation of a hospital in the efforts to improve quality and curb costs. "There were some people who feared that the only entities that would participate would be hospital-dominated systems," says Jonathan Blum, director of the Center for Medicare Management at the CMS, left. "That has not happened".

  11. Characterization of Yeast Biofilm by Cryo-SEM and FIB-SEM

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Hrubanová, Kamila; Nebesářová, Jana; Růžička, F.; Dluhoš, J.; Krzyžánek, Vladislav

    2013-01-01

    Roč. 19, S2 (2013), s. 226-227 ISSN 1431-9276 R&D Projects: GA MŠk EE.2.3.20.0103; GA TA ČR TE01020118; GA ČR GAP205/11/1687 Institutional support: RVO:68081731 ; RVO:60077344 Keywords : yeast biofilm * cryo-SEM * FIB-SEM Subject RIV: BH - Optics, Masers, Lasers Impact factor: 1.757, year: 2013

  12. Transient absorption spectroscopy in biology using the Super-ACO storage ring FEL and the synchrotron radiation combination

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Renault, Eric; Nahon, Laurent; Garzella, David; Nutarelli, Daniele; De Ninno, Giovanni; Hirsch, Matthias; Couprie, Marie Emmanuelle

    2001-01-01

    The Super-ACO storage ring FEL, covering the UV range down to 300 nm with a high average power (300 mW at 350 nm) together with a high stability and long lifetime, is a unique tool for the performance of users applications. We present here the first pump-probe two color experiments on biological species using a storage ring FEL coupled to the synchrotron radiation. The intense UV pulse of the Super-ACO FEL is used to prepare a high initial concentration of chromophores in their first singlet electronic excited state. The nearby bending magnet synchrotron radiation provides, on the other hand a pulsed, white light continuum (UV-IR), naturally synchronized with the FEL pulses and used to probe the photochemical subsequent events and the associated transient species. We have demonstrated the feasibility with a dye molecule (POPOP) observing a two-color effect, signature of excited state absorption and a temporal signature with Acridine. Applications on various chromophores of biological interest are carried out, such as the time-resolved absorption study of the first excited state of Acridine

  13. Registro Español de Trasplante Cardíaco. XX Informe oficial de la sección de insuficiencia Cardíaca y Trasplante Cardíaco de la sociedad Española de Cardiología (1984-2008

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Luis Almenar Bonet

    2009-07-01

    Conclusiones: La supervivencia obtenida en España con el TC, sobre todo en los últimos años, sitúa al trasplante cardíaco como el tratamiento de elección para cardiopatías irreversibles en situación funcional avanzada y sin otras opciones médicas o quirúrgicas establecidas.

  14. Interacciones entre dispositivos cardíacos implantables y modalidades fisioterapéuticas: ¿Mito o realidad?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Genevieve C. Digby

    2011-04-01

    Full Text Available La fisioterapia se ha transformado en una especialidad que claramente incide en la calidad de vida de nuestros pacientes. En poblaciones añosas, el uso de fisioterapia incluye múltiples modalidades para un alto número de distintas enfermedades. Varios informes sobre posibles interacciones negativas entre las distintas modalidades de fisioterapia y los dispositivos cardíacos implantables (marcapasos y cardiodesfibriladores han sido publicados en los últimos aňos. A pesar de ello, existe muy poca evidencia y guías precisas para identificar cuáles son las modalidades de fisioterapia seguras a utilizar en esta población de pacientes. En la siguiente revisión, nos propusimos resumir las interacciones documentadas entre fisioterapia y dispositivos cardíacos implantables (DCI, discutir el estándar actual de estas prácticas e identificar las principales consideraciones que existen desde la perspectiva de un servicio de electrofisiología cardíaca, para el tratamiento adecuado en estos pacientes. Finalmente, abogamos por fortalecer la colaboración entre fisioterapeutas y electrofisiólogos, con el fin de asegurar una óptima y segura atención de este grupo de pacientes.

  15. Manejo de las dislipidemias en pacientes cardíacos trasplantados. Hallazgos sobre nuevos factores de riesgo

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Walter Masson

    2008-01-01

    Full Text Available En pacientes cardíacos trasplantados, el desarrollo de enfermedad vascular coronaria es una complicación frecuente y la dislipidemia es uno de los predictores más importantes. Los inmunosupresores predisponen a las dislipidemias y dificultan la utilización de hipolipemiantes. En este grupo particular de pacientes se recomienda alcanzar las metas terapéuticas de prevención secundaria. Las estatinas son los hipolipemiantes de elección. No existen recomendaciones claras sobre nuevos factores de riesgo, como la homocisteína y la lipoproteína (a [Lp(a].Con el objetivo de conocer el perfil lipídico, la prevalencia de homocisteinemia y de Lp(a elevadas, el cumplimiento de las metas terapéuticas y la tolerancia a la medicación, se incluyeron en el estudio 23 pacientes cardíacos trasplantados. Los resultados mostraron que el cumplimiento de las metas lipídicas fue aceptable y que el 65% recibía tratamiento hipolipemiante. El uso de estatinas fue seguro. Se encontró una prevalencia alta de homocisteína y Lp(a elevadas. Su implicación en la modificación del tratamiento se desconoce.

  16. Mensuração do tamanho cardíaco em radiografias de gatos com hipertireoidismo experimental

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mauro José Lahm Cardoso

    2007-04-01

    Full Text Available O hipertireoidismo felino ou tireotoxicose é a doença endócrina mais freqüente em gatos domésticos. O hipertireoidismo felino é uma desordem multissistêmica associada com aumento das concentrações dos hormônios tireoidianos circulantes, triidotironina (T3 e tiroxina (T4. Anormalidades cardiovasculares em gatos com hipertireoidismo espontâneo já foram bem descritas. O objetivo deste trabalho foi realizar a mensuração cardíaca em 19 gatos submetidos a tireotoxicose experimental, utilizando o "vertebral heart size" (VHS. A mensuração utilizando o VHS foi realizada a partir de radiografias torácicas lateral, dorsoventral e ventrodorsal. As radiografias torácicas laterais foram mais eficazes do que as ventrodorsal e dorsoventral em ilustrar o aumento progressivo do coração. O VHS é um método fácil de ser usado, permitindo a avaliação do tamanho cardíaco em gatos hipertireóideos, e facilita a identificação de cardiomegalia e progressão do tamanho cardíaco.

  17. Transplante cardíaco humano: experiência inicial Human cardiac transplant: initial experience

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Noedir A. G Stolf

    1986-12-01

    Full Text Available No Instituto do Coração, de março de 1985 a fevereiro de 1986,11 pacientes foram submetidos a transplante cardíaco ortotópico. Eram todos do sexo masculino, com idade variando de 39 a 54 anos; 6 com cardiopatia isquémica, 4 com cardiomiopatia dilatada e um com cardiomiopatia chagásica. Foi realizado estudo hemodinâmico através de catéter de Swan-Ganz, no pré-operatório, no pós-operatório, após estabilização na unidade de recuperação, e trinta ou mais dias após o transplante. Os dados mostram melhora progressiva em relação ao índice cardíaco, pressão em artéria pulmonar, pressão de capilar pulmonar, resistência vascular pulmonar e resistência vascular sistêmica. Três dos 11 pacientes apresentaram disfunção renal transitória no pós-operatório imediato e que regrediram até o 15º dia, enquanto que 2 pacientes apresentaram aumento moderado da creatinina plasmática. Apenas 3 pacientes não apresentaram qualquer episódio de rejeição; nos demais, esses episódios foram um diagnóstico histológico sem repercussões clínicas. Complicações infecciosas ocorreram em 9 pacientes e foram de fácil controle clínico. No pós-operatório tardio, a hipertensão esteve presente em 8 pacientes, sendo mais acentuada em 2 deles. Não houve óbitos, nesta série de pacientes; todos estão assintomáticos e os 6 primeiros estão trabalhando.At the Instituto do Cora��ão, University of São Paulo Medical School, 11 patients were submitted to heart transplantation from march 1985 up to february 1986. All were male, with ages of 39-59 years, 6 with coronary heart disease, 4 with dilated cardiomyopathy and 1 with Chagas cardiomyopathy. The patients were studied hemodynamically with a Swan-Ganz catheter pre-operatively, at the arrival in the intensive care unit, in the first postoperative day and 30 or more days after the transplant. The data showed that there was a progressive increase of cardiac index and decreases of

  18. Sedação com sufentanil e clonidina em pacientes submetidos a cateterismo cardíaco Sedación con sufentanil y clonidina en pacientes sometidos a cateterismo cardíaco Sedation with sufentanil and clonidine in patients undergoing heart catheterization

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Anita Perpetua Carvalho Rocha

    2011-03-01

    Full Text Available FUNDAMENTO: A sedação para a realização de cateterismo cardíaco tem sido alvo de preocupação. Benzodiazepínicos, agonistas alfa-2 adrenérgicos e opioides são utilizados para esse fim, entretanto, cada um destes medicamentos possui vantagens e desvantagens. OBJETIVO: Avaliar a eficácia do sufentanil e da clonidina como sedativos em pacientes submetidos a cateterismo cardíaco, observando o impacto dos mesmos sobre os parâmetros hemodinâmicos e respiratórios, a presença de efeitos colaterais, além da satisfação do paciente e do hemodinamicista com o exame. MÉTODOS: Trata-se de um ensaio clínico prospectivo, duplo-cego, randomizado e controlado, que envolveu 60 pacientes que receberam 0,1 µg/kg de sufentanil ou 0,5 µg/kg de clonidina antes da realização do cateterismo cardíaco. O escore de sedação segundo a escala de Ramsay, a necessidade de utilização de midazolam, os efeitos colaterais, os parâmetros hemodinâmicos e respiratórios foram registrados, sendo os dados analisados em 06 diferentes momentos. RESULTADOS: O comportamento da pressão arterial, da frequência cardíaca e da frequência respiratória foi semelhante nos dois grupos, entretanto, no momento 2, os pacientes do grupo sufentanil (Grupo S apresentaram menor escore de sedação segundo a escala de Ramsay, e a saturação periférica da oxihemoglobina foi menor que o grupo clonidina (Grupo C no momento 6. Os pacientes do Grupo S apresentaram maior incidência de náusea e vômito pós-operatório que os pacientes do Grupo C. A satisfação dos pacientes foi maior no grupo clonidina. Os hemodinamicistas mostraram-se satisfeitos nos dois grupos. CONCLUSÃO: O sufentanil e a clonidina foram efetivos como sedativos em pacientes submetidos a cateterismo cardíaco.FUNDAMENTO: La sedación para la realización de cateterismo cardíaco ha sido blanco de preocupación. Benzodiazepínicos, agonistas alfa-2 adrenérgicos y opioides son utilizados para ese fin

  19. Ao leitor sem medo

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    José Eisenberg

    2000-05-01

    Full Text Available O texto resenha Ao leitor sem medo, de Renato Janine Ribeiro (Belo Horizonte, UFMG, 1999.This text is a review of Ao leitor sem medo by Renato Janine Ribeiro (Belo Horizonte, UFMG, 1999

  20. Multi-criteria ACO-based Algorithm for Ship’s Trajectory Planning

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Agnieszka Lazarowska

    2017-03-01

    Full Text Available The paper presents a new approach for solving a path planning problem for ships in the environment with static and dynamic obstacles. The algorithm utilizes a heuristic method, classified to the group of Swarm Intelligence approaches, called the Ant Colony Optimization. The method is inspired by a collective behaviour of ant colonies. A group of agents - artificial ants searches through the solution space in order to find a safe, optimal trajectory for a ship. The problem is considered as a multi-criteria optimization task. The criteria taken into account during problem solving are: path safety, path length, the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea (COLREGs compliance and path smoothness. The paper includes the description of the new multi-criteria ACO-based algorithm along with the presentation and discussion of simulation tests results.

  1. A cena constituinte da psicose maníaco-depressiva no Brasil The emergence of manic depressive psychosis as a diagnosis in Brazil

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Joel Birman

    2010-12-01

    Full Text Available A intenção deste ensaio é esboçar a leitura da psicose maníaco-depressiva no Brasil, no começo do século XX. Destaca a transformação teórica ocorrida na psiquiatria brasileira, que se deslocou da tradição francesa para a alemã. Sublinha o modo como a problemática da histeria foi substituída pela da psicose maníaco-depressiva nesse contexto histórico.This essay examines the early twentieth-century interpretation of manic depressive psychosis in Brazil, during a moment when Brazilian psychiatry witnessed a theoretical shift from the French to German traditions. It calls special attention to how the problem of hysteria was replaced by manic depressive psychosis within this historical context.

  2. Prevalência da estenose aterosclerótica do tronco celíaco e da artéria mesentérica superior na arteriopatia oclusiva dos membros inferiores Prevalence of atherosclerotic stenosis of celiac trunk and superior mesenteric artery in occlusive arteriopathy of lower limbs

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Wenes Pereira Reis

    2010-01-01

    Full Text Available Contexto: A eventual relação entre a aterosclerose das artérias dos membros inferiores com a aterosclerose das artérias intestinais foi pouco estudada. Objetivo: Avaliar pela ecografia vascular (Doppler presença de lesões com estenose 70% na artéria mesentérica superior e/ou tronco celíaco em doentes com arteriopatia obstrutiva crônica dos membros inferiores. Método: Foram estudados dois grupos, cada um com 60 doentes (40 homens e 20 mulheres. O grupo-caso foi composto por doentes com arteriopatia obstrutiva crônica dos membros inferiores, claudicação intermitente limitante ou dor de repouso e/ou lesões tróficas de extremidade, sem queixas gastrintestinais. O grupo-controle foi constituído por enfermos sem doença arterial obstrutiva dos membros inferiores e sem queixas gastrintestinais. Consideraram-se fatores de risco presença de diabetes melito, hipertensão arterial, obesidade, angina/infarto, tabagismo e dislipidemia. Todos os doentes foram submetidos a ecografia vascular do tronco celíaco e da artéria mesentérica superior. Os doentes do grupo-caso foram separados pela presença de claudicação intermitente limitante (N = 12 ou lesão trófica e/ou dor de repouso (N = 48. Resultados: Houve associação significante entre idade (p = 0,04 e cardiopatia isquêmica (p = 0,04 com aterosclerose da artéria mesentérica superior. Os fatores de risco não mostraram associação significante com presença de estenose do tronco celíaco. Observou-se associação significante entre arteriopatia dos membros inferiores e lesão estenótica da artéria mesentérica superior (p = 0,006 e do tronco celíaco (p Background: The occasional relationship between arterial atherosclerosis of lower limbs and atherosclerosis of intestinal arteries has not been fully studied yet. Objective: To assess the presence of lesions with ≥ 70% stenosis in the superior mesenteric artery and/or in the celiac trunk in patients with chronic obstructive

  3. Autotransplante cardíaco: um novo método no tratamento de problemas cardíacos complexos Heart autotransplantation: a new technique to complex intracardiac reppairs

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Randas J. V Batista

    1995-06-01

    Full Text Available No período de janeiro de 1990 a maio de 1995 foram operados com a técnica do autotransplante cardíaco 92 pacientes com cardiopatias complexas e arritmias supraventriculares, principalmente fibrilação atrial (n=89, reentrada (n=2, QT longo (n=1. O sexo feminino predominou (n=63. A idade variou de 18 a 76 anos (m=43. Os defeitos concomitantes foram: átrio esquerdo gigante (medido pelo ecocardiograma > 6 cm (n=65; átrio direito gigante (n=9; átrio esquerdo aumentado (4 cm (n=23; estenose mitral (n=46; insuficiência mitral (n=28; dupla lesão mitral (n=16; estenose aórtica (n=12; insuficiência aórtica (n=5; insuficiência tricúspide (n=78; trombose atrial (n=23; calcificação atrial (n=12; hipertensão pulmonar (n=86; fibroelastose biventricular (n=3; rotura atrioventricular (pós-troca de valva mitral (n=1; aneurisma da raiz aórtica (n=1; ventriculectomia parcial (n=8; 88 pacientes saíram do centro cirúrgico em ritmo sinusal e assim permaneceram; 6 precisaram de drogas inotrópicas e 3 de drogas antiarrítmicas. Todos os pacientes que apresentavam átrio esquerdo ou direito gigante com fibrilação atrial tiveram seus átrios reduzidos ao tamanho normal. Não houve mortalidade operatória e 6 evoluíram a óbito hospitalar. Na reavaliação aos seis meses de pós-operatório, os sobreviventes estavam bem, em ritmo sinusal. A técnica do autotransplante cardíaco facilita o reparo intracardíaco, proporciona a redução atrial e conseqüente retorno do paciente ao ritmo sinusal e abre novas perspectivas.From January 1990 to May 1995,92 patients with complex cardiac problems and supraventricular arrhythmias were operated upon with the technique of heart autotransplantation. The arrhythmias were: atrial fibrillation (n=89; reentry (n=2; long QT syndrome (n=1. Females predominated (n=63. The age varied from 18 to 76 years (m=43. Concomittant defects were: giant left atrium (> 6 cm measured by echo (n=65; giant right atrium (n=9; large

  4. CO2 Measurements from Space: Lessons Learned from the Collaboration between the ACOS/OCO-2 and GOSAT Teams

    Science.gov (United States)

    Crisp, D.; Eldering, A.; Gunson, M. R.

    2012-12-01

    The NASA Orbiting Carbon Observatory (OCO) and the Japanese Greenhouse gases Observing SATellite (GOSAT) were the first two missions designed to collect space-based observations of the column-averaged CO2 dry air mole fraction, XCO2, with the sensitivity, coverage, and resolution needed to quantify CO2 fluxes on regional scales over the globe. The OCO and GOSAT teams formed a close collaboration during the development phases of these missions. After the loss of OCO, the GOSAT project team invited the OCO team to contribute to the analysis of measurements collected by the GOSAT Thermal And Near infrared Sensor for carbon Observations-Fourier Transform Spectrometer (TANSO-FTS). NASA responded by reformulating the OCO science team under the Atmospheric CO2 Observations from Space (ACOS) task to exploit this opportunity. This collaboration is providing an independent GOSAT XCO2 product, and valuable insights into the retrieval algorithms, calibration methods, and validation techniques that are being developed to analyze data anticipated the NASA Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2). The ACOS/OCO-2 and GOSAT teams have conducted four, joint, vicarious calibration campaigns at Railroad Valley, Nevada to track the long-term radiometric performance of the TANSO-FTS instrument. The methods used in these campaigns evolved from those used to characterize the radiometric performance of high spatial resolution, imaging spectroradiometers. For TANSO-FTS, the conventional, surface based radiometric measurements have been augmented with surface and aircraft measurements of atmospheric temperature and trace gas profiles, as well as surface observations from MODIS and ASTER to characterize spatial variations of the surface reflectance within the (relatively large) sounding footprints. Similar methods will be needed for OCO-2. The ACOS/OCO-2 retrieval algorithm and associated data screening methods have been modified to estimate XCO2 from TANSO-FTS observations. Comparisons of TANSO

  5. Changes in health care spending and quality for Medicare beneficiaries associated with a commercial ACO contract.

    Science.gov (United States)

    McWilliams, J Michael; Landon, Bruce E; Chernew, Michael E

    2013-08-28

    In a multipayer system, new payment incentives implemented by one insurer for an accountable care organization (ACO) may also affect spending and quality of care for another insurer's enrollees served by the ACO. Such spillover effects reflect the extent of organizational efforts to reform care delivery and can contribute to the net impact of ACOs. We examined whether the Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCBS) of Massachusetts' Alternative Quality Contract (AQC), an early commercial ACO initiative associated with reduced spending and improved quality for BCBS enrollees, was also associated with changes in spending and quality for Medicare beneficiaries, who were not covered by the AQC. Quasi-experimental comparisons from 2007-2010 of elderly fee-for-service Medicare beneficiaries in Massachusetts (1,761,325 person-years) served by 11 provider organizations entering the AQC in 2009 or 2010 (intervention group) vs beneficiaries served by other providers (control group). Using a difference-in-differences approach, we estimated changes in spending and quality for the intervention group in the first and second years of exposure to the AQC relative to concurrent changes for the control group. Regression and propensity score methods were used to adjust for differences in sociodemographic and clinical characteristics. The primary outcome was total quarterly medical spending per beneficiary. Secondary outcomes included spending by setting and type of service, 5 process measures of quality, potentially avoidable hospitalizations, and 30-day readmissions. Before entering the AQC, total quarterly spending per beneficiary for the intervention group was $150 (95% CI, $25-$274) higher than for the control group and increased at a similar rate. In year 2 of the intervention group's exposure to the AQC, this difference was reduced to $51 (95% CI, -$109 to $210; P = .53), constituting a significant differential change of -$99 (95% CI, -$183 to -$16; P = .02) or a 3.4% savings

  6. Metastização pulmonar na apresentação de angiossarcoma cardíaco – Caso clínico e discussão

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Vítor Fonseca

    2009-11-01

    Full Text Available Resumo: Apresenta-se um caso clínico referente a doente de 35 anos, do sexo masculino sem antecedentes pessoais relevantes, admitido no serviço de urgência por quadro de toracalgia e tosse produtiva com alterações electrocardiográficas sugestivas de pericardite. Inicialmente admitido pelo Serviço de Cardiologia, com melhoria do quadro clínico após terapêutica anti-inflamatória; contudo, no internamento houve como intercorrência pneumonia de provável etiologia bacteriana, complicada por derrame pleural. Após a alta, foi referenciado à consulta de pneumologia, onde se manteve o estudo etiológico do derrame persistente, tendo vindo a complicar-se o seu quadro com alterações das cavidades cardiacas e múltiplos nódulos pulmonares, sugestivos de endocardite subaguda com embolização séptica pulmonar. Internado no serviço de Pneumologia e submetido a videotoracoscopia, foi-lhe diagnosticado angiossarcoma cardíaco com metastização pulmonar. Assistiu-se a uma rápida evolução do quadro clínico, quase fulminante, com falência cardíaca e óbito do doente sem ter iniciado radioterapia ou quimioterapia adjuvante. Abstract: We present a case report of a 35 year-old male without any relevant former pathology admitted to the emergency room with atypical chest pain, cough and sputum with ECG changes suggesting pericarditis. He was initially admitted to the cardiology ward and experienced clinical improvement after initiating anti-inflammatory treatment. As intercurrence he had bacterial origin pneumonia complicated by pleural effusion (PE. After discharge patient was referred to a pulmonology appointment where aetiological investigation of the PE was instigated. Investigation revealed changes in the cardiac cavities and multiple lung nodules, suggesting subacute endocarditis with septic pulmonary embolism. Admitted to the pulmonology unit patient underwent

  7. Search Engine Marketing (SEM): Financial & Competitive Advantages of an Effective Hotel SEM Strategy

    OpenAIRE

    Leora Halpern Lanz

    2015-01-01

    Search Engine Marketing and Optimization (SEO, SEM) are keystones of a hotels marketing strategy, in fact research shows that 90% of travelers start their vacation planning with a Google search. Learn five strategies that can enhance a hotels SEO and SEM strategies to boost bookings.

  8. Search Engine Marketing (SEM: Financial & Competitive Advantages of an Effective Hotel SEM Strategy

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Leora Halpern Lanz

    2015-05-01

    Full Text Available Search Engine Marketing and Optimization (SEO, SEM are keystones of a hotels marketing strategy, in fact research shows that 90% of travelers start their vacation planning with a Google search. Learn five strategies that can enhance a hotels SEO and SEM strategies to boost bookings.

  9. Experiência com transplante cardíaco heterotópico em pacientes com resistência pulmonar elevada: seguimento tardio Experiencia con trasplante cardíaco heterotópico en pacientes con resistencia pulmonar elevada: seguimiento tardío Experience with heterotopic heart transplantation in patients with elevated pulmonary vascular resistance: late follow-up

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jose Henrique Andrade Vila

    2010-02-01

    Full Text Available FUNDAMENTO: Nos últimos anos o numero de artigos sobre transplante cardíaco heterotópico tem sido escasso na literatura, inclusive internacional, e em particular do seguimento de longo prazo destes pacientes, o que levou ao presente relato. OBJETIVO: Relatar a experiência clínica inicial e evolução tardia de quatro pacientes submetidos a transplante cardíaco heterotópico, sua indicação e principais complicações. MÉTODOS: As cirurgias ocorreram entre 1992 e 2001, sendo que a indicação de transplante heterotópico, em todas, foi pela RVP, variável de 4,8UW a 6.5UW, com gradiente transpulmonar acima de 15mmHg. No 3º paciente, foi realizada uma anastomose direta entre as artérias pulmonares sem emprego de tubo protético e, no coração nativo, foi realizada uma valvoplastia mitral e aneurismectomia de ventrículo esquerdo (VE. O esquema imunossupressor imediato foi duplo com ciclosporina e azatioprina nos três primeiros pacientes e ciclosporina e micofenolato mofetil no 4º paciente. RESULTADOS: Um óbito imediato por falência do enxerto, um óbito após dois anos e meio por endocardite em trombo intraventricular no coração nativo, e um terceiro óbito seis anos após o transplante, por complicações pós-operatórias de cirurgia na valva aórtica do coração nativo. O remanescente, 15 anos após o transplante, encontra-se bem, em classe funcional II (NYHA, seis anos após a oclusão cirúrgica da valva aórtica do coração nativo. CONCLUSÃO: O transplante cardíaco heterotópico é um procedimento com resultado inferior ao transplante cardíaco ortotópico, por apresentarem maior RVP. Os trombos intraventriculares no coração nativo, que exigem anticoagulação prolongada, bem como as complicações de válvula aórtica, também no coração nativo, podem exigir tratamento cirúrgico. Entretanto, em um paciente, a sobrevida de 15 anos mostrou a eficácia de longo prazo desse tipo de alternativa, para pacientes

  10. Avaliação da doença vascular do enxerto no transplante cardíaco: experiência de um centro brasileiro

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Elide Sbardellotto Mariano da Costa

    2012-10-01

    Full Text Available FUNDAMENTO: O transplante cardíaco continua sendo o tratamento de escolha para a insuficiência cardíaca refratária ao tratamento otimizado. Dois métodos diagnósticos apresentam elevada sensibilidade no diagnóstico de episódios de rejeição ao enxerto e Doença Vascular do Enxerto (DVE, causas importantes de mortalidade no pós-transplante. OBJETIVO: Avaliar a relação entre os resultados do ultrassom intracoronariano (USIV e os laudos das biópsias endomiocárdicas (BX no seguimento de pacientes submetidos a transplante cardíaco em um serviço de referência brasileiro. MÉTODOS: Foi realizado um ensaio epidemiológico retrospectivo observacional, com pacientes submetidos a transplante cardíaco ortotópico, no período de 2000 a 2009. Foram analisados os prontuários desses pacientes e os resultados dos USIV e BX realizados rotineiramente no seguimento clínico pós-transplante e terapêutica em uso. RESULTADOS: Dos 77 pacientes analisados, 63,63% são do sexo masculino, nas faixas etárias de 22 a 69 anos. Quanto aos resultados dos USIV, 33,96% foram classificados em Stanford classe I, e 32,08%, como Stanford IV. Dos 143 laudos das biópsias, 51,08% tiveram resultado 1R, 3R em 0,69% dos laudos, e 14,48% apresentaram a descrição de efeito Quilty. Todos usaram antiproliferativos, 80,51% usaram inibidores da calcineurina e 19,48% usaram inibidores do sinal de proliferação (ISP. CONCLUSÃO: A avaliação dos pacientes pós-transplante cardíaco por meio do USIV incorpora informações detalhadas para o diagnóstico precoce e sensível da DVE, que são complementadas pelas informações histológicas fornecidas pelas BX, estabelecendo uma possível relação causal entre a DVE e os episódios de rejeição humoral.

  11. Spin-polarized SEM

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Konoto, Makoto

    2007-01-01

    Development of highly effective evaluation technology of magnetic structures on a nanometric scale is a key to understanding spintronics and related phenomena. A high-resolution spin-polarized scanning electron microscope (spin SEM) developed recently is quite suitable for probing such nanostructures because of the capability of analyzing local magnetization vectors in three dimensions. Utilizing the spin SEM, a layered antiferromagnetic structure with the 1nm-alternation of bilayer-sheet magnetization has been successfully resolved. The real-space imaging with full analysis of the temperature-dependent magnetization vectors will be demonstrated. (author)

  12. Imunodepressão induzida por talidomida e ciclosporina em transplante cardíaco heterotópico de coelho

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    João Batista Vieira de Carvalho

    Full Text Available OBJETIVO: A talidomida, por seus efeitos antiinflamatórios e imunodepressores, tem sido utilizada no tratamento de doenças dermatológicas e na doença enxerto-contra-hospedeiro no transplante de medula óssea. O objetivo deste trabalho é avaliar a ação deste medicamento como imunodepressor em transplante de órgãos, estudando sua ação isoladamente ou em combinação com a ciclosporina na prevenção da rejeição ao aloenxerto cardíaco heterotópico em coelho. MÉTODO: Foram utilizados 50 coelhos, sendo 25 doadores e 25 receptores.Os animais receptores foram subdivididos em cinco grupos (n= 5 : Grupo I (controle animais não-imunodeprimidos; Grupo II (imunodeprimidos com ciclosporina na dose de 10 mg/kg/dia; Grupo III (imunodeprimidos com talidomida na dose de 100 mg/kg/dia; Grupo IV (imunodeprimidos com ciclosporina na dose de 5,0 mg/kg/dia e Grupo V (imunodeprimidos com ciclosporina na dose de 5,0 mg/kg/dia associada a talidomida na dose de 50 mg/kg/dia. Os medicamentos foram administrados através de cateter orogástrico, a partir do dia anterior ao transplante. RESULTADOS: O coração do doador foi implantado no abdome dos receptores. A associação de talidomida e ciclosporina apresentou o menor escore histopatológico de rejeição (p < 0,05. Observou-se que a talidomida empregada isoladamente ou associada à ciclosporina foi efetiva contra a rejeição, aumentando a sobrevida (p < 0,01 de animais submetidos ao transplante cardíaco heterotópico em posição abdominal. CONCLUSÕES: A talidomida empregada isoladamente, ou associada à ciclosporina, pode representar uma opção de imunodepressão em transplantes cardíaco heterotópico experimental de coelho.

  13. Manejo de las dislipidemias en pacientes cardíacos trasplantados. Hallazgos sobre nuevos factores de riesgo

    OpenAIRE

    Walter Masson; Norberto Vulcano; Sandra Fernández; Alberto Domenech; Ricardo Marenchino; Daniel Bracco; César Belziti

    2008-01-01

    En pacientes cardíacos trasplantados, el desarrollo de enfermedad vascular coronaria es una complicación frecuente y la dislipidemia es uno de los predictores más importantes. Los inmunosupresores predisponen a las dislipidemias y dificultan la utilización de hipolipemiantes. En este grupo particular de pacientes se recomienda alcanzar las metas terapéuticas de prevención secundaria. Las estatinas son los hipolipemiantes de elección. No existen recomendaciones claras sobre nuevos factores de ...

  14. Manejo de las dislipidemias en pacientes cardíacos trasplantados: Hallazgos sobre nuevos factores de riesgo

    OpenAIRE

    Masson, Walter; Vulcano, Norberto; Fernández, Sandra; Domenech, Alberto; Marenchino, Ricardo; Braccomtsac, Daniel; Belziti, César

    2008-01-01

    En pacientes cardíacos trasplantados, el desarrollo de enfermedad vascular coronaria es una complicación frecuente y la dislipidemia es uno de los predictores más importantes. Los inmunosupresores predisponen a las dislipidemias y dificultan la utilización de hipolipemiantes. En este grupo particular de pacientes se recomienda alcanzar las metas terapéuticas de prevención secundaria. Las estatinas son los hipolipemiantes de elección. No existen recomendaciones claras sobre nuevos factores de ...

  15. Transfer function fitting using a continuous Ant Colony Optimization (ACO algorithm

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    A. Reineix

    2015-03-01

    Full Text Available An original approach is proposed in order to achieve the  fitting of ultra-wideband complex frequency functions, such  as the complex impedances, by using the so-called ACO  (Ant Colony Optimization methods. First, we present the  optimization principle of ACO, which originally was  dedicated to the combinatorial problems. Further on, the  extension to the continuous and mixed problems is  explained in more details. The interest in this approach is  proved by its ability to define practical constraints and  objectives, such as minimizing the number of filters used in  the model with respect to a fixed relative error. Finally, the  establishment of the model for the first and second order  filter types illustrates the power of the method and its  interest for the time-domain electromagnetic computation.

  16. Analysis list: sem-4 [Chip-atlas[Archive

    Lifescience Database Archive (English)

    Full Text Available sem-4 Larvae + ce10 http://dbarchive.biosciencedbc.jp/kyushu-u/ce10/target/sem-4.1....tsv http://dbarchive.biosciencedbc.jp/kyushu-u/ce10/target/sem-4.5.tsv http://dbarchive.biosciencedbc.jp/kyushu-u/ce10/target/sem...-4.10.tsv http://dbarchive.biosciencedbc.jp/kyushu-u/ce10/colo/sem-4.Larvae.tsv http://dbarchive.biosciencedbc.jp/kyushu-u/ce10/colo/Larvae.gml ...

  17. Validation of the concept Risk for Decreased Cardiac Output Validación del concepto riesgo de débito cardiaco disminuido Validação do conceito risco de débito cardíaco diminuído

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Eduarda Ribeiro dos Santos

    2013-02-01

    Full Text Available OBJECTIVES: to validate the concept "risk for decreased cardiac output". METHOD: Six of the eight steps suggested in the technique developed by Walker & Avant were adopted to analyze the concept of the phenomenon under study and the proposal made by Hoskins was used for content validation, taking into account agreement achieved among five experts. RESULTS: the concept "decreased cardiac output" was found in the nursing and medical fields and refers to the heart's pumping capacity while the concept "risk" is found in a large number of disciplines. In regard to the defining attributes, "impaired pumping capacity" was the main attribute of decreased cardiac output and "probability" was the main attribute of risk. The uses and defining attributes of the concepts "decreased cardiac output" and "risk" were analyzed as well as their antecedent and consequent events in order to establish the definition of "risk for decreased cardiac output", which was validated by 100% of the experts. CONCLUSION: The obtained data indicate that the risk for decreased cardiac output phenomenon can be a nursing diagnosis and refining it can contribute to the advancement of nursing classifications in this context.OBJETIVO: Validar el concepto riesgo del débito cardíaco disminuido. MÉTODO: Fue adoptada la técnica de Walker & Avant para analizar la definición del fenómeno enfocado, utilizando seis de las ocho etapas sugeridas y la propuesta de Hoskins para validar el contenido, considerándose la conformidad entre cinco expertos. RESULTADOS: el concepto de debito cardíaco disminuido se encuentra en las áreas enfermería y médica y su atención se centra en la capacidad de bombeo del corazón. Sin embargo, el concepto de riesgo es presente en un gran número de áreas. Las características definitorias de la disminución del gasto cardíaco mostraron como principal atributo deficiencia de la bomba cardiaca y, para el riesgo, el atributo de probabilidad. Analizados

  18. FIB/SEM and SEM/EDS microstructural analysis of metal-ceramic and zirconia-ceramic interfaces.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Massimi, F; Merlati, G; Sebastiani, M; Battaini, P; Menghini, P; Bemporad, E

    2012-01-10

    Recently introduced FIB/SEM analysis in microscopy seems to provide a high-resolution characterization of the samples by 3D (FIB) cross-sectioning and (SEM) high resolution imaging. The aim of this study was to apply the FIB/SEM and SEM/EDS analysis to the interfaces of a metal-ceramic vs. two zirconia-ceramic systems. Plate samples of three different prosthetic systems were prepared in the dental lab following the manufacturers' instructions, where metal-ceramic was the result of a ceramic veneering (porcelain-fused-to-metal) and the two zirconia-ceramic systems were produced by the dedicated CAD-CAM procedures of the zirconia cores (both with final sintering) and then veneered by layered or heat pressed ceramics. In a FIB/SEM equipment (also called DualBeam), a thin layer of platinum (1 μm) was deposited on samples surface crossing the interfaces, in order to protect them during milling. Then, increasingly deeper trenches were milled by a focused ion beam, first using a relatively higher and later using a lower ion current (from 9 nA to 0.28 nA, 30KV). Finally, FEG-SEM (5KV) micrographs (1000-50,000X) were acquired. In a SEM the analysis of the morphology and internal microstructure was performed by 13KV secondary and backscattered electrons signals (in all the samples). The compositional maps were then performed by EDS probe only in the metal-ceramic system (20kV). Despite the presence of many voids in all the ceramic layers, it was possible to identify: (1) the grain structures of the metallic and zirconia substrates, (2) the thin oxide layer at the metal-ceramic interface and its interactions with the first ceramic layer (wash technique), (3) the roughness of the two different zirconia cores and their interactions with the ceramic interface, where the presence of zirconia grains in the ceramic layer was reported in two system possibly due to sandblasting before ceramic firing.

  19. Taponamiento cardíaco secundario a carcinoma papilar esclerosante difuso de tiroides

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Verónica Riva

    2011-12-01

    Full Text Available El carcinoma papilar, variante esclerosante difusa, corresponde al 2% de todos los carcinomas papilares de la tiroides. Se caracteriza por comprometer de manera difusa y bilateral a la glándula tiroides. Clínicamente se manifiesta con metástasis ganglionares y pulmonares, afectando predominantemente a mujeres jóvenes. Se describe un caso de taponamiento cardíaco como presentación inicial de un carcinoma papilar de tiroides variante esclerosante difusa. Una mujer de 32 años concurrió al servicio de emergencias médicas refiriendo epigastralgia y tos seca. Durante el examen físico se constató hipotensión arterial, taquicardia y ruidos cardíacos disminuidos. Se realizó un ecocardiograma, observándose derrame pericárdico. Por medio de una pericardiocentesis se obtuvo líquido pericárdico, cuyo análisis mostró células neoplásicas. Durante la evolución la paciente presentó recurrencia del derrame pericárdico por lo que se realizó una ventana pleuropericárdica, detectándose durante la cirugía una lesión nodular subpleural, la cual fue biopsiada e informada posteriormente como una metástasis de carcinoma papilar vinculable a origen tiroideo. Se realizó una tiroidectomía total con linfadenectomía cervical bilateral. El diagnóstico final fue carcinoma papilar, variante esclerosante difusa. Esta variante infiltra el tejido conectivo de los espacios interfoliculares, simulando una tiroiditis y se caracteriza por una permeación vascular temprana. En oposición a la variante clásica, la esclerosante difusa presenta mayor agresividad y mayor tasa de recurrencia. El carcinoma papilar de tiroides debe tenerse presente como diagnóstico diferencial en nuestro medio, en todas aquellas lesiones neoplásicas papilares metastásicas, más aún si se trata de mujeres jóvenes.

  20. Qualidade de vida de pacientes submetidos ao transplante cardíaco: aplicação da escala Whoqol-Bref Calidad de vida de pacientes sometidos a transplante cardíaco: aplicación de la escala Whoqol-Bref Quality of life of patients that had a heart transplant: application of Whoqol-Bref scale

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Maria Isis Freire de Aguiar

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available FUNDAMENTO: O sucesso do transplante cardíaco significa garantir a sobrevida dos pacientes com cardiopatia e permitir-lhes desenvolver suas atividades diárias. O transplante cardíaco apresenta-se como a primeira opção de tratamento na falência cardíaca, representando um aumento de sobrevida e qualidade de vida dos transplantados. OBJETIVO: Avaliar a qualidade de vida de pacientes submetidos ao transplante cardíaco através da aplicação de uma escala padronizada (Whoqol-Bref. MÉTODOS: Estudo exploratório descritivo de abordagem quantitativa, realizado com 55 pacientes submetidos ao transplante cardíaco, em um período entre o terceiro e o 103º mês, que realizam acompanhamento na Unidade de Transplante e Insuficiência Cardíaca em um Hospital de Referência em Cardiologia na cidade de Fortaleza, CE. Os dados foram coletados no período de fevereiro a abril de 2009, por meio da aplicação de um questionário padronizado pela Organização Mundial da Saúde e utilização de dados constantes nos prontuários. RESULTADOS: Com relação ao domínio físico, 62,8% e 58,3% dos pacientes, dos sexos masculino e feminino, respectivamente, estão satisfeitos. No domínio psicológico, dentre pacientes do sexo masculino, 65,1% apresentam satisfação quanto à qualidade de vida e, no sexo feminino, 58,3% encontram-se satisfeitas. No domínio das relações sociais, observou-se que, no sexo masculino, 53,5% estão muito satisfeitos, e apresentou-se um nível de satisfação de 100% no sexo feminino. No domínio do meio ambiente, 65,1% do sexo masculino encontram-se satisfeitos, e no sexo feminino, 83,3% estão satisfeitas. CONCLUSÃO: O transplante cardíaco teve bastante influência na qualidade de vida dos pacientes transplantados, pois os resultados mostram-se estatisticamente significantes no pós-transplante.FUNDAMENTO: El éxito del transplante cardíaco significa garantizar la sobrevida de los pacientes con cardiopatía y permitirles

  1. Quantifying Spatiotemporal Dynamics of Solar Radiation over the Northeast China Based on ACO-BPNN Model and Intensity Analysis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Xiangqian Li

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Reliable information on the spatiotemporal dynamics of solar radiation plays a crucial role in studies relating to global climate change. In this study, a new backpropagation neural network (BPNN model optimized with an Ant Colony Optimization (ACO algorithm was developed to generate the ACO-BPNN model, which had demonstrated superior performance for simulating solar radiation compared to traditional BPNN modelling, for Northeast China. On this basis, we applied an intensity analysis to investigate the spatiotemporal variation of solar radiation from 1982 to 2010 over the study region at three levels: interval, category, and conversion. Research findings revealed that (1 the solar radiation resource in the study region increased from the 1980s to the 2000s and the average annual rate of variation from the 1980s to the 1990s was lower than that from the 1990s to the 2000s and (2 the gains and losses of solar radiation at each level were in different conditions. The poor, normal, and comparatively abundant levels were transferred to higher levels, whereas the abundant level was transferred to lower levels. We believe our findings contribute to implementing ad hoc energy management strategies to optimize the use of solar radiation resources and provide scientific suggestions for policy planning.

  2. Cardiac beta-receptors in experimental Chagas' disease Receptores beta cardíacos na doença de Chagas experimental

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Julio E. Enders

    1995-02-01

    Full Text Available Experimental Chagas' disease (45 to 90 days post-infection showed serious cardiac alterations in the contractility and in the pharmacological response to beta adrenergic receptors in normal and T. cruzi infected mice (post-acute phase. Chagasic infection did not change the beta receptors density (78.591 ± 3.125 fmol/mg protein and 73.647 ± 2.194 fmol/mg protein for controls but their affinity was significantly diminished (Kd = 7.299 ± 0.426 nM and Kd = 3.759 ± 0.212 nM for the control p Estudaram-se os receptores beta cardíacos de camundongos infectados pelo Trypanosoma cruzi na fase pós-aguda da doença de Chagas para estabelecer em que medida os mesmos contribuem a gerar respostas anômalas às catecolaminas observadas nestes miocardios. Utilizara-se 3-H/DHA para a marcação dos receptores beta cardíacos dos camundongos normais e dos infectados na fase pós-aguda (45 a 90 dias pós-infecção. O número dos sítios de fixação foi similar nos dois grupos, 78.591 ± 3.125 fmol/mg. Proteína nos chagásicos e 73.647 ± 2.194 fmol/mg. Proteína no grupo controle. Em vez disso, a afinidade verificou-se significativamente diminuida no grupo chagásico (Kd = 7.299 ± 0.426 nM respeito do controle (Kd = 3.759 ± 0.212 nM p < 0.001. Os resultados obtidos demonstram que as modificações observadas na estimulação adrenérgica do miocárdio chagásico se correlacionam com a menor afinidade dos receptores beta cardíacos e que estas alterações exerceriam uma parte determinante para as consequências funcionais que são detectadas na fase crônica.

  3. Avaliação do sopro cardíaco na infância Assessment of heart murmurs in childhood

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Maria Elisabeth B.A. Kobinger

    2003-06-01

    Full Text Available OBJETIVO: discutir a avaliação clínica e laboratorial do sopro cardíaco, considerando sua alta freqüência no atendimento ambulatorial do pediatra geral. FONTE DE DADOS: revisão baseada na análise crítica da literatura atual e consulta a compêndios de cardiologia pediátrica e pediatria contendo informações básicas sobre o tema. SÍNTESE DOS DADOS: os principais destaques do artigo referem-se à importância da anamnese e exame físico do sistema cardiovascular, essenciais para o pediatra geral diagnosticar o sopro cardíaco inocente, e identificar situações que indiquem a ocorrência de cardiopatias congênitas, ou adquiridas, e a necessidade de encaminhamento ao especialista. CONCLUSÕES: o pediatra geral é geralmente o primeiro médico a detectar um sopro cardíaco e deve estar apto a reconhecer o sopro inocente, assim como a suspeitar precocemente de doenças cardiovasculares.OBJECTIVE: to discuss clinical and laboratorial evaluation of heart murmurs in children, an important problem faced by pediatricians in their practice. SOURCES OF DATA: this review was based on a critical analysis of the current literature, as well as pediatrics and pediatric cardiology textbooks, which were found to be an important source of information on the subject. SUMMARY OS THE FINDINGS: it is important for pediatricians to know how to obtain precise information regarding the patient's medical history and to perform extensive physical examination of a child with heart murmur. The diagnosis of innocent heart murmur is essentially clinical and it can help the pediatrician to identify situations which are associated with cardiovascular diseases. CONCLUSIONS: in our series, short-term video-EEG monitoring established a reliable diagnosis in most patients due to correlation between clinical and EEG data. This procedure was well tolerated by children, including infants and those with psychiatric disorders.

  4. Trasplante cardíaco en pacientes con enfermedad de Chagas. Experiencia de un único centro

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alfredo Inácio Fiorelli

    2011-07-01

    Conclusiones: El trasplante cardíaco es el único tratamiento actual eficaz de tratamiento de la enfermedad de Chagas en fase terminal. La reactivación de la enfermedad es un problema real que es fácilmente revertido con la introducción de la terapéutica farmacológica específica, restaurando los padrones histológicos del miocardio sin dejar secuelas. La inmunosupresión, en especial los corticoides, predisponen al desarrollo de neoplasias y a la reactivación de la enfermedad, exigiendo una atención especial su interrupción o reducción precoz.

  5. Comparing the detection of iron-based pottery pigment on a carbon-coated sherd by SEM-EDS and by Micro-XRF-SEM.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pendleton, Michael W; Washburn, Dorothy K; Ellis, E Ann; Pendleton, Bonnie B

    2014-03-01

    The same sherd was analyzed using a scanning electron microscope with energy dispersive spectroscopy (SEM-EDS) and a micro X-ray fluorescence tube attached to a scanning electron microscope (Micro-XRF-SEM) to compare the effectiveness of elemental detection of iron-based pigment. To enhance SEM-EDS mapping, the sherd was carbon coated. The carbon coating was not required to produce Micro-XRF-SEM maps but was applied to maintain an unbiased comparison between the systems. The Micro-XRF-SEM analysis was capable of lower limits of detection than that of the SEM-EDS system, and therefore the Micro-XRF-SEM system could produce elemental maps of elements not easily detected by SEM-EDS mapping systems. Because SEM-EDS and Micro-XRF-SEM have been used for imaging and chemical analysis of biological samples, this comparison of the detection systems should be useful to biologists, especially those involved in bone or tooth (hard tissue) analysis.

  6. Comportamento do peso do coração e do corpo em chagásicos crônicos com e sem "megas"

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hipólito de Oliveira Almeida

    1980-12-01

    Full Text Available O peso do coração é menor nos chagásicos com "megas" do que nos falecidos subitamente ou em I.C.C., sendo, porém, maior que nos controles. Já o peso corporal ésemelhante nos chagásicos falecidos subitamente e nos controles, havendo redução moderada no grupo com I.C.C., e rtiais acentuada nos chagásicos com "megas" (redução de 20% em relação aos controles. A relação percentual peso cardíaco/peso corporal é de 1,1% no grupo com I.C.C.; 0,71% no grupo de morte súbita; 0,77% no grupo com "megas"; 0,49% no grupo controle e 0,60% ne grupo de doenças caquetizantes. Com base nas médias dos pesos cardíacos e corporal dos grupos controle, de doenças caquetizantes e de megas, calculou-se que o emagrecimento ocorrido nos megas reduziria o peso cardíaco médio de apenas 6,8%.

  7. Metastização pulmonar na apresentação de angiossarcoma cardíaco – Caso clínico e discussão

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Vítor Fonseca

    2009-11-01

    Full Text Available Resumo: Apresenta-se um caso clínico referente a doente de 35 anos, do sexo masculino sem antecedentes pessoais relevantes, admitido no serviço de urgência por quadro de toracalgia e tosse produtiva com alterações electrocardiográficas sugestivas de pericardite. Inicialmente admitido pelo Serviço de Cardiologia, com melhoria do quadro clínico após terapêutica anti-inflamatória; contudo, no internamento houve como intercorrência pneumonia de provável etiologia bacteriana, complicada por derrame pleural. Após a alta, foi referenciado à consulta de pneumologia, onde se manteve o estudo etiológico do derrame persistente, tendo vindo a complicar-se o seu quadro com alterações das cavidades cardiacas e múltiplos nódulos pulmonares, sugestivos de endocardite subaguda com embolização séptica pulmonar. Internado no serviço de Pneumologia e submetido a videotoracoscopia, foi-lhe diagnosticado angiossarcoma cardíaco com metastização pulmonar. Assistiu-se a uma rápida evolução do quadro clínico, quase fulminante, com falência cardíaca e óbito do doente sem ter iniciado radioterapia ou quimioterapia adjuvante.Rev Port Pneumol 2009; XV (6: 1175-1184 Abstract: We present a case report of a 35 year-old male without any relevant former pathology admitted to the emergency room with atypical chest pain, cough and sputum with ECG changes suggesting pericarditis. He was initially admitted to the cardiology ward and experienced clinical improvement after initiating anti-inflammatory treatment. As intercurrence he had bacterial origin pneumonia complicated by pleural effusion (PE. After discharge patient was referred to a pulmonology appointment where aetiological investigation of the PE was instigated. Investigation revealed changes in the cardiac cavities and multiple lung nodules, suggesting subacute endocarditis with septic pulmonary embolism. Admitted to the

  8. FIB-SEM tomography in biology.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kizilyaprak, Caroline; Bittermann, Anne Greet; Daraspe, Jean; Humbel, Bruno M

    2014-01-01

    Three-dimensional information is much easier to understand than a set of two-dimensional images. Therefore a layman is thrilled by the pseudo-3D image taken in a scanning electron microscope (SEM) while, when seeing a transmission electron micrograph, his imagination is challenged. First approaches to gain insight in the third dimension were to make serial microtome sections of a region of interest (ROI) and then building a model of the object. Serial microtome sectioning is a tedious and skill-demanding work and therefore seldom done. In the last two decades with the increase of computer power, sophisticated display options, and the development of new instruments, an SEM with a built-in microtome as well as a focused ion beam scanning electron microscope (FIB-SEM), serial sectioning, and 3D analysis has become far easier and faster.Due to the relief like topology of the microtome trimmed block face of resin-embedded tissue, the ROI can be searched in the secondary electron mode, and at the selected spot, the ROI is prepared with the ion beam for 3D analysis. For FIB-SEM tomography, a thin slice is removed with the ion beam and the newly exposed face is imaged with the electron beam, usually by recording the backscattered electrons. The process, also called "slice and view," is repeated until the desired volume is imaged.As FIB-SEM allows 3D imaging of biological fine structure at high resolution of only small volumes, it is crucial to perform slice and view at carefully selected spots. Finding the region of interest is therefore a prerequisite for meaningful imaging. Thin layer plastification of biofilms offers direct access to the original sample surface and allows the selection of an ROI for site-specific FIB-SEM tomography just by its pronounced topographic features.

  9. Sexual Arousal and Sexually Explicit Media (SEM)

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hald, Gert Martin; Stulhofer, Aleksandar; Lange, Theis

    2018-01-01

    -mainstream and mainstream SEM groups, and (iii) to explore the validity and predictive accuracy of the Non-Mainstream Pornography Arousal Scale (NPAS). METHODS: Online cross-sectional survey of 2,035 regular SEM users in Croatia. MAIN OUTCOMES MEASURES: Patterns of sexual arousal to 27 different SEM themes, sexual...

  10. Correção simultânea de defeito congênito intracardíaco e pectus excavatum Simultaneous repair of congenital heart defect and pectus excavatum

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    João Roberto Breda

    2007-09-01

    Full Text Available Relatamos tratamento simultâneo de pectus excavatum e defeito congênito intracardíaco representado por comunicação interatrial ostium secundum. Paciente do sexo masculino, 8 anos de idade, com diagnóstico clínico e ecocardiográfico de comunicação interatrial, associada à deformidade da parede torácica tipo pectus excavatum. Foi encaminhado para operação com correção simultânea do defeito congênito intracardíaco associado ao reparo do pectus. O tratamento operatório simultâneo do pectus excavatum e defeitos congênitos intracardíacos torna difícil o acesso ao coração. Foi feita a correção simultânea dessas alterações, com satisfatório resultado, sobretudo estético, para o paciente.The author describes the simultaneous treatment of pectus excavatum and congenital intracardiac defect (atrial septal defect represented by the interatrial foramen secundum. An 8-year-old boy, with clinical and echocardiography diagnosis of atrial septal defect associated with pectus excavatum was referred to a simultaneous surgical treatment of both abnormalities. The simultaneous surgical treatment of both pectus excavatum and congenital intracardiac defects make it difficult to access the heart. In this case, the simultaneous surgical treatment of atrial septal defect and pectus excavatum was a valuable alternative to surgical repair of both abnormalities, mainly due to its cosmetic outcome.

  11. Oxford CyberSEM: remote microscopy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rahman, M; Kirkland, A; Cockayne, D; Meyer, R

    2008-01-01

    The Internet has enabled researchers to communicate over vast geographical distances, sharing ideas and documents. e-Science, underpinned by Grid and Web Services, has enabled electronic communications to the next level where, in addition to document sharing, researchers can increasingly control high precision scientific instruments over the network. The Oxford CyberSEM project developed a simple Java applet via which samples placed in a JEOL 5510LV Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) can be manipulated and examined collaboratively over the Internet. Designed with schoolchildren in mind, CyberSEM does not require any additional hardware or software other than a generic Java-enabled web browser. This paper reflects on both the technical and social challenges in designing real-time systems for controlling scientific equipments in collaborative environments. Furthermore, it proposes potential deployment beyond the classroom setting.

  12. Tumores cardíacos: 10 anos de experiência

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Antônio Augusto MIANA

    1997-01-01

    Full Text Available Objetivo: Avaliar a experiência cirúrgica do grupo no tratamento dos tumores cardíacos durante o período de janeiro de 1985 a dezembro de 1994. Casuística e Métodos: De um total de 2268 cirurgias cardíacas com circulação extracorpórea realizadas neste período de 10 anos, 6 foram para extirpação de tumores intracavitários, perfazendo 0,26% dos casos. Destes, 3 eram mixomas de átrio esquerdo, 1 fibroelastoma papilar de valva mitral, 1 rabdomioma de ventrículo esquerdo e 1 fibroma de ventrículo esquerdo. A forma clínica de apresentação foi embolia sistêmica (3 casos ou insuficiência cardíaca (3 casos. O diagnóstico foi ecocardiográfico (5 casos e angiográfico (6 casos. Resultados: Todos os pacientes tiveram evolução imediata favorável, exceto 1 deles, com mixoma de átrio equerdo, que evoluiu com mediastinite e septicemia, vindo a falecer e constituindo o único óbito hospitalar. O seguimento pós-operatório tardio, obtido em 4 pacientes (15 a 111 meses - média 49 ± 36,8 meses, não detectou qualquer recidiva, encontrando-se todos em classe funcional I (NYHA. Conclusões: Os autores concluem que os tumores cardíacos são bastante raros, de fácil diagnóstico desde que considerados, na grande maioria benignos e que cursam favoravelmente com a extirpação cirúrgica.Purpose: To review the surgical experience of our group in the treatment of primary cardiac tumors, during a 10 year period beginning January 1985 till December 1994. Material and Methods: From a total of 2268 cardiac surgeries with the aid of extracorporeal circulation performed during this 10 year period, there were 6 cases of intracavitary tumor resection, an incidence of 0.26%. Three were myxomas of the left atrium, 1 papillary fibroelastoma of the mitral valve, 1 rhabdomyoma of the left ventricule and 1 fibroma of the left ventricle. Three patients presented systemic embolism and the other three congestive heart failure. The diagnosis was confirmed

  13. Controlling‏ ‏the Balance of Exploration and ‎Exploitation in ACO Algorithm ‎

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ayad ‎ Mohammed Jabbar

    2018-02-01

    Full Text Available Ant colony optimization is a meta-heuristic algorithm inspired by the foraging behavior of real ant colony. The algorithm is a population-based solution employed in different optimization problems such as classification, image processing, clustering, and so on. This paper sheds the light on the side of improving the results of traveling salesman problem produced by the algorithm. The key success that produces the valuable results is due to the two important components of exploration and exploitation. Balancing both components is the foundation of controlling search within the ACO. This paper proposes to modify the main probabilistic method to overcome the drawbacks of the exploration problem and produces global optimal results in high dimensional space. Experiments on six variant of ant colony optimization indicate that the proposed work produces high-quality results in terms of shortest route

  14. SEM-based characterization techniques

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Russell, P.E.

    1986-01-01

    The scanning electron microscope is now a common instrument in materials characterization laboratories. The basic role of the SEM as a topographic imaging system has steadily been expanding to include a variety of SEM-based analytical techniques. These techniques cover the range of basic semiconductor materials characterization to live-time device characterization of operating LSI or VLSI devices. This paper introduces many of the more commonly used techniques, describes the modifications or additions to a conventional SEM required to utilize the techniques, and gives examples of the use of such techniques. First, the types of signals available from a sample being irradiated by an electron beam are reviewed. Then, where applicable, the type of spectroscopy or microscopy which has evolved to utilize the various signal types are described. This is followed by specific examples of the use of such techniques to solve problems related to semiconductor technology. Techniques emphasized include: x-ray fluorescence spectroscopy, electron beam induced current (EBIC), stroboscopic voltage analysis, cathodoluminescnece and electron beam IC metrology. Current and future trends of some of the these techniques, as related to the semiconductor industry are discussed

  15. Inter-dependence of the electron beam excitations with the free electron laser stability on the super-ACO storage ring

    CERN Document Server

    Couprie, Marie Emmanuelle; Nutarelli, D; Renault, E; Billardon, M

    1999-01-01

    Storage ring free electron lasers have a complex dynamics as compared to the LINAC driven FEL sources since both the laser and the recirculating electron beam behaviours are involved. Electron beam perturbations can strongly affect the FEL operation (start-up, stability) whereas the FEL can stabilize beam instabilities. Experimental analysis together with simulations are reported here. Improvements of the Super-ACO FEL for users is discussed, and consequences are given in terms of electron beam tolerances for a source development for users.

  16. The luminal surface of thyroid cysts in SEM

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Zelander, T; Kirkeby, S

    1978-01-01

    Four of the five kinds of cells constituting the walls of thyroid cysts can be identified in the SEM. These are cuboidal cells, mucous cells, cells with large granules and ciliated cells. A correlation between SEM and TEM observations is attempted.......Four of the five kinds of cells constituting the walls of thyroid cysts can be identified in the SEM. These are cuboidal cells, mucous cells, cells with large granules and ciliated cells. A correlation between SEM and TEM observations is attempted....

  17. Space Experiment Module (SEM)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brodell, Charles L.

    1999-01-01

    The Space Experiment Module (SEM) Program is an education initiative sponsored by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Shuttle Small Payloads Project. The program provides nationwide educational access to space for Kindergarten through University level students. The SEM program focuses on the science of zero-gravity and microgravity. Within the program, NASA provides small containers or "modules" for students to fly experiments on the Space Shuttle. The experiments are created, designed, built, and implemented by students with teacher and/or mentor guidance. Student experiment modules are flown in a "carrier" which resides in the cargo bay of the Space Shuttle. The carrier supplies power to, and the means to control and collect data from each experiment.

  18. Sexual Arousal and Sexually Explicit Media (SEM): Comparing Patterns of Sexual Arousal to SEM and Sexual Self-Evaluations and Satisfaction Across Gender and Sexual Orientation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hald, Gert Martin; Stulhofer, Aleksandar; Lange, Theis

    2018-03-01

    Investigations of patterns of sexual arousal to certain groups of sexually explicit media (SEM) in the general population in non-laboratory settings are rare. Such knowledge could be important to understand more about the relative specificity of sexual arousal in different SEM users. (i) To investigate whether sexual arousal to non-mainstream vs mainstream SEM contents could be categorized across gender and sexual orientation, (ii) to compare levels of SEM-induced sexual arousal, sexual satisfaction, and self-evaluated sexual interests and fantasies between non-mainstream and mainstream SEM groups, and (iii) to explore the validity and predictive accuracy of the Non-Mainstream Pornography Arousal Scale (NPAS). Online cross-sectional survey of 2,035 regular SEM users in Croatia. Patterns of sexual arousal to 27 different SEM themes, sexual satisfaction, and self-evaluations of sexual interests and sexual fantasies. Groups characterized by sexual arousal to non-mainstream SEM could be identified across gender and sexual orientation. These non-mainstream SEM groups reported more SEM use and higher average levels of sexual arousal across the 27 SEM themes assessed compared with mainstream SEM groups. Only few differences were found between non-mainstream and mainstream SEM groups in self-evaluative judgements of sexual interests, sexual fantasies, and sexual satisfaction. The internal validity and predictive accuracy of the NPAS was good across most user groups investigated. The findings suggest that in classified non-mainstream SEM groups, patterns of sexual arousal might be less fixated and category specific than previously assumed. Further, these groups are not more judgmental of their SEM-related sexual arousal patterns than groups characterized by patterns of sexual arousal to more mainstream SEM content. Moreover, accurate identification of non-mainstream SEM group membership is generally possible across gender and sexual orientation using the NPAS. Hald GM

  19. Framework for SEM contour analysis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schneider, L.; Farys, V.; Serret, E.; Fenouillet-Beranger, C.

    2017-03-01

    SEM images provide valuable information about patterning capability. Geometrical properties such as Critical Dimension (CD) can be extracted from them and are used to calibrate OPC models, thus making OPC more robust and reliable. However, there is currently a shortage of appropriate metrology tools to inspect complex two-dimensional patterns in the same way as one would work with simple one-dimensional patterns. In this article we present a full framework for the analysis of SEM images. It has been proven to be fast, reliable and robust for every type of structure, and particularly for two-dimensional structures. To achieve this result, several innovative solutions have been developed and will be presented in the following pages. Firstly, we will present a new noise filter which is used to reduce noise on SEM images, followed by an efficient topography identifier, and finally we will describe the use of a topological skeleton as a measurement tool that can extend CD measurements on all kinds of patterns.

  20. “Manifestos do Coração”: Significados Atribuídos à Doença por Pacientes Cardíacos Pré-cirúrgicos

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Shana Hastenpflug Wottrich

    Full Text Available RESUMOEste estudo objetivou explorar os significados atribuídos à doença cardíaca por pacientes cardíacos pré-cirúrgicos em tratamento ambulatorial no sul do Brasil. É um estudo clínico-qualitativo, de caráter exploratório e descritivo, cuja coleta de dados aconteceu por meio de entrevistas semiestruturadas e da autofotografia, propostas a 15 indivíduos. Foi realizada análise de conteúdo temática, emergindo as categorias: Confrontação com a doença: os saberes em questão, Negação da doença, Doença e trabalho e Sexualidade rompida. Os resultados destacaram as dificuldades dos participantes relacionadas à apropriação do quadro da doença e à aceitação dessa condição. Salienta-se a premência de ações de saúde, que possam ser coadjuvantes na reestruturação das possibilidades de vida para os pacientes cardíacos pré-cirúrgicos.

  1. Perfil dos pacientes na Lista Única de Espera para transplante cardíaco no estado do Ceará Perfil de los pacientes en la lista única de espera para transplante cardíaco en el estado de Ceará Profile of patients in the Unified Waiting List for heart transplantation in state of Ceará

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Francisca Elisângela Teixeira Lima

    2010-07-01

    Full Text Available FUNDAMENTO: Os transplantes de órgãos têm aumentado consideravelmente nos últimos anos em razão da evolução tecnológica e da sensibilização da sociedade para doação de órgãos. OBJETIVO: Descrever as características dos pacientes da Lista Única de Espera para transplante cardíaco; identificar as principais cardiopatias; e verificar o tempo médio de permanência do paciente na Lista até a realização da cirurgia. MÉTODOS: Trata-se de um estudo descritivo, documental e retrospectivo, com abordagem quantitativa, desenvolvido na Central de Transplante do Estado do Ceará, com 156 pacientes incluídos na Lista Única de Espera do ano de 1999 a 2006. Os dados foram organizados em figuras. RESULTADOS: Foram encontrados: 81% do sexo masculino; 22,4% adultos jovens (20 a 40 anos e 56,4% adultos de meia-idade (40 a 64 anos, com uma média de 36 anos; 79% procedentes de Fortaleza-CE; 91% tinham miocardiopatia como causa do transplante cardíaco. Dentre esses pacientes 102 (69% foram transplantados; 37 (25% evoluíram para óbito antes do transplante e 8 (6% foram excluídos por melhora ou piora do quadro clínico. CONCLUSÃO: Os pacientes da Lista Única de Espera para transplante cardíaco no Estado do Ceará, no período de 1999 a 2006, eram do sexo masculino (80%, com faixa etária variando de 1 a 71 anos, com predomínio da miocardiopatia dilatada (53,4%, e o tempo médio de espera foi de 136 dias até o dia do transplante cardíaco.FUNDAMENTO: Los transplantes de órganos han aumentado considerablemente en los últimos años, en razón de la evolución tecnológica y de la sensibilización de la sociedad para la donación de órganos. OBJETIVO: Describir las características de los pacientes de la Lista Única de Espera para transplante cardíaco; identificar las principales cardiopatías; y verificar el tiempo medio de permanencia del paciente en la Lista hasta la realización de la cirugía. MÉTODOS: Se trata de un estudio

  2. Sparsity-Based Super Resolution for SEM Images.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tsiper, Shahar; Dicker, Or; Kaizerman, Idan; Zohar, Zeev; Segev, Mordechai; Eldar, Yonina C

    2017-09-13

    The scanning electron microscope (SEM) is an electron microscope that produces an image of a sample by scanning it with a focused beam of electrons. The electrons interact with the atoms in the sample, which emit secondary electrons that contain information about the surface topography and composition. The sample is scanned by the electron beam point by point, until an image of the surface is formed. Since its invention in 1942, the capabilities of SEMs have become paramount in the discovery and understanding of the nanometer world, and today it is extensively used for both research and in industry. In principle, SEMs can achieve resolution better than one nanometer. However, for many applications, working at subnanometer resolution implies an exceedingly large number of scanning points. For exactly this reason, the SEM diagnostics of microelectronic chips is performed either at high resolution (HR) over a small area or at low resolution (LR) while capturing a larger portion of the chip. Here, we employ sparse coding and dictionary learning to algorithmically enhance low-resolution SEM images of microelectronic chips-up to the level of the HR images acquired by slow SEM scans, while considerably reducing the noise. Our methodology consists of two steps: an offline stage of learning a joint dictionary from a sequence of LR and HR images of the same region in the chip, followed by a fast-online super-resolution step where the resolution of a new LR image is enhanced. We provide several examples with typical chips used in the microelectronics industry, as well as a statistical study on arbitrary images with characteristic structural features. Conceptually, our method works well when the images have similar characteristics, as microelectronics chips do. This work demonstrates that employing sparsity concepts can greatly improve the performance of SEM, thereby considerably increasing the scanning throughput without compromising on analysis quality and resolution.

  3. Advanced metrology by offline SEM data processing

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lakcher, Amine; Schneider, Loïc.; Le-Gratiet, Bertrand; Ducoté, Julien; Farys, Vincent; Besacier, Maxime

    2017-06-01

    Today's technology nodes contain more and more complex designs bringing increasing challenges to chip manufacturing process steps. It is necessary to have an efficient metrology to assess process variability of these complex patterns and thus extract relevant data to generate process aware design rules and to improve OPC models. Today process variability is mostly addressed through the analysis of in-line monitoring features which are often designed to support robust measurements and as a consequence are not always very representative of critical design rules. CD-SEM is the main CD metrology technique used in chip manufacturing process but it is challenged when it comes to measure metrics like tip to tip, tip to line, areas or necking in high quantity and with robustness. CD-SEM images contain a lot of information that is not always used in metrology. Suppliers have provided tools that allow engineers to extract the SEM contours of their features and to convert them into a GDS. Contours can be seen as the signature of the shape as it contains all the dimensional data. Thus the methodology is to use the CD-SEM to take high quality images then generate SEM contours and create a data base out of them. Contours are used to feed an offline metrology tool that will process them to extract different metrics. It was shown in two previous papers that it is possible to perform complex measurements on hotspots at different process steps (lithography, etch, copper CMP) by using SEM contours with an in-house offline metrology tool. In the current paper, the methodology presented previously will be expanded to improve its robustness and combined with the use of phylogeny to classify the SEM images according to their geometrical proximities.

  4. Secondary emission monitor (SEM) grids.

    CERN Multimedia

    Patrice Loïez

    2002-01-01

    A great variety of Secondary Emission Monitors (SEM) are used all over the PS Complex. At other accelerators they are also called wire-grids, harps, etc. They are used to measure beam density profiles (from which beam size and emittance can be derived) in single-pass locations (not on circulating beams). Top left: two individual wire-planes. Top right: a combination of a horizontal and a vertical wire plane. Bottom left: a ribbon grid in its frame, with connecting wires. Bottom right: a SEM-grid with its insertion/retraction mechanism.

  5. The influence of environment temperature on SEM image quality

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chen, Li; Liu, Junshan

    2015-01-01

    As the structure dimension goes down to the nano-scale, it often requires a scanning electron microscope (SEM) to provide image magnification up to 100 000  ×. However, SEM images at such a high magnification usually suffer from high resolution value and low signal-to-noise ratio, which results in low quality of the SEM image. In this paper, the quality of the SEM image is improved by optimizing the environment temperature. The experimental results indicate that at 100 000  ×, the quality of the SEM image is influenced by the environment temperature, whereas at 50 000  × it is not. At 100 000  × the best SEM image quality can be achieved from the environment temperature ranging 292 from 294 K, and the SEM image quality evaluated by the double stimulus continuous quality scale method can increase from grade 1 to grade 5. It is expected that this image quality improving method can be used in routine measurements with ordinary SEMs to get high quality images by optimizing the environment temperature. (paper)

  6. Utilização de valvas homólogas e heterólogas em condutos extracardíacos The use of homograph and heterograph valves in extracardiac conduits

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rui Siqueira de Almeida

    1988-08-01

    Full Text Available O conceito do uso de um conduto extracardíaco para estabelecer uma via de saída, conectando o ventrículo direito com o tronco pulmonar, ou seus ramos, foi desenvolvido na década de 60. Entre 1971 e 1986, 335 pacientes receberam, no The Hospital for Sick Children, de Londres, condutos extracardíacos para o lado direito do coração; 176 destes foram homoenxertos aórticos, preservados em solução antibióticonutriente; 140 heteroenxertos (Hancock, Ross, Carpentier-Edwards, lonescu-Shiley e 19 tubos não valvulados. Estes condutos foram usados na correção de defeitos cardíacos complexos. A idade média foi de 6,34 anos e o peso médio, de 17,8 kg. O diâmetro interno dos condutos variou de 8 a 30 mm. A mortalidade hospitalar foi de 29,2% e o seguimento dos sobrevivente teve uma duração máxima de 14,3 anos, sendo que apenas 40% delas foram relacionadas ao conduto extracardíaco. A curva atuarial, livre de obstrução, dos condutos extracardíacos foi significativa, quando se analisaram os homoenxertos, face a cada grupo de heteroenxertos (p The concept of using extracardiac conduits, to establish an outflow tract between the right ventricle and the pulmonary artery was developed on the sixties. Between 1971 and 1986, 335 patients received extracardiac conduits for the right heart, at The Hospital for Sick Children, London; 176 were antibiotic preserved aortic homografts (Hancock, Ross, Carpentier-Edwards, lonescu-Shiley and 19 non-valved tubes. These conduits were used for the repair of complex congenital heart defects. The mean age of these groups was 6.34 ± 4.6 years and the mean weight 17.8 ± 10.8 kg. The internal diameter of the conduits varied from 8 to 30 mm. The hospital mortality was 29.2% and long-term follow-up of the survivals had a maximum period of 14,39 years. Sixty patients (17.9% were submited to 60 reoperations, being only 40% conduit related. The actuarial survival cun/e of freedom from obstruction was significant

  7. Bases de Datos Semánticas

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Irving Caro Fierros

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available En 1992, cuando Tim Berners-Lee dio a conocer la primera  versión  de  la  Web,  su  visión  a  futuro  era  incorporar metadatos  con  información  semántica  en  las  páginas  Web.  Es precisamente   a   principios   de   este   siglo   que   inicia   el   auge repentino  de  la  Web  semántica  en  el  ambiente  académico  e Internet. El modelo de datos semántico se define como un modelo conceptual que permite definir el significado de los datos a través de  sus  relaciones  con  otros.  En  este  sentido,  el  formato  de representación  de  los  datos  es  fundamental  para  proporcionar información de carácter semántico. La tecnología enfocada en las bases de datos semánticas se encuentra actualmente en un punto de  inflexión,  al  pasar  del  ámbito  académico  y  de  investigación  a ser una opción comercial completa. En este artículo se realiza un análisis  del  concepto  de  base  de  datos  semántica.  También  se presenta  un  caso  de  estudio  donde  se  ejemplifican  operaciones básicas  que  involucran  la  gestión  de  la  información  almacenada en este tipo de base de datos.

  8. Theory of monochromators based on holographic toroidal arrays for the X-UV spectrum band. Tests of the 'TGM 10 metres, 4 degrees' on the ACO storage ring

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lizon a Lugrin, Eric

    1988-01-01

    As the use of synchrotron radiation is strongly increasing, needs for monochromators in the X-UV range are very important. This research thesis aimed at the development of prototype monochromator based toroidal lamellar arrays with grazing incidence. In the first part, the author recalls theoretical aspects of light scattering rules adapted to a lamellar array, and of wave-matter interaction rules. In the second part, he reports the calculation of the monochromator, its mechanical description, and its implementation on the light line of the ACO storage ring. In the third part, the author reports tests performed without any input slot and in reverse optical configuration on the ACO storage ring. The energy range, the linearity with respect to wave length, the rejection of higher orders of scattered light, flow and resolution are in compliance with expected values [fr

  9. Partial Least Squares Strukturgleichungsmodellierung (PLS-SEM)

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hair, Joseph F.; Hult, G. Tomas M.; Ringle, Christian M.

    (PLS-SEM) hat sich in der wirtschafts- und sozialwissenschaftlichen Forschung als geeignetes Verfahren zur Schätzung von Kausalmodellen behauptet. Dank der Anwenderfreundlichkeit des Verfahrens und der vorhandenen Software ist es inzwischen auch in der Praxis etabliert. Dieses Buch liefert eine...... anwendungsorientierte Einführung in die PLS-SEM. Der Fokus liegt auf den Grundlagen des Verfahrens und deren praktischer Umsetzung mit Hilfe der SmartPLS-Software. Das Konzept des Buches setzt dabei auf einfache Erläuterungen statistischer Ansätze und die anschauliche Darstellung zahlreicher Anwendungsbeispiele anhand...... einer einheitlichen Fallstudie. Viele Grafiken, Tabellen und Illustrationen erleichtern das Verständnis der PLS-SEM. Zudem werden dem Leser herunterladbare Datensätze, Aufgaben und weitere Fachartikel zur Vertiefung angeboten. Damit eignet sich das Buch hervorragend für Studierende, Forscher und...

  10. Automated CD-SEM metrology for efficient TD and HVM

    Science.gov (United States)

    Starikov, Alexander; Mulapudi, Satya P.

    2008-03-01

    CD-SEM is the metrology tool of choice for patterning process development and production process control. We can make these applications more efficient by extracting more information from each CD-SEM image. This enables direct monitors of key process parameters, such as lithography dose and focus, or predicting the outcome of processing, such as etched dimensions or electrical parameters. Automating CD-SEM recipes at the early stages of process development can accelerate technology characterization, segmentation of variance and process improvements. This leverages the engineering effort, reduces development costs and helps to manage the risks inherent in new technology. Automating CD-SEM for manufacturing enables efficient operations. Novel SEM Alarm Time Indicator (SATI) makes this task manageable. SATI pulls together data mining, trend charting of the key recipe and Operations (OPS) indicators, Pareto of OPS losses and inputs for root cause analysis. This approach proved natural to our FAB personnel. After minimal initial training, we applied new methods in 65nm FLASH manufacture. This resulted in significant lasting improvements of CD-SEM recipe robustness, portability and automation, increased CD-SEM capacity and MT productivity.

  11. Síndrome de bajo gasto cardíaco en la tetralogía de Fallot

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lincoln de la Parte Pérez

    2002-06-01

    Full Text Available Se realiza un estudio retrospectivo de 200 niños operados de tetralogía de Fallot en el Cardiocentro del Hospital Pediátrico Universitario "William Soler" durante el período comprendido entre los años 1990 y 1993. Se observó una relación directamente proporcional entre el tiempo de pinzamiento aórtico (paro anóxico, el tiempo de circulación extracorpórea (CEC y el desarrollo del síndrome de bajo gasto cardíaco. La incidencia de bajo gasto cardíaco en los niños con tiempo de pinzamiento aórtico menor a los 30 min fue nula, en los pacientes con tiempo menor a los 60 min la incidencia fue del 23,2 % (40 pacientes. En los 24 pacientes que sufrieron procedimientos quirúrgicos prolongados y tiempo de pinzamiento aórtico mayor de 1 hora la incidencia fue del 95,8 %. En los pacientes con tiempo de CEC menor de 90 min la incidencia de bajo gasto cardíaco que de sólo el 9,75 %, en los niños con tiempo de CEC entre 91 y 105 min fue de 15,53 %, en los que necesitaron entre 106 y 120 min de CEC fue del 62,5 % y en los procedimientos quirúrgicos prolongados fue del 95,8 %. La mayoría de los pacientes respondió bien al tratamiento, aunque en un pequeño número de ellos se mantuvo la disfunción ventricular a pesar del tratamiento. Siete niños fallecieron en el posoperatorio para una mortalidad del 3,5 %.A retrospective study of 200 children with Tetralogy of Fallot, who were operated on the Cardiology Center of "William Soler" University Pediatric Hospital from 1990 to 1993, was performed. There was a direct proportional relation between time of holding aorta with forceps (anoxic arrest, time of extracorporeal circulation and the development of low cardiac output syndrome. The incidence of low cardiac output in children who underwent holding of aorta with forceps for less than 30 minutes was zero, but the same procedure applied in patients for less than 60 minutes, the incidence was 23,2%(40 patients. The 24 patients that underwent

  12. FIB-SEM cathodoluminescence tomography: practical and theoretical considerations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    De Winter, D A M; Lebbink, M N; Wiggers De Vries, D F; Post, J A; Drury, M R

    2011-09-01

    Focused ion beam-scanning electron microscope (FIB-SEM) tomography is a powerful application in obtaining three-dimensional (3D) information. The FIB creates a cross section and subsequently removes thin slices. The SEM takes images using secondary or backscattered electrons, or maps every slice using X-rays and/or electron backscatter diffraction patterns. The objective of this study is to assess the possibilities of combining FIB-SEM tomography with cathodoluminescence (CL) imaging. The intensity of CL emission is related to variations in defect or impurity concentrations. A potential problem with FIB-SEM CL tomography is that ion milling may change the defect state of the material and the CL emission. In addition the conventional tilted sample geometry used in FIB-SEM tomography is not compatible with conventional CL detectors. Here we examine the influence of the FIB on CL emission in natural diamond and the feasibility of FIB-SEM CL tomography. A systematic investigation establishes that the ion beam influences CL emission of diamond, with a dependency on both the ion beam and electron beam acceleration voltage. CL emission in natural diamond is enhanced particularly at low ion beam and electron beam voltages. This enhancement of the CL emission can be partly explained by an increase in surface defects induced by ion milling. CL emission enhancement could be used to improve the CL image quality. To conduct FIB-SEM CL tomography, a recently developed novel specimen geometry is adopted to enable sequential ion milling and CL imaging on an untilted sample. We show that CL imaging can be manually combined with FIB-SEM tomography with a modified protocol for 3D microstructure reconstruction. In principle, automated FIB-SEM CL tomography should be feasible, provided that dedicated CL detectors are developed that allow subsequent milling and CL imaging without manual intervention, as the current CL detector needs to be manually retracted before a slice can be milled

  13. Dynamics and performance of the free electron laser at Super-Aco with a harmonic RF cavity set on 500 MHz

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nutarelli, D.

    2000-01-01

    This work is dedicated to the development of the potentialities of the free electron laser that has been installed on the storage ring Super-Aco at Orsay university. We have studied the dynamics of the electron beam inside a harmonic RF cavity set on 500 MHz. The impact of the geometric characteristics of the optical cavity on the transverse overlapping between laser radiation and the electron beam has been studied in details. An important part of the work has been the assessment of the optical characterization of the dielectric multi-layer mirrors of the cavity. For that purpose a complete system has been designed to assess the changes in optical properties of mirrors during laser operation. Another important part of this work was the study of the interaction process between laser radiation and the electron bunch leading to saturation. This interaction process has been simulated through a new model and some predictions given by this model have been successfully confronted to experimental data. The installation of the harmonic RF cavity has led to a significant increase of the laser radiation gain and the value of the mean power of the laser radiation has reached 300 mW. An interesting application of this technique is the generation of high energy gamma photons through Compton backscattering. A collimated 35 MeV-energy photon beam has been produced at Super-Aco with a rate of 5.10 6 photons per second. (A.C.)

  14. Bases de Datos Semánticas

    OpenAIRE

    Irving Caro Fierros; Víctor Hugo Menéndez Domínguez; María Enriqueta Castellanos Bolaños

    2016-01-01

    En 1992, cuando Tim Berners-Lee dio a conocer la primera  versión  de  la  Web,  su  visión  a  futuro  era  incorporar metadatos  con  información  semántica  en  las  páginas  Web.  Es precisamente   a   principios   de   este   siglo   que   inicia   el   auge repentino  de  la  Web  semántica  en  el  ambiente  académico  e Internet. El modelo de datos semántico se define como un modelo conceptual que permite definir el significado de los datos a través de  sus  relaciones  con  otros.  E...

  15. 314. Extracción de dispositivos intracardíacos en pacientes sometidos previamente a procedimientos de cardiología intervencionista

    OpenAIRE

    E. Villagrán; L. Montes; Z. Garcés; A. Ayaon; M. Carnero; J. Silva; A. Alswies; J.E. Rodríguez

    2012-01-01

    Descripción de una cohorte de pacientes sometidos a la implantación de algún dispositivo intracardíaco percutáneo (DCIP) que finalmente fueron intervenidos quirúrgicamente por disfunción de los mismos. Material y métodos: Se analizó de forma retrospectiva toda la cohorte de pacientes sometidos a extracción de DCIP intervenidos en nuestro centro. Se describe la muestra de pacientes y se resumen los resultados quirúrgicos. Resultados: Desde julio de 2007 – julio de 2011, 25 pacientes inte...

  16. Investigating fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and asthma-COPD overlap (ACO): a scoping review protocol.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mostafavi-Pour-Manshadi, Seyed-Mohammad-Yousof; Naderi, Nafiseh; Barrecheguren, Miriam; Dehghan, Abolfazl; Bourbeau, Jean

    2017-12-21

    During the last decade, many articles have been published, including reviews on fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) use and utility in clinical practice and for monitoring and identifying eosinophilic airway inflammation, especially in asthma, and evaluating corticosteroid responsiveness. However, the exact role of FeNO in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and its ability to distinguish patients with COPD and those having concomitant asthma, that is, asthma-COPD overlap (ACO) is still unclear and needs to be defined. Due to the broad topics of FeNO in chronic airway disease, we undertook a scoping review. The present article describes the protocol of a scoping review of peer-reviewed published literature specific to FeNO in COPD/ACO over the last decade. We used Joanna Briggs Institute Reviewers' Manual scoping review methodology as well as Levac et al 's and Arksey et al 's framework as guides. We searched a variety of databases, including Medline, Embase, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), Cochrane Library, Web of Science, and BioSciences Information Service (BIOSIS) on 29 June 2016. Additional studies will be recognised by exploring the reference list of identified eligible studies. Screening of eligible studies will be independently performed by two reviewers and any disagreement will be solved by the third reviewer. We will analyse the gathered data from article bibliographies and abstracts. To investigate the body of published studies regarding the role of FeNO in patients with COPD and its usefulness in the clinical setting, a scoping review can be used as a modern and pioneer model, which does not need ethics approval. By this review, new insights for conducting new research specific to FeNO in COPD/ACO population will emerge. The results of this study will be reported in the scientific meetings and conferences, which aim to provide information to the clinicians, primary care providers and basic

  17. Simulation of FIB-SEM images for analysis of porous microstructures.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Prill, Torben; Schladitz, Katja

    2013-01-01

    Focused ion beam nanotomography-scanning electron microscopy tomography yields high-quality three-dimensional images of materials microstructures at the nanometer scale combining serial sectioning using a focused ion beam with SEM. However, FIB-SEM tomography of highly porous media leads to shine-through artifacts preventing automatic segmentation of the solid component. We simulate the SEM process in order to generate synthetic FIB-SEM image data for developing and validating segmentation methods. Monte-Carlo techniques yield accurate results, but are too slow for the simulation of FIB-SEM tomography requiring hundreds of SEM images for one dataset alone. Nevertheless, a quasi-analytic description of the specimen and various acceleration techniques, including a track compression algorithm and an acceleration for the simulation of secondary electrons, cut down the computing time by orders of magnitude, allowing for the first time to simulate FIB-SEM tomography. © Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  18. Drenagem anômala total das veias pulmonares: terapêutica cirúrgica dos tipos anatômicos infracardíaco e misto

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Atik Fernando Antibas

    2004-01-01

    Full Text Available OBJETIVO: Estudar a evolução hospitalar em portadores de drenagem anômala total de veias pulmonares (DATVP, nas formas infracardíaca e mista, submetidos a tratamento cirúrgico. MÉTODOS: De 65 pacientes operados com o diagnóstico isolado de DATVP, de dezembro/1993 a março/2002, foram selecionados, retrospectivamente, 7 (10,8% pacientes das formas mista e infradiafragmática, sendo 5 (71,4% do sexo masculino, idades variando de 5 dias a 19 (média de 7 meses, com diagnóstico clínico feito pelo ecocardiograma bidimensional. Quatro (57,1% pacientes apresentavam formas mistas, em um, obstrutiva intrínseca, com estenose discreta da veia inferior esquerda. Os restantes três (42,9% apresentavam a forma infradiafragmática obstrutiva, extrínseca ao nível do diafragma. Todas as operações foram realizadas através de esternotomia mediana, sob circulação extracorpórea hipotérmica com parada circulatória total em 2 casos. RESULTADOS: Óbito hospitalar ocorreu em 1 paciente com DATVP infradiafragmática com conexão da veia vertical inferior com a veia porta. A causa mortis foi relacionada à falência de múltiplos órgãos e sistemas. O pós-operatório foi caracterizado pela presença de baixo débito cardíaco e hipertensão pulmonar em 4 (57,1% pacientes. CONCLUSÃO: O resultado da correção cirúrgica desta anomalia está associado à morbidade e mortalidade aceitáveis, na dependência do encaminhamento e tratamento cirúrgico precoces, sem progressão do quadro de hipertensão vascular pulmonar.

  19. Recent advances in 3D SEM surface reconstruction.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tafti, Ahmad P; Kirkpatrick, Andrew B; Alavi, Zahrasadat; Owen, Heather A; Yu, Zeyun

    2015-11-01

    The scanning electron microscope (SEM), as one of the most commonly used instruments in biology and material sciences, employs electrons instead of light to determine the surface properties of specimens. However, the SEM micrographs still remain 2D images. To effectively measure and visualize the surface attributes, we need to restore the 3D shape model from the SEM images. 3D surface reconstruction is a longstanding topic in microscopy vision as it offers quantitative and visual information for a variety of applications consisting medicine, pharmacology, chemistry, and mechanics. In this paper, we attempt to explain the expanding body of the work in this area, including a discussion of recent techniques and algorithms. With the present work, we also enhance the reliability, accuracy, and speed of 3D SEM surface reconstruction by designing and developing an optimized multi-view framework. We then consider several real-world experiments as well as synthetic data to examine the qualitative and quantitative attributes of our proposed framework. Furthermore, we present a taxonomy of 3D SEM surface reconstruction approaches and address several challenging issues as part of our future work. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  20. CD-SEM real time bias correction using reference metrology based modeling

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ukraintsev, V.; Banke, W.; Zagorodnev, G.; Archie, C.; Rana, N.; Pavlovsky, V.; Smirnov, V.; Briginas, I.; Katnani, A.; Vaid, A.

    2018-03-01

    Accuracy of patterning impacts yield, IC performance and technology time to market. Accuracy of patterning relies on optical proximity correction (OPC) models built using CD-SEM inputs and intra die critical dimension (CD) control based on CD-SEM. Sub-nanometer measurement uncertainty (MU) of CD-SEM is required for current technologies. Reported design and process related bias variation of CD-SEM is in the range of several nanometers. Reference metrology and numerical modeling are used to correct SEM. Both methods are slow to be used for real time bias correction. We report on real time CD-SEM bias correction using empirical models based on reference metrology (RM) data. Significant amount of currently untapped information (sidewall angle, corner rounding, etc.) is obtainable from SEM waveforms. Using additional RM information provided for specific technology (design rules, materials, processes) CD extraction algorithms can be pre-built and then used in real time for accurate CD extraction from regular CD-SEM images. The art and challenge of SEM modeling is in finding robust correlation between SEM waveform features and bias of CD-SEM as well as in minimizing RM inputs needed to create accurate (within the design and process space) model. The new approach was applied to improve CD-SEM accuracy of 45 nm GATE and 32 nm MET1 OPC 1D models. In both cases MU of the state of the art CD-SEM has been improved by 3x and reduced to a nanometer level. Similar approach can be applied to 2D (end of line, contours, etc.) and 3D (sidewall angle, corner rounding, etc.) cases.

  1. Epigallocatechin-3-gallate rapidly remodels PAP85-120, SEM1(45-107, and SEM2(49-107 seminal amyloid fibrils

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Laura M. Castellano

    2015-09-01

    Full Text Available Semen harbors amyloid fibrils formed by proteolytic fragments of prostatic acid phosphatase (PAP248-286 and PAP85-120 and semenogelins (SEM1 and SEM2 that potently enhance HIV infectivity. Amyloid but not soluble forms of these peptides enhance HIV infection. Thus, agents that remodel these amyloid fibrils could prevent HIV transmission. Here, we confirm that the green tea polyphenol, epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG, slowly remodels fibrils formed by PAP248-286 termed SEVI (semen derived enhancer of viral infection and also exerts a direct anti-viral effect. We elucidate for the first time that EGCG remodels PAP85-120, SEM1(45-107, and SEM2(49-107 fibrils more rapidly than SEVI fibrils. We establish EGCG as the first small molecule that can remodel all four classes of seminal amyloid. The combined anti-amyloid and anti-viral properties of EGCG could have utility in preventing HIV transmission.

  2. SEM-EBSP能知道些什么

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    张唯敏

    2003-01-01

    @@ 1 SEM-EBSP是什么 所谓SEM-EBSP是指采用在扫描电子显微镜(SEM)镜体中的反射电子菊池线衍射的结晶方位分析.被称为菊池图形的衍射图形可因结晶的稍许倾斜而大大地改变其位置,因此,通过解析菊池图形就能正确地知道结晶方位.

  3. Stirling Energy Module (SEM) as Micro-CHP; Stirling Energy Module (SEM) als Mini-BHKW

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Schlegel, A.

    2006-07-01

    Since many years, a lot of effort is being put into the development of combined heat and power units (CHP) for the decentralised production of electric power. For long time, the main focus was on fuel cells. In the meantime, the Stirling technology, which is based upon classical mechanical engineering and innovative technical concepts, proceeded in its development as well. The following article describes the technology and the actual state of the development of the Stirling Energy Module (SEM) for the application as Micro-CHP in one-family-houses. SEM is based on a free-piston engine with a linear power generator, producing electric power while heating. The Stirling engine is planned the be introduced into the market as a replacement for the conventional heating systems within a couple of years. (author)

  4. Hacia una descripción del cuento policíaco español contemporáneo

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alicia Valverde Velasco

    2014-06-01

    Full Text Available Desde su recepción en España, ya en el siglo XIX, el cuento policíaco nunca había experimentado un auge en su cultivo y aceptación como el acaecido a partir de los años setenta. Desde entonces, el cuento literario, como forma narrativa susceptible de desarrollar tramas de muy distinta índole, entre ellas la del hecho criminal, ha experimentado un período de reconocimiento paulatino por parte de los autores, las editoriales, el público y la crítica, por lo que no es de extrañar que los escritores del llamado “género criminal” se atreviesen a explorar las posibilidades del relato breve con mayor fortuna que durante las décadas precedentes.

  5. lsnjbhakta@gmail.com A Comparative SEM-EDS Elemental

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Michael Horsfall

    effect on food production in terrestrial and aquatic compartment in ... Processing and SEM-EDS analysis of mud: In the laboratory, the ... and for SEM image observation was 15 kV, applying .... by weathering in the Omi acid clay deposit, Japan.

  6. Ant Colony Optimization ACO For The Traveling Salesman Problem TSP Using Partitioning

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alok Bajpai

    2015-08-01

    Full Text Available Abstract An ant colony optimization is a technique which was introduced in 1990s and which can be applied to a variety of discrete combinatorial optimization problem and to continuous optimization. The ACO algorithm is simulated with the foraging behavior of the real ants to find the incremental solution constructions and to realize a pheromone laying-and-following mechanism. This pheromone is the indirect communication among the ants. In this paper we introduces the partitioning technique based on the divide and conquer strategy for the traveling salesman problem which is one of the most important combinatorial problem in which the original problem is partitioned into the group of sub problems. And then we apply the ant colony algorithm using candidate list strategy for each smaller sub problems. After that by applying the local optimization and combining the sub problems to find the good solution for the original problem by improving the exploration efficiency of the ants. At the end of this paper we have also be presented the comparison of result with the normal ant colony system for finding the optimal solution to the traveling salesman problem.

  7. 123. Intervención quirúrgica urgente en paciente varón joven con angiosarcoma primario cardíaco con diagnóstico de tromboembolismo pulmonar agudo

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    N. Miranda

    2012-04-01

    Conclusiones: Son infrecuentes los casos de sarcoma cardíaco primario publicados en la bibliografía y muy pocos los que han cursado como tromboembolismo pulmonar agudo. Este caso ilustra la enorme dificultad que presentan para un diagnóstico y tratamiento precoz que ofrezca unas mínimas expectativas de vida a medio plazo.

  8. Efecto de la incorporación de fibras dietéticas en la calidad de panes para celíacos

    OpenAIRE

    Díaz Malmierca, Álvaro

    2013-01-01

    La investigación en la elaboración de panes sin gluten está muy avanzada, siendo el déficit en micronutrientes de estos productos uno de los problemas sobre el que se está centrando la investigación. Uno de los nutrientes más deficitarios, y que más problemas causa sobre la salud de los pacientes celíacos es la fibra dietética. En este estudio se ha investigado el efecto que produce la adición de un 10% de diferentes fibras sobre las características de los panes, la influencia ...

  9. A Data-Driven Approach to SEM Development at a Two-Year College

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pirius, Landon K.

    2014-01-01

    This article explores implementation of strategic enrollment management (SEM) at a two-year college and why SEM is critical to the long-term viability of an institution. This article also outlines the five initial steps needed to implement SEM, including identifying SEM leadership, building a SEM committee, developing a common understanding of…

  10. Improvement of CD-SEM mark position measurement accuracy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kasa, Kentaro; Fukuhara, Kazuya

    2014-04-01

    CD-SEM is now attracting attention as a tool that can accurately measure positional error of device patterns. However, the measurement accuracy can get worse due to pattern asymmetry as in the case of image based overlay (IBO) and diffraction based overlay (DBO). For IBO and DBO, a way of correcting the inaccuracy arising from measurement patterns was suggested. For CD-SEM, although a way of correcting CD bias was proposed, it has not been argued how to correct the inaccuracy arising from pattern asymmetry using CD-SEM. In this study we will propose how to quantify and correct the measurement inaccuracy affected by pattern asymmetry.

  11. A methodology for extending domain coverage in SemRep.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rosemblat, Graciela; Shin, Dongwook; Kilicoglu, Halil; Sneiderman, Charles; Rindflesch, Thomas C

    2013-12-01

    We describe a domain-independent methodology to extend SemRep coverage beyond the biomedical domain. SemRep, a natural language processing application originally designed for biomedical texts, uses the knowledge sources provided by the Unified Medical Language System (UMLS©). Ontological and terminological extensions to the system are needed in order to support other areas of knowledge. We extended SemRep's application by developing a semantic representation of a previously unsupported domain. This was achieved by adapting well-known ontology engineering phases and integrating them with the UMLS knowledge sources on which SemRep crucially depends. While the process to extend SemRep coverage has been successfully applied in earlier projects, this paper presents in detail the step-wise approach we followed and the mechanisms implemented. A case study in the field of medical informatics illustrates how the ontology engineering phases have been adapted for optimal integration with the UMLS. We provide qualitative and quantitative results, which indicate the validity and usefulness of our methodology. Published by Elsevier Inc.

  12. Débito cardíaco diminuído: revisão sistemática das características definidoras Débito cardíaco disminuído: revisión sistemática de las características definidoras Decreased cardiac output: a systematic review of the defining characteristics

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Vanessa de Souza

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available OBJETIVOS: Caracterizar os artrigos científicos relacionados ao diagnóstico de enfermagem débito cardíaco diminuído. Verificar os artigos que descrevem o comportamento das características definidoras deste diagnóstico, identificando aquelas que ocorrem com maior frequência. MÉTODOS: Trata-se de uma revisão sistemática realizada nas bases de dados: Lilacs, SciELO, Embase, Medline, Pubmed e Cochrane, no período de 1985 a 2008. RESULTADOS: Foram selecionados 13 artigos, identificando 50 características definidoras, sendo dez com maior frequência: alteração da frequência/ritmo cardíaco, dispneia, labilidade da pressão arterial, estertores, oligúria anúria, edema, pele fria, fadiga/fraqueza, diminuição dos pulsos periféricos e diminuição da perfusão periférica. CONCLUSÃO: A temática vem sendo pouco explorada. Constatou-se a importância do exame físico, a utilização de técnicas menos invasivas e a necessidade de rever as características definidoras propostas a fim de proporcionar clareza e objetividade na identificação desse diagnóstico de enfermagemOBJETIVOS: Caracterizar los artículos científicos relacionados al diagnóstico de enfermería débito cardíaco disminuído. Verificar los artículos que describen el comportamiento de las características definidoras de este diagnóstico, identificando aquellas que ocurren con mayor frecuencia. MÉTODOS: Se trata de una revisión sistemática realizada en las bases de datos: Lilacs, SciELO, Embase, Medline, Pubmed y Cochrane, en el período de 1985 al 2008. RESULTADOS: Fueron seleccionados 13 artículos, identificando 50 características definidoras, siendo diez con mayor frecuencia: alteración de la frecuencia/ritmo cardíaco, disnea, labilidad de la presión arterial, estertores, oliguria anuria, edema, piel fría, fatiga/debilidad, disminución de los pulsos periféricos y disminución de la perfusión periférica. CONCLUSIÓN: La temática viene siendo poco

  13. Novel field emission SEM column with beam deceleration technology

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jiruše, Jaroslav; Havelka, Miloslav; Lopour, Filip

    2014-01-01

    A novel field-emission SEM column has been developed that features Beam Deceleration Mode, high-probe current and ultra-fast scanning. New detection system in the column is introduced to detect true secondary electron signal. The resolution power at low energy was doubled for conventional SEM optics and moderately improved for immersion optics. Application examples at low landing energies include change of contrast, imaging of non-conductive samples and thin layers. - Highlights: • A novel field-emission SEM column has been developed. • Implemented beam deceleration improves the SEM resolution at 1 keV two times. • New column maintains high analytical potential and wide field of view. • Detectors integrated in the column allow gaining true SE and BE signal separately. • Performance of the column is demonstrated on low energy applications

  14. Novel field emission SEM column with beam deceleration technology

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Jiruše, Jaroslav; Havelka, Miloslav; Lopour, Filip

    2014-11-15

    A novel field-emission SEM column has been developed that features Beam Deceleration Mode, high-probe current and ultra-fast scanning. New detection system in the column is introduced to detect true secondary electron signal. The resolution power at low energy was doubled for conventional SEM optics and moderately improved for immersion optics. Application examples at low landing energies include change of contrast, imaging of non-conductive samples and thin layers. - Highlights: • A novel field-emission SEM column has been developed. • Implemented beam deceleration improves the SEM resolution at 1 keV two times. • New column maintains high analytical potential and wide field of view. • Detectors integrated in the column allow gaining true SE and BE signal separately. • Performance of the column is demonstrated on low energy applications.

  15. semPLS: Structural Equation Modeling Using Partial Least Squares

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Armin Monecke

    2012-05-01

    Full Text Available Structural equation models (SEM are very popular in many disciplines. The partial least squares (PLS approach to SEM offers an alternative to covariance-based SEM, which is especially suited for situations when data is not normally distributed. PLS path modelling is referred to as soft-modeling-technique with minimum demands regarding mea- surement scales, sample sizes and residual distributions. The semPLS package provides the capability to estimate PLS path models within the R programming environment. Different setups for the estimation of factor scores can be used. Furthermore it contains modular methods for computation of bootstrap confidence intervals, model parameters and several quality indices. Various plot functions help to evaluate the model. The well known mobile phone dataset from marketing research is used to demonstrate the features of the package.

  16. Critical factors in SEM 3D stereo microscopy

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Marinello, F.; Bariano, P.; Savio, E.

    2008-01-01

    This work addresses dimensional measurements performed with the scanning electron microscope (SEM) using 3D reconstruction of surface topography through stereo-photogrammetry. The paper presents both theoretical and experimental investigations, on the effects of instrumental variables and measure......This work addresses dimensional measurements performed with the scanning electron microscope (SEM) using 3D reconstruction of surface topography through stereo-photogrammetry. The paper presents both theoretical and experimental investigations, on the effects of instrumental variables...... factors are recognized: the first one is related to the measurement operation and the instrument set-up; the second concerns the quality of scanned images and represents the major criticality in the application of SEMs for 3D characterizations....

  17. SEM microcharacterization of semiconductors

    CERN Document Server

    Holt, D B

    1989-01-01

    Applications of SEM techniques of microcharacterization have proliferated to cover every type of material and virtually every branch of science and technology. This book emphasizes the fundamental physical principles. The first section deals with the foundation of microcharacterization in electron beam instruments and the second deals with the interpretation of the information obtained in the main operating modes of a scanning electron microscope.

  18. An electron moiré method for a common SEM

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    Y.M.Xing; S.Kishimoto; Y.R.Zhao

    2006-01-01

    In the electron moiré method,a high-frequency grating is used to measure microscopic deformation,which promises significant potential applications for the method in the microscopic analysis of materials.However,a special beam scanning control device is required to produce a grating and generate a moiré fringe pattern for the scanning electron microscope (SEM).Because only a few SEMs used in the material science studies are equipped with this device,the use of the electron moiré method is limited.In this study,an electron moiré method for a common SEM without the beam control device is presented.A grating based on a multi-scanning concept is fabricated in any observing mode.A real-time moiré pattern can also be generated in the SEM or an optical filtering system.Without the beam control device being a prerequisite,the electron moiré method can be more widely used.The experimental results from three different types of SEMS show that high quality gratings with uniform lines and less pitch error can be fabricated by this method,and moiré patterns can also be correctly generated.

  19. SEM facility for examination of reactive and radioactive materials

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Downs, G.L.; Tucker, P.A.

    1977-01-01

    A scanning electron microscope (SEM) facility for the examination of tritium-containing materials is operational at Mound Laboratory. The SEM is installed with the sample chamber incorporated as an integral part of an inert gas glovebox facility to enable easy handling of radioactive and pyrophoric materials. A standard SEM (ETEC Model B-1) was modified to meet dimensional, operational, and safety-related requirements. a glovebox was designed and fabricated which permitted access with the gloves to all parts of the SEM sample chamber to facilitate director and accessory replacement and repairs. A separate console combining the electron optical column and specimen chamber was interfaced to the glovebox by a custom-made, neoprene bellows so that the vibrations normally associated with the blowers and pumps were damped. Photomicrographs of tritiated pyrophoric materials show the usefulness of this facility. Some of the difficulties involved in the investigation of these materials are also discussed. The SEM is also equipped with an energy dispersive x-ray detector (ORTEC) and a Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometer (3M) attachments. This latter attachment allows analysis of secondary ions with masses ranging from 1-300 amu. (Auth.)

  20. Estudo anatômico dos gânglios celíaco, celiacomesentérico e mesentérico cranial e de suas conexões no gato doméstico (Felix domestica, Linnaeus, 1758

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Antonio Augusto Coppi Maciel Ribeiro

    2000-01-01

    Full Text Available O gânglio celíaco é um dos principais responsáveis pela inervação do estômago, intestinos, fígado, pâncreas e ainda contribui para a inervação do baço, sendo desta forma essencial ao controle da motilidade gastrointestinal. O conhecimento do suprimento nervoso endereçado a estes órgãos é fundamental na clínica médica e cirúrgica no tocante às atonias digestivas, gastroenterites hemorrágicas, torções gástricas e invaginações intestinais. Neste trabalho, estudou-se a anatomia macro e microscópica dos gânglios celíaco, celiacomesentérico e mesentérico cranial. Foram utilizados trinta gatos domésticos, adultos, 10 machos e 20 fêmeas. A aorta torácica desses gatos foi injetada com solução de Neoprene látex 650 corada, sendo os animais congelados por no mínimo 48 horas. A fixação foi feita posteriormente com solução aquosa de formol a 10%. Nos estudos microscópicos, utilizaram-se as seguintes colorações: hematoxilina-eosina, tricrômico de Masson, reticulina e hematoxilina ácida fosfotúngstica. O gânglio celíaco ocorreu 7 vezes, sendo 4 direitos e 3 esquerdos, predominando a forma elíptica (23,3% e a situação periarterial. Os gânglios celiacomesentéricos foram contados em número de 24, sendo 11 independentes; 2 apresentando as porções direita e esquerda e 11 gânglios celiacomesentéricos direitos com uma porção mesentérica cranial esquerda, tendo formato semilunar assimétrico. Esses achados sugerem o predomínio da fusão do gânglio celíaco ao mesentérico cranial, constituindo assim o gânglio celiacomesentérico. Este é formado por neurônios imersos em abundante matriz conjuntiva fibrosa, envoltos por uma cápsula contendo fibras elásticas, colágenas e reticulares, apresentando uma continuidade nos pontos de fusão ganglionar.

  1. MGA trajectory planning with an ACO-inspired algorithm

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ceriotti, Matteo; Vasile, Massimiliano

    2010-11-01

    Given a set of celestial bodies, the problem of finding an optimal sequence of swing-bys, deep space manoeuvres (DSM) and transfer arcs connecting the elements of the set is combinatorial in nature. The number of possible paths grows exponentially with the number of celestial bodies. Therefore, the design of an optimal multiple gravity assist (MGA) trajectory is a NP-hard mixed combinatorial-continuous problem. Its automated solution would greatly improve the design of future space missions, allowing the assessment of a large number of alternative mission options in a short time. This work proposes to formulate the complete automated design of a multiple gravity assist trajectory as an autonomous planning and scheduling problem. The resulting scheduled plan will provide the optimal planetary sequence and a good estimation of the set of associated optimal trajectories. The trajectory model consists of a sequence of celestial bodies connected by two-dimensional transfer arcs containing one DSM. For each transfer arc, the position of the planet and the spacecraft, at the time of arrival, are matched by varying the pericentre of the preceding swing-by, or the magnitude of the launch excess velocity, for the first arc. For each departure date, this model generates a full tree of possible transfers from the departure to the destination planet. Each leaf of the tree represents a planetary encounter and a possible way to reach that planet. An algorithm inspired by ant colony optimization (ACO) is devised to explore the space of possible plans. The ants explore the tree from departure to destination adding one node at the time: every time an ant is at a node, a probability function is used to select a feasible direction. This approach to automatic trajectory planning is applied to the design of optimal transfers to Saturn and among the Galilean moons of Jupiter. Solutions are compared to those found through more traditional genetic-algorithm techniques.

  2. SemVisM: semantic visualizer for medical image

    Science.gov (United States)

    Landaeta, Luis; La Cruz, Alexandra; Baranya, Alexander; Vidal, María.-Esther

    2015-01-01

    SemVisM is a toolbox that combines medical informatics and computer graphics tools for reducing the semantic gap between low-level features and high-level semantic concepts/terms in the images. This paper presents a novel strategy for visualizing medical data annotated semantically, combining rendering techniques, and segmentation algorithms. SemVisM comprises two main components: i) AMORE (A Modest vOlume REgister) to handle input data (RAW, DAT or DICOM) and to initially annotate the images using terms defined on medical ontologies (e.g., MesH, FMA or RadLex), and ii) VOLPROB (VOlume PRObability Builder) for generating the annotated volumetric data containing the classified voxels that belong to a particular tissue. SemVisM is built on top of the semantic visualizer ANISE.1

  3. Design and Use of the Simple Event Model (SEM)

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    van Hage, W.R.; Malaisé, V.; Segers, R.H.; Hollink, L.

    2011-01-01

    Events have become central elements in the representation of data from domains such as history, cultural heritage, multimedia and geography. The Simple Event Model (SEM) is created to model events in these various domains, without making assumptions about the domain-specific vocabularies used. SEM

  4. The Antiphagocytic Activity of SeM of Streptococcus equi Requires Capsule.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Timoney, John F; Suther, Pranav; Velineni, Sridhar; Artiushin, Sergey C

    2014-01-01

    Resistance to phagocytosis is a crucial virulence property of Streptococcus equi (Streptococcus equi subsp. equi; Se), the cause of equine strangles. The contribution and interdependence of capsule and SeM to killing in equine blood and neutrophils were investigated in naturally occurring strains of Se. Strains CF32, SF463 were capsule and SeM positive, strains Lex90, Lex93 were capsule negative and SeM positive and strains Se19, Se1-8 were capsule positive and SeM deficient. Phagocytosis and killing of Se19, Se1-8, Lex90 and Lex93 in equine blood and by neutrophils suspended in serum were significantly (P ≤ 0.02) greater compared to CF32 and SF463. The results indicate capsule and SeM are both required for resistance to phagocytosis and killing and that the anti-phagocytic property of SeM is greatly reduced in the absence of capsule.

  5. Application of SEM and EDX in studying biomineralization in plant tissues.

    Science.gov (United States)

    He, Honghua; Kirilak, Yaowanuj

    2014-01-01

    This chapter describes protocols using formalin-acetic acid-alcohol (FAA) to fix plant tissues for studying biomineralization by means of scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and qualitative energy-dispersive X-ray microanalysis (EDX). Specimen preparation protocols for SEM and EDX mainly include fixation, dehydration, critical point drying (CPD), mounting, and coating. Gold-coated specimens are used for SEM imaging, while gold- and carbon-coated specimens are prepared for qualitative X-ray microanalyses separately to obtain complementary information on the elemental compositions of biominerals. During the specimen preparation procedure for SEM, some biominerals may be dislodged or scattered, making it difficult to determine their accurate locations, and light microscopy is used to complement SEM studies. Specimen preparation protocols for light microscopy generally include fixation, dehydration, infiltration and embedding with resin, microtome sectioning, and staining. In addition, microwave processing methods are adopted here to speed up the specimen preparation process for both SEM and light microscopy.

  6. Improvement of geometrical measurements from 3D-SEM reconstructions

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Carli, Lorenzo; De Chiffre, Leonardo; Horsewell, Andy

    2009-01-01

    The quantification of 3D geometry at the nanometric scale is a major metrological challenge. In this work geometrical measurements on cylindrical items obtained with a 3D-SEM were investigated. Two items were measured: a wire gauge having a 0.25 mm nominal diameter and a hypodermic needle having...... that the diameter estimation performed using the 3D-SEM leads to an overestimation of approx. 7% compared to the reference values obtained using a 1-D length measuring machine. Standard deviation of SEM measurements performed on the wire gauge is approx. 1.5 times lower than the one performed on the hypodermic...

  7. Canticum Novum: música sem palavras e palavras sem som no pensamento de Santo Agostinho

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lorenzo Mammì

    2000-04-01

    Full Text Available NO De Magistro, Santo Agostinho coloca a reza e o canto numa posição similar, à margem das funções imediatamente comunicativas da linguagem. A reflexão agostiniana sobre a reza se baseia nos hábitos cristãos da leitura, da oração e da meditação silenciosas. Há sobre o canto, na prática igualmente inovadora do jubilus, melodia sem palavra destinada aos momentos mais intensos e gaudiosos da liturgia. A oração silenciosa e o jubilus são temas recorrentes da literatura patrística, mas Agostinho os aborda de maneira original, desenhando, a partir das palavras sem som da oração e do som sem palavra do jubilus, o perfil de um discurso interior, que não se destina aos homens, mas a Deus.IN HIS De Magistro Saint Augustine places prayer and song on a similar level, alongside the language immediately communicative functions. His considerations on prayer are grounded on the Christian habits of silent reading, prayer and meditation; those on song, on the equally innovating practice called jubilus, which is melody without words designed for the intensest and most joyous liturgical moments. Silent prayer and jubilus are recurring topics in patristic literature, but Augustine deals with them in an original way, drawing from the soundless words of prayer and the wordless sound of jubilus an inner discourse, addressed not to men but to God.

  8. Multiple-Group Analysis Using the sem Package in the R System

    Science.gov (United States)

    Evermann, Joerg

    2010-01-01

    Multiple-group analysis in covariance-based structural equation modeling (SEM) is an important technique to ensure the invariance of latent construct measurements and the validity of theoretical models across different subpopulations. However, not all SEM software packages provide multiple-group analysis capabilities. The sem package for the R…

  9. Extracción de un catéter fracturado mediante cateterismo cardíaco intervencionista en un paciente prematuro de 1 600 g

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Francisco Javier Ozores Suárez

    2011-06-01

    Full Text Available Se documenta el caso de un paciente de 1 mes de edad, prematuro, con peso de 1 600 g, cuyo catéter epicutáneo se fracturó y desplazó hasta ubicarse en la porción distal en la rama izquierda de la arteria pulmonar. El catéter se extrajo por vía femoral mediante un procedimiento de cateterismo cardíaco intervencionista, con lo que se demostró la efectividad de dicho procedimiento ante este tipo de complicación.

  10. SEM: A Cultural Change Agent

    Science.gov (United States)

    Barnes, Bradley; Bourke, Brian

    2015-01-01

    The authors advance the concept that institutional culture is a purposeful framework by which to view SEM's utility, particularly as a cultural change agent. Through the connection of seemingly independent functions of performance and behavior, implications emerge that deepen the understanding of the influence of culture on performance outcomes…

  11. On the Nature of SEM Estimates of ARMA Parameters.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hamaker, Ellen L.; Dolan, Conor V.; Molenaar, Peter C. M.

    2002-01-01

    Reexamined the nature of structural equation modeling (SEM) estimates of autoregressive moving average (ARMA) models, replicated the simulation experiments of P. Molenaar, and examined the behavior of the log-likelihood ratio test. Simulation studies indicate that estimates of ARMA parameters observed with SEM software are identical to those…

  12. Sobre la estructura semántica de las palabras autosemánticas

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Morales Ascencio Bernardo

    1993-06-01

    Full Text Available

    A partir de los conceptos de semema o estructura semémica y de los conceptos tradicionales de afijos y los accidentes gramaticales se plantea una supuesta estructura semántica profunda de la palabra, análoga a la de la oración en el modelo de la gramática de casos. Con base en este supuesto se reinterpretan algunas funciones semánticas de los afijos (particularmente de los sufijos, entre otras, como formas de la expresión de la modalidad léxica; se plantea una correlación entre rasgos semánticos específicos y las relaciones semánticas de caso. Por último se deducen algunas consideraciones pertinentes y se demuestra un isomorfismo entre la estructura profunda de la oración y la supuesta estructura semántica profunda de las palabras auto  semánticas.

  13. Transplante experimental cardíaco heterotópico e cutâneo em camundongos Experimental heterotopic cardiac and cutaneous transplantation in mice

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Patrícia Sestrheim

    2005-06-01

    Full Text Available OBJETIVO: Estudo experimental com o objetivo de desenvolver e avaliar a viabilidade das técnicas de transplante experimental cardíaco heterotópico abdominal vascularizado e cutâneo em camundongos, criando um instrumento para investigação da eficácia de soluções de preservação, novas drogas imunossupressoras, agentes biológicos, terapia gênica e indução de tolerância imunológica. MÉTODO: Para este estudo, as técnicas utilizadas foram descritas previamente por Corry et al. e Billingham et al. RESULTADOS: O tempo cirúrgico total para a realização dos transplantes cardíacos (n=20 foi, em média, 60,3±6,3 minutos e para os transplantes cutâneos (n=20, 17,75±0,71 minutos. A média de sobrevida dos aloenxertos cutâneos (n=34 e cardíacos (n=24 foi, respectivamente, 7 e 11 dias, enquanto que os isoenxertos sobreviveram por mais de 100 dias. CONCLUSÕES: Ambas as técnicas se caracterizaram pela fácil reprodutibilidade dos modelos experimentais. As diferenças entre as técnicas não se limitaram às peculiaridades metodológicas ou ao tempo de sobrevida e vascularização, mas principalmente à sua imunogenicidade e suscetibilidade à rejeição.OBJECTIVE: This is an experimental study which aims at developing and evaluating the feasibility of experimental techniques of vascularized and cutaneous abdominal heterotopic heart transplant in mice, creating an instrument of investigation for the effectiveness of prservation solutions, new immunosuppressive drugs, biological agents, genetic therapy and induction of immunological tolerance. METHOD: The techniques used in this work were previously described by Corry et al. and Billingham et al. RESULTS: The total surgical time to perform the cardiac transplants (n=20 was on average 60.3+6.3 minutes and the time of cutaneous transplants (n= 20 17.75+0.71 minutes. The average survival of the cutaneous allografts (n=34 and cardiac (n=24 allografts was 7 and 11 days, respectively, while

  14. Description and calibration beamline SEM/Ion Chamber Current Digitizer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Schoo, D.

    1994-05-01

    This report discusses the following on beamline SEM/ion chamber current digitizers: Module description; testing and calibration; common setup procedures; summary of fault indications and associated causes; summary of input and output connections; SEM conversion constant table; ion chamber conversion constant table; hexadecimal to decimal conversion table; and schematic diagram

  15. SEM-668-G2(日东科技)

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    2005-01-01

    SEM-668-G2比SEM-668在视觉技术上更加精湛,采用美国AGILENT(安提伦)LASER 5519A及HP的双重频率技术,加强运动;隹确性。在智能化印刷头上,SEM-668-G2印刷质量更加均匀、稳定,操作界面更加简易、更加人性化。在综合性能上更加卓越,保证实现现代化的生产效率。产品体具性能如下:SEM-668-G2视觉全自动印刷机

  16. The C. elegans Spalt-like protein SEM-4 functions through the SoxC transcription factor SEM-2 to promote a proliferative blast cell fate in the postembryonic mesoderm.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shen, Qinfang; Shi, Herong; Tian, Chenxi; Ghai, Vikas; Liu, Jun

    2017-09-01

    Proper development of a multicellular organism relies on well-coordinated regulation of cell fate specification, cell proliferation and cell differentiation. The C. elegans postembryonic mesoderm provides a useful system for uncovering factors involved in these processes and for further dissecting their regulatory relationships. The single Spalt-like zinc finger containing protein SEM-4/SALL is known to be involved in specifying the proliferative sex myoblast (SM) fate. We have found that SEM-4/SALL is sufficient to promote the SM fate and that it does so in a cell autonomous manner. We further showed that SEM-4/SALL acts through the SoxC transcription factor SEM-2 to promote the SM fate. SEM-2 is known to promote the SM fate by inhibiting the expression of two BWM-specifying transcription factors. In light of recent findings in mammals showing that Sall4, one of the mammalian homologs of SEM-4, contributes to pluripotency regulation by inhibiting differentiation, our work suggests that the function of SEM-4/SALL proteins in regulating pluripotency versus differentiation appears to be evolutionarily conserved. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  17. Cerebral physiology and preservation during cardiac arrest Fisiología y preservación cerebral durante el paro cardíaco: vulnerabilidad del cerebro

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Luis M. Gómez

    1991-03-01

    Full Text Available

    Cerebral physiology during cardiac arrest is discussed with particular Interest on selective neuronal damage. Previous concepts on brain tolerance to hypoxia are analyzed and new information about brain function prognosis after cardiac arrest is presented. Therapeutic alternatives for brain preservation are discussed with emphasis on the lack of effectiveness of barbiturates, the results of research with other drugs and the future role that blockers of excitatory neurotransmission may have as elements of cerebral preservation.

    Se hace una aproximación a la fisiología cerebral durante el paro cardíaco, destacando el concepto de darlo neuronal selectivo. Se presentan elementos que permiten modificar concepciones antiguas sobre la tolerancia del cerebro a la hipoxia severa. Además, se hace un nuevo planteamiento sobre el pronóstico cerebral luego de un paro cardíaco y se esbozan las alternativas terapéuticas utilizadas hasta la fecha para la preservación cerebral. Se hace énfasis en la inefectividad de los barbitúricos, en la investigación sobre la terapia con otras drogas y en el futuro abierto hacia los bloqueadores de los neurotransmisores excitadores, como elementos terapéuticos para la preservación cerebral.

  18. Three-Dimensional (3D) Nanometrology Based on Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) Stereophotogrammetry.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tondare, Vipin N; Villarrubia, John S; Vlada R, András E

    2017-10-01

    Three-dimensional (3D) reconstruction of a sample surface from scanning electron microscope (SEM) images taken at two perspectives has been known for decades. Nowadays, there exist several commercially available stereophotogrammetry software packages. For testing these software packages, in this study we used Monte Carlo simulated SEM images of virtual samples. A virtual sample is a model in a computer, and its true dimensions are known exactly, which is impossible for real SEM samples due to measurement uncertainty. The simulated SEM images can be used for algorithm testing, development, and validation. We tested two stereophotogrammetry software packages and compared their reconstructed 3D models with the known geometry of the virtual samples used to create the simulated SEM images. Both packages performed relatively well with simulated SEM images of a sample with a rough surface. However, in a sample containing nearly uniform and therefore low-contrast zones, the height reconstruction error was ≈46%. The present stereophotogrammetry software packages need further improvement before they can be used reliably with SEM images with uniform zones.

  19. Sildenafil vs. Nitroprussiato de Sódio durante Teste de Reatividade Pulmonar pré-transplante cardíaco

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Aguinaldo Figueiredo Freitas Jr

    2012-09-01

    Full Text Available FUNDAMENTO: A hipertensão pulmonar é associada ao pior prognóstico no pós-transplante cardíaco. O teste de reatividade pulmonar com Nitroprussiato de Sódio (NPS está associado a elevados índices de hipotensão arterial sistêmica, disfunção ventricular do enxerto transplantado e elevadas taxas de desqualificação para o transplante. OBJETIVO: Neste estudo, objetivou-se comparar os efeitos do Sildenafil (SIL e NPS sobre variáveis hemodinâmicas, neuro-hormonais e ecocardiográficas durante teste de reatividade pulmonar. MÉTODOS: Os pacientes foram submetidos, simultaneamente, ao cateterismo cardíaco direito, ao ecocardiograma e à dosagem de BNP e gasometria venosa, antes e após administração de NPS (1 - 2 µg/Kg/min ou SIL (100 mg, dose única. RESULTADOS: Ambos reduziram a hipertensão pulmonar, porém o nitrato promoveu hipotensão sistêmica significativa (Pressão Arterial Média - PAM: 85,2 vs. 69,8 mmHg, p < 0,001. Ambos reduziram as dimensões cardíacas e melhoraram a função cardíaca esquerda (NPS: 23,5 vs. 24,8 %, p = 0,02; SIL: 23,8 vs. 26 %, p < 0,001 e direita (SIL: 6,57 ± 2,08 vs. 8,11 ± 1,81 cm/s, p = 0,002; NPS: 6,64 ± 1,51 vs. 7,72 ± 1,44 cm/s, p = 0,003, medidas pela fração de ejeção ventricular esquerda e Doppler tecidual, respectivamente. O SIL, ao contrário do NPS, apresentou melhora no índice de saturação venosa de oxigênio, medido pela gasometria venosa. CONCLUSÃO: Sildenafil e NPS são vasodilatadores que reduzem, de forma significativa, a hipertensão pulmonar e a geometria cardíaca, além de melhorar a função biventricular. O NPS, ao contrário do SIL, esteve associado a hipotensão arterial sistêmica e piora da saturação venosa de oxigênio.

  20. Tillandsia stricta Sol (Bromeliaceae) leaves as monitors of airborne particulate matter-A comparative SEM methods evaluation: Unveiling an accurate and odd HP-SEM method.

    Science.gov (United States)

    de Oliveira, Martha Lima; de Melo, Edésio José Tenório; Miguens, Flávio Costa

    2016-09-01

    Airborne particulate matter (PM) has been included among the most important air pollutants by governmental environment agencies and academy researchers. The use of terrestrial plants for monitoring PM has been widely accepted, particularly when it is coupled with SEM/EDS. Herein, Tillandsia stricta leaves were used as monitors of PM, focusing on a comparative evaluation of Environmental SEM (ESEM) and High-Pressure SEM (HPSEM). In addition, specimens air-dried at formaldehyde atmosphere (AD/FA) were introduced as an SEM procedure. Hydrated specimen observation by ESEM was the best way to get information from T. stricta leaves. If any artifacts were introduced by AD/FA, they were indiscernible from those caused by CPD. Leaf anatomy was always well preserved. PM density was determined on adaxial and abaxial leaf epidermis for each of the SEM proceedings. When compared with ESEM, particle extraction varied from 0 to 20% in air-dried leaves while 23-78% of particles deposited on leaves surfaces were extracted by CPD procedures. ESEM was obviously the best choice over other methods but morphological artifacts increased in function of operation time while HPSEM operation time was without limit. AD/FA avoided the shrinkage observed in the air-dried leaves and particle extraction was low when compared with CPD. Structural and particle density results suggest AD/FA as an important methodological approach to air pollution biomonitoring that can be widely used in all electron microscopy labs. Otherwise, previous PM assessments using terrestrial plants as biomonitors and performed by conventional SEM could have underestimated airborne particulate matter concentration. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  1. Evolução hemodinâmica seqüencial no transplante cardíaco Sequential hemodynamic evaluation in heart transplantation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Noedir A. G Stolf

    1988-12-01

    Full Text Available O transplante cardíaco tem tido ampla aplicação no tratamento da cardiomiopatia em fase terminal. Grande interesse existe no estudo das alterações hemodinâmicas imediatas e na identificação dos fatores que determinam essas alterações. Quarenta e três pacientes transplantados foram estudados com esse objetivo. Os seguintes dados foram obtidos: índice cardíaco, as pressões nas câmaras cardíacas, capilar pulmonar, aorta, artéria pulmonar, volume sistólico, fração de ejeção do ventrículo esquerdo (VE, resistência vascular pulmonar e sistêmica, índice do trabalho sistólico do ventrículo esquerdo e direito (VD e o tríplice produto. Esses valores foram comparados de acordo com os episódios de rejeição e com diferentes valores do gradiente transpulmonar. Verificou-se que no pós-operatório imediato há depressão da função dos ventrículos decorrente de uma série de fatores. O índice cardíaco se mantém em valore adequados através de vários mecanismos e adaptação dos ventrículos, que ocorre mais precocemente para o VE do que para o VD. Tardiamente as alterações hemodinâmicas dependem do aparecimento de hipertensão arterial sistêmica e da aterosclerose coronária. A presença e os valores mais elevados do gradiente transpulmonar não tiveram influência estatisticamente significativa nas condições hemodinâmicas dos pacientes.heart transplantation has been widely employed in treatment of end stage cardiomyopathy. Great interest exists in the study of early and late hemodynamic alterations following the procedure. Fourty three patients submited to heart transplantation were studied with this aim. The data obtained were: cardiac index, pressure in the heart chambers, capillary wedge pressure, aorta and pulmonary artery pressure, systolic volume and ejection fraction of left ventricle, pulmonary and systemic vascular resistances; left and right work systolic indexes; triple product. The data were compared in

  2. Tamponamento cardíaco como uma das primeiras manifestações do lúpus eritematoso sistêmico

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Michelle keiko Molina

    2012-09-01

    Full Text Available O Lúpus Eritematoso Sistêmico (LES é uma doença autoimune de causa desconhecida que pode produzir apresentações clínicas variáveis, com períodos de remissões e de recaídas. O diagnóstico é confirmado pela presença de quatro dos onze critérios clínicos e/ou laboratoriais (erupção malar, erupção discoide, fotossensibilidade, úlceras da mucosa oral, artrite, serosite, distúrbio renal, distúrbio neurológico, distúrbio hematológico, distúrbio imunológico e anticorpo antinuclear. Dentre as manifestações cardiovasculares, o derrame pericárdico e a pericardite clínica são observados na maioria dos pacientes. Porém, o tamponamento cardíaco é raro como manifestação clínica.

  3. O Cinema sem Imagens

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Paulo Andrade

    2001-12-01

    Full Text Available A obra cinematográfica de Marguerite Duras, praticamente desconhecida pelo grande público, estabeleça intricadas relações com sua obra literária, ao promover a indiscernibilidade entre os dois campo, sem, contudo, instituir qualquer tipo de subordinação de um ao outro. O processo de criação do filme Lê camion, de 1977, aponta para outras possibilidades de se pensar o cinema e a literatura.

  4. Orientation mapping by transmission-SEM with an on-axis detector

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fundenberger, J.J.; Bouzy, E.; Goran, D.; Guyon, J.; Yuan, H.; Morawiec, A.

    2016-01-01

    Conventional orientation mapping in a scanning electron microscope (SEM) is a valuable technique for characterizing crystalline materials, but its application to ultrafine or nano-grain materials is limited by its spatial resolution. The resolution can be increased by collecting transmission diffraction patterns in SEM. In previous works, such patterns were collected using off-axis detectors in nearly vertical position. To avoid some drawbacks of such arrangement, a new configuration was devised in which the scintillator is located underneath the thin foil on the optical axis of the microscope, and the light is reflected towards the camera by a mirror. This simple configuration gives intense patterns even at very low probe currents, and can be potentially used for collecting maps of relatively high spatial resolution. Example maps reveal details with dimensions of about 5 nm. Because of its resolution and geometric simplicity, the proposed configuration will open new opportunities in SEM-based characterization of nanocrystalline materials. - Highlights: • New experimental configuration for SEM-based orientation mapping is presented. • The geometry of recording transmission Kikuchi patterns in SEM is simplified. • The new configuration allows for reaching relatively high spatial resolution.

  5. Role of scanning electron microscope )SEM) in metal failure analysis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shaiful Rizam Shamsudin; Hafizal Yazid; Mohd Harun; Siti Selina Abd Hamid; Nadira Kamarudin; Zaiton Selamat; Mohd Shariff Sattar; Muhamad Jalil

    2005-01-01

    Scanning electron microscope (SEM) is a scientific instrument that uses a beam of highly energetic electrons to examine the surface and phase distribution of specimens on a micro scale through the live imaging of secondary electrons (SE) and back-scattered electrons (BSE) images. One of the main activities of SEM Laboratory at MINT is for failure analysis on metal part and components. The capability of SEM is excellent for determining the root cause of metal failures such as ductility or brittleness, stress corrosion, fatigue and other types of failures. Most of our customers that request for failure analysis are from local petrochemical plants, manufacturers of automotive components, pipeline maintenance personnel and engineers who involved in the development of metal parts and component. This paper intends to discuss some of the technical concepts in failure analysis associated with SEM. (Author)

  6. SEM probe of IC radiation sensitivity

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gauthier, M. K.; Stanley, A. G.

    1979-01-01

    Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) used to irradiate single integrated circuit (IC) subcomponent to test for radiation sensitivity can localize area of IC less than .03 by .03 mm for determination of exact location of radiation sensitive section.

  7. Characterization of electrochemically deposited films from aqueous and ionic liquid cobalt precursors toward hydrogen evolution reactions

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Dushatinski, Thomas; Huff, Clay; Abdel-Fattah, Tarek M., E-mail: fattah@cnu.edu

    2016-11-01

    Highlights: • Co films deposition via aqueous and ionic liquid Precursors. • Hydrogen evolution produced from reactive surfaces. • Co deposited films characterized by SEM, AFM, EDX and XRD techniques. - Abstract: Electrodepositions of cobalt films were achieved using an aqueous or an ethylene glycol based non-aqueous solution containing choline chloride (vitamin B4) with cobalt chloride hexahydrate precursor toward hydrogen evolution reactions from sodium borohydride (NaBH{sub 4}) as solid hydrogen feedstock (SHF). The resulting cobalt films had reflectivity at 550 nm of 2.2% for aqueously deposited films (ACoF) and 1.3% for non-aqueously deposited films (NCoF). Surface morphology studied by scanning electron microscopy showed a positive correlation between particle size and thickness. The film thicknesses were tunable between >100 μm and <300 μm for each film. The roughness (Ra) value measurements by Dektak surface profiling showed that the NCoF (Ra = 165 nm) was smoother than the ACoF (Ra = 418 nm). The NCoFs and ACoFs contained only α phase (FCC) crystallites. The NCoFs were crystalline while the ACoFs were largely amorphous from X-ray diffraction analysis. The NCoF had an average Vickers hardness value of 84 MPa as compared to 176 MPa for ACoF. The aqueous precursor has a single absorption maximum at 510 nm and the non-aqueous precursor had three absorption maxima at 630, 670, and 695 nm. The hydrogen evolution reactions over a 1 cm{sup 2} catalytic surface with aqueous NaBH{sub 4} solutions generated rate constants (K) = equal to 4.9 × 10{sup −3} min{sup −1}, 4.6 × 10{sup −3} min{sup −1}, and 3.3 × 10{sup −3} min{sup −1} for ACoF, NCoF, and copper substrate respectively.

  8. Sexual Arousal and Sexually Explicit Media (SEM: Comparing Patterns of Sexual Arousal to SEM and Sexual Self-Evaluations and Satisfaction Across Gender and Sexual Orientation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gert Martin Hald, PhD

    2018-03-01

    Hald GM, Stulhofer A, Lange T, et al. Sexual Arousal and Sexually Explicit Media (SEM: Comparing Patterns of Sexual Arousal to SEM and Sexual Self-Evaluations and Satisfaction Across Gender and Sexual Orientation. Sex Med 2018;6:30–38.

  9. From patterns to causal understanding: Structural equation modeling (SEM) in soil ecology

    Science.gov (United States)

    Eisenhauer, Nico; Powell, Jeff R; Grace, James B.; Bowker, Matthew A.

    2015-01-01

    In this perspectives paper we highlight a heretofore underused statistical method in soil ecological research, structural equation modeling (SEM). SEM is commonly used in the general ecological literature to develop causal understanding from observational data, but has been more slowly adopted by soil ecologists. We provide some basic information on the many advantages and possibilities associated with using SEM and provide some examples of how SEM can be used by soil ecologists to shift focus from describing patterns to developing causal understanding and inspiring new types of experimental tests. SEM is a promising tool to aid the growth of soil ecology as a discipline, particularly by supporting research that is increasingly hypothesis-driven and interdisciplinary, thus shining light into the black box of interactions belowground.

  10. The relationship between cost estimates reliability and BIM adoption: SEM analysis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ismail, N. A. A.; Idris, N. H.; Ramli, H.; Rooshdi, R. R. Raja Muhammad; Sahamir, S. R.

    2018-02-01

    This paper presents the usage of Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) approach in analysing the effects of Building Information Modelling (BIM) technology adoption in improving the reliability of cost estimates. Based on the questionnaire survey results, SEM analysis using SPSS-AMOS application examined the relationships between BIM-improved information and cost estimates reliability factors, leading to BIM technology adoption. Six hypotheses were established prior to SEM analysis employing two types of SEM models, namely the Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) model and full structural model. The SEM models were then validated through the assessment on their uni-dimensionality, validity, reliability, and fitness index, in line with the hypotheses tested. The final SEM model fit measures are: P-value=0.000, RMSEA=0.0790.90, TLI=0.956>0.90, NFI=0.935>0.90 and ChiSq/df=2.259; indicating that the overall index values achieved the required level of model fitness. The model supports all the hypotheses evaluated, confirming that all relationship exists amongst the constructs are positive and significant. Ultimately, the analysis verified that most of the respondents foresee better understanding of project input information through BIM visualization, its reliable database and coordinated data, in developing more reliable cost estimates. They also perceive to accelerate their cost estimating task through BIM adoption.

  11. Structural Equations and Causal Explanations: Some Challenges for Causal SEM

    Science.gov (United States)

    Markus, Keith A.

    2010-01-01

    One common application of structural equation modeling (SEM) involves expressing and empirically investigating causal explanations. Nonetheless, several aspects of causal explanation that have an impact on behavioral science methodology remain poorly understood. It remains unclear whether applications of SEM should attempt to provide complete…

  12. SEM-REV: A sea test site for Marine Energy Converter

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Berhault, Christian; Le Crom, Izan; Le Bihan, Gerard

    2015-01-01

    Thanks to a main funding of Region des Pays de la Loire, the sea test site SEM-REV has been developed by Ecole Centrale de Nantes since 2007 to test both Wave Energy Converters and Floating Wind Turbine in real sea conditions. The sea test site is equipped with a set of oceanographic sensors and with an electric cable of 8 MW, connected to the French grid. The project is located close to Le Croisic, Western coast of France. SEM-REV is one of the main test facilities operated by Ecole Centrale de Nantes to support MRE technologies development. After presenting the initial motivations of the SEM-REV development, the paper describes, in parts 1 and 2, the complete administrative and technical processes that were followed to reach SEM-REV commissioning in 2014. The third part is focused on the exploitation process, including technical and contractual specifications imposed to the MRE developers for installation, tests and decommissioning phases. Some words are given also on the R and D projects using the SEM-REV in-situ monitoring system: prediction of environmental conditions, bio-fooling, acoustic impact. Even if operational phase is not started, expected extensions of the tests site are listed. (authors)

  13. GAGG:ce single crystalline films: New perspective scintillators for electron detection in SEM

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bok, Jan; Lalinský, Ondřej; Hanuš, Martin; Onderišinová, Zuzana; Kelar, Jakub; Kučera, Miroslav

    2016-01-01

    Single crystal scintillators are frequently used for electron detection in scanning electron microscopy (SEM). We report gadolinium aluminum gallium garnet (GAGG:Ce) single crystalline films as a new perspective scintillators for the SEM. For the first time, the epitaxial garnet films were used in a practical application: the GAGG:Ce scintillator was incorporated into a SEM scintillation electron detector and it showed improved image quality. In order to prove the GAGG:Ce quality accurately, the scintillation properties were examined using electron beam excitation and compared with frequently used scintillators in the SEM. The results demonstrate excellent emission efficiency of the GAGG:Ce single crystalline films together with their very fast scintillation decay useful for demanding SEM applications. - Highlights: • First practical application of epitaxial garnet films demonstrated in SEM. • Improved image quality of SEM equipped with GAGG:Ce single crystalline thin film scintillator. • Scintillation properties of GAGG:Ce films compared with standard bulk crystal scintillators.

  14. SEM based overlay measurement between resist and buried patterns

    Science.gov (United States)

    Inoue, Osamu; Okagawa, Yutaka; Hasumi, Kazuhisa; Shao, Chuanyu; Leray, Philippe; Lorusso, Gian; Baudemprez, Bart

    2016-03-01

    With the continuous shrink in pattern size and increased density, overlay control has become one of the most critical issues in semiconductor manufacturing. Recently, SEM based overlay of AEI (After Etch Inspection) wafer has been used for reference and optimization of optical overlay (both Image Based Overlay (IBO) and Diffraction Based Overlay (DBO)). Overlay measurement at AEI stage contributes monitor and forecast the yield after formation by etch and calibrate optical measurement tools. however those overlay value seems difficult directly for feedback to a scanner. Therefore, there is a clear need to have SEM based overlay measurements of ADI (After Develop Inspection) wafers in order to serve as reference for optical overlay and make necessary corrections before wafers go to etch. Furthermore, to make the corrections as accurate as possible, actual device like feature dimensions need to be measured post ADI. This device size measurement is very unique feature of CDSEM , which can be measured with smaller area. This is currently possible only with the CD-SEM. This device size measurement is very unique feature of CD-SEM , which can be measured with smaller area. In this study, we assess SEM based overlay measurement of ADI and AEI wafer by using a sample from an N10 process flow. First, we demonstrate SEM based overlay performance at AEI by using dual damascene process for Via 0 (V0) and metal 1 (M1) layer. We also discuss the overlay measurements between litho-etch-litho stages of a triple patterned M1 layer and double pattern V0. Second, to illustrate the complexities in image acquisition and measurement we will measure overlay between M1B resist and buried M1A-Hard mask trench. Finally, we will show how high accelerating voltage can detect buried pattern information by BSE (Back Scattering Electron). In this paper we discuss the merits of this method versus standard optical metrology based corrections.

  15. Two novel approaches to study arthropod anatomy by using dualbeam FIB/SEM.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Di Giulio, Andrea; Muzzi, Maurizio

    2018-03-01

    Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) has always been the conventional method to study arthropod ultrastructure, while the use of Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) was mainly devoted to the examination of the external cuticular structures by secondary electrons. The new generation field emission SEMs are capable to generate images at sub-cellular level, comparable to TEM images employing backscattered electrons. The potential of this kind of acquisition becomes very powerful in the dual beam FIB/SEM where the SEM column is combined with a Focused Ion Beam (FIB) column. FIB uses ions as a nano-scalpel to slice samples fixed and embedded in resin, replacing traditional ultramicrotomy. We here present two novel methods, which optimize the use of FIB/SEM for studying arthropod anatomy. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  16. DETECTION OF DELAMINATION IN A COMPOSITE PLATE BY SEM

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    2001-01-01

    A numerical method of integration of Green's functi ons of strip element method (SEM) is proposed. The response of ultrasonic sourc e generated by a transducer on the surface of a multi-ply composite plate conta ining a delamination is analyzed by the use of SEM. The numerical results show that the scanning features of the ultrasonic waves may be used to identify the d elamination inside the composite plate .

  17. Self-expandable metallic stent placement plus laparoscopy for acute malignant colorectal obstruction.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhou, Jia-Min; Yao, Li-Qing; Xu, Jian-Min; Xu, Mei-Dong; Zhou, Ping-Hong; Chen, Wei-Feng; Shi, Qiang; Ren, Zhong; Chen, Tao; Zhong, Yun-Shi

    2013-09-07

    To investigate the clinical advantages of the stent-laparoscopy approach to treat colorectal cancer (CRC) patients with acute colorectal obstruction (ACO). From April 2008 to April 2012, surgery-related parameters, complications, overall survival (OS), and disease-free survival (DFS) of 74 consecutive patients with left-sided CRC presented with ACO who underwent self-expandable metallic stent (SEMS) placement followed by one-stage open (n = 58) or laparoscopic resection (n = 16) were evaluated retrospectively. The stent-laparoscopy group was also compared with a control group of 96 CRC patients who underwent regular laparoscopy without ACO between January 2010 and December 2011 to explore whether SEMS placement influenced the laparoscopic procedure or reduced long-term survival by influencing CRC oncological characteristics. The characteristics of patients among these groups were comparable. The rate of conversion to open surgery was 12.5% in the stent-laparoscopy group. Bowel function recovery and postoperative hospital stay were significantly shorter (3.3 ± 0.9 d vs 4.2 ± 1.5 d and 6.7 ± 1.1 d vs 9.5 ± 6.7 d, P = 0.016 and P = 0.005), and surgical time was significantly longer (152.1 ± 44.4 min vs 127.4 ± 38.4 min, P = 0.045) in the stent-laparoscopy group than in the stent-open group. Surgery-related complications and the rate of admission to the intensive care unit were lower in the stent-laparoscopy group. There were no significant differences in the interval between stenting and surgery, intraoperative blood loss, OS, and DFS between the two stent groups. Compared with those in the stent-laparoscopy group, all surgery-related parameters, complications, OS, and DFS in the control group were comparable. The stent-laparoscopy approach is a feasible, rapid, and minimally invasive option for patients with ACO caused by left-sided CRC and can achieve a favorable long-term prognosis.

  18. SEM Analysis of Surface Impact on Biofilm Antibiotic Treatment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gomes, Luciana Calheiros; Mergulhão, Filipe José

    2017-01-01

    The aim of this work was to use scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to investigate the effect of ampicillin treatment on Escherichia coli biofilms formed on two surface materials with different properties, silicone (SIL) and glass (GLA). Epifluorescence microscopy (EM) was initially used to assess biofilm formation and killing efficiency on both surfaces. This technique showed that higher bacterial colonization was obtained in the hydrophobic SIL than in the hydrophilic GLA. It has also shown that higher biofilm inactivation was attained for GLA after the antibiotic treatment (7-log reduction versus 1-log reduction for SIL). Due to its high resolution and magnification, SEM enabled a more detailed analysis of the antibiotic effect on biofilm cells, complementing the killing efficiency information obtained by EM. SEM micrographs revealed that ampicillin-treated cells have an elongated form when compared to untreated cells. Additionally, it has shown that different materials induced different levels of elongation on cells exposed to antibiotic. Biofilms formed on GLA showed a 37% higher elongation than those formed on SIL. Importantly, cell elongation was related to viability since ampicillin had a higher bactericidal effect on GLA-formed biofilms. These findings raise the possibility of using SEM for understanding the efficacy of antimicrobial treatments by observation of biofilm morphology.

  19. Annual International DIC Society Conference and SEM Fall Conference

    CERN Document Server

    Reu, Phillip

    2017-01-01

    This collection represents a single volume of technical papers presented at the Annual International DIC Society Conference and SEM Fall Conference organized by the Society for Experimental Mechanics and Sandia National Laboratories and held in Philadelphia, PA, November 7-10, 2016. The volume presents early findings from experimental, standards development and various other investigations concerning digital image correlation - an important area within Experimental Mechanics. The area of Digital Image Correlation has been an integral track within the SEM Annual Conference spearheaded by Professor Michael Sutton from the University of South Carolina. In 2016, the SEM and Sandia joined their collaborative strengths to launch a standing fall meeting focusing specifically on developments in the area of Digital Image Correlation. The contributed papers within this volume span numerous technical aspects of DIC including standards development for the industry. .

  20. Análisis acústico sobre señales de auscultación digital para la detección de soplos cardíacos

    OpenAIRE

    CASTAÑO, ANDRÉS M.; DELGADO T., EDILSON; GODINO, JUANI; CASTELLANOS, GERMÁN

    2009-01-01

    Se presenta la metodología basada en el análisis acústico de señales fonocardiográficas (FCG) par a detectar soplos cardíacos. En primer lugar se desarrolla un sistema de filtración basado en la transformada wavelet para reducir las perturbaciones que usualmente se presentan en la etapa de adquisición, ajustando la calidad del sonido de acuerdo a los requerimientos clínicos y validados por especialistas en semiología. Se propone un algoritmo de segmentación basado en la energía promedio norm...

  1. Ação do resveratrol sobre proteoglicanos de membrana presentes no músculo cardíaco em modelo animal de cardiomiopatia diabética

    OpenAIRE

    Paula Lazara Cruz

    2016-01-01

    Introdução: Ratos com diabetes induzido por estreptozotocina (STZ) apresentam alterações nos proteoglicanos Sindecan-4 e Glipican-1 no tecido cardíaco concomitantes à instalação da disfunção diastólica, evento precoce que culmina na cardiomiopatia diabética. O uso de resveratrol (RSV) em modelos animais foi capaz de melhorar a função cardíaca e o controle autonômico. Espera-se que o tratamento com esse flavonoide atue nos níveis alterados dos proteoglicanos em animais diabéticos. Objetivo: Av...

  2. SEM investigation of heart tissue samples

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Saunders, R; Amoroso, M

    2010-01-01

    We used the scanning electron microscope to examine the cardiac tissue of a cow (Bos taurus), a pig (Sus scrofa), and a human (Homo sapiens). 1mm 3 blocks of left ventricular tissue were prepared for SEM scanning by fixing in 96% ethanol followed by critical point drying (cryofixation), then sputter-coating with gold. The typical ridged structure of the myofibrils was observed for all the species. In addition crystal like structures were found in one of the samples of the heart tissue of the pig. These structures were investigated further using an EDVAC x-ray analysis attachment to the SEM. Elemental x-ray analysis showed highest peaks occurred for gold, followed by carbon, oxygen, magnesium and potassium. As the samples were coated with gold for conductivity, this highest peak is expected. Much lower peaks at carbon, oxygen, magnesium and potassium suggest that a cystallized salt such as a carbonate was present in the tissue before sacrifice.

  3. SEM investigation of heart tissue samples

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Saunders, R; Amoroso, M [Physics Department, University of the West Indies, St. Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago, West Indies (Trinidad and Tobago)

    2010-07-01

    We used the scanning electron microscope to examine the cardiac tissue of a cow (Bos taurus), a pig (Sus scrofa), and a human (Homo sapiens). 1mm{sup 3} blocks of left ventricular tissue were prepared for SEM scanning by fixing in 96% ethanol followed by critical point drying (cryofixation), then sputter-coating with gold. The typical ridged structure of the myofibrils was observed for all the species. In addition crystal like structures were found in one of the samples of the heart tissue of the pig. These structures were investigated further using an EDVAC x-ray analysis attachment to the SEM. Elemental x-ray analysis showed highest peaks occurred for gold, followed by carbon, oxygen, magnesium and potassium. As the samples were coated with gold for conductivity, this highest peak is expected. Much lower peaks at carbon, oxygen, magnesium and potassium suggest that a cystallized salt such as a carbonate was present in the tissue before sacrifice.

  4. Aplicación de un algoritmo ACO al problema de taller de flujo de permutación con tiempos de preparación dependientes de la secuencia y minimización de makespan An ant colony algorithm for the permutation flowshop with sequence dependent setup times and makespan minimization

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Eduardo Salazar Hornig

    2011-08-01

    Full Text Available En este trabajo se estudió el problema de secuenciamiento de trabajos en el taller de flujo de permutación con tiempos de preparación dependientes de la secuencia y minimización de makespan. Para ello se propuso un algoritmo de optimización mediante colonia de hormigas (ACO, llevando el problema original a una estructura semejante al problema del vendedor viajero TSP (Traveling Salesman Problem asimétrico, utilizado para su evaluación problemas propuestos en la literatura y se compara con una adaptación de la heurística NEH (Nawaz-Enscore-Ham. Posteriormente se aplica una búsqueda en vecindad a la solución obtenida tanto por ACO como NEH.This paper studied the permutation flowshop with sequence dependent setup times and makespan minimization. An ant colony algorithm which turns the original problem into an asymmetric TSP (Traveling Salesman Problem structure is presented, and applied to problems proposed in the literature and is compared with an adaptation of the NEH heuristic. Subsequently a neighborhood search was applied to the solution obtained by the ACO algorithm and the NEH heuristic.

  5. Recent improvement of a FIB-SEM serial-sectioning method for precise 3D image reconstruction - application of the orthogonally-arranged FIB-SEM.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hara, Toru

    2014-11-01

    IntroductionWe installed the first "orthogonally-arranged" FIB-SEM in 2011. The most characteristic point of this instrument is that the FIB and SEM columns are perpendicularly mounted; this is specially designed to obtain a serial-sectioning dataset more accurately and precisely with higher contrast and higher spatial resolution compare to other current FIB-SEMs [1]. Since the installation in 2011, we have developed the hardware and methodology of the serial-sectioning based on this orthogonal FIB-SEM. In order to develop this technique, we have widely opened this instrument to every researcher of all fields. In the presentation, I would like to introduce some of application results that are obtained by users of this instrument. The characteristic points of the orthogonal systemFigure 1 shows a difference between the standard and the orthogonal FIB-SEM systems: In the standard system, shown in Fig.1(a), optical axes of a FIB and a SEM crosses around 60deg., while in the orthogonal system (Fig.1(b)), they are perpendicular to each other. The standard arrangement (a) is certainly suitable for TEM lamellae preparation etc. because the FIB and the SEM can see the same position simultaneously. However, for a serial-sectioning, it is not to say the best arrangement. One of the reasons is that the sliced plane by the FIB is not perpendicular to the electron beam so that the background contrast is not uniform and observed plane is distorted. On the other hand, in case of the orthogonally-arranged system,(b), these problems are resolved. In addition, spatial resolution can keep high enough even in a low accelerating voltage (e.g. 500V) because a working distance is set very small, 2mm. From these special design, we can obtain the serial-sectioning dataset from rather wide area (∼100um) with high spatial resolution (Max. 2×2×2nm). As this system has many kinds of detectors: SE, ET, Backscatter Electron(Energy-selective), EDS, EBSD, STEM(BF&ADF), with Ar+ ion-gun and a

  6. Engineering Evaluation and Analysis for the Improvement of Military Standard Generators. Volume 1.

    Science.gov (United States)

    1987-05-29

    Heights, MI 48077 Schenectady, NY 12301-1058 (32) Peter Diesels, Inc. (44) Snyder Industries, Inc. 4761 Hugh Howell Road 4700 FreemontTucker, GA 30084 Box...Aaisi-icns 7 ;s:ems Marazeen: :e 1 an 30 k. o -. -e e aco se i o’*.: -- c-.weerA Ica i 1 -re 7h3. ~e .1arv e:mres zec an :nrterast to r-asoive -.e

  7. Building a SEM Analytics Reporting Portfolio

    Science.gov (United States)

    Goff, Jay W.; Williams, Brian G.; Kilgore, Wendy

    2016-01-01

    Effective strategic enrollment management (SEM) efforts require vast amounts of internal and external data to ensure that meaningful reporting and analysis systems can assist managers in decision making. A wide range of information is integral for leading effective and efficient student recruitment and retention programs. This article is designed…

  8. Human cardiac telocytes: 3D imaging by FIB-SEM tomography.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cretoiu, D; Hummel, E; Zimmermann, H; Gherghiceanu, M; Popescu, L M

    2014-11-01

    Telocyte (TC) is a newly identified type of cell in the cardiac interstitium (www.telocytes.com). TCs are described by classical transmission electron microscopy as cells with very thin and long telopodes (Tps; cellular prolongations) having podoms (dilations) and podomers (very thin segments). TCs' three-dimensional (3D) morphology is still unknown. Cardiac TCs seem to be particularly involved in long and short distance intercellular signalling and, therefore, their 3D architecture is important for understanding their spatial connections. Using focused ion beam scanning electron microscopy (FIB-SEM) we show, for the first time, the whole ultrastructural anatomy of cardiac TCs. 3D reconstruction of cardiac TCs by FIB-SEM tomography confirms that they have long, narrow but flattened (ribbon-like) telopodes, with humps generated by the podoms. FIB-SEM tomography also confirms the network made by TCs in the cardiac interstitium through adherens junctions. This study provides the first FIB-SEM tomography of a human cell type. © 2014 The Authors. Journal of Cellular and Molecular Medicine published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd and Foundation for Cellular and Molecular Medicine.

  9. A Teoria dos Blocos Semânticos em revisão

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Julio Cesar Machado

    2017-08-01

    Full Text Available A Teoria dos Blocos Semânticos ocupa lugar significativo nos trabalhos mundiais em Semântica, Argumentação e Enunciação, dentre outros. Por isso sua pertinência para a Linguística reclama uma reflexão. O presente trabalho pretende refletir algumas reformulações na Teoria dos Blocos Semânticos nas últimas duas décadas, a saber: (a polifonia, (b bloco semântico, e (c quadrado argumentativo. Especificamente, trataremos das seguintes relações: (a’ da Teoria Polifônica da Enunciação à Teoria Argumentativa da Polifonia; (b’ do bloco semântico ao semi-bloco; e (c’ do quadrado argumentativo ao cubo argumentativo. A necessidade deste trabalho é duplamente justificada: (i devido à constante revisão teórica do arcabouço teórico deste saber, sobretudo na sua última década, característica de Marion Carel e de Oswald Ducrot; e (ii pela falta de tradução/circulação no Brasil de obras fundamentais no que tange à re-elaboração das noções chaves desta teoria.

  10. In Situ Characterization of Boehmite Particles in Water Using Liquid SEM.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yao, Juan; Arey, Bruce W; Yang, Li; Zhang, Fei; Komorek, Rachel; Chun, Jaehun; Yu, Xiao-Ying

    2017-09-27

    In situ imaging and elemental analysis of boehmite (AlOOH) particles in water is realized using the System for Analysis at the Liquid Vacuum Interface (SALVI) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). This paper describes the method and key steps in integrating the vacuum compatible SAVLI to SEM and obtaining secondary electron (SE) images of particles in liquid in high vacuum. Energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDX) is used to obtain elemental analysis of particles in liquid and control samples including deionized (DI) water only and an empty channel as well. Synthesized boehmite (AlOOH) particles suspended in liquid are used as a model in the liquid SEM illustration. The results demonstrate that the particles can be imaged in the SE mode with good resolution (i.e., 400 nm). The AlOOH EDX spectrum shows significant signal from the aluminum (Al) when compared with the DI water and the empty channel control. In situ liquid SEM is a powerful technique to study particles in liquid with many exciting applications. This procedure aims to provide technical know-how in order to conduct liquid SEM imaging and EDX analysis using SALVI and to reduce potential pitfalls when using this approach.

  11. Three dimensional rock microstructures: insights from FIB-SEM tomography

    Science.gov (United States)

    Drury, Martyn; Pennock, Gill; de Winter, Matthijs

    2016-04-01

    Most studies of rock microstructures investigate two-dimensional sections or thin slices of three dimensional grain structures. With advances of X-ray and electron tomography methods the 3-D microstructure can be(relatively) routinely investigated on scales from a few microns to cm. 3D studies are needed to investigate the connectivity of microstructures and to test the assumptions we use to calculate 3D properties from 2D sections. We have used FIB-SEM tomography to study the topology of melts in synthetic olivine rocks, 3D crystal growth microstructures, pore networks and subgrain structures. The technique uses a focused ion beam to make serial sections with a spacing of tens to hundreds of nanometers. Each section is then imaged or mapped using the electron beam. The 3D geometry of grains and subgrains can be investigated using orientation contrast or EBSD mapping. FIB-SEM tomography of rocks and minerals can be limited by charging of the uncoated surfaces exposed by the ion beam. The newest generation of FIB-SEMs have much improved low voltage imaging capability allowing high resolution charge free imaging. Low kV FIB-SEM tomography is now widely used to study the connectivity of pore networks. In-situ fluids can also be studied using cryo-FIB-SEM on frozen samples, although special freezing techniques are needed to avoid artifacts produced by ice crystallization. FIB-SEM tomography is complementary, in terms of spatial resolution and sampled volume, to TEM tomography and X-ray tomography, and the combination of these methods can cover a wide range of scales. Our studies on melt topology in synthetic olivine rocks with a high melt content show that many grain boundaries are wetted by nanometre scale melt layers that are too thin to resolve by X-ray tomography. A variety of melt layer geometries occur consistent with several mechanisms of melt layer formation. The nature of melt geometries along triple line junctions and quadruple points can be resolved

  12. Comparison of SEM and VPSEM imaging techniques with respect to Streptococcus mutans biofilm topography.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Weber, Kathryn; Delben, Juliana; Bromage, Timothy G; Duarte, Simone

    2014-01-01

    The study compared images of mature Streptococcus mutans biofilms captured at increasing magnification to determine which microscopy method is most acceptable for imaging the biofilm topography and the extracellular polymeric substance (EPS). In vitro S. mutans biofilms were imaged using (1) scanning electron microscopy (SEM), which requires a dehydration process; (2) SEM and ruthenium red (SEM-RR), which has been shown to support the EPS of biofilms during the SEM dehydration; and (3) variable pressure scanning electron microscopy (VPSEM), which does not require the intensive dehydration process of SEM. The dehydration process and high chamber vacuum of both SEM techniques devastated the biofilm EPS, removed supporting structures, and caused cracking on the biofilm surface. The VPSEM offered the most comprehensive representation of the S. mutans biofilm morphology. VPSEM provides similar contrast and focus as the SEM, but the procedure is far less time-consuming, and the use of hazardous chemicals associated with SEM dehydration protocol is avoided with the VPSEM. The inaccurate representations of the biofilm EPS in SEM experimentation is a possible source of inaccurate data and impediments in the study of S. mutans biofilms. © 2013 Federation of European Microbiological Societies. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd. All rights reserved.

  13. In-situ SEM microchip setup for electrochemical experiments with water based solutions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jensen, E.; Købler, C.; Jensen, P.S.; Mølhave, K.

    2013-01-01

    Studying electrochemical (EC) processes with electron microscopes offers the possibility of achieving much higher resolution imaging of nanoscale processes in real time than with optical microscopes. We have developed a vacuum sealed liquid sample electrochemical cell with electron transparent windows, microelectrodes and an electrochemical reference electrode. The system, called the EC-SEM Cell, is used to study electrochemical reactions in liquid with a standard scanning electron microscope (SEM). The central component is a microfabricated chip with a thin (50 nm) Si-rich silicon nitride (SiNx) window with lithographically defined platinum microelectrodes. We show here the design principles of the EC-SEM system, its detailed construction and how it has been used to perform a range of EC experiments, two of which are presented here. It is shown that the EC-SEM Cell can survive extended in-situ EC experiments. Before the EC experiments we characterized the beam current being deposited in the liquid as this will affect the experiments. The first EC experiment shows the influence of the electron-beam (e-beam) on a nickel solution by inducing electroless nickel deposition on the window when increasing the current density from the e-beam. The second experiment shows electrolysis in EC-SEM Cell, induced by the built-in electrodes. - Highlights: • New in-situ SEM system for electrochemistry. • In-situ Beam current measurements through liquid. • In-situ SEM E-beam-induced electroless deposition of Ni. • In-situ electrolysis

  14. Inter-operator and inter-device agreement and reliability of the SEM Scanner.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Clendenin, Marta; Jaradeh, Kindah; Shamirian, Anasheh; Rhodes, Shannon L

    2015-02-01

    The SEM Scanner is a medical device designed for use by healthcare providers as part of pressure ulcer prevention programs. The objective of this study was to evaluate the inter-rater and inter-device agreement and reliability of the SEM Scanner. Thirty-one (31) volunteers free of pressure ulcers or broken skin at the sternum, sacrum, and heels were assessed with the SEM Scanner. Each of three operators utilized each of three devices to collect readings from four anatomical sites (sternum, sacrum, left and right heels) on each subject for a total of 108 readings per subject collected over approximately 30 min. For each combination of operator-device-anatomical site, three SEM readings were collected. Inter-operator and inter-device agreement and reliability were estimated. Over the course of this study, more than 3000 SEM Scanner readings were collected. Agreement between operators was good with mean differences ranging from -0.01 to 0.11. Inter-operator and inter-device reliability exceeded 0.80 at all anatomical sites assessed. The results of this study demonstrate the high reliability and good agreement of the SEM Scanner across different operators and different devices. Given the limitations of current methods to prevent and detect pressure ulcers, the SEM Scanner shows promise as an objective, reliable tool for assessing the presence or absence of pressure-induced tissue damage such as pressure ulcers. Copyright © 2015 Bruin Biometrics, LLC. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

  15. In-situ SEM microchip setup for electrochemical experiments with water based solutions

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Jensen, E., E-mail: eric.jensen@nanotech.dtu.dk [DTU Nanotech, Technical University of Denmark, Ørsteds Plads, Building 345E, 2800 Kongens Lyngby (Denmark); DTU CEN, Technical University of Denmark, Fysikvej, Building 307, 2800 Kongens Lyngby (Denmark); Købler, C., E-mail: carsten.kobler@nanotech.dtu.dk [DTU Nanotech, Technical University of Denmark, Ørsteds Plads, Building 345E, 2800 Kongens Lyngby (Denmark); DTU CEN, Technical University of Denmark, Fysikvej, Building 307, 2800 Kongens Lyngby (Denmark); Jensen, P.S., E-mail: psj@kemi.dtu.dk [DTU Kemi, Technical University of Denmark, Kemitorvet, Building 207, 2800 Kongens Lyngby (Denmark); Mølhave, K., E-mail: kristian.molhave@nanotech.dtu.dk [DTU Nanotech, Technical University of Denmark, Ørsteds Plads, Building 345E, 2800 Kongens Lyngby (Denmark)

    2013-06-15

    Studying electrochemical (EC) processes with electron microscopes offers the possibility of achieving much higher resolution imaging of nanoscale processes in real time than with optical microscopes. We have developed a vacuum sealed liquid sample electrochemical cell with electron transparent windows, microelectrodes and an electrochemical reference electrode. The system, called the EC-SEM Cell, is used to study electrochemical reactions in liquid with a standard scanning electron microscope (SEM). The central component is a microfabricated chip with a thin (50 nm) Si-rich silicon nitride (SiNx) window with lithographically defined platinum microelectrodes. We show here the design principles of the EC-SEM system, its detailed construction and how it has been used to perform a range of EC experiments, two of which are presented here. It is shown that the EC-SEM Cell can survive extended in-situ EC experiments. Before the EC experiments we characterized the beam current being deposited in the liquid as this will affect the experiments. The first EC experiment shows the influence of the electron-beam (e-beam) on a nickel solution by inducing electroless nickel deposition on the window when increasing the current density from the e-beam. The second experiment shows electrolysis in EC-SEM Cell, induced by the built-in electrodes. - Highlights: • New in-situ SEM system for electrochemistry. • In-situ Beam current measurements through liquid. • In-situ SEM E-beam-induced electroless deposition of Ni. • In-situ electrolysis.

  16. Automated CD-SEM recipe creation technology for mass production using CAD data

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kawahara, Toshikazu; Yoshida, Masamichi; Tanaka, Masashi; Ido, Sanyu; Nakano, Hiroyuki; Adachi, Naokaka; Abe, Yuichi; Nagatomo, Wataru

    2011-03-01

    Critical Dimension Scanning Electron Microscope (CD-SEM) recipe creation needs sample preparation necessary for matching pattern registration, and recipe creation on CD-SEM using the sample, which hinders the reduction in test production cost and time in semiconductor manufacturing factories. From the perspective of cost reduction and improvement of the test production efficiency, automated CD-SEM recipe creation without the sample preparation and the manual operation has been important in the production lines. For the automated CD-SEM recipe creation, we have introduced RecipeDirector (RD) that enables the recipe creation by using Computer-Aided Design (CAD) data and text data that includes measurement information. We have developed a system that automatically creates the CAD data and the text data necessary for the recipe creation on RD; and, for the elimination of the manual operation, we have enhanced RD so that all measurement information can be specified in the text data. As a result, we have established an automated CD-SEM recipe creation system without the sample preparation and the manual operation. For the introduction of the CD-SEM recipe creation system using RD to the production lines, the accuracy of the pattern matching was an issue. The shape of design templates for the matching created from the CAD data was different from that of SEM images in vision. Thus, a development of robust pattern matching algorithm that considers the shape difference was needed. The addition of image processing of the templates for the matching and shape processing of the CAD patterns in the lower layer has enabled the robust pattern matching. This paper describes the automated CD-SEM recipe creation technology for the production lines without the sample preparation and the manual operation using RD applied in Sony Semiconductor Kyusyu Corporation Kumamoto Technology Center (SCK Corporation Kumamoto TEC).

  17. Correlative SEM SERS for quantitative analysis of dimer nanoparticles.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Timmermans, F J; Lenferink, A T M; van Wolferen, H A G M; Otto, C

    2016-11-14

    A Raman microscope integrated with a scanning electron microscope was used to investigate plasmonic structures by correlative SEM-SERS analysis. The integrated Raman-SEM microscope combines high-resolution electron microscopy information with SERS signal enhancement from selected nanostructures with adsorbed Raman reporter molecules. Correlative analysis is performed for dimers of two gold nanospheres. Dimers were selected on the basis of SEM images from multi aggregate samples. The effect of the orientation of the dimer with respect to the polarization state of the laser light and the effect of the particle gap size on the Raman signal intensity is observed. Additionally, calculations are performed to simulate the electric near field enhancement. These simulations are based on the morphologies observed by electron microscopy. In this way the experiments are compared with the enhancement factor calculated with near field simulations and are subsequently used to quantify the SERS enhancement factor. Large differences between experimentally observed and calculated enhancement factors are regularly detected, a phenomenon caused by nanoscale differences between the real and 'simplified' simulated structures. Quantitative SERS experiments reveal the structure induced enhancement factor, ranging from ∼200 to ∼20 000, averaged over the full nanostructure surface. The results demonstrate correlative Raman-SEM microscopy for the quantitative analysis of plasmonic particles and structures, thus enabling a new analytical method in the field of SERS and plasmonics.

  18. GAGG:ce single crystalline films: New perspective scintillators for electron detection in SEM.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bok, Jan; Lalinský, Ondřej; Hanuš, Martin; Onderišinová, Zuzana; Kelar, Jakub; Kučera, Miroslav

    2016-04-01

    Single crystal scintillators are frequently used for electron detection in scanning electron microscopy (SEM). We report gadolinium aluminum gallium garnet (GAGG:Ce) single crystalline films as a new perspective scintillators for the SEM. For the first time, the epitaxial garnet films were used in a practical application: the GAGG:Ce scintillator was incorporated into a SEM scintillation electron detector and it showed improved image quality. In order to prove the GAGG:Ce quality accurately, the scintillation properties were examined using electron beam excitation and compared with frequently used scintillators in the SEM. The results demonstrate excellent emission efficiency of the GAGG:Ce single crystalline films together with their very fast scintillation decay useful for demanding SEM applications. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  19. Diversity of seM in Streptococcus equi subsp. equi isolated from strangles outbreaks.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Libardoni, Felipe; Vielmo, Andréia; Farias, Luana; Matter, Letícia Beatriz; Pötter, Luciana; Spilki, Fernando Rosado; de Vargas, Agueda Castagna

    2013-03-23

    Strangles is the main upper respiratory tract disease of horses. There are currently no studies on the changes in alleles of the M protein gene (seM) in Brazilian isolates of Streptococcus equi ssp. equi (S. equi). This study aimed to analyze and differentiate molecularly S. equi isolates from equine clinical specimens from southern Brazil, between 1994 and 2010. seM alleles were analyzed in 47 isolates of S. equi obtained from clinical cases of strangles (15 Thoroughbred horses, 29 Crioulo breed horses and three Brasileiro de Hipismo--BH). seM alleles characterization was performed by comparing variable region sequences of the seM gene. The alleles were also phylogenetically grouped by Neighbor-joining analysis, which demonstrated the geographic distribution of those in properties from southern Brazil. Fifteen alleles of the gene seM were found among the 47 S. equi isolates analyzed. Among these, only one allele (seM-61), which was identified in seven isolates (14.9%), was found in the database PubMLST-seM. Within the new alleles, allele seM-115 was the most prevalent, having been found in 13 isolates (27.7%), followed by allele seM-117 in 10 isolates (21.3%). In the Brazilian horse population studied, there is greater diversity of M protein alleles in S. equi isolates compared to worldwide data deposited in PubMLST-seM. Among the 15 seM alleles identified, only one allele sequence was previously published. The alleles identification is important to control the disease by guiding selection of strains for the manufacture of commercial and autogenous vaccines. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  20. Shocked quartz in the SEM: Distinction between amorphous and healed PDFs

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Hamers, M.F.; Pennock, G.M.; Drury, M.R.

    2012-01-01

    Combined SEM techniques show that different CL signatures of PDFs are related to fresh and healed microstructures of PDFs and host quartz. This is confirmed by TEM results. A combination of SEM techniques can give the same type of information as TEM

  1. The Effectiveness of Self-Expandable Metallic Stent Insertion in Treating Right-Sided Colonic Obstruction: A Comparison between SEMS and Decompression Tube Placement and an Investigation of the Safety and Difficulties of SEMS Insertion in Right Colons

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rintaro Moroi

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Objectives. Self-expandable metallic stent (SEMS is widely used to treat malignant colonic obstruction. However, most reports about SEMS insertion have concentrated on the left colon. This study aimed to (1 investigate the effectiveness of SEMS insertion compared with conventional decompression tube for right-sided colonic obstruction and (2 compare the safety and technical success of SEMS insertion between left- and right-sided colonic obstructions. Methods. The data from thirty-seven patients who underwent SEMS or conventional decompression tube placement for malignant colonic obstruction in our hospital were analyzed retrospectively. Technical and clinical success, complications, and technical difficulties were analyzed. We compared the results between SEMS insertion and decompression tube placement in right colons and the outcomes of SEMS insertion between right- and left-sided colonic obstructions. Results. For right colons, the clinical success rate of SEMS insertion (100% was significantly higher than that of decompression tube placement (55.9%. Concerning SEMS insertion, the technical difficulty and safety of SEMS insertion were similar between right- and left-sided colonic obstructions. Conclusion. SEMS insertion for right-sided colon is significantly more effective than conventional decompression tube placement, and this procedure was safer and less technically challenging than expected. SEMS insertion should be considered for treating right-sided malignant colonic obstruction.

  2. SemGroup acquisition of central Alberta midstream : case study

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Purcell, T.

    2005-01-01

    A case study of SemGroup's acquisition of Central Alberta Midstream was presented. SemCAMS specializes in providing more efficient supply, storage, and distribution assets and services. Seminole Canada Gas is a leading independent natural gas marketing and energy asset management company that currently markets 369 MMbtu per day. The company purchases natural gas in western Canada for fee-based marketing services while also managing firm transportation contracts and providing gas storage for third party customers. SemCAMS owns the largest sour gas processor in Alberta as well as 3 sour gas processing plants, 600 miles of gathering pipeline, and a sweet gas processing plant. the company is also planning increased drilling and production activities and is now pursuing aggressive land acquisition policies. Over 25,000 square miles of land have been acquired. It was concluded that midstream companies should be customer-focused, provide reliability and guarantees, infrastructure investment and optimization. tabs., figs

  3. A Proposal on the Quantitative Homogeneity Analysis Method of SEM Images for Material Inspections

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kim, Song Hyun; Kim, Jong Woo; Shin, Chang Ho [Hanyang University, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Choi, Jung-Hoon; Cho, In-Hak; Park, Hwan Seo [Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

    2015-05-15

    A scanning electron microscope (SEM) is a method to inspect the surface microstructure of materials. The SEM uses electron beams for imaging high magnifications of material surfaces; therefore, various chemical analyses can be performed from the SEM images. Therefore, it is widely used for the material inspection, chemical characteristic analysis, and biological analysis. For the nuclear criticality analysis field, it is an important parameter to check the homogeneity of the compound material for using it in the nuclear system. In our previous study, the SEM was tried to use for the homogeneity analysis of the materials. In this study, a quantitative homogeneity analysis method of SEM images is proposed for the material inspections. The method is based on the stochastic analysis method with the information of the grayscales of the SEM images.

  4. A Proposal on the Quantitative Homogeneity Analysis Method of SEM Images for Material Inspections

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, Song Hyun; Kim, Jong Woo; Shin, Chang Ho; Choi, Jung-Hoon; Cho, In-Hak; Park, Hwan Seo

    2015-01-01

    A scanning electron microscope (SEM) is a method to inspect the surface microstructure of materials. The SEM uses electron beams for imaging high magnifications of material surfaces; therefore, various chemical analyses can be performed from the SEM images. Therefore, it is widely used for the material inspection, chemical characteristic analysis, and biological analysis. For the nuclear criticality analysis field, it is an important parameter to check the homogeneity of the compound material for using it in the nuclear system. In our previous study, the SEM was tried to use for the homogeneity analysis of the materials. In this study, a quantitative homogeneity analysis method of SEM images is proposed for the material inspections. The method is based on the stochastic analysis method with the information of the grayscales of the SEM images

  5. In-Situ tensile testing of propellants in SEM: influence of temperature

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Di Benedetto, G.L.; Ramshorst, M.C.J.; Duvalois, W.; Hooijmeijer, P.; Heijden, A. van der

    2017-01-01

    A tensile module system placed within a Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) was utilized to conduct insitu tensile testing of propellant samples. The tensile module system allows for real-time in-situ SEM analysis of the samples to determine the failure mechanism of the propellant material under

  6. Mathematical model of the seismic electromagnetic signals (SEMS) in non crystalline substances

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Dennis, L. C. C.; Yahya, N.; Daud, H.; Shafie, A. [Electromagnetic cluster, Universiti Teknologi Petronas, 31750 Tronoh, Perak (Malaysia)

    2012-09-26

    The mathematical model of seismic electromagnetic waves in non crystalline substances is developed and the solutions are discussed to show the possibility of improving the electromagnetic waves especially the electric field. The shear stress of the medium in fourth order tensor gives the equation of motion. Analytic methods are selected for the solutions written in Hansen vector form. From the simulated SEMS, the frequency of seismic waves has significant effects to the SEMS propagating characteristics. EM waves transform into SEMS or energized seismic waves. Traveling distance increases once the frequency of the seismic waves increases from 100% to 1000%. SEMS with greater seismic frequency will give seismic alike waves but greater energy is embedded by EM waves and hence further distance the waves travel.

  7. Mathematical model of the seismic electromagnetic signals (SEMS) in non crystalline substances

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dennis, L. C. C.; Yahya, N.; Daud, H.; Shafie, A.

    2012-01-01

    The mathematical model of seismic electromagnetic waves in non crystalline substances is developed and the solutions are discussed to show the possibility of improving the electromagnetic waves especially the electric field. The shear stress of the medium in fourth order tensor gives the equation of motion. Analytic methods are selected for the solutions written in Hansen vector form. From the simulated SEMS, the frequency of seismic waves has significant effects to the SEMS propagating characteristics. EM waves transform into SEMS or energized seismic waves. Traveling distance increases once the frequency of the seismic waves increases from 100% to 1000%. SEMS with greater seismic frequency will give seismic alike waves but greater energy is embedded by EM waves and hence further distance the waves travel.

  8. O ciberativismo sem bússola

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Francisco Rüdiger

    2014-07-01

    Full Text Available Questiona-se no texto se uma abordagem que, no essencial, relata a trajetória do chamado ciberativismo de acordo com seus próprios termos se justifica academicamente ou, em vez disso, se mantém prisioneira de uma mitologia que o fenômeno, em si mesmo, já construiu e, por isso, autoriza seus sujeitos a dispensarem sem prejuízo eventual contribuição de origem universitária.

  9. Critical factors in SEM 3D stereo microscopy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Marinello, F; Savio, E; Bariani, P; Horsewell, A; De Chiffre, L

    2008-01-01

    This work addresses dimensional measurements performed with the scanning electron microscope (SEM) using 3D reconstruction of surface topography through stereo-photogrammetry. The paper presents both theoretical and experimental investigations, on the effects of instrumental variables and measurement parameters on reconstruction accuracy. Investigations were performed on a novel sample, specifically developed and implemented for the tests. The description is based on the model function introduced by Piazzesi and adapted for eucentrically tilted stereopairs. Two main classes of influencing factors are recognized: the first one is related to the measurement operation and the instrument set-up; the second concerns the quality of scanned images and represents the major criticality in the application of SEMs for 3D characterizations

  10. Characterisation of nanoparticles by means of high-resolution SEM/EDS in transmission mode

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hodoroaba, V-D; Rades, S; Mielke, J; Ortel, E; Salge, T; Schmidt, R

    2016-01-01

    Advances in scanning electron microscopy (SEM) enable the high-resolution imaging of single nanoparticles (NPs) with sizes well below 10 nm. The SEM analysis in transmission mode (T-SEM) of NPs on thin film supports has many benefits when compared to the analysis of NPs on bulk substrates. The enhanced material (mass - thickness) contrast of the T-SEM imaging mode is well suited for in-depth and, particularly valuable, to very accurate, traceable, lateral dimensional measurements of NPs. Compared to samples prepared on bulk substrates, T-SEM with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) achieves a drastically improved spatial resolution of the emitted X-rays. The poor signal-to-noise ratio of the X-ray spectra emitted by a single nanoparticle (NP) can be improved by the use of high-sensitivity (high collection solid angle) silicon drift (SDD), energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometers (EDS). The EDS spectral imaging of a single NP with a spatial resolution below 10 nm has become possible. This is demonstrated by means of various examples of nanostructures. Advanced data processing of T-SEM/EDS results sets the stage for the automated classification of NPs by feature analysis. This method combines the detection of morphological structures of interest by image processing of T-SEM micrographs with the chemical classification by EDS. (paper)

  11. Neuropsicología de la demencia semántica

    OpenAIRE

    Andrade Quintero, Luz Helena

    2012-01-01

    La Demencia Semántica causa alteraciones en la capacidad para recordar el significado de las palabras, rostros y objetos, producto de atrofia asimétrica o bilateral de los lóbulos temporales anteriores. Clínicamente se han observado múltiples síndromes clínicos superpuestos con otras enfermedades degenerativas como la Afasia Primaria Progresiva y la Demencia tipo Alzheimer. El propósito de este estudio fue identificar alteraciones lingüísticas y semánticas en un grupo de pacientes con Demenci...

  12. What Determines Lean Manufacturing Implementation? A CB-SEM Model

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tan Ching Ng

    2018-02-01

    Full Text Available This research aims to ascertain the determinants of effective Lean Manufacturing (LM. In this research, Covariance-based Structural Equation Modeling (CB-SEM analysis will be used in order to analyze the determinants. Through CB-SEM analysis, the significant key determinants can be determined and the direct relationships among determinants can be analyzed. Thus, the findings of this research can act as guidelines for achievement of LM effectiveness, not only providing necessary steps for successful implementation of lean, but also helping lean companies to achieve higher level of lean cost and time savings.

  13. Analysis of microtraces in invasive traumas using SEM/EDS.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vermeij, E J; Zoon, P D; Chang, S B C G; Keereweer, I; Pieterman, R; Gerretsen, R R R

    2012-01-10

    Scanning electron microscopy in combination with energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometry (SEM/EDS) is a proven forensic tool and has been used to analyze several kinds of trace evidence. A forensic application of SEM/EDS is the examination of morphological characteristics of tool marks that tools and instruments leave on bone. The microtraces that are left behind by these tools and instruments on the bone are, however, often ignored or not noticed at all. In this paper we will describe the use of SEM/EDS for the analysis of microtraces in invasive sharp-force, blunt-force and bone-hacking traumas in bone. This research is part of a larger multi-disciplinary approach in which pathologists, forensic anthropologists, toolmark and microtrace experts work together to link observed injuries to a suspected weapon or, in case of an unknown weapon, to indicate a group of objects that could have been used as a weapon. Although there are a few difficulties one have to consider, the method itself is rather simple and straightforward to apply. A sample of dry and clean bone is placed into the SEM sample chamber and brightness and contrast are set such that bone appears grey, metal appears white and organic material appears black. The sample is then searched manually to find relevant features. Once features are found their elemental composition is measured by an energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer (EDS). This method is illustrated using several cases. It is shown that SEM/EDS analysis of microtraces in bone is a valuable tool to get clues about an unknown weapon and can associate a specific weapon with injuries on the basis of appearance and elemental composition. In particular the separate results from the various disciplines are complementary and may be combined to reach a conclusion with a stronger probative value. This is not only useful in the courtroom but above all in criminal investigations when one have to know for what weapon or object to look for. Copyright © 2011

  14. Investigação de lipofuscina em miócitos cardíacos de camundongos após tratamento com oxamniquine

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Maria Luiza Silveira Mello

    1984-10-01

    Full Text Available A fluorescencia natural devida à presença de corpos de lipofuscina foi pesquisada em miócitos cardíacos de camundongos adultos jovens tratados com oxamniquine. O objetivo foi buscar uma evidência de indução de envelhecimento celular precoce, com base em dados prévios de acentuação poliploidia, promovida pela droga. Comparando o miocárdio dos camundongos tratados com animais contrôle jovens e velhos, não foi observada a presença de lipofuscina nos seus miócitos. Isto possivelmente se deva a um não comprometimento da eficiência das lipases lisossomiais apesar da acentuação do fenômeno de poliploidização induzida pela droga.

  15. High resolution SEM characterization of nano-precipitates in ODS steels.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jóźwik, Iwona; Strojny-Nędza, Agata; Chmielewski, Marcin; Pietrzak, Katarzyna; Kurpaska, Łukasz; Nosewicz, Szymon

    2018-05-01

    The performance of the present-day scanning electron microscopy (SEM) extends far beyond delivering electronic images of the surface topography. Oxide dispersion strengthened (ODS) steel is on of the most promising materials for the future nuclear fusion reactor because of its good radiation resistance, and higher operation temperature up to 750°C. The microstructure of ODS should not exceed tens of nm, therefore there is a strong need in a fast and reliable technique for their characterization. In this work, the results of low-kV SEM characterization of nanoprecipitates formed in the ODS matrix are presented. Application of highly sensitive photo-diode BSE detector in SEM imaging allowed for the registration of single nm-sized precipitates in the vicinity of the ODS alloys. The composition of the precipitates has been confirmed by TEM-EDS. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  16. Does Sexually Explicit Media (SEM) Affect Me?

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hald, Gert Martin; Træen, Bente; Noor, Syed W

    2015-01-01

    and understanding of one’s sexual orientation.First-person effects refer to self-perceived and self-reported effects of SEM consumptionas experienced by the consumer. In addition, the study examined and provided athorough validation of the psychometric properties of the seven-item PornographyConsumption Effect...

  17. A brief discussion about image quality and SEM methods for quantitative fractography of polymer composites.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hein, L R O; Campos, K A; Caltabiano, P C R O; Kostov, K G

    2013-01-01

    The methodology for fracture analysis of polymeric composites with scanning electron microscopes (SEM) is still under discussion. Many authors prefer to use sputter coating with a conductive material instead of applying low-voltage (LV) or variable-pressure (VP) methods, which preserves the original surfaces. The present work examines the effects of sputter coating with 25 nm of gold on the topography of carbon-epoxy composites fracture surfaces, using an atomic force microscope. Also, the influence of SEM imaging parameters on fractal measurements is evaluated for the VP-SEM and LV-SEM methods. It was observed that topographic measurements were not significantly affected by the gold coating at tested scale. Moreover, changes on SEM setup leads to nonlinear outcome on texture parameters, such as fractal dimension and entropy values. For VP-SEM or LV-SEM, fractal dimension and entropy values did not present any evident relation with image quality parameters, but the resolution must be optimized with imaging setup, accompanied by charge neutralization. © Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  18. International Conference on SEMS 2012

    CERN Document Server

    Liu, Chuang; Scientific explanation and methodology of science; SEMS 2012

    2014-01-01

    This volume contains the contributed papers of invitees to SEMS 2012 who have also given talks at the conference. The invitees are experts in philosophy of science and technology from Asia (besides China), Australia, Europe, Latin America, North America, as well as from within China. The papers in this volume represent the latest work of each researcher in his or her expertise; and as a result, they give a good representation of the cutting-edge researches in diverse areas in different parts of the world.

  19. Protons, ions, electrons and the future of the SEM

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Joy, D C

    2010-01-01

    The Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) is the most widely used high performance microscope in all fields of science but it is now reaching the theoretical limits of its performance. While advances in sources, optics, and detectors, can result in some improvement in performance the ultimate resolution is limited by fundamental physical constraints. One potential alternative is a scanning microscope utilizing light ions such as H+ and He+ . Such an instrument shares all of the benefits of the conventional SEM but is free from the constraints encountered when using electrons and could significantly extend the scope and success of scanning microscopy.

  20. Minimal resin embedding of multicellular specimens for targeted FIB-SEM imaging.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schieber, Nicole L; Machado, Pedro; Markert, Sebastian M; Stigloher, Christian; Schwab, Yannick; Steyer, Anna M

    2017-01-01

    Correlative light and electron microscopy (CLEM) is a powerful tool to perform ultrastructural analysis of targeted tissues or cells. The large field of view of the light microscope (LM) enables quick and efficient surveys of the whole specimen. It is also compatible with live imaging, giving access to functional assays. CLEM protocols take advantage of the features to efficiently retrace the position of targeted sites when switching from one modality to the other. They more often rely on anatomical cues that are visible both by light and electron microscopy. We present here a simple workflow where multicellular specimens are embedded in minimal amounts of resin, exposing their surface topology that can be imaged by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). LM and SEM both benefit from a large field of view that can cover whole model organisms. As a result, targeting specific anatomic locations by focused ion beam-SEM (FIB-SEM) tomography becomes straightforward. We illustrate this application on three different model organisms, used in our laboratory: the zebrafish embryo Danio rerio, the marine worm Platynereis dumerilii, and the dauer larva of the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. Here we focus on the experimental steps to reduce the amount of resin covering the samples and to image the specimens inside an FIB-SEM. We expect this approach to have widespread applications for volume electron microscopy on multiple model organisms. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  1. A methodological basis for SEM autoradiography: biosynthesis and radioligand binding

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cheng, G.; Hodges, G.M.; Trejdosiewicz, L.K.

    1985-01-01

    A method is described for scanning electron microscope (SEM) autoradiography whereby preservation of high resolution cell surface details is retained together with degelatination of the emulsion without gross loss or redistribution of silver grains. This method should provide a convenient medium-sized marker for SEM (using secondary, backscattered electron and X-ray imaging) topographic studies of biosynthesized molecules, and of cell surface receptors and antigens, using indirect or direct labelling procedures with radio-labelled ligands. (author)

  2. Viewing Integrated-Circuit Interconnections By SEM

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lawton, Russel A.; Gauldin, Robert E.; Ruiz, Ronald P.

    1990-01-01

    Back-scattering of energetic electrons reveals hidden metal layers. Experiment shows that with suitable operating adjustments, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) used to look for defects in aluminum interconnections in integrated circuits. Enables monitoring, in situ, of changes in defects caused by changes in temperature. Gives truer picture of defects, as etching can change stress field of metal-and-passivation pattern, causing changes in defects.

  3. Vasculites e eosinófilos em biópsia endomiocárdica, como preditores de rejeição em transplante cardíaco

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Reginaldo Cipullo

    2011-08-01

    Full Text Available FUNDAMENTO: O significado clínico de vasculites, lesões isquêmicas, efeito Quilty e da presença de eosinófilos em biópsias endomiocárdicas de receptores de transplante cardíaco com rejeições leves não foi ainda estabelecido. OBJETIVO: Verificar se esses achados histológicos encontrados nas biópsias endomiocárdicas (eosinófilos, vasculites, efeito Quilty e lesões isquêmicas são capazes de predizer rejeição aguda do enxerto. MÉTODOS: Foram reavaliadas 1.012 biópsias endomiocárdicas consecutivas; dessas, 939 foram classificadas como OR ou 1R pela Nomenclatura da Sociedade Internacional de Transplante de Coração e Pulmão de 2005, e divididas em dois grupos: (1 Biópsias preditoras: aquelas que precederam rejeição aguda; e (2 Biópsias não preditoras: aquelas que não precederam rejeição aguda. Comparamos a ocorrência dos seguintes achados histológicos: vasculites, lesões isquêmicas, efeito Quilty e eosinófilos por análise uni e multivariada entre os grupos. RESULTADOS: Após análise estatística verificou-se a presença de vasculite intensa e de eosinófilos como maiores preditores para rejeição aguda futura, apresentando respectivamente as seguintes razões de chance: 10,60 (IC95%: 3,62 - 31,06. p < 0,001 e 6,26 (IC95%: 3,16 - 12,43. p < 0,001. CONCLUSÃO: Vasculites intensas e eosinófilos em biópsias do miocárdio são os principais fatores preditores de rejeição aguda pós-transplante cardíaco.

  4. In-line CD metrology with combined use of scatterometry and CD-SEM

    Science.gov (United States)

    Asano, Masafumi; Ikeda, Takahiro; Koike, Toru; Abe, Hideaki

    2006-03-01

    Measurement characteristics in scatterometry and CD-SEM for lot acceptance sampling of inline critical dimension (CD) metrology were investigated by using a statistical approach with Monte Carlo simulation. By operation characteristics curve analysis, producer's risk and consumer's risk arising from sampling were clarified. Single use of scatterometry involves a higher risk, such risk being particularly acute in the case of large intra-chip CD variation because it is unable to sufficiently monitor intra-chip CD variation including local CD error. Substituting scatterometry for conventional SEM metrology is accompanied with risks, resulting in the increase of unnecessary cost. The combined use of scatterometry and SEM metrology in which the sampling plan for SEM is controlled by scatterometry is a promising metrology from the viewpoint of the suppression of risks and cost. This is due to the effect that CD errors existing in the distribution tails are efficiently caught.

  5. Cryo-SEM studies of latex/ceramic nanoparticle coating microstructure development.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Luo, Hui; Scriven, L E; Francis, Lorraine F

    2007-12-15

    Cryogenic scanning electron microscopy (cryo-SEM) was used to investigate microstructure development of composite coatings prepared from dispersions of antimony-doped tin oxide (ATO) nanoparticles (approximately 30 nm) or indium tin oxide (ITO) nanoparticles (approximately 40 nm) and latex particles (polydisperse, D(v): approximately 300 nm). Cryo-SEM images of ATO/latex dispersions as-frozen show small clusters of ATO and individual latex particles homogeneously distribute in a frozen water matrix. In contrast, cryo-SEM images of ITO/latex dispersions as-frozen show ITO particles adsorb onto latex particle surfaces. Electrostatic repulsion between negatively charged ATO and negatively charged latex particles stabilizes the ATO/latex dispersion, whereas in ITO/latex dispersion, positively charged ITO particles are attracted onto surfaces of negatively charged latex particles. These results are consistent with calculations of interaction potentials from past research. Cryo-SEM images of frozen and fractured coatings reveal that both ceramic nanoparticles and latex become more concentrated as drying proceeds; larger latex particles consolidate with ceramic nanoparticles in the interstitial spaces. With more drying, compaction flattens the latex-latex particle contacts and shrinks the voids between them. Thus, ceramic nanoparticles are forced to pack closely in the interstitial spaces, forming an interconnected network. Finally, latex particles partially coalesce at their flattened contacts, thereby yielding a coherent coating. The research reveals how nanoparticles segregate and interconnect among latex particles during drying.

  6. Comportamento do peso do coração e do corpo em chagásicos crônicos com e sem "megas"

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hipólito de Oliveira Almeida

    1980-12-01

    Full Text Available O peso do coração é menor nos chagásicos com "megas" do que nos falecidos subitamente ou em I.C.C., sendo, porém, maior que nos controles. Já o peso corporal ésemelhante nos chagásicos falecidos subitamente e nos controles, havendo redução moderada no grupo com I.C.C., e rtiais acentuada nos chagásicos com "megas" (redução de 20% em relação aos controles. A relação percentual peso cardíaco/peso corporal é de 1,1% no grupo com I.C.C.; 0,71% no grupo de morte súbita; 0,77% no grupo com "megas"; 0,49% no grupo controle e 0,60% ne grupo de doenças caquetizantes. Com base nas médias dos pesos cardíacos e corporal dos grupos controle, de doenças caquetizantes e de megas, calculou-se que o emagrecimento ocorrido nos megas reduziria o peso cardíaco médio de apenas 6,8%.Heart weight is less in chagasic patients with "mega" syndromes than in those which have died suddenly or with congestive heart failure, it is, however, greater than in the Controls. Body weight is similar in chagasic patients who have died suddenly and in the Controls, there is a moderate body weight reduction in the group with congestive heart failure, and a more accentuated reduction in chagasic patients with "mega" syndromes (a reduction of 20% in comparíson with the Controls. The relationship between heart - weight and body - weight, expressed as a percentage is 1,1% in the group with congestive heart failure; 0,71% in the group which died suddenly; 0.77% in the group with "mega" syndromes, 0.49% in the Controls group and 0.60% in the group with cachexia producing diseases. On the basis of mean heart - weights and body - weights of the control group, group with cachexia producing diseases and group with "mega" syndromes it was calculated that the emaciation which occurred in those with "mega"syndromes could reduce mean heart - weight by at least 6.8%.

  7. Comparison of multilayered nanowire imaging by SEM and Helium Ion Microscopy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Inkson, B J; Peng, Y; Jepson, M A E; Rodenburg, C; Liu, X

    2010-01-01

    The helium ion microscope (HeIM) is capable of probe sizes smaller than SEM and, with intrinsically small ion/sample interaction volumes, may therefore potentially offer higher spatial resolution secondary electron (SE) imaging of nanostructures. Here 55 nm diameter CoPt/Pt multilayered nanowires have been imaged by HeIM, SEM and TEM. It is found that there is an increased resolution of nanowire surface topography in HeIM SE images compared to SEM, however there is a reduction of materials contrast of the alternating Pt and CoPt layers. This can be attributed to the increased contribution of surface contamination layers to the ion-induced SE signal, and carbon is also observed to grow on the nanowires under prolonged HeIM scanning.

  8. Feature evaluation of complex hysteresis smoothing and its practical applications to noisy SEM images.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Suzuki, Kazuhiko; Oho, Eisaku

    2013-01-01

    Quality of a scanning electron microscopy (SEM) image is strongly influenced by noise. This is a fundamental drawback of the SEM instrument. Complex hysteresis smoothing (CHS) has been previously developed for noise removal of SEM images. This noise removal is performed by monitoring and processing properly the amplitude of the SEM signal. As it stands now, CHS may not be so utilized, though it has several advantages for SEM. For example, the resolution of image processed by CHS is basically equal to that of the original image. In order to find wide application of the CHS method in microscopy, the feature of CHS, which has not been so clarified until now is evaluated correctly. As the application of the result obtained by the feature evaluation, cursor width (CW), which is the sole processing parameter of CHS, is determined more properly using standard deviation of noise Nσ. In addition, disadvantage that CHS cannot remove the noise with excessively large amplitude is improved by a certain postprocessing. CHS is successfully applicable to SEM images with various noise amplitudes. © Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  9. Hacia una visión generativista de la semántica lexical

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Morales A. Bernardo

    1992-06-01

    Full Text Available

    Uno de los objetivos de la teoría semántica de una lengua natural es dar información satisfactoria sobre el significado de las formas lingüísticas. Consideramos que de éstas, las de mayor  importancia significativa son la palabra, la oración y el texto. La palabra, porque en virtud de su compleja estructura semántica y psicológica funciona como el principal medio para la abstracción y conformación de los conceptos destinados para la comunicación; la oración, porque es la unidad de la lengua viva que expresa relaciones de conceptos; el texto, porque es la explicitación del pensamiento en la interacción humana. Las semánticas lexical, oracional y textual son los tres grandes capítulos de la semántica lingüística.


  10. Evaluation of depth of field in SEM images in terms of the information-passing capacity (IPC) and contrast gradient in SEM image

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sato, Mitsugu; Ishitani, Tohru; Watanabe, Shunya; Nakagawa, Mine

    2004-01-01

    The depth of field (DoF) in scanning electron microscope (SEM) images has been determined by estimating the change of image sharpness or resolution near the exact focus position. The image sharpness or resolution along the optical axis is determined by calculating the information-passing capacity (IPC) of an optical system taking into account the effect of pixel size of the image. The change of image sharpness near the exact focus position is determined by measuring the slope gradient of the line profile in SEM images obtained at various focal positions of beam. The change of image sharpness along the optical axis determined by the IPC agrees well with those determined by the slope gradient of line profiles in SEM images when a Gaussian distribution having radius 0.86L p (L p : pixel size in image) at which the intensity has fallen to 1/e of the maximum is applied to the IPC calculation for each pixel intensity. The change of image sharpness near the exact focus position has also been compared with those determined by the CG (Contrast-to-Gradient) method. The CG method slightly underestimates the change of image sharpness compared with those determined by the IPC method

  11. Changes in oxidative stress in transgenic RNAi ACO1 tomato fruit during ripening

    Science.gov (United States)

    Eglous, Najat Mohamed; Ali, Zainon Mohd; Hassan, Maizom; Zainal, Zamri

    2013-11-01

    Tomato (Solanum Lycopersicum L.) is the second most cultivated vegetable in the world and widely used as a system for studying the role of ethylene during fruit ripening. Our objective was to study the oxidative stress and antioxidative metabolism during ripening of non transgenic tomato and transgenic line-21 tomato which reduced ethylene. The line-21 of transgenic tomato plants (RNAi ACO1) had lower ethylene production and longer shelf-life more than 32 days as compared to the wild-type fruits which have very short shelf-life. In this study, tomato fruit were divided into five different stages (MG: mature green 5%, B: breaker 25%, T: turning 50%, O: orange75%, RR: red ripe100%). The activity of lipoxygenase (LOX) and lipid peroxidation (MDA) were measured to assess changes in oxidative stress. The LOX activity and MDA content decreased significantly obtaining 2.6-fold and 1.2-fold, respectively, as compared to the wild type fruit. However, superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) activities were increased to 1.9 and 1.2 folds from the mature green to the fully ripe stage in transgenic tomatoes. Furthermore, the wild type tomato increases 1.3 in SOD and 1.6 in CAT activities. The overall results indicate that the wild type tomato fruit showed a faster rate of ripening, parallel to decline in the rate of enzymatic antioxidative systems as compared to the transgenic line-21 tomato fruit. In addition, the results show that the antioxidant capacity is improved during the ripening process and is accompanied by an increase in the oxidative stress.

  12. Revascularização do miocárdio sem circulação extracorpórea com uso de shunt intracardíaco: 12 anos de experiência

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Luiz Antônio RIVETTI

    1997-07-01

    Full Text Available Os autores apresentam a experiência com a técnica desenvolvida em 1983, na Faculdade de Ciências Médicas da Santa Casa de São Paulo, que consiste em substituir a circulação extracorpórea nas operações de revascularização do miocárdio, por uma derivação (shunt, introduzida na luz da coronária. Este shunt consiste em um pequeno tubo de silicone, flexível, transparente, com diâmetros variando de 1 a 3 mm, que permanece na luz do vaso durante a feitura da anastomose entre o enxerto e a coronária. Esta técnica oferece mais segurança ao paciente, por dispensar o uso da circulação extracorpórea e, conseqüentemente, os seus malefícios, além de evitar isquemia do miocárdio durante a anastomose e mantendo um campo cirúrgico sem sangue, facilitando, assim, a realização da anastomose. De 1983 a 1995, foram operados 419 pacientes, tendo sido realizados 671 enxertos, dos quais 153 com a artéria torácica interna para as coronárias das faces anterior e inferior do coração. A mortalidade hospitalar foi de 1,43%, com 1,67% de incidência de infarto do miocárdio no intra-operatório. A técnica mostrou ser segura, sem complicações graves durante o seu emprego. Os pacientes evoluíram bem no pós-operatório imediato, necessitando menor tempo de intubação, menor permanência na UTI ou internação. Em um grupo inicial estudou-se a qualidade das anastomoses, através da cinecoronariografia pós-operatória em um período médio de 24 meses, mostrando uma taxa de enxertos pérvios de 84%. A técnica mostrou ser simples, segura e econômica, além dos benefícios ao paciente, por ser menos agressiva. Com o advento da cirurgia minimamente invasiva, esta técnica traz a contribuição definitiva para maior segurança dos pacientes.An analysis was made of the results in a group of 419 patients that underwent myocardial revascularization without cardiopulmonary bypass, by means of a technique using a temporary intraluminal shunt

  13. Multi-scale characterization by FIB-SEM/TEM/3DAP.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ohkubo, T; Sepehri-Amin, H; Sasaki, T T; Hono, K

    2014-11-01

    In order to improve properties of functional materials, it is important to understand the relation between the structure and the properties since the structure has large effect to the properties. This can be done by using multi-scale microstructure analysis from macro-scale to nano and atomic scale. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) equipped with focused ion beam (FIB), transmission electron microscope (TEM) and 3D atom probe (3DAP) are complementary analysis tools making it possible to know the structure and the chemistry from micron to atomic resolution. SEM gives us overall microstructural and chemical information by various kinds of detectors such as secondary electron, backscattered electron, EDS and EBSD detectors. Also, it is possible to analyze 3D structure and chemistry via FIB serial sectioning. In addition, using TEM we can focus on desired region to get more complementary information from HRTEM/STEM/Lorentz images, SAED/NBD patterns and EDS/EELS to see the detail micro or nano-structure and chemistry. Especially, combination of probe Cs corrector and split EDS detectors with large detector size enable us to analyze the atomic scale elemental distribution. Furthermore, if the specimen has a complicated 3D nanostructure, or we need to analyze light elements such as hydrogen, lithium or boron, 3DAP can be used as the only technique which can visualize and analyze distribution of all constituent atoms of our materials within a few hundreds nm area. Hence, site-specific sample preparation using FIB/SEM is necessary to get desired information from region of interest. Therefore, this complementary analysis combination works very well to understand the detail of materials.In this presentation, we will show the analysis results obtained from some of functional materials by Carl Zeiss CrossBeam 1540EsB FIB/SEM, FEI Tecnai G(2) F30, Titan G2 80-200 TEMs and locally build laser assisted 3DAP. As the one of the example, result of multi-scale characterization for

  14. QEM*SEM: a necessary tool in the metallurgical evaluation of ore bodies

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Creelman, R.A.; Gottlieb, P.; Sutherland, D.; Jackson, R.

    1989-01-01

    The QEM*SEM system for automated image analysis of mineral samples is described. Details of the equipment are given together with information on the methods of measurement. Finally some practical applications are described where QEM*SEM has been used for the solution of metallurgical problems. 14 refs., 1 fig

  15. Information or resolution: Which is required from an SEM to study bulk inorganic materials?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xing, Q

    2016-11-01

    Significant technological advances in scanning electron microscopy (SEM) have been achieved over the past years. Different SEMs can have significant differences in functionality and performance. This work presents the perspectives on selecting an SEM for research on bulk inorganic materials. Understanding materials demands quantitative composition and orientation information, and informative and interpretable images that reveal subtle differences in chemistry, orientation/structure, topography, and electronic structure. The capability to yield informative and interpretable images with high signal-to-noise ratios and spatial resolutions is an overall result of the SEM system as a whole, from the electron optical column to the detection system. The electron optical column determines probe performance. The roles of the detection system are to capture, filter or discriminate, and convert signal electrons to imaging information. The capability to control practical operating parameters including electron probe size and current, acceleration voltage or landing voltage, working distance, detector selection, and signal filtration is inherently determined by the SEM itself. As a platform for various accessories, e.g. an energy-dispersive spectrometer and an electron backscatter diffraction detector, the properties of the electron optical column, specimen chamber, and stage greatly affect the performance of accessories. Ease-of-use and ease-of-maintenance are of practical importance. It is practically important to select appropriate test specimens, design suitable imaging conditions, and analyze the specimen chamber geometry and dimensions to assess the overall functionality and performance of an SEM. For an SEM that is controlled/operated with a computer, the stable software and user-friendly interface significantly improve the usability of the SEM. SCANNING 38:864-879, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  16. Experimental investigation on 3D-SEM reconstructions of a wire gauge using stereo-pair technique

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Carli, Lorenzo; Genta, G.; Cantatore, Angela

    2011-01-01

    In this work an experimental investigation is addressed concerning 3D-SEM reconstructions obtained from the so-called stereo-pair technique. Three-dimensional topography of an object can be derived from two SEM images acquired from two different angles, through item rotation by means of the SEM...

  17. Oxigenación de membrana extracorpórea para soporte cardíaco o respiratorio en adultos

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Salvador Torregrosa

    2009-04-01

    Full Text Available La oxigenación de membrana extracorpórea (ECMO es un sistema de asistencia mecánica circulatoria y respiratoria extracorpórea de corta duración. Está indicado en el shock cardiogénico e insuficiencia respiratoria con compromiso vital de cualquier causa, cuando las medidas terapéuticas médicas o quirúrgicas convencionales, incluyendo el empleo del balón intraaórtico de contrapulsación, han fracasado. Sus ventajas respecto a otros sistemas de asistencia mecánica circulatoria son: 1 inicio rápido de la asistencia mediante canulación periférica; 2 es una técnica poco agresiva, por lo que es mejor tolerada en estos pacientes críticos; 3 al no necesitar toracotomía, permite continuar con las medidas de resucitación cardiopulmonar en los pacientes con parada cardíaca; 4 proporciona soporte pulmonar, univentricular o biventricular; 5 se ha mostrado eficaz como puente a una asistencia ventricular de larga duración o como puente a trasplante cardíaco, y 6 es mucho más económico que otros dispositivos de asistencia ventricular.

  18. 150. ¿Tres en uno? Implante de tres dispositivos de asistencia circulatoria a un mismo paciente como terapia pre y postrasplante cardíaco. A propósito de un caso

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    J.A. Fernández-Divar

    2012-04-01

    Conclusiones: El implante ECMO es rápido y seguro, y permite mantener con vida a pacientes en shock cardiogénico grave. La reconversión a asistencias de media duración nos ayuda a mejorar el estado del paciente y que éste llegue al trasplante cardíaco en mejores condiciones. La incorporación de asistencias en pacientes con fallo primario del injerto (FPI tras el trasplante supone un avance en el tratamiento de esta patología.

  19. Division des activités économiques entre chinois, 'injertos' et métis dans la communauté d'Acos 1920-1950. Vallée de Chancay - Pérou

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    1981-01-01

    Full Text Available Ce second article traitant de la micro-colonie chinoise établie depuis 1870 dans la communauté d'Acos (Vallée de Chancay s'attache cette fois à montrer la division nette des activités économiques pratiquées d'un côté par les Chinois et métis chinois ou 'injertos' et les membres des 'familles dites légitimes' qui détenaient le pouvoir depuis plusieurs siècles. Au départ il s'agit d'une opposition entre deux formes de pouvoir: le pouvoir foncier des métis blancs acosinos et le pouvoir économique des Chinois et 'injertos'. Entre 1920 et 1950, la puissance des Chinois et le retour après un temps d'intégration (cf article précédent à un certain individualisme furent autant de facteurs favorisant racisme et tension. Après avoir stimulé par leur présence et leurs activités l'économie locale, les Chinois abandonnèrent la place et laissèrent les familles 'légitimes' reprendre pouvoir foncier et pouvoir économique. Este segundo artículo relativo a la micro colonia china establecida desde 1870 en la Comunidad de Acos (Valle de Chancay trata esta vez de mostrar la clara división de las actividades económicas practicadas de un lado por los Chinos y mestizos Chinos o 'Injertos' y por otro lado por los miembros de las familias llamadas 'legítimas' que tenían el poder desde varios siglos. Al principio se trata de un antagonismo entre dos formas de poder: el poder de los Mestizos blancos de Acos basado en la propiedad de las tierras y el poder económico de los chinos e Injertos. De 1920 a 1950, el poder de los chinos y la vuelta después de una etapa de integración (cf artículo anterior a un cierto individualismo, fueron factores que favorecieron el racismo y la tensión. Después de haber impulsado por su presencia y sus actividades la economía local, los chinos abandonaron el lugar y dejaron que las familias 'legítimas' retomaran la propiedad de la tierra y un poder económico de origen comercial. This second article on

  20. Refinement of Monte Carlo simulations of electron-specimen interaction in low-voltage SEM

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kieft, Erik; Bosch, Eric

    2008-01-01

    A Monte Carlo tool is presented for the simulation of secondary electron (SE) emission in a scanning electron microscope (SEM). The tool is based on the Geant4 platform of CERN. The modularity of this platform makes it comparatively easy to add and test individual physical models. Our aim has been to develop a flexible and generally applicable tool, while at the same time including a good description of low-energy (<50 eV) interactions of electrons with matter. To this end we have combined Mott cross-sections with phonon-scattering based cross-sections for the elastic scattering of electrons, and we have adopted a dielectric function theory approach for inelastic scattering and generation of SEs. A detailed model of the electromagnetic fields from an actual SEM column has been included in the tool for ray tracing of secondary and backscattered electrons. Our models have been validated against experimental results through comparison of the simulation results with experimental yields, SE spectra and SEM images. It is demonstrated that the resulting simulation package is capable of quantitatively predicting experimental SEM images and is an important tool in building a deeper understanding of SEM imaging.

  1. Surface topography characterization using 3D stereoscopic reconstruction of SEM images

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vedantha Krishna, Amogh; Flys, Olena; Reddy, Vijeth V.; Rosén, B. G.

    2018-06-01

    A major drawback of the optical microscope is its limitation to resolve finer details. Many microscopes have been developed to overcome the limitations set by the diffraction of visible light. The scanning electron microscope (SEM) is one such alternative: it uses electrons for imaging, which have much smaller wavelength than photons. As a result high magnification with superior image resolution can be achieved. However, SEM generates 2D images which provide limited data for surface measurements and analysis. Often many research areas require the knowledge of 3D structures as they contribute to a comprehensive understanding of microstructure by allowing effective measurements and qualitative visualization of the samples under study. For this reason, stereo photogrammetry technique is employed to convert SEM images into 3D measurable data. This paper aims to utilize a stereoscopic reconstruction technique as a reliable method for characterization of surface topography. Reconstructed results from SEM images are compared with coherence scanning interferometer (CSI) results obtained by measuring a roughness reference standard sample. This paper presents a method to select the most robust/consistent surface texture parameters that are insensitive to the uncertainties involved in the reconstruction technique itself. Results from the two-stereoscopic reconstruction algorithms are also documented in this paper.

  2. SEM: A user's manual for materials science

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gabriel, B.L.

    1985-01-01

    This book provides a reference of techniques used by the metallurgical microscopist. It contains an introduction to the instrumentation and methods of scanning electron microscopy with historical as well as state-of-the-art methodologies. Topics covered include: SEM instrumentation, photography, energy dispersive spectroscopy, introduction to sample preparation, polished samples, fracture surfaces, replicas and thin films

  3. The SEM description of interaction of a transient electromagnetic wave with an object

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pearson, L. W.; Wilton, D. R.

    1980-01-01

    The singularity expansion method (SEM), proposed as a means for determining and representing the transient surface current density induced on a scatterer by a transient electromagnetic wave is described. The resulting mathematical description of the transient surface current on the object is discussed. The data required to represent the electromagnetic scattering properties of a given object are examined. Experimental methods which were developed for the determination of the SEM description are discussed. The feasibility of characterizing the surface current induced on aircraft flying in proximity to a lightning stroke by way of SEM is examined.

  4. 3D imaging of cells and tissues by focused ion beam/scanning electron microscopy (FIB/SEM).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Drobne, Damjana

    2013-01-01

    Integration of a scanning electron microscope (SEM) and focused ion beam (FIB) technology into a single FIB/SEM system permits use of the FIB as a nano-scalpel to reveal site-specific subsurface microstructures which can be examined in great detail by SEM. The FIB/SEM technology is widely used in the semiconductor industry and material sciences, and recently its use in the life sciences has been initiated. Samples for FIB/SEM investigation can be either embedded in a plastic matrix, the traditional means of preparation of transmission electron microscopy (TEM) specimens, or simply dried as in samples prepared for SEM imaging. Currently, FIB/SEM is used in the life sciences for (a) preparation by the lift-out technique of lamella for TEM analysis, (b) tomography of samples embedded in a matrix, and (c) in situ site-specific FIB milling and SEM imaging using a wide range of magnifications. Site-specific milling and imaging has attracted wide interest as a technique in structural research of single eukaryotic and prokaryotic cells, small animals, and different animal tissue, but it still remains to be explored more thoroughly. In the past, preparation of samples for site-specific milling and imaging by FIB/SEM has typically adopted the embedding techniques used for TEM samples, and which have been very well described in the literature. Sample preparation protocols for the use of dried samples in FIB/SEM have been less well investigated. The aim of this chapter is to encourage application of FIB/SEM on dried biological samples. A detailed description of conventional dried sample preparation and FIB/SEM investigation of dried biological samples is presented. The important steps are described and illustrated, and direct comparison between embedded and dried samples of same tissues is provided. The ability to discover links between gross morphology of the tissue or organ, surface characteristics of any selected region, and intracellular structural details on the nanometer

  5. Fuzzy Control and Connected Region Marking Algorithm-Based SEM Nanomanipulation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dongjie Li

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available The interactive nanomanipulation platform is established based on fuzzy control and connected region marking (CRM algorithm in SEM. The 3D virtual nanomanipulation model is developed to make up the insufficiency of the 2D SEM image information, which provides the operator with depth and real-time visual feedback information to guide the manipulation. The haptic device Omega3 is used as the master to control the 3D motion of the nanopositioner in master-slave mode and offer the force sensing to the operator controlled with fuzzy control algorithm. Aiming at sensing of force feedback during the nanomanipulation, the collision detection method of the virtual nanomanipulation model and the force rending model are studied to realize the force feedback of nanomanipulation. The CRM algorithm is introduced to process the SEM image which provides effective position data of the objects for updating the virtual environment (VE, and relevant issues such as calibration and update rate of VE are also discussed. Finally, the performance of the platform is validated by the ZnO nanowire manipulation experiments.

  6. Enhanced FIB-SEM systems for large-volume 3D imaging

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xu, C Shan; Hayworth, Kenneth J; Lu, Zhiyuan; Grob, Patricia; Hassan, Ahmed M; García-Cerdán, José G; Niyogi, Krishna K; Nogales, Eva; Weinberg, Richard J; Hess, Harald F

    2017-01-01

    Focused Ion Beam Scanning Electron Microscopy (FIB-SEM) can automatically generate 3D images with superior z-axis resolution, yielding data that needs minimal image registration and related post-processing. Obstacles blocking wider adoption of FIB-SEM include slow imaging speed and lack of long-term system stability, which caps the maximum possible acquisition volume. Here, we present techniques that accelerate image acquisition while greatly improving FIB-SEM reliability, allowing the system to operate for months and generating continuously imaged volumes > 106 µm3. These volumes are large enough for connectomics, where the excellent z resolution can help in tracing of small neuronal processes and accelerate the tedious and time-consuming human proofreading effort. Even higher resolution can be achieved on smaller volumes. We present example data sets from mammalian neural tissue, Drosophila brain, and Chlamydomonas reinhardtii to illustrate the power of this novel high-resolution technique to address questions in both connectomics and cell biology. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.25916.001 PMID:28500755

  7. Transplante cardíaco em Campo Grande - MS. Redução significativa de lesão coronária pós transplante: relato de caso

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marcos Vinícius R. P. CALDAS

    1997-04-01

    Full Text Available No Serviço de Cirurgia Cardíaca da Santa Casa de Campo Grande/MS - foi realizado, em 23 de setembro de 1994, um transplante cardíaco ortotópico no paciente C.A.D., 27 anos, portador de miocardiopatia dilatada idiopática, o qual transcorreu sem anormalidades. O paciente recebeu alta da UTI com 7 dias e alta hospitalar no 40º dia de pós-operatório, recebendo ciclosporina, azatioprina e prednisona para manutenção do enxerto, captopril, furosemida e aspirina. Apresentou no 1º ano de seguimento 2 episódios de rejeição, leve e moderada, sendo modificada a posologia dos imunossupressores. Em setembro de 1995, nos exames de seguimento, foi detectada, na coronariografia, lesão obstrutiva de 50% em artéria coronária direita. Decidiu-se modificar a terapêutica do paciente, iniciando diltiazen substituindo o captopril, e associando-se complexo vitamínico (betacaroteno, C e E mais selênio, na tentativa de evitar progressão da lesão obstrutiva. Foi também realizada orientação dietética por nutricionista. Após 12 meses com a nova terapêutica, a coronariografia mostrou redução significativa da lesão obstrutiva em artéria coronária direita. Durante todo o período de seguimento o paciente apresentou níveis normais no lipidograma. Hoje o paciente encontra-se no terceiro ano de seguimento, assintomático e tendo suas atividades habituais sem intercorrências.The Cardiac Surgery Service of Campo Grande, Santa Casa/MS performed on September 23 rd, 1994 an orthotopic cardiac transplantation in a 27 year-old man with idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy, which elapsed without abnormalities. The patient left the ICU in 7 days and was discharged at 40 th postoperative day, receiving cyclosporine, azathioprine and prednisone for graft support; captopril, furosemide and aspirin. Presented at one year follow-up, 2 rejection episodes, mil and moderate, when the immunesupressivet herapy dose was modified. On September 1995, at follow up, an

  8. Correlação entre gasometria atrial direita e índice cardíaco no pós-operatório de cirurgia cardíaca Correlation between right atrial venous blood gasometry and cardiac index in cardiac surgery postoperative period

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    João Jackson Duarte

    2010-06-01

    Full Text Available OBJETIVO: Determinar a confiabilidade em se correlacionar o índice cardíaco com os dados fornecidos pela gasometria do sangue venoso atrial direito em pacientes submetidos à cirurgia cardíaca, durante o período pós-operatório. MÉTODOS: A partir das amostras de sangue arterial e venoso do átrio direito, colhidas no pós-operatório de cirurgia cardíaca, foram determinados os parâmetros de oxigênio do sangue venoso do átrio direito. Estes parâmetros foram então comparados com o índice cardíaco determinado pela termodiluição. RESULTADOS: Houve boa correlação entre a saturação de oxigênio do sangue venoso do átrio direito (SvO2, diferença artério-venosa do conteúdo de oxigênio do sangue colhido no átrio direito e o índice cardíaco aferido pela termodiluição, com boa sensibilidade e especificidade e alto valor preditivo positivo e negativo. A pressão do sangue do átrio direito (PvO2 apresentou baixa sensibilidade na estimativa de baixo débito cardíaco. CONCLUSÃO: No pós-operatório de cirurgia cardíaca, a SvO2e a diferença artério-venosa do conteúdo de oxigênio (C(avO2 apresentaram-se como parâmetros confiáveis correlacionados a baixo débito cardíaco. A PvO2 foi pouco sensível no diagnóstico de baixo débito no pós-operatório de cirurgia cardíaca.OBJECTIVE: To determine, even during postoperative period, the confiability of the cardiac index correlate with the data data given by a central atrial venous blood gasometry in patients who underwent cardiac surgery. METHODS: From the sample of arterial and venous blood of right atrium gathered in postoperative of cardiac surgery, it was determinated the hemoglobin concentration and the gasometric study through what was observed of the venous oxygen saturation (SvO2 and the partial pressure of oxygen from venous blood gathered in right atrium (PvO2, add to the calculation of artery-venous difference of the oxygen content - radial artery / right atrium (C

  9. Automated transmission-mode scanning electron microscopy (tSEM for large volume analysis at nanoscale resolution.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Masaaki Kuwajima

    Full Text Available Transmission-mode scanning electron microscopy (tSEM on a field emission SEM platform was developed for efficient and cost-effective imaging of circuit-scale volumes from brain at nanoscale resolution. Image area was maximized while optimizing the resolution and dynamic range necessary for discriminating key subcellular structures, such as small axonal, dendritic and glial processes, synapses, smooth endoplasmic reticulum, vesicles, microtubules, polyribosomes, and endosomes which are critical for neuronal function. Individual image fields from the tSEM system were up to 4,295 µm(2 (65.54 µm per side at 2 nm pixel size, contrasting with image fields from a modern transmission electron microscope (TEM system, which were only 66.59 µm(2 (8.160 µm per side at the same pixel size. The tSEM produced outstanding images and had reduced distortion and drift relative to TEM. Automated stage and scan control in tSEM easily provided unattended serial section imaging and montaging. Lens and scan properties on both TEM and SEM platforms revealed no significant nonlinear distortions within a central field of ∼100 µm(2 and produced near-perfect image registration across serial sections using the computational elastic alignment tool in Fiji/TrakEM2 software, and reliable geometric measurements from RECONSTRUCT™ or Fiji/TrakEM2 software. Axial resolution limits the analysis of small structures contained within a section (∼45 nm. Since this new tSEM is non-destructive, objects within a section can be explored at finer axial resolution in TEM tomography with current methods. Future development of tSEM tomography promises thinner axial resolution producing nearly isotropic voxels and should provide within-section analyses of structures without changing platforms. Brain was the test system given our interest in synaptic connectivity and plasticity; however, the new tSEM system is readily applicable to other biological systems.

  10. PAT and SEM study of porous silicon formed by anodization methods

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Liu Jian; Wei Long; Wang Huiyao; Ma Chuangxin; Wang Baoyi

    2000-01-01

    The porous silicon formed by anodization of crystal silicon was studied by positron annihilation technique (PAT) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The PAT experiments showed that the mean life and vacancy defects increased with the increasing anodization time. While the intensities of the longest lifetime, several ns-tens ns (ortho-positronium) dropped down. Small single-crystal Si spheres with mean radius of a few μm were observed by SEM after anodization. Pits with mean radius of a few μm from the divorcement of single-crystal spheres were also observed after further anodization. The increases of vacancy defects might be that the extension of structures of porous silicon towards inner layer with anodization time and caused more vacancy defects in inner layer. The SEM observation presented another possibility of the increase of density of vacancy defects in surface layer induced by the change of structures

  11. Inconmensurabilidad semántica y progreso científico

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Vázquez, Juan

    1997-08-01

    Full Text Available Not available.En la primera parte del trabajo se hace una presentación de las nociones de «inconmensurabilidad», tal como han sido formuladas por Feyerabend y Kuhn; y en la segunda parte, después de analizar los presupuestos semánticos con los que indudablemente han ido asociadas, se presenta un modelo alternativo de análisis semántico de la ‘inconmensurabilidad’, que permite desligarla de las nociones de «incomunicabilidad» e «incomparabilidad» interteóricas. Con ese propósito se hace uso de una doble noción de objeto formulada por C. S. Peirce, en sus Collected Papers, y por E. Husserl, en el parágrafo 131 de las Ideas.

  12. El semáforo loco

    OpenAIRE

    González de Zachrisson, Hena

    2016-01-01

    El semáforo lo acababan de instalar en Vía Brasil y Calle 50 y estaba contento de poder mantener el orden del tránsito en tan importante calle. Sin embargo, pronto descubrió que su tarea no era fácil. Su territorio estaba atestado de muchachos que vendían frutas y vegetales y para escapar de ellos, los conductores hacían regatas para cruzar la calle antes de que la luz cambiara a rojo. —Todo a un dólar! —gritaban los chicos mostrando su bolsa de guineo, naranja, melón, maíz, papaya, c...

  13. On some contrast reversals in SEM: Application to metal/insulator systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cazaux, Jacques

    2008-01-01

    Contrast changes of SEM images with experimental conditions (beam energy, angle of detection, etc.) are analyzed by combining physical arguments based on secondary electron emission (SEE) to instrumental arguments involving detection. Possible occurrences of contrast reversals are explored to illustrate these changes in a striking manner. Deduced from SEE yield data, simulated SEM images show a material contrast reversal for a Pt/quartz specimen, a result partly supported by real images of a Cr/quartz integrated circuit. A shift of reversal energy with the detector's position is deduced from a difference in secondary electrons (SE) angular distributions between metals and insulators. Similarly, changes of topographic contrast with detection conditions, specimen composition and angle of tilt are investigated and a possible contrast reversal is again indicated. Finally, it is shown how charging contrast deduced from the expected evolution of SEE yield during irradiation is amplified by in-lens detection: a point illustrated by a contrast reversal of images of SiC particles. The main application concerns a proper interpretation of SEM images that is essential in the investigation of devices obtained from lithographic processes. The discussion on material contrast outlines the difficulty in generalizing the present analysis based on published data and experimental strategies based on implementing specific attachments in the SEM or on biasing the specimen holder are suggested.

  14. Multi-objective ACO algorithms to minimise the makespan and the total rejection cost on BPMs with arbitrary job weights

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jia, Zhao-hong; Pei, Ming-li; Leung, Joseph Y.-T.

    2017-12-01

    In this paper, we investigate the batch-scheduling problem with rejection on parallel machines with non-identical job sizes and arbitrary job-rejected weights. If a job is rejected, the corresponding penalty has to be paid. Our objective is to minimise the makespan of the processed jobs and the total rejection cost of the rejected jobs. Based on the selected multi-objective optimisation approaches, two problems, P1 and P2, are considered. In P1, the two objectives are linearly combined into one single objective. In P2, the two objectives are simultaneously minimised and the Pareto non-dominated solution set is to be found. Based on the ant colony optimisation (ACO), two algorithms, called LACO and PACO, are proposed to address the two problems, respectively. Two different objective-oriented pheromone matrices and heuristic information are designed. Additionally, a local optimisation algorithm is adopted to improve the solution quality. Finally, simulated experiments are conducted, and the comparative results verify the effectiveness and efficiency of the proposed algorithms, especially on large-scale instances.

  15. Probability-of-Superiority SEM (PS-SEM—Detecting Probability-Based Multivariate Relationships in Behavioral Research

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Johnson Ching-Hong Li

    2018-06-01

    Full Text Available In behavioral research, exploring bivariate relationships between variables X and Y based on the concept of probability-of-superiority (PS has received increasing attention. Unlike the conventional, linear-based bivariate relationship (e.g., Pearson's correlation, PS defines that X and Y can be related based on their likelihood—e.g., a student who is above mean in SAT has 63% likelihood of achieving an above-mean college GPA. Despite its increasing attention, the concept of PS is restricted to a simple bivariate scenario (X-Y pair, which hinders the development and application of PS in popular multivariate modeling such as structural equation modeling (SEM. Therefore, this study addresses an empirical-based simulation study that explores the potential of detecting PS-based relationship in SEM, called PS-SEM. The simulation results showed that the proposed PS-SEM method can detect and identify PS-based when data follow PS-based relationships, thereby providing a useful method for researchers to explore PS-based SEM in their studies. Conclusions, implications, and future directions based on the findings are also discussed.

  16. Raman-in-SEM, a multimodal and multiscale analytical tool: performance for materials and expertise.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wille, Guillaume; Bourrat, Xavier; Maubec, Nicolas; Lahfid, Abdeltif

    2014-12-01

    The availability of Raman spectroscopy in a powerful analytical scanning electron microscope (SEM) allows morphological, elemental, chemical, physical and electronic analysis without moving the sample between instruments. This paper documents the metrological performance of the SEMSCA commercial Raman interface operated in a low vacuum SEM. It provides multiscale and multimodal analyses as Raman/EDS, Raman/cathodoluminescence or Raman/STEM (STEM: scanning transmission electron microscopy) as well as Raman spectroscopy on nanomaterials. Since Raman spectroscopy in a SEM can be influenced by several SEM-related phenomena, this paper firstly presents a comparison of this new tool with a conventional micro-Raman spectrometer. Then, some possible artefacts are documented, which are due to the impact of electron beam-induced contamination or cathodoluminescence contribution to the Raman spectra, especially with geological samples. These effects are easily overcome by changing or adapting the Raman spectrometer and the SEM settings and methodology. The deletion of the adverse effect of cathodoluminescence is solved by using a SEM beam shutter during Raman acquisition. In contrast, this interface provides the ability to record the cathodoluminescence (CL) spectrum of a phase. In a second part, this study highlights the interest and efficiency of the coupling in characterizing micrometric phases at the same point. This multimodal approach is illustrated with various issues encountered in geosciences. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  17. SD-SEM: sparse-dense correspondence for 3D reconstruction of microscopic samples.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Baghaie, Ahmadreza; Tafti, Ahmad P; Owen, Heather A; D'Souza, Roshan M; Yu, Zeyun

    2017-06-01

    Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) imaging has been a principal component of many studies in biomedical, mechanical, and materials sciences since its emergence. Despite the high resolution of captured images, they remain two-dimensional (2D). In this work, a novel framework using sparse-dense correspondence is introduced and investigated for 3D reconstruction of stereo SEM images. SEM micrographs from microscopic samples are captured by tilting the specimen stage by a known angle. The pair of SEM micrographs is then rectified using sparse scale invariant feature transform (SIFT) features/descriptors and a contrario RANSAC for matching outlier removal to ensure a gross horizontal displacement between corresponding points. This is followed by dense correspondence estimation using dense SIFT descriptors and employing a factor graph representation of the energy minimization functional and loopy belief propagation (LBP) as means of optimization. Given the pixel-by-pixel correspondence and the tilt angle of the specimen stage during the acquisition of micrographs, depth can be recovered. Extensive tests reveal the strength of the proposed method for high-quality reconstruction of microscopic samples. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  18. Willis PM 10-2.5 Precision Results, pdf has summary table and SEM images

    Data.gov (United States)

    U.S. Environmental Protection Agency — Precision data from the SEM and SEM images from the samples. This dataset is associated with the following publication: Peters, T., E. Sawvel, R. Willis, R. West,...

  19. The importance of scanning electron microscopy (sem in taxonomy and morphology of Chironomidae (Diptera

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Andrzej Kownacki

    2015-07-01

    Full Text Available The paper reports on the value of scanning electron microscopy (SEM in the taxonomy and morphology of Chironomidae. This method has been relatively rarely used in Chironomidae studies. Our studies suggest that the SEM method provides a lot of new information. For example, the plastron plate of the thoracic horn of Macropelopia nebulosa (Meigen under light microscopy is visible as points, while under SEM we have found that it consists of a reticular structure with holes. By using SEM a more precise picture of the body structure of Chironomidae can be revealed. It allows researchers to explain inconsistencies in the existing descriptions of species. Another advantage of the SEM method is obtaining spatial images of the body and organs of Chironomidae. However, the SEM method also has some limitations. The main problem is dirt or debris (e.g. algae, mud, secretions, mucus, bacteria, etc., which often settles on the external surface of structures, especially those which are uneven or covered with hair. The dirt should be removed after collection of chironomid material because if left in place it can become chemically fixed to various surfaces. It unnecessarily remains at the surface and final microscopic images may contain artifacts that obscure chironomid structures being investigated. In this way many details of the surface are thus unreadable. The results reported here indicate that SEM examination helps us to identify new morphological features and details that will facilitate the identification of species of Chironomidae and may help to clarify the function of various parts of the body. Fast development of electron microscope technique allows us to learn more about structure of different organisms.

  20. Three dimensional imaging of surface geometry in SEM

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Slowko, W.

    1997-01-01

    A great advantage of scanning electron microscopy (SEM) is its ability of the surface topography in the way as a human eye is accustomed to see lights and shadows on macroobjects. However, SEM's can hardly display vertical dimensions of the structures. One of possible solutions is reconstruction of the surface profiles by directional detection of secondary electrons and proper signal processing. However, the surface profile still gives two dimensional information and the method should be extended to obtain fully three dimensional imaging. The extension consists in a simultaneous reconstruction of the surface profiles in two perpendicular directions (x and y) and their superposition. The solution proposed is based on a quadrupole detector system and a computer or analogue system for signal processing. Quantitative data of the surface topography can be displayed in many manners in the system of two or three co-ordinates with use of pseudo-colour for the altitude coding. (author)

  1. Assessment of engineered surfaces roughness by high-resolution 3D SEM photogrammetry

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Gontard, L.C., E-mail: lionelcg@gmail.com [Departamento de Ciencia de los Materiales e Ingeniería Metalúrgica y Química Inorgánica, Universidad de Cádiz, Puerto Real 11510 (Spain); López-Castro, J.D.; González-Rovira, L. [Departamento de Ciencia de los Materiales e Ingeniería Metalúrgica y Química Inorgánica, Escuela Superior de Ingeniería, Laboratorio de Corrosión, Universidad de Cádiz, Puerto Real 11519 (Spain); Vázquez-Martínez, J.M. [Departamento de Ingeniería Mecánica y Diseño Industrial, Escuela Superior de Ingeniería, Universidad de Cádiz, Puerto Real 11519 (Spain); Varela-Feria, F.M. [Servicio de Microscopía Centro de Investigación, Tecnología e Innovación (CITIUS), Universidad de Sevilla, Av. Reina Mercedes 4b, 41012 Sevilla (Spain); Marcos, M. [Departamento de Ingeniería Mecánica y Diseño Industrial, Escuela Superior de Ingeniería, Universidad de Cádiz, Puerto Real 11519 (Spain); and others

    2017-06-15

    Highlights: • We describe a method to acquire a high-angle tilt series of SEM images that is symmetrical respect to the zero tilt of the sample stage. The method can be applied in any SEM microscope. • Using the method, high-resolution 3D SEM photogrammetry can be applied on planar surfaces. • 3D models of three surfaces patterned with grooves are reconstructed with high resolution using multi-view freeware photogrammetry software as described in LC Gontard et al. Ultramicroscopy, 2016. • From the 3D models roughness parameters are measured • 3D SEM high-resolution photogrammetry is compared with two conventional methods used for roughness characetrization: stereophotogrammetry and contact profilometry. • It provides three-dimensional information with high-resolution that is out of reach for any other metrological technique. - Abstract: We describe a methodology to obtain three-dimensional models of engineered surfaces using scanning electron microscopy and multi-view photogrammetry (3DSEM). For the reconstruction of the 3D models of the surfaces we used freeware available in the cloud. The method was applied to study the surface roughness of metallic samples patterned with parallel grooves by means of laser. The results are compared with measurements obtained using stylus profilometry (PR) and SEM stereo-photogrammetry (SP). The application of 3DSEM is more time demanding than PR or SP, but it provides a more accurate representation of the surfaces. The results obtained with the three techniques are compared by investigating the influence of sampling step on roughness parameters.

  2. Canticum Novum: música sem palavras e palavras sem som no pensamento de Santo Agostinho

    OpenAIRE

    Mammì, Lorenzo

    2000-01-01

    NO De Magistro, Santo Agostinho coloca a reza e o canto numa posição similar, à margem das funções imediatamente comunicativas da linguagem. A reflexão agostiniana sobre a reza se baseia nos hábitos cristãos da leitura, da oração e da meditação silenciosas. Há sobre o canto, na prática igualmente inovadora do jubilus, melodia sem palavra destinada aos momentos mais intensos e gaudiosos da liturgia. A oração silenciosa e o jubilus são temas recorrentes da literatura patrística, mas Agostinho o...

  3. Infrared spectra, Raman laser, XRD, DSC/TGA and SEM ...

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    Administrator

    cussed and the X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscope (AFM) ... acetamide as a simple organic compound at high tempera- ture has less ..... properties of selenium surface, AFM-microscopy tapping.

  4. Revolving SEM images visualising 3D taxonomic characters

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Akkari, Nesrine; Cheung, David Koon-Bong; Enghoff, Henrik

    2013-01-01

    images taken consecutively while rotating the SEM stage 360°, which allows the structure in question to be seen from all angles of view in one plane. Seven new species of the genus Ommatoiulus collected in Tunisia are described: O. chambiensis, O. crassinigripes, O. kefi, O. khroumiriensis, O. xerophilus...

  5. Enabling CD SEM metrology for 5nm technology node and beyond

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lorusso, Gian Francesco; Ohashi, Takeyoshi; Yamaguchi, Astuko; Inoue, Osamu; Sutani, Takumichi; Horiguchi, Naoto; Bömmels, Jürgen; Wilson, Christopher J.; Briggs, Basoene; Tan, Chi Lim; Raymaekers, Tom; Delhougne, Romain; Van den Bosch, Geert; Di Piazza, Luca; Kar, Gouri Sankar; Furnémont, Arnaud; Fantini, Andrea; Donadio, Gabriele Luca; Souriau, Laurent; Crotti, Davide; Yasin, Farrukh; Appeltans, Raf; Rao, Siddharth; De Simone, Danilo; Rincon Delgadillo, Paulina; Leray, Philippe; Charley, Anne-Laure; Zhou, Daisy; Veloso, Anabela; Collaert, Nadine; Hasumi, Kazuhisa; Koshihara, Shunsuke; Ikota, Masami; Okagawa, Yutaka; Ishimoto, Toru

    2017-03-01

    The CD SEM (Critical Dimension Scanning Electron Microscope) is one of the main tools used to estimate Critical Dimension (CD) in semiconductor manufacturing nowadays, but, as all metrology tools, it will face considerable challenges to keep up with the requirements of the future technology nodes. The root causes of these challenges are not uniquely related to the shrinking CD values, as one might expect, but to the increase in complexity of the devices in terms of morphology and chemical composition as well. In fact, complicated threedimensional device architectures, high aspect ratio features, and wide variety of materials are some of the unavoidable characteristics of the future metrology nodes. This means that, beside an improvement in resolution, it is critical to develop a CD SEM metrology capable of satisfying the specific needs of the devices of the nodes to come, needs that sometimes will have to be addressed through dramatic changes in approach with respect to traditional CD SEM metrology. In this paper, we report on the development of advanced CD SEM metrology at imec on a variety of device platform and processes, for both logic and memories. We discuss newly developed approaches for standard, IIIV, and germanium FinFETs (Fin Field Effect Transistors), for lateral and vertical nanowires (NW), 3D NAND (three-dimensional NAND), STT-MRAM (Spin Transfer Magnetic Torque Random-Access Memory), and ReRAM (Resistive Random Access Memory). Applications for both front-end of line (FEOL) and back-end of line (BEOL) are developed. In terms of process, S/D Epi (Source Drain Epitaxy), SAQP (Self-Aligned Quadruple Patterning), DSA (Dynamic Self-Assembly), and EUVL (Extreme Ultraviolet Lithography) have been used. The work reported here has been performed on Hitachi CG5000, CG6300, and CV5000. In terms of logic, we discuss here the S/D epi defect classification, the metrology optimization for STI (Shallow Trench Isolation) Ge FinFETs, the defectivity of III-V STI Fin

  6. A semântica formal das línguas naturais: histórias e desafios

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    José Borges Neto

    2014-03-01

    Full Text Available Este artigo faz um resumo da história dos estudos semânticos noBrasil e no mundo, sobretudo das transformações iniciadas nadécada de 1970 e da abertura para uma semântica formalautônoma, que, hoje em dia, comporta diferentes visões sobre arelação sintaxe e semântica, da centralidade da sintaxe aoisomorfismo sintaxe semântica. Mostramos como as ideias do lógicoRichard Montague impulsionaram, através de Barbara Partee eEmmon Bach entre outros, tais estudos, estimulando o surgimentode novas vertentes, e como essas novas tendências foram inseridasno Brasil pela Unicamp com a ajuda de pesquisadores comoMarcelo Dascal, Rodolfo Ilari e Carlos Franchi. O artigo iniciacom uma breve descrição do que é a semântica formal,diferenciando-a de outras semânticas e, principalmente, dasemântica lógica, praticada pelos filósofos, cujo objetivo é descreverraciocínios válidos. A semântica formal é uma ciência empíricaque busca explicar o conhecimento semântico que um falante tem– sua capacidade de relacionar linguagem a algo que não élinguagem (mundos, modelos, conceitos, a composicionalidade e relações sistemáticas entre sentenças – através de umametalinguagem lógico-matemática. Esse empreendimento temsido bem sucedido, se expandindo para além da semântica emdireção a uma maior interação com a pragmática formal. Astendências atuais são de interação com outras disciplinas – apsicolinguística, por exemplo – e a preocupação com línguas poucodescritas, como as línguas indígenas brasileiras. No Brasil, asemântica formal ganhou impulso com a criação dos workshops etem conseguido um espaço cada vez mais significativo na linguísticanacional e internacional.

  7. Prevalência de transtornos psiquiátricos em portadores de prótese valvar mecânica com e sem febre reumática

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Regina Ponce da Silva

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available OBJETIVO: Valvulopatias cardíacas, causadas por febre reumática e outras etiologias, podem levar ao implante de prótese valvar mecânica e anticoagulação oral obrigatória. Comorbidade psiquiátrica pode reduzir a adesão à anticoagulação. Esse estudo teve como objetivo avaliar a prevalência de transtornos psiquiátricos em pacientes com prótese valvar mecânica. MÉTODOS: Foram avaliados 193 portadores de prótese valvar mecânica, sendo 135 com cardiopatia reumática, tendo sido utilizada a Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview, versão 5.0.0, para investigação quanto à presença de transtornos psiquiátricos. RESULTADOS: Foram encontrados os seguintes transtornos psiquiátricos nos pacientes avaliados: transtornos de ansiedade generalizada (16,6%, agorafobia (11,9%, fobia social (10,4%, depressão (9,8%, distimia (4,1% atual e 1% no passado, transtorno obsessivo-compulsivo (3,6%, pânico - vida inteira (1,6%, dependência ou abuso de substâncias (2%, dependência ou abuso de álcool (1%, episódio hipomaníaco (0,5% atual e 0,5% no passado, bulimia (0,5%. O risco de suicídio detectado foi de 13,4%. Ao ser comparada a prevalência dos transtornos no grupo com e sem cardiopatia reumática, não foi encontrada diferença estatisticamente significativa. CONCLUSÃO: Foi encontrada elevada comorbidade de transtornos psiquiátricos, principalmente transtornos ansiosos e depressão, sendo também elevado o risco de suicídio nessa população.

  8. Resolving Differences in Absolute Irradiance Measurements Between the SOHO/CELIAS/SEM and the SDO/EVE.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wieman, S R; Didkovsky, L V; Judge, D L

    The Solar EUV Monitor (SEM) onboard SOHO has measured absolute extreme ultraviolet (EUV) and soft X-ray solar irradiance nearly continuously since January 1996. The EUV Variability Experiment (EVE) on SDO, in operation since April of 2010, measures solar irradiance in a wide spectral range that encompasses the band passes (26 - 34 nm and 0.1 - 50 nm) measured by SOHO/SEM. However, throughout the mission overlap, irradiance values from these two instruments have differed by more than the combined stated uncertainties of the measurements. In an effort to identify the sources of these differences and eliminate them, we investigate in this work the effect of reprocessing the SEM data using a more accurate SEM response function (obtained from synchrotron measurements with a SEM sounding-rocket clone instrument taken after SOHO was already in orbit) and time-dependent, measured solar spectral distributions - i.e ., solar reference spectra that were unavailable prior to the launch of the SDO. We find that recalculating the SEM data with these improved parameters reduces mean differences with the EVE measurements from about 20 % to less than 5 % in the 26 - 34 nm band, and from about 35 % to about 15 % for irradiances in the 0.1 - 7 nm band extracted from the SEM 0.1 - 50 nm channel.

  9. Importância da troponina-I cardíaca nos portadores de obstrução no tronco da artéria coronária esquerda sem evento cardíaco prévio Importance of cardiac troponin-I in the preoperative period of patients without prior cardiac events but suffering from left coronary branch obstruction

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Domingo M. Braile

    2004-12-01

    Full Text Available OBJETIVO: Avaliar a importância dos níveis séricos de troponina I-cardíaca no pré-operatório de pacientes portadores de obstrução no tronco da artéria coronária esquerda (OTCE sem evento cardíaco prévio. MÉTODO: Foram analisados os níveis séricos da troponina I-cardíaca de 115 pacientes com doença coronariana obstrutiva, com idade variando entre 32 e 81 anos (média e desvio-padrão de 59,7±10,5 anos. Os pacientes foram divididos em dois grupos: Grupo A - 41 pacientes portadores de OTCE, variando o grau de obstrução entre 20% de perda do diâmetro e subtotal (moda de 60%; Grupo B - 74 pacientes sem OTCE. Todos os pacientes foram submetidos a cineangiocoronariografia de forma eletiva e não apresentavam infarto agudo do miocárdio prévio. O método empregado na dosagem da troponina-I cardíaca foi o da Quimioluminiscência, admitindo-se como valor normal abaixo de 0,1 nanogramas por mililitro (ng/ml. RESULTADOS: Não houve correlação entre o grau de OTCE e os níveis séricos de troponina-Ic (P= 0,4617, porém a média dos níveis séricos da troponina-I nos grupos A e B foi, respectivamente, 0,3841 ng/ml e 0,1711 ng/ml (P=0,0324; teste de Mann-Whithey; OR= 4,44 (IC95% 1,60 _ 12,31. CONCLUSÕES: Os pacientes do grupo A têm 3,44 vezes mais chance de apresentar lesão miocárdica representada por elevação de troponina I-cardíaca que o grupo B, independente do grau da OTCE. A sensibilidade para suspeita clínica de mionecrose foi relativamente baixa (31,7%, porém a especificidade foi elevada (90,5%. Destaca-se, entretanto, a importância clínica da documentação de mionecrose em uma determinada porcentagem de pacientes com lesão de tronco, sem constatação eletrocardiográfica. Assim, os pacientes com OTCE devem ser submetidos com rapidez a procedimento operatório, a fim de evitar extensão da mionecrose.OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the importance of cardiac troponin-I serum levels in the preoperative period of patients

  10. Why semicarbazide (SEM) is not an appropriate marker for the usage of nitrofurazone on agricultural animals.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stadler, Richard H; Verzegnassi, Ludovica; Seefelder, Walburga; Racault, Lucie

    2015-01-01

    A comprehensive global database on semicarbazide (SEM) in foodstuffs and food ingredients is presented, with over 4000 data collected in foods such as seafood (crustaceans, fish powders), meat (beef, chicken powders), dairy products (e.g. raw milk, milk powders, whey, sweet buttermilk powder, caseinate, yoghurt, cheese), honey and other ingredients. The results provide evidence that the presence of SEM in certain dairy ingredients (whey, milk protein concentrates) is a by-product of chemical reactions taking place during the manufacturing process. Of the dairy ingredients tested (c. 2000 samples), 5.3% showed traces of SEM > 0.5 µg/kg. The highest incidence of SEM-positive samples in the dairy category were whey (powders, liquid) and milk protein concentrates (35% positive), with up to 13 µg/kg measured in a whey powder. Sweet buttermilk powder and caseinate followed, with 27% and 9.3% positives, respectively. SEM was not detected in raw milk, or in yoghurt or cheese. Of the crustacean products (shrimp and prawn powders) tested, 44% were positive for SEM, the highest value measured at 284 µg/kg. Fish powders revealed an unexpectedly high incidence of positive samples (25%); in this case, fraudulent addition of shellfish shells or carry-over during processing cannot be excluded. Overall, the data provide new insights into the occurrence of SEM (for dairy products and fish powders), substantially strengthening the arguments that SEM in certain food categories is not a conclusive marker of the use of the illegal antibiotic nitrofurazone.

  11. Transplante cardíaco no Instituto Dante Pazzanese de Cardiologia: análise da sobrevida

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    ASSEF Marco Aurélio Salles

    2001-01-01

    Full Text Available CASUÍSTICA E MÉTODOS: Foram analisados, retrospectivamente, 80 transplantes cardíacos realizados no Instituto Dante Pazzanese de Cardiologia (IDPC no período de novembro de 1991 a agosto de 2000. Houve predomínio do sexo masculino em 70% dos casos e a idade variou de 7 a 69 anos, com média de 44,8 anos. Doze (15% pacientes se encontravam em prioridade, em uso de drogas inotrópicas endovenosas no momento do transplante. As etiologias determinantes da insuficiência cardíaca congestiva grave foram: miocardiopatia dilatada idiopática em 37,5%, miocardiopatia isquêmica em 33,75%, miocardiopatia chagásica em 17,5% e outras causas em 11,25%. Foram realizados 78 transplantes ortotópicos e 2 heterotópicos. A técnica empregada foi bicaval/bipulmonar em 63,75%, atrial em 27,5%, bicaval/unipulmonar em 6,25% e heterotópico em 2,5%. A mortalidade hospitalar (30 dias foi de 18,75%. RESULTADOS: A sobrevida para o transplante ortotópico em um ano foi de 72,7%, em cinco anos 61,5% e em sete anos 56,4%. A sobrevida após o transplante foi correlacionada com as variáveis idade, causa de óbito e sexo do doador, e pelo transplante ter sido ou não a primeira cirurgia cardíaca do paciente.

  12. Diferenciador semántico: bipolaridad del espacio semántico, un problema de medida del significado

    OpenAIRE

    Álvarez C., Ramiro

    2012-01-01

    En relación con el supuesto de bipolaridad y su aspecto recíprocamente antagónico, Osgood y otros (1957) han ligado su modelo de espacio semántico a la teoría del aprendizaje. Plantean la hipótesis de que cierto estimulo externo, o signo, desencadena un proceso mediacional interno (nn) el cual se constituye en emisor de estímulos (rm 15m). Este es el rm mediacional que contendría el significado del signo. La teoría de mediación la relacionan con el supuesto de bipolaridad en los siguientes té...

  13. Estudo comparativo entre cirurgia de revascularização miocárdica com e sem circulação extracorpórea em mulheres Comparative study between on-pump and off-pump coronary artery bypass graft in women

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Michel Pompeu Barros de Oliveira Sá

    2010-06-01

    Full Text Available INTRODUÇÃO: Tem sido bem documentado que mulheres têm taxas de morbimortalidade mais altas que homens submetidos à cirurgia de revascularização miocárdica (CRM. Em vista desta evidência, é necessário saber se há benefício da CRM sem circulação extracorpórea (CEC em comparação à CRM com CEC. OBJETIVOS: Comparar desfechos de morbimortalidade entre CRM sem CEC e CRM com CEC. MÉTODOS: Estudo retrospectivo. Nossa investigação analisa comparativamente o perfil clínico, 13 complicações relativas ao procedimento e mortalidade de uma população de 941 mulheres submetidas à CRM (549 sem CEC e 392 com CEC em dois hospitais, no período de janeiro de 2000 a dezembro de 2005. RESULTADOS: A taxa de mortalidade em mulheres submetidas à CRM sem CEC é menor que mulheres submetidas à CRM com CEC, entretanto, a diferença não é estatisticamente significativa (3,1% vs. 5,3%; P=0,134. As taxas de complicações analisadas (choque hemorrágico, neurológicas, respiratórias, insuficiência renal aguda, síndrome da angústia respiratória do adulto, septicemia, pneumonia, fibrilação atrial foram menores (diferença estatisticamente significativa em mulheres do grupo CRM sem CEC em comparação ao grupo CRM com CEC, com exceção das complicações baixo débito cardíaco e infecção de ferida operatória. CONCLUSÕES: As evidências sugerem que CRM sem CEC pode beneficiar as mulheres em comparação com CRM com CEC, pois parece reduzir as taxas de morbimortalidade. Dez das 13 complicações investigadas demonstraram uma significativa vantagem das mulheres submetidas à CRM sem CEC em relação àquelas submetidas à CRM com CEC.BACKGROUND: It has been well documented that women have higher morbidity and mortality rates than men following coronary artery bypass graft (CABG surgery. In view of this evidence, it is necessary to know if there is benefit to off-pump CABG surgery in women in comparison to on-pump CABG. OBJECTIVES: Compare

  14. Performance of SEM scintillation detector evaluated by modulation transfer function and detective quantum efficiency function.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bok, Jan; Schauer, Petr

    2014-01-01

    In the paper, the SEM detector is evaluated by the modulation transfer function (MTF) which expresses the detector's influence on the SEM image contrast. This is a novel approach, since the MTF was used previously to describe only the area imaging detectors, or whole imaging systems. The measurement technique and calculation of the MTF for the SEM detector are presented. In addition, the measurement and calculation of the detective quantum efficiency (DQE) as a function of the spatial frequency for the SEM detector are described. In this technique, the time modulated e-beam is used in order to create well-defined input signal for the detector. The MTF and DQE measurements are demonstrated on the Everhart-Thornley scintillation detector. This detector was alternated using the YAG:Ce, YAP:Ce, and CRY18 single-crystal scintillators. The presented MTF and DQE characteristics show good imaging properties of the detectors with the YAP:Ce or CRY18 scintillator, especially for a specific type of the e-beam scan. The results demonstrate the great benefit of the description of SEM detectors using the MTF and DQE. In addition, point-by-point and continual-sweep e-beam scans in SEM were discussed and their influence on the image quality was revealed using the MTF. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  15. Combination of FTIR and SEM for Identifying Freshwater-Cultured Pearls from Different Quality

    Science.gov (United States)

    Satitkune, Somruedee; Monarumit, Natthapong; Boonmee, Chakkrich; Phlayrahan, Aumaparn; Promdee, Kittiphop; Won-in, Krit

    2016-03-01

    The freshwater-cultured pearl ( Chamberlainia hainesiana species) is an organic gemstone mainly composed of calcium carbonate mineral including calcite, aragonite and vaterite phases. Generally, the quality of freshwater-cultured pearl is based on its luster. The high luster pearl is full of the aragonite phase without vaterite phase. On the other hand, the low luster pearl consists of aragonite and vaterite phases. These data could be proved by the Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy combined with the scanning electron microscopy (SEM). As the results, the high luster pearl similarly shows the FTIR spectrum of aragonite phase, and also, it shows the hexagonal shape of aragonite for the SEM image. On the other hand, the FTIR spectrum of low luster pearl has been pointed to the mixture component among aragonite and vaterite phases, and based on the SEM image; the irregular form is also interpreted to the mixture of aragonite and vaterite phases. This research concludes that the quality of freshwater-cultured pearls can be identified by the combination data of FTIR spectra and SEM images. These techniques are suitable for applied gemology.

  16. High resolution SEM imaging of gold nanoparticles in cells and tissues.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Goldstein, A; Soroka, Y; Frušić-Zlotkin, M; Popov, I; Kohen, R

    2014-12-01

    The growing demand of gold nanoparticles in medical applications increases the need for simple and efficient characterization methods of the interaction between the nanoparticles and biological systems. Due to its nanometre resolution, modern scanning electron microscopy (SEM) offers straightforward visualization of metallic nanoparticles down to a few nanometre size, almost without any special preparation step. However, visualization of biological materials in SEM requires complicated preparation procedure, which is typically finished by metal coating needed to decrease charging artefacts and quick radiation damage of biomaterials in the course of SEM imaging. The finest conductive metal coating available is usually composed of a few nanometre size clusters, which are almost identical to the metal nanoparticles employed in medical applications. Therefore, SEM monitoring of metal nanoparticles within cells and tissues is incompatible with the conventional preparation methods. In this work, we show that charging artefacts related to non-conductive biological specimen can be successfully eliminated by placing the uncoated biological sample on a conductive substrate. By growing the cells on glass pre-coated with a chromium layer, we were able to observe the uptake of 10 nm gold nanoparticles inside uncoated and unstained macrophages and keratinocytes cells. Imaging in back scattered electrons allowed observation of gold nanoparticles located inside the cells, while imaging in secondary electron gave information on gold nanoparticles located on the surface of the cells. By mounting a skin cross-section on an improved conductive holder, consisting of a silicon substrate coated with copper, we were able to observe penetration of gold nanoparticles of only 5 nm size through the skin barrier in an uncoated skin tissue. The described method offers a convenient modification in preparation procedure for biological samples to be analyzed in SEM. The method provides high

  17. SEM AutoAnalysis: enhancing photomask and NIL defect disposition and review

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schulz, Kristian; Egodage, Kokila; Tabbone, Gilles; Ehrlich, Christian; Garetto, Anthony

    2017-06-01

    For defect disposition and repair verification regarding printability, AIMS™ is the state of the art measurement tool in industry. With its unique capability of capturing aerial images of photomasks it is the one method that comes closest to emulating the printing behaviour of a scanner. However for nanoimprint lithography (NIL) templates aerial images cannot be applied to evaluate the success of a repair process. Hence, for NIL defect dispositioning scanning, electron microscopy (SEM) imaging is the method of choice. In addition, it has been a standard imaging method for further root cause analysis of defects and defect review on optical photomasks which enables 2D or even 3D mask profiling at high resolutions. In recent years a trend observed in mask shops has been the automation of processes that traditionally were driven by operators. This of course has brought many advantages one of which is freeing cost intensive labour from conducting repetitive and tedious work. Furthermore, it reduces variability in processes due to different operator skill and experience levels which at the end contributes to eliminating the human factor. Taking these factors into consideration, one of the software based solutions available under the FAVOR® brand to support customer needs is the aerial image evaluation software, AIMS™ AutoAnalysis (AAA). It provides fully automated analysis of AIMS™ images and runs in parallel to measurements. This is enabled by its direct connection and communication with the AIMS™tools. As one of many positive outcomes, generating automated result reports is facilitated, standardizing the mask manufacturing workflow. Today, AAA has been successfully introduced into production at multiple customers and is supporting the workflow as described above. These trends indeed have triggered the demand for similar automation with respect to SEM measurements leading to the development of SEM AutoAnalysis (SAA). It aims towards a fully automated SEM image

  18. Enhanced EDX images by fusion of multimodal SEM images using pansharpening techniques.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Franchi, G; Angulo, J; Moreaud, M; Sorbier, L

    2018-01-01

    The goal of this paper is to explore the potential interest of image fusion in the context of multimodal scanning electron microscope (SEM) imaging. In particular, we aim at merging the backscattered electron images that usually have a high spatial resolution but do not provide enough discriminative information to physically classify the nature of the sample, with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) images that have discriminative information but a lower spatial resolution. The produced images are named enhanced EDX. To achieve this goal, we have compared the results obtained with classical pansharpening techniques for image fusion with an original approach tailored for multimodal SEM fusion of information. Quantitative assessment is obtained by means of two SEM images and a simulated dataset produced by a software based on PENELOPE. © 2017 The Authors Journal of Microscopy © 2017 Royal Microscopical Society.

  19. Development of an Economical Interfacing Circuit for Upgrading of SEM Data Printing System

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Punnachaiya, S.; Thong-Aram, D.

    2002-01-01

    The operating conditions of a Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) i.e., magnification, accelerating voltage, micron mark and film identification labeling, are very important for the accurate interpretation of a micrograph picture. In the old model SEM, the built-in data printing system for film identification can be inputted only the numerical number. This will be made a confusing problems when various operating conditions were applied in routine work. An economical interfacing circuit, therefore, was developed to upgrade the data printing system for capable of alphanumerical labeling. The developed circuit was tested on both data printing systems of JSM-T220 and JSM-T330 (JEOL SEM). It was found that the interfacing function worked properly and easily installed

  20. Understanding the Online : Jewellery Retail Market : an integrated model to conduct SEM

    OpenAIRE

    Wu, Yihong

    2013-01-01

    Research into e-commerce is becoming more and more popular; however the jewellery industry is somewhat special. There are very few studies having adapted a strategic marketing perspective on the online jewellery retail market. This study suggested an integrated online marketing strategy which focuses on the search engine marketing (SEM) approach. A detailed procedure of conducting search engine marketing (SEM) is introduced. Through the method of online questionnaires, with the help of soc...

  1. The use of SEM/EDS method in mineralogical analysis of ordinary chondritic meteorite

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Breda Mirtič

    2009-12-01

    Full Text Available The aim of this study was to evaluate the potential of scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy dispersiveX-ray spectroscopy (SEM/EDS for determination of mineral phases according to their stoichiometry and assessment of mineral composition of ordinary chondritic meteorite. For the purposes of this study, H3 type ordinary chondritic meteorite Abbott was selected. SEM/EDS allows identification and characterisation of mineralphases, whose size is below the resolution of an optical microscope. Mineral phases in chondrules and interstitial matrix were located in backscattered electron (BSE mode and were assessed from atomic proportions of constituent elements, obtained by the EDS analysis. SEM/EDS analyses of mineral phases showed that Abbott meteorite is characterised by Fe-rich (Fe, Ni-alloy kamacite, Fe-sulphide troilite or pyrrhotite, chromite, Mg-rich olivine, orthopyroxene bronzite or hypersthene, clinopyroxene Al-diopside, acid plagioclase oligoclase, accessory mineral chlorapatite and secondary minerals Fe-hydroxides (goethite or lepidocrocite. Results of semi-quantitative analyses confirmed that most of analysed mineralphases conform well to stoichiometric minerals with minor deviations of oxygen from stoichiometric proportions. Comparison between mineral phases in chondrules and interstitial matrix was also performed, however it showed no significant differences in elemental composition.Differences in chemical composition between minerals in interstitial matrix and chondrules are sometimes too small to be discernedby the SEM/EDS, therefore knowledge of SEM/EDS capabilities is important for correct interpretation of chondrite formation.

  2. The principle of electron microscopy; SEM and TEM

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fauzi, S.H.

    1992-01-01

    The article reviews the principle of electron microscopy which is used in scanning electron microscope (SEM) and transmission electron microscope (TEM). These instruments are important for the examination and analysis of the microstructural properties of solid objects. Relevance physical concept lies behind the devices are given. The main components of each device are also discussed

  3. Cryo-Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Scanning Transmission Electron Microscopy (STEM)-in-SEM for Bio- and Organo-Mineral Interface Characterization in the Environment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wille, Guillaume; Hellal, Jennifer; Ollivier, Patrick; Richard, Annie; Burel, Agnes; Jolly, Louis; Crampon, Marc; Michel, Caroline

    2017-12-01

    Understanding biofilm interactions with surrounding substratum and pollutants/particles can benefit from the application of existing microscopy tools. Using the example of biofilm interactions with zero-valent iron nanoparticles (nZVI), this study aims to apply various approaches in biofilm preparation and labeling for fluorescent or electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry (EDS) microanalysis for accurate observations. According to the targeted microscopy method, biofilms were sampled as flocs or attached biofilm, submitted to labeling using 4',6-diamidino-2-phenylindol, lectins PNA and ConA coupled to fluorescent dye or gold nanoparticles, and prepared for observation (fixation, cross-section, freezing, ultramicrotomy). Fluorescent microscopy revealed that nZVI were embedded in the biofilm structure as aggregates but the resolution was insufficient to observe individual nZVI. Cryo-scanning electron microscopy (SEM) observations showed nZVI aggregates close to bacteria, but it was not possible to confirm direct interactions between nZVI and cell membranes. Scanning transmission electron microscopy in the SEM (STEM-in-SEM) showed that nZVI aggregates could enter the biofilm to a depth of 7-11 µm. Bacteria were surrounded by a ring of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) preventing direct nZVI/membrane interactions. STEM/EDS mapping revealed a co-localization of nZVI aggregates with lectins suggesting a potential role of EPS in nZVI embedding. Thus, the combination of divergent microscopy approaches is a good approach to better understand and characterize biofilm/metal interactions.

  4. Impacto del riesgo cardíaco sobre la Aneurismectomía

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Orestes Díaz Hernández

    2000-04-01

    Full Text Available Se realiza un análisis cardiológico a 100 pacientes a los cuales se les efectuó cirugía electiva por aneurisma de la aorta abdominal infrarrenal; para esto se emplearon 5 métodos: el índice de riesgo cardíaco de Goldman original y modificado, los marcadores coronarios de Eagle, las indicaciones por niveles recomendadas por Hollier y la ecuación de Cooperman. La cardiopatía isquémica se detectó en el 59 % del total de los pacientes. De ellos, el 43 % tenía antecedentes de infarto del miocardio, el 33 % angina estable bajo tratamiento medicamentoso, el 6 % insuficiencia cardíaca congestiva con tratamiento digitálico y el 11 % un ritmo no sinusal detectado en el electrocardiograma. La supervivencia a largo plazo en la cardiopatía isquémica se comportó al año y 2 años en el 80 %, a los 5 años en el 72 % y a los 10 y 13 años en el 35 %. Se propone un algoritmo simple y modificado de valoración cardiológica en los pacientes que muestran aneurisma de la aorta abdominalA cardiological analysis of 100 patients whe underwent elective surgery due to infrarenal abdominal aortic aneurysm was made. 5 methods were used to this end: the original and modified Goldman´s cardiac resk index, Eagle´s coronary markers, the indications by levels recommended by Hollier and Cooperman´s equation. Ischaemic heart disease was detected in 59 % of the patients. 43 % of them had history of myocardial infarction, 33 % of stable angina under drug treatment, 6 % of congestive heart failure with digitalis treatment and 11 % had a nonsinusal rate detected in the EKG. Among those suffering from schemic heart disease there was a long term survival of 80 % at the lst and 2nd year, 72 % at the 5 th year, and 35 % at the 10th and 13th year. A simple and modified algorithm of cardiological assessment was proposed for patients with abdominal aortic aneurysm

  5. Avaliação ecocardiográfica do desenvolvimento cardíaco de cavalos atletas: comparação entre atividades físicas distintas

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Carolina C.M. Bonomo

    2014-09-01

    Full Text Available A capacidade aeróbica dos equinos atletas pode ser explicada, em partes, pelo seu desenvolvimento cardíaco associado ao treinamento físico. O exame ecocardiográfico de equinos atletas permite a visualização destas alterações e da função cardíaca destes animais. Buscou-se avaliar ecocardiograficamente equinos de diferentes modalidades esportivas, para verificar se o tipo de atividade física desempenhada por cada grupo de animais promove diferenças estruturais ou funcionais cardíacas. 196 equinos foram submetidos à avaliação ecocardiográfica em repouso, sendo divididos em três grupos: grupo Polo, 44 equinos participantes de provas de Polo; grupo QM, 49 equinos da raça Quarto de Milha, participantes de provas de baliza e tambor, e grupo PSI, 103 equinos da raça Puro Sangue Inglês participantes de provas de corridas. Foram avaliados os seguintes índices cardíacos: SIV, DIVE e PLVE em sístole e diástole, AE em sístole, Ao em diástole, relação AE:Ao, FEj, VEj, VSFVE, VDFVE, FS%, E-S, TEVE, DC e FC. Os animais do grupo PSI apresentaram os maiores volumes de ventrículo esquerdo, tendo apresentado proporcionalmente menor eficiência quando analisado o VEj. Os animais do grupo Polo e QM apresentaram melhores valores quando analisadas as variáveis de função cardíaca. A atividade física mais intensa desempenhada pelos animais do grupo QM e Polo permitiu melhor desenvolvimento funcional do coração destes animais, tendo o grupo PSI, apresentado valores que sugerem que sua capacidade aeróbica ainda pode ser melhor explorada através de melhor orientação de seu treinamento físico.

  6. Hemorrhage in cerebral metastasis from angiosarcoma of the heart: case report Hemorragia em metástase cerebral de angiossarcoma cardíaco: relato de caso

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Pasquale Gallo

    2001-09-01

    Full Text Available The purpose of this article is to describe the clinical and pathological features of metastatic angiosarcoma in the central nervous system. Only a few cases of cerebral metastasis from angiosarcoma of the heart have been recorded in the literature; particulary related to intracerebral hemorrhage. A case of secondary cerebral angiosarcoma of the heart in a 33 years old man is presented. The initial symptoms were headache, vomiting, lethargy and aphasia. There was a mass in the left temporal lobe with hemorrhage and edema on the computerized tomography (CT. After 24 hours the neurological status worsened and another CT scan showed rebleeding on the tumor area. He underwent an emergency craniotomy but died two days after. Considering the longer survival of sarcoma patients with new modalities of treatment, the incidence of brain metastasis may increase, demanding a bether preventive and more aggressive approach. Besides, due to the hemorrhagic nature of such lesions, we suggest the imediate surgery to prevent a fast and lethal evolution because rebleeding.O propósito deste artigo é descrever os achados clínicos e patológicos das metástases de angiossarcoma no sistema nervoso central. Apenas poucos casos de metástases cerebrais de angiossarcoma cardíaco foram relatados na literatura, menos ainda relacionados a hemorragia intracerebral. Relatamos o caso de um tumor cerebral secundário a angiossarcoma cardíaco em um paciente masculino de 33 anos. Os sintomas iniciais foram: cefaléia, vômitos, letargia e afasia. A tomografia computadorizada mostrou massa no lobo temporal esquerdo associada a hemorragia e edema. Após 24 horas houve piora do estado neurológico e nova tomografia demonstrou ressangramento no leito tumoral. Foi submetido a uma craniotomia de urgência mas faleceu dois dias após. Considerando a longa sobrevida dos pacientes com sarcoma devido às novas modalidades terapêuticas, poderá aumentar a incidência de met

  7. Wi-Fi Salvador: mapeamento colaborativo e redes sem fio no Brasil

    OpenAIRE

    Lemos, André; Pastor, Leonardo; Oliveira, Nelson

    2012-01-01

    O trabalho faz uma breve demonstração de políticas públicas para inclusão digital por meio da disponibilização do acesso à internet por meio de redes sem fio e discute a forma como as pessoas se relacionam com os lugares, de acordo com a existência ou inexistência de acessibilidade à internet. O objetivo é discutir o acesso à internet pelas redes sem fio no Brasil e, mais especificamente, na cidade de Salvador. Este trabalho é fruto de pesquisa realizada no âmbito do Grupo de Pesquisa em Cibe...

  8. Quantitative roughness characterization and 3D reconstruction of electrode surface using cyclic voltammetry and SEM image

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Dhillon, Shweta; Kant, Rama, E-mail: rkant@chemistry.du.ac.in

    2013-10-01

    Area measurements from cyclic voltammetry (CV) and image from scanning electron microscopy (SEM) are used to characterize electrode statistical morphology, 3D surface reconstruction and its electroactivity. SEM images of single phased materials correspond to two-dimensional (2D) projections of 3D structures, leading to an incomplete characterization. Lack of third dimension information in SEM image is circumvented using equivalence between denoised SEM image and CV area measurements. This CV-SEM method can be used to estimate power spectral density (PSD), width, gradient, finite fractal nature of roughness and local morphology of the electrode. We show that the surface morphological statistical property like distribution function of gradient can be related to local electro-activity. Electrode surface gradient micrographs generated here can provide map of electro-activity sites. Finally, the densely and uniformly packed small gradient over the Pt-surface is the determining criterion for high intrinsic electrode activity.

  9. Quantitative roughness characterization and 3D reconstruction of electrode surface using cyclic voltammetry and SEM image

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dhillon, Shweta; Kant, Rama

    2013-01-01

    Area measurements from cyclic voltammetry (CV) and image from scanning electron microscopy (SEM) are used to characterize electrode statistical morphology, 3D surface reconstruction and its electroactivity. SEM images of single phased materials correspond to two-dimensional (2D) projections of 3D structures, leading to an incomplete characterization. Lack of third dimension information in SEM image is circumvented using equivalence between denoised SEM image and CV area measurements. This CV-SEM method can be used to estimate power spectral density (PSD), width, gradient, finite fractal nature of roughness and local morphology of the electrode. We show that the surface morphological statistical property like distribution function of gradient can be related to local electro-activity. Electrode surface gradient micrographs generated here can provide map of electro-activity sites. Finally, the densely and uniformly packed small gradient over the Pt-surface is the determining criterion for high intrinsic electrode activity.

  10. Characterization of some biological specimens using TEM and SEM

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ghosh, Nabarun; Smith, Don W.

    2009-05-01

    The advent of novel techniques using the Transmission and Scanning Electron Microscopes improved observation on various biological specimens to characterize them. We studied some biological specimens using Transmission and Scanning Electron Microscopes. We followed negative staining technique with Phosphotungstic acid using bacterial culture of Bacillus subtilis. Negative staining is very convenient technique to view the structural morphology of different samples including bacteria, phage viruses and filaments in a cell. We could observe the bacterial cell wall and flagellum very well when trapped the negative stained biofilm from bacterial culture on a TEM grid. We cut ultra thin sections from the fixed root tips of Pisum sativum (Garden pea). Root tips were pre fixed with osmium tetroxide and post fixed with uranium acetate and placed in the BEEM capsule for block making. The ultrathin sections on the grid under TEM showed the granular chromatin in the nucleus. The protein bodies and large vacuoles with the storage materials were conspicuous. We followed fixation, critical point drying and sputter coating with gold to view the tissues with SEM after placing on stubs. SEM view of the leaf surface of a dangerous weed Tragia hispida showed the surface trichomes. These trichomes when break on touching releases poisonous content causing skin irritation. The cultured tissue from in vitro culture of Albizia lebbeck, a tree revealed the regenerative structures including leaf buds and stomata on the tissue surface. SEM and TEM allow investigating the minute details characteristic morphological features that can be used for classroom teaching.

  11. La semántica en la Web

    OpenAIRE

    Roger, Sandra

    2004-01-01

    El propósito de este trabajo es presentar la motivación de nuestra línea de investigación, metas y desarrollos futuros. Fundamentalmente, nuestro interés se centrará en poder capturar el potencial de las técnicas y paradigmas basadas en conocimiento semántico para la representación de conocimiento, la localización, compartición e integración de recursos a mediante la WWW.

  12. Structuring Consumer Preferences with the SEM Method

    OpenAIRE

    Rosa, Franco

    2002-01-01

    Structuring preferences has been developed with econometric models using functional flexible parametric form and the exploring the perceptions about expressed and latent needs using different multivariate approaches. Purpose of this research is to explore the demand for a new drink using the mean-end chain (MEC) theory and multivariate SEM procedure. The first part is dedicated to description of specialty foods for their capacity to create new niche markets. The MEC theory is introduced to ex...

  13. SEM Investigation of Superheater Deposits from Biomass-Fired Boilers

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jensen, Peter Arendt; Frandsen, Flemming; Hansen, Jørn

    2004-01-01

    , mature superheater deposit samples were extracted from two straw-fired boilers, Masnedø and Ensted, with fuel inputs of 33 MWth and 100 MWth, respectively. SEM (scanning electron microscopy) images and EDX (energy dispersive X-ray) analyses were performed on the deposit samples. Different strategies...

  14. Carotene location in processed food samples measured by cryo In-SEM Raman.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lopez-Sanchez, Patricia; Schumm, Stephan; Pudney, Paul D A; Hazekamp, Johan

    2011-09-21

    Cryo In-SEM Raman has been used for the first time to localise carotene compounds in a food matrix. Raman spectra of lycopene and β-carotene have been obtained from sampling oil droplets and plant cell structures visualised with cryo-SEM in tomato and carrot based emulsions containing 5% oil. It was possible to identify the carotenoids in both the oil droplets and the cell walls. Furthermore our results gave some indication that the carotenoids were in the non-crystalline state. It has been suggested that a higher amount of carotenes solubilised into the oil phase of the food matrix would lead to a higher bioaccessibility, thus understanding the effect of processing conditions on micronutrients distribution in a food matrix might help the design of plant based food products with a better nutritional quality. This shows improved structural characterisation of the cryo-SEM with the molecular sensitivity of Raman spectroscopy as a promising approach for complex biological problems.

  15. Automated SEM and TEM sample preparation applied to copper/low k materials

    Science.gov (United States)

    Reyes, R.; Shaapur, F.; Griffiths, D.; Diebold, A. C.; Foran, B.; Raz, E.

    2001-01-01

    We describe the use of automated microcleaving for preparation of both SEM and TEM samples as done by SELA's new MC500 and TEMstation tools. The MC500 is an automated microcleaving tool that is capable of producing cleaves with 0.25 μm accuracy resulting in SEM-ready samples. The TEMstation is capable of taking a sample output from the MC500 (or from SELA's earlier MC200 tool) and producing a FIB ready slice of 25±5 μm, mounted on a TEM-washer and ready for FIB thinning to electron transparency for TEM analysis. The materials selected for the tool set evaluation mainly included the Cu/TaN/HOSP low-k system. The paper is divided into three sections, experimental approach, SEM preparation and analysis of HOSP low-k, and TEM preparation and analysis of Cu/TaN/HOSP low-k samples. For the samples discussed, data is presented to show the quality of preparation provided by these new automated tools.

  16. Grado de información, acceso y prácticasde elaboración de alimentos sin TACC de beneficios del programa de Asistencia Alimentaria para Celíacos de General Madariaga

    OpenAIRE

    Chaparro, María Victoria

    2015-01-01

    La Enfermedad Celíaca, también conocida como esprúe celíaco o enteropatía sensible al gluten, se la define como la intolerancia alimentaria de orden genético más frecuente de la especie humana. El único tratamiento es una dieta estricta y de por vida Sin TACC. La incidencia es mayor en mujeres, que en varones, siendo su prevalencia aproximadamente el 1% de la población. Objetivos: Determinar el grado de información, el acceso y las prácticas de elaboración de alimentos Sin T...

  17. Assessment of Paint Layers by FE-SEM and EDS Examination

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Harris, Donovan

    2004-01-01

    .... The approach was to remove free-film samples from each panel, fracture the films, and then examine at high magnification the cross sections using a field emission-scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM...

  18. Soft tissue digestion of Paradiplozoon vaalense for SEM of sclerites and simultaneous molecular analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dos Santos, Q M; Avenant-Oldewage, A

    2015-02-01

    Classification of most monogeneans is primarily based on size, shape, and arrangement of haptoral sclerites. These structures are often obscured or misinterpreted when studied using light microscopy, leading to confusion regarding defining characters. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) has predominantly been used to study haptoral sclerites in smaller monogeneans, focusing on hooks and anchors. In the Diplozoidae, SEM has not been used to study haptoral sclerites. Using new and modified techniques, the sclerites of diplozoids collected in South Africa were successfully studied using SEM. The digestion buffer from a DNA extraction kit was used to digest the surrounding tissue, and Poly-L-lysine-coated and concavity slides were employed to limit the movement and loss of sclerites, with the latter being more user-friendly. In addition to the success of visualizing the sclerites using SEM, the digested tissue from as little as half of the haptor provided viable genetic material for molecular characterization. From the results presented here, the study of the sclerites of larger monogeneans using SEM, including those bearing clamps, is a viable possibility for future research. Also, this method may be beneficial for the study of other, non-haptoral sclerites, such as cirri in other families of monogeneans. During this study, Labeo capensis was noted as a valid host of Paradiplozoon vaalense in a region of the Vaal River where the type host, Labeo umbratus, appears to be absent.

  19. Detection of glass particles on bone lesions using SEM-EDS.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Montoriol, Romain; Guilbeau-Frugier, Céline; Chantalat, Elodie; Roumiguié, Mathieu; Delisle, Marie-Bernadette; Payré, Bruno; Telmon, Norbert; Savall, Frédéric

    2017-09-01

    The problem of identifying the wounding agent in forensic cases is recurrent. Moreover, when several tools are involved, distinguishing the origin of lesions can be difficult. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM)/energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDS) equipment is increasingly available to the scientific and medical community, and some studies have reported its use in forensic anthropology. However, at our knowledge, no study has reported the use of SEM-EDS in forensic cases involving glass tools, whether in case reports or experiments. We performed an experimental study on human rib fragments, on which we manually created wounds using fragments of window and mirror glass. SEM-EDS was executed on samples without any further preparation on low vacuum mode, then on the same samples after defleshing them completely by boiling them. Window and mirror glass particles were detected on experimental wounds. Both had silica in their spectra, and the opaque side of the mirror contained titanium, allowing for their identification. Boiling and defleshing the bone samples involved a loss of information in terms of the number of wounds detected as positive for glass particles and in the number of glass particles detected, for both window and mirror glass. We suggest the analysis of wounds with suspected glass particles using low vacuum mode and with no defleshment by boiling.

  20. Surface characteristics of isopod digestive gland epithelium studied by SEM.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Millaku, Agron; Leser, Vladka; Drobne, Damjana; Godec, Matjaz; Torkar, Matjaz; Jenko, Monika; Milani, Marziale; Tatti, Francesco

    2010-05-01

    The structure of the digestive gland epithelium of a terrestrial isopod Porcellio scaber has been investigated by conventional scanning electron microscopy (SEM), focused ion beam-scanning electron microscopy (FIB/SEM), and light microscopy in order to provide evidence on morphology of the gland epithelial surface in animals from a stock culture. We investigated the shape of cells, extrusion of lipid droplets, shape and distribution of microvilli, and the presence of bacteria on the cell surface. A total of 22 animals were investigated and we found some variability in the appearance of the gland epithelial surface. Seventeen of the animals had dome-shaped digestive gland "normal" epithelial cells, which were densely and homogeneously covered by microvilli and varying proportions of which extruded lipid droplets. On the surface of microvilli we routinely observed sparsely distributed bacteria of different shapes. Five of the 22 animals had "abnormal" epithelial cells with a significantly altered shape. In three of these animals, the cells were much smaller, partly or completely flat or sometimes pyramid-like. A thick layer of bacteria was detected on the microvillous border, and in places, the shape and size of microvilli were altered. In two animals, hypertrophic cells containing large vacuoles were observed indicating a characteristic intracellular infection. The potential of SEM in morphological investigations of epithelial surfaces is discussed.

  1. Equilibrios ácido-base. Aspectos teóricos. ¿Es posible la neutralización cuantitativa de dos protolitos débiles? Estudio del caso ácido bórico-amoníaco.

    OpenAIRE

    Milla González, Miguel

    2016-01-01

    Mediante la combinación de los balances de masa y las constantes de equilibrio del sistema, se encuentra la función y=f(x) [y = cantidad valorada del ácido débil y x la cantidad añadida de la base débil]. Se representa dicha función y se calcula su límite cuando x tiende a infinito para comprobar que no es posible la valoración (neutralización cuantitativa) del ácido bórico con la base amoníaco.

  2. Three-dimensional ultrastructure of osteocytes assessed by focused ion beam-scanning electron microscopy (FIB-SEM).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hasegawa, Tomoka; Yamamoto, Tomomaya; Hongo, Hiromi; Qiu, Zixuan; Abe, Miki; Kanesaki, Takuma; Tanaka, Kawori; Endo, Takashi; de Freitas, Paulo Henrique Luiz; Li, Minqi; Amizuka, Norio

    2018-04-01

    The aim of this study is to demonstrate the application of focused ion beam-scanning electron microscopy, FIB-SEM for revealing the three-dimensional features of osteocytic cytoplasmic processes in metaphyseal (immature) and diaphyseal (mature) trabeculae. Tibiae of eight-week-old male mice were fixed with aldehyde solution, and treated with block staining prior to FIB-SEM observation. While two-dimensional backscattered SEM images showed osteocytes' cytoplasmic processes in a fragmented fashion, three-dimensional reconstructions of FIB-SEM images demonstrated that osteocytes in primary metaphyseal trabeculae extended their cytoplasmic processes randomly, thus maintaining contact with neighboring osteocytes and osteoblasts. In contrast, diaphyseal osteocytes extended thin cytoplasmic processes from their cell bodies, which ran perpendicular to the bone surface. In addition, these osteocytes featured thick processes that branched into thinner, transverse cytoplasmic processes; at some point, however, these transverse processes bend at a right angle to run perpendicular to the bone surface. Osteoblasts also possessed thicker cytoplasmic processes that branched off as thinner processes, which then connected with cytoplasmic processes of neighboring osteocytes. Thus, FIB-SEM is a useful technology for visualizing the three-dimensional structures of osteocytes and their cytoplasmic processes.

  3. SEM Characterization of an Irradiated Monolithic U-10Mo Fuel Plate

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Keiser, D.D. Jr.; Jue, J.F.; Robinson, A.B.

    2010-01-01

    Results of scanning electron microscopy (SEM) characterization of irradiated U-7Mo dispersion fuel plates with differing amounts of matrix Si have been reported. However, to date, no results of SEM analysis of irradiated U-Mo monolithic fuel plates have been reported. This paper describes the first SEM characterization results for an irradiated monolithic U-10Mo fuel plate. Two samples from this fuel plate were characterized. One sample was produced from the low-flux side of the fuel plate, and another was produced at the high-flux side of the fuel plate. This characterization focused on the microstructural features present at the U-10Mo foil/cladding interface, particularly the interaction zone that had developed during fabrication and irradiation. In addition, the microstructure of the foil itself was investigated, along with the morphology of the observed fission gas bubbles. It was observed that a Si-rich interaction layer was present at the U-10Mo foil/cladding interface that exhibited relatively good irradiation behavior, and within the U-10Mo foil the microstructural features differed in some respects from what is typically seen in the U-Mo powders of an irradiated dispersion fuel.

  4. SEM based CARMA time series modeling for arbitrary N

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Oud, J.H.L.; Völkle, M.C.; Driver, C.C.

    2018-01-01

    This article explains in detail the state space specification and estimation of first and higher-order autoregressive moving-average models in continuous time (CARMA) in an extended structural equation modeling (SEM) context for N = 1 as well as N > 1. To illustrate the approach, simulations will be

  5. La semántica del adjetivo y su representación mediante estructura de rasgos

    OpenAIRE

    Climent Roca, Salvador

    1995-01-01

    Por el trabajo que se describe se ha formulado un marco general de representación semántica de los adjetivos en una base de conocimiento léxica basada en estructuras de rasgos en la que operan la herencia y la unificación. Como principales aportaciones cabe destacar el propio diseño de un marco representativo suficientemente expresivo como para abarcar múltiples aspectos del significado del adjetivo, tales como orden superficial, restricciones selectivas, semántica léxica y semántica formal. ...

  6. Application of SEM/EDS to environmental geochemistry of heavy metals

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mateja Gosar

    2009-06-01

    Full Text Available Heavy metals represent a ubiquitous constituent of the near-surface environment, present in widely varyingconcentrations that typically have little impact on human behaviour and health. However, the mining of metals anduse of these metals in industrial processes has produced significant anthropogenic inputs of metals to both localand global environments. As such, a rigorous overview of the current accumulation of heavy metals and knowledgeof mineralogy of heavy metal-bearing phases is important for understanding their stability, solubility, mobility,bioavailability and toxicity. These data are of fundamental importance for environmental risk assessment and evaluationof future scenarios. Since conventional geochemical analyses provide limited information, other analyticalmethods have to be utilized for the characterisation of heavy metal-bearing phases. Significant analytical methodfor identification and characterisation of heavy metals in environmental media is a scanning electron microscopecoupled with energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer (SEM/EDS, an apparatus for qualitative and semi-quantitative chemical analysis at microne level, newly introduced to Geological Survey of Slovenia. Use of SEM/EDS was already introduced to environmental studies world-wide. In Slovenia, SEM/EDS analyses of environmental media werefirstly carried out on the Meža River stream sediments and snow deposits from Ljubljana urban area.Heavy metal-bearing phases in the Meža River stream sediments were apportioned to three source areas: Mežica mining/smelting area (geogenic-technogenic origin, Ravne ironworks area (technogenic origin and the Meža River catchment area (geogenic origin, which corresponds to data obtained by conventional geochemical and multivariate statistical methods. Airborne particles, identified in urban snow deposits, were interpreted as geogenic particles, represented by fragments of heavy metal-bearing minerals, and technogenic particles that

  7. Investigation of hidden periodic structures on SEM images of opal-like materials using FFT and IFFT.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stephant, Nicolas; Rondeau, Benjamin; Gauthier, Jean-Pierre; Cody, Jason A; Fritsch, Emmanuel

    2014-01-01

    We have developed a method to use fast Fourier transformation (FFT) and inverse fast Fourier transformation (IFFT) to investigate hidden periodic structures on SEM images. We focused on samples of natural, play-of-color opals that diffract visible light and hence are periodically structured. Conventional sample preparation by hydrofluoric acid etch was not used; untreated, freshly broken surfaces were examined at low magnification relative to the expected period of the structural features, and, the SEM was adjusted to get a very high number of pixels in the images. These SEM images were treated by software to calculate autocorrelation, FFT, and IFFT. We present how we adjusted SEM acquisition parameters for best results. We first applied our procedure on an SEM image on which the structure was obvious. Then, we applied the same procedure on a sample that must contain a periodic structure because it diffracts visible light, but on which no structure was visible on the SEM image. In both cases, we obtained clearly periodic patterns that allowed measurements of structural parameters. We also investigated how the irregularly broken surface interfered with the periodic structure to produce additional periodicity. We tested the limits of our methodology with the help of simulated images. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  8. A Miniaturized Variable Pressure Scanning Electron Microscope (MVP-SEM) for In-Situ Mars Surface Sample Analysis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Edmunson, J.; Gaskin, J. A.; Jerman, G. A.; Harvey, R. P.; Doloboff, I. J.; Neidholdt, E. L.

    2016-01-01

    The Miniaturized Variable Pressure Scanning Electron Microscope (MVP-SEM) project, funded by the NASA Planetary Instrument Concepts for the Advancement of Solar System Observations (PICASSO) Research Opportunities in Space and Earth Sciences (ROSES), will build upon previous miniaturized SEM designs and recent advancements in variable pressure SEM's to design and build a SEM to complete analyses of samples on the surface of Mars using the atmosphere as an imaging medium. This project is a collaboration between NASA Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC), the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), electron gun and optics manufacturer Applied Physics Technologies, and small vacuum system manufacturer Creare. Dr. Ralph Harvery and environmental SEM (ESEM) inventor Dr. Gerry Danilatos serve as advisors to the team. Variable pressure SEMs allow for fine (nm-scale) resolution imaging and micron-scale chemical study of materials without sample preparation (e.g., carbon or gold coating). Charging of a sample is reduced or eliminated by the gas surrounding the sample. It is this property of ESEMs that make them ideal for locations where sample preparation is not yet feasible, such as the surface of Mars. In addition, the lack of sample preparation needed here will simplify the sample acquisition process and allow caching of the samples for future complementary payload use.

  9. Optimizing VM allocation and data placement for data-intensive applications in cloud using ACO metaheuristic algorithm

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    T.P. Shabeera

    2017-04-01

    Full Text Available Nowadays data-intensive applications for processing big data are being hosted in the cloud. Since the cloud environment provides virtualized resources for computation, and data-intensive applications require communication between the computing nodes, the placement of Virtual Machines (VMs and location of data affect the overall computation time. Majority of the research work reported in the current literature consider the selection of physical nodes for placing data and VMs as independent problems. This paper proposes an approach which considers VM placement and data placement hand in hand. The primary objective is to reduce cross network traffic and bandwidth usage, by placing required number of VMs and data in Physical Machines (PMs which are physically closer. The VM and data placement problem (referred as MinDistVMDataPlacement problem is defined in this paper and has been proved to be NP- Hard. This paper presents and evaluates a metaheuristic algorithm based on Ant Colony Optimization (ACO, which selects a set of adjacent PMs for placing data and VMs. Data is distributed in the physical storage devices of the selected PMs. According to the processing capacity of each PM, a set of VMs are placed on these PMs to process data stored in them. We use simulation to evaluate our algorithm. The results show that the proposed algorithm selects PMs in close proximity and the jobs executed in the VMs allocated by the proposed scheme outperforms other allocation schemes.

  10. SEM and Raman studies of CNT films on porous Si

    Science.gov (United States)

    Belka, R.; Keczkowska, J.; Suchańska, M.; Firek, P.; Wronka, H.; Kozłowski, M.; Radomska, J.; Czerwosz, E.; Craciunoiu, F.

    2017-08-01

    Carbon nanotube (CNT) films deposited on different porous silica substrates were studied by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Raman Spectroscopy (RS). The films samples were prepared by a two-step method consisting of PVD and CVD processes. In the first step the nanocomposite Ni-C film was obtained by evaporation in dynamic vacuum from two separated sources of fullerenes and nickel acetate. Those films were deposited on porous silica and DLC/porous silica substrates. Analysis of SEM imaging showed that the obtained film are composed of carbon nanotubes, the distribution, size and quality of which depend on the type of substrate. The CNT films were studied by RS method to determine the influence of the substrate type on disordering of carbonaceous structure and quality of CNT in deposited films.

  11. Quantitative Analysis of Micro-porosity of Eco-material by Using SEM Technique

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    ZHANG Ji-ru; LIU Yuan-zhi; LIU Zu-de

    2004-01-01

    Microstructure of the eco-material combining vegetation recovery with slope protection is important for determining plant-growing properties.Several techniques for analyzing the eco-material microstructure are presented,including the freeze-cut-drying method of preparing samples for scanning electronic microscopy (SEM),the SEM image processing technique and quantifying analysis method of the SEM images,and etc.The aggregates and pores in SEM images are identified using the different mathematics operators,and their effects are compared.The areas of aggregates and pores are obtained using the operator of morphology,and the influences of different thresholds in image segmentation are also discussed.The results show that the method,in which the variation of non-maximum grey-level gradient is limited,improves the effect of edge detections due to a weak distinction existing at the edge between the aggregates and pores in image.The determination of the threshold should combine the image characteristic with filling operation,so as to assure the precision of the image analysis,in which the contact-segmentation is the simplest and most effective method.The results also show that the pore areas in eco-materials are generally larger than those in the correlative soils,and their increment is large as soil fabric being fine.These differences are related to admixture of expansive perliticThe operator of morphology provides a new method for the image analysis of other porous material microstructure such as soils and concretes.

  12. Recent Advances on In Situ SEM Mechanical and Electrical Characterization of Low-Dimensional Nanomaterials.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jiang, Chenchen; Lu, Haojian; Zhang, Hongti; Shen, Yajing; Lu, Yang

    2017-01-01

    In the past decades, in situ scanning electron microscopy (SEM) has become a powerful technique for the experimental study of low-dimensional (1D/2D) nanomaterials, since it can provide unprecedented details for individual nanostructures upon mechanical and electrical stimulus and thus uncover the fundamental deformation and failure mechanisms for their device applications. In this overview, we summarized recent developments on in situ SEM-based mechanical and electrical characterization techniques including tensile, compression, bending, and electrical property probing on individual nanostructures, as well as the state-of-the-art electromechanical coupling analysis. In addition, the advantages and disadvantages of in situ SEM tests were also discussed with some possible solutions to address the challenges. Furthermore, critical challenges were also discussed for the development and design of robust in situ SEM characterization platform with higher resolution and wider range of samples. These experimental efforts have offered in-depth understanding on the mechanical and electrical properties of low-dimensional nanomaterial components and given guidelines for their further structural and functional applications.

  13. Recent Advances on In Situ SEM Mechanical and Electrical Characterization of Low-Dimensional Nanomaterials

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Chenchen Jiang

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available In the past decades, in situ scanning electron microscopy (SEM has become a powerful technique for the experimental study of low-dimensional (1D/2D nanomaterials, since it can provide unprecedented details for individual nanostructures upon mechanical and electrical stimulus and thus uncover the fundamental deformation and failure mechanisms for their device applications. In this overview, we summarized recent developments on in situ SEM-based mechanical and electrical characterization techniques including tensile, compression, bending, and electrical property probing on individual nanostructures, as well as the state-of-the-art electromechanical coupling analysis. In addition, the advantages and disadvantages of in situ SEM tests were also discussed with some possible solutions to address the challenges. Furthermore, critical challenges were also discussed for the development and design of robust in situ SEM characterization platform with higher resolution and wider range of samples. These experimental efforts have offered in-depth understanding on the mechanical and electrical properties of low-dimensional nanomaterial components and given guidelines for their further structural and functional applications.

  14. The advancement of the built environment research through employment of structural equation modeling (SEM)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wasilah, S.; Fahmyddin, T.

    2018-03-01

    The employment of structural equation modeling (SEM) in research has taken an increasing attention in among researchers in built environment. There is a gap to understand the attributes, application, and importance of this approach in data analysis in built environment study. This paper intends to provide fundamental comprehension of SEM method in data analysis, unveiling attributes, employment and significance and bestow cases to assess associations amongst variables and constructs. The study uses some main literature to grasp the essence of SEM regarding with built environment research. The better acknowledgment of this analytical tool may assist the researcher in the built environment to analyze data under complex research questions and to test multivariate models in a single study.

  15. Are the evidences of forensic entomology preserved in ethanol suitable for SEM studies?

    Science.gov (United States)

    López-Esclapez, Raquel; García, María-Dolores; Arnaldos, María-Isabel; Presa, Juan José; Ubero-Pascal, Nicolás

    2014-07-01

    In forensic practice, the use of arthropod evidences to estimate the postmortem interval is a very good approach when the elapsed time from death is long, but it requires the correct identification of the specimens. This is a crucial step, not always easy to achieve, in particular when dealing with immature specimens. In this case, scanning electronic microscopy (SEM) can be useful, but the techniques used to preserve specimens in forensic practice are usually different from those used to prepare specimens for SEM studies. To determine whether forensic evidences preserving techniques are also compatible with SEM analysis, we have compared specimens of all the immature stages of Calliphora vicina Robineau-Desvoidy, 1830 (Diptera, Calliphoridae) preserved in 70% ethanol, with others prepared with aldehydic fixative techniques that are more appropriate for SEM studies. At the same time, two drying techniques have also been compared with both fixative techniques, the critical point drying and air-drying following with hexamethyldisilizane treatment (HMDS). Our results indicate that there are not basis against recommending the use of ethanol to preserve forensic entomological evidences and that both drying methods appear to offer good results for second and third instar larvae, although HMDS behaves better with eggs and pupae. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  16. El adjetivo en el Nuevo Testamento: clasificación semántica

    OpenAIRE

    Romero González, Dámaris

    2011-01-01

    El adjetivo ha sido estudiado habitualmente desde el punto de vista del sustantivo, como una subclase de éste, ya que ambos poseen una morfología similar. Semánticamente, la mayoría de las gramáticas los clasifican según su capacidad para calificar o determinar al sustantivo, denominándolo calificativo y determinativo respectivamente. Dentro de esta clasificación, se han establecido subgrupos basados en criterios semánticos. Por tanto, el propósito de esta tesis es esbozar una nueva...

  17. Efeitos da suplementação do 17beta-estradiol no dano oxidativo cardíaco de ratas submetidas à privação dos hormônios ovarianos Effects of 17beta-estradiol replacement on cardiac oxidative damage in rats submitted to ovarian hormone deprivation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sônia Maria Rolim Rosa Lima

    2007-01-01

    Full Text Available OBJETIVO: avaliar o estresse oxidativo em tecido cardíaco de ratas ooforectomizadas, com ou sem terapia hormonal. MÉTODOS: ratas Wistar foram divididas em três grupos: grupo controle (GC, grupo ooforectomizada (GO e grupo ooforectomizada + suplementação hormonal (GOS. A privação estrogênica foi obtida pela ooforectomia bilateral. Uma semana após a ooforectomia, um pellet de 1,5 mg de 17beta-estradiol foi implantado nos animais do grupo GOS. Nove semanas após a ooforectomia, o tecido cardíaco foi obtido para a análise do estresse oxidativo por meio da medida da quimiluminescência e da atividade das enzimas antioxidantes catalase (CAT, superóxido dismutase (SOD e glutationa peroxidase (GPx. RESULTADOS: a quimiluminescência estava aumentada no GO (7348±312 cps/mg proteína quando comparado ao GC (6250±41 cps/mg proteína, pPURPOSE: to evaluate oxidative stress in cardiac tissue of ovariectomized rats, with and without hormonal therapy. METHODS: female Wistar rats were divided in three groups: control group (CG; ovariectomized group (OG; ovariectomized group with estrogen supplementation (ESG. The estrogen deprivation was done through bilateral ovariectomy. After one week from the ovariectomy, a pellet of 1.5 mg of 17beta-estradiol was implanted in the ESG animals. Nine weeks after the ovariectomy, cardiac tissue was obtained for the analysis of the oxidative stress through CL (chemiluminescence, and measurement of antioxidant enzymes catalase (CAT, superoxide dismutase (SOD and gluthatione peroxidase (GPx. RESULTS: CL was increased in the OG (7348±312 cps/mg protein when compared with the CG (6250±41 cps/mg protein, p<0.01, but there was no significant difference between the CG and the ESG (6170±237 cps/mg protein. Ovariectomy reduced SOD (35%, p<0.05 and CAT (22%, p<0.001 activities in the OG as compared with the CG. Hormonal therapy normalized antioxidant enzymes activities in the ESG. There was no statistically significant

  18. Developing 3D SEM in a broad biological context

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kremer, A; Lippens, S; Bartunkova, S; Asselbergh, B; Blanpain, C; Fendrych, M; Goossens, A; Holt, M; Janssens, S; Krols, M; Larsimont, J-C; Mc Guire, C; Nowack, MK; Saelens, X; Schertel, A; Schepens, B; Slezak, M; Timmerman, V; Theunis, C; Van Brempt, R; Visser, Y; GuÉRin, CJ

    2015-01-01

    When electron microscopy (EM) was introduced in the 1930s it gave scientists their first look into the nanoworld of cells. Over the last 80 years EM has vastly increased our understanding of the complex cellular structures that underlie the diverse functions that cells need to maintain life. One drawback that has been difficult to overcome was the inherent lack of volume information, mainly due to the limit on the thickness of sections that could be viewed in a transmission electron microscope (TEM). For many years scientists struggled to achieve three-dimensional (3D) EM using serial section reconstructions, TEM tomography, and scanning EM (SEM) techniques such as freeze-fracture. Although each technique yielded some special information, they required a significant amount of time and specialist expertise to obtain even a very small 3D EM dataset. Almost 20 years ago scientists began to exploit SEMs to image blocks of embedded tissues and perform serial sectioning of these tissues inside the SEM chamber. Using first focused ion beams (FIB) and subsequently robotic ultramicrotomes (serial block-face, SBF-SEM) microscopists were able to collect large volumes of 3D EM information at resolutions that could address many important biological questions, and do so in an efficient manner. We present here some examples of 3D EM taken from the many diverse specimens that have been imaged in our core facility. We propose that the next major step forward will be to efficiently correlate functional information obtained using light microscopy (LM) with 3D EM datasets to more completely investigate the important links between cell structures and their functions. Lay Description Life happens in three dimensions. For many years, first light, and then EM struggled to image the smallest parts of cells in 3D. With recent advances in technology and corresponding improvements in computing, scientists can now see the 3D world of the cell at the nanoscale. In this paper we present the

  19. ANÁLISIS DE LA CALIDAD DEL REGISTRO DE PARO CARDÍACO EN CASOS DE RESPONSABILIDAD MÉDICO LEGAL EN MÉDICOS GENERALES, 1999-2007

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gabriel Barragán

    2009-01-01

    Full Text Available Antecedentes. El registro del paro cardíaco es una actividad que se debe acompañar en la reanimación cerebro cardio pulmonar. En Colombia no existe un formato de registro oficial de paro cardiorrespiratorio, lo que dificulta la investigación en reanimación y la conducción de los procesos de responsabilidad médica que se deriven de esta atención. Objetivo. Analizar la calidad del registro de paro cardíaco en casos de responsabilidad médico legal iniciada a médicos generales que tuvieron asesoría científica del Fondo para Auxilio de Demandas de la Sociedad Colombiana de Anestesiología y Reanimación (SCARE-FEPASDE, 1999-2007. Material y métodos. Se realizó una investigación tipo serie de casos, en donde se incluyeron los casos de paro cardiorrespiratorio que tuvieron demanda médico legal y que fueron atendidos por médicos generales, entre 1999 y 2007, y que requirieron asesoría jurídica por SCARE-FEPASDE. La información se registró en tablas de Excel®, según las recomendaciones Utstein. La calificación de calidad se hizo por tres médicos expertos en responsabilidad médica de manera independiente. Se utilizó un formato de calificación sobre la proporción de registros realizados sobre 25 ítem posibles. La calidad se consideró alta (mayor de 95% ítem, media (70-94% ítem y baja (menor de 70%. En los casos de desacuerdo se realizó consenso. Resultados. Se incluyeron en total 83 casos. La calidad del registro del paro fue media en 49 casos (59%, baja en 32 casos (39% y alta en dos casos. Conclusión. El registro de paro cardiorrespiratorio en casos de responsabilidad médica es de mediana calidad, por lo que no se alcanza a cumplir con los estándares internacionales y las guías al estilo Utstein.

  20. SEM/EDS and optical microscopy analyses of microplastics in ocean trawl and fish guts.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Zhong-Min; Wagner, Jeff; Ghosal, Sutapa; Bedi, Gagandeep; Wall, Stephen

    2017-12-15

    Microplastic particles from Atlantic and Pacific Ocean trawls, lab-fed fish guts and ocean fish guts have been characterized using optical microscopy and SEM/EDS in terms of size, morphology, and chemistry. We assessed whether these measurements could serve as a rapid screening process for subsequent identification of the likely microplastic candidates by micro-spectroscopy. Optical microscopy enabled morphological classification of the types of particles or fibers present in the sample, as well as the quantification of particle size ranges and fiber lengths. SEM/EDS analysis was used to rule out non-plastic particles and screen the prepared samples for potential microplastic, based on their element signatures and surface characteristics. Chlorinated plastics such as polyvinyl chloride (PVC) could be easily identified with SEM/EDS due to their unique elemental signatures including chlorine, as could mineral species that are falsely identified as plastics by optical microscopy. Particle morphology determined by optical microscopy and SEM suggests the fish ingested particles contained both degradation fragments from larger plastic pieces and also manufactured microplastics. SEM images of microplastic particle surfaces revealed characteristic cracks consistent with environmental exposure, as well as pigment particles consistent with manufactured materials. Most of the microplastic surfaces in the fish guts and ocean trawls were covered with biofilms, radiolarians, and crustaceans. Many of the fish stomachs contained micro-shell pieces which visually resembled microplastics. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  1. Processing a Biological Tissue from Cryo-SEM to Replica

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Vaškovicová, Naděžda; Hrubanová, Kamila; Krzyžánek, Vladislav

    2016-01-01

    Roč. 22, S3 (2016), s. 236-237 ISSN 1431-9276 R&D Projects: GA MŠk(CZ) LO1212; GA MŠk ED0017/01/01 Institutional support: RVO:68081731 Keywords : Cryo-SEM * ACE600 Subject RIV: JA - Electronics ; Optoelectronics, Electrical Engineering Impact factor: 1.891, year: 2016

  2. Tratamento da luxação paralítica do quadril na paralisia cerebral tetraparética espástica com osteotomia do fêmur e do ilíaco sem abertura da cápsula articular (capsuloplastia Hip dislocation treatment in cerebral palsy patients with spastic quadriplegia with femoral and pelvic osteotomies, without opening of the joint capsule (capsuloplasty

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Fernando Farcetta Junior

    2010-01-01

    Full Text Available OBJETIVO: Mostrar o planejamento pré-operatório, e os resultados do tratamento cirúrgico da luxação paralítica do quadril em pacientes com paralisia cerebral. A técnica utilizada foi a osteotomia derrotatória e varizante do fêmur proximal, associada à osteotomia do ilíaco tipo Dega, sem abertura da cápsula articular. MÉTODOS: Realizamos um estudo retrospectivo de 10 quadris em oito pacientes com paralisia cerebral tipo tetraparesia espástico, submetidos a tratamento cirúrgico entre 2003 e 2005 com a mesma técnica cirúrgica. Foram avaliados parâmetros clínicos e radiográficos pré e pós-operatórios, bem como o planejamento pré-operatório com uso do intensificador de imagem. Os parâmetros clínicos analisados foram: dor, dificuldade de higiene e dificuldade de posicionamento. Os parâmetros radiológicos foram os índices de Reimers, índice acetabular e ângulo cervicodiafisário. Estes resultados foram submetidos a análise estatística. RESULTADOS: Obtivemos bons resultados com esta técnica. Com um seguimento médio de três anos, todos os quadris estavam reduzidos na última consulta, com alto grau de satisfação dos familiares, em relação ao tratamento. Além disso, mostramos que o planejamento pré-operatório com uso do intensificador de imagem nos permite a redução e estabilização desses quadris sem a necessidade de capsuloplastia. CONCLUSÃO: Os autores concluíram que no tratamento da luxação do quadril dos pacientes com paralisia cerebral tetraparéticos espásticos com o planejamento pré-operatório, não é necessária a capsuloplastia para estabilização da articulação coxofemoral.OBJECTIVES: To show the preoperative planning and the results of surgical treatment for paralytic hip dislocation in children with cerebral palsy. The techniques used were proximal femoral varus derotation osteotomy and Dega osteotomy without opening of the joint capsule. METHODS: We performed a retrospective review of

  3. New airtight transfer box for SEM experiments: Application to lithium and sodium metals observation and analyses.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stephant, Nicolas; Grissa, Rabeb; Guillou, Fanch; Bretaudeau, Mickaël; Borjon-Piron, Yann; Guillet, Jacques; Moreau, Philippe

    2018-04-18

    The surface of some materials reacts very quickly on contact with air, either because it is oxidized or because it gets humidity from the air. For the sake of original surface observation by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), we conceived an airtight transfer box to keep the samples under vacuum from the place of manufacturing to the SEM chamber. This object is designed to fit in all the models of SEM including those provided with an airlock chamber. The design is voluntarily simplified to allow the manufacturing of the object by a standard mechanical workshop. The transfer box can be easily opened by gravity inside the SEM and allows the preservation of the best vacuum inside, before opening. SEM images and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDX) analyses of metallic lithium and sodium samples are presented prior and after exposure to the air. X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) analyses of all samples are also discussed in order to investigate the chemical environments of the detected elements. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  4. Seasonal AVS-SEM relationship in sediments and potential bioavailability of metals in industrialized estuary, southeastern Brazil.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nizoli, Erico Casare; Luiz-Silva, Wanilson

    2012-04-01

    In anoxic sediments, as those found in estuaries, the mobility of metals can be controlled by the formation of stable sulfide complexes. The potential bioavailability of a metal can then be predicted on the basis of the acid volatile sulfide (AVS) and simultaneously extracted metals (SEM) criterion. Distributions of AVS and SEM (Hg, Cu, Pb, Cd, Zn, and Ni) along the sediment profiles were determined seasonally for three rivers that constitute the Santos-Cubatão estuarine system (SE Brazil), which is located in one of the most industrialized areas of Latin America. AVS and SEM concentrations varied significantly, from 0.04 to 31.9 μmol g(-1) and 0.086-6.659 μmol g(-1), respectively. The highest AVS levels in sediments were detected in the winter, whereas high SEM values predominated in the summer. Considering SEM-AVS molar differences as a parameter to evaluate potential bioavailability, sediments nearest to the industrial area represent higher risk to biota, especially during the summer. It is due to relatively low AVS values and not necessarily high concentrations of metals.

  5. GammaSem Proceedings. A Nordic seminar for users of gamma spectrometry

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Straalberg, E. (ed.) (Institute for Energy Technolgy (Norway)); Berg, K. (National Institute of Radiation Protection (Denmark)); Dowdall, M. (Norwegian Radiation Protection Authority (Norway)) (and others)

    2010-11-15

    The project GammaSem was proposed to the NKS in 2008. The aim of the project was to arrange two seminars for users of gamma spectrometry, in 2009 and 2010. The seminars were meant to provide a forum for discussions and sharing of information on practical issues concerning gamma spectrometry and initiate a network of gamma spectrometry users in the Nordic countries. Such a Nordic network should strengthen the collaboration between laboratories and improve all participants' competence in practical gamma spectrometry. Both seminars' focus was practical challenges met by the users themselves, rather than theoretical matters. Scientists and users of gamma spectrometry from all five Nordic countries were invited to the seminar, as well as scientist from the Baltic countries. A total of 65 people signed up for GammaSem 2010; representing 30 different universities, commercial companies, research institutes and authorities. The working group concept as presented at last year's GammaSem, has not worked out as intended. The reason for this is probably because most of the laboratories that signed up to join the working groups, signed up because they wanted to learn more about the different subjects. In combination with the fact that no funding was made available for the working groups, it was difficult to establish goals on what to achieve. None of the working groups applied for funding from the NKS (or elsewhere) to establish separate projects. There is a big need for more cooperation and for training within the field of gamma spectrometry. This fact has been proved through these two seminars, both by the many different topics that have been discussed, but also by the huge interest for participating in the suggested series of workshop. The GammaSem seminars have thus provided a much welcomed starting point for a broader Nordic collaboration. (Author)

  6. GammaSem Proceedings. A Nordic seminar for users of gamma spectrometry

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Straelberg, E.; Berg, K.; Dowdall, M.

    2010-11-01

    The project GammaSem was proposed to the NKS in 2008. The aim of the project was to arrange two seminars for users of gamma spectrometry, in 2009 and 2010. The seminars were meant to provide a forum for discussions and sharing of information on practical issues concerning gamma spectrometry and initiate a network of gamma spectrometry users in the Nordic countries. Such a Nordic network should strengthen the collaboration between laboratories and improve all participants' competence in practical gamma spectrometry. Both seminars' focus was practical challenges met by the users themselves, rather than theoretical matters. Scientists and users of gamma spectrometry from all five Nordic countries were invited to the seminar, as well as scientist from the Baltic countries. A total of 65 people signed up for GammaSem 2010; representing 30 different universities, commercial companies, research institutes and authorities. The working group concept as presented at last year's GammaSem, has not worked out as intended. The reason for this is probably because most of the laboratories that signed up to join the working groups, signed up because they wanted to learn more about the different subjects. In combination with the fact that no funding was made available for the working groups, it was difficult to establish goals on what to achieve. None of the working groups applied for funding from the NKS (or elsewhere) to establish separate projects. There is a big need for more cooperation and for training within the field of gamma spectrometry. This fact has been proved through these two seminars, both by the many different topics that have been discussed, but also by the huge interest for participating in the suggested series of workshop. The GammaSem seminars have thus provided a much welcomed starting point for a broader Nordic collaboration. (Author)

  7. Consulta de enfermagem ao cliente transplantado cardíaco: impacto das ações educativas em saúde Consulta de Enfermería al cliente trasplantado cardíaco: impacto de las acciones en salud Appointment with nurses for transplanted heart clients: impact of educative health actions

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zélia Maria de Sousa Araújo Santos

    2004-12-01

    Full Text Available O estudo teve como objetivo avaliar o impacto das ações educativas em saúde, na consulta de Enfermagem com 18 clientes transplantados cardíacos, embasado na Teoria de Orem. Foi realizado em uma Unidade de Transplante e Insuficiência Cardíaca de uma Instituição Pública de Saúde de Fortaleza - Ce. Os dados foram coletados através da consulta de Enfermagem. Identificou-se 14 diagnósticos de enfermagem na primeira consulta e 7 na última. Constatou-se que, os clientes desenvolveram habilidades para o autocuidado, com a implementação das ações educativas em saúde, tornando-os agentes de autocuidado, com o alcance de um bom nível de saúde e bem-estar. Por outro lado, despertou no enfermeiro, um direcionamento sistemático e eficaz no acompanhamento ambulatorial a esta clientela.El estudio tiene como objetivo, evaluar el impacto de las acciones educativas en salud, en la consulta de Enfermería con 18 cliente trasplantados cardíacos, basado en la teoría de Orem. Se realizó en una Unidad de Trasplante e Insuficiencia Cardiaca de una Institución Pública de Fortaleza-Ce. Se colectaron los datos a través de consulta de enfermería. Se identificaron 14 diagnósticos en la primera consulta y 7 en la última. Hubo la constatación de que, los clientes desarrollaron habilidades para el autocuidado, con la implementación de las acciones educativas en salud, volviéndose agentes de autocuidado, con el alcance de un buen nivel de salud y bienestar. Por otro lado, estimuló en el enfermero, una dirección sistemática y eficaz en el acompañamiento ambulatorial a esta clientela.The study was aimed at evaluating the impact of educative health actions on nursing appointments with 18 transplanted heart clients, based on Orem's Theory. It was conducted in a Heart Transplant and Insufficiency Unit of a Public Health Institution in Fortaleza - CE. The data were collected by way of nursing appointments. 14 nursing diagnoses were identified in

  8. The Hidden Roles That Management Partners Play In Accountable Care Organizations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lewis, Valerie A; D'Aunno, Thomas; Murray, Genevra F; Shortell, Stephen M; Colla, Carrie H

    2018-02-01

    Accountable care organizations (ACOs) are often discussed and promoted as driven by physicians, hospitals, and other health care providers. However, because of the flexible nature of ACO contracts, management organizations may also become partners in ACOs. We used data from 2013-15 on 276 ACOs from the National Survey of Accountable Care Organizations to understand the prevalence of nonprovider management partners' involvement in ACOs, the services these partners provide, and the structure of ACOs that have such partners. We found that 37 percent of ACOs reported having a management partner, and two-thirds of these ACOs reported that the partner shared in the financial risks or rewards. Among ACOs with partners, 94 percent had data services provided by the partner, 87 percent received administrative services, 68 percent received educational services, and 66 percent received care coordination services. Half received all four of these services from their partner. ACOs with partners were more heavily primary care than other ACOs. ACOs with and without partners had similar performance on costs and quality in Medicare ACO programs. Our findings suggest that management partners play a central role in many ACOs, perhaps supplying smaller and physician-run ACOs with services or expertise perceived as necessary for ACO success.

  9. Electronic structure and optical properties of (BeTen/(ZnSem superlattices

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Caid M.

    2016-03-01

    Full Text Available The structural, electronic and optical properties of (BeTen/(ZnSem superlattices have been computationally evaluated for different configurations with m = n and m≠n using the full-potential linear muffin-tin method. The exchange and correlation potentials are treated by the local density approximation (LDA. The ground state properties of (BeTen/(ZnSem binary compounds are determined and compared with the available data. It is found that the superlattice band gaps vary depending on the layers used. The optical constants, including the dielectric function ε(ω, the refractive index n(ω and the refractivity R(ω, are calculated for radiation energies up to 35 eV.

  10. Quantitative approach on SEM images of microstructure of clay soils

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    施斌; 李生林; M.Tolkachev

    1995-01-01

    The working principles of Videolab Image Processing System (VIPS), the examining methods of orientation of microstructural units of clay soils and analysing results on SEM images of some typical microstructures of clay soils using the VIPS are introduced.

  11. Precise and economic FIB/SEM for CLEM: with 2 nm voxels through mitosis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Luckner, Manja; Wanner, Gerhard

    2018-05-23

    A portfolio is presented documenting economic, high-resolution correlative focused ion beam scanning electron microscopy (FIB/SEM) in routine, comprising: (i) the use of custom-labeled slides and coverslips, (ii) embedding of cells in thin, or ultra-thin resin layers for correlative light and electron microscopy (CLEM) and (iii) the claim to reach the highest resolution possible with FIB/SEM in xyz. Regions of interest (ROIs) defined in light microscope (LM), can be relocated quickly and precisely in SEM. As proof of principle, HeLa cells were investigated in 3D context at all stages of the cell cycle, documenting ultrastructural changes during mitosis: nuclear envelope breakdown and reassembly, Golgi degradation and reconstitution and the formation of the midzone and midbody.

  12. SEM characterization of an irradiated monolithic U-10Mo fuel plate

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Keiser, D.D. Jr.; Jue, J.F.; Robinson, A.B.; Finlay, M.R.

    2010-01-01

    Results of scanning electron microscopy (SEM) characterization of irradiated U-7Mo dispersion fuel plates with differing amounts of matrix Si have been reported. However, to date, no results of SEM analysis of irradiated U-Mo monolithic fuel plates have been reported. This paper describes the first SEM characterization results for an irradiated monolithic U-10Mo fuel plate. Two samples from this fuel plate were characterized. One sample was produced from the low-flux side of the fuel plate, and another was produced at the high-flux side of the fuel plate. This characterization focused on the microstructural features present at the U-10Mo foil/AA6061 cladding interface, particularly the interaction zone that had developed during fabrication and any continued development during irradiation. In addition, the microstructure of the foil itself was investigated, along with the morphology of the observed fission gas bubbles. It was observed that a Si-rich interaction layer was present at the U-10Mo foil/cladding interface that exhibited relatively good irradiation behavior, and within the U-10Mo foil the microstructural features differed in some respects from what is typically seen in the U-7Mo powders of an irradiated dispersion fuel. (author)

  13. Tratamento cirúrgico em dois tempos do aneurisma toracoabdominal roto com prótese intraluminal sem sutura

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rodrigo de Castro BERNARDES

    1998-10-01

    Full Text Available O tratamento cirúrgico dos aneurismas toracoabominais exige toracofreno laparotomia, períodos prolongados de pinçamento aórtico com isquemia visceral, sangramento abundante de difícil controle, complicações pulmonares, renais, neurológicas e distúrbios de coagulação com morbimortalidade muitas vezes proibitiva para pacientes de idade avançada, ou portadores de distúrbios respiratórios, renais ou cardíacos prévios. A rotura aumenta em muito a já elevada taxa de morbimortalidade. Crawford (1-3 e Borst (4 descreveram operação em dois tempos para tratamento de aneurisma que atinge mais de um segmento da aorta, com bons resultados. O objetivo de nosso trabalho é mostrar a técnica cirúrgica em dois tempos, empregando prótese intraluminal sem sutura (5, 6. Esta técnica nos proporciona uma operação menos agressiva por abordar somente o segmento roto da aorta, portanto apenas uma cavidade é manipulada (tórax ou abdome. A anastomose com prótese intraluminal reduz em muito o tempo de pinçamento da aorta e, conseqüentemente, a isquemia visceral, diminuindo, também, o sangramento. A redução da agressividade cirúrgica sobre estes pacientes já gravemente enfermos nos proporcionou bons resultados cirúrgicos.The surgical management of thoracoabdominal aneurysms requires thoracophrenic laparotomy, prolonged periods of aortic clamping with visceral ischemia, profuse bleeding leading to a difficult postoperative course with pulmonary, renal, neurological complications, coagulation disturbances and others. All this resulting in an elevated morbidity/mortality very often contraindicating it for the very elderly or those with prior respiratory, renal or cardiac symptoms. Rupture of this aneurysm greatly increases the already high rate of morbidity/mortality. Crawford and Borst have described a two-stage surgery with good results, for aneurysms that affect more than one segment of aorta. The objective of our report is to demonstrate

  14. Etileno e peróxido de hidrogênio na formação de aerênquima em milho tolerante a alagamento intermitente

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marinês Ferreira Pires

    2015-09-01

    Full Text Available Resumo:O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar o papel do etileno e do peróxido de hidrogênio (H2O2 na formação do aerênquima em ciclos de seleção genética da cultivar de milho BRS 4154, sob alagamento. Plantas dos ciclos C1 e C18 foram submetidas a alagamento por 7 dias, com coleta das raízes aos 0 (controle, sem alagamento, 1 e 7 dias. Foram analisados: a expressão gênica das enzimas ACC sintase (ACS, ACC oxidase (ACO, dismutase do superóxido (SOD e peroxidase do ascorbato (APX; a produção de etileno e o conteúdo de H2O2; a atividade da enzima ACO; e a proporção de aerênquima no córtex. Não houve expressão de ACS e ACO. Houve variação na atividade de ACO e na produção de etileno. A expressão da SOD foi maior em plantas C1 e a da APX, em C18, com redução aos 7 dias. O conteúdo de H2O2 não diferiu entre os tratamentos. A proporção de aerênquima aumentou com o tempo, tendo sido maior em plantas C18 e relacionada à taxa de formação do aerênquima. O tempo de alagamento e o nível de tolerância do ciclo de seleção influenciam a produção do etileno. A expressão da APX indica maior produção de H2O2 no início do alagamento.

  15. 3D reconstruction of SEM images by use of optical photogrammetry software.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Eulitz, Mona; Reiss, Gebhard

    2015-08-01

    Reconstruction of the three-dimensional (3D) surface of an object to be examined is widely used for structure analysis in science and many biological questions require information about their true 3D structure. For Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) there has been no efficient non-destructive solution for reconstruction of the surface morphology to date. The well-known method of recording stereo pair images generates a 3D stereoscope reconstruction of a section, but not of the complete sample surface. We present a simple and non-destructive method of 3D surface reconstruction from SEM samples based on the principles of optical close range photogrammetry. In optical close range photogrammetry a series of overlapping photos is used to generate a 3D model of the surface of an object. We adapted this method to the special SEM requirements. Instead of moving a detector around the object, the object itself was rotated. A series of overlapping photos was stitched and converted into a 3D model using the software commonly used for optical photogrammetry. A rabbit kidney glomerulus was used to demonstrate the workflow of this adaption. The reconstruction produced a realistic and high-resolution 3D mesh model of the glomerular surface. The study showed that SEM micrographs are suitable for 3D reconstruction by optical photogrammetry. This new approach is a simple and useful method of 3D surface reconstruction and suitable for various applications in research and teaching. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  16. Surface ultrastructural (SEM) characteristics of oropharyngeal cavity of house sparrow (Passer domesticus).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Abumandour, Mohamed M A

    2018-06-01

    The focus of the present study is to provide a full morphological description of the oropharyngeal cavity of the house sparrow. The head of six birds was prepared for gross examination and by stereo and electron microscopy. The bifid lingual apex has multiple long, rostrally directed needle-like processes. The lateral border of the apex carries rostromedially directed needle-like processes. The dorsal lingual surface of the apex and body carries numerous caudomedially directed filiform papillae and many orifices of lingual salivary glands. The lingual body is divided into two parts: rostral and caudal. The caudal part is divided into two laterally elevated regions by a median groove, while the rostral part is bounded laterally by a rostrodorsally directed papillary row, which on SEM is formed from two rows. On SEM, the lingual root has many orifices of posterior salivary glands. The pharyngeal papillary row is located at the caudal border of the laryngeal mound, but this single papillary row is formed from two rows at SEM magnification. The laryngeal cleft continues caudally as a laryngeal fissure bounded by two longitudinal rows of caudally directed papillae; at high SEM magnification, this fissure is divided into two halves by a median ridge which carries caudally directed papillae on its posterior part. The choanal cleft proceeds rostrally by the median tubercle. There are a small number of orifices of palatine salivary glands. The morphological characters of the oropharyngeal cavity of the sparrow confirm its adaptation to surrounding environmental conditions and available food particles.

  17. Estudo comparativo entre histerectomia abdominal e vaginal sem prolapso uterino

    OpenAIRE

    Lisboa, Vânio Cardoso

    2002-01-01

    Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Centro de Ciências da Saúde. Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Médicas. Objetivo: Comparar a histerectomia abdominal e vaginal sem prolapso uterino.

  18. Sem-observation of developing plant organs using deep-frozen specimens

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    NN,

    1982-01-01

    The SEM-observation of plant material normally requires dehydrated, dry specimens coated with carbon or metal. Unfortunately, the standard drying methods (including the critical-point-drying-technique) often cause shrinking and deformation of the specimen surface; therefore, SEMstudies on plant

  19. Classification and printability of EUV mask defects from SEM images

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cho, Wonil; Price, Daniel; Morgan, Paul A.; Rost, Daniel; Satake, Masaki; Tolani, Vikram L.

    2017-10-01

    Classification and Printability of EUV Mask Defects from SEM images EUV lithography is starting to show more promise for patterning some critical layers at 5nm technology node and beyond. However, there still are many key technical obstacles to overcome before bringing EUV Lithography into high volume manufacturing (HVM). One of the greatest obstacles is manufacturing defect-free masks. For pattern defect inspections in the mask-shop, cutting-edge 193nm optical inspection tools have been used so far due to lacking any e-beam mask inspection (EBMI) or EUV actinic pattern inspection (API) tools. The main issue with current 193nm inspection tools is the limited resolution for mask dimensions targeted for EUV patterning. The theoretical resolution limit for 193nm mask inspection tools is about 60nm HP on masks, which means that main feature sizes on EUV masks will be well beyond the practical resolution of 193nm inspection tools. Nevertheless, 193nm inspection tools with various illumination conditions that maximize defect sensitivity and/or main-pattern modulation are being explored for initial EUV defect detection. Due to the generally low signal-to-noise in the 193nm inspection imaging at EUV patterning dimensions, these inspections often result in hundreds and thousands of defects which then need to be accurately reviewed and dispositioned. Manually reviewing each defect is difficult due to poor resolution. In addition, the lack of a reliable aerial dispositioning system makes it very challenging to disposition for printability. In this paper, we present the use of SEM images of EUV masks for higher resolution review and disposition of defects. In this approach, most of the defects detected by the 193nm inspection tools are first imaged on a mask SEM tool. These images together with the corresponding post-OPC design clips are provided to KLA-Tencor's Reticle Decision Center (RDC) platform which provides ADC (Automated Defect Classification) and S2A (SEM

  20. Marginal adaptation of a low-shrinkage silorane-based composite: A SEM-analysis

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Schmidt, Malene; Bindslev, Preben Hørsted; Poulsen, Sven

    2012-01-01

    shrinkage, has been marketed. Objective. To investigate whether reduced polymerization shrinkage improves the marginal adaptation of composite restorations. Material and methods. A total of 156 scanning electron microscopy (SEM) pictures (78 baseline, 78 follow-up) of the occlusal part of Class II......-casts of the restorations were used for SEM pictures at x 16 magnification. Pictures from baseline and follow-up (398 days, SD 29 days) were randomized and the examiner was blinded to the material and the age of the restoration. Stereologic measurements were used to calculate the length and the width of the marginal...

  1. Does your SEM really tell the truth?--How would you know? Part 1.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Postek, Michael T; Vladár, András E

    2013-01-01

    The scanning electron microscope (SEM) has gone through a tremendous evolution to become a critical tool for many and diverse scientific and industrial applications. The high resolution of the SEM is especially suited for both qualitative and quantitative applications especially for nanotechnology and nanomanufacturing. Quantitatively, measurement, or metrology is one of the main uses. It is likely that one of the first questions asked before even the first scanning electron micrograph was ever recorded was: "… how big is that?" The quality of that answer has improved a great deal over the past few years especially since today these instruments are being used as a primary measurement tool on semiconductor processing lines to monitor the manufacturing processes. The well-articulated needs of semiconductor production prompted a rapid evolution of the instrument and its capabilities. Over the past 20 years or so, instrument manufacturers, through substantial semiconductor industry investment of research and development (R&D) money, have vastly improved the performance of these instruments. All users have benefited from this investment, especially where quantitative measurements with an SEM are concerned. But, how good are these data? This article discusses some of the most important aspects and larger issues associated with imaging and measurements with the SEM that every user should know, and understand before any critical quantitative work is attempted. © Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  2. Frames e dicionários onomasiológicos: uma proposta na interface entre semântica cognitiva e lexicografia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Diego Spader de Souza

    2017-09-01

    Full Text Available O objetivo do presente artigo é tecer algumas considerações iniciais a respeito de uma proposta teórico-metodológica situada na interface entre a Semântica Cognitiva e a Lexicografia. Tal proposta, atualmente sendo desenvolvida em tese de doutorado, busca a aproximação entre a teoria da Semântica de Frames, de Charles J. Fillmore, com a onomasiologia e com a produção de dicionários onomasiológicos. A onomasiologia, tema de grande importância para a Semântica Estrutural, pode ser abordada, sob nosso viés, a partir do conceito de frame semântico introduzido por Fillmore. O artigo apresenta uma discussão teórica, buscando mostrar o potencial da interface, bem como as formas através das quais a Semântica de Frames pode auxiliar a prática lexicográfica. Por se tratar de uma teoria semântica baseada em conhecimento enciclopédico, a Semântica de Frames oportuniza um modelo de dicionário onomasiológico que leva em consideração o papel da experiência e da estrutura conceptual na descrição semântica.

  3. Development of Focused Ion Beam technique for high speed steel 3D-SEM artefact fabrication

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Carli, Lorenzo; MacDonald, A. Nicole; De Chiffre, Leonardo

    2009-01-01

    The work describes preliminary manufacture by grinding, followed by machining on a Focused Ion Beam (FIB), of a high speed steel step artefact for 3D-SEM calibration. The FIB is coupled with a SEM in the so called dual beam instrument. The milling capabilities of FIB were checked from a qualitative...... point of view, using the dual beam SEM imaging, and quantitatively using a reference stylus instrument, to establish traceability. A triangular section having a depth of about 10 μm was machined, where the 50 μm curvature radius due to grinding was reduced to about 2 μm by FIB milling...

  4. Identificação da comunidade componente de helmintos, gastrointestinais hepáticos, pulmonares, cardíacos e renais de Otaria flavescens (Leão-marinho-do-sul), no litoral sul do Brasil

    OpenAIRE

    PEREIRA, Eliane Machado

    2012-01-01

    Este estudo analisou os helmintos parasitos gastrointestinais, pulmonares, cardíacos e renais do O. flavescens no litoral sul do Rio Grande do Sul, Brasil. Foram necropsiados 29 leões-marinhos, cujas carcaças apresentavam baixo estado de decomposição. Os órgãos coletados mediante necropsia a campo para análise em laboratório foram 24 intestinos delgado e grosso, 24 fígados incluindo parênquima e vesícula biliar e 29 estômagos, 24 corações e 24 pares de rins. Os órgãos foram congelados a 2...

  5. Speciation of uranium in minerals by Sem, Tem, μ-PIXE, XPS and XAFS

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Toshihiko Ohnuki; Hiroshi Isobe; Tomihiro Kamiya; Takuro Sakai; Takashi Murakami

    2001-01-01

    Many kinds of electromagnetic waves and particle beams are used as analytical probes for the investigation of uranium-mineralogy and speciation. The representatives of the probes are SEM, TEM, μ-PIRE, XPS and XAFS. Each of these analytical probes has its own advantages and disadvantages. We have performed studies to compare the advantages and disadvantages on the basis of the analysis of the distribution and speciation of U containing rock samples collected at the Koongarra uranium deposit, Australia. The spatial resolutions of the probes are in the order of TEM>SEM, μ-PIXE>XFAS, XPS. The lower detection limits of the probes are in the order of μ-PIXE< TEM, SEM< XFAS, XPS. Oxidation state of U was determined by XFAS and XPS. These results indicate that combination of the above probes can give us sufficient data on U speciation not only in natural rock samples but in solid samples obtained in the laboratory. (authors)

  6. Direct comparison of AFM and SEM measurements on the same set of nanoparticles

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Delvallée, A; Feltin, N; Ducourtieux, S; Trabelsi, M; Hochepied, J F

    2015-01-01

    This article is the first step in the development of a hybrid metrology combining AFM and SEM techniques for measuring the dimensions of a nanoparticle population in 3D space (X,Y,Z). This method exploits the strengths of each technique on the same set of nanoparticles. AFM is used for measuring the nanoparticle height and the measurements along X and Y axes are deduced from SEM images. A sampling method is proposed in order to obtain the best deposition conditions of SiO 2 and gold nanoparticles on mica or silicon substrates. Only the isolated nanoparticles are taken into account in the histogram of size distribution. Moreover, a semi-automatic Matlab routine has also been developed to process the AFM and SEM images, measure and count the nanoparticles. This routine allows the user to exclusively select the isolated nanoparticles through a control interface. The measurements have been performed on spherical-like nanoparticles to test the method by comparing the results obtained with both techniques. (paper)

  7. SemFunSim: a new method for measuring disease similarity by integrating semantic and gene functional association.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Liang Cheng

    Full Text Available Measuring similarity between diseases plays an important role in disease-related molecular function research. Functional associations between disease-related genes and semantic associations between diseases are often used to identify pairs of similar diseases from different perspectives. Currently, it is still a challenge to exploit both of them to calculate disease similarity. Therefore, a new method (SemFunSim that integrates semantic and functional association is proposed to address the issue.SemFunSim is designed as follows. First of all, FunSim (Functional similarity is proposed to calculate disease similarity using disease-related gene sets in a weighted network of human gene function. Next, SemSim (Semantic Similarity is devised to calculate disease similarity using the relationship between two diseases from Disease Ontology. Finally, FunSim and SemSim are integrated to measure disease similarity.The high average AUC (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (96.37% shows that SemFunSim achieves a high true positive rate and a low false positive rate. 79 of the top 100 pairs of similar diseases identified by SemFunSim are annotated in the Comparative Toxicogenomics Database (CTD as being targeted by the same therapeutic compounds, while other methods we compared could identify 35 or less such pairs among the top 100. Moreover, when using our method on diseases without annotated compounds in CTD, we could confirm many of our predicted candidate compounds from literature. This indicates that SemFunSim is an effective method for drug repositioning.

  8. Strategic Enrolment Management (SEM) in Self-Financed Higher Education of Hong Kong: Evaluation and Measurement

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ng, Peggy; Galbraith, Craig

    2016-01-01

    The purpose of this study is to examine how the dimensions of strategic enrolment management (SEM) tie to the success metrics in the area of enrolment, retention and graduation from senior and programme management perspectives of a self-financed institution in Hong Kong. The literature on SEM has demonstrated that managing enrolment is a global…

  9. Avaliação da doença vascular do enxerto no transplante cardíaco: experiência de um centro brasileiro Assessment of cardiac allograft vasculopathy in cardiac transplantation: experience of a Brazilian center

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Elide Sbardellotto Mariano da Costa

    2012-10-01

    Full Text Available FUNDAMENTO: O transplante cardíaco continua sendo o tratamento de escolha para a insuficiência cardíaca refratária ao tratamento otimizado. Dois métodos diagnósticos apresentam elevada sensibilidade no diagnóstico de episódios de rejeição ao enxerto e Doença Vascular do Enxerto (DVE, causas importantes de mortalidade no pós-transplante. OBJETIVO: Avaliar a relação entre os resultados do ultrassom intracoronariano (USIV e os laudos das biópsias endomiocárdicas (BX no seguimento de pacientes submetidos a transplante cardíaco em um serviço de referência brasileiro. MÉTODOS: Foi realizado um ensaio epidemiológico retrospectivo observacional, com pacientes submetidos a transplante cardíaco ortotópico, no período de 2000 a 2009. Foram analisados os prontuários desses pacientes e os resultados dos USIV e BX realizados rotineiramente no seguimento clínico pós-transplante e terapêutica em uso. RESULTADOS: Dos 77 pacientes analisados, 63,63% são do sexo masculino, nas faixas etárias de 22 a 69 anos. Quanto aos resultados dos USIV, 33,96% foram classificados em Stanford classe I, e 32,08%, como Stanford IV. Dos 143 laudos das biópsias, 51,08% tiveram resultado 1R, 3R em 0,69% dos laudos, e 14,48% apresentaram a descrição de efeito Quilty. Todos usaram antiproliferativos, 80,51% usaram inibidores da calcineurina e 19,48% usaram inibidores do sinal de proliferação (ISP. CONCLUSÃO: A avaliação dos pacientes pós-transplante cardíaco por meio do USIV incorpora informações detalhadas para o diagnóstico precoce e sensível da DVE, que são complementadas pelas informações histológicas fornecidas pelas BX, estabelecendo uma possível relação causal entre a DVE e os episódios de rejeição humoral.BACKGROUND: Cardiac transplantation continues to be the treatment of choice for heart failure refractory to optimized treatment. Two methods have high sensitivity for diagnosing allograft rejection episodes and cardiac

  10. Cuticle scale measurement of animal fibers by SEM and AFM

    CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

    Notayi, M

    2013-12-01

    Full Text Available -1 51st Microscopy Society of Southern Africa (MSSA) Conference, Farm Inn, Pretoria, 3-6 December 2013 Cuticle scale measurement of animal fibers by SEM and AFM Notayi M, Engelbrechts JAA, Lee ME, Goosen WE, Hunter L and Botha AF Abstract...

  11. Valores e motivações para responder sem preconceito frente a homossexuais

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Valdiney Veloso Gouveia

    2012-06-01

    Full Text Available Neste artigo se objetivou conhecer os correlatos valorativos das motivações interna e externa para encarar sem preconceito a homossexualidade. Foram realizados dois estudos. No Estudo 1 participaram 234 pessoas de João Pessoa, com idade média de 26 anos, que responderam à Escala de Motivações para Responder sem Precocietos Frente a Gays e ao Questionário dos Valores Básicos e perguntas demográficas. A motivação interna se correlacionou com as subfunções suprapessoal (+ e normativa (-, enquanto a motivação externa o fez com existência (+ e normativa (+. O Estudo 2 reuniu 202 pessoas da mesma população, com idade média de 25 anos. Elas responderam os mesmos instrumentos, tendo as lésbicas como grupo-alvo. As motivações interna e externa se correlacionaram com a subfunção normativa (- e +, respectivamente. Concluindo, os valores predisseram adequadamente as motivações para olhar sem preconceito a homossexualidade e os achados foram discutidos a partir do modelo dual de valores.

  12. Blistering and exfoliation of 304 stainless steel studied by SEM and RBS

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Braun, M.; Emmoth, B.; Whitton, J.L.

    1981-01-01

    Blistering and exfoliation induced by helium irradiation have been studied in polycrystalline stainless steel with the aim of measuring flake or blister skin thicknesses for different implantation energies in the keV region. The authors present measurements of skin thicknesses determined both by direct SEM observations and RBS techniques. The results of the RBS studies show for all implantation energies used that the thickness measured in target atoms/unit area of a flake equals the calculated implantation range with an accuracy of about 10%. Conversely, the SEM measurements show that swelling gives rise to a geometrical skin thickness much greater than the corresponding implantation range. Thus from the SEM and RBS data swelling as a function of the implantation energy is obtained and the linear relative swelling is shown to be strongly dependent on the energy. In addition a comparison between the skin thickness of blisters and flakes has been made for the same material. Blisters were observed at low implantation temperatures and room temperature while exfoliation occurs at elevated temperatures. The result of this comparison is that within the experimental accuracy the flake and blister thicknesses are the same. (Auth.)

  13. Cryo-FIB SEM for Characterization of the Structure of Fish Oil Emulsions

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jensen, Louise Helene Søgaard; Horn, Anna Frisenfeldt; Jacobsen, Charlotte

    2011-01-01

    layers. The emulsion fractures are random and impossible to control when using freeze-fracture cryo-SEM. We have previously shown that some types of emulsifiers tend to break along the interface layer, while others cause the fractures to be perpendicular to the interface layer [3]. To control the field...... of view more specifically and to ensure the access to the desired part of the sample, we propose now the use of cryo-FIB SEM. This method allows us to access the interface layers as needed, see figure 1. Emulsions with high oil content, i.e. 70%, and relatively large oil droplets, i.e. μm range, have been...

  14. Corrigendum to: Bayesian evaluation of informative hypotheses in SEM using Mplus

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    van de Schoot, R.; Verhoeven, Marjolein; Hoijtink, H.

    2014-01-01

    This paper corrects: van de Schoot, R., Verhoeven, M., & Hoijtink, H. (2013). Bayesian evaluation ofinformative hypotheses in SEM using Mplus: A black bear story. EuropeanJournal of Developmental Psychology, 10, 81 –98.

  15. Does your SEM really tell the truth? How would you know? Part 2.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Postek, Michael T; Vladár, András E; Purushotham, Kavuri P

    2014-01-01

    The scanning electron microscope (SEM) has gone through a tremendous evolution to become indispensable for many and diverse scientific and industrial applications. The improvements have significantly enriched and augmented the overall SEM performance and have made the instrument far easier to operate. But, the ease of operation also might lead, through operator complacency, to poor results. In addition, the user friendliness has seemingly reduced the need for thorough operator training for using these complex instruments. One might then conclude that the SEM is just a very expensive digital camera or another peripheral device for a computer. Hence, a person using the instrument may be lulled into thinking that all of the potential pitfalls have been eliminated and they believe everything they see on the micrograph is always correct. But, this may not be the case. An earlier paper (Part 1), discussed some of the potential issues related to signal generation in the SEM, instrument calibration, electron beam interactions and the need for physics-based modeling to understand the actual image formation mechanisms. All these were summed together in a discussion of how these issues effect measurements made with the instrument. This second paper discusses another major issue confronting the microscopist: electron-beam-induced specimen contamination. Over the years, NIST has done a great deal of research into the issue of sample contamination and its removal and elimination and some of this work is reviewed and discussed here. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  16. SEM studies of the structure of the gels prepared from untreated and radiation modified potato starch

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cieśla, Krystyna; Sartowska, Bożena; Królak, Edward

    2015-01-01

    Potato starch was irradiated with a 60 Co gamma rays using doses of 5, 10, 20 and 30 kGy. Gels containing ca. 9.1% of starch were prepared by heating the starch suspensions in the heating chamber stabilized at 100 °C. Four procedures were applied for preparation of the samples in regard to SEM studies and the ability to observe the radiation effect by SEM was assessed for each method. Differences were observed between the SEM images recorded for the non-irradiated samples prepared using all the methods, and those irradiated. Images of the non-irradiated gels indicate generally a honey-comb structure, while smooth areas but with oriented fractures has appeared after irradiation. Modification of gel structure corresponds to the applied dose. The results were related to the process of gel formation (as observed by means of the hot stage microscope) to decrease in swelling power of the irradiated starch and to decreased viscosity of the resulting gels. It can be concluded that the differences in structural properties of gels shown by SEM result probably due to the better homogenization of the gels formed after radiation induced degradation. - Highlights: • Four procedures of the preservation of starch gels for SEM studies were applied. • The ability to observe the radiation effect by SEM was assessed for each method. • Dose dependent changes in the gel structure were discovered. • It was related to decrease in the swelling power and decreased viscosity of the gels. • A hot-stage microscope was applied in order to follow the gelatinization process

  17. Encontros e desvios nos semáforos: investigando artistas em Florianópolis/SC

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Beatriz S. Albino

    2013-03-01

    Full Text Available http://dx.doi.org/10.5007/2178-4582.2012v46n2p469 A ideia de investigar artistas que atuam em semáforos de Florianópolis/SC teve sua origem em um estranhamento que nos fez vê-los na forma de uma alteridade radical. A pesquisa etnográfica permitiu descobrir relações simbólicas de pertencimentoe de desvio entre os artistas, destacando-se a figura de um “outro”, próximo, mas perigoso, que partilha simbolicamente os semáforos: o micróbio, estrangeiro que faria confundir o artista com a marginalidade. No semáforo ocorre também, no entanto, a reafirmação, por meio das performances dos artistas, do que deles é esperado: a comicidade, o virtuosismo, a aparência adequada.

  18. Afasia global sem hemiparesia: relato de caso

    OpenAIRE

    SILVA,MARCUS TULIUS TEIXEIRA DA; CAVALCANTI,JOSÉ LUÍS DE SÁ; MOREIRA,DENISE MADEIRA

    2000-01-01

    Afasia global geralmente é acompanhada por hemiparesia direita devido à extensão da lesão subjacente. Recentemente têm sido registrados na literatura casos em que tal síndrome ou não se acompanha do déficit motor ou este é apenas transitório, sendo esta condição conhecida como afasia global sem hemiparesia (AGSH). Relatamos caso de AGSH devido a infarto cerebral embólico cardiogênico, corroborando a tese de que esta condição pode ter valor preditivo para o diagnóstico de infartos embólicos....

  19. Repetitive Observation of Coniferous Samples in ESEM and SEM

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Tihlaříková, Eva; Neděla, Vilém

    2015-01-01

    Roč. 21, S3 (2015), s. 1695-1696 ISSN 1431-9276 R&D Projects: GA ČR(CZ) GA14-22777S; GA MŠk(CZ) LO1212; GA MŠk ED0017/01/01 Institutional support: RVO:68081731 Keywords : SEM * ESEM * biological samples * repetitive observation Subject RIV: JA - Electronics ; Optoelectronics, Electrical Engineering Impact factor: 1.730, year: 2015

  20. Mapping the Complex Morphology of Cell Interactions with Nanowire Substrates Using FIB-SEM

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Wierzbicki, Rafal; Købler, Carsten; Jensen, Mikkel Ravn Boye

    2013-01-01

    Using high resolution focused ion beam scanning electron microscopy (FIB-SEM) we study the details of cell-nanostructure interactions using serial block face imaging. 3T3 Fibroblast cellular monolayers are cultured on flat glass as a control surface and on two types of nanostructured scaffold...... substrates made from silicon black (Nanograss) with low- and high nanowire density. After culturing for 72 hours the cells were fixed, heavy metal stained, embedded in resin, and processed with FIB-SEM block face imaging without removing the substrate. The sample preparation procedure, image acquisition...

  1. Perspectivas da evolução clínica de pacientes com cardiomiopatia chagásica listados em prioridade para o transplante cardíaco Clinical perspectives of patients with Chagas cardiomyopathy listed as high priority for heart transplantation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Luiz Felipe P. Moreira

    2005-09-01

    Full Text Available INTRODUÇÃO: O choque cardiogênico é responsável por elevados índices de mortalidade na fila de espera para o transplante cardíaco. Na cardiomiopatia chagásica, a alta incidência de disfunção biventricular pode contribuir com a gravidade desta complicação. MÉTODO: Foram estudados 141 pacientes indicados em caráter de prioridade para o transplante. Destes pacientes, 46 eram portadores de cardiomiopatia chagásica e 95 de outras cardiomiopatias. O choque cardiogênico foi tratado farmacologicamente e com o implante ocasional do balão intra-aórtico. Em cinco pacientes chagásicos, foi realizado o implante de dispositivo paracorpóreo de assistência ventricular esquerda. RESULTADOS: Num período médio de 2,8 meses, 58 (41,1% dos 141 pacientes foram transplantados, 73 (51,7% faleceram e 10 foram retirados da fila. A mortalidade entre os pacientes chagásicos e não chagásicos foi de 45,6% e 54,7%, respectivamente. No entanto, a expectativa média de vida, sem a realização do transplante cardíaco, dos pacientes chagásicos foi de apenas 1,5 meses, sendo observado risco relativo de mortalidade de 1,6 para estes pacientes em relação aos não chagásicos (pINTRODUCTION: Heart failure is responsible for high mortality rates of patients on heart transplantation waiting lists. In Chagas cardiomyopathy, the presence of biventricular dysfunction increases the severity of this situation. METHOD: One hundred and forty-one patients suffering from cardiogenic shock, listed as high priority for heart transplantation, were studied. Forty-six patients presented with Chagas cardiomyopathy and 95 with other cardiomyopathies. Heart failure was treated using intravenous inotropic drugs and intra-aortic balloon pump implantation. Five patients with Chagas disease underwent paracorporeal left ventricular assist device implantation. RESULTS: During a mean follow-up of 2.8 months, 58 (41.1% of the 141 patients were transplanted, while 73 (53.7% died

  2. Study of SEM preparation artefacts with correlative microscopy: Cell shrinkage of adherent cells by HMDS-drying.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Katsen-Globa, Alisa; Puetz, Norbert; Gepp, Michael M; Neubauer, Julia C; Zimmermann, Heiko

    2016-11-01

    One of the often reported artefacts during cell preparation to scanning electron microscopy (SEM) is the shrinkage of cellular objects, that mostly occurs at a certain time-dependent stage of cell drying. Various methods of drying for SEM, such as critical point drying, freeze-drying, as well as hexamethyldisilazane (HMDS)-drying, were usually used. The latter becomes popular since it is a low cost and fast method. However, the correlation of drying duration and real shrinkage of objects was not investigated yet. In this paper, cell shrinkage at each stage of preparation for SEM was studied. We introduce a shrinkage coefficient using correlative light microscopy (LM) and SEM of the same human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs). The influence of HMDS-drying duration on the cell shrinkage is shown: the longer drying duration, the more shrinkage is observed. Furthermore, it was demonstrated that cell shrinkage is inversely proportional to cultivation time: the longer cultivation time, the more cell spreading area and the less cell shrinkage. Our results can be applicable for an exact SEM quantification of cell size and determination of cell spreading area in engineering of artificial cellular environments using biomaterials. SCANNING 38:625-633, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  3. AxiSEM3D: broadband seismic wavefields in 3-D aspherical Earth models

    Science.gov (United States)

    Leng, K.; Nissen-Meyer, T.; Zad, K. H.; van Driel, M.; Al-Attar, D.

    2017-12-01

    Seismology is the primary tool for data-informed inference of Earth structure and dynamics. Simulating seismic wave propagation at a global scale is fundamental to seismology, but remains as one of most challenging problems in scientific computing, because of both the multiscale nature of Earth's interior and the observable frequency band of seismic data. We present a novel numerical method to simulate global seismic wave propagation in realistic 3-D Earth models. Our method, named AxiSEM3D, is a hybrid of spectral element method and pseudospectral method. It reduces the azimuthal dimension of wavefields by means of a global Fourier series parameterization, of which the number of terms can be locally adapted to the inherent azimuthal smoothness of the wavefields. AxiSEM3D allows not only for material heterogeneities, such as velocity, density, anisotropy and attenuation, but also for finite undulations on radial discontinuities, both solid-solid and solid-fluid, and thereby a variety of aspherical Earth features such as ellipticity, topography, variable crustal thickness, and core-mantle boundary topography. Such interface undulations are equivalently interpreted as material perturbations of the contiguous media, based on the "particle relabelling transformation". Efficiency comparisons show that AxiSEM3D can be 1 to 3 orders of magnitude faster than conventional 3-D methods, with the speedup increasing with simulation frequency and decreasing with model complexity, but for all realistic structures the speedup remains at least one order of magnitude. The observable frequency range of global seismic data (up to 1 Hz) has been covered for wavefield modelling upon a 3-D Earth model with reasonable computing resources. We show an application of surface wave modelling within a state-of-the-art global crustal model (Crust1.0), with the synthetics compared to real data. The high-performance C++ code is released at github.com/AxiSEM3D/AxiSEM3D.

  4. Avaliação hemodinâmica intra-operatória na cirurgia de revascularização miocárdica sem auxílio da circulação extracorpórea Intraoperative hemodynamic evaluation of myocardial revascularization without extracorporeal circulation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ricardo Carvalho LIMA

    2000-09-01

    Full Text Available OBJETIVO: Analisar o comportamento hemodinâmico do coração na revascularização do miocárdio sem a utilização da circulação extracorpórea, através da cateterização da artéria pulmonar com cateter de San-Ganz. MATERIAL E MÉTODOS: No período de agosto de 1991 a junho de 1999, foram operados 616 pacientes portadores de angina do peito, que foram submetidos a revascularização do miocárdio sem a utilização da circulação extracorpórea. Em 18 pacientes foram estudados os parâmetros hemodinâmicos intra-operatórios. RESULTADOS: A freqüência cardíaca manteve-se elevada durante todos os momentos de posicionamento do coração (p=0,0007. O débito cardíaco ao longo do procedimento apresentou variação mínima nos diversos momentos de posicionamento do coração e exposição das artérias coronárias. Entretanto, com o coração na posição normal final, observou-se um aumento importante do débito cardíaco (p=0,010. A pressão arterial média apresentou-se diminuída em todos os momentos do procedimento de exposição das artérias coronárias (p=0,022. A pressão arterial pulmonar apresentou-se diminuída durante todos os momentos de mobilização (NS. A pressão capilar pulmonar oscilou bastante durante a exposição das coronárias (NS. A pressão venosa central comportou-se de maneira mais variada durante a exposição das artérias (NS. A resistência vascular sistêmica apresentou-se diminuída durante todo o procedimento (p=0,0001. A resistência vascular pulmonar apresentou-se diminuída em todos os momentos do procedimento (p=0,002. O "stroke volume" apresentou-se inalterado durante a anastomose da interventricular anterior e só se observaram diferenças estatísticas na coronária direita (p=0,002 e artéria circunflexa (p=0,0006 e seus ramos. O índice cardíaco apresentou-se diminuído durante o procedimento (p=0,0011. CONCLUSÕES: A A técnica presente permite a mobilização máxima do coração sem indu

  5. Risk bearing and use of fee-for-service billing among accountable care organizations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Muhlestein, David B; Croshaw, Andrew A; Merrill, Thomas P

    2013-07-01

    To determine the willingness of accountable care organizations (ACOs) to bear financial risk for the healthcare they provide. Structured interviews conducted between January and June 2012 with 57 ACOs led by hospitals and physician groups located throughout the United States. Findings are based on the 38 ACOs that were actively providing care under an ACO payment arrangement at the time of the interview. Among these ACOs, 71% cover a portion of their ACO population with contracts that put the ACOs at some financial risk, while 45% have risk-based contracts for their entire ACO population. Payments based on fee-for-service (FFS) billing still dominate, as 92% of ACOs use FFS-based billing for at least a portion of their ACO population and 71% are fully reimbursed using FFS-based billing. Under the auspices of an ACO, providers are accepting some financial risk for their accountable care patient population. There is still strong reliance on FFS-based billing methods as providers experiment with different payment models.

  6. Attempt of correlative observation of morphological synaptic connectivity by combining confocal laser-scanning microscope and FIB-SEM for immunohistochemical staining technique.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sonomura, Takahiro; Furuta, Takahiro; Nakatani, Ikuko; Yamamoto, Yo; Honma, Satoru; Kaneko, Takeshi

    2014-11-01

    Ten years have passed since a serial block-face scanning electron microscopy (SBF-SEM) method was developed [1]. In this innovative method, samples were automatically sectioned with an ultramicrotome placed inside a scanning electron microscope column, and the block surfaces were imaged one after another by SEM to capture back-scattered electrons. The contrast-inverted images obtained by the SBF-SEM were very similar to those acquired using conventional TEM. SFB-SEM has made easy to acquire image stacks of the transmission electron microscopy (TEM) in the mesoscale, which is taken with the confocal laser-scanning microcopy(CF-LSM).Furthermore, serial-section SEM has been combined with the focused ion beam (FIB) milling method [2]. FIB-incorporated SEM (FIB-SEM) has enabled the acquisition of three-dimensional images with a higher z-axis resolution com- pared to ultramicrotome-equipped SEM.We tried immunocytochemistry for FIB-SEM and correlated this immunoreactivity with that in CF-LSM. Dendrites of neurons in the rat neostriatum were visualized using a recombinant viral vector. Moreover, the thalamostriatal afferent terminals were immunolabeled with Cy5 fluorescence for vesicular glutamate transporter 2 (VGluT2). After detection of the sites of terminals apposed to the dendrites by using CF-LSM, GFP and VGluT2 immunoreactivities were further developed for EM by using immunogold/silver enhancement and immunoperoxidase/diaminobenzidine (DAB) methods, respectively.We showed that conventional immuno-cytochemical staining for TEM was applicable to FIB-SEM. Furthermore, several synaptic contacts, which were thought to exist on the basis of CF-LSM findings, were confirmed with FIB-SEM, revealing the usefulness of the combined method of CF-LSM and FIB-SEM. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Japanese Society of Microscopy. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  7. Continuous time modeling of panel data by means of SEM

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Oud, J.H.L.; Delsing, M.J.M.H.; Montfort, C.A.G.M.; Oud, J.H.L.; Satorra, A.

    2010-01-01

    After a brief history of continuous time modeling and its implementation in panel analysis by means of structural equation modeling (SEM), the problems of discrete time modeling are discussed in detail. This is done by means of the popular cross-lagged panel design. Next, the exact discrete model

  8. DSS1/Sem1, a multifunctional and intrinsically disordered protein

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kragelund, Birthe Brandt; Schenstrøm, Signe Marie; Rebula, Caio A.

    2016-01-01

    DSS1/Sem1 is a versatile intrinsically disordered protein. Besides being a bona fide subunit of the 26S proteasome, DSS1 associates with other protein complexes, including BRCA2-RPA, involved in homologous recombination; the Csn12-Thp3 complex, involved in RNA splicing; the integrator, involved...

  9. Mixoma cardíaco con diagnóstico prenatal: Presentación de un caso y revisión de literatura

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Josías Ríos

    2012-10-01

    Full Text Available El mixoma es la tumoración cardíaca más frecuente en el adulto, constituyendo aproximadamente el 50% de las mismas. En la edad pediátrica el tumor cardíaco más frecuente es el rabdomioma, generalmente asociado a esclerosis tuberosa. La presentación del mixoma en pacientes pediátricos es muy rara y más aun en la etapa neonatal. Presentamos el caso de una paciente de sexo femenino que fue sometida a cirugía a los 8 días de nacida por presentar dos tumoraciones intracardiacas diagnosticadas en la etapa intrauterina a las 38 semanas de gestación. La cirugía se realizó mediante esternotomía media, con circulación extracorpórea y arresto circulatorio. Las tumoraciones, que eran de aspecto polipoide se localizaban en la aurícula derecha, los estudios de patología fueron compatibles con mixoma. La evolución postoperatoria fue satisfactoria y la paciente fue dada de alta a los 14 días después de la cirugía.

  10. The new frontier of strategic alliances in health care: New partnerships under accountable care organizations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lewis, Valerie A; Tierney, Katherine I; Colla, Carrie H; Shortell, Stephen M

    2017-10-01

    Accountable care organizations (ACOs) and similar reforms aim to improve coordination between health care providers; however, due to the fragmented nature of the US health care system, successful coordination will hinge in large part on the ability of health care organizations to successfully partner across organizational boundaries. Little is known about new partnerships formed under the ACO model. We use mixed methods data from the National Survey of ACOs, Medicare ACO performance data and interviews with executive leaders across 31 ACOs to examine the prevalence, characteristics, and capabilities of partnership ACOs and why and how ACO partnerships form. We find that a striking percentage of ACOs - 81% - involve new partnerships between independent health care organizations. These "partnership ACOs" generally report lower capabilities on care management, care coordination, and health information technology. Additionally, under Medicare ACO programs partnership ACO achieved somewhat lower quality performance. Qualitative interviews revealed that providers are motivated to partner for resource complementarity, risk reduction, and legislative requirements, and are using a variety of formal and informal accountability mechanisms. Most partnership ACOs were formed out of existing, positive relationships, but a minority of ACOs formed out of previously competitive or conflictual relationships. Our findings suggests that the success of the ACO model will hinge in large part upon the success of new partnerships, with important implications for understanding ACO readiness and capabilities, the relatively small savings achieved to date by ACO programs, and the path to providers bearing more risk for population health management. In addition, ACO partnerships may provide an important window to monitor a potential wave of health care consolidation or, in contrast, a new model of independent providers successfully coordinating patient care. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd

  11. High incorrect use of the standard error of the mean (SEM) in original articles in three cardiovascular journals evaluated for 2012.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wullschleger, Marcel; Aghlmandi, Soheila; Egger, Marcel; Zwahlen, Marcel

    2014-01-01

    In biomedical journals authors sometimes use the standard error of the mean (SEM) for data description, which has been called inappropriate or incorrect. To assess the frequency of incorrect use of SEM in articles in three selected cardiovascular journals. All original journal articles published in 2012 in Cardiovascular Research, Circulation: Heart Failure and Circulation Research were assessed by two assessors for inappropriate use of SEM when providing descriptive information of empirical data. We also assessed whether the authors state in the methods section that the SEM will be used for data description. Of 441 articles included in this survey, 64% (282 articles) contained at least one instance of incorrect use of the SEM, with two journals having a prevalence above 70% and "Circulation: Heart Failure" having the lowest value (27%). In 81% of articles with incorrect use of SEM, the authors had explicitly stated that they use the SEM for data description and in 89% SEM bars were also used instead of 95% confidence intervals. Basic science studies had a 7.4-fold higher level of inappropriate SEM use (74%) than clinical studies (10%). The selection of the three cardiovascular journals was based on a subjective initial impression of observing inappropriate SEM use. The observed results are not representative for all cardiovascular journals. In three selected cardiovascular journals we found a high level of inappropriate SEM use and explicit methods statements to use it for data description, especially in basic science studies. To improve on this situation, these and other journals should provide clear instructions to authors on how to report descriptive information of empirical data.

  12. A combined optical, SEM and STM study of growth spirals

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    Some novel results of a combined sequential study of growth spirals on the basal surface of the richly polytypic CdI2 crystals by optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) are presented and discussed. In confirmation of the known structural data, the STM pictures ...

  13. Quantifying Golgi structure using EM: combining volume-SEM and stereology for higher throughput.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ferguson, Sophie; Steyer, Anna M; Mayhew, Terry M; Schwab, Yannick; Lucocq, John Milton

    2017-06-01

    Investigating organelles such as the Golgi complex depends increasingly on high-throughput quantitative morphological analyses from multiple experimental or genetic conditions. Light microscopy (LM) has been an effective tool for screening but fails to reveal fine details of Golgi structures such as vesicles, tubules and cisternae. Electron microscopy (EM) has sufficient resolution but traditional transmission EM (TEM) methods are slow and inefficient. Newer volume scanning EM (volume-SEM) methods now have the potential to speed up 3D analysis by automated sectioning and imaging. However, they produce large arrays of sections and/or images, which require labour-intensive 3D reconstruction for quantitation on limited cell numbers. Here, we show that the information storage, digital waste and workload involved in using volume-SEM can be reduced substantially using sampling-based stereology. Using the Golgi as an example, we describe how Golgi populations can be sensed quantitatively using single random slices and how accurate quantitative structural data on Golgi organelles of individual cells can be obtained using only 5-10 sections/images taken from a volume-SEM series (thereby sensing population parameters and cell-cell variability). The approach will be useful in techniques such as correlative LM and EM (CLEM) where small samples of cells are treated and where there may be variable responses. For Golgi study, we outline a series of stereological estimators that are suited to these analyses and suggest workflows, which have the potential to enhance the speed and relevance of data acquisition in volume-SEM.

  14. A operação de Glenn bidirecional deve ser realizada com ou sem o auxílio de circulação extracorpórea? Should the Bidirectional Glenn Operation be performed with or without cardiopulmonary bypass?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ulisses Alexandre Crotti

    2004-09-01

    Full Text Available OBJETIVO: Comparar os pacientes onde a operação foi realizada com circulação extracorpórea (CEC àqueles sem CEC, analisando suas características e verificando se houve ou não superioridade de alguma das técnicas empregadas. MÉTODO: Entre janeiro de 2002 e janeiro de 2004, 16 pacientes foram submetidos à operação de Glenn bidirecional (GB, todos com defeitos cardíacos complexos. Quatorze eram do sexo feminino, com idade mediana de 19 meses. Os pacientes foram divididos em dois grupos: A (GB com CEC e B (GB sem CEC, sendo sete do grupo A e nove do grupo B. Foram analisadas comparativamente as variáveis: sexo, idade, pressão arterial pulmonar média (PAPM, operação realizada, tempo de CEC, pinçamento da aorta, derivação venoatrial, operações prévias, internação na unidade de terapia intensiva (UTI, hospitalização e complicações imediatas. RESULTADOS: A mediana da PAPM foi 13 mmHg. No grupo A, o tempo foi de CEC 91 ± 47 minutos (57-195 minutos e o de isquemia miocárdica 25 ± 33 minutos (0-80 minutos. Destes, quatro necessitaram de procedimento intracardíaco ou ampliação de ramos pulmonares e três, auxílio da CEC como suporte ventilatório. No grupo B o tempo de desvio venoatrial foi de 21 ± 10 minutos (0-39 minutos. O tempo para extubação 9 ± 13 horas, mediana 3 horas (1-43 horas. A permanência UTI foi de 8 ± 12 dias, mediana 5 dias (1-50 dias. O período médio de internação hospitalar foi de 12 ± 12 dias, mediana 7 dias (0-50 dias. Cinco pacientes haviam sido submetidos à operação prévia. Dois (12,5% faleceram, sendo um em cada grupo. Não houve complicações neurológicas, derrame pleural ou pericárdico. Todas as variáveis estudadas entre os grupos não apresentaram diferença estatística significativa. CONCLUSÃO: Apesar da amostra relativamente pequena, o presente estudo sugere que a operação de GB pode ser realizada com ou sem CEC com resultados semelhantes no que se refere à morbidade

  15. 3D SEM for surface topography quantification – a case study on dental surfaces

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Glon, F; Flys, O; Lööf, P-J; Rosén, B-G

    2014-01-01

    3D analysis of surface topography is becoming a more used tool for industry and research. New ISO standards are being launched to assist in quantifying engineering surfaces. The traditional optical measuring instrumentation used for 3D surface characterization has been optical interferometers and confocal based instrumentation. However, the resolution here is limited in the lateral dimension to the wavelength of visible light to about 500 nm. The great advantage using the SEM for topography measurements is the high flexibility to zoom from low magnifications and locating interesting areas to high magnification of down to nanometer large surface features within seconds. This paper presents surface characterization of dental implant micro topography. 3D topography data was created from SEM images using commercial photogrammetric software. A coherence scanning interferometer was used for reference measurements to compare with the 3D SEM measurements on relocated areas. As a result of this study, measurements emphasizes that the correlation between the accepted CSI measurements and the new technology represented by photogrammetry based on SEM images for many areal characterization parameters are around or less than 20%. The importance of selecting sampling and parameter sensitivity to varying sampling is high-lighted. Future work includes a broader study of limitations of the photogrammetry technique on certified micro-geometries and more application surfaces at different scales

  16. Super-resolution for asymmetric resolution of FIB-SEM 3D imaging using AI with deep learning.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hagita, Katsumi; Higuchi, Takeshi; Jinnai, Hiroshi

    2018-04-12

    Scanning electron microscopy equipped with a focused ion beam (FIB-SEM) is a promising three-dimensional (3D) imaging technique for nano- and meso-scale morphologies. In FIB-SEM, the specimen surface is stripped by an ion beam and imaged by an SEM installed orthogonally to the FIB. The lateral resolution is governed by the SEM, while the depth resolution, i.e., the FIB milling direction, is determined by the thickness of the stripped thin layer. In most cases, the lateral resolution is superior to the depth resolution; hence, asymmetric resolution is generated in the 3D image. Here, we propose a new approach based on an image-processing or deep-learning-based method for super-resolution of 3D images with such asymmetric resolution, so as to restore the depth resolution to achieve symmetric resolution. The deep-learning-based method learns from high-resolution sub-images obtained via SEM and recovers low-resolution sub-images parallel to the FIB milling direction. The 3D morphologies of polymeric nano-composites are used as test images, which are subjected to the deep-learning-based method as well as conventional methods. We find that the former yields superior restoration, particularly as the asymmetric resolution is increased. Our super-resolution approach for images having asymmetric resolution enables observation time reduction.

  17. Consideraciones sobre la adquisición del adjetivo y su semántica

    OpenAIRE

    Millán Garrido, Mª del Rosario

    1988-01-01

    Con este trabajo se intenta profundizar en el adjetivo con un criterio semántico pero al ser difícil deslindarlo de sus estudios léxico y sintáctico, no vamos a excluir de él estos aspectos que se expondrán de forma breve y que nos ayudarán a sacar conclusiones más completas. Aunque la semántica ha ocupado la parte central de la investigación, ha tenido como apoyo el análisis léxico, reflejado en las gráficas, y un estudio sintáctico** previo.

  18. The risk assessment of heavy metals in Futian mangrove forest sediment in Shenzhen Bay (South China) based on SEM-AVS analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chai, Minwei; Shen, Xiaoxue; Li, Ruili; Qiu, Guoyu

    2015-08-15

    The risks of heavy metal in Futian mangrove forest sediment were assessed using the acid-volatile sulfide (AVS) and simultaneously extracted metals (SEM) methods. The results indicated that AVS distributions were more variable than the SEM distributions at all 16 sampling sites. The positive correlation between AVS and SEM indicated that their similar formative and existing conditions and that AVS acted as an important carrier for SEM. The major SEM component was Zn (69.7.3-94.2%), whereas the Cd contribution (the most toxic metal present) to SEM was no more than 1%. The possible adverse effects caused by heavy metals at ten sampling sites may be due to higher levels of SEMs, rather than AVSs. The total organic carbon (TOC) was an important metal-binding phase in the sediments. Taking into account the TOC concentration, there were no adverse effects due to heavy metals in any of the Futian mangrove forest sediments. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  19. A combined SEM, CV and EIS study of multi-layered porous ceramic reactors for flue gas purification

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    He, Zeming; Andersen, Kjeld Bøhm; Nygaard, Frederik Berg

    2013-01-01

    The effect of sintering temperature of 12-layered porous ceramic reactors (comprising 5 cells) was studied using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), cyclic voltammetry (CV) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The difference in microstructures of the reactors was evaluated by SEM...

  20. A Comparative SEM-EDS Elemental Composition of Mud in Coastal ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    The present study was aimed to understand the comparative abundance and source of elemental constituents in mud of four coastal shrimp farming areas, Vunh Tau (VT), Nha Trang (NT), Da Nang (DN) and Hue (HU) in Viet Nam using SEM-EDS analysis. Mud samples were collected from shrimp farming coastal zones ...

  1. INFRASTRUCTURAL MECHANISMS LEADING TOWARD PRO-ACCOUNTABLE CARE ORGANISATION ORIENTATION: A SURVEY OF HOSPITAL MANAGERS

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wan, Thomas T.H.; Masri, Maysoun Dimachkie; Ortiz, Judith

    2013-01-01

    Organisations across the country are transforming the way they deliver care, in ways similar to the accountable care organisation (ACO) model supported by Medicare. ACOs modalities are varying in size, type, and financing structure. Little is known about how specific infrastructural mechanisms influence hospital managers’ pro-ACO orientation. Using an electronic-survey of hospital managers, this study explores how pro-ACO orientation, as a latent construct, is captured from the perceptions of hospital managers; and identify infrastructural mechanisms leading to the formation of pro-ACO orientation. Of the total hospital respondents, 58% are moving toward the establishment of ACOs; 56% are planning to join in the next two years; 48% are considering joining ACOs; while 25% had already participated in ACOs during 2012. Urban hospitals are more likely than rural hospitals to be engaged in ACO development. The health provider network size is one of the strongest indicators in predicting pro-ACO orientation. PMID:25374609

  2. Development of a SEM-based low-energy in-line electron holography microscope for individual particle imaging.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Adaniya, Hidehito; Cheung, Martin; Cassidy, Cathal; Yamashita, Masao; Shintake, Tsumoru

    2018-05-01

    A new SEM-based in-line electron holography microscope has been under development. The microscope utilizes conventional SEM and BF-STEM functionality to allow for rapid searching of the specimen of interest, seamless interchange between SEM, BF-STEM and holographic imaging modes, and makes use of coherent low-energy in-line electron holography to obtain low-dose, high-contrast images of light element materials. We report here an overview of the instrumentation and first experimental results on gold nano-particles and carbon nano-fibers for system performance tests. Reconstructed images obtained from the holographic imaging mode of the new microscope show substantial image contrast and resolution compared to those acquired by SEM and BF-STEM modes, demonstrating the feasibility of high-contrast imaging via low-energy in-line electron holography. The prospect of utilizing the new microscope to image purified biological specimens at the individual particle level is discussed and electron optical issues and challenges to further improve resolution and contrast are considered. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  3. Medicare Accountable Care Organizations of Diverse Structures Achieve Comparable Quality and Cost Performance.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Comfort, Leeann N; Shortell, Stephen M; Rodriguez, Hector P; Colla, Carrie H

    2018-01-31

    To examine whether an empirically derived taxonomy of Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) is associated with quality and spending performance among patients of ACOs in the Medicare Shared Savings Program (MSSP). Three waves of the National Survey of ACOs and corresponding publicly available Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services performance data for NSACO respondents participating in the MSSP (N = 204); SK&A Office Based Physicians Database from QuintilesIMS. We compare the performance of three ACO types (physician-led, integrated, and hybrid) for three domains: quality, spending, and likelihood of achieving savings. Sources of performance variation within and between ACO types are compared for each performance measure. There is greater heterogeneity within ACO types than between ACO types. There were no consistent differences in quality by ACO type, nor were there differences in likelihood of achieving savings or overall spending per-person-year. There was evidence for higher spending on physician services for physician-led ACOs. ACOs of diverse structures perform comparably on core MSSP quality and spending measures. CMS should maintain its flexibility and continue to support participation of diverse ACOs. Future research to identify modifiable organizational factors that account for performance variation within ACO types may provide insight as to how best to improve ACO performance based on organizational structure and ownership. © Health Research and Educational Trust.

  4. DESIGN AND OPTIMIZATION OF PERMANENT MAGNET SYNCHRONOUS GENERATOR FOR USE IN HYDRODYNAMIC RENEWABLE ENERGY BY APPLYING ACO AND FEA

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Amir Nikbakhsh

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available One of the most important ways to reduce fossil fuel consumption and consequently reduce greenhouse gases and environmental pollution is the use of renewable energies such as water, sun, wind, etc. One of the most efficient ways to take advantages of the shallow flowing waters such as rivers and fountains in electrical power generation is the use of hydrodynamic screw in the direction of water flow. The design of the generator for this application results in environmental dangers decrease. On the other hand, it provides some part of electrical energy required for human beings. Generators in hydrodynamic renewable energy system ought to have features such as high efficiency, power density and reliability as well as low volume. Among various generators, the permanent magnet synchronous generator (PMSG meets these requirements very well. In this paper, first, analytical calculations and the design process of PMSG were explained. Then, the ant colony optimization (ACO was used for the optimization of design quantities. PMSG design optimization increased in efficiency and decreased in volume. By improving these two parameters in the designed PMSG, it gets very suitable to be used in hydrodynamic renewable energy system. Finally, the results of the optimized design of PMSG were validated through simulation of it in Maxwell software and applying finite element analysis (FEA. Also the final results have been compared to similar experimental researches results.

  5. Dimensional verification of high aspect micro structures using FIB-SEM

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Zhang, Yang; Hansen, Hans Nørgaard

    2013-01-01

    -SEM) assisted by Spip®. The micro features are circular holes 10μm in diameter and 20μm deep, with a 20μm pitch. Various inspection methods were attempted to obtain dimensional information. Due to the dimension, neither optical instrument nor atomic force microscope (AFM) was capable to perform the measurement...

  6. Observation of interactions between hydrophilic ionic liquid and water on wet agar gels by FE-SEM and its mechanism

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Takahashi, Chisato; Shirai, Takashi; Fuji, Masayoshi

    2012-01-01

    Highlights: ► The mechanism of SEM observation of agar gel using ionic liquid was investigated. ► Weak hydrogen bond between ionic liquid and water exist even under vacuum condition. ► Ionic liquid binding ability with water is useful for observing wet material using FE-SEM. ► We could optimize the water concentrations of sample of IL and wet material mixtures. ► SEM observation of fine morphology of agar gel in optimum water content. - Abstract: In the present study, an attempt is made to understand the mechanism of field emission electron microscopy (FE-SEM) observation of wet agar gel using a typical hydrophilic ionic liquid (IL) 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate; [BMIM][BF 4 ]. The IL interaction with water molecules within agar gel during sample preparation condition for FE-SEM observation was investigated using Raman spectroscopy. Results showed that water molecules within agar gel form weak hydrogen bond such as BF 4 − ⋯HOH⋯BF 4 − by interaction with BF 4 − of IL, and, it remained stable even under vacuum condition at 60 °C, 24 h. This interaction was found to be helpful for IL displacement of the water molecules within agar gel. From this study, it was found that the exact morphology of gel materials in FE-SEM condition can be observed by optimization of water concentrations of IL and gel mixtures. Thus, using IL, agar gel or any other material under wet condition can be observed without drying in FE-SEM chamber, and, present result gives an insight to the mechanism of FE-SEM observation of agar gel using IL without any conducting coating.

  7. Estructura social y semántica: la lógica de una distinción sistémica

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rudolf Stichweh

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available El presente trabajo aborda de manera crítica la relación teórica entre estructura social y semántica, de modo de avanzar en una comprensión fructífera para las investigaciones. Se describen y analizan las diferentes concepciones de semántica y las relacion es de ésta con las estructuras sociales. Junto con lo anterior, se cuestiona la propuesta de una posible correlación entre ambos conceptos y se propone, en su lugar, una aproximación más cercana a la teoría de sistemas y la teoría de la evolución. El traba jo concluye con una propuesta para la distinción entre estructura social y semántica, en la cual se destaca la posibilidad que la sociedad describa sus estructuras posibles mediante su propia semántica. Este enfoque haría posible un a comprensión de la semá ntica en un sentido an ticipativo, reconstructivo y constitutivo respecto de las estructuras sociales.

  8. XRD and SEM analysis of hydroxyapatite during immersion in stimulated physiological solutions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yusof Abdullah; Idris Besar; Rosmamuhamadani Ramli; Abd Razak Daud

    2000-01-01

    XRD and SEM techniques were used to analyse the apatite layer developed on the synthetic hydroxyapatite surface following immersion in the simulated body fluid (SBF) that mimics the conditions of material experiences after implantation in the human body. Initially, the new layers formed after 7 day's incubation and increased with immersion time as crystallization of apatite phase. The XRD confirmed that the deposited layer was hydroxyapatite and crystallographically. With time, the crystal growth become more random and the intensity of the peaks decreased. During immersion, hydroxyapatite was precipitated from the SBF and coherently scattered with very small crystal. The SEM observation shows that the new precipitates were increased as well as incubation period increased. Therefore, hydroxyapatite ceramics are suggested to have very good biocompatibility. (Author)

  9. SEM Characterization of Extinguished Grains from Plasma-Ignited M30 Charges

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kinkennon, A.; Birk, A.; DelGuercio, M.; Kaste, P.; Lieb, R.; Newberry, J.; Pesce-Rodriguez, R.; Schroeder, M.

    2000-01-01

    M30 propellant grains that had been ignited in interrupted closed bomb experiments were characterize by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Previous chemical analysis of extinguished grains had given no indications of plasma-propellant chemical interactions that could explain the increased burning rates that had been previously observed in full-pressure closed bomb experiments. (This does not mean that there is no unique chemistry occurring with plasma ignition. It may occur very early in the ignition event and then become obscured by the burning chemistry.) In this work, SEM was used to look at grain morphologies to determine if there were increases in the surface areas of the plasma-ignited grains which would contribute to the apparent increase in the burning rate. Charges were made using 30 propellant grains (approximately 32 grams) stacked in two tiers and in two concentric circles around a plastic straw. Each grain was notched so that, when the grains were expelled from the bomb during extinguishment, it could be determined in which tier and which circle each grain was originally packed. Charges were ignited in a closed bomb by either a nickel wire/Mylar-capillary plasma or black powder. The bomb contained a blowout disk that ruptured when the pressure reached 35 MPa, and the propellant was vented into a collection chamber packed with polyurethane foam. SEM analysis of the grains fired with a conventional black powder igniter showed no signs of unusual burning characteristics. The surfaces seemed to be evenly burned on the exteriors of the grains and in the perforations. Grains that had been subjected to plasma ignition, however, had pits, gouges, chasms, and cracks in the surfaces. The sides of the grains closest to the plasma had the greatest amount of damage, but even surfaces facing the outer wall of the bomb had small pits. The perforations contained gouges and abnormally burned regions (wormholes) that extended into the web. The SEM photos indicated that

  10. SEM and AFM studies of dip-coated CuO nanofilms.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dhanasekaran, V; Mahalingam, T; Ganesan, V

    2013-01-01

    Cupric oxide (CuO) semiconducting thin films were prepared at various copper sulfate concentrations by dip coating. The copper sulfate concentration was varied to yield films of thicknesses in the range of 445-685 nm by surface profilometer. X-ray diffraction patterns revealed that the deposited films were polycrystalline in nature with monoclinic structure of (-111) plane. The surface morphology and topography of monoclinic-phase CuO thin films were examined using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM), respectively. Surface roughness profile was plotted using WSxM software and the estimated surface roughness was about ∼19.4 nm at 30 mM molar concentration. The nanosheets shaped grains were observed by SEM and AFM studies. The stoichiometric compound formation was observed at 30 mM copper sulfate concentration prepared film by EDX. The indirect band gap energy of CuO films was increased from 1.08 to 1.20 eV with the increase of copper sulfate concentrations. Copyright © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  11. Transplante cardíaco ortotópico pela técnica bicaval

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    CHACCUR Paulo

    1997-01-01

    Full Text Available Há trinta anos tem sido empregada a técnica descrita por Lower e Shumway para o transplante cardíaco ortotópico, com bons resultados. Complicações, como estase venosa, formação de trombos, arritmias atriais e insuficiência das valvas tricúspide e mitral, estão presentes no pós-operatório tardio. A partir de 1995, passamos a utilizar a técnica bicaval em todos os casos (6 pacientes. Cinco eram do sexo masculino e a média de idades dos receptores era de 50,6 anos. A cardiomiopatia era dilatada e isquêmica em 2 casos cada, e chagásica e reumática nos demais. Três pacientes apresentavam operações prévias, sendo que um deles havia sido submetido a três operações de prótese valvar aórtica, o segundo a implante de marcapasso epimiocárdico definitivo, e o último a duas operações de revascularização do miocárdio associada a aneurismectomia de ventrículo esquerdo. A técnica cirúrgica consistiu, na maioria dos casos, na anastomose das veias pulmonares, em conjunto com o átrio esquerdo do coração a ser implantado e, a seguir, a da cava superior, inferior, do tronco pulmonar e aorta. Todos os doadores estavam em hospitais da cidade e com retirada múltipla de órgãos. Não tivemos óbito hospitalar e todos os pacientes estão vivos para um período de um a quinze meses de pós-operatório. Não houve diferença significativa quando se comparou as duas técnicas para o tempo de anóxia, tempo de C E C, tempo de implante, presença de taquiarritmias atriais, sangramento e permanência hospitalar. Houve diferença significativa (p<0,05 para a utilização de marcapasso temporário e presença de insuficiência tricúspide. Acreditamos que a técnica bicaval, além de reduzir o tamanho das cavidades atriais, é uma técnica simples, com índice menor de complicações e que poderá ser empregada com mais freqüência.

  12. Cloning and sequence of cDNA encoding 1-aminocyclo- propane-1-carboxylate oxidase in Vanda flowers

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Pattana Srifah Huehne

    2013-08-01

    Full Text Available The 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate oxidase (ACO gene in the final step of ethylene biosynthesis was isolated from ethylene-sensitive Vanda Miss Joaquim flowers. This consists of 1,242 base pairs (bp encoding for 326 amino acid residues. To investigate the specific divergence in orchid ACO sequences, the deduced Vanda ACO was aligned with five other orchid ACOs. The results reveal that the ACO sequences within Doritaenopsis, Phalaenopsis and Vanda show highly conserved and almost 95% identical homology, while the ACOs isolated from Cymbidium, Dendrobium and Cattleya are 8788% identical to Vanda ACO. In addition, the 2-oxoglutarate- Fe(II_oxygenase (Oxy domain of orchid ACOs consists of a higher degree of amino acid conservation than that of the non-haem dioxygenase (DIOX_N domain. The overall homology regions of Vanda ACO are commonly folded into 12 α-helices and 12 β-sheets similar to the three dimensional template-structure of Petunia ACO. This Vanda ACO cloned gene is highly expressed in flower tissue compared with root and leaf tissues. In particular, there is an abundance of ACO transcript accumulation in the column followed by the lip and the perianth of Vanda Miss Joaquim flowers at the fully-open stage.

  13. Nanomanufacturing concerns about measurements made in the SEM Part III: vibration and drift

    Science.gov (United States)

    Postek, Michael T.; Vladár, András. E.; Cizmar, Petr

    2014-08-01

    Many advanced manufacturing processes employ scanning electron microscopes (SEM) for on-line critical measurements for process and quality control. This is the third of a series of papers discussing various causes of measurement uncertainty in scanned particle beam instruments, and some of the solutions researched and developed at NIST. Scanned particle beam instruments especially the scanning electron microscope have gone through tremendous evolution to become indispensable tools for many and diverse scientifi c and industrial applications. These improvements have signifi cantly enhanced their performance and made them far easier to operate. But, ease of operation has also fostered operator complacency. In addition, the user-friendliness has reduced the need for extensive operator training. Unfortunately, this has led to the concept that the SEM is just another expensive digital camera or another peripheral device connected to a computer and that all of the issues related to obtaining quality data have been solved. Hence, a person (or company) using these instruments may be lulled into thinking that all of the potential pitfalls have been fully eliminated and they believe everything they see on the micrograph is always correct. But, as described in this and the earlier presentations this may not be the case. The fi rst paper in this series discussed some of the issues related to signal generation in the SEM, including instrument calibration, electron beam-sample interactions and the need for physics-based modelling to understand the actual image formation mechanisms to properly interpret SEM images. The second paper, discussed another major issue confronting the microscopist: specimen contamination and methods of contamination elimination. This third paper, discusses vibration and drift and some useful solutions.

  14. Extracção de relações semânticas. Recursos, ferramentas e estratégias

    OpenAIRE

    García González, Marcos

    2015-01-01

    A extracção de relações, enquadrada dentro das tarefas de extracção de informação, visa obter automaticamente exemplos de relações semânticas presentes em textos. Esta informação pode ser posteriormente organizada em formatos legíveis por computadores, sendo útil para diversas aplicações que necessitem conhecimento semântico estruturado. A presente tese avalia diferentes estratégias para a extracção automática de relações semânticas de textos em português, espanhol e galego. Co...

  15. Sem-edx and ftir studies of chlorinated rubber coating

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bano, H.; Khan, M.I.

    2013-01-01

    Summary: Anticorrosive performance of chlorinated rubber coating has been investigated by visual examination, Scanning electron microscopy (SEM)/Energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) analysis and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. After surface preparation, commercially available coating system based on chlorinated rubber (primer)/chlorinated rubber (topcoat) formulation was applied on mild steel test panels (10cm x 15cm sizes). Prepared coated panels were exposed at marine, industrial and urban test sites located in Karachi, Pakistan according to ISO 8565 norm. Accelerated testing was performed by using a salt spray chamber (ASTM B117 norm). Accelerated weathering methods are the methods in which the factors responsible for the degradation of coatings are artificially intensified in order to achieve the rapid degradation of coatings. Visual examination of blistering and rusting as well as SEM micrographs indicated a more severe degradation of the coating surface characteristics at natural exposure testing sites (particularly at marine test site) than for accelerated (salt spray) testing. EDX determination of the Oxygen/Carbon (O/C) ratios also indicated increased degradation at natural test sites compared to the accelerated (salt spray) testing. Photooxidation of the binder results in the formation of carbonyl compounds as revealed by FTIR spectroscopy which also indicated dehydrochlorination. (author)

  16. A hybrid 3D SEM reconstruction method optimized for complex geologic material surfaces.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yan, Shang; Adegbule, Aderonke; Kibbey, Tohren C G

    2017-08-01

    Reconstruction methods are widely used to extract three-dimensional information from scanning electron microscope (SEM) images. This paper presents a new hybrid reconstruction method that combines stereoscopic reconstruction with shape-from-shading calculations to generate highly-detailed elevation maps from SEM image pairs. The method makes use of an imaged glass sphere to determine the quantitative relationship between observed intensity and angles between the beam and surface normal, and the detector and surface normal. Two specific equations are derived to make use of image intensity information in creating the final elevation map. The equations are used together, one making use of intensities in the two images, the other making use of intensities within a single image. The method is specifically designed for SEM images captured with a single secondary electron detector, and is optimized to capture maximum detail from complex natural surfaces. The method is illustrated with a complex structured abrasive material, and a rough natural sand grain. Results show that the method is capable of capturing details such as angular surface features, varying surface roughness, and surface striations. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  17. In-situ SEM electrochemistry and radiolysis

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Møller-Nilsen, Rolf Erling Robberstad; Norby, Poul

    are backscattered and an image is reconstructed by the microscope. But the high energy electrons are a form of ionising radiation which can significantly affect the chemistry in liquid experiments. Ionising radiation can split water, produce radicals, reduce dissolved metal ions to metal particles, and more...... experiments. During the course of these studies it has also been possible to improve on the EC-SEM system. This has resulted in pyrolysed carbon electrodes, which offer the benefit of stability at 0.75 V higher potentials than traditional gold thin-film electrodes. With the quantitative insight...... microelectrodes on the windows to enable studies of electrohcemical processes. In this way it is possible to perform in-situ electrochemical experiments such as electroplating and charge and discharge analysis of battery electrodes. In a typical liquid cell, electrons are accelerated to sufficiently high energies...

  18. Specimen's plane misaligned installation solution based on charge fluctuation inside SEM

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lu, Haojian; Liu, Yanting; Yang, Yuanyuan; Wang, Panbing; Shen, Yajing

    2018-04-01

    Precise specimen's installation is a sticking point to ensure the characterization accuracy of the in-situ material property test. Although it is common knowledge that specimen's plane misaligned installation (PMI) would cause extra force loading during mechanical testing, there are few effective solutions available to deal with it at the current stage, especially during the in-situ scanning electron microscopy (SEM) test. Taking into consideration the charge fluctuation phenomenon under SEM, this paper proposes a highlight area variation (HAV) method for specimen deformation judgment, i.e., the specimen deformation is defined when the highlight area changes greater than 20% of the initial value of the specimen surface. Three types of specimens with different resistivities, i.e., human hair (electrical resistivity ˜3 × 1012 Ω cm), optical fiber (electrical resistivity ˜1017 Ω cm), and magnetic wire (electrical resistivity ˜2 × 10-5 Ω cm), are chosen to verify the effectiveness of the HAV method. Furthermore, combined with the developed robot-aided alignment system, the specimen's PMI problem can also be solved. In the demonstration, the human hair specimen is installed across two specimen stages and its in-situ twisting (in 360°) test is implemented. The results clearly indicate that the HAV method and the robot-aided alignment system are practical and reliable, and the specimen can be aligned on the same plane and installed precisely with accuracy up to 3 μm. This method will benefit the in-situ SEM material mechanical property test and has a significant impact in fundamental material research.

  19. SEM analysis of ionizing radiation effects in linear integrated circuits. [Scanning Electron Microscope

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stanley, A. G.; Gauthier, M. K.

    1977-01-01

    A successful diagnostic technique was developed using a scanning electron microscope (SEM) as a precision tool to determine ionization effects in integrated circuits. Previous SEM methods radiated the entire semiconductor chip or major areas. The large area exposure methods do not reveal the exact components which are sensitive to radiation. To locate these sensitive components a new method was developed, which consisted in successively irradiating selected components on the device chip with equal doses of electrons /10 to the 6th rad (Si)/, while the whole device was subjected to representative bias conditions. A suitable device parameter was measured in situ after each successive irradiation with the beam off.

  20. SEM-EDX IDENTIFICATION OF PARTICLES FROM FOG IN AN INDUSTRIALLY POLLUTED REGION OF CZECH REPUBLIC

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Stoyanova, V.; Shoumkova, A.; Fišák, Jaroslav; Tsacheva, Ts.

    Vol. II - BUA32, č. 1 (2010), s. 269-276 ISSN 1314-2704. [International Multidisciplinary Scientific GeoConference SGEM 2010 /10./. Albena, 20.06.2010-26.06.2010] Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z30420517 Keywords : SEM-EDX * solid atmospheric pollutants * trace elements * heavy metals * Czech Republic Subject RIV: DG - Athmosphere Sciences, Meteorology http://www.ipc.bas.bg/PPages/Shoumkova/Publications/Articles/2010%20SEM-EDX%20identification%20of%20FP.pdf

  1. Cultivo sem solo do morangueiro Strawberry soilless cultivation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gustavo Giménez

    2008-02-01

    Full Text Available O morangueiro é uma cultura importante em vários países, principalmente nos Estados Unidos e na Europa, por suas características sensoriais, propriedades nutritivas e por sua rentabilidade. O cultivo comercial sem solo de morangueiro está bem desenvolvido na Europa, onde tem permitido um aumento da produtividade e qualidade da produção assim como a ampliação da oferta do produto ao longo do ano. Predomina o sistema aberto, em sacolas ou vasos com diferentes tipos de substratos, utilizando-se densidades de 8 a 12plantas m-2. As produtividades obtidas estão entre 5 e 10kg m-2. Para isolar as plantas do solo e facilitar o manejo da cultura, os vasos ou sacolas são suspensos a uma altura entre 0,8 e 1m da superfície do solo. A composição da solução nutritiva é variável, refletindo as diferentes condições produtivas. As mudas são produzidas principalmente em bandejas com substrato, a partir de pontas de estolões obtidas da multiplicação de plantas matrizes provenientes da propagação in vitro. No Brasil, o cultivo sem solo de morangueiro é ainda incipiente e os resultados produtivos e econômicos têm sido insatisfatórios, principalmente por falta de informações de pesquisas capazes de indicar sistemas apropriados de cultivo para as condições locais. É necessário desenvolver sistemas sustentáveis, preferencialmente fechados, combinando alta produtividade e elevada eficiência de utilização da água e dos nutrientes. No presente trabalho, são revisados os principais aspectos da produção em sistemas de cultivo sem solo de mudas e fruta de morangueiro. São descritos a produção de mudas, os sistemas e as soluções nutritivas empregadas em diferentes países. Ao final, são feitas inferências sobre a possibilidade de adoção e geração do sistema de cultivo sem solo apropriado para as condições brasileiras.Strawberry is a very important crop in Europe and USA due to its nutritional and sensorial

  2. Captura de enxames de abelhas sem ferrão (Hymenoptera, Apidae, Meliponinae sem destruição de árvores Capturing stingless bee nests (Hymenoptera, Apidae, Meliponinae without destroying the trees

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alexandre Coletto-Silva

    2005-09-01

    Full Text Available No Brasil a criação racional de abelhas sem ferrão é denominada meliponicultura. As abelhas sem ferrão possuem diferentes comportamentos de nidificação, com ninhos internos (cavidades naturais ou não e externos. Um dos principais problemas apresentados na meliponicultura é a captura de uma colônia com o objetivo de iniciar um meliponário sem "destruir as árvores" ou mesmo as próprias colônias durante a captura. O presente trabalho apresenta um método alternativo para captura de colônias de abelhas sem ferrão, especialmente, do gênero Melipona Illiger, 1806, que são as espécies mais utilizadas para produção de mel e pólen, na região Amazônica. O método consiste em abrir uma janela na árvore, coletar o material e fechar a abertura utilizando a resina vegetal conhecida como breu.Meliponiculture is the name for stingless beekeeping in Brazil. Stingless bees have different nest behaviors showing external and internal nests (natural cavities or not. One of the main problems of meliponiculture is the capture of a colony in order to begin a meliponary without destroying trees or the colonies during the capture. A new alternative method for the capture of stingless bee colonies is presented for the genus Melipona Illiger, 1806, which are the species mostly used for producing honey and pollen. The method is to open the tree, collect the colony, and then close the tree with natural resins known as "breu".

  3. Validação de conteúdo das atuais e de novas características definidoras do diagnóstico de enfermagem débito cardíaco diminuído Validación de contenido de las actuales y nuevas características que definen el diagnostico de enfermería: disminución del gasto cardíaco Content validation of current and new defining characteristics of the nursing diagnosis: decreased cardiac output

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Juliana de Lima Lopes

    2010-01-01

    Full Text Available OBJETIVO: Validar o conteúdo das características definidoras, tanto aquelas atualmente aprovadas como as identificadas por meio de revisão de literatura, para o diagnóstico de enfermagem Débito Cardíaco Diminuído. MÉTODOS: Trata-se de um estudo de validação de conteúdo utilizando o modelo proposto por Fehring. As características definidoras foram validadas por 18 peritos (oito enfermeiros e dez médicos, usando uma escala do tipo Likert de cinco pontos e seguindo a classificação: escore maior do que 0,80 foram consideradas como as características principais, as com peso entre 0,50 a 0,79 como secundárias e as com média menor ou igual a 0,50, como irrelevantes. RESULTADOS: Dentre as 79 características definidoras investigadas, 38 (48,1% foram validadas, dentre elas, 17 presentes na NANDA-I e, 41 (51,9% foram consideradas como irrelevantes para este diagnóstico, sendo que oito estão listadas na NANDA-I. CONCLUSÃO: As características definidoras listadas atualmente na classificação da Taxonomia da NANDA-I não abrangem completamente o diagnóstico de enfermagem débito cardíaco diminuído.OBJETIVO: Validar el contenido de las características definidoras, tanto de las actualmente aprobadas como las identificadas por medio de una revisión de la literatura, para el diagnóstico de enfermería: disminución del gasto cardíaco. MÉTODOS: Se trata de un estudio de validación de contenido utilizando el modelo propuesto por Fehring. Las características definidoras fueron validadas por 18 expertos (ocho enfermeros y diez médicos, usando una escala de tipo Likert de cinco puntos y siguiendo la siguiente clasificación: las con puntaje mayor que 0,80 fueron consideradas como características principales; las con peso entre 0,50 y 0,79 como secundarias; y, las con promedio menor o igual a 0,50, como irrelevantes. RESULTADOS: Entre las 79 características definidoras investigadas, 38 (48,1% fueron validadas, entre ellas, 17 se

  4. Separating topographical and chemical analysis of nanostructure of polymer composite in low voltage SEM

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wan, Q; Plenderleith, R A; Claeyssens, F; Rodenburg, C; Dapor, M; Rimmer, S

    2015-01-01

    The possibility of separating the topographical and chemical information in a polymer nano-composite using low-voltage SEM imaging is demonstrated, when images are acquired with a Concentric Backscattered (CBS) detector. This separation of chemical and topographical information is based on the different angular distribution of electron scattering which were calculated using a Monte Carlo simulation. The simulation based on angular restricted detection was applied to a semi-branched PNIPAM/PEGDA interpenetration network for which a linear relationship of topography SEM contrast and feature height data was observed. (paper)

  5. Reprodutibilidade do teste de caminhada de 6 minutos e marcadores autonômicos cardíacos em idosas ativas e sedentárias

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    André Igor Fonteles

    2016-07-01

    Full Text Available DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5007/1980-0037.2016v18n3p287   Objetivou-se verificar a reprodutibilidade do teste de caminhada de 6 minutos (TC6 e de marcadores autonômicos cardíacos pós-esforço em idosas fisicamente ativas e sedentárias. Dezoito idosas ativas (64,2 ± 3,1 anos; 63,0 ± 2,7 kg; 1,52 ± 0,06 m; 26,9 ± 2,7 kg.m-2 praticantes de Tai Chi Chuan (≥6 meses de prática e 18 idosas sedentárias (64,0 ± 3,7 anos; 63,8 ± 8,9 kg; 1,49 ± 0,05 m; 28,4 ± 3,5 kg.m-2 foram submetidas a dois TC6 com uma semana de intervalo. Foram medidas a frequência cardíaca de recuperação (FCR de um e dois minutos (FCR1’ e FCR2’, respectivamente e variabilidade da frequência cardíaca (VFC pós-esforço. A reprodutibilidade foi verificada pelos: coeficiente de correlação intraclasse (CCI com 95% de intervalo de confiança; análise de concordância de Bland-Altman; e coeficiente de variação (CV. O desempenho no TC6 (528,8±71,4 m e 473,2±62,4 m; CV=7,9% e CV=8,5% apresentou alta reprodutibilidade (CCI=0,86 em idosas ativas e sedentárias, respectivamente. Similarmente, as medidas pós-esforço da FCR1’ (29,0±11,0 bpm e 17,0±8,0 bpm; CV=30,1% e CV=40,2% e FCR2’ (36,0±10,0 bpm e 24,0±9,0 bpm; CV=23,7% e CV=22,8% apresentaram alta reprodutibilidade (CCI≥0,84 e CCI≥0,80 em ambos os grupos. Quanto a VFC verificou-se reprodutibilidade moderada (CCI≥0,57; CV=35-47% em idosas ativas e moderada-alta nas sedentárias (CCI=0,65-0,76; CV=34-69%. Todas as variáveis apresentaram concordância em ambos os grupos. Conclui-se que o TC6, FCR e VFC pós-esforço são instrumentos reprodutíveis na avaliação da capacidade funcional e controle autonômico cardíaco em idosas ativas e sedentárias.

  6. The Economics of Medicare Accountable Care Organizations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Blackstone, Erwin A.; Fuhr, Joseph P.

    2016-01-01

    Background Accountable care organizations (ACOs) have been created to improve patient care, enhance population health, and reduce costs. Medicare in particular has focused on ACOs as a primary device to improve quality and reduce costs. Objective To examine whether the current Medicare ACOs are likely to be successful. Discussion Patients receiving care in ACOs have little incentive to use low-cost quality providers. Furthermore, the start-up costs of ACOs for providers are high, contributing to the minimal financial success of ACOs. We review issues such as reducing readmissions, palliative care, and the difficulty in coordinating care, which are major cost drivers. There are mixed incentives facing hospital-controlled ACOs, whereas physician-controlled ACOs could play hospitals against each other to obtain high quality and cost reductions. This discussion also considers whether the current structure of ACOs is likely to be successful. Conclusion The question remains whether Medicare ACOs can achieve the Triple Aim of “improving the experience of care, improving the health of populations, and reducing per capita costs of health care.” Care coordination in ACOs and information technology are proving more complicated and expensive to implement than anticipated. Even if ACOs can decrease healthcare costs and increase quality, it is unclear if the current incentives system can achieve these objectives. A better public policy may be to implement a system that encompasses the best practices of successful private integrated systems rather than promoting ACOs. PMID:27066191

  7. Ethical challenges for accountable care organizations: a structured review.

    Science.gov (United States)

    DeCamp, Matthew; Farber, Neil J; Torke, Alexia M; George, Maura; Berger, Zackary; Keirns, Carla C; Kaldjian, Lauris C

    2014-10-01

    Accountable care organizations (ACOs) are proliferating as a solution to the cost crisis in American health care, and already involve as many as 31 million patients. ACOs hold clinicians, group practices, and in many circumstances hospitals financially accountable for reducing expenditures and improving their patients' health outcomes. The structure of health care affects the ethical issues arising in the practice of medicine; therefore, like all health care organizational structures, ACOs will experience ethical challenges. No framework exists to assist key ACO stakeholders in identifying or managing these challenges. We conducted a structured review of the medical ACO literature using qualitative content analysis to inform identification of ethical challenges for ACOs. Our analysis found infrequent discussion of ethics as an explicit concern for ACOs. Nonetheless, we identified nine critical ethical challenges, often described in other terms, for ACO stakeholders. Leaders could face challenges regarding fair resource allocation (e.g., about fairly using ACOs' shared savings), protection of professionals' ethical obligations (especially related to the design of financial incentives), and development of fair decision processes (e.g., ensuring that beneficiary representatives on the ACO board truly represent the ACO's patients). Clinicians could perceive threats to their professional autonomy (e.g., through cost control measures), a sense of dual or conflicted responsibility to their patients and the ACO, or competition with other clinicians. For patients, critical ethical challenges will include protecting their autonomy, ensuring privacy and confidentiality, and effectively engaging them with the ACO. ACOs are not inherently more or less "ethical" than other health care payment models, such as fee-for-service or pure capitation. ACOs' nascent development and flexibility in design, however, present a time-sensitive opportunity to ensure their ethical operation

  8. Macromolecular 3D SEM reconstruction strategies: Signal to noise ratio and resolution

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Woodward, J.D.; Wepf, R.A.

    2014-01-01

    Three-dimensional scanning electron microscopy generates quantitative volumetric structural data from SEM images of macromolecules. This technique provides a quick and easy way to define the quaternary structure and handedness of protein complexes. Here, we apply a variety of preparation and imaging methods to filamentous actin in order to explore the relationship between resolution, signal-to-noise ratio, structural preservation and dataset size. This information can be used to define successful imaging strategies for different applications. - Highlights: • F-actin SEM datasets were collected using 8 different preparation/ imaging techniques. • Datasets were reconstructed by back projection and compared/analyzed • 3DSEM actin reconstructions can be produced with <100 views of the asymmetric unit. • Negatively stained macromolecules can be reconstructed by 3DSEM to ∼3 nm resolution

  9. The Role of Sexually Explicit Material (SEM) in the Sexual Development of Black Young Same-Sex-Attracted Men

    Science.gov (United States)

    Morgan, Anthony; Ogunbajo, Adedotun; Trent, Maria; Harper, Gary W.; Fortenberry, J. Dennis

    2015-01-01

    Sexually explicit material (SEM) (including Internet, video, and print) may play a key role in the lives of Black same-sex sexually active youth by providing the only information to learn about sexual development. There is limited school-and/or family-based sex education to serve as models for sexual behaviors for Black youth. We describe the role SEM plays in the sexual development of a sample of Black same-sex attracted (SSA) young adolescent men ages 15–19. Adolescents recruited from clinics, social networking sites, and through snowball sampling were invited to participate in a 90-min, semi-structured qualitative interview. Most participants described using SEM prior to their first same-sex sexual experience. Participants described using SEM primarily for sexual development, including learning about sexual organs and function, the mechanics of same-gender sex, and to negotiate one’s sexual identity. Secondary functions were to determine readiness for sex; to learn about sexual performance, including understanding sexual roles and responsibilities (e.g., “top” or “bottom”); to introduce sexual performance scripts; and to develop models for how sex should feel (e.g., pleasure and pain). Youth also described engaging in sexual behaviors (including condom non-use and/or swallowing ejaculate) that were modeled on SEM. Comprehensive sexuality education programs should be designed to address the unmet needs of young, Black SSA young men, with explicit focus on sexual roles and behaviors that may be inaccurately portrayed and/or involve sexual risk-taking (such as unprotected anal intercourse and swallowing ejaculate) in SEM. This work also calls for development of Internet-based HIV/STI prevention strategies targeting young Black SSA men who maybe accessing SEM. PMID:25677334

  10. HUMAN CAPSULE EPITHELIAL-CELL DEGENERATION A LM, SEM AND TEM INVESTIGATION

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    JONGEBLOED, WL; KALICHARAN, D; WORST, JGF

    1993-01-01

    The degeneration of the capsule epithelium of cataractous lenses has been studied with LM, SEM on TEM with emphases on TEM. The observed degeneration of the epithelial cells can be described as follows: The cell nucleus becomes picnotic and desintegrates as result of change of the chromatin.

  11. Evaluating the Use of Synthetic Replicas for SEM Identification of Bloodstains (with Emphasis on Archaeological and Ethnographic Artifacts).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hortolà, Policarp

    2015-12-01

    Some archaeological or ethnographic specimens are unavailable for direct examination using a scanning electron microscope (SEM) due to methodological obstacles or legal issues. In order to assess the feasibility of using SEM synthetic replicas for the identification of bloodstains (BSs) via morphology of red blood cells (RBCs), three fragments of different natural raw material (inorganic, stone; plant, wood; animal, shell) were smeared with peripheral human blood. Afterwards, molds and casts of the bloodstained areas were made using vinyl polysiloxane (VPS) silicone impression and polyurethane (PU) resin casting material, respectively. Then, the original samples and the resulting casts were coated with gold and examined in secondary-electron mode using a high-vacuum SEM. Results suggest that PU resin casts obtained from VPS silicone molds can preserve RBC morphology in BSs, and consequently that synthetic replicas are feasible for SEM identification of BSs on cultural heritage specimens made of natural raw materials. Although the focus of this study was on BSs, the method reported in this paper may be applicable to organic residues other than blood, as well as to the surface of other specimens when, for any reason, the original is unavailable for an SEM.

  12. Consenso brasileiro de monitorização e suporte hemodinâmico - parte III: métodos alternativos de monitorização do débito cardíaco e da volemia Brazilian consensus of monitoring and hemodynamic support - part III: alternative methods for cardiac output monitoring and volemia estimation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Guilherme Schettino

    2006-03-01

    Full Text Available JUSTIFICATIVA E OBJETIVOS: A interpretação do débito cardíaco e da pré-carga como números absolutos não traz grandes informações sobre a hemodinâmica do paciente crítico. Em contrapartida, a monitorização da resposta do débito cardíaco à expansão volêmica ou suporte inotrópico é uma ferramenta muito útil na unidade de terapia intensiva, quando o paciente apresenta algum sinal de má perfusão tecidual. Apesar do CAP ser considerado como " padrão-ouro" na avaliação destes parâmetros, foram desenvolvidas tecnologias alternativas bastante confiáveis para a sua monitorização. MÉTODO: O processo de desenvolvimento de recomendações utilizou o método Delphi modificado para criar e quantificar o consenso entre os participantes. A AMIB determinou um coordenador para o consenso, o qual escolheu seis especialistas para comporem o comitê consultivo. Outros 18 peritos de diferentes regiões do país foram selecionados para completar o painel de 25 especialistas, médicos e enfermeiros. Um levantamento bibliográfico na MEDLINE de artigos na língua inglesa foi realizado no período de 1966 a 2004. RESULTADOS: Foram apresentadas recomendações referentes à análise da variação da pressão arterial durante ventilação mecânica, débito cardíaco contínuo por contorno de pulso arterial, débito cardíaco por diluição do lítio, Doppler transesofágico, bioimpedância transtorácica, ecocardiografia e reinalação parcial de gás carbônico. CONCLUSÕES: As novas e menos invasivas técnicas para medida do débito cardíaco, pré-carga e fluidoresponsividade apresentam adequada precisão e podem ser uma alternativa ao uso do CAP em pacientes graves.BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Cardiac output and preload as absolute data do not offer helpful information about the hemodynamic of critically ill patients. However, monitoring the response of these variables to volume challenge or inotropic drugs is a very useful tool in the

  13. Evaluation of bone formation in calcium phosphate scaffolds with μCT-method validation using SEM.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lewin, S; Barba, A; Persson, C; Franch, J; Ginebra, M-P; Öhman-Mägi, C

    2017-10-05

    There is a plethora of calcium phosphate (CaP) scaffolds used as synthetic substitutes to bone grafts. The scaffold performance is often evaluated from the quantity of bone formed within or in direct contact with the scaffold. Micro-computed tomography (μCT) allows three-dimensional evaluation of bone formation inside scaffolds. However, the almost identical x-ray attenuation of CaP and bone obtrude the separation of these phases in μCT images. Commonly, segmentation of bone in μCT images is based on gray scale intensity, with manually determined global thresholds. However, image analysis methods, and methods for manual thresholding in particular, lack standardization and may consequently suffer from subjectivity. The aim of the present study was to provide a methodological framework for addressing these issues. Bone formation in two types of CaP scaffold architectures (foamed and robocast), obtained from a larger animal study (a 12 week canine animal model) was evaluated by μCT. In addition, cross-sectional scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images were acquired as references to determine thresholds and to validate the result. μCT datasets were registered to the corresponding SEM reference. Global thresholds were then determined by quantitatively correlating the different area fractions in the μCT image, towards the area fractions in the corresponding SEM image. For comparison, area fractions were also quantified using global thresholds determined manually by two different approaches. In the validation the manually determined thresholds resulted in large average errors in area fraction (up to 17%), whereas for the evaluation using SEM references, the errors were estimated to be less than 3%. Furthermore, it was found that basing the thresholds on one single SEM reference gave lower errors than determining them manually. This study provides an objective, robust and less error prone method to determine global thresholds for the evaluation of bone formation in

  14. In-SEM Raman microspectroscopy coupled with EDX - a case study of uranium reference particles

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Stefaniak, Elzbieta A.; Pointurier, Fabien; Marie, Olivier; Truyens, Jan; Aregbe, Yetunde

    2014-01-01

    Information about the molecular composition of airborne uranium-bearing particles may be useful as an additional tool for nuclear safeguards. In order to combine the detection of micrometer-sized particles with the analysis of their molecular forms, we used a hybrid system enabling Raman microanalysis in high vacuum inside a SEM chamber (SEM-SCA system). The first step involved an automatic scan of a sample to detect and save coordinates of uranium particles, along with X-ray microanalysis. In the second phase, the detected particles were relocated in a white light image and subjected to Raman microanalysis. The consecutive measurements by the two beams showed exceptional fragility of uranium particles, leading to their ultimate damage and change of uranium oxidation state. We used uranium reference particles prepared by hydrolysis of uranium hexafluoride to test the reliability of the Raman measurements inside the high vacuum. The results achieved by the hybrid system were verified by using a standalone Raman micro spectrometer. When deposited on exceptionally smooth substrates, uranyl fluoride particles smaller than 1000 nm could successfully be analyzed with the SEM-SCA system. (authors)

  15. Surgery on spinal epidural metastases (SEM) in renal cell carcinoma: a plea for a new paradigm.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bakker, Nicolaas A; Coppes, Maarten H; Vergeer, Rob A; Kuijlen, Jos M A; Groen, Rob J M

    2014-09-01

    Prediction models for outcome of decompressive surgical resection of spinal epidural metastases (SEM) have in common that they have been developed for all types of SEM, irrespective of the type of primary tumor. It is our experience in clinical practice, however, that these models often fail to accurately predict outcome in the individual patient. To investigate whether decision making could be optimized by applying tumor-specific prediction models. For the proof of concept, we analyzed patients with SEM from renal cell carcinoma that we have operated on. Retrospective chart analysis 2006 to 2012. Twenty-one consecutive patients with symptomatic SEM of renal cell carcinoma. Predictive factors for survival. Next to established predictive factors for survival, we analyzed the predictive value of the Motzer criteria in these patients. The Motzer criteria comprise a specific and validated risk model for survival in patients with renal cell carcinoma. After multivariable analysis, only Motzer intermediate (hazard ratio [HR] 17.4, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.82-166, p=.01) and high risk (HR 39.3, 95% CI 3.10-499, p=.005) turned out to be significantly associated with survival in patients with renal cell carcinoma that we have operated on. In this study, we have demonstrated that decision making could have been optimized by implementing the Motzer criteria next to established prediction models. We, therefore, suggest that in future, in patients with SEM from renal cell carcinoma, the Motzer criteria are also taken into account. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  16. Blocos semânticos: o movimento argumentativo na construção do sentido no discurso

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ernani Cesar de FREITAS

    2008-07-01

    Full Text Available Este trabalho tem por objetivo sistematizar e aplicar conceitos da Semântica Argumentativa de Oswald Ducrot e Marion Carel, no que diz respeito ao modelo teórico dos Blocos Semânticos, de modo que dêem conta da construção do sentido de unidades mais complexas como o texto e o discurso. A tese concebida como norteadora deste estudo, seguindo a metodologia proposta por Ducrot (1987, pressupõe que o texto é um bloco semântico inscrito no nível teórico da produção e realizado pelo encadeamento argumentativo complexo que é o discurso, orientado argumentativamente pelo uso de conectores tipo DC e/ ou PT. As análises discursivas realizadas, neste trabalho, demonstram que os encadeamentos dos enunciados estão bem marcados pelos conectores donc e pourtant que dão sentido ao discurso complexo, pelas conexões semânticas produzidas em suas AI e AE. Esse movimento argumentativo resulta da interdependência dos segmentos argumentativos, dos encadeamentos e por conseqüência dos blocos semânticos, todos interconectados e interdependentes nas relações de sentido que estabelecem entre si, processo que culmina na realização linguística de nível complexo constituído pelo texto, entidade abstrata subjacente aos discursos realizados, e pelo discurso, como seqüência de enunciados interligados, por isso, também entendido como entidade concreta, ou seja, a manifestação e realização do texto.

  17. Blocos semânticos: o movimento argumentativo na construção do sentido no discurso

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ernani Cesar de FREITAS

    2013-10-01

    Full Text Available Este trabalho tem por objetivo sistematizar e aplicar conceitos da Semântica Argumentativa de Oswald Ducrot e Marion Carel, no que diz respeito ao modelo teórico dos Blocos Semânticos, de modo que dêem conta da construção do sentido de unidades mais complexas como o texto e o discurso. A tese concebida como norteadora deste estudo, seguindo a metodologia proposta por Ducrot (1987, pressupõe que o texto é um bloco semântico inscrito no nível teórico da produção e realizado pelo encadeamento argumentativo complexo que é o discurso, orientado argumentativamente pelo uso de conectores tipo DC e/ ou PT. As análises discursivas realizadas, neste trabalho, demonstram que os encadeamentos dos enunciados estão bem marcados pelos conectores donc e pourtant que dão sentido ao discurso complexo, pelas conexões semânticas produzidas em suas AI e AE. Esse movimento argumentativo resulta da interdependência dos segmentos argumentativos, dos encadeamentos e por conseqüência dos blocos semânticos, todos interconectados e interdependentes nas relações de sentido que estabelecem entre si, processo que culmina na realização linguística de nível complexo constituído pelo texto, entidade abstrata subjacente aos discursos realizados, e pelo discurso, como seqüência de enunciados interligados, por isso, também entendido como entidade concreta, ou seja, a manifestação e realização do texto.

  18. A combined technique using SEM and TOPSIS for the commercialization capability of R&D project evaluation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Charttirot Karaveg

    2015-07-01

    Full Text Available There is a high risk of R&D based innovation being commercialized, especially in the innovation transfer process which is a concern to many entrepreneurs and researchers. The purpose of this research is to develop the criteria of R&D commercialization capability and to propose a combined technique of Structural Equation Modelling (SEM and Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS for R&D project evaluation. The research utilized a mixed-method approach. The first phase comprised a qualitative study on commercialization criteria development though the survey research of 272 successful entrepreneurs and researchers in all industrial sectors in Thailand. The data was collected with a structured questionnaire and analyzed by SEM. The second phase was involved with SEM-TOPSIS technique development and a case study of 45 R&D projects in research institutes and incubators for technique validation. The research results reveal that there were six criteria for R&D project commercialization capability, these are arranged according to the significance; marketing, technology, finance, non-financial impact, intellectual property, and human resource. The holistic criteria is presented in decreasing order on the ambiguous subjectivity of the fuzzy-expert system, to help with effectively funding R&D and to prevent a resource meltdown. This study applies SEM to the relative weighting of hierarchical criteria. The TOPSIS approach is employed to rank the alternative performance. An integrated SEM-TOPSIS is proposed for the first time and applied to present R&D projects shown to be effective and feasible in evaluating R&D commercialization capacity.

  19. Fisiopatologia da Dispneia em doentes cardíacos com Congestão Pulmonar** Trabalbo vencedor ex-aqueo do Prémio Thomé Villar/Boehringer Ingelheim, 1995

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Miguel Mota Carmo

    1997-03-01

    Full Text Available SUMÁRIO: O objectivo deste estudo foi avaliar a importância da comparticipação das alterações do controlo da ventilaçõe da força dos músculos respiratórios na génese da dispneia em doentes cardíacos com estase pulmonar. Para isso comparámos 48 doentes (GI, com uma idade média de 61 anos e uma pressão capilar pulmonar (PCP de 19,9 mmHg, com um grupo de 35 controlos (GII, com uma idade média de 62 anos. Foram efectuadas as seguintes avaliações: volumes e capacidades pulmonares pelo método de diluição do hétio e por pneumotacografia, pressão de oclusão e resposta ventilatória em hipercánia, bem como a quantificação simultânea da dispneia utilizando uma escala visual analógica. Foram também medidas as pressões máximas dos músculos respiratórios, ao nível da boca, em repouso. Os doentes cardíacos foram submetidos a cateterismo cardíaco direito com determinação do débito cardíaco por termodilui determinação. Nestes doentes encontrou-se um aumento da pressão de oclusão basal em comparação com o grupo controlo (P0,1 GI-1,7 cmH20 / GII -1,35 cmH20; p<0,001, provavelmente devido ao padrão espirométrico restritivo que apresentavam. Não se detectaram alterações na variação da P0,1 durante a prova de hiperclápnia pelo que admitimos que o controlo central da ventilação se encontrava integro. Durante esta prova e para um mesmo aumento da ventilação, os doentes cardiacos apresentaram um maior grau de dispneia. A redução das pressões máximas respiratórias, bem como o aumento da “drive” respiratória em repouso, poderão estar implicadas na génese da dispneia oeste grupo de doentes. ABSTRACT: The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether pulmonary congestion (PC in cardiac patients may induce changes in the control of breathing or in the

  20. Minería de opiniones basada en patrones semánticos en Twitter

    OpenAIRE

    Artacho Torres, Pablo

    2014-01-01

    La minería de opinión o análisis de sentimiento es un tipo de análisis de texto que pretende ayudar a la toma de decisiones a través de la extracción y el análisis de opiniones, identificando las opiniones positivas, negativas y neutras; y midiendo su repercusión en la percepción de un tópico. En este trabajo se propone un modelo de análisis de sentimiento basado en diccionarios, que a través de la semántica y de los patrones semánticos que conforman el texto a clasificar, permite obtener la ...

  1. ASAPP: Alinhamento Semântico Automático de Palavras aplicado ao Português

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ana Oliveira Alves

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available Apresentamos duas abordagens distintas à tarefa de avaliação conjunta ASSIN onde, dada uma coleção de pares de frases escritas em português, são colocados dois objectivos para cada par: (a calcular a similaridade semântica entre as duas frases; e (b verificar se uma frase do par é paráfrase ou inferência da outra. Uma primeira abordagem, apelidada de Reciclagem, baseia-se exclusivamente em heurísticas sobre redes semânticas para a língua portuguesa. A segunda abordagem, apelidada de ASAPP, baseia-se em aprendizagem automática supervisionada. Acima de tudo, os resultados da abordagem Reciclagem permitem comparar, de forma indireta, um conjunto de redes semânticas, através do seu desempenho nesta tarefa. Estes resultados, algo modestos, foram depois utilizados como características da abordagem ASAPP, juntamente com características adicionais, ao nível lexical e sintático. Após comparação com os resultados da coleção dourada, verifica-se que a abordagem ASAPP supera a abordagem Reciclagem de forma consistente. Isto ocorre tanto para o Português Europeu como para o Português Brasileiro, onde o desempenho atinge uma exatidão de 80.28% +- 0.019 para a inferência textual, enquanto que a correlação dos valores atribuídos para a similaridade semântica com aqueles atribuídos por humanos é de 66.5% +- 0.021.

  2. Application of FE-SEM with elemental analyzer for irradiated fuel materials

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sasaki, Shinji; Maeda, Koji; Yamada, A.

    2012-01-01

    It is important to study the irradiation behavior of the uranium-plutonium mixed oxide fuels (MOX fuels) for development of fast reactor fuels. During irradiation in a fast reactor, the changes of microstructures and the changes of element distributions along radial direction occur in the MOX fuels because of a radial temperature gradient. In order to make detailed observations of microstructure and elemental analyses of fuel samples, a field emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM) equipped with a wavelength-dispersive X-ray spectrometer (WDX) and an energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometer (EDX) were installed in a hot laboratory. Because fuel samples have high radioactivities and emit α-particles, the instrument was modified correspondingly. The notable modified points were as follows. 1) To prevent leakage of radioactive materials, the instrument was attached to a remote control air-tight sample transfer unit between a shielded hot cell and the FE-SEM. 2) To protect operators and the instruments from radiation, the FE-SEM was installed in a lead shield box and the control unit was separately located outside the box. After the installation, the microscopy and elemental analyses were made on low burnup fuel samples. High resolution images were obtained on the fuel sample surface. The characteristic X-rays (U, Pu) emitted from the fuel sample surface measured along radial direction successfully. Thereby, it was able to grasp the change of U, Pu radial distribution after irradiation. The technique has the great advantage of being able to evaluate the changes of microstructures and the changes of element distributions of MOX fuels due to irradiation. In future work, samples of even higher radioactivity will be observed and analyzed. (author)

  3. Private sector accountable care organization development: a qualitative study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Scheck McAlearney, Ann; Hilligoss, Brian; Song, Paula H

    2017-03-01

    To explore accountable care organizations (ACOs) as they develop in the private sector, including their motivation for development, perspectives from consumers regarding these emerging ACOs, and the critical success factors associated with ACO development. Comprehensive organizational case studies of 4 full-risk private sector ACOs that included in-person interviews with providers and administrators and focus groups with local consumers. Sixty-eight key informant interviews conducted during site visits, supplemented by document collection and telephone interviews, and 5 focus groups were held with 52 consumers associated with the study ACOs. We found 3 main motivators for private sector ACO development: 1) opportunity to improve quality and efficiency, 2) potential to improve population health, and 3) belief that payment reform is inevitable. With respect to consumer perspectives, consumers were unaware they received care from an ACO. From the perspectives of ACO stakeholders, these ACOs noted that they prefer to focus on patients' relationships with providers and typically do not emphasize the ACO name or entity. Critical success factors for private sector ACO development included provider engagement, strategic buy-in, prior experience managing risk, IT infrastructure, and leadership, all meant to shift the culture to a focus on value instead of volume. These organizations perceived that pursuing an accountable care strategy allowed them to respond to policy changes anticipated to impact the way healthcare is delivered and reimbursed. Increased understanding of factors that have been important for more mature private sector ACOs may help other healthcare organizations as they strive to enhance value and advance in their ACO journeys.

  4. Modelo de web semántica para universidades

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Karla Abad

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available A raíz del estudio de estado actual de micrositios y repositorios en la Universidad Estatal Península de Santa Elena se encontró que su información carecía de semántica óptima y adecuada. Bajo estas circunstancias, se plantea entonces la necesidad de crear un modelo de estructura de web semántica para Universidades, el cual posteriormente fue aplicado a micrositios y repositorio digital de la UPSE, como caso de prueba. Parte de este proyecto incluye la instalación de módulos de software con sus respectivas configuraciones y la utilización de estándares de metadatos como DUBLIN CORE, para la mejora del SEO (optimización en motores de búsqueda; con ello se ha logrado la generación de metadatos estandarizados y la creación de políticas para la subida de información. El uso de metadatos transforma datos simples en estructuras bien organizadas que aportan información y conocimiento para generar resultados en buscadores web. Al culminar la implementación del modelo de web semántica es posible decir que la universidad ha mejorado su presencia y visibilidad en la web a través del indexamiento de información en diferentes motores de búsqueda y posicionamiento en la categorización de universidades y de repositorios de Webometrics (ranking que proporciona clasificación de universidades de todo el mundo.   Abstract After examining the current microsites and repositories situation in University, Peninsula of Santa Elena´s, it was found that information lacked optimal and appropriate semantic. Under these circumstances, there is a need to create a semantic web structure model for Universities, which was subsequently applied to UPSE´s microsites and digital repositories, as a test study case. Part of this project includes the installation of software modules with their respective configurations and the use of metadata standards such as DUBLIN CORE, to improve the SEO (Search Engine Optimization; with these applications, it was

  5. Comparative SEM analysis of nine F22 aligner cleaning strategies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lombardo, Luca; Martini, Marco; Cervinara, Francesca; Spedicato, Giorgio Alfredo; Oliverio, Teresa; Siciliani, Giuseppe

    2017-12-01

    The orthodontics industry has paid great attention to the aesthetics of orthodontic appliances, seeking to make them as invisible as possible. There are several advantages to clear aligner systems, including aesthetics, comfort, chairside time reduction, and the fact that they can be removed for meals and oral hygiene procedures. Five patients were each given a series of F22 aligners, each to be worn for 14 days and nights, with the exception of meal and brushing times. Patients were instructed to clean each aligner using a prescribed strategy, and sections of the used aligners were observed under SEM. One grey-scale SEM image was saved per aligner in JPEG format with an 8-bit colour depth, and a total of 45 measurements on the grey scale ("Value" variable) were made. This dataset was analysed statistically via repeated measures ANOVA to determine the effect of each of the nine cleaning strategies in each of the five patients. A statistically significant difference in the efficacy of the cleaning strategies was detected. Specifically, rinsing with water alone was significantly less efficacious, and a combination of cationic detergent solution and ultrasonication was significantly more efficacious than the other methods (p aligners.

  6. SEM examination and analysis of the interface character in surface modified aramid-epoxy composite

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hussain, S.; Khan, M.B.; Hussain, R.

    2011-01-01

    The surface of Kevlar fibers is chemically modified by treatment with Phthalic anhydride (PA) and the effect is examined by SEM for the laser cut, three point bending and interlaminar shear delaminated surfaces. The surface modification improved the adhesion to epoxy resin that clearly leads to cohesive fracture as opposed to interfacial failure in the untreated specimen. SEM reveals marginal surface roughening of fibers without compromising their strength. The interface modification technique described in this paper is attractive thermodynamically as it does not compromise surface free energy of the polymer matrix or that of the fiber itself to enhance wet ability. (author)

  7. A SEM-correlation of the anatomy of the vitreous body: making visible the invisible.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jongebloed, W L; Humalda, D; Worst, J F

    1986-12-30

    The naked human vitreous (sclera, iris and cornea removed) suspended in water does not reveal inner structures. After ink injection into the vitreous, the presence of different compartments and the existence of cisterns becomes evident. A concept of the internal system of cisterns is given on the basis of stereoscopic-lightmicroscopic images. An attempt is made to correlate images of the complete vitreous body, obtained with a stereo-lightmicroscope, with images of segments of cisternal walls produced with a scanning electron-microscope (SEM). A comparison is made between SEM-images of the vitreous bodies of human and rabbit eyes.

  8. Tracing outbreaks of Streptococcus equi infection (strangles) in horses using sequence variation in the seM gene and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lindahl, Susanne; Söderlund, Robert; Frosth, Sara; Pringle, John; Båverud, Viveca; Aspán, Anna

    2011-11-21

    Strangles is a serious respiratory disease in horses caused by Streptococcus equi subspecies equi (S. equi). Transmission of the disease occurs by direct contact with an infected horse or contaminated equipment. Genetically, S. equi strains are highly homogenous and differentiation of strains has proven difficult. However, the S. equi M-protein SeM contains a variable N-terminal region and has been proposed as a target gene to distinguish between different strains of S. equi and determine the source of an outbreak. In this study, strains of S. equi (n=60) from 32 strangles outbreaks in Sweden during 1998-2003 and 2008-2009 were genetically characterized by sequencing the SeM protein gene (seM), and by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). Swedish strains belonged to 10 different seM types, of which five have not previously been described. Most were identical or highly similar to allele types from strangles outbreaks in the UK. Outbreaks in 2008/2009 sharing the same seM type were associated by geographic location and/or type of usage of the horses (racing stables). Sequencing of the seM gene generally agreed with pulsed-field gel electrophoresis profiles. Our data suggest that seM sequencing as a epidemiological tool is supported by the agreement between seM and PFGE and that sequencing of the SeM protein gene is more sensitive than PFGE in discriminating strains of S. equi. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  9. From the SEM (IAEA) to the SIMS (ITU): Re-location experiment of μm-size particles - first results

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Admon, U.; Donohue, D.; Aigner, H.; Tamborini, G.; Bildstein, O.; Betti, M.

    2002-01-01

    Full text: Nuclear forensic analysis of individual radioactive particles in the μm-size range can be performed in two steps: in the first, an automated SEM screening of the loaded sample holder, particles of interest (POIs) are located and classified according to their elemental composition and size. In the second, the sample is transferred to a mass spectrometer (usually a SIMS), and individual POIs are re-located and further analyzed for their isotopic composition. Alternatively, selected POIs can be extracted after SEM screening or fission track analysis, and then analyzed in a TIMS or ICPMS. In the SIMS, which has imaging capability of its own, the whole sample is manipulated to bring specific POIs to the ion-beam point of impingement. In all these cases, including re-visiting POIs in the SEM itself, a precise relocation method is essential. The re-location of POIs in the SIMS after they have been identified as such in the SEM is based on the triangulation method. A set of reference marks are 'printed' by vacuum-deposition of metallic thin-film patterns on the sample holder, a flat-polished graphite planchet. These marks, easily recognizable and precisely measurable by both instruments, serve as inherent coordinate system for each sample. The SEM screening provides a list of POIs, each with a data profile comprising stage coordinates, composition, and size. Having measured the stage coordinates of at least 3 linearly-independent reference marks in the SEM and in the SIMS allows predicting the SIMS stage coordinates where the POIs can be found. This paper describes a joint IAEA-ITU experiment aimed at testing the feasibility of the relocation method in two separate laboratories. A flat-polished graphite planchet was loaded with a small number (a few hundreds) of μm-size uranium particles using the NIST method [3] in the ITU clean laboratory. The sample was sent to the IAEA clean laboratory, where the reference marks pattern was 'printed' by vacuum

  10. SEM observations of particle track membrane surfaces modificated using plasma treatment

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sartowska, B.; Buczkowski, M.; Starosta, W.

    2003-01-01

    This work presents results of scanning electron microscopy (SEM) observations of 0.4 μm membranes after plasma treatment with different parameters. The morphology changes at the surfaces and at the pore walls were observed. The character of changes in the membrane parameters according to the process conditions was determined

  11. Morphology of the adult male and pupal exuviae of Glyptotendipes (Glyptotendipes) glaucus (Meigen 1818) (Diptera, Chironomidae) using scanning electron microscope (SEM).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kownacki, Andrzej; Woznicka, Olga; Szarek-Gwiazda, Ewa; Michailova, Paraskeva; Czaplicka, Anna

    2017-02-27

    In this paper, a study of the morphology of the pupa and male imago of Glyptotendipes (G.) glaucus (Meigen 1818) was carried out, with the aid of a scanning electron microscope (SEM). The SEM provided additional valuable information on the morphology of the species. Adult male head, antenna, wing, leg, abdomen, hypopygium, pupal cephalothorax and abdomen were examined. It is emphasized that SEM was not often used in Chironomidae studies. The present results confirm SEM as a suitable approach in carrying out morphological and taxonomical descriptions of Chironomidae species.

  12. The ITZ in concrete with natural and recycled aggregates : Study of microstructures based on image and SEM analysis

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Bonifazi, G.; Capobianco, G.; Serranti, S.; Eggimann, M.; Wagner, E.; Di Maio, F.; Lotfi, S.

    2015-01-01

    Aim of this work was to investigate the microstructure of the Interfacial Transition Zone (ITZ) between cement paste and aggregate in concrete utilizing Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) in order to identify possible effects on the ITZ related to different recipes and production parameters. SEM is

  13. Global Transcriptomic Analysis of Targeted Silencing of Two Paralogous ACC Oxidase Genes in Banana

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xia, Yan; Kuan, Chi; Chiu, Chien-Hsiang; Chen, Xiao-Jing; Do, Yi-Yin; Huang, Pung-Ling

    2016-01-01

    Among 18 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid (ACC) oxidase homologous genes existing in the banana genome there are two genes, Mh-ACO1 and Mh-ACO2, that participate in banana fruit ripening. To better understand the physiological functions of Mh-ACO1 and Mh-ACO2, two hairpin-type siRNA expression vectors targeting both the Mh-ACO1 and Mh-ACO2 were constructed and incorporated into the banana genome by Agrobacterium-mediated transformation. The generation of Mh-ACO1 and Mh-ACO2 RNAi transgenic banana plants was confirmed by Southern blot analysis. To gain insights into the functional diversity and complexity between Mh-ACO1 and Mh-ACO2, transcriptome sequencing of banana fruits using the Illumina next-generation sequencer was performed. A total of 32,093,976 reads, assembled into 88,031 unigenes for 123,617 transcripts were obtained. Significantly enriched Gene Oncology (GO) terms and the number of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) with GO annotation were ‘catalytic activity’ (1327, 56.4%), ‘heme binding’ (65, 2.76%), ‘tetrapyrrole binding’ (66, 2.81%), and ‘oxidoreductase activity’ (287, 12.21%). Real-time RT-PCR was further performed with mRNAs from both peel and pulp of banana fruits in Mh-ACO1 and Mh-ACO2 RNAi transgenic plants. The results showed that expression levels of genes related to ethylene signaling in ripening banana fruits were strongly influenced by the expression of genes associated with ethylene biosynthesis. PMID:27681726

  14. Quality of Care Improves for Patients with Diabetes in Medicare Shared Savings Accountable Care Organizations: Organizational Characteristics Associated with Performance.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fraze, Taressa K; Lewis, Valerie A; Tierney, Emily; Colla, Carrie H

    2017-12-06

    Accountable care organizations (ACOs), a primary care-centric delivery and payment model, aim to promote integrated population health, which may improve care for those with chronic conditions such as diabetes. Research has shown that, overall, the ACO model is effective at reducing costs, but there is substantial variation in how effective different types of ACOs are at impacting costs and improving care delivery. This study examines how ACO organizational characteristics - such as composition, staffing, care management, and experiences with health reform - were associated with quality of care delivered to patients with diabetes. Secondary data were analyzed retrospectively to examine Medicare Shared Savings Program (MSSP) ACOs' performance on diabetes metrics in the first 2 years of ACO contracts. Ordinary least squares was used to analyze 162 MSSP ACOs with publicly available performance data and the National Survey of ACOs. ACOs improved performance significantly for patients with diabetes between contract years 1 and 2. In year 1, also having a private payer contract and an increased number of services within the ACO were positively associated with performance, while having a community health center or a hospital were negatively associated with performance. Better performance in year 1 was negatively associated with improved performance in year 2. This study found that ACOs substantively improved diabetes management within initial contract years. ACOs may need different types of support throughout their contracts to ensure continued improvements in performance.

  15. Contrast of Backscattered Electron SEM Images of Nanoparticles on Substrates with Complex Structure.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kowoll, Thomas; Müller, Erich; Fritsch-Decker, Susanne; Hettler, Simon; Störmer, Heike; Weiss, Carsten; Gerthsen, Dagmar

    2017-01-01

    This study is concerned with backscattered electron scanning electron microscopy (BSE SEM) contrast of complex nanoscaled samples which consist of SiO 2 nanoparticles (NPs) deposited on indium-tin-oxide covered bulk SiO 2 and glassy carbon substrates. BSE SEM contrast of NPs is studied as function of the primary electron energy and working distance. Contrast inversions are observed which prevent intuitive interpretation of NP contrast in terms of material contrast. Experimental data is quantitatively compared with Monte-Carlo- (MC-) simulations. Quantitative agreement between experimental data and MC-simulations is obtained if the transmission characteristics of the annular semiconductor detector are taken into account. MC-simulations facilitate the understanding of NP contrast inversions and are helpful to derive conditions for optimum material and topography contrast.

  16. Dosagem de marcadores cardíacos CK-MB e TnIc e eletrólitos no envenenamento experimental por veneno de sapo em cães

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Annelise C. Camplesi

    2009-08-01

    Full Text Available Dentre os sinais sistêmicos causados pelo envenenamento por veneno de sapo (bufotoxina em cães, os efeitos cardiotóxicos são um dos mais importantes. O objetivo deste estudo foi avaliar as potenciais alterações no músculo cardíaco de cães envenenados experimentalmente por veneno de sapo e observar as alterações eletrolíticas que podem ocorrer nesse tipo de envenenamento. Utilizaram-se 20 cães divididos em grupo controle (n=5 e grupo envenenado (n=15. O veneno de sapo foi extraído por meio de compressão manual das glândulas paratóides. Após anestesia geral, os cães do grupo controle receberam placebo (solução fisiológica e os do grupo envenenado uma alíquota do veneno por sonda orogástrica. As colheitas de sangue para dosagem dos marcadores cardíacos foram realizadas seis e 24 horas após o envenenamento. As colheitas de sangue para dosagem dos eletrólitos foram realizadas antes e duas, quatro, seis e 12 horas após o envenenamento. A análise estatística empregada foi o teste não-paramétrico de Mann-Withney (PAmong the systemic signs of toad venom (bufotoxin poisoning in dogs, the cardiotoxic effects are one of the most important. Thus, the objective of this experiment was to evaluate potential changes in the cardiac muscle in dogs poisoned experimentally by toad venom and to observe the eletrolyte alterations which may occur in this condition. Twenty dogs divided into control group (n=5 and poisoned group (n=15 were utilized. The toad venom was extracted by manual compression of the paratoidic glands. After general anesthesia, dogs in the control group received placebo and dogs in the poisoned group received the venom by orogastric catheter. Samples for dosage were collected 6 hours and 24 hours after poisoning and 0, 2, 4, 6 and 12 hours after poisoning for electrolytes dosage. The Man-Withney test was used for statistical analysis (P<0.05. The poisoned dogs showed (saline elevated levels of cardiac markers CK

  17. (AN)AEROBIC BACTERIA FOUND IN SECONDARY-CATARACT MATERIAL - A SEM/TEM STUDY

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    KALICHARAN, D; JONGEBLOED, WL; LOS, LI; WORST, JGF

    1992-01-01

    Twentyfour patients, who had marked reduction of vision due to secondary-cataract developed after an ECCE, were treated by surgical cleaning of the posterior lens capsule. During this procedure globular secondary-cataract material was removed and collected for morphological examination by SEM and

  18. Morphology of Poly lactide/Polycaprolactone (PLA/PCL) Nano composite by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Siti Zulaiha Hairaldin; Wan Md Zin Wan Yunus; Norazowa Ibrahim

    2011-01-01

    In this study, Octadecylamine Modified Montmorillonites (ODAMMT) were used to prepare Poly lactide/ Polycaprolactone (PLA/ PCL) nano composites. PLA and PCL mix in 90:10 ratios, using an internal mixer by melt blending technique. The other sample was blend with Natrium Montmorillonite (NaMMT) and Octadecylamine Modified Montmorillonite (ODA-MMT) to produce PLA/ PCL-NaMMT and PLA/ PCL ODAMMT. To characterize the polymer nano composites, X-ray diffraction (XRD), FTIR and SEM analysis were conducted. Comparison of morphology were made up between PLA/ PCL, PLA/ PCL with presence of 7 % of Na-MMT and 7 % ODA-MMT respectively based on SEM micrograph by calculate the number-average diameter. (author)

  19. SEM visualization of glycosylated surface molecules using lectin-coated microspheres

    Science.gov (United States)

    Duke, J.; Janer, L.; Campbell, M.

    1985-01-01

    There are several techniques currently used to localize glycosylated surface molecules by scanning electron microscopy (Grinnell, 1980; Molday, 1976; Linthicum and Sell, 1975; Nicolson, 1974; Lo Buglio, et al, 1972). A simple and rapid method, using a modification of Grinnell's technique is reported here. Essentially, microspheres coated with Concavalin A are used to bind to glycosylated regions of the palatal shelf epithelium and are visualized in the scanning electron microscope (SEM).

  20. Charging effects of PET under electron beam irradiation in a SEM

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jbara, O; Rondot, S; Hadjadj, A; Patat, J M; Fakhfakh, S; Belhaj, M

    2008-01-01

    This paper deals with charge trapping and charge transport of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) polymer subjected to electron irradiation in a scanning electron microscope (SEM). Measurement of displacement current and leakage current using an arrangement adapted to the SEM allows the amount of trapped charge during and after electron irradiation to be determined and the charge mechanisms regulation to be studied. These mechanisms involve several parameters related to the electronic injection, the characteristics of insulator and the effects of the trapped charge itself. The dynamic trapping properties of PET samples are investigated and the time constants of charging are evaluated for various conditions of irradiation. The determination of the trapping cross section for electrons is possible by using the trapping rate at the onset of irradiation. Many physical processes are involved in the charging and discharging mechanisms; among them surface conduction is outlined. Through the control of irradiation conditions, various types of surface discharging (flashover phenomenon) behaviour are also observed. The strength of the electric field initiating surface discharge is estimated.

  1. Afasia global sem hemiparesia: AVC ou transtorno conversivo?

    OpenAIRE

    Negreiros,Daniel Philippi de; Fregni,Felipe; Scalco,Andréia Zavaloni

    2007-01-01

    CONTEXTO: A realização de diagnóstico neurológico e psiquiátrico em ambiente de emergência hospitalar com freqüência é uma tarefa complexa e exige colaboração interdisciplinar. Um dos diagnósticos diferenciais de doenças neurológicas é o transtorno conversivo, cuja característica principal é a presença de sintomas afetando funções motoras ou sensoriais, que sugerem desordem clínica ou neurológica, porém sem doença orgânica subjacente que explique o quadro. RELATO DE CASO: Os autores relatam o...

  2. Is scanning electron microscopy/energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry (SEM/EDS) quantitative?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Newbury, Dale E; Ritchie, Nicholas W M

    2013-01-01

    Scanning electron microscopy/energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry (SEM/EDS) is a widely applied elemental microanalysis method capable of identifying and quantifying all elements in the periodic table except H, He, and Li. By following the "k-ratio" (unknown/standard) measurement protocol development for electron-excited wavelength dispersive spectrometry (WDS), SEM/EDS can achieve accuracy and precision equivalent to WDS and at substantially lower electron dose, even when severe X-ray peak overlaps occur, provided sufficient counts are recorded. Achieving this level of performance is now much more practical with the advent of the high-throughput silicon drift detector energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer (SDD-EDS). However, three measurement issues continue to diminish the impact of SEM/EDS: (1) In the qualitative analysis (i.e., element identification) that must precede quantitative analysis, at least some current and many legacy software systems are vulnerable to occasional misidentification of major constituent peaks, with the frequency of misidentifications rising significantly for minor and trace constituents. (2) The use of standardless analysis, which is subject to much broader systematic errors, leads to quantitative results that, while useful, do not have sufficient accuracy to solve critical problems, e.g. determining the formula of a compound. (3) EDS spectrometers have such a large volume of acceptance that apparently credible spectra can be obtained from specimens with complex topography that introduce uncontrolled geometric factors that modify X-ray generation and propagation, resulting in very large systematic errors, often a factor of ten or more. © Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  3. SEM investigation of incandescent lamp mantle structure on durability

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gerneke, D.; Lang, C.

    2002-01-01

    Full text: The incandescent mantle as used on pressure and non-pressure liquid fuel lamps has been in use for over 100 years. What remains unexplained is the way in which the resistance to mechanical shock and the decline in tensile strength with usage is experienced. It has been suggested that to improve durability it is necessary to continuously burn a new mantle for the first two to three hours. The known factors in mantle durability and mechanical strength are chemical composition and fabric weave. This study was undertaken to investigate the effects of burning time and temperature on thorium oxide mantles. The operating temperature of mantles on a range of kerosene pressure lamps was measured and found to be between 800 and 1100 deg C. Heat treatments of thorium based Coleman mantles were carried out in a laboratory furnace within these ranges of temperatures for periods ranging from 2 minutes to 2 hours. The mantles were then viewed in a LEO S440 analytical SEM. Results at 800 deg C show a distinct change in surface morphology with increasing exposure time. At the shorter times (2-5 minutes) the surface was relatively smooth. With increased time periods (15 - 120 minutes) the surface was observed to have a large lumpy structure. At 1100 deg C the difference in surface morphology was not apparent between the shortest and longest times. The surface appears much smoother and no lumpy structure was observed. This suggests that when a mantle is operated at the higher temperature of 1100 deg C the structure of the Thorium oxide is quickly transformed into the known stronger amorphous form. This is taken as the observed smooth structure seen in the SEM images of the 1100 deg C samples. Thus the mantle is expected to be more resistant to mechanical shock and have increased durability. Practical field test results confirm these observations. The mantle on a lamp that is operating efficiently, burns brightly, will far outlast a mantle on an inefficient lamp which bums

  4. Identifying possible asthma-COPD overlap syndrome in patients with a new diagnosis of COPD in primary care

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Baarnes, Camilla Boslev; Kjeldgaard, Peter; Nielsen, Mia

    2017-01-01

    (ACOS wheeze) and/or significant BD reversibility (ACOS BD reversibility). Of 3,875 (50% females, mean age 57 years) subjects screened, 700 (18.1%) were diagnosed with COPD, i.e., symptom(s), tobacco exposure and chronic airflow obstruction. Indications for ACOS were found in 264 (38%) of the COPD...... of the applied ACOS definition, no significant difference in life-time tobacco exposure was found between ACOS- and COPD-only patients. In subjects with a new diagnosis of COPD, the prevalence of ACOS is high. When screening for COPD in general practice among patients with no previous diagnosis of obstructive...

  5. Variation In Accountable Care Organization Spending And Sensitivity To Risk Adjustment: Implications For Benchmarking.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rose, Sherri; Zaslavsky, Alan M; McWilliams, J Michael

    2016-03-01

    Spending targets (or benchmarks) for accountable care organizations (ACOs) participating in the Medicare Shared Savings Program must be set carefully to encourage program participation while achieving fiscal goals and minimizing unintended consequences, such as penalizing ACOs for serving sicker patients. Recently proposed regulatory changes include measures to make benchmarks more similar for ACOs in the same area with different historical spending levels. We found that ACOs vary widely in how their spending levels compare with those of other local providers after standard case-mix adjustments. Additionally adjusting for survey measures of patient health meaningfully reduced the variation in differences between ACO spending and local average fee-for-service spending, but substantial variation remained, which suggests that differences in care efficiency between ACOs and local non-ACO providers vary widely. Accordingly, measures to equilibrate benchmarks between high- and low-spending ACOs--such as setting benchmarks to risk-adjusted average fee-for-service spending in an area--should be implemented gradually to maintain participation by ACOs with high spending. Use of survey information also could help mitigate perverse incentives for risk selection and upcoding and limit unintended consequences of new benchmarking methodologies for ACOs serving sicker patients. Project HOPE—The People-to-People Health Foundation, Inc.

  6. The SEM Risk Behavior (SRB) Model: A New Conceptual Model of how Pornography Influences the Sexual Intentions and HIV Risk Behavior of MSM.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wilkerson, J Michael; Iantaffi, Alex; Smolenski, Derek J; Brady, Sonya S; Horvath, Keith J; Grey, Jeremy A; Rosser, B R Simon

    2012-01-01

    While the effects of sexually explicit media (SEM) on heterosexuals' sexual intentions and behaviors have been studied, little is known about the consumption and possible influence of SEM among men who have sex with men (MSM). Importantly, conceptual models of how Internet-based SEM influences behavior are lacking. Seventy-nine MSM participated in online focus groups about their SEM viewing preferences and sexual behavior. Twenty-three participants reported recent exposure to a new behavior via SEM. Whether participants modified their sexual intentions and/or engaged in the new behavior depended on three factors: arousal when imagining the behavior, pleasure when attempting the behavior, and trust between sex partners. Based on MSM's experience, we advance a model of how viewing a new sexual behavior in SEM influences sexual intentions and behaviors. The model includes five paths. Three paths result in the maintenance of sexual intentions and behaviors. One path results in a modification of sexual intentions while maintaining previous sexual behaviors, and one path results in a modification of both sexual intentions and behaviors. With this model, researchers have a framework to test associations between SEM consumption and sexual intentions and behavior, and public health programs have a framework to conceptualize SEM-based HIV/STI prevention programs.

  7. Microstructure investigations of Ba-Sr mixed ferrites, using SEM technique

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Amighian, J.; Mozaffari, M.

    1996-01-01

    A series of isotropic Ba-Sr mixed ferrites were prepared, using a conventional dry technique. The starting materials were hematite by product of Isfahan steel factory, strontium carbonate from Merck company and barium carbonate obtained from local source. The principle phase of the samples was chosen to have a composition in the form of (BaO) sub 1-x (SrO) sub x nFe sub 2 O sub 3, in which x varied between 0 to l and n was varied between 5 to 6. The raw materials were thoroughly mixed and fired in an electrical furnace for 2 hours. They were then milled in an vibrating ball mill, in which the optimum milling time for each sample was obtained. After annealing at 750 degree C, the powders were compacted in a cylindrical die under 5 tons/cm sup 2. The compacts were then mixed with a binder and sintered in air for 10 minutes at their optimum temperatures. Using SEM technique, the microstructure of the samples were investigated. Using a permeameter, the coercive force Hc and remanent induction Br were measured. The microstructures obtained from SEM technique can be used to control the sintering stage in ferrite fabrication

  8. The detection of metallic residues in skin stab wounds by means of SEM-EDS: A pilot study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Palazzo, Elisa; Amadasi, Alberto; Boracchi, Michele; Gentile, Guendalina; Maciocco, Francesca; Marchesi, Matteo; Zoja, Riccardo

    2018-05-01

    The morphological analysis of stab wounds may often not be accurate enough to link it with the type of wounding weapon, but a further evaluation may be performed with the search for metallic residues left during the contact between the instrument and the skin. In this study, Scanning Electron Microscopy-Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (SEM-EDS) was applied to the study of cadaveric stab wounds performed with kitchen knives composed of iron, chromium and nickel, in order to verify the presence of metallic residues on the wound's edge. Two groups of 10 corpses were selected: group A, including victims of stab wounds and a control group B (died of natural causes). Samplings were performed on the lesions and in intact areas of group A, whereas in group B sampling were performed in non-exposed intact skin. Samples were then analysed with optical microscopy and SEM-EDS. In group A, optical microscopic analysis showed the presence of vital haemorrhagic infiltration, while SEM-EDS showed evidence of microscopic metal traces, isolated or clustered, consisting of iron, chromium and nickel. Moreover, in two cases organic residues of calcium and phosphate were detected, as a probable sign of bone lesion. Control samples (group A in intact areas and group B), were negative for the search of exogenous material to optical microscopy and SEM-EDS. The results show the utility and possible application of the SEM-EDS in theidentification of metallic residues from sharp weapons on the skin. Copyright © 2017 The Chartered Society of Forensic Sciences. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  9. Los animales y el cuerpo en el refranero: un análisis semántico

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    María del Refugio Pérez Paredes

    2013-07-01

    Full Text Available ResumenEste trabajo muestra un análisis de las paremias en español conformadas por sustantivos anatómicos y faunísticos cuya interpretación es metafórica. La propuesta consiste en explicar el sentido de estas expresiones a partir de los marcos semánticos de los sustantivos de ambos dominios, ya que, aunque se ha señalado que este tipo de construcciones no son susceptibles de un análisis componencial, consideramos que, recurriendo a la semántica de marcos, es posible encontrar su motivación semántica. AbstractThis work presents an analysis of some proverbs in Spanish that are built upon anatomic and faunistic nouns, and that have a metaphoric interpretation. The approach consists in explaining these expressions’ meanings using noun semantic frames in both domains. Although there has been pointed out that these constructions can’t be analyzed componentially, we consider that using frame semantics it is possible to find their semantic motivation.Key words: proverb – metaphor – anatomic domain – faunistic domain

  10. Diseño y desarrollo de exámenes a través de herramientas de web semántica

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    María del Mar Sánchez Vera

    2011-12-01

    Full Text Available La Web Semántica no es una propuesta de futuro. Es una realidad. Frente al crecimiento caótico de recursos y la ausencia de una organización clara de la Web actual, la Web semántica aboga por clasificar, dotar de estructura y anotar los recursos con semántica explícita procesable por máquinas. En este artículo presentamos los resultados de una investigación realizada en la Universidad de Murcia por el grupo TECNOMOD y el GITE, que de manera multidisciplinar hemos abordado la aplicación de un programa semántico denominado OeLE en una asignatura virtual de la Titulación de Pedagogía. Se diseñó un entorno de evaluación en red compuesto por el programa OeLE y un sistema de consulta del feedback que OeLE proporciona con el fin de proponer una metodología referida al diseño y evaluación de situaciones en red con herramientas de Web Semántica.

  11. Contrast of Backscattered Electron SEM Images of Nanoparticles on Substrates with Complex Structure

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Thomas Kowoll

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available This study is concerned with backscattered electron scanning electron microscopy (BSE SEM contrast of complex nanoscaled samples which consist of SiO2 nanoparticles (NPs deposited on indium-tin-oxide covered bulk SiO2 and glassy carbon substrates. BSE SEM contrast of NPs is studied as function of the primary electron energy and working distance. Contrast inversions are observed which prevent intuitive interpretation of NP contrast in terms of material contrast. Experimental data is quantitatively compared with Monte-Carlo- (MC- simulations. Quantitative agreement between experimental data and MC-simulations is obtained if the transmission characteristics of the annular semiconductor detector are taken into account. MC-simulations facilitate the understanding of NP contrast inversions and are helpful to derive conditions for optimum material and topography contrast.

  12. Characterising palladium-silver and palladium-nickel alloy membranes using SEM, XRD and PIXE

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Keuler, J.N.; Lorenzen, L.; Sanderson, R.D.; Prozesky, V.; Przybylowicz, W.J.

    1999-01-01

    Palladium alloy membranes were prepared by successive electroless plating steps on an alumina-zirconia support membrane. Palladium, silver and nickel were deposited in layers and then the metal films were heat treated for 5 h in a hydrogen atmosphere at 650 deg. C. The topography of the metal coatings and cross-sections of the films (before and after heating) were characterised using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). XRD was used to determine the crystal phase of the alloy coatings. Both SEM and XRD provide only surface information and therefore micro-PIXE was used to extract depth information of the alloy coating. Concentration profiles across the thickness of the films were constructed to determine penetration of the coating into the support membrane pores during electroless plating and to investigate diffusion of coated layers during the heating step

  13. 75 FR 57039 - Medicare Program; Workshop Regarding Accountable Care Organizations, and Implications Regarding...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-09-17

    ... 2010), available at: http://www.law.berkeley.edu/files/chefs/Implementing_ACOs_May_2010.pdf . II... physicians or other professionals into ACOs, and we are interested in how these types of arrangements might... ACOs and participating physicians (and other participating suppliers or ACO professionals), or whether...

  14. ADAPTIVE ANT COLONY OPTIMIZATION BASED GRADIENT FOR EDGE DETECTION

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Febri Liantoni

    2014-08-01

    Full Text Available Ant Colony Optimization (ACO is a nature-inspired optimization algorithm which is motivated by ants foraging behavior. Due to its favorable advantages, ACO has been widely used to solve several NP-hard problems, including edge detection. Since ACO initially distributes ants at random, it may cause imbalance ant distribution which later affects path discovery process. In this paper an adaptive ACO is proposed to optimize edge detection by adaptively distributing ant according to gradient analysis. Ants are adaptively distributed according to gradient ratio of each image regions. Region which has bigger gradient ratio, will have bigger number of ant distribution. Experiments are conducted using images from various datasets. Precision and recall are used to quantitatively evaluate performance of the proposed algorithm. Precision and recall of adaptive ACO reaches 76.98 % and 96.8 %. Whereas highest precision and recall for standard ACO are 69.74 % and 74.85 %. Experimental results show that the adaptive ACO outperforms standard ACO which randomly distributes ants.

  15. SEM/TIMS analysis trials on hotswipe samples taken from a shielded cell at Harwell

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tushingham, J.; Vatter, I.; Cooke, R.

    1998-09-01

    The IAEA require advanced techniques and procedures for the detection of traces of actinides to be applied to their environmental sampling programme for nuclear safeguards as a means to detect undeclared activities. 'Swipe' samples taken from within nuclear facilities by IAEA inspectors require analysis to determine their actinide content and composition by bulk and particle measurements. The use of analytical equipment capable of analysing individual particles, particularly of actinides, is essential to optimise the IAEA's aim to monitor Member State's nuclear activities more proficiently. A trial has been undertaken at the Harwell Laboratory of AEA Technology to establish the efficacy of scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and thermal ionisation mass spectrometry (TIMS) for the particle and bulk characterisation, respectively, of actinides on samples taken from within a shielded cell. These measurements were supported by γ-spectrometry and α-spectrometry. 'Hotswipe' samples taken from within a shielded cell with a well-known recent history have been prepared for particle and bulk analysis. SEM has been used to characterise individual particles from the swipe samples and the results have been related to known cell activities. Samples were prepared for SEM using a simple procedure to minimise the potential for sample contamination. The method proved to be capable of identifying 1 μm particles that contained U, Pu, Pa and Np. The measurement of U/Pu ratios was limited to particles that contained >2% Pu in U by weight. TIMS, together with alpha spectrometry, has been used to determine the bulk actinide composition of the samples whilst gamma spectrometry has been used to determine the fission product composition. Further work to improve the potential of SEM, and also secondary ionisation mass spectrometry (SIMS), for the measurement of hotswipe samples has been proposed. (author)

  16. Nanomanufacturing Concerns about Measurements Made in the SEM Part IV: Charging and its Mitigation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Postek, Michael T; Vladár, András E

    2015-01-01

    This is the fourth part of a series of tutorial papers discussing various causes of measurement uncertainty in scanned particle beam instruments, and some of the solutions researched and developed at NIST and other research institutions. Scanned particle beam instruments especially the scanning electron microscope (SEM) have gone through tremendous evolution to become indispensable tools for many and diverse scientific and industrial applications. These improvements have significantly enhanced their performance and made them far easier to operate. But, the ease of operation has also fostered operator complacency. In addition, the user-friendliness has reduced the apparent need for extensive operator training. Unfortunately, this has led to the idea that the SEM is just another expensive "digital camera" or another peripheral device connected to a computer and that all of the problems in obtaining good quality images and data have been solved. Hence, one using these instruments may be lulled into thinking that all of the potential pitfalls have been fully eliminated and believing that, everything one sees on the micrograph is always correct. But, as described in this and the earlier papers, this may not be the case. Care must always be taken when reliable quantitative data are being sought. The first paper in this series discussed some of the issues related to signal generation in the SEM, including instrument calibration, electron beam-sample interactions and the need for physics-based modeling to understand the actual image formation mechanisms to properly interpret SEM images. The second paper has discussed another major issue confronting the microscopist: specimen contamination and methods to eliminate it. The third paper discussed mechanical vibration and stage drift and some useful solutions to mitigate the problems caused by them, and here, in this the fourth contribution, the issues related to specimen "charging" and its mitigation are discussed relative to

  17. Dialética da pratica e ação sem prática

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ubaldo Puppi

    1982-12-01

    Full Text Available O conceito de prática recobriria o de sistema de ação, não fosse a existência de sistemas de ação sem prática. Resta que uma prática é um sistema de ação. Como conseqüência, suposta a reciprocação de sistema com teoria e uma atenta inspeção nos termos da proposição, há equivalência semântica entre "prática teórica " e "sistema de ação prático". Num e noutro caso, a contradição interna aos pares de conceitos se resolve dialeticamente. Graças à dialética, são fundidos numa unidade de sentido, síntese de tensões opostas. Daí a proposta de uma dialética da prática global, conjuntamente abstrata e histórica. Destotalizada ou à margem dessa dialética, pode ser destacada a ação sem prática, exemplificada no drama. Dramática é precisamente uma ação que não é prática. O tempo e o lugar da prática são a história e o mundo do homem; o tempo e o lugar do drama são a ficção cultural e a substância simbólica. Mimese da prática, o drama, reproduz, não os traços do modelo, mas a sua produção, tornando-se por sua vez modelo do modelo. Mimese não é cópia, é forma autônoma de eficiência, paradoxalmente sem prática mas especular.

  18. OpenCV-Based Nanomanipulation Information Extraction and the Probe Operation in SEM

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dongjie Li

    2015-02-01

    Full Text Available Aimed at the established telenanomanipulation system, the method of extracting location information and the strategies of probe operation were studied in this paper. First, the machine learning algorithm of OpenCV was used to extract location information from SEM images. Thus nanowires and probe in SEM images can be automatically tracked and the region of interest (ROI can be marked quickly. Then the location of nanowire and probe can be extracted from the ROI. To study the probe operation strategy, the Van der Waals force between probe and a nanowire was computed; thus relevant operating parameters can be obtained. With these operating parameters, the nanowire in 3D virtual environment can be preoperated and an optimal path of the probe can be obtained. The actual probe runs automatically under the telenanomanipulation system's control. Finally, experiments were carried out to verify the above methods, and results show the designed methods have achieved the expected effect.

  19. Utilidade do Ultrassom intracardíaco no isolamento de veias pulmonares usando cateter-balão a laser Utilidad del ultrasonido intracardíaco en el aislamiento de venas pulmonares usando catéter-balón láser Utility of intracardiac ultrasound imaging to guide pulmonary vein ablation using laser balloon catheter

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Luiz Leite

    2009-12-01

    Full Text Available FUNDAMENTO: O isolamento das veias pulmonares (IVP tem sido usado como endpoint para a ablação da fibrilação atrial (FA com cateter balão. OBJETIVO: Determinar a utilidade do ultrassom intracardíaco (USIC para guiar o IVP, usando cateter balão a laser. MÉTODOS: 59 VP foram ablacionadas em 27 cães. Imagens de Doppler foram usadas para identificar os vazamentos do fluxo sanguíneo entre a VP e o balão. Após cada liberação de energia, o cateter de mapeamento circular foi reposicionado para verificar se o isolamento tinha sido obtido. A posição de vazamento foi então correlacionada com a posição do gap no estudo patológico. A análise de regressão logística multivariada foi realizada. RESULTADOS: Cinquenta e nove VP foram submetidas à ablação. O tempo médio de energia liberada foi de 279±177 seg., o diâmetro médio do balão era de 23±3 mm, e o comprimento médio do balão era 25±4 mm. O isolamento completo foi obtido em 38/59 (64%, e foi significantemente mais comum sem vazamento: [30/38 (79% versus 8/23 (35%, pFUNDAMENTO: Se usó el aislamiento de las venas pulmonares (AVP como endpoint para la ablación de la fibrilación atrial (FA con catéter-balón. OBJETIVO: Determinar la utilidad del ultrasonido intracardíaco (USIC para guiar el AVP, usando catéter-balón láser. MÉTODOS: Se ablacionaron 59 VP en 27 perros. Se usaron imágenes de Doppler para identificar los derrames del flujo sanguíneo entre la VP y el balón. Tras cada liberación de energía, se reposicionó el catéter de mapeamiento circular para verificar si se obtuvo el aislamiento. Se correlaccionó, entonces, la posición del derrame con la posición del gap en el estudio patológico. Se realizó el análisis de regresión logística multivariada. RESULTADOS: Se sometieron 59 VP a la ablación. El tiempo promedio de energía liberada fue de 279±177 seg., el diámetro promedio del balón era de 23±3 mm, y la largura promedio del balón era 25±4 mm

  20. O carvedilol potencializa o efeito antioxidante das vitaminas E e C na cardiopatia chagásica crônica

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Patrícia Budni

    2013-10-01

    Full Text Available FUNDAMENTO: A doença de Chagas continua a ser uma importante doença endêmica no país, sendo o acometimento cardíaco a sua manifestação mais grave. OBJETIVO: Verificar se o uso concomitante de carvedilol potencializará o efeito antioxidante das vitaminas E e C na atenuação do estresse oxidativo sistêmico na cardiopatia chagásica crônica. MÉTODOS: Foram estudados 42 pacientes com cardiopatia chagásica, agrupados de acordo com a classificação modificada de Los Andes, em quatro grupos: 10 pacientes no grupo IA (eletrocardiograma e ecocardiograma normais: sem envolvimento do coração, 20 pacientes do grupo IB (eletrocardiograma normal e ecocardiograma anormal: ligeiro envolvimento cardíaco, oito pacientes no grupo II (eletrocardiograma e ecocardiograma anormais, sem insuficiência cardíaca: moderado envolvimento cardíaco e quatro pacientes no grupo III (eletrocardiograma e ecocardiograma anormais com insuficiência cardíaca: grave envolvimento cardíaco. Os marcadores de estresse oxidativo foram medidos no sangue, antes e após um período de seis meses de tratamento com carvedilol e após seis meses de terapia combinada com vitaminas E e C. Os marcadores foram: atividades da superóxido dismutase, catalase, glutationa peroxidase, glutationa S-transferase e redutase, mieloperoxidase e adenosina deaminase, e os níveis de glutationa reduzida, de espécies reativas do ácido tiobarbitúrico, proteína carbonilada, vitamina E e óxido nítrico. RESULTADOS: Após o tratamento com carvedilol, todos os grupos apresentaram diminuições significativas dos níveis de proteína carbonilada e glutationa reduzida, enquanto os níveis de óxido nítrico e atividade da adenosina aumentaram significativamente apenas no grupo menos acometido (IA. Além disso, a maioria das enzimas antioxidantes mostrou atividades diminuídas nos grupos menos acometidos (IA e IB. Com a adição das vitaminas ao carvedilol houve diminuição dos danos em prote