The ATLAS Tile Calorimeter DCS for Run 2

CERN Document Server

Pedro Martins, Filipe Manuel; The ATLAS collaboration

2016-01-01

TileCal is one of the ATLAS subdetectors operating at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), which is taking data since 2010. Seventy thousand (70000) parameters are used for control and monitoring purposes, requiring an automated system. The Detector Control System (DCS) was developed to ensure the coherent and safe operation of the whole ATLAS detector. The TileCal DCS is mainly responsible for the control and monitoring of the high and low voltage systems but it also supervises the detector infrastructure (cooling and racks), calibration systems, data acquisition and safety. During the first period of data taking (Run 1, 2010-12) the TileCal DCS allowed a smooth detector operation and should continue to do so for the second period (Run 2) that started in 2015. The TileCal DCS was updated in order to cope with the hardware and software requirements for Run 2 operation. These updates followed the general ATLAS guidelines on the software and hardware upgrade but also the new requirements from the TileCal detector. ...

Transcranial direct current stimulation versus user training on improving online myoelectric control for amputees

Science.gov (United States)

Pan, Lizhi; Zhang, Dingguo; Jiang, Ning; Sheng, Xinjun; Zhu, Xiangyang

2017-08-01

Objective. Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) and user training (UT) are two types of methods to improve myoelectric control performance for amputees. In this study, we compared the independent effect between tDCS and UT, and investigated the combined effect of tDCS and UT. Approach. An online paradigm of simultaneous and proportional control (SPC) based on electromyography (EMG) was adopted. The proposed experiments were conducted on six naïve unilateral trans-radial amputees. The subjects each received three types of 20 min interventions: active tDCS with motor training (tDCS  +  UT), active tDCS with quiet sitting (tDCS), and sham tDCS with motor training (UT). The interventions were applied at one week intervals in a randomized order. The subjects performed online control of a feedback arrow with two degrees of freedom (DoFs) to accomplish target reaching motor tasks in pre-sessions and post-sessions. We compared the performance, measured by completion rate, completion time, and efficiency coefficient, between pre-sessions and post-sessions. Main results. The results showed that the intervention tDCS  +  UT and tDCS significantly improved the online SPC performance (i.e. improved the completion rate; reduced the completion time; and improved the efficiency coefficient), while intervention UT did not significantly change the performance. The results also showed that the online SPC performance after intervention tDCS  +  UT and tDCS was not significantly different, but both were significantly better than that after intervention UT. Significance. tDCS could be an effective intervention to improve the online SPC performance in a short time.

Task-specificity of unilateral anodal and dual-M1 tDCS effects on motor learning.

Science.gov (United States)

Karok, Sophia; Fletcher, David; Witney, Alice G

2017-01-08

Task-specific effects of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) on motor learning were investigated in 30 healthy participants. In a sham-controlled, mixed design, participants trained on 3 different motor tasks (Purdue Pegboard Test, Visuomotor Grip Force Tracking Task and Visuomotor Wrist Rotation Speed Control Task) over 3 consecutive days while receiving either unilateral anodal over the right primary motor cortex (M1), dual-M1 or sham stimulation. Retention sessions were administered 7 and 28 days after the end of training. In the Purdue Pegboard Test, both anodal and dual-M1 stimulation reduced average completion time approximately equally, an improvement driven by online learning effects and maintained for about 1 week. The Visuomotor Grip Force Tracking Task and the Visuomotor Wrist Rotation Speed Control Task were associated with an advantage of dual-M1 tDCS in consolidation processes both between training sessions and when testing at long-term retention; both were maintained for at least 1 month. This study demonstrates that M1-tDCS enhances and sustains motor learning with different electrode montages. Stimulation-induced effects emerged at different learning phases across the tasks, which strongly suggests that the influence of tDCS on motor learning is dynamic with respect to the functional recruitment of the distributed motor system at the time of stimulation. Divergent findings regarding M1-tDCS effects on motor learning may partially be ascribed to task-specific consequences and the effects of offline consolidation. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Technical Support for the development of DCS

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Oh, In Seok; Lee, Cheol Kwon; Kim, Dong Hoon; Kim, Jung Taek; Hwang, In Koo; Park, Jae Chang; Lee, Dong Young; Park, Won Man

2008-05-15

The objective of this project is to provide a technical support to Woori Tech Co. in its design and manufacture process of the DCS as a part of KNICS development program to promote the technology self-reliance for non-safety equipment for NPPs(Nuclear Power Plants). We support Woori Tech Co. to develop a DCS which satisfies the requirements for Shinkori 3 and 4 NPPs in the aspects of reliability, applicability and technical competitiveness. As the results of this project the following items were developed and/or implemented; {center_dot} Design basis and requirements for a DCS system {center_dot} Design requirements for control communication networks {center_dot} Architecture of control networks {center_dot} Design requirements of EWS(Engineering Workstation) {center_dot} Plan of software verification and validation {center_dot} Operation display design {center_dot} Soft control functions {center_dot} Application development tools of DCS {center_dot} Analysis and V/V activities on DCS control network protocols {center_dot} Software verification and validation and documentation guidelines {center_dot} User manual documents.

Building up analgesia in humans via the endogenous μ-opioid system by combining placebo and active tDCS: a preliminary report.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marcos F DosSantos

Full Text Available Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS is a method of non-invasive brain stimulation that has been frequently used in experimental and clinical pain studies. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying tDCS-mediated pain control, and most important its placebo component, are not completely established. In this pilot study, we investigated in vivo the involvement of the endogenous μ-opioid system in the global tDCS-analgesia experience. Nine healthy volunteers went through positron emission tomography (PET scans with [11C]carfentanil, a selective μ-opioid receptor (MOR radiotracer, to measure the central MOR activity during tDCS in vivo (non-displaceable binding potential, BPND--one of the main analgesic mechanisms in the brain. Placebo and real anodal primary motor cortex (M1/2mA tDCS were delivered sequentially for 20 minutes each during the PET scan. The initial placebo tDCS phase induced a decrease in MOR BPND in the periaqueductal gray matter (PAG, precuneus, and thalamus, indicating activation of endogenous μ-opioid neurotransmission, even before the active tDCS. The subsequent real tDCS also induced MOR activation in the PAG and precuneus, which were positively correlated to the changes observed with placebo tDCS. Nonetheless, real tDCS had an additional MOR activation in the left prefrontal cortex. Although significant changes in the MOR BPND occurred with both placebo and real tDCS, significant analgesic effects, measured by improvements in the heat and cold pain thresholds, were only observed after real tDCS, not the placebo tDCS. This study gives preliminary evidence that the analgesic effects reported with M1-tDCS, can be in part related to the recruitment of the same endogenous MOR mechanisms induced by placebo, and that such effects can be purposely optimized by real tDCS.

The Integration of DCS I/O to an Existing PLC

Science.gov (United States)

Sadhukhan, Debashis; Mihevic, John

2013-01-01

At the NASA Glenn Research Center (GRC), Existing Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) I/O was replaced with Distributed Control System (DCS) I/O, while keeping the existing PLC sequence Logic. The reason for integration of the PLC logic and DCS I/O, along with the evaluation of the resulting system is the subject of this paper. The pros and cons of the old system and new upgrade are described, including operator workstation screen update times. Detail of the physical layout and the communication between the PLC, the DCS I/O and the operator workstations are illustrated. The complex characteristics of a central process control system and the plan to remove the PLC processors in future upgrades is also discussed.

No Effects of Stimulating the Left Ventrolateral Prefrontal Cortex with tDCS on Verbal Working Memory Updating

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Karolina M. Lukasik

2018-01-01

Full Text Available The effects of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS on dorsolateral prefrontal cortex functions, such as working memory (WM, have been examined in a number of studies. However, much less is known about the behavioral effects of tDCS over other important WM-related brain regions, such as the ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (VLPFC. In a counterbalanced within-subjects design with 33 young healthy participants, we examined whether online and offline single-session tDCS over VLPFC affects WM updating performance as measured by a digit 3-back task. We compared three conditions: anodal, cathodal and sham. We observed no significant tDCS effects on participants' accuracy or reaction times during or after the stimulation. Neither did we find any differences between anodal and cathodal stimulation. Largely similar results were obtained when comparing subgroups of high- and low-performing participants. Possible reasons for the lack of effects, including individual differences in responsiveness to tDCS, features of montage, task and sample characteristics, and the role of VLPFC in WM, are discussed.

New cooling regulation technology of secondary cooling station in DCS

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhou, Xuan; Yan, Jun-wei; Zhu, Dong-sheng; Liu, Fei-long; Lei, Jun-xi [The Key Lab of Enhanced Heat Transfer and Energy Conservation of Ministry of Education, School of Chemical and Energy Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510641 (China); Liang, Lie-quan [The Key Lab of E-Commerce Market Application Technology of Guangdong Province, Guangdong University of Business Studies, Guangzhou 510320 (China)

2008-07-01

In this paper, a kind of new control technology of secondary cooling station (constant flow rate/variable temperature difference) in district cooling system (DCS) is proposed in view of serial consequences including low efficiency and high operating cost caused by low temperature of supply water in DCS. This technology has been applied in DCS of Guangzhou University City. The result has already indicated that such technology can increase the supply and return temperatures of buildings, return water temperature of primary side in the plate heat exchanger unit, moreover, the efficiency of both the chiller and the whole system are improved significantly. (author)

Coupling DCS and MARTe: two real-time control frameworks in collaboration

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rapson, Christopher J., E-mail: chris.rapson@ipp.mpg.de [Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics, Boltzmannstrasse 2, 85748 Garching (Germany); Carvalho, Pedro [Instituto de Plasmas e Fusão Nuclear, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, 1049-001 Lisboa (Portugal); Lüddecke, Klaus; Neto, André C. [Unlimited Computer Systems GmbH, Seeshaupterstr. 15, 82393 Iffeldorf (Germany); Santos, Bruno [Instituto de Plasmas e Fusão Nuclear, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, 1049-001 Lisboa (Portugal); Treutterer, Wolfgang [Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics, Boltzmannstrasse 2, 85748 Garching (Germany); Winter, Axel [ITER Organization, Route de Vinon-sur-Verdon, 13115 St.-Paul-Lès-Durance (France); Zehetbauer, Thomas [Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics, Boltzmannstrasse 2, 85748 Garching (Germany)

2014-12-15

Highlights: • Similarities and differences between DCS and MARTe. • Identifies the state-of-the-art in terms of software frameworks for fusion control. • Interfaces developed for realtime and non-realtime communication between DCS and MARTe. • An algorithm replicated in DCS and MARTe produces identical results and good performance. • The start of collaboration to develop a new framework for ITER PCS. - Abstract: Fusion experiments place high demands on real-time control systems. Within the fusion community two modern framework-based software architectures have emerged as powerful tools for developing algorithms for real-time control of complex systems while maintaining the flexibility required when operating a physics experiment. The two frameworks are known as DCS (Discharge Control System), from ASDEX Upgrade and MARTe (Multithreaded Application Real-Time executor), originally from JET. Based on the success of DCS and MARTe, ITER has chosen to develop a framework architecture for its Plasma Control System which will adopt major design concepts from both the existing frameworks. This paper describes a coupling of the two existing frameworks, which was undertaken to explore the degree of similarity and compliance between the concepts, and to extend their capabilities. DCS and MARTe operate in parallel with synchronised state machines and a common message logger. Configuration data is exchanged before the real-time phase. During the real-time phase, structured data is exchanged via shared memory and an existing DCS algorithm is replicated within MARTe. The coupling tests the flexibility and identifies the respective strengths of the two frameworks, providing a well-informed basis on which to move forward and design a new ITER real-time framework.

Coupling DCS and MARTe: two real-time control frameworks in collaboration

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rapson, Christopher J.; Carvalho, Pedro; Lüddecke, Klaus; Neto, André C.; Santos, Bruno; Treutterer, Wolfgang; Winter, Axel; Zehetbauer, Thomas

2014-01-01

Highlights: • Similarities and differences between DCS and MARTe. • Identifies the state-of-the-art in terms of software frameworks for fusion control. • Interfaces developed for realtime and non-realtime communication between DCS and MARTe. • An algorithm replicated in DCS and MARTe produces identical results and good performance. • The start of collaboration to develop a new framework for ITER PCS. - Abstract: Fusion experiments place high demands on real-time control systems. Within the fusion community two modern framework-based software architectures have emerged as powerful tools for developing algorithms for real-time control of complex systems while maintaining the flexibility required when operating a physics experiment. The two frameworks are known as DCS (Discharge Control System), from ASDEX Upgrade and MARTe (Multithreaded Application Real-Time executor), originally from JET. Based on the success of DCS and MARTe, ITER has chosen to develop a framework architecture for its Plasma Control System which will adopt major design concepts from both the existing frameworks. This paper describes a coupling of the two existing frameworks, which was undertaken to explore the degree of similarity and compliance between the concepts, and to extend their capabilities. DCS and MARTe operate in parallel with synchronised state machines and a common message logger. Configuration data is exchanged before the real-time phase. During the real-time phase, structured data is exchanged via shared memory and an existing DCS algorithm is replicated within MARTe. The coupling tests the flexibility and identifies the respective strengths of the two frameworks, providing a well-informed basis on which to move forward and design a new ITER real-time framework

Configuration-defined control algorithms with the ASDEX Upgrade DCS

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Treutterer, Wolfgang, E-mail: Wolfgang.Treutterer@ipp.mpg.de [Max-Planck-Institut für Plasmaphysik, Boltzmannstr. 2, 85748 Garching (Germany); Cole, Richard [Unlimited Computer Systems, Seeshaupter Str. 15, 82393 Iffeldorf Germany (Germany); Gräter, Alexander [Max-Planck-Institut für Plasmaphysik, Boltzmannstr. 2, 85748 Garching (Germany); Lüddecke, Klaus [Unlimited Computer Systems, Seeshaupter Str. 15, 82393 Iffeldorf Germany (Germany); Neu, Gregor; Rapson, Christopher; Raupp, Gerhard; Zehetbauer, Thomas [Max-Planck-Institut für Plasmaphysik, Boltzmannstr. 2, 85748 Garching (Germany)

2016-11-15

Highlights: • Control algorithm built from combination of pre-fabricated standard function blocks. • Seamless integration in multi-threaded computation context. • Block composition defined by configuration data, only. - Abstract: The ASDEX Upgrade Discharge Control System (DCS) is a distributed real-time control system executing complex control and monitoring tasks. Up to now, DCS control algorithms have been implemented by coding dedicated application processes with the C++ programming language. Algorithm changes required code modification, compilation and commissioning which only experienced programmers could perform. This was a significant constraint of flexibility for both control system operation and design. The new approach extends DCS with the capability of configuration-defined control algorithms. These are composed of chains of small, configurable standard function blocks providing general purpose functions like algebraic operations, filters, feedback controllers, output limiters and decision logic. In a later phase a graphical editor could help to compose and modify such configuration in a Simulink-like fashion. Building algorithms from standard functions can result in a high number of elements. In order to achieve a similar performance as with C++ coding, it is essential to avoid administrative bottlenecks by design. As a consequence, DCS executes a function block chain in the context of a single real-time thread of an application process. No concurrency issues as in a multi-threaded context need to be considered resulting in strongly simplified signal handling and zero performance overhead for inter-block communication. Instead of signal-driven synchronization, a block scheduler derives the execution sequence automatically from the block dependencies as defined in the configuration. All blocks and connecting signals are instantiated dynamically, based on definitions in a configuration file. Algorithms thus are not defined in the code but only in

DCS data viewer, an application that accesses ATLAS DCS historical data

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tsarouchas, C; Schlenker, S; Dimitrov, G; Jahn, G

2014-01-01

The ATLAS experiment at CERN is one of the four Large Hadron Collider experiments. The Detector Control System (DCS) of ATLAS is responsible for the supervision of the detector equipment, the reading of operational parameters, the propagation of the alarms and the archiving of important operational data in a relational database (DB). DCS Data Viewer (DDV) is an application that provides access to the ATLAS DCS historical data through a web interface. Its design is structured using a client-server architecture. The pythonic server connects to the DB and fetches the data by using optimized SQL requests. It communicates with the outside world, by accepting HTTP requests and it can be used stand alone. The client is an AJAX (Asynchronous JavaScript and XML) interactive web application developed under the Google Web Toolkit (GWT) framework. Its web interface is user friendly, platform and browser independent. The selection of metadata is done via a column-tree view or with a powerful search engine. The final visualization of the data is done using java applets or java script applications as plugins. The default output is a value-over-time chart, but other types of outputs like tables, ascii or ROOT files are supported too. Excessive access or malicious use of the database is prevented by a dedicated protection mechanism, allowing the exposure of the tool to hundreds of inexperienced users. The current configuration of the client and of the outputs can be saved in an XML file. Protection against web security attacks is foreseen and authentication constrains have been taken into account, allowing the exposure of the tool to hundreds of users world wide. Due to its flexible interface and its generic and modular approach, DDV could be easily used for other experiment control systems.

Dcs Data Viewer, an Application that Accesses ATLAS DCS Historical Data

Science.gov (United States)

Tsarouchas, C.; Schlenker, S.; Dimitrov, G.; Jahn, G.

2014-06-01

The ATLAS experiment at CERN is one of the four Large Hadron Collider experiments. The Detector Control System (DCS) of ATLAS is responsible for the supervision of the detector equipment, the reading of operational parameters, the propagation of the alarms and the archiving of important operational data in a relational database (DB). DCS Data Viewer (DDV) is an application that provides access to the ATLAS DCS historical data through a web interface. Its design is structured using a client-server architecture. The pythonic server connects to the DB and fetches the data by using optimized SQL requests. It communicates with the outside world, by accepting HTTP requests and it can be used stand alone. The client is an AJAX (Asynchronous JavaScript and XML) interactive web application developed under the Google Web Toolkit (GWT) framework. Its web interface is user friendly, platform and browser independent. The selection of metadata is done via a column-tree view or with a powerful search engine. The final visualization of the data is done using java applets or java script applications as plugins. The default output is a value-over-time chart, but other types of outputs like tables, ascii or ROOT files are supported too. Excessive access or malicious use of the database is prevented by a dedicated protection mechanism, allowing the exposure of the tool to hundreds of inexperienced users. The current configuration of the client and of the outputs can be saved in an XML file. Protection against web security attacks is foreseen and authentication constrains have been taken into account, allowing the exposure of the tool to hundreds of users world wide. Due to its flexible interface and its generic and modular approach, DDV could be easily used for other experiment control systems.

Inhibitory effect of immature dendritic cells (iDCs phagocytizing apoptotic lymphocytes on LPS-mediated activation of iDCs

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yu-xiang WEI

2013-09-01

Full Text Available Objective　To investigate the inhibitory effect of immature dendritic cells(iDCs on LPS-mediated maturation of iDCs phagocytizing allogeneic spleen lymphocytes after being treated bypsoralen plus ultraviolet A(PUVA. Methods　Bone marrow-derived DCs were obtained from bone marrow cells of C57BL/6 mice by co-cultivation with recombinant mouse IL-4 and GM-CSF. Spleenlymphocytes(SLP of BALB/c mice were isolated and transformed to PUVA-SLP by treatment with 8-methoxy PUVA irradiation.The bone marrow-derived iDCs of C57BL/6 were co-cultured with PUVA-SLP of BALB/c mice to obtain PUVA¬SLPDCs. After incubation, iDCs and PUVA-SP DCs were induced to maturation by LPS(10ng/ml,24h, and then they were analyzed by flow cytometry.At the same time,the concentrations of the immunoreactive proteins IL-12p70,IL-12p40andIL-10 in cell supernatants were determined by ELISA kits according to the manufacturer's recommendations. Results　PUVA-SLP DCs and iDCs were compared in terms of LPS responsiveness.The phenotype of iDCs(CD40,CD80, andCD86 was 50.58%, 66.29%, 71.20%, respectively, showed more rapid changes from immature to mature statein response to LPS stimulation compared with PUVA-SP DCs, the phenotype of which was 21.26%,38.50% and 39.78%, respectively(P0.05.PUVA-SPDCs secreted high levels of IL-10(435.6±13.9, but lowlevels of IL-12(p7018.56±1.3,p4015.22±1.2, as compared with those of iDCs (132.6±2.8, p70192.1±5.9, p40999.8±26.9, P<0.01 after LPS stimulation. Conclusions　Although PUVA-SLPDCs do not express as immature phenotype, they can be readily induced to differentiate into mature DCs in the presence of antigen or LPS. It may be suitable to use iDCs clinically in autoimmune diseases and transplantation.

EEG Driven tDCS Versus Bifrontal tDCS for Tinnitus

OpenAIRE

De Ridder, Dirk; Vanneste, Sven

2012-01-01

Tinnitus is the perception of a sound in the absence of any objective physical sound source. Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) induces shifts in membrane resting potentials depending on the polarity of the stimulation: under the anode gamma band activity increases, whereas under the cathode the opposite occurs. Both single and multiple sessions of tDCS over the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC; anode over right DLPFC) yield a transient improvement in tinnitus intensity and t...

Online Learning Flight Control for Intelligent Flight Control Systems (IFCS)

Science.gov (United States)

Niewoehner, Kevin R.; Carter, John (Technical Monitor)

2001-01-01

The research accomplishments for the cooperative agreement 'Online Learning Flight Control for Intelligent Flight Control Systems (IFCS)' include the following: (1) previous IFC program data collection and analysis; (2) IFC program support site (configured IFC systems support network, configured Tornado/VxWorks OS development system, made Configuration and Documentation Management Systems Internet accessible); (3) Airborne Research Test Systems (ARTS) II Hardware (developed hardware requirements specification, developing environmental testing requirements, hardware design, and hardware design development); (4) ARTS II software development laboratory unit (procurement of lab style hardware, configured lab style hardware, and designed interface module equivalent to ARTS II faceplate); (5) program support documentation (developed software development plan, configuration management plan, and software verification and validation plan); (6) LWR algorithm analysis (performed timing and profiling on algorithm); (7) pre-trained neural network analysis; (8) Dynamic Cell Structures (DCS) Neural Network Analysis (performing timing and profiling on algorithm); and (9) conducted technical interchange and quarterly meetings to define IFC research goals.

Evaluation for nuclear safety-critical software reliability of DCS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu Ying

2015-01-01

With the development of control and information technology at NPPs, software reliability is important because software failure is usually considered as one form of common cause failures in Digital I and C Systems (DCS). The reliability analysis of DCS, particularly qualitative and quantitative evaluation on the nuclear safety-critical software reliability belongs to a great challenge. To solve this problem, not only comprehensive evaluation model and stage evaluation models are built in this paper, but also prediction and sensibility analysis are given to the models. It can make besement for evaluating the reliability and safety of DCS. (author)

Working memory capacity differentially influences responses to tDCS and HD-tDCS in a retro-cue task.

Science.gov (United States)

Gözenman, Filiz; Berryhill, Marian E

2016-08-26

There is growing interest in non-invasive brain stimulation techniques. A drawback is that the relationship between stimulation and cognitive outcomes for various tasks are unknown. Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) provides diffuse current spread, whereas high-definition tDCS (HD-tDCS) provides more targeted current. The direction of behavioral effects after tDCS can be difficult to predict in cognitive realms such as attention and working memory (WM). Previously, we showed that in low and high WM capacity groups tDCS modulates performance in nearly equal and opposite directions on a change detection task, with improvement for the high capacity participants alone. Here, we used the retro-cue paradigm to test attentional shifting among items in WM to investigate whether WM capacity (WMC) predicted different behavioral consequences during anodal tDCS or HD-tDCS to posterior parietal cortex (PPC). In two experiments, with 24 participants each, we used different stimulus categories (colored circles, letters) and stimulation sites (right, left PPC). The results showed a significant (Experiment 1) or trending (Experiment 2) WMC x stimulation interaction. Compared to tDCS, after HD-tDCS the retro-cueing benefit was significantly greater for the low WMC group but numerically worse for the high WMC group. These data highlight the importance of considering group differences when using non-invasive neurostimulation techniques. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

The closely related CD103+ dendritic cells (DCs and lymphoid-resident CD8+ DCs differ in their inflammatory functions.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zhijun Jiao

Full Text Available Migratory CD103+ and lymphoid-resident CD8+ dendritic cells (DCs share many attributes, such as dependence on the same transcription factors, cross-presenting ability and expression of certain surface molecules, such that it has been proposed they belong to a common sub-lineage. The functional diversity of the two DC types is nevertheless incompletely understood. Here we reveal that upon skin infection with herpes simplex virus, migratory CD103+ DCs from draining lymph nodes were more potent at inducing Th17 cytokine production by CD4+ T cells than CD8+ DCs. This superior capacity to drive Th17 responses was also evident in CD103+ DCs from uninfected mice. Their differential potency to induce Th17 differentiation was reflected by higher production of IL-1β and IL-6 by CD103+ DCs compared with CD8+ DCs upon stimulation. The two types of DCs from isolated lymph nodes also differ in expression of certain pattern recognition receptors. Furthermore, elevated levels of GM-CSF, typical of those found in inflammation, substantially increased the pool size of CD103+ DCs in lymph nodes and skin. We argue that varied levels of GM-CSF may explain the contrasting reports regarding the positive role of GM-CSF in regulating development of CD103+ DCs. Together, we find that these two developmentally closely-related DC subsets display functional differences and that GM-CSF has differential effect on the two types of DCs.

NIRS-EEG joint imaging during transcranial direct current stimulation: Online parameter estimation with an autoregressive model.

Science.gov (United States)

Sood, Mehak; Besson, Pierre; Muthalib, Makii; Jindal, Utkarsh; Perrey, Stephane; Dutta, Anirban; Hayashibe, Mitsuhiro

2016-12-01

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) has been shown to perturb both cortical neural activity and hemodynamics during (online) and after the stimulation, however mechanisms of these tDCS-induced online and after-effects are not known. Here, online resting-state spontaneous brain activation may be relevant to monitor tDCS neuromodulatory effects that can be measured using electroencephalography (EEG) in conjunction with near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS). We present a Kalman Filter based online parameter estimation of an autoregressive (ARX) model to track the transient coupling relation between the changes in EEG power spectrum and NIRS signals during anodal tDCS (2mA, 10min) using a 4×1 ring high-definition montage. Our online ARX parameter estimation technique using the cross-correlation between log (base-10) transformed EEG band-power (0.5-11.25Hz) and NIRS oxy-hemoglobin signal in the low frequency (≤0.1Hz) range was shown in 5 healthy subjects to be sensitive to detect transient EEG-NIRS coupling changes in resting-state spontaneous brain activation during anodal tDCS. Conventional sliding window cross-correlation calculations suffer a fundamental problem in computing the phase relationship as the signal in the window is considered time-invariant and the choice of the window length and step size are subjective. Here, Kalman Filter based method allowed online ARX parameter estimation using time-varying signals that could capture transients in the coupling relationship between EEG and NIRS signals. Our new online ARX model based tracking method allows continuous assessment of the transient coupling between the electrophysiological (EEG) and the hemodynamic (NIRS) signals representing resting-state spontaneous brain activation during anodal tDCS. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Polarity-Dependent Misperception of Subjective Visual Vertical during and after Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS).

Science.gov (United States)

Santos-Pontelli, Taiza E G; Rimoli, Brunna P; Favoretto, Diandra B; Mazin, Suleimy C; Truong, Dennis Q; Leite, Joao P; Pontes-Neto, Octavio M; Babyar, Suzanne R; Reding, Michael; Bikson, Marom; Edwards, Dylan J

2016-01-01

Pathologic tilt of subjective visual vertical (SVV) frequently has adverse functional consequences for patients with stroke and vestibular disorders. Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) of the supramarginal gyrus can produce a transitory tilt on SVV in healthy subjects. However, the effect of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) on SVV has never been systematically studied. We investigated whether bilateral tDCS over the temporal-parietal region could result in both online and offline SVV misperception in healthy subjects. In a randomized, sham-controlled, single-blind crossover pilot study, thirteen healthy subjects performed tests of SVV before, during and after the tDCS applied over the temporal-parietal region in three conditions used on different days: right anode/left cathode; right cathode/left anode; and sham. Subjects were blind to the tDCS conditions. Montage-specific current flow patterns were investigated using computational models. SVV was significantly displaced towards the anode during both active stimulation conditions when compared to sham condition. Immediately after both active conditions, there were rebound effects. Longer lasting after-effects towards the anode occurred only in the right cathode/left anode condition. Current flow models predicted the stimulation of temporal-parietal regions under the electrodes and deep clusters in the posterior limb of the internal capsule. The present findings indicate that tDCS over the temporal-parietal region can significantly alter human SVV perception. This tDCS approach may be a potential clinical tool for the treatment of SVV misperception in neurological patients.

ATLAS Muon DCS Upgrades and Optimizations

CERN Document Server

Bakalis, Christos; The ATLAS collaboration

2017-01-01

The Muon subsystem is comprised of four detector types: Resistive Plate Chambers (RPC) and Thin Gap Chambers (TGC) for trigger purposes, and Cathode Strip Chambers (CSC) and Muon Drift Tubes (MDT) for muon track reconstruction. The MDTs cover a large area at the outer part of the detector. In total, there are over a 1’000 MDT chambers, which are made of about 350’000 tubes. The luminosity upgrade of the HL-LHC is expected to pose a serious challenge to the MDTs. The expected increase of particle flux will set new, higher standards regarding the operation and control of the chambers. A step towards optimizing the ATLAS Muon Detector Control System (DCS) was to develop several DCS tools, namely a High Luminosity vs Trip Limit panel with its accompanying scripts and managers. The ultimate goal of this tool is to protect the MDT chambers from the rising particle flux and its associated increase in chamber current. In addition to optimizing the ATLAS Muon DCS, several tasks to accommodate the newly installed B...

Bidirectional interactions between neuronal and hemodynamic responses to transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS: challenges for brain-state dependent tDCS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anirban eDutta

2015-08-01

Full Text Available Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS has been shown to modulate cortical neural activity. During neural activity, the electric currents from excitable membranes of brain tissue superimpose in the extracellular medium and generate a potential at scalp, which is referred as the electroencephalogram (EEG. Respective neural activity (energy demand has been shown to be closely related, spatially and temporally, to cerebral blood flow (CBF that supplies glucose (energy supply via neurovascular coupling. The hemodynamic response can be captured by near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS, which enables continuous monitoring of cerebral oxygenation and blood volume. This neurovascular coupling phenomenon led to the concept of neurovascular unit (NVU that consists of the endothelium, glia, neurons, pericytes, and the basal lamina. Here, recent works suggest NVU as an integrated system working in concert using feedback mechanisms to enable proper brain homeostasis and function where the challenge remains in capturing these mostly nonlinear spatiotemporal interactions within NVU during tDCS. Therefore, we propose EEG-NIRS-based whole-head monitoring of tDCS-induced neuronal and hemodynamic alterations for brain-state dependent tDCS.

DCS (Digital Control System) application of three generations; Aplicacao de um SDCD (Sistemas Digitais de Controle Distribuido) de tres geracoes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Coelho, Celso Roberto Molinaro [PETROBRAS S.A., Sao Jose dos Campos, SP (Brazil). Refinaria Henrique Lage (REVAP)

2004-07-01

Digital Control System are three generations of hardware and software platforms in process automation , but DCS is using the same functions and presents the reliability and availability . The challenge in automation has to maintain the old and the newest system operating and integrated perhaps the different times of platforms to guarantee the actual investments and in the future. A new generation of DCS using field equipment to control or the actual architecture with a lot of new information are coming with the technologies. (author)

Is Motor Learning Mediated by tDCS Intensity?

OpenAIRE

Cuypers, Koen; Leenus, Daphnie J. F.; van den Berg, Femke E.; Nitsche, Michael A.; Thijs, Herbert; Wenderoth, Nicole; Meesen, Raf L. J.

2013-01-01

Although tDCS has been shown to improve motor learning, previous studies reported rather small effects. Since physiological effects of tDCS depend on intensity, the present study evaluated this parameter in order to enhance the effect of tDCS on skill acquisition. The effect of different stimulation intensities of anodal tDCS (atDCS) was investigated in a double blind, sham controlled crossover design. In each condition, thirteen healthy subjects were instructed to perform a unimanual motor (...

75 FR 59686 - Proposed Information Collection; Comment Request; NOAA Space-Based Data Collection System (DCS...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-09-28

...., Washington, DC 20230 (or via the Internet at [email protected] ). FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for... Environmental Satellite (GOES) DCS and the Polar-Orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite (POES) DCS, also... Collection Submittal include Internet, facsimile transmission and postal mailing of paper forms. III. Data...

Project managing your simulator DCS upgrade

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Carr, S.

2006-01-01

The intention of this paper is to provide helpful information and tips for the purchaser with regard to the project management of a DCS upgrade for an existing nuclear power station operator-training simulator. This paper was written shortly after STS Powergen completed two nuclear power station simulator DCS projects in the USA. Areas covered by this paper are: - Contractual documents and arrangements; - Licence and Escrow agreements; - Liquidated damages; - Project management; - Project schedules and resources; - Monitoring progress; - Defect reporting; - DCS automation code; - Access to proprietary information; - Tips for project meetings; - Testing; - Cultural issues; - Training

Analysis of effect of safety classification on DCS design in nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gou Guokai; Li Guomin; Wang Qunfeng

2011-01-01

By analyzing the safety classification for the systems and functions of nuclear power plants based on the general design requirements for nuclear power plants, especially the requirement of availability and reliability of I and C systems, the characteristics of modem DCS technology and I and C products currently applied in nuclear power field are interpreted. According to the requirements on the safety operation of nuclear power plants and the regulations for safety audit, the effect of different safety classifications on DCS design in nuclear power plants is analyzed, by considering the actual design process of different DCS solutions in the nuclear power plants under construction. (authors)

DCS cabinet power loss analysis for CPR1000 nuclear power plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhou Liang; Zhao Yanfeng; Sun Yongbin

2014-01-01

The DCS overall structure of CRP1000 nuclear power plant was introduced. Based on the RPC, the signal interface character and signal processing mechanism on the key root were analyzed. By the power loss analyzing of RPC, the RPC loss power may lead reactor trip signal from anticipated transient without scram (ATWS) system. The results indicate that it is necessary to search DCS cabinet power loss analysis. Optimizing and assigning the main water flow signals can avoid trigger reactor trip signal by mistake. The DCS cabinet power loss analysis can optimize the I and C (instrumentation and control) design and increase the nuclear plant's reliability. (authors)

JACoW ADAPOS: An architecture for publishing ALICE DCS conditions data

CERN Document Server

Lång, John; Bond, Peter; Chochula, Peter; Kurepin, Alexander; Lechman, Mateusz; Pinazza, Ombretta

2018-01-01

ALICE Data Point Service (ADAPOS) is a software architecture being developed for the RUN3 period of LHC, as a part of the effort to transmit conditions data from ALICE Detector Control System (DCS) to Event Processing Network (EPN), for distributed processing. The key processes of ADAPOS, Engine and Terminal, run on separate machines, facing different networks. Devices connected to DCS publish their state as DIM services. Engine gets updates to the services, and converts them into a binary stream. Terminal receives it over 0MQ, and maintains an image of the DCS state. It sends copies of the image, at regular intervals, over another 0MQ connection, to a readout process of ALICE Data Acquisition.

Hitachi's proposed DCS solution for new build CANDU EC6 using the G-HIACS unified platform

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tan, D.; Ishii, K.; Otsuka, Y.; Uemura, K., E-mail: daisuke.tan.ye@hitachi.com [Hitachi Ltd., Infrastructure Systems Co., Ibaraki (Japan); Marko, P.E. [Hitachi Power Systems Canada Ltd., Power and Industry Div., Ontario (Canada)

2013-07-01

Hitachi Ltd. has developed the safe and secure functional safety DCS controller for potential new build NPP projects in the global market. Hitachi has improved the availability, maintainability, and reliability for its latest DCS systems named G-HIACS. In this latest paper on its DCS product development program, Hitachi would like to report a proposed DCS solution for new build CANDU NSP and BOP based on the G-HIACS Unified Architecture (R800FS/HSC800FS vSAFE Functional Safety Controller and R900/HSC900 General Purpose Controller) hybrid control system. (author)

Effects of High-Definition and Conventional tDCS on Response Inhibition.

Science.gov (United States)

Hogeveen, J; Grafman, J; Aboseria, M; David, A; Bikson, M; Hauner, K K

2016-01-01

Response inhibition is a critical executive function, enabling the adaptive control of behavior in a changing environment. The inferior frontal cortex (IFC) is considered to be critical for response inhibition, leading researchers to develop transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) montages attempting to target the IFC and improve inhibitory performance. However, conventional tDCS montages produce diffuse current through the brain, making it difficult to establish causality between stimulation of any one given brain region and resulting behavioral changes. Recently, high-definition tDCS (HD-tDCS) methods have been developed to target brain regions with increased focality relative to conventional tDCS. Remarkably few studies have utilized HD-tDCS to improve cognitive task performance, however, and no study has directly compared the behavioral effects of HD-tDCS to conventional tDCS. In the present study, participants received either HD-tDCS or conventional tDCS to the IFC during performance of a response inhibition task (stop-signal task, SST) or a control task (choice reaction time task, CRT). A third group of participants completed the same behavioral protocols, but received tDCS to a control site (mid-occipital cortex). Post-stimulation improvement in SST performance was analyzed as a function of tDCS group and the task performed during stimulation using both conventional and Bayesian parameter estimation analyses. Bayesian estimation of the effects of HD- and conventional tDCS to IFC relative to control site stimulation demonstrated enhanced response inhibition for both conditions. No improvements were found after control task (CRT) training in any tDCS condition. Results support the use of both HD- and conventional tDCS to the IFC for improving response inhibition, providing empirical evidence that HD-tDCS can be used to facilitate performance on an executive function task. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Simultaneous transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) and whole-head magnetoencephalography (MEG): assessing the impact of tDCS on slow cortical magnetic fields.

Science.gov (United States)

Garcia-Cossio, Eliana; Witkowski, Matthias; Robinson, Stephen E; Cohen, Leonardo G; Birbaumer, Niels; Soekadar, Surjo R

2016-10-15

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) can influence cognitive, affective or motor brain functions. Whereas previous imaging studies demonstrated widespread tDCS effects on brain metabolism, direct impact of tDCS on electric or magnetic source activity in task-related brain areas could not be confirmed due to the difficulty to record such activity simultaneously during tDCS. The aim of this proof-of-principal study was to demonstrate the feasibility of whole-head source localization and reconstruction of neuromagnetic brain activity during tDCS and to confirm the direct effect of tDCS on ongoing neuromagnetic activity in task-related brain areas. Here we show for the first time that tDCS has an immediate impact on slow cortical magnetic fields (SCF, 0-4Hz) of task-related areas that are identical with brain regions previously described in metabolic neuroimaging studies. 14 healthy volunteers performed a choice reaction time (RT) task while whole-head magnetoencephalography (MEG) was recorded. Task-related source-activity of SCFs was calculated using synthetic aperture magnetometry (SAM) in absence of stimulation and while anodal, cathodal or sham tDCS was delivered over the right primary motor cortex (M1). Source reconstruction revealed task-related SCF modulations in brain regions that precisely matched prior metabolic neuroimaging studies. Anodal and cathodal tDCS had a polarity-dependent impact on RT and SCF in primary sensorimotor and medial centro-parietal cortices. Combining tDCS and whole-head MEG is a powerful approach to investigate the direct effects of transcranial electric currents on ongoing neuromagnetic source activity, brain function and behavior. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

STAMP model and its application prospect in DCS safety analysis of nuclear power plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yang Xiaohua; Liu Jie; Liu Zhaohui; Liu Hua; Yu Tonglan

2013-01-01

The application of DCS (Digit Control System) is a certain trend for the development of nuclear power. DCS not only improves the control capability of nuclear power system, but also increases the complexity of the system. Traditional safety analysis techniques based on event-chain model are facing challenges. In order to improve the safety performance of nuclear power DCS, the latest research achievement in the field of safety engineering should be focused, studied and applied into nuclear power safety. This paper introduces a new safety analysis model named STAMP (Systems-Theoretic Accident Modeling and Processes) based on the system theory, analyzes its advantages and disadvantages compared with the traditional ones, and explains the basic steps of STPA (STAMP-Based Hazard Analysis) technology. Finally, according to the application status of STAMP at home and abroad, it prospects the development of STAMP in China's nuclear power safety. (authors)

Library Online Systems.

Science.gov (United States)

Folda, Linda; And Others

1989-01-01

Issues related to library online systems are discussed in six articles. Topics covered include staff education through vendor demonstrations, evaluation of online public access catalogs, the impact of integrated online systems on cataloging operations, the merits of smart and dumb barcodes, and points to consider in planning for the next online…

A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of the Effects of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) Over the Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex in Healthy and Neuropsychiatric Samples: Influence of Stimulation Parameters.

Science.gov (United States)

Dedoncker, Josefien; Brunoni, Andre R; Baeken, Chris; Vanderhasselt, Marie-Anne

2016-01-01

Research into the effects of transcranial direct current stimulation of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex on cognitive functioning is increasing rapidly. However, methodological heterogeneity in prefrontal tDCS research is also increasing, particularly in technical stimulation parameters that might influence tDCS effects. To systematically examine the influence of technical stimulation parameters on DLPFC-tDCS effects. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of tDCS studies targeting the DLPFC published from the first data available to February 2016. Only single-session, sham-controlled, within-subject studies reporting the effects of tDCS on cognition in healthy controls and neuropsychiatric patients were included. Evaluation of 61 studies showed that after single-session a-tDCS, but not c-tDCS, participants responded faster and more accurately on cognitive tasks. Sub-analyses specified that following a-tDCS, healthy subjects responded faster, while neuropsychiatric patients responded more accurately. Importantly, different stimulation parameters affected a-tDCS effects, but not c-tDCS effects, on accuracy in healthy samples vs. increased current density and density charge resulted in improved accuracy in healthy samples, most prominently in females; for neuropsychiatric patients, task performance during a-tDCS resulted in stronger increases in accuracy rates compared to task performance following a-tDCS. Healthy participants respond faster, but not more accurate on cognitive tasks after a-tDCS. However, increasing the current density and/or charge might be able to enhance response accuracy, particularly in females. In contrast, online task performance leads to greater increases in response accuracy than offline task performance in neuropsychiatric patients. Possible implications and practical recommendations are discussed. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Hits and Misses: Leveraging tDCS to Advance Cognitive Research

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marian E Berryhill

2014-07-01

Full Text Available The popularity of non-invasive brain stimulation techniques in basic, commercial, and applied settings grew tremendously over the last decade. Here, we focus on one popular neurostimulation method: transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS. Many assumptions regarding the outcomes of tDCS are based on the results of stimulating motor cortex. For instance, the primary motor cortex is predictably suppressed by cathodal tDCS or made more excitable by anodal tDCS. However, wide-ranging studies testing cognition provide more complex and sometimes paradoxical results that challenge this heuristic. Here, we first summarize successful efforts in applying tDCS to cognitive questions, with a focus on working memory. These recent findings indicate that tDCS can result in cognitive task improvement or impairment regardless of stimulation site or direction of current flow. We then report working memory and response inhibition studies that failed to replicate and/or extend previously reported effects. From these opposing outcomes, we present a series of factors to consider that are intended to facilitate future use of tDCS when applied to cognitive questions. In short, common pitfalls include testing too few participants, using insufficiently challenging tasks, using heterogeneous participant populations, and including poorly motivated participants. Furthermore, the poorly understood underlying mechanism for long-lasting tDCS effects make it likely that other important factors predict responses. In conclusion, we argue that although tDCS can be used experimentally to understand brain function its greatest potential may be in applied or translational research.

Determination of optimal electrode positions for transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Im, Chang-Hwan; Jung, Hui-Hun; Choi, Jung-Do; Lee, Soo Yeol; Jung, Ki-Young

2008-01-01

The present study introduces a new approach to determining optimal electrode positions in transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS). Electric field and 3D conduction current density were analyzed using 3D finite element method (FEM) formulated for a dc conduction problem. The electrode positions for minimal current injection were optimized by changing the Cartesian coordinate system into the spherical coordinate system and applying the (2+6) evolution strategy (ES) algorithm. Preliminary simulation studies applied to a standard three-layer head model demonstrated that the proposed approach is promising in enhancing the performance of tDCS. (note)

Determination of optimal electrode positions for transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Im, Chang-Hwan; Jung, Hui-Hun; Choi, Jung-Do [Department of Biomedical Engineering, Yonsei University, Wonju, 220-710 (Korea, Republic of); Lee, Soo Yeol [Department of Biomedical Engineering, Kyung Hee University, Suwon (Korea, Republic of); Jung, Ki-Young [Korea University Medical Center, Korea University College of Medicine, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)], E-mail: ich@yonsei.ac.kr

2008-06-07

The present study introduces a new approach to determining optimal electrode positions in transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS). Electric field and 3D conduction current density were analyzed using 3D finite element method (FEM) formulated for a dc conduction problem. The electrode positions for minimal current injection were optimized by changing the Cartesian coordinate system into the spherical coordinate system and applying the (2+6) evolution strategy (ES) algorithm. Preliminary simulation studies applied to a standard three-layer head model demonstrated that the proposed approach is promising in enhancing the performance of tDCS. (note)

Research of quality control during development of NPP DCS 1E classified software

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shi Weihua; Lu Zhenguo; Xie Qi

2012-01-01

The Nuclear safety depends on right behavior of 1E software, which is a important part of 1E DCS system. Nowadays, user focus on good function of 1E system, but pay little attention to quality control of 1E software. In fact, it's declared in IEC61513 and IEC60880 that 1E software should under strict quality control during all stages of development. This article is related to the practice of 1E DCS system quality control and explores the QC surveillance for 1E software from the user's point of view. (authors)

Efficient Maturation and Cytokine Production of Neonatal DCs Requires Combined Proinflammatory Signals

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Doreen Krumbiegel

2005-01-01

Full Text Available Specific functional properties of dendritic cells (DCs have been suspected as being responsible for the impaired specific immune responses observed in human neonates. To analyze stimulatory requirements for the critical transition from immature, antigen-processing DCs to mature, antigen-presenting DCs, we investigated the effect of different proinflammatory mediators and antigens on phenotype and cytokine secretion of human neonatal DCs derived from hematopoietic progenitor cells (HPCs. Whereas single proinflammatory mediators were unable to induce the maturation of neonatal DCs, various combinations of IFNγ, CD40L, TNFα, LPS and antigens, induced the maturation of neonatal DCs documented by up-regulation of HLA-DR, CD83 and CD86. Combinations of proinflammatory mediators also increased cytokine secretion by neonatal DCs. Especially combined stimulation with LPS and IFNγ proved to be very efficient in inducing maturation and cytokine synthesis of neonatal DCs. In conclusion, neonatal DCs can be stimulated to express maturation as well as costimulatory surface molecules. However, induction of maturation requires combined stimulation with multiple proinflammatory signals.

The LHCb RICH Upgrade: Development of the DCS and DAQ system.

CERN Multimedia

Cavallero, Giovanni

2018-01-01

The LHCb experiment is preparing for an upgrade during the second LHC long shutdown in 2019-2020. In order to fully exploit the LHC flavour physics potential with a five-fold increase in the instantaneous luminosity, a trigger-less readout will be implemented. The RICH detectors will require new photon detectors and a brand new front-end electronics. The status of the integration of the RICH photon detector modules with the MiniDAQ, the prototype of the upgraded LHCb readout architecture, has been reported. The development of the prototype of the RICH Upgrade Experiment Control System, integrating the DCS and DAQ partitions in a single FSM, has been described. The status of the development of the RICH Upgrade Inventory, Bookkeeping and Connectivity database has been reported as well.

Using cyber vulnerability testing techniques to expose undocumented security vulnerabilities in DCS and SCADA equipment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pollet, J.

2006-01-01

This session starts by providing an overview of typical DCS (Distributed Control Systems) and SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) architectures, and exposes cyber security vulnerabilities that vendors never admit, but are found through a comprehensive cyber testing process. A complete assessment process involves testing all of the layers and components of a SCADA or DCS environment, from the perimeter firewall all the way down to the end devices controlling the process, including what to look for when conducting a vulnerability assessment of real-time control systems. The following systems are discussed: 1. Perimeter (isolation from corporate IT or other non-critical networks) 2. Remote Access (third Party access into SCADA or DCS networks) 3. Network Architecture (switch, router, firewalls, access controls, network design) 4. Network Traffic Analysis (what is running on the network) 5. Host Operating Systems Hardening 6. Applications (how they communicate with other applications and end devices) 7. End Device Testing (PLCs, RTUs, DCS Controllers, Smart Transmitters) a. System Discovery b. Functional Discovery c. Attack Methodology i. DoS Tests (at what point does the device fail) ii. Malformed Packet Tests (packets that can cause equipment failure) iii. Session Hijacking (do anything that the operator can do) iv. Packet Injection (code and inject your own SCADA commands) v. Protocol Exploitation (Protocol Reverse Engineering / Fuzzing) This paper will provide information compiled from over five years of conducting cyber security testing on control systems hardware, software, and systems. (authors)

Using cyber vulnerability testing techniques to expose undocumented security vulnerabilities in DCS and SCADA equipment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pollet, J. [PlantData Technologies, Inc., 1201 Louisiana Street, Houston, TX 77002 (United States)

2006-07-01

This session starts by providing an overview of typical DCS (Distributed Control Systems) and SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) architectures, and exposes cyber security vulnerabilities that vendors never admit, but are found through a comprehensive cyber testing process. A complete assessment process involves testing all of the layers and components of a SCADA or DCS environment, from the perimeter firewall all the way down to the end devices controlling the process, including what to look for when conducting a vulnerability assessment of real-time control systems. The following systems are discussed: 1. Perimeter (isolation from corporate IT or other non-critical networks) 2. Remote Access (third Party access into SCADA or DCS networks) 3. Network Architecture (switch, router, firewalls, access controls, network design) 4. Network Traffic Analysis (what is running on the network) 5. Host Operating Systems Hardening 6. Applications (how they communicate with other applications and end devices) 7. End Device Testing (PLCs, RTUs, DCS Controllers, Smart Transmitters) a. System Discovery b. Functional Discovery c. Attack Methodology i. DoS Tests (at what point does the device fail) ii. Malformed Packet Tests (packets that can cause equipment failure) iii. Session Hijacking (do anything that the operator can do) iv. Packet Injection (code and inject your own SCADA commands) v. Protocol Exploitation (Protocol Reverse Engineering / Fuzzing) This paper will provide information compiled from over five years of conducting cyber security testing on control systems hardware, software, and systems. (authors)

Effect of tDCS with an extracephalic reference electrode on cardio-respiratory and autonomic functions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jamart Jacques

2010-03-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS is used in human physiological studies and for therapeutic trials in patients with abnormalities of cortical excitability. Its safety profile places tDCS in the pole-position for translating in real-world therapeutic application. However, an episode of transient respiratory depression in a subject receiving tDCS with an extracephalic electrode led to the suggestion that such an electrode montage could modulate the brainstem autonomic centres. We investigated whether tDCS applied over the midline frontal cortex in 30 healthy volunteers (sham n = 10, cathodal n = 10, anodal n = 10 with an extracephalic reference electrode would modulate brainstem activity as reflected by the monitoring and stringent analysis of vital parameters: heart rate (variability, respiratory rate, blood pressure and sympatho-vagal balance. We reasoned that this study could lead to two opposite but equally interesting outcomes: 1 If tDCS with an extracephalic electrode modulated vital parameters, it could be used as a new tool to explore the autonomic nervous system and, even, to modulate its activity for therapeutic purposes. 2 On the opposite, if applying tDCS with an extracephalic electrode had no effect, it could thus be used safely in healthy human subjects. This outcome would significantly impact the field of non-invasive brain stimulation with tDCS. Indeed, on the one hand, using an extracephalic electrode as a genuine neutral reference (as opposed to the classical "bi-cephalic" tDCS montages which deliver bi-polar stimulation of the brain would help to comfort the conclusions of several modern studies regarding the spatial location and polarity of tDCS. On the other hand, using an extracephalic reference electrode may impact differently on a given cortical target due to the change of direct current flow direction; this may enlarge the potential interventions with tDCS. Results Whereas the respiratory

Longitudinal tDCS: Consistency across Working Memory Training Studies

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marian E. Berryhill

2017-04-01

Full Text Available There is great interest in enhancing and maintaining cognitive function. In recent years, advances in noninvasive brain stimulation devices, such as transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS, have targeted working memory in particular. Despite controversy surrounding outcomes of single-session studies, a growing field of working memory training studies incorporate multiple sessions of tDCS. It is useful to take stock of these findings because there is a diversity of paradigms employed and the outcomes observed between research groups. This will be important in assessing cognitive training programs paired with stimulation techniques and identifying the more useful and less effective approaches. Here, we treat the tDCS+ working memory training field as a case example, but also survey training benefits in other neuromodulatory techniques (e.g., tRNS, tACS. There are challenges associated with the broad parameter space including: individual differences, stimulation intensity, duration, montage, session number, session spacing, training task selection, timing of follow up testing, near and far transfer tasks. In summary, although the field of assisted cognitive training is young, some design choices are more favorable than others. By way of heuristic, the current evidence supports including more training/tDCS sessions (5+, applying anodal tDCS targeting prefrontal regions, including follow up testing on trained and transfer tasks after a period of no contact. What remains unclear, but important for future translational value is continuing work to pinpoint optimal values for the tDCS parameters on a per cognitive task basis. Importantly the emerging literature shows notable consistency in the application of tDCS for WM across various participant populations compared to single session experimental designs.

Impact of antipsychotic medication on transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) effects in schizophrenia patients.

Science.gov (United States)

Agarwal, Sri Mahavir; Bose, Anushree; Shivakumar, Venkataram; Narayanaswamy, Janardhanan C; Chhabra, Harleen; Kalmady, Sunil V; Varambally, Shivarama; Nitsche, Michael A; Venkatasubramanian, Ganesan; Gangadhar, Bangalore N

2016-01-30

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) has generated interest as a treatment modality for schizophrenia. Dopamine, a critical pathogenetic link in schizophrenia, is also known to influence tDCS effects. We evaluated the influence of antipsychotic drug type (as defined by dopamine D2 receptor affinity) on the impact of tDCS in schizophrenia. DSM-IV-TR-diagnosed schizophrenia patients [N=36] with persistent auditory hallucinations despite adequate antipsychotic treatment were administered add-on tDCS. Patients were divided into three groups based on the antipsychotic's affinity to D2 receptors. An auditory hallucinations score (AHS) was measured using the auditory hallucinations subscale of the Psychotic Symptom Rating Scales (PSYRATS). Add-on tDCS resulted in a significant reduction inAHS. Antipsychotic drug type had a significant effect on AHS reduction. Patients treated with high affinity antipsychotics showed significantly lesser improvement compared to patients on low affinity antipsychotics or a mixture of the two. Furthermore, a significant sex-by-group interaction occurred; type of medication had an impact on tDCS effects only in women. Improvement differences could be due to the larger availability of the dopamine receptor system in patients taking antipsychotics with low D2 affinity. Sex-specific differences suggest potential estrogen-mediated effects. This study reports a first-time observation on the clinical utility of antipsychotic drug type in predicting tDCS effects in schizophrenia. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Online and offline effects of cerebellar transcranial direct current stimulation on motor learning in healthy older adults: a randomized double-blind sham-controlled study.

Science.gov (United States)

Samaei, Afshin; Ehsani, Fatemeh; Zoghi, Maryam; Hafez Yosephi, Mohaddese; Jaberzadeh, Shapour

2017-05-01

The aim of this randomized double blinded sham-controlled study was to determine the effect of cerebellar anodal transcranial direct current stimulation (a-tDCS) on online and offline motor learning in healthy older individuals. Thirty participants were randomly assigned in experimental (n = 15) or sham tDCS (n = 15) groups. Participants in experimental group received 2 mA cerebellar a-tDCS for 20 min. However, the tDCS was turned off after 30 seconds in sham group. Response time (RT) and error rate (ER) in serial RT test were assessed before, during 35 minutes and 48 h after the intervention. Reduction of RT and ER following the intervention session was considered as short-term (35 min post intervention) and long-term offline learning (48 h post intervention), respectively. Online RT and ER reduction were similar in both groups (P > 0.05). RT was significantly reduced 48 hours post intervention in cerebellar a-tDCS group (P = 0.03). Moreover, RT was significantly increased after 35 minutes and 48 hours in sham tDCS group (P = 0.03, P = 0.007), which indicates a lack of short-term and long-term offline learning in older adults. A-tDCS on cerebellar region produced more short-term and long-term offline improvement in RT (P = 0.014, P = 0.01) compared to sham tDCS. In addition, online, short-term and long-term (48 h) offline error reduced in cerebellar a-tDCS as compared to sham-control group, although this reduction was not significant (P > 0.05). A deficit suggests that a direct comparison to a younger group was made. The findings suggested that cerebellar a-tDCS might be useful for improvement of offline motor learning in older individuals. © 2017 Federation of European Neuroscience Societies and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Test-retest reliability of prefrontal transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) effects on functional MRI connectivity in healthy subjects.

Science.gov (United States)

Wörsching, Jana; Padberg, Frank; Helbich, Konstantin; Hasan, Alkomiet; Koch, Lena; Goerigk, Stephan; Stoecklein, Sophia; Ertl-Wagner, Birgit; Keeser, Daniel

2017-07-15

Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) of the prefrontal cortex (PFC) can be used for probing functional brain connectivity and meets general interest as novel therapeutic intervention in psychiatric and neurological disorders. Along with a more extensive use, it is important to understand the interplay between neural systems and stimulation protocols requiring basic methodological work. Here, we examined the test-retest (TRT) characteristics of tDCS-induced modulations in resting-state functional-connectivity MRI (RS fcMRI). Twenty healthy subjects received 20minutes of either active or sham tDCS of the dorsolateral PFC (2mA, anode over F3 and cathode over F4, international 10-20 system), preceded and ensued by a RS fcMRI (10minutes each). All subject underwent three tDCS sessions with one-week intervals in between. Effects of tDCS on RS fcMRI were determined at an individual as well as at a group level using both ROI-based and independent-component analyses (ICA). To evaluate the TRT reliability of individual active-tDCS and sham effects on RS fcMRI, voxel-wise intra-class correlation coefficients (ICC) of post-tDCS maps between testing sessions were calculated. For both approaches, results revealed low reliability of RS fcMRI after active tDCS (ICC (2,1) = -0.09 - 0.16). Reliability of RS fcMRI (baselines only) was low to moderate for ROI-derived (ICC (2,1) = 0.13 - 0.50) and low for ICA-derived connectivity (ICC (2,1) = 0.19 - 0.34). Thus, for ROI-based analyses, the distribution of voxel-wise ICC was shifted to lower TRT reliability after active, but not after sham tDCS, for which the distribution was similar to baseline. The intra-individual variation observed here resembles variability of tDCS effects in motor regions and may be one reason why in this study robust tDCS effects at a group level were missing. The data can be used for appropriately designing large scale studies investigating methodological issues such as sources of variability and

Cerebellar direct current stimulation enhances on-line motor skill acquisition through an effect on accuracy.

Science.gov (United States)

Cantarero, Gabriela; Spampinato, Danny; Reis, Janine; Ajagbe, Loni; Thompson, Tziporah; Kulkarni, Kopal; Celnik, Pablo

2015-02-18

The cerebellum is involved in the update of motor commands during error-dependent learning. Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), a form of noninvasive brain stimulation, has been shown to increase cerebellar excitability and improve learning in motor adaptation tasks. Although cerebellar involvement has been clearly demonstrated in adaptation paradigms, a type of task that heavily relies on error-dependent motor learning mechanisms, its role during motor skill learning, a behavior that likely involves error-dependent as well as reinforcement and strategic mechanisms, is not completely understood. Here, in humans, we delivered cerebellar tDCS to modulate its activity during novel motor skill training over the course of 3 d and assessed gains during training (on-line effects), between days (off-line effects), and overall improvement. We found that excitatory anodal tDCS applied over the cerebellum increased skill learning relative to sham and cathodal tDCS specifically by increasing on-line rather than off-line learning. Moreover, the larger skill improvement in the anodal group was predominantly mediated by reductions in error rate rather than changes in movement time. These results have important implications for using cerebellar tDCS as an intervention to speed up motor skill acquisition and to improve motor skill accuracy, as well as to further our understanding of cerebellar function. Copyright © 2015 the authors 0270-6474/15/353285-06$15.00/0.

Realization of BP neural network modeling based on NOXof CFB boiler in DCS

Science.gov (United States)

Bai, Jianyun; Zhu, Zhujun; Wang, Qi; Ying, Jiang

2018-02-01

In the CFB boiler installed with SNCR denitrification system, the mass concentration of NO X is difficult to be predicted by the conventional mathematical model, and the step response mathematical model, obtained by using the step disturbance test of ammonia injection,is inaccurate. this paper presents two kinds of BP neural network model, according to the relationship between the generated mass concentration of NO X and the load, the ratio of air to coal without using the SNCR system, as well as the relationship between the tested mass concentration of NO X and the load, the ratio of air to coal and the amount of ammonia using the SNCR system. then itrealized the on-line prediction of the mass concentration of NO X and the remaining mass concentration of NO X after reductionreaction in DCS system. the practical results show that the average error per hour between generation and the prediction of the amount of NO X mass concentration is within 10 mg/Nm3,the reducing reaction of measured and predicted hourly average error is within 2 mg/Nm3, all in error range, which provides a more accurate model for solvingthe problem on NO X automatic control of SNCR system.

Modulation of phenotypic and functional maturation of murine dendritic cells (DCs) by purified Achyranthes bidentata polysaccharide (ABP).

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Zou, Yaxuan; Meng, Jingjuan; Chen, Wenna; Liu, Jingling; Li, Xuan; Li, Weiwei; Lu, Changlong; Shan, Fengping

2011-08-01

There are a large number of interactions at molecular and cellular levels between the plant polysaccharides and immune system. Plant polysaccharides present an interesting effects as immunomodulators, particularly in the induction of the cells both in innate and adaptive immune systems. Activation of DCs could improve antitumoral responses usually diminished in cancer patients, and natural adjuvants provide a possibility of inducing this activation. ABP is a purified polysaccharide isolated from Achyranthes bidentata, a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). The aim of this study is to investigate modulation of phenotypic and functional maturation of murine DCs by ABP. Both phenotypic and functional activities were assessed with use of conventional scanning electronic microscopy (SEM) for the morphology of the DC, transmitted electron microscopy (TEM) for intracellular lysosomes inside the DC, cellular immunohistochemistry for phagocytosis by the DCs, flow cytometry (FCM) for the changes in key surface molecules, bio-assay for the activity of acidic phosphatases (ACP), and ELISA for the production of pro-inflammatory cytokine IL-12. In fact, we found that purified ABP induced phenotypic maturation revealed by increased expression of CD86, CD40, and MHC II. Functional experiments showed the down-regulation of ACP inside DCs (which occurs when phagocytosis of DCs is decreased, and antigen presentation increased with maturation). Finally, ABP increased the production of IL-12. These data reveal that ABP promotes effective activation of murine DCs. This adjuvant-like activity may have therapeutic applications in clinical settings where immune responses need boosting. It is therefore concluded that ABP can exert positive modulation to murine DCs. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Corticospinal excitability changes to anodal tDCS elucidated with NIRS-EEG joint-imaging

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jindal, Utkarsh; Sood, Mehak; Chowdhury, Shubhajit Roy

2015-01-01

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) has been shown to modulate corticospinal excitability. We used near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) - electroencephalography (EEG) joint-imaging during and after anodal tDCS to measure changes in mean cerebral haemoglobin oxygen saturation (rSO2) along...... with changes in the log-transformed mean-power of EEG within 0.5 Hz - 11.25 Hz. In two separate studies, we investigated local post-tDCS alterations from baseline at the site of anodal tDCS using NIRS-EEG/tDCS joint-imaging as well as local post-tDCS alterations in motor evoked potentials (MEP...... that the innovative technologies for portable NIRS-EEG neuroimaging may be leveraged to objectively quantify the progress (e.g., corticospinal excitability alterations) and dose tDCS intervention as an adjuvant treatment during neurorehabilitation....

Parameter Optimization Analysis of Prolonged Analgesia Effect of tDCS on Neuropathic Pain Rats

Science.gov (United States)

Wen, Hui-Zhong; Gao, Shi-Hao; Zhao, Yan-Dong; He, Wen-Juan; Tian, Xue-Long; Ruan, Huai-Zhen

2017-01-01

Background: Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is widely used to treat human nerve disorders and neuropathic pain by modulating the excitability of cortex. The effectiveness of tDCS is influenced by its stimulation parameters, but there have been no systematic studies to help guide the selection of different parameters. Objective: This study aims to assess the effects of tDCS of primary motor cortex (M1) on chronic neuropathic pain in rats and to test for the optimal parameter combinations for analgesia. Methods: Using the chronic neuropathic pain models of chronic constriction injury (CCI), we measured pain thresholds before and after anodal-tDCS (A-tDCS) using different parameter conditions, including stimulation intensity, stimulation time, intervention time and electrode located (ipsilateral or contralateral M1 of the ligated paw on male/female CCI models). Results: Following the application of A-tDCS over M1, we observed that the antinociceptive effects were depended on different parameters. First, we found that repetitive A-tDCS had a longer analgesic effect than single stimulus, and both ipsilateral-tDCS (ip-tDCS) and contralateral-tDCS (con-tDCS) produce a long-lasting analgesic effect on neuropathic pain. Second, the antinociceptive effects were intensity-dependent and time-dependent, high intensities worked better than low intensities and long stimulus durations worked better than short stimulus durations. Third, timing of the intervention after injury affected the stimulation outcome, early use of tDCS was an effective method to prevent the development of pain, and more frequent intervention induced more analgesia in CCI rats, finally, similar antinociceptive effects of con- and ip-tDCS were observed in both sexes of CCI rats. Conclusion: Optimized protocols of tDCS for treating antinociceptive effects were developed. These findings should be taken into consideration when using tDCS to produce analgesic effects in clinical applications. PMID

Cryopreservation of adenovirus-transfected dendritic cells (DCs) for clinical use.

Science.gov (United States)

Gülen, D; Maas, S; Julius, H; Warkentin, P; Britton, H; Younos, I; Senesac, J; Pirruccello, Samuel M; Talmadge, J E

2012-05-01

In this study, we examined the effects of cryoprotectant, freezing and thawing, and adenovirus (Adv) transduction on the viability, transgene expression, phenotype, and function of human dendritic cells (DCs). DCs were differentiated from cultured peripheral blood (PB) monocytes following Elutra isolation using granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) and interleukin-4 (IL-4) for 6 days and then transduced using an Adv vector with an IL-12 transgene. Fresh, cryopreserved, and thawed transduced immature DCs were examined for their: 1) cellular concentration and viability; 2) antigenicity using an allogeneic mixed lymphocyte reaction (MLR); 3) phenotype (HLA-DR and CD11c) and activation (CD83); and 4) transgene expression based on IL-12 secretion. Stability studies revealed that transduced DCs could be held in cryoprotectant for as long as 75 min at 2-8°C prior to freezing with little effect on their viability and cellularity. Further, cryopreservation, storage, and thawing reduced the viability of the transduced DCs by an average of 7.7%; and had no significant impact on DC phenotype and activation. In summary, cryopreservation, storage, and thawing had no significant effect on DC viability, function, and transgene expression by Adv-transduced DCs. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Distributed control and monitoring of high-level trigger processes on the LHCb online farm

CERN Document Server

Vannerem, P; Jost, B; Neufeld, N

2003-01-01

The on-line data taking of the LHCb experiment at the future LHC collider will be controlled by a fully integrated and distributed Experiment Control System (ECS). The ECS will supervise both the detector operation (DCS) and the trigger and data acquisition (DAQ) activities of the experiment. These tasks require a large distributed information management system. The aim of this paper is to show how the control and monitoring of software processes such as trigger algorithms are integrated in the ECS of LHCb.

Prefrontal transcranial direct current stimulation alters activation and connectivity in cortical and subcortical reward systems: a tDCS-fMRI study.

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Weber, Matthew J; Messing, Samuel B; Rao, Hengyi; Detre, John A; Thompson-Schill, Sharon L

2014-08-01

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a noninvasive brain stimulation technique used both experimentally and therapeutically to modulate regional brain function. However, few studies have directly measured the aftereffects of tDCS on brain activity or examined changes in task-related brain activity consequent to prefrontal tDCS. To investigate the neural effects of tDCS, we collected fMRI data from 22 human subjects, both at rest and while performing the Balloon Analog Risk Task (BART), before and after true or sham transcranial direct current stimulation. TDCS decreased resting blood perfusion in orbitofrontal cortex and the right caudate and increased task-related activity in the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) and anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) in response to losses but not wins or increasing risk. Network analysis showed that whole-brain connectivity of the right ACC correlated positively with the number of pumps subjects were willing to make on the BART, and that tDCS reduced connectivity between the right ACC and the rest of the brain. Whole-brain connectivity of the right DLPFC also correlated negatively with pumps on the BART, as prior literature would suggest. Our results suggest that tDCS can alter activation and connectivity in regions distal to the electrodes. Copyright © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Multi-session transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS elicits inflammatory and regenerative processes in the rat brain.

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Maria Adele Rueger

Full Text Available Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS is increasingly being used in human studies as an adjuvant tool to promote recovery of function after stroke. However, its neurobiological effects are still largely unknown. Electric fields are known to influence the migration of various cell types in vitro, but effects in vivo remain to be shown. Hypothesizing that tDCS might elicit the recruitment of cells to the cortex, we here studied the effects of tDCS in the rat brain in vivo. Adult Wistar rats (n = 16 were randomized to either anodal or cathodal stimulation for either 5 or 10 consecutive days (500 µA, 15 min. Bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU was given systemically to label dividing cells throughout the experiment. Immunohistochemical analyses ex vivo included stainings for activated microglia and endogenous neural stem cells (NSC. Multi-session tDCS with the chosen parameters did not cause a cortical lesion. An innate immune response with early upregulation of Iba1-positive activated microglia occurred after both cathodal and anodal tDCS. The involvement of adaptive immunity as assessed by ICAM1-immunoreactivity was less pronounced. Most interestingly, only cathodal tDCS increased the number of endogenous NSC in the stimulated cortex. After 10 days of cathodal stimulation, proliferating NSC increased by ∼60%, with a significant effect of both polarity and number of tDCS sessions on the recruitment of NSC. We demonstrate a pro-inflammatory effect of both cathodal and anodal tDCS, and a polarity-specific migratory effect on endogenous NSC in vivo. Our data suggest that tDCS in human stroke patients might also elicit NSC activation and modulate neuroinflammation.

Visualizing Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) in vivo using Magnetic Resonance Imaging

Science.gov (United States)

Jog, Mayank Anant

Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) is a low-cost, non-invasive neuromodulation technique that has been shown to treat clinical symptoms as well as improve cognition. However, no techniques exist at the time of research to visualize tDCS currents in vivo. This dissertation presents the theoretical framework and experimental implementations of a novel MRI technique that enables non-invasive visualization of the tDCS electric current using magnetic field mapping. The first chapter establishes the feasibility of measuring magnetic fields induced by tDCS currents. The following chapter discusses the state of the art implementation that can measure magnetic field changes in individual subjects undergoing concurrent tDCS/MRI. The final chapter discusses how the developed technique was integrated with BOLD fMRI-an established MRI technique for measuring brain function. By enabling a concurrent measurement of the tDCS current induced magnetic field as well as the brain's hemodynamic response to tDCS, our technique opens a new avenue to investigate tDCS mechanisms and improve targeting.

At-Home Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS With Telehealth Support for Symptom Control in Chronically-Ill Patients With Multiple Symptoms

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Alexa Riggs

2018-05-01

Full Text Available Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS delivered in multiple sessions can reduce symptom burden, but access of chronically ill patients to tDCS studies is constrained by the burden of office-based tDCS administration. Expanded access to this therapy can be accomplished through the development of interventions that allow at-home tDCS applications.Objective: We describe the development and initial feasibility assessment of a novel intervention for the chronically ill that combines at-home tDCS with telehealth support.Methods: In the developmental phase, the tDCS procedure was adjusted for easy application by patients or their informal caregivers at home, and a tDCS protocol with specific elements for enhanced safety and remote adherence monitoring was created. Lay language instructional materials were written and revised based on expert feedback. The materials were loaded onto a tablet allowing for secure video-conferencing. The telehealth tablet was paired with an at-home tDCS device that allowed for remote dose control via electronic codes dispensed to patients prior to each session. tDCS was delivered in two phases: once daily on 10 consecutive days, followed by an as needed regimen for 20 days. Initial feasibility of this tDCS-telehealth system was evaluated in four patients with advanced chronic illness and multiple symptoms. Change in symptom burden and patient satisfaction were assessed with the Condensed Memorial Symptom Assessment Scale (CMSAS and a tDCS user survey.Results: The telehealth-tDCS protocol includes one home visit and has seven patient-tailored elements and six elements enhancing safety monitoring. Replicable electrode placement at home without 10–20 EEG measurement is achieved via a headband that holds electrodes in a pre-determined position. There were no difficulties with patients’ training, protocol adherence, or tolerability. A total of 60 tDCS sessions were applied. No session required discontinuation, and

At-Home Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) With Telehealth Support for Symptom Control in Chronically-Ill Patients With Multiple Symptoms.

Science.gov (United States)

Riggs, Alexa; Patel, Vaishali; Paneri, Bhaskar; Portenoy, Russell K; Bikson, Marom; Knotkova, Helena

2018-01-01

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) delivered in multiple sessions can reduce symptom burden, but access of chronically ill patients to tDCS studies is constrained by the burden of office-based tDCS administration. Expanded access to this therapy can be accomplished through the development of interventions that allow at-home tDCS applications. Objective: We describe the development and initial feasibility assessment of a novel intervention for the chronically ill that combines at-home tDCS with telehealth support. Methods: In the developmental phase, the tDCS procedure was adjusted for easy application by patients or their informal caregivers at home, and a tDCS protocol with specific elements for enhanced safety and remote adherence monitoring was created. Lay language instructional materials were written and revised based on expert feedback. The materials were loaded onto a tablet allowing for secure video-conferencing. The telehealth tablet was paired with an at-home tDCS device that allowed for remote dose control via electronic codes dispensed to patients prior to each session. tDCS was delivered in two phases: once daily on 10 consecutive days, followed by an as needed regimen for 20 days. Initial feasibility of this tDCS-telehealth system was evaluated in four patients with advanced chronic illness and multiple symptoms. Change in symptom burden and patient satisfaction were assessed with the Condensed Memorial Symptom Assessment Scale (CMSAS) and a tDCS user survey. Results: The telehealth-tDCS protocol includes one home visit and has seven patient-tailored elements and six elements enhancing safety monitoring. Replicable electrode placement at home without 10-20 EEG measurement is achieved via a headband that holds electrodes in a pre-determined position. There were no difficulties with patients' training, protocol adherence, or tolerability. A total of 60 tDCS sessions were applied. No session required discontinuation, and there were no adverse

Research and practice on NPP safety DCS application software V and V defect classification system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang Dongwei; Li Yunjian; Li Xiangjian

2012-01-01

One of the most significant aims of Verification and Validation (V and V) is to find software errors and risks, especially for a DCS application software designed for nuclear power plant (NPP). Through classifying and analyzing errors, a number of obtained data can be utilized to estimate current status and potential risks of software development and improve the quality of project. A method of error classification is proposed, which is applied to whole V and V life cycle, using a MW pressurized reactor project as an example. The purpose is to analyze errors discovered by V and V activities, and result in improvement of safety critical DCS application software. (authors)

Parameter Optimization Analysis of Prolonged Analgesia Effect of tDCS on Neuropathic Pain Rats

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hui-Zhong Wen

2017-06-01

Full Text Available Background: Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS is widely used to treat human nerve disorders and neuropathic pain by modulating the excitability of cortex. The effectiveness of tDCS is influenced by its stimulation parameters, but there have been no systematic studies to help guide the selection of different parameters.Objective: This study aims to assess the effects of tDCS of primary motor cortex (M1 on chronic neuropathic pain in rats and to test for the optimal parameter combinations for analgesia.Methods: Using the chronic neuropathic pain models of chronic constriction injury (CCI, we measured pain thresholds before and after anodal-tDCS (A-tDCS using different parameter conditions, including stimulation intensity, stimulation time, intervention time and electrode located (ipsilateral or contralateral M1 of the ligated paw on male/female CCI models.Results: Following the application of A-tDCS over M1, we observed that the antinociceptive effects were depended on different parameters. First, we found that repetitive A-tDCS had a longer analgesic effect than single stimulus, and both ipsilateral-tDCS (ip-tDCS and contralateral-tDCS (con-tDCS produce a long-lasting analgesic effect on neuropathic pain. Second, the antinociceptive effects were intensity-dependent and time-dependent, high intensities worked better than low intensities and long stimulus durations worked better than short stimulus durations. Third, timing of the intervention after injury affected the stimulation outcome, early use of tDCS was an effective method to prevent the development of pain, and more frequent intervention induced more analgesia in CCI rats, finally, similar antinociceptive effects of con- and ip-tDCS were observed in both sexes of CCI rats.Conclusion: Optimized protocols of tDCS for treating antinociceptive effects were developed. These findings should be taken into consideration when using tDCS to produce analgesic effects in clinical

Effects of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) on binge eating disorder.

Science.gov (United States)

Burgess, Emilee E; Sylvester, Maria D; Morse, Kathryn E; Amthor, Frank R; Mrug, Sylvie; Lokken, Kristine L; Osborn, Mary K; Soleymani, Taraneh; Boggiano, Mary M

2016-10-01

To investigate the effect of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) on food craving, intake, binge eating desire, and binge eating frequency in individuals with binge eating disorder (BED). N = 30 adults with BED or subthreshold BED received a 20-min 2 milliampere (mA) session of tDCS targeting the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC; anode right/cathode left) and a sham session. Food image ratings assessed food craving, a laboratory eating test assessed food intake, and an electronic diary recorded binge variables. tDCS versus sham decreased craving for sweets, savory proteins, and an all-foods category, with strongest reductions in men (p tDCS also decreased total and preferred food intake by 11 and 17.5%, regardless of sex (p tDCS administration (p tDCS in BED. Stimulation of the right DLPFC suggests that enhanced cognitive control and/or decreased need for reward may be possible functional mechanisms. The results support investigation of repeated tDCS as a safe and noninvasive treatment adjunct for BED. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.(Int J Eat Disord 2016; 49:930-936). © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Microbial carriage state of peripheral blood dendritic cells (DCs) in chronic periodontitis influences DC differentiation, atherogenic potential.

Science.gov (United States)

Carrion, Julio; Scisci, Elizabeth; Miles, Brodie; Sabino, Gregory J; Zeituni, Amir E; Gu, Ying; Bear, Adam; Genco, Caroline A; Brown, David L; Cutler, Christopher W

2012-09-15

The low-grade oral infection chronic periodontitis (CP) has been implicated in coronary artery disease risk, but the mechanisms are unclear. In this study, a pathophysiological role for blood dendritic cells (DCs) in systemic dissemination of oral mucosal pathogens to atherosclerotic plaques was investigated in humans. The frequency and microbiome of CD19(-)BDCA-1(+)DC-SIGN(+) blood myeloid DCs (mDCs) were analyzed in CP subjects with or without existing acute coronary syndrome and in healthy controls. FACS analysis revealed a significant increase in blood mDCs in the following order: healthy controls < CP < acute coronary syndrome/CP. Analysis of the blood mDC microbiome by 16S rDNA sequencing showed Porphyromonas gingivalis and other species, including (cultivable) Burkholderia cepacia. The mDC carriage rate with P. gingivalis correlated with oral carriage rate and with serologic exposure to P. gingivalis in CP subjects. Intervention (local debridement) to elicit a bacteremia increased the mDC carriage rate and frequency in vivo. In vitro studies established that P. gingivalis enhanced by 28% the differentiation of monocytes into immature mDCs; moreover, mDCs secreted high levels of matrix metalloproteinase-9 and upregulated C1q, heat shock protein 60, heat shock protein 70, CCR2, and CXCL16 transcripts in response to P. gingivalis in a fimbriae-dependent manner. Moreover, the survival of the anaerobe P. gingivalis under aerobic conditions was enhanced when within mDCs. Immunofluorescence analysis of oral mucosa and atherosclerotic plaques demonstrate infiltration with mDCs, colocalized with P. gingivalis. Our results suggest a role for blood mDCs in harboring and disseminating pathogens from oral mucosa to atherosclerosis plaques, which may provide key signals for mDC differentiation and atherogenic conversion.

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) reverts behavioral alterations and brainstem BDNF level increase induced by neuropathic pain model: Long-lasting effect.

Science.gov (United States)

Filho, Paulo Ricardo Marques; Vercelino, Rafael; Cioato, Stefania Giotti; Medeiros, Liciane Fernandes; de Oliveira, Carla; Scarabelot, Vanessa Leal; Souza, Andressa; Rozisky, Joanna Ripoll; Quevedo, Alexandre da Silva; Adachi, Lauren Naomi Spezia; Sanches, Paulo Roberto S; Fregni, Felipe; Caumo, Wolnei; Torres, Iraci L S

2016-01-04

Neuropathic pain (NP) is a chronic pain modality that usually results of damage in the somatosensory system. NP often shows insufficient response to classic analgesics and remains a challenge to medical treatment. The transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a non-invasive technique, which induces neuroplastic changes in central nervous system of animals and humans. The brain derived neurotrophic factor plays an important role in synaptic plasticity process. Behavior changes such as decreased locomotor and exploratory activities and anxiety disorders are common comorbidities associated with NP. Evaluate the effect of tDCS treatment on locomotor and exploratory activities, and anxiety-like behavior, and peripheral and central BDNF levels in rats submitted to neuropathic pain model. Rats were randomly divided: Ss, SsS, SsT, NP, NpS, and NpT. The neuropathic pain model was induced by partial sciatic nerve compression at 14 days after surgery; the tDCS treatment was initiated. The animals of treated groups were subjected to a 20 minute session of tDCS, for eight days. The Open Field and Elevated Pluz Maze tests were applied 24 h (phase I) and 7 days (phase II) after the end of tDCS treatment. The serum, spinal cord, brainstem and cerebral cortex BDNF levels were determined 48 h (phase I) and 8 days (phase II) after tDCS treatment by ELISA. The chronic constriction injury (CCI) induces decrease in locomotor and exploratory activities, increases in the behavior-like anxiety, and increases in the brainstem BDNF levels, the last, in phase II (one-way ANOVA/SNK, PtDCS treatment already reverted all these effects induced by CCI (one-way ANOVA/SNK, PtDCS treatment decreased serum and cerebral cortex BDNF levels and it increased these levels in the spinal cord in phase II (one-way ANOVA/SNK, PtDCS reverts behavioral alterations associated to neuropathic pain, indicating possible analgesic and anxiolytic tDCS effects. tDCS treatment induces changes in the BDNF levels

Wearable functional Near Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS and transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS: Expanding Vistas for Neurocognitive Augmentation

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Ryan eMcKendrick

2015-03-01

Full Text Available Contemporary studies with transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS provide a growing base of evidence for enhancing cognition through the non-invasive delivery of weak electric currents to the brain. The main effect of tDCS is to modulate cortical excitability depending on the polarity of the applied current. However, the underlying mechanism of neuromodulation is not well understood. A new generation of functional near infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS systems is described that are miniaturized, portable, and include wearable sensors. These developments provide an opportunity to couple fNIRS with tDCS, consistent with a neuroergonomics approach for joint neuroimaging and neurostimulation investigations of cognition in complex tasks and in naturalistic conditions. The effects of tDCS on complex task performance and the use of fNIRS for monitoring cognitive workload during task performance are described. Also explained is how fNIRS + tDCS can be used simultaneously for assessing spatial working memory. Mobile optical brain imaging is a promising neuroimaging tool that has the potential to complement tDCS for realistic applications in natural settings.

Delayed plastic responses to anodal tDCS in older adults

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Hakuei eFujiyama

2014-06-01

Full Text Available Despite the abundance of research reporting the neurophysiological and behavioral effects of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS in healthy young adults and clinical populations, the extent of potential neuroplastic changes induced by tDCS in healthy older adults is not well understood. The present study compared the extent and time course of anodal tDCS-induced plastic changes in primary motor cortex (M1 in young and older adults. Furthermore, as it has been suggested that neuroplasiticity and associated learning depends on the brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF gene polymorphisms, we also assessed the impact of BDNF polymorphism on these effects. Corticospinal excitability was examined using transcranial magnetic stimulation before and following (0, 10, 20, 30 min anodal tDCS (30 min, 1 mA or sham in young and older adults. While the overall extent of increases in corticospinal excitability induced by anodal tDCS did not vary reliably between young and older adults, older adults exhibited a delayed response; the largest increase in corticospinal excitability occurred 30 min following stimulation for older adults, but immediately post-stimulation for the young group. BDNF genotype did not result in significant differences in the observed excitability increases for either age group. The present study suggests that tDCS-induced plastic changes are delayed as a result of healthy aging, but that the overall efficacy of the plasticity mechanism remains unaffected.

Incidence of DCS and oxygen toxicity in chamber attendants: a 28-year experience.

Science.gov (United States)

Witucki, Pete; Duchnick, Jay; Neuman, Tom; Grover, Ian

2013-01-01

Decompression sickness (DCS) and central nervous system oxygen toxicity are inherent risks for "inside" attendants (IAs) of hyperbaric chambers. At the Hyperbaric Medicine Center at the University of California San Diego (UCSD), protocols have been developed for decompressing IAs. Protocol 1: For a total bottom time (TBT) of less than 80 minutes at 2.4 atmospheres absolute (atm abs) or shallower, the U.S. Navy (1955) no-decompression tables were utilized. Protocol 2: For a TBT between 80 and 119 minutes IAs breathed oxygen for 15 minutes prior to initiation of ascent. Protocol 3: For a TBT between 120-139 minutes IAs breathed oxygen for 30 minutes prior to ascent. These protocols have been utilized for approximately 28 years and have produced zero cases of DCS and central nervous system oxygen toxicity. These results, based upon more than 24,000 exposures, have an upper limit of risk of DCS and oxygen toxicity of 0.02806 (95% CI) using UCSD IA decompression Protocol 1, 0.00021 for Protocol 2, and 0.00549 for Protocol 3. We conclude that the utilization of this methodology may be useful at other sea-level multiplace chambers.

Long-term effects of serial anodal tDCS on motion perception in subjects with occipital stroke measured in the unaffected visual hemifield

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Manuel C Olma

2013-06-01

Full Text Available Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS is a novel neuromodulatory tool that has seen early transition to clinical trials, although the high variability of these findings necessitates further studies in clincally-relevant populations. The majority of evidence into effects of repeated tDCS is based on research in the human motor system, but it is unclear whether the long-term effects of serial tDCS are motor-specific or transferable to other brain areas. This study aimed to examine whether serial anodal tDCS over the visual cortex can exogenously induce long-term neuroplastic changes in the visual cortex. However, when the visual cortex is affected by a cortical lesion, up-regulated endogenous neuroplastic adaptation processes may alter the susceptibility to tDCS. To this end, motion perception was investigated in the unaffected hemifield of subjects with unilateral visual cortex lesions. Twelve subjects with occipital ischaemic lesions participated in a within-subject, sham-controlled, double-blind study. MRI-registered sham or anodal tDCS (1.5 mA, 20 minutes was applied on five consecutive days over the visual cortex. Motion perception was tested before and after stimulation sessions and at 14- and 28-day follow-up. After a 16-day interval an identical study block with the other stimulation condition (anodal or sham tDCS followed. Serial anodal tDCS over the visual cortex resulted in an improvement in motion perception, a function attributed to MT/V5. This effect was still measurable at 14- and 28-day follow-up measurements. Thus, this may represent evidence for long-term tDCS-induced plasticity and has implications for the design of studies examining the time course of tDCS effects in both the visual and motor systems.

Primary motor and premotor cortex in implicit sequence learning--evidence for competition between implicit and explicit human motor memory systems.

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Kantak, Shailesh S; Mummidisetty, Chaithanya K; Stinear, James W

2012-09-01

Implicit and explicit memory systems for motor skills compete with each other during and after motor practice. Primary motor cortex (M1) is known to be engaged during implicit motor learning, while dorsal premotor cortex (PMd) is critical for explicit learning. To elucidate the neural substrates underlying the interaction between implicit and explicit memory systems, adults underwent a randomized crossover experiment of anodal transcranial direct current stimulation (AtDCS) applied over M1, PMd or sham stimulation during implicit motor sequence (serial reaction time task, SRTT) practice. We hypothesized that M1-AtDCS during practice will enhance online performance and offline learning of the implicit motor sequence. In contrast, we also hypothesized that PMd-AtDCS will attenuate performance and retention of the implicit motor sequence. Implicit sequence performance was assessed at baseline, at the end of acquisition (EoA), and 24 h after practice (retention test, RET). M1-AtDCS during practice significantly improved practice performance and supported offline stabilization compared with Sham tDCS. Performance change from EoA to RET revealed that PMd-AtDCS during practice attenuated offline stabilization compared with M1-AtDCS and sham stimulation. The results support the role of M1 in implementing online performance gains and offline stabilization for implicit motor sequence learning. In contrast, enhancing the activity within explicit motor memory network nodes such as the PMd during practice may be detrimental to offline stabilization of the learned implicit motor sequence. These results support the notion of competition between implicit and explicit motor memory systems and identify underlying neural substrates that are engaged in this competition. © 2012 The Authors. European Journal of Neuroscience © 2012 Federation of European Neuroscience Societies and Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Influence of Concurrent Finger Movements on Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS)-Induced Aftereffects.

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Shirota, Yuichiro; Terney, Daniella; Antal, Andrea; Paulus, Walter

2017-01-01

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) has been reported to have bidirectional influence on the amplitude of motor-evoked potentials (MEPs) in resting participants in a polarity-specific manner: anodal tDCS increased and cathodal tDCS decreased them. More recently, the effects of tDCS have been shown to depend on a number of additional factors. We investigated whether a small variety of movements involving target and non-target muscles could differentially modify the efficacy of tDCS. MEPs were elicited from the right first dorsal interosseous muscle, defined as the target muscle, by single pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) over the primary motor cortex (M1). During M1 tDCS, which lasted for 10 min applying anodal, cathodal, or sham condition, the participants were instructed to squeeze a ball with their right hand (Task 1), to move their right index finger only in the medial (Task 2), in the lateral direction (Task 3), or in medial and lateral direction alternatively (Task 4). Anodal tDCS reduced MEP amplitudes measured in Task 1 and Task 2, but to a lesser extent in the latter. In Task 3, anodal tDCS led to greater MEP amplitudes than cathodal stimulation. Alternating movements resulted in no effect of tDCS on MEP amplitude (Task 4). The results are congruent with the current notion that the aftereffects of tDCS are highly variable relying on a number of factors including the type of movements executed during stimulation.

Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS): A Promising Treatment for Major Depressive Disorder?

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Bennabi, Djamila; Haffen, Emmanuel

2018-01-01

Background: Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) opens new perspectives in the treatment of major depressive disorder (MDD), because of its ability to modulate cortical excitability and induce long-lasting effects. The aim of this review is to summarize the current status of knowledge regarding tDCS application in MDD. Methods: In this review, we searched for articles published in PubMed/MEDLINE from the earliest available date to February 2018 that explored clinical and cognitive effects of tDCS in MDD. Results: Despite differences in design and stimulation parameters, the examined studies indicated beneficial effects of tDCS for MDD. These preliminary results, the non-invasiveness of tDCS, and its good tolerability support the need for further research on this technique. Conclusions: tDCS constitutes a promising therapeutic alternative for patients with MDD, but its place in the therapeutic armamentarium remains to be determined. PMID:29734768

Effects of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) on multiscale complexity of dual-task postural control in older adults.

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Zhou, Diange; Zhou, Junhong; Chen, Hu; Manor, Brad; Lin, Jianhao; Zhang, Jue

2015-08-01

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) targeting the prefrontal cortex reduces the size and speed of standing postural sway in younger adults, particularly when performing a cognitive dual task. Here, we hypothesized that tDCS would alter the complex dynamics of postural sway as quantified by multiscale entropy (MSE). Twenty healthy older adults completed two study visits. Center-of-pressure (COP) fluctuations were recorded during single-task (i.e., quiet standing) and dual-task (i.e., standing while performing serial subtractions) conditions, both before and after a 20-min session of real or sham tDCS. MSE was used to estimate COP complexity within each condition. The percentage change in complexity from single- to dual-task conditions (i.e., dual-task cost) was also calculated. Before tDCS, COP complexity was lower (p = 0.04) in the dual-task condition as compared to the single-task condition. Neither real nor sham tDCS altered complexity in the single-task condition. As compared to sham tDCS, real tDCS increased complexity in the dual-task condition (p = 0.02) and induced a trend toward improved serial subtraction performance (p = 0.09). Moreover, those subjects with lower dual-task COP complexity at baseline exhibited greater percentage increases in complexity following real tDCS (R = -0.39, p = 0.05). Real tDCS also reduced the dual-task cost to complexity (p = 0.02), while sham stimulation had no effect. A single session of tDCS targeting the prefrontal cortex increased standing postural sway complexity with concurrent non-postural cognitive task. This form of noninvasive brain stimulation may be a safe strategy to acutely improve postural control by enhancing the system's capacity to adapt to stressors.

Modulation of selective attention by polarity-specific tDCS effects.

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Pecchinenda, Anna; Ferlazzo, Fabio; Lavidor, Michal

2015-02-01

Selective attention relies on working memory to maintain an attention set of task priorities. Consequently, selective attention is more efficient when working memory resources are not depleted. However, there is some evidence that distractors are processed even when working memory load is low. We used tDCS to assess whether boosting the activity of the Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex (DLPFC), involved in selective attention and working memory, would reduce interference from emotional distractors. Findings showed that anodal tDCS over the DLPFC was not sufficient to reduce interference from angry distractors. In contrast, cathodal tDCS over the DLPFC reduced interference from happy distractors. These findings show that altering the DLPFC activity is not sufficient to establish top-down control and increase selective attention efficiency. Although, when the neural signal in the DLPFC is altered by cathodal tDCS, interference from emotional distractors is reduced, leading to an improved performance. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Using Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS to study and treat aphasia

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Nazbanou Nozari

2014-04-01

- What are the challenges of using tDCS for hypothesis testing and how can I reduce the risk of misinterpreting my results? In summary, the symposium is designed to (a promote the theoretical understanding of the basic science of tDCS, and (b to tackle several pragmatic issues when designing tDCS studies, with the ultimate goal of cultivating higher standards for using a potentially invaluable technique for both clinical and research purposes. Given the growing interest in the aphasia community for using tDCS and the sophistication of the audience, we believe that the Academy’s annual meeting is the ideal venue for this symposium.

Study on operation I and C DCS test method of EPR project

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Meng Ying; Lv Zhihong; Huang Xinnian; Fan Haiying; Li Zhuojia; Xiao Shushu

2014-01-01

Through summarization and optimization of the method for operation I and C DCS test of the European pressurized reactor project, the conclusions play a guiding role on the operation I and C DCS test of the domestic advanced nuclear power plant. The study of the method focuses on the test platform, the test process and the optimization of method of operation I and C DCS test with the practical experience. The reasonable and reliable test method for operation I and C DCS test of the European pressurized reactor project is worthy of the reference and the development in the project of the domestic advanced nuclear power plant. (authors)

Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) Enhances the Excitability of Trigemino-Facial Reflex Circuits.

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Cabib, Christopher; Cipullo, Federica; Morales, Merche; Valls-Solé, Josep

2016-01-01

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) causes a tiny burning sensation through activation of local cutaneous trigeminal afferents. Trigeminal sensory inputs from tDCS may generate excitability changes in the trigemino-facial reflex circuits. Sixteen healthy volunteers were submitted to 20 minutes tDCS sessions with two types of electrode-montage conditions: 1. Real vs Sham 'bi-hemispheric' tDCS (cathode/anode: C4/C3), for blinded assessment of effects, and 2. 'uni-hemispheric' tDCS (cathode/anode: Fp3/C3), for assessment of laterality of the effects. Supraorbital nerve stimuli were used to obtain blink reflexes before, during (10 minutes from onset) and after (30 minutes from onset) the tDCS session. Outcome measures were R2 habituation (R2H) to repeated stimuli, the blink reflex excitability recovery (BRER) to paired stimuli and the blink reflex inhibition by a prepulse (BRIP). Real but not sham bi-hemispheric tDCS caused a significant decrease of R2H and leftward shift of BRER curve (p tDCS on BRER and BRIP were larger on ipsilateral than on contralateral blink reflexes (p tDCS enhances the excitability of trigemino-facial reflex circuits. The finding of larger ipsilateral than contralateral effects suggests that sensitization through cutaneous trigeminal afferents adds on other possible mechanisms such as activation of cortico-nuclear or cortico-reticular connections. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Effects of different language and tDCS interventions in PPA and their neural correlates

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Kyrana Tsapkini

2015-05-01

Results: First, we replicated our previous results obtained with fewer participants: all improved in both tDCS and sham conditions on trained items. Generalization of treatment on untrained items was significant only in tDCS condition. Therapy gains lasted longer in tDCS condition as well. Second, preliminary analyses of rs-fMRI show changes of functional connectivity between written language areas in the tDCS and sham conditions. Conclusions: tDCS represents an increasingly valuable treatment option in language rehabilitation even in neurodegeneration. Late intervention is as beneficial as early intervention but improvement seems more dramatic in early cases. Different possibilities are discussed: tDCS may indeed change the course of the disease, i.e., it may slow down the rate of decline or, language improvement due to tDCS (or delay in language deterioration due to the course of the disease may hold the spread of decline in other cognitive functions, thus, early interventions appear more beneficial. The correlation between functional connectivity and language production outcomes is expected to shed light on how tDCS works in the brains of people with a neurodegenerative disease. Implications of functional connectivity changes between language areas involved in the targeted language function will inform further interventions.

Frontoparietal tDCS Benefits Visual Working Memory in Older Adults With Low Working Memory Capacity.

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Arciniega, Hector; Gözenman, Filiz; Jones, Kevin T; Stephens, Jaclyn A; Berryhill, Marian E

2018-01-01

Working memory (WM) permits maintenance of information over brief delays and is an essential executive function. Unfortunately, WM is subject to age-related decline. Some evidence supports the use of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) to improve visual WM. A gap in knowledge is an understanding of the mechanism characterizing these tDCS linked effects. To address this gap, we compared the effects of two tDCS montages designed on visual working memory (VWM) performance. The bifrontal montage was designed to stimulate the heightened bilateral frontal activity observed in aging adults. The unilateral frontoparietal montage was designed to stimulate activation patterns observed in young adults. Participants completed three sessions (bilateral frontal, right frontoparietal, sham) of anodal tDCS (20 min, 2 mA). During stimulation, participants performed a visual long-term memory (LTM) control task and a visual WM task. There was no effect of tDCS on the LTM task. Participants receiving right unilateral tDCS showed a WM benefit. This pattern was most robust in older adults with low WM capacity. To address the concern that the key difference between the two tDCS montages could be tDCS over the posterior parietal cortex (PPC), we included new analyses from a previous study applying tDCS targeting the PPC paired with a recognition VWM task. No significant main effects were found. A subsequent experiment in young adults found no significant effect of either tDCS montage on either task. These data indicate that tDCS montage, age and WM capacity should be considered when designing tDCS protocols. We interpret these findings as suggestive that protocols designed to restore more youthful patterns of brain activity are superior to those that compensate for age-related changes.

Effects of tDCS on Bimanual Motor Skills: A Brief Review.

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Pixa, Nils H; Pollok, Bettina

2018-01-01

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a non-invasive brain stimulation technique that allows the modulation of cortical excitability as well as neuroplastic reorganization using a weak constant current applied through the skull on the cerebral cortex. TDCS has been found to improve motor performance in general and motor learning in particular. However, these effects have been reported almost exclusively for unimanual motor tasks such as serial reaction time tasks, adaptation tasks, or visuo-motor tracking. Despite the importance of bimanual actions in most activities of daily living, only few studies have investigated the effects of tDCS on bimanual motor skills. The objectives of this review article are: (i) to provide a concise overview of the few existing studies in this area; and (ii) to discuss the effects of tDCS on bimanual motor skills in healthy volunteers and patients suffering from neurological diseases. Despite considerable variations in stimulation protocols, the bimanual tasks employed, and study designs, the data suggest that tDCS has the potential to enhance bimanual motor skills. The findings imply that the effects of tDCS vary with task demands, such as complexity and the level of expertise of the participating volunteers. Nevertheless, optimized stimulation protocols tailored to bimanual tasks and individual performance considering the underlying neural substrates of task execution are required in order to probe the effectiveness of tDCS in greater detail, thus creating an opportunity to support motor recovery in neuro-rehabilitation.

Spatial and polarity precision of concentric high-definition transcranial direct current stimulation (HD-tDCS)

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Alam, Mahtab; Truong, Dennis Q.; Khadka, Niranjan; Bikson, Marom

2016-06-01

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a non-invasive neuromodulation technique that applies low amplitude current via electrodes placed on the scalp. Rather than directly eliciting a neuronal response, tDCS is believed to modulate excitability—enhancing or suppressing neuronal activity in regions of the brain depending on the polarity of stimulation. The specificity of tDCS to any therapeutic application derives in part from how electrode configuration determines the brain regions that are stimulated. Conventional tDCS uses two relatively large pads (>25 cm2) whereas high-definition tDCS (HD-tDCS) uses arrays of smaller electrodes to enhance brain targeting. The 4  ×  1 concentric ring HD-tDCS (one center electrode surrounded by four returns) has been explored in application where focal targeting of cortex is desired. Here, we considered optimization of concentric ring HD-tDCS for targeting: the role of electrodes in the ring and the ring’s diameter. Finite element models predicted cortical electric field generated during tDCS. High resolution MRIs were segmented into seven tissue/material masks of varying conductivities. Computer aided design (CAD) model of electrodes, gel, and sponge pads were incorporated into the segmentation. Volume meshes were generated and the Laplace equation (\

Poststimulation time interval-dependent effects of motor cortex anodal tDCS on reaction-time task performance.

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Molero-Chamizo, Andrés; Alameda Bailén, José R; Garrido Béjar, Tamara; García López, Macarena; Jaén Rodríguez, Inmaculada; Gutiérrez Lérida, Carolina; Pérez Panal, Silvia; González Ángel, Gloria; Lemus Corchero, Laura; Ruiz Vega, María J; Nitsche, Michael A; Rivera-Urbina, Guadalupe N

2018-02-01

Anodal transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) induces long-term potentiation-like plasticity, which is associated with long-lasting effects on different cognitive, emotional, and motor performances. Specifically, tDCS applied over the motor cortex is considered to improve reaction time in simple and complex tasks. The timing of tDCS relative to task performance could determine the efficacy of tDCS to modulate performance. The aim of this study was to compare the effects of a single session of anodal tDCS (1.5 mA, for 15 min) applied over the left primary motor cortex (M1) versus sham stimulation on performance of a go/no-go simple reaction-time task carried out at three different time points after tDCS-namely, 0, 30, or 60 min after stimulation. Performance zero min after anodal tDCS was improved during the whole course of the task. Performance 30 min after anodal tDCS was improved only in the last block of the reaction-time task. Performance 60 min after anodal tDCS was not significantly different throughout the entire task. These findings suggest that the motor cortex excitability changes induced by tDCS can improve motor responses, and these effects critically depend on the time interval between stimulation and task performance.

Health Professionals' Use of Online Information Retrieval Systems and Online Evidence.

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Lialiou, Paschalina; Pavlopoulou, Ioanna; Mantas, John

2016-01-01

Across-sectional survey was designed to determine health professionals' awareness and usage of online evidence retrieval systems in clinical practice. A questionnaire was used to measure professionals' behavior and utilization of online evidences, as well as, reasons and barriers on information retrieval. 439 nurses and physicians from public and private hospitals in Greece formulate the study's sample. The two most common reasons that individuals are using online information systems were for writing scientific manuscripts or filling a knowledge gap. A positive correlation was found between participants with postgraduate studies and information system usage. The majority of them (90,6%) believe that online information systems improves patient care and 67,6% of them had their own experiences on this. More support is needed to nurses and physicians in order to use the online evidence and as a result to improve the provided care and practices.

Translating tDCS into the field of obesity: mechanism-driven approaches

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Miguel eAlonso-Alonso

2013-08-01

Full Text Available Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS is emerging as a promising technique for neuromodulation in a variety of clinical conditions. Recent neuroimaging studies suggest that modifying the activity of brain circuits involved in eating behavior could provide therapeutic benefits in obesity. One session of tDCS over the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex can induce an acute decrease in food craving, according to three small clinical trials, but the extension of these findings into the field of obesity remains unexplored. Importantly, there has been little/no interaction of our current understanding of tDCS and its mechanisms with obesity-related research. How can we start closing this gap and rationally guide the translation of tDCS into the field of obesity? In this mini-review I summarize some of the challenges and questions ahead, related to basic science and technical aspects, and suggest future directions.

Functional connectivity substrates for tDCS response in Minimally Conscious State patients

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Carlo Cavaliere

2016-11-01

Full Text Available Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS is a non-invasive technique recently employed in disorders of consciousness, and determining a transitory recovery of signs of consciousness in almost half of minimally conscious state (MCS patients. Although the rising evidences about its possible role in the treatment of many neurological and psychiatric conditions, no evidences exist about brain functional connectivity substrates underlying tDCS response. We retrospectively evaluated resting state functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI of 16 sub-acute and chronic MCS patients (6 tDCS responders who successively received a single left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC tDCS in a double-blind randomized cross-over trial. A seed-based approach for regions of left extrinsic control network and default-mode network was performed.TDCS responders showed an increased left intra-network connectivity for regions co-activated with left DLPFC, and significantly with left inferior frontal gyrus. Non-responders MCS patients showed an increased connectivity between left DLPFC and midline cortical structures, including anterior cingulate cortex and precuneus.Our findings suggest that a prior high connectivity with regions belonging to extrinsic control network can facilitate transitory recovery of consciousness in a subgroup of MCS patients that underwent tDCS treatment. Therefore, resting state-fMRI could be very valuable in detecting the neuronal conditions necessary for tDCS to improve behavior in MCS.

Using transcranial direct-current stimulation (tDCS) to understand cognitive processing.

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Reinhart, Robert M G; Cosman, Josh D; Fukuda, Keisuke; Woodman, Geoffrey F

2017-01-01

Noninvasive brain stimulation methods are becoming increasingly common tools in the kit of the cognitive scientist. In particular, transcranial direct-current stimulation (tDCS) is showing great promise as a tool to causally manipulate the brain and understand how information is processed. The popularity of this method of brain stimulation is based on the fact that it is safe, inexpensive, its effects are long lasting, and you can increase the likelihood that neurons will fire near one electrode and decrease the likelihood that neurons will fire near another. However, this method of manipulating the brain to draw causal inferences is not without complication. Because tDCS methods continue to be refined and are not yet standardized, there are reports in the literature that show some striking inconsistencies. Primary among the complications of the technique is that the tDCS method uses two or more electrodes to pass current and all of these electrodes will have effects on the tissue underneath them. In this tutorial, we will share what we have learned about using tDCS to manipulate how the brain perceives, attends, remembers, and responds to information from our environment. Our goal is to provide a starting point for new users of tDCS and spur discussion of the standardization of methods to enhance replicability.

Anodal tDCS to V1 blocks visual perceptual learning consolidation.

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Peters, Megan A K; Thompson, Benjamin; Merabet, Lotfi B; Wu, Allan D; Shams, Ladan

2013-06-01

This study examined the effects of visual cortex transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) on visual processing and learning. Participants performed a contrast detection task on two consecutive days. Each session consisted of a baseline measurement followed by measurements made during active or sham stimulation. On the first day, one group received anodal stimulation to primary visual cortex (V1), while another received cathodal stimulation. Stimulation polarity was reversed for these groups on the second day. The third (control) group of subjects received sham stimulation on both days. No improvements or decrements in contrast sensitivity relative to the same-day baseline were observed during real tDCS, nor was any within-session learning trend observed. However, task performance improved significantly from Day 1 to Day 2 for the participants who received cathodal tDCS on Day 1 and for the sham group. No such improvement was found for the participants who received anodal stimulation on Day 1, indicating that anodal tDCS blocked overnight consolidation of visual learning, perhaps through engagement of inhibitory homeostatic plasticity mechanisms or alteration of the signal-to-noise ratio within stimulated cortex. These results show that applying tDCS to the visual cortex can modify consolidation of visual learning. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Evidence-based guidelines on the therapeutic use of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS).

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Lefaucheur, Jean-Pascal; Antal, Andrea; Ayache, Samar S; Benninger, David H; Brunelin, Jérôme; Cogiamanian, Filippo; Cotelli, Maria; De Ridder, Dirk; Ferrucci, Roberta; Langguth, Berthold; Marangolo, Paola; Mylius, Veit; Nitsche, Michael A; Padberg, Frank; Palm, Ulrich; Poulet, Emmanuel; Priori, Alberto; Rossi, Simone; Schecklmann, Martin; Vanneste, Sven; Ziemann, Ulf; Garcia-Larrea, Luis; Paulus, Walter

2017-01-01

A group of European experts was commissioned by the European Chapter of the International Federation of Clinical Neurophysiology to gather knowledge about the state of the art of the therapeutic use of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) from studies published up until September 2016, regarding pain, Parkinson's disease, other movement disorders, motor stroke, poststroke aphasia, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, consciousness disorders, Alzheimer's disease, tinnitus, depression, schizophrenia, and craving/addiction. The evidence-based analysis included only studies based on repeated tDCS sessions with sham tDCS control procedure; 25 patients or more having received active treatment was required for Class I, while a lower number of 10-24 patients was accepted for Class II studies. Current evidence does not allow making any recommendation of Level A (definite efficacy) for any indication. Level B recommendation (probable efficacy) is proposed for: (i) anodal tDCS of the left primary motor cortex (M1) (with right orbitofrontal cathode) in fibromyalgia; (ii) anodal tDCS of the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) (with right orbitofrontal cathode) in major depressive episode without drug resistance; (iii) anodal tDCS of the right DLPFC (with left DLPFC cathode) in addiction/craving. Level C recommendation (possible efficacy) is proposed for anodal tDCS of the left M1 (or contralateral to pain side, with right orbitofrontal cathode) in chronic lower limb neuropathic pain secondary to spinal cord lesion. Conversely, Level B recommendation (probable inefficacy) is conferred on the absence of clinical effects of: (i) anodal tDCS of the left temporal cortex (with right orbitofrontal cathode) in tinnitus; (ii) anodal tDCS of the left DLPFC (with right orbitofrontal cathode) in drug-resistant major depressive episode. It remains to be clarified whether the probable or possible therapeutic effects of tDCS are clinically meaningful and how to optimally perform tDCS

Clinical Research with Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS): Challenges and Future Directions

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Brunoni, Andre Russowsky; Nitsche, Michael A.; Bolognini, Nadia; Bikson, Marom; Wagner, Tim; Merabet, Lotfi; Edwards, Dylan J.; Valero-Cabre, Antoni; Rotenberg, Alexander; Pascual-Leone, Alvaro; Ferrucci, Roberta; Priori, Alberto; Boggio, Paulo; Fregni, Felipe

2011-01-01

Background Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a neuromodulatory technique that delivers low-intensity, direct current to cortical areas facilitating or inhibiting spontaneous neuronal activity. In the past ten years, tDCS physiological mechanisms of action have been intensively investigated giving support for the investigation of its applications in clinical neuropsychiatry and rehabilitation. However, new methodological, ethical, and regulatory issues emerge when translating the findings of preclinical and phase I studies into phase II and III clinical studies. The aim of this comprehensive review is to discuss the key challenges of this process and possible methods to address them. Methods We convened a workgroup of researchers in the field to review, discuss and provide updates and key challenges of neuromodulation use for clinical research. Main Findings/Discussion We reviewed several basic and clinical studies in the field and identified potential limitations, taking into account the particularities of the technique. We review and discuss the findings into four topics: (i) mechanisms of action of tDCS, parameters of use and computer-based human brain modeling investigating electric current fields and magnitude induced by tDCS; (ii) methodological aspects related to the clinical research of tDCS as divided according to study phase (i.e., preclinical, phase I, phase II and phase III studies); (iii) ethical and regulatory concerns; (iv) future directions regarding novel approaches, novel devices, and future studies involving tDCS. Finally, we propose some alternative methods to facilitate clinical research on tDCS. PMID:22037126

Clinical predictors of acute response to transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) in major depression.

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D'Urso, Giordano; Dell'Osso, Bernardo; Rossi, Rodolfo; Brunoni, Andre Russowsky; Bortolomasi, Marco; Ferrucci, Roberta; Priori, Alberto; de Bartolomeis, Andrea; Altamura, Alfredo Carlo

2017-09-01

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a promising neuromodulation intervention for poor-responding or refractory depressed patients. However, little is known about predictors of response to this therapy. The present study aimed to analyze clinical predictors of response to tDCS in depressed patients. Clinical data from 3 independent tDCS trials on 171 depressed patients (including unipolar and bipolar depression), were pooled and analyzed to assess predictors of response. Depression severity and the underlying clinical dimensions were measured using the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS) at baseline and after the tDCS treatment. Age, gender and diagnosis (bipolar/unipolar depression) were also investigated as predictors of response. Linear mixed models were fitted in order to ascertain which HDRS factors were associated with response to tDCS. Age, gender and diagnosis did not show any association with response to treatment. The reduction in HDRS scores after tDCS was strongly associated with the baseline values of "Cognitive Disturbances" and "Retardation" factors, whilst the "Anxiety/Somatization" factor showed a mild association with the response. Open-label design, the lack of control group, and minor differences in stimulation protocols. No differences in response to tDCS were found between unipolar and bipolar patients, suggesting that tDCS is effective for both conditions. "Cognitive disturbance", "Retardation", and "Anxiety/Somatization", were identified as potential clinical predictors of response to tDCS. These findings point to the pre-selection of the potential responders to tDCS, therefore optimizing the clinical use of this technique and the overall cost-effectiveness of the psychiatric intervention for depressed patients. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Acute working memory improvement after tDCS in antidepressant-free patients with major depressive disorder.

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Oliveira, Janaina F; Zanão, Tamires A; Valiengo, Leandro; Lotufo, Paulo A; Benseñor, Isabela M; Fregni, Felipe; Brunoni, André R

2013-03-14

Based on previous studies showing that transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), a non-invasive brain stimulation technique that employs weak, direct currents to induce cortical-excitability changes, might be useful for working memory (WM) enhancement in healthy subjects and also in treating depressive symptoms, our aim was to evaluate whether tDCS could acutely enhance WM in depressed patients. Twenty-eight age- and gender-matched, antidepressant-free depressed subjects received a single-session of active/sham tDCS in a randomized, double-blind, parallel design. The anode was positioned over the left and the cathode over the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. The n-back task was used for assessing WM and it was performed immediately before and 15min after tDCS onset. We found that active vs. sham tDCS led to an increase in the rate of correct responses. We also used signal detection theory analyses to show that active tDCS increased both discriminability, i.e., the ability to discriminate signal (correct responses) from noise (false alarms), and response criterion, indicating a lower threshold to yield responses. All effect sizes were large. In other words, one session of tDCS acutely enhanced WM in depressed subjects, suggesting that tDCS can improve "cold" (non affective-loaded) working memory processes in MDD. Based on these findings, we discuss the effects of tDCS on WM enhancement in depression. We also suggest that the n-back task could be used as a biomarker in future tDCS studies investigating prefrontal activity in healthy and depressed samples. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Computational Pipeline for NIRS-EEG Joint Imaging of tDCS-Evoked Cerebral Responses-An Application in Ischemic Stroke.

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Guhathakurta, Debarpan; Dutta, Anirban

2016-01-01

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) modulates cortical neural activity and hemodynamics. Electrophysiological methods (electroencephalography-EEG) measure neural activity while optical methods (near-infrared spectroscopy-NIRS) measure hemodynamics coupled through neurovascular coupling (NVC). Assessment of NVC requires development of NIRS-EEG joint-imaging sensor montages that are sensitive to the tDCS affected brain areas. In this methods paper, we present a software pipeline incorporating freely available software tools that can be used to target vascular territories with tDCS and develop a NIRS-EEG probe for joint imaging of tDCS-evoked responses. We apply this software pipeline to target primarily the outer convexity of the brain territory (superficial divisions) of the middle cerebral artery (MCA). We then present a computational method based on Empirical Mode Decomposition of NIRS and EEG time series into a set of intrinsic mode functions (IMFs), and then perform a cross-correlation analysis on those IMFs from NIRS and EEG signals to model NVC at the lesional and contralesional hemispheres of an ischemic stroke patient. For the contralesional hemisphere, a strong positive correlation between IMFs of regional cerebral hemoglobin oxygen saturation and the log-transformed mean-power time-series of IMFs for EEG with a lag of about -15 s was found after a cumulative 550 s stimulation of anodal tDCS. It is postulated that system identification, for example using a continuous-time autoregressive model, of this coupling relation under tDCS perturbation may provide spatiotemporal discriminatory features for the identification of ischemia. Furthermore, portable NIRS-EEG joint imaging can be incorporated into brain computer interfaces to monitor tDCS-facilitated neurointervention as well as cortical reorganization.

The Effects of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS on Multitasking Throughput Capacity

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Justin Nelson

2016-11-01

Full Text Available Background: Multitasking has become an integral attribute associated with military operations within the past several decades. As the amount of information that needs to be processed during these high level multitasking environments exceeds the human operators’ capabilities, the information throughput capacity reaches an asymptotic limit. At this point, the human operator can no longer effectively process and respond to the incoming information resulting in a plateau or decline in performance. The objective of the study was to evaluate the efficacy of a non-invasive brain stimulation technique known as transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS applied to a scalp location over the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (lDLPFC to improve information processing capabilities during a multitasking environment. Methods: The study consisted of 20 participants from Wright-Patterson Air Force Base (16 male and 4 female with an average age of 31.1 (SD = 4.5. Participants were randomly assigned into two groups, each consisting of eight males and two females. Group one received 2mA of anodal tDCS and group two received sham tDCS over the lDLPFC on their testing day. Results: The findings indicate that anodal tDCS significantly improves the participants’ information processing capability resulting in improved performance compared to sham tDCS. For example, the multitasking throughput capacity for the sham tDCS group plateaued near 1.0 bits/s at the higher baud input (2.0 bits/s whereas the anodal tDCS group plateaued near 1.3 bits/s. Conclusion: The findings provided new evidence that tDCS has the ability to augment and enhance multitasking capability in a human operator. Future research should be conducted to determine the longevity of the enhancement of transcranial direct current stimulation on multitasking performance, which has yet to be accomplished.

The Effects of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) on Multitasking Throughput Capacity.

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Nelson, Justin; McKinley, Richard A; Phillips, Chandler; McIntire, Lindsey; Goodyear, Chuck; Kreiner, Aerial; Monforton, Lanie

2016-01-01

Background: Multitasking has become an integral attribute associated with military operations within the past several decades. As the amount of information that needs to be processed during these high level multitasking environments exceeds the human operators' capabilities, the information throughput capacity reaches an asymptotic limit. At this point, the human operator can no longer effectively process and respond to the incoming information resulting in a plateau or decline in performance. The objective of the study was to evaluate the efficacy of a non-invasive brain stimulation technique known as transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) applied to a scalp location over the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (lDLPFC) to improve information processing capabilities during a multitasking environment. Methods: The study consisted of 20 participants from Wright-Patterson Air Force Base (16 male and 4 female) with an average age of 31.1 (SD = 4.5). Participants were randomly assigned into two groups, each consisting of eight males and two females. Group one received 2 mA of anodal tDCS and group two received sham tDCS over the lDLPFC on their testing day. Results: The findings indicate that anodal tDCS significantly improves the participants' information processing capability resulting in improved performance compared to sham tDCS. For example, the multitasking throughput capacity for the sham tDCS group plateaued near 1.0 bits/s at the higher baud input (2.0 bits/s) whereas the anodal tDCS group plateaued near 1.3 bits/s. Conclusion: The findings provided new evidence that tDCS has the ability to augment and enhance multitasking capability in a human operator. Future research should be conducted to determine the longevity of the enhancement of transcranial direct current stimulation on multitasking performance, which has yet to be accomplished.

Anodal tDCS applied during multitasking training leads to transferable performance gains.

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Filmer, Hannah L; Lyons, Maxwell; Mattingley, Jason B; Dux, Paul E

2017-10-11

Cognitive training can lead to performance improvements that are specific to the tasks trained. Recent research has suggested that transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) applied during training of a simple response-selection paradigm can broaden performance benefits to an untrained task. Here we assessed the impact of combined tDCS and training on multitasking, stimulus-response mapping specificity, response-inhibition, and spatial attention performance in a cohort of healthy adults. Participants trained over four days with concurrent tDCS - anodal, cathodal, or sham - applied to the left prefrontal cortex. Immediately prior to, 1 day after, and 2 weeks after training, performance was assessed on the trained multitasking paradigm, an untrained multitasking paradigm, a go/no-go inhibition task, and a visual search task. Training combined with anodal tDCS, compared with training plus cathodal or sham stimulation, enhanced performance for the untrained multitasking paradigm and visual search tasks. By contrast, there were no training benefits for the go/no-go task. Our findings demonstrate that anodal tDCS combined with multitasking training can extend to untrained multitasking paradigms as well as spatial attention, but with no extension to the domain of response inhibition.

Effects of HD-tDCS on memory and metamemory for general knowledge questions that vary by difficulty

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Chua, Elizabeth F.; Ahmed, Rifat; Garcia, Sandry

2016-01-01

Background The ability to monitor one’s own memory is an important feature of normal memory and is an aspect of ‘metamemory’. Lesion studies have shown dissociations between memory and metamemory, but only single dissociations have been shown using transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS). One potential reason that only single dissociations have been shown is that tDCS effects may be moderated by task difficulty. Objective/Hypothesis We used high definition (HD) tDCS to test for dissociable roles of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) and anterior temporal lobe (ATL) in semantic long-term memory and metamemory tasks. We also tested whether general knowledge question difficulty moderated the effects of HD-tDCS. Methods Across 3 sessions, participants received active HD-tDCS over the left DLPFC or left ATL, or sham HD-tDCS during general knowledge recall and recognition tests, and a ‘feeling-of-knowing’ metamemory task. General knowledge questions were blocked by difficulty. Repeated measures ANOVAs were used to examine the effects of HD-tDCS on memory and metamemory tasks by memory question difficulty. Results HD-tDCS over the ATL led to improved recall compared to DLPFC and sham HD-tDCS, and this occurred only for medium difficulty questions. In contrast, for non-recalled questions, HD-tDCS over the DLPFC led to improved recognition accuracy and improved feeling-of-knowing accuracy compared to ATL and sham HD-tDCS, and this was not moderated by memory question difficulty. Conclusion(s) HD-tDCS can be used to dissociate the roles of the ATL and DLPFC in different memory and ‘metamemory’ tasks. The effects of HD-tDCS on task may be moderated by task difficulty, depending on the nature of the task and site of stimulation. PMID:27876306

Transcranial direct-current stimulation (tDCS) for bipolar depression: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

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Dondé, Clément; Amad, Ali; Nieto, Isabel; Brunoni, André Russowsky; Neufeld, Nicholas H; Bellivier, Frank; Poulet, Emmanuel; Geoffroy, Pierre-Alexis

2017-08-01

Bipolar disorder (BD) is a severe and recurrent brain disorder that can manifest in manic or depressive episodes. Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) has been proposed as a novel therapeutic modality for patients experiencing bipolar depression, for which standard treatments are often inefficient. While several studies have been conducted in this patient group, there has been no systematic review or meta-analysis that specifically examines bipolar depression. We aimed to address this gap in the literature and evaluated the efficacy and tolerability of tDCS in patients fulfilling DSM-IV-TR criteria for BD I, II, or BD not otherwise specified (NOS). We systematically searched the literature from April 2002 to November 2016 to identify relevant publications for inclusion in our systematic review and meta-analysis. Effect sizes for depression rating-scale scores were expressed as the standardized mean difference (SMD) before and after tDCS. Thirteen of 382 identified studies met eligibility criteria for our systematic review. The meta-analysis included 46 patients from 7 studies with depression rating-scale scores pre- and post-tDCS. Parameters of tDCS procedures were heterogeneous. Depression scores decreased significantly with a medium effect size after acute-phase of treatment (SMD 0.71 [0.25-1.18], z=3.00, p=0.003) and at the furthest endpoint (SMD 1.27 [0.57-1.97], z=3.57, p=0.0004). Six cases of affective switching under tDCS treatment protocols were observed. Depressive symptoms respond to tDCS in patients with BD. Additional studies, and particularly randomized controlled trials, are needed to clarify the effectiveness of tDCS in bipolar depression, the frequency of tDCS-emergent hypomania/mania, and which tDCS modalities are most efficient. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Differential influences of unilateral tDCS over the intraparietal cortex on numerical cognition

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Christina eArtemenko

2015-03-01

Full Text Available Recent neuro-imaging research identified the bilateral intraparietal sulcus (IPS to be a key area associated with number processing. However, causal structure-function relationships are hard to evaluate from neuro-imaging techniques such as fMRI. Nevertheless, brain stimulation methods like transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS allow for investigating the functional relevance of the IPS for number processing. Following up on a study using bilateral bi-cephalic tDCS over the IPS, the current study aimed at evaluating the differential lateralized functional contributions of the left and right IPS to number processing using unilateral bi-cephalic tDCS over either the left or right IPS. Results indicated a right lateralization for the processing of the place-value structure of the Arabic number system. Importantly, the processing of number magnitude information was not affected by unilateral IPS corroborating the assumption that number magnitude is processed in the bilateral IPS. Taken together, these data suggest that even though number magnitude is represented bilaterally, the left and right IPS seem to contribute differentially to numerical cognition with respect to the processing of specific other aspects of numerical information.

The MICE Online Systems

CERN Multimedia

CERN. Geneva

2012-01-01

The Muon Ionization Cooling Experiment (MICE) is designed to test transverse cooling of a muon beam, demonstrating an important step along the path toward creating future high intensity muon beam facilities. Protons in the ISIS synchrotron impact a titanium target, producing pions which decay into muons that propagate through the beam line to the MICE cooling channel. Along the beam line, particle identification (PID) detectors, scintillating fiber tracking detectors, and beam diagnostic tools identify and measure individual muons moving through the cooling channel. The MICE Online Systems encompass all tools; including hardware, software, and documentation, within the MLCR (MICE Local Control Room) that allow the experiment to efficiently record high quality data. Controls and Monitoring (C&M), Data Acquisition (DAQ), Online Monitoring and Reconstruction, Data Transfer, and Networking all fall under the Online Systems umbrella. C&M controls all MICE systems including the target, conventional an...

Feasibility of using high-definition transcranial direct current stimulation (HD-tDCS) to enhance treatment outcomes in persons with aphasia.

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Richardson, Jessica; Datta, Abhishek; Dmochowski, Jacek; Parra, Lucas C; Fridriksson, Julius

2015-01-01

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) enhances treatment outcomes post-stroke. Feasibility and tolerability of high-definition (HD) tDCS (a technique that increases current focality and intensity) for consecutive weekdays as an adjuvant to behavioral treatment in a clinical population has not been demonstrated. To determine HD-tDCS feasibility outcomes: 1) ability to implement study as designed, 2) acceptability of repeated HD-tDCS administration to patients, and 3) preliminary efficacy. Eight patients with chronic post-stroke aphasia participated in a randomized crossover trial with two arms: conventional sponge-based (CS) tDCS and HD-tDCS. Computerized anomia treatment was administered for five consecutive days during each treatment arm. Individualized modeling/targeting procedures and an 8-channel HD-tDCS device were developed. CS-tDCS and HD-tDCS were comparable in terms of implementation, acceptability, and outcomes. Naming accuracy and response time improved for both stimulation conditions. Change in accuracy of trained items was numerically higher (but not statistically significant) for HD-tDCS compared to CS-tDCS for most patients. Regarding feasibility, HD-tDCS treatment studies can be implemented when designed similarly to documented CS-tDCS studies. HD-tDCS is likely to be acceptable to patients and clinicians. Preliminary efficacy data suggest that HD-tDCS effects, using only 4 electrodes, are at least comparable to CS-tDCS.

The Role of Telehealth to Assist In-Home tDCS: Opportunities, Promising Results and Acceptability

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Brenton Hordacre

2018-06-01

Full Text Available Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS has shown great promise as a neuromodulatory intervention capable of improving behavioral outcomes in a range of neurological and psychiatric populations. Evidence indicates that the neuromodulatory effect of stimulation may be cumulative, with greater improvements in behavior observed following multiple treatment sessions. However, the requirement to attend clinical or research departments for multiple treatment sessions may present a barrier for many people, particularly those with greater disability or living remotely. The portability of tDCS suggests that in-home stimulation may become an avenue for further investigation. However, safe and effective use of tDCS by a participant within their home requires a form of monitoring. This review discusses how telehealth may provide real-time visual monitoring to ensure correct tDCS set-up and adherence to stimulation protocols, manage technical issues and monitor adverse events. The combination of telehealth to supplement in-home tDCS use has potential to transform the way tDCS is delivered.

The Immunomodulatory Potential of tolDCs Loaded with Heat Shock Proteins

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Willem van Eden

2017-11-01

Full Text Available Disease suppressive T cell regulation may depend on cognate interactions of regulatory T cells with self-antigens that are abundantly expressed in the inflamed tissues. Heat shock proteins (HSPs are by their nature upregulated in stressed cells and therefore abundantly present as potential targets for such regulation. HSP immunizations have led to inhibition of experimentally induced inflammatory conditions in various models. However, re-establishment of tolerance in the presence of an ongoing inflammatory process has remained challenging. Since tolerogenic DCs (tolDCs have the combined capacity of mitigating antigen-specific inflammatory responses and of endowing T cells with regulatory potential, it seems attractive to combine the anti-inflammatory qualities of tolDCs with those of HSPs.

The effects of tDCS upon sustained visual attention are dependent on cognitive load.

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Roe, James M; Nesheim, Mathias; Mathiesen, Nina C; Moberget, Torgeir; Alnæs, Dag; Sneve, Markus H

2016-01-08

Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) modulates the excitability of neuronal responses and consequently can affect performance on a variety of cognitive tasks. However, the interaction between cognitive load and the effects of tDCS is currently not well-understood. We recorded the performance accuracy of participants on a bilateral multiple object tracking task while undergoing bilateral stimulation assumed to enhance (anodal) and decrease (cathodal) neuronal excitability. Stimulation was applied to the posterior parietal cortex (PPC), a region inferred to be at the centre of an attentional tracking network that shows load-dependent activation. 34 participants underwent three separate stimulation conditions across three days. Each subject received (1) left cathodal / right anodal PPC tDCS, (2) left anodal / right cathodal PPC tDCS, and (3) sham tDCS. The number of targets-to-be-tracked was also manipulated, giving a low (one target per visual field), medium (two targets per visual field) or high (three targets per visual field) tracking load condition. It was found that tracking performance at high attentional loads was significantly reduced in both stimulation conditions relative to sham, and this was apparent in both visual fields, regardless of the direction of polarity upon the brain's hemispheres. We interpret this as an interaction between cognitive load and tDCS, and suggest that tDCS may degrade attentional performance when cognitive networks become overtaxed and unable to compensate as a result. Systematically varying cognitive load may therefore be a fruitful direction to elucidate the effects of tDCS upon cognitive functions. Copyright © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

LILRB4 Decrease on uDCs Exacerbate Abnormal Pregnancy Outcomes Following Toxoplasma gondii Infection

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Shaowei Zhan

2018-03-01

Full Text Available Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii infection in early pregnancy can result in miscarriage, dead fetus, and other abnormalities. The LILRB4 is a central inhibitory receptor in uterine dendritic cells (uDCs that plays essential immune-regulatory roles at the maternal–fetal interface. In this study, T. gondii-infected human primary uDCs and T. gondii-infected LILRB4-/- pregnant mice were utilized. The immune mechanisms underlying the role of LILRB4 on uDCs were explored in the development of abnormal pregnancy outcomes following T. gondii infection in vitro and in vivo. Our results showed that the expression levels of LILRB4 on uDCs from normal pregnant mice were obviously higher than non-pregnant mice, and peaked in mid-gestation. The LILRB4 expression on uDC subsets, especially tolerogenic subsets, from mid-gestation was obviously down-regulated after T. gondii infection and LILRB4 decrease could further regulate the expression of functional molecules (CD80, CD86, and HLA-DR or MHC II on uDCs, contributing to abnormal pregnancy outcomes. Our results will shed light on the molecular immune mechanisms of uDCs in abnormal pregnancy outcomes by T. gondii infection.

Application of Control System Studio for the NOνA Detector Control System

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lukhanin, Gennadiy; Biery, Kurt; Foulkes, Stephen; Kowalkowski, Jim; Paterno, Marc; Rechenmacher, Ron; Frank, Martin; Hatzikoutelis, Athanasios

2012-01-01

In the NOνA experiment, the Detector Controls System (DCS) provides a method for controlling and monitoring important detector hardware and environmental parameters. It is essential for operating the detector and is required to have access to roughly 370,000 independent programmable channels via more than 11,600 physical devices. In this paper, we demonstrate an application of Control System Studio (CSS), developed by Oak Ridge National Laboratory, for the NOνA experiment. The application of CSS for the DCS of the NOνA experiment has been divided into three phases: (1) user requirements and concept prototype on a test-stand, (2) small scale deployment at the prototype Near Detector on the Surface, and (3) a larger scale deployment at the Far Detector. We also give an outline of the CSS integration with the NOνA online software and the alarm handling logic for the Front-End electronics.

Augmentation of Fear Extinction by Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS

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Natalie Dittert

2018-04-01

Full Text Available Although posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD; DSM-V 309.82 and anxiety disorders (DSM-V 300.xx are widely spread mental disorders, the effectiveness of their therapy is still unsatisfying. Non-invasive brain-stimulation techniques like transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS might be an option to improve extinction learning, which is a main functional factor of exposure-based therapy for anxiety disorders. To examine this hypothesis, we used a fear conditioning paradigm with female faces as conditioned stimuli (CS and a 95-dB female scream as unconditioned stimulus (UCS. We aimed to perform a tDCS of the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC, which is mainly involved in the control of extinction-processes. Therefore, we applied two 4 × 4 cm electrodes approximately at the EEG-positions F7 and F8 and used a direct current of 1.5 mA. The 20-min stimulation was started during a 10-min break between acquisition and extinction and went on overall extinction-trials. The healthy participants were randomly assigned in two double-blinded process into two sham stimulation and two verum stimulation groups with opposite current flow directions. To measure the fear reactions, we used skin conductance responses (SCR and subjective ratings. We performed a generalized estimating equations model for the SCR to assess the impact of tDCS and current flow direction on extinction processes for all subjects that showed a successful conditioning (N = 84. The results indicate that tDCS accelerates early extinction processes with a significantly faster loss of CS+/CS– discrimination. The discrimination loss was driven by a significant decrease in reaction toward the CS+ as well as an increase in reaction toward the CS– in the tDCS verum groups, whereas the sham groups showed no significant reaction changes during this period. Therefore, we assume that tDCS of the vmPFC can be used to enhance early extinction processes successfully. But before it should be

Anodal tDCS targeting the right orbitofrontal cortex enhances facial expression recognition

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Murphy, Jillian M.; Ridley, Nicole J.; Vercammen, Ans

2015-01-01

The orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) has been implicated in the capacity to accurately recognise facial expressions. The aim of the current study was to determine if anodal transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) targeting the right OFC in healthy adults would enhance facial expression recognition, compared with a sham condition. Across two counterbalanced sessions of tDCS (i.e. anodal and sham), 20 undergraduate participants (18 female) completed a facial expression labelling task comprising angry, disgusted, fearful, happy, sad and neutral expressions, and a control (social judgement) task comprising the same expressions. Responses on the labelling task were scored for accuracy, median reaction time and overall efficiency (i.e. combined accuracy and reaction time). Anodal tDCS targeting the right OFC enhanced facial expression recognition, reflected in greater efficiency and speed of recognition across emotions, relative to the sham condition. In contrast, there was no effect of tDCS to responses on the control task. This is the first study to demonstrate that anodal tDCS targeting the right OFC boosts facial expression recognition. This finding provides a solid foundation for future research to examine the efficacy of this technique as a means to treat facial expression recognition deficits, particularly in individuals with OFC damage or dysfunction. PMID:25971602

Online-Expert: An Expert System for Online Database Selection.

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Zahir, Sajjad; Chang, Chew Lik

1992-01-01

Describes the design and development of a prototype expert system called ONLINE-EXPERT that helps users select online databases and vendors that meet users' needs. Search strategies are discussed; knowledge acquisition and knowledge bases are described; and the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), a decision analysis technique that ranks databases,…

tDCS over the left prefrontal cortex enhances cognitive control for positive affective stimuli.

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Vanderhasselt, Marie-Anne; De Raedt, Rudi; Brunoni, Andre R; Campanhã, Camila; Baeken, Chris; Remue, Jonathan; Boggio, Paulo S

2013-01-01

Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) is a neuromodulation technique with promising results for enhancing cognitive information processes. So far, however, research has mainly focused on the effects of tDCS on cognitive control operations for non-emotional material. Therefore, our aim was to investigate the effects on cognitive control considering negative versus positive material. For this sham-controlled, within-subjects study, we selected a homogeneous sample of twenty-five healthy participants. By using behavioral measures and event related potentials (ERP) as indexes, we aimed to investigate whether a single session of anodal tDCS of the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) would have specific effects in enhancing cognitive control for positive and negative valenced stimuli. After tDCS over the left DLPFC (and not sham control stimulation), we observed more negative N450 amplitudes along with faster reaction times when inhibiting a habitual response to happy compared to sad facial expressions. Gender did not influence the effects of tDCS on cognitive control for emotional information. In line with the Valence Theory of side-lateralized activity, this stimulation protocol might have led to a left dominant (relative to right) prefrontal cortical activity, resulting in augmented cognitive control specifically for positive relative to negative stimuli. To verify that tDCS induces effects that are in line with all aspects of the well known Valence Theory, future research should investigate the effects of tDCS over the left vs. right DLPFC on cognitive control for emotional information.

Online data processing system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nakahara, Yoshinori; Yagi, Hideyuki; Yamada, Takayuki

1979-02-01

A pulse height analyzer terminal system PHATS has been developed for online data processing via JAERI-TOKAI computer network. The system is controled by using a micro-computer MICRO-8 which was developed for the JAERI-TOKAI network. The system program consists of two subprograms, online control system ONLCS and pulse height analyzer control system PHACS. ONLCS links the terminal with the conversational programming system of FACOM 230/75 through the JAERI-TOKAI network and controls data processing in TSS and remote batch modes. PHACS is used to control INPUT/OUTPUT of data between pulse height analyzer and cassette-MT or typewriter. This report describes the hardware configuration and the system program in detail. In the appendix, explained are real time monitor, type of message, PEX to PEX protocol and Host to Host protocol, required for the system programming. (author)

No significant effect of prefrontal tDCS on working memory performance in older adults

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Jonna eNilsson

2015-12-01

Full Text Available Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS has been put forward as a non-pharmacological alternative for alleviating cognitive decline in old age. Although results have shown some promise, little is known about the optimal stimulation parameters for modulation in the cognitive domain. In this study, the effects of tDCS over the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC on working memory performance were investigated in thirty older adults. An N-back task assessed working memory before, during and after anodal tDCS at a current strength of 1mA and 2mA, in addition to sham stimulation. The study used a single-blind, cross-over design. The results revealed no significant effect of tDCS on accuracy or response times during or after stimulation, for any of the current strengths. These results suggest that a single session of tDCS over the dlPFC is unlikely to improve working memory, as assessed by an N-back task, in old age.

Molecular and elemental effects underlying the biochemical action of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) in appetite control

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Surowka, Artur D.; Ziomber, Agata; Czyzycki, Mateusz; Migliori, Alessandro; Kasper, Kaja; Szczerbowska-Boruchowska, Magdalena

2018-04-01

Recent studies highlight that obesity may alter the electric activity in brain areas triggering appetite and craving. Transcranial direct current brain stimulation (tDCS) has recently emerged as a safe alternative for treating food addiction via modulating cortical excitability without any high-risk surgical procedure to be utilized. As for anodal-type tDCS (atDCS), we observe increased excitability and spontaneous firing of the cortical neurons, whilst for the cathodal-type tDCS (ctDCS) a significant decrease is induced. Unfortunately, for the method to be fully used in a clinical setting, its biochemical action mechanism must be precisely defined, although it is proposed that molecular remodelling processes play in concert with brain activity changes involving the ions of: Na, Cl, K and Ca. Herein, we proposed for the first time Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and synchrotron X-ray fluorescence (SRXRF) microprobes for a combined molecular and elemental analysis in the brain areas implicated appetite control, upon experimental treatment by either atDCS or ctDCS. The study, although preliminary, shows that by stimulating the prefrontal cortex in the rats fed high-caloric nutrients, the feeding behavior can be significantly changed, resulting in significantly inhibited appetite. Both, atDCS and ctDCS produced significant molecular changes involving qualitative and structural properties of lipids, whereas atDCS was found with a somewhat more significant effect on protein secondary structure in all the brain areas investigated. Also, tDCS was reported to reduce surface masses of Na, Cl, K, and Ca in almost all brain areas investigated, although the atDCS deemed to have a stronger neuro-modulating effect. Taken together, one can report that tDCS is an effective treatment technique, and its action mechanism in the appetite control seems to involve a variety of lipid-, protein- and metal/non-metal-ion-driven biochemical changes, regardless the current polarization.

Remotely-Supervised Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS for Clinical Trials: Guidelines for Technology and Protocols

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Leigh E Charvet

2015-03-01

Full Text Available The effect of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS is cumulative. Treatment protocols typically require multiple consecutive sessions spanning weeks or months. However, traveling to clinic for a tDCS session can present an obstacle to subjects and their caregivers. With modified devices and headgear, tDCS treatment can be administered remotely under clinical supervision, potentially enhancing recruitment, throughput, and convenience. Here we propose standards and protocols for clinical trials utilizing remotely-supervised tDCS with the goal of providing safe, reproducible and well-tolerated stimulation therapy outside of the clinic. The recommendations include: 1 training of staff in tDCS treatment and supervision, 2 assessment of the user’s capability to participate in tDCS remotely, 3 ongoing training procedures and materials including assessments of the user and/or caregiver, 4 simple and fail-safe electrode preparation techniques and tDCS headgear, 5 strict dose control for each session, 6 ongoing monitoring to quantify compliance (device preparation, electrode saturation/placement, stimulation protocol, with corresponding corrective steps as required, 7 monitoring for treatment-emergent adverse effects, 8 guidelines for discontinuation of a session and/or study participation including emergency failsafe procedures tailored to the treatment population’s level of need. These guidelines are intended to provide a minimal level of methodological rigor for clinical trials seeking to apply tDCS outside a specialized treatment center. We outline indication-specific applications (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Depression, Multiple Sclerosis, Palliative Care following these recommendations that support a standardized framework for evaluating the tolerability and reproducibility of remote-supervised tDCS that, once established, will allow for translation of tDCS clinical trials to a greater size and range of patient populations.

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) of frontal cortex decreases performance on the WAIS-IV intelligence test.

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Sellers, Kristin K; Mellin, Juliann M; Lustenberger, Caroline M; Boyle, Michael R; Lee, Won Hee; Peterchev, Angel V; Fröhlich, Flavio

2015-09-01

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) modulates excitability of motor cortex. However, there is conflicting evidence about the efficacy of this non-invasive brain stimulation modality to modulate performance on cognitive tasks. Previous work has tested the effect of tDCS on specific facets of cognition and executive processing. However, no randomized, double-blind, sham-controlled study has looked at the effects of tDCS on a comprehensive battery of cognitive processes. The objective of this study was to test if tDCS had an effect on performance on a comprehensive assay of cognitive processes, a standardized intelligence quotient (IQ) test. The study consisted of two substudies and followed a double-blind, between-subjects, sham-controlled design. In total, 41 healthy adult participants were included in the final analysis. These participants completed the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale, Fourth Edition (WAIS-IV) as a baseline measure. At least one week later, participants in substudy 1 received either bilateral tDCS (anodes over both F4 and F3, cathode over Cz, 2 mA at each anode for 20 min) or active sham tDCS (2 mA for 40 s), and participants in substudy 2 received either right or left tDCS (anode over either F4 or F3, cathode over Cz, 2 mA for 20 min). In both studies, the WAIS-IV was immediately administered following stimulation to assess for performance differences induced by bilateral and unilateral tDCS. Compared to sham stimulation, right, left, and bilateral tDCS reduced improvement between sessions on Full Scale IQ and the Perceptual Reasoning Index. This demonstration that frontal tDCS selectively degraded improvement on specific metrics of the WAIS-IV raises important questions about the often proposed role of tDCS in cognitive enhancement. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

tDCS over the left prefrontal cortex enhances cognitive control for positive affective stimuli.

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Marie-Anne Vanderhasselt

Full Text Available Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS is a neuromodulation technique with promising results for enhancing cognitive information processes. So far, however, research has mainly focused on the effects of tDCS on cognitive control operations for non-emotional material. Therefore, our aim was to investigate the effects on cognitive control considering negative versus positive material. For this sham-controlled, within-subjects study, we selected a homogeneous sample of twenty-five healthy participants. By using behavioral measures and event related potentials (ERP as indexes, we aimed to investigate whether a single session of anodal tDCS of the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC would have specific effects in enhancing cognitive control for positive and negative valenced stimuli. After tDCS over the left DLPFC (and not sham control stimulation, we observed more negative N450 amplitudes along with faster reaction times when inhibiting a habitual response to happy compared to sad facial expressions. Gender did not influence the effects of tDCS on cognitive control for emotional information. In line with the Valence Theory of side-lateralized activity, this stimulation protocol might have led to a left dominant (relative to right prefrontal cortical activity, resulting in augmented cognitive control specifically for positive relative to negative stimuli. To verify that tDCS induces effects that are in line with all aspects of the well known Valence Theory, future research should investigate the effects of tDCS over the left vs. right DLPFC on cognitive control for emotional information.

tDCS stimulation segregates words in the brain: evidence from aphasia

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Valentina eFiori

2013-06-01

Full Text Available A number of studies have already shown that modulating cortical activity by means of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS improves noun or verb naming in aphasic patients. However, it is not yet clear whether these effects are equally obtained through stimulation over the frontal or the temporal regions. In the present study, the same group of aphasic subjects participated in two randomized double-blind experiments involving two intensive language treatments for their noun and verb retrieval difficulties. During each training, each subject was treated with tDCS (20 min., 1mA over the left hemisphere in three different conditions: anodic tDCS over the temporal areas, anodic tDCS over the frontal areas and sham stimulation, while they performed a noun and an action naming tasks. Each experimental condition was run in five consecutive daily sessions over three weeks with 6 days of intersession interval. The order of administration of the two language trainings was randomly assigned to all patients. Overall, with respect to the other two conditions, results showed a significant greater improvement in noun naming after stimulation over the temporal region, while verb naming recovered significantly better after stimulation of the frontal region. These improvements persisted at one month after the end of each treatment suggesting a long-term effect on recovery of the patients’ noun and verb difficulties. These data clearly suggest that the mechanisms of recovery for naming can be segregated coupling tDCS with an intensive language training.

Cerebellar tDCS does not affect performance in the N-back task.

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van Wessel, Brenda W V; Claire Verhage, M; Holland, Peter; Frens, Maarten A; van der Geest, Jos N

2016-01-01

The N-back task is widely used in cognitive research. Furthermore, the cerebellum's role in cognitive processes is becoming more widely recognized. Studies using transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) have demonstrated effects of cerebellar stimulation on several cognitive tasks. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the effects of cerebellar tDCS on cognitive performance by using the N-back task. The cerebellum of 12 participants was stimulated during the task. Moreover, the cognitive load was manipulated in N = 2, N = 3, and N = 4. Every participant received three tDCS conditions (anodal, cathodal, and sham) divided over three separated days. It was expected that anodal stimulation would improve performance on the task. Each participant performed 6 repetitions of every load in which correct responses, false alarms, and reaction times were recorded. We found significant differences between the three levels of load in the rate of correct responses and false alarms, indicating that subjects followed the expected pattern of performance for the N-back task. However, no significant differences between the three tDCS conditions were found. Therefore, it was concluded that in this study cognitive performance on the N-back task was not readily influenced by cerebellar tDCS, and any true effects are likely to be small. We discuss several limitations in task design and suggest future experiments to address such issues.

Differential sensory cortical involvement in auditory and visual sensorimotor temporal recalibration: Evidence from transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS).

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Aytemür, Ali; Almeida, Nathalia; Lee, Kwang-Hyuk

2017-02-01

Adaptation to delayed sensory feedback following an action produces a subjective time compression between the action and the feedback (temporal recalibration effect, TRE). TRE is important for sensory delay compensation to maintain a relationship between causally related events. It is unclear whether TRE is a sensory modality-specific phenomenon. In 3 experiments employing a sensorimotor synchronization task, we investigated this question using cathodal transcranial direct-current stimulation (tDCS). We found that cathodal tDCS over the visual cortex, and to a lesser extent over the auditory cortex, produced decreased visual TRE. However, both auditory and visual cortex tDCS did not produce any measurable effects on auditory TRE. Our study revealed different nature of TRE in auditory and visual domains. Visual-motor TRE, which is more variable than auditory TRE, is a sensory modality-specific phenomenon, modulated by the auditory cortex. The robustness of auditory-motor TRE, unaffected by tDCS, suggests the dominance of the auditory system in temporal processing, by providing a frame of reference in the realignment of sensorimotor timing signals. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Cerebellar tDCS does not enhance performance in an implicit categorization learning task

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M.C. Verhage (Claire); E. Avila (Eric); M.A. Frens (Maarten); O. Donchin (Opher); J.N. van der Geest (Jos)

2017-01-01

textabstractBackground: Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) is a form of non-invasive electrical stimulation that changes neuronal excitability in a polarity and site-specific manner. In cognitive tasks related to prefrontal and cerebellar learning, cortical tDCS arguably facilitates

Online Monitoring System of Air Distribution in Pulverized Coal-Fired Boiler Based on Numerical Modeling

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Żymełka Piotr

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Balanced distribution of air in coal-fired boiler is one of the most important factors in the combustion process and is strongly connected to the overall system efficiency. Reliable and continuous information about combustion airflow and fuel rate is essential for achieving optimal stoichiometric ratio as well as efficient and safe operation of a boiler. Imbalances in air distribution result in reduced boiler efficiency, increased gas pollutant emission and operating problems, such as corrosion, slagging or fouling. Monitoring of air flow trends in boiler is an effective method for further analysis and can help to appoint important dependences and start optimization actions. Accurate real-time monitoring of the air distribution in boiler can bring economical, environmental and operational benefits. The paper presents a novel concept for online monitoring system of air distribution in coal-fired boiler based on real-time numerical calculations. The proposed mathematical model allows for identification of mass flow rates of secondary air to individual burners and to overfire air (OFA nozzles. Numerical models of air and flue gas system were developed using software for power plant simulation. The correctness of the developed model was verified and validated with the reference measurement values. The presented numerical model for real-time monitoring of air distribution is capable of giving continuous determination of the complete air flows based on available digital communication system (DCS data.

Online Monitoring System of Air Distribution in Pulverized Coal-Fired Boiler Based on Numerical Modeling

Science.gov (United States)

Żymełka, Piotr; Nabagło, Daniel; Janda, Tomasz; Madejski, Paweł

2017-12-01

Balanced distribution of air in coal-fired boiler is one of the most important factors in the combustion process and is strongly connected to the overall system efficiency. Reliable and continuous information about combustion airflow and fuel rate is essential for achieving optimal stoichiometric ratio as well as efficient and safe operation of a boiler. Imbalances in air distribution result in reduced boiler efficiency, increased gas pollutant emission and operating problems, such as corrosion, slagging or fouling. Monitoring of air flow trends in boiler is an effective method for further analysis and can help to appoint important dependences and start optimization actions. Accurate real-time monitoring of the air distribution in boiler can bring economical, environmental and operational benefits. The paper presents a novel concept for online monitoring system of air distribution in coal-fired boiler based on real-time numerical calculations. The proposed mathematical model allows for identification of mass flow rates of secondary air to individual burners and to overfire air (OFA) nozzles. Numerical models of air and flue gas system were developed using software for power plant simulation. The correctness of the developed model was verified and validated with the reference measurement values. The presented numerical model for real-time monitoring of air distribution is capable of giving continuous determination of the complete air flows based on available digital communication system (DCS) data.

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) to the supplementary motor area (SMA) influences performance on motor tasks.

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Hupfeld, K E; Ketcham, C J; Schneider, H D

2017-03-01

The supplementary motor area (SMA) is believed to be highly involved in the planning and execution of both simple and complex motor tasks. This study aimed to examine the role of the SMA in planning the movements required to complete reaction time, balance, and pegboard tasks using anodal transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), which passes a weak electrical current between two electrodes, in order to modulate neuronal activity. Twenty healthy adults were counterbalanced to receive either tDCS (experimental condition) or no tDCS (control condition) for 3 days. During administration of tDCS, participants performed a balance task significantly faster than controls. After tDCS, subjects significantly improved their simple and choice reaction time. These results demonstrate that the SMA is highly involved in planning and executing fine and gross motor skill tasks and that tDCS is an effective modality for increasing SMA-related performance on these tasks. The findings may be generalizable and therefore indicate implications for future interventions using tDCS as a therapeutic tool.

Neonatal plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs display subset variation but can elicit potent anti-viral innate responses.

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Xiaoming Zhang

Full Text Available Neonates are highly susceptible to infectious diseases and defective antiviral pDC immune responses have been proposed to contribute to this phenomenon. Isolated cord blood pDCs innately responded to a variety of TLR7 and TLR9 dependent viruses, including influenza A virus (IAV, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV or herpes-simplex virus (HSV by efficiently producing IFN-α, TNF-α as well as chemokines. Interestingly, following activation by CpGA, but not viruses, cord pDCs tend to survive less efficiently. We found that a hallmark of pDCs in neonates is an extended CD2+pDCs compartment compared to adult pDCs without affecting the antiviral IFN-α response. Within CD2+pDCs, we identified a subpopulation expressing CD5 and responsible for IL-12p40 production, however this population is significantly decreased in cord blood compared to adult blood. Therefore, neonatal pDCs clearly display variation in phenotype and subset composition, but without major consequences for their antiviral responses.

DORS: DDC Online Retrieval System.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Songqiao; Svenonius, Elaine

1991-01-01

Describes the Dewey Online Retrieval System (DORS), which was developed at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), to experiment with classification-based search strategies in online catalogs. Classification structures in automated information retrieval are discussed; and specifications for a classification retrieval interface are…

Applying anodal tDCS during tango dancing in a patient with Parkinson's disease.

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Kaski, D; Allum, J H; Bronstein, A M; Dominguez, R O

2014-05-07

Gait disturbance in patients with Parkinson's disease remains a therapeutic challenge, given its poor response to levodopa. Dance therapy is of recognised benefit in these patients, particularly partnered dance forms such as the tango. In parallel, non-invasive brain stimulation has begun to show promise for the rehabilitation of patients with Parkinson's disease, although effects on gait, compared to upper limbs, have been less well defined. We applied transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) in a 79 year old male patient with moderate Parkinson's disease during tango dancing to assess its effect on trunk motion and balance. The patient performed a total of four dances over two days, two 'tango+tDCS' and two 'tango+sham' in a randomised double-blind fashion. In a separate experimental session we also assessed the isolated effect of tDCS (and sham) on gait without tango dancing. For the dance session, trunk peak velocity during tango was significantly greater during tDCS compared to sham stimulation. In the gait experiments we observed a modest but significant reduction in the time taken to complete the 3m 'timed up and go' and 6m walk, and an increase in overall gait velocity and peak pitch trunk velocity with tDCS compared to sham. Our findings suggest that tDCS may be a useful adjunct to gait rehabilitation for patients with PD, although studies in a larger group of patients are needed to evaluate the therapeutic use of non-invasive brain stimulation during dance therapy. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

High-definition transcranial direct current stimulation (HD-tDCS) of left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex affects performance in Balloon Analogue Risk Task (BART).

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Guo, Heng; Zhang, Zhuoran; Da, Shu; Sheng, Xiaotian; Zhang, Xichao

2018-02-01

Studies on risk preferences have long been of great concern and have examined the neural basis underlying risk-based decision making. However, studies using conventional transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) revealed that bilateral stimulation could change risk propensity with limited evidence of precisely focalized unilateral high-definition transcranial direct current stimulation (HD-tDCS). The aim of this experiment was to investigate the effect of HD-tDCS focalizing the left dorsal lateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) on risk-taking behavior during the Balloon Analogue Risk Task (BART). This study was designed as a between-subject, single-blind, sham-controlled experiment. University students were randomly assigned to three groups: the anodal group (F3 anode, AF3, F1, F5, FC3 returned), the cathodal group (F3 cathodal, AF3, F1, F5, FC3 returned) and the sham group. Subsequently, 1.5-mA 20-min HD-tDCS was applied during the BART, and the Positive Affect and Negative Affect Scale (PANAS), the Sensation Seeking Scale-5 (SSS-5), and the Behavioral Inhibition System and Behavioral Approach System scale (BIS/BAS) were measured as control variables. The cathodal group earned less total money than the sham group, and no significant difference was observed between the anodal group and the sham group. These results showed that, to some extent, focalized unilateral cathodal HD-tDCS on left DLPFC could change performance during risky tasks and diminish risky decision making. Further studies are needed to investigate the dose effect and electrode distribution of HD-tDCS during risky tasks and examine synchronous brain activity to show the neural basis.

Comprehensive evaluation method in application of nuclear DCS product design

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang Weixin; Zhao Zhemin; Shi Yingbin

2014-01-01

In order to select the best design proposal in short time, the TOPSIS comprehensive evaluation method in the nuclear power plant DCS product design was introduced. It can intuitively show the different design proposals good or not good by data and shorten the time of the design proposal optimization. The design proposal selected by this method will be more reasonable and has good comprehensive performance indexes. The TOPSIS comprehensive evaluation method achieves good result in one of the nuclear power plant DCS cabinet design proposal optimization. (authors)

Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation and Power Spectral Parameters: a tDCS/EEG co-registration study

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Anna Lisa Mangia

2014-08-01

Full Text Available Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS delivers low electric currents to the brain through the scalp. Constant electric currents induce shifts in neuronal membrane excitability, resulting in secondary changes in cortical activity. Concomitant electroencephalography (EEG monitoring during tDCS can provide valuable information on the tDCS mechanisms of action. This study examined the effects of anodal tDCS on spontaneous cortical activity in a resting brain to disclose possible modulation of spontaneous oscillatory brain activity. EEG activity was measured in ten healthy subjects during and after a session of anodal stimulation of the postero-parietal cortex to detect the tDCS-induced alterations. Changes in the theta, alpha, beta and gamma power bands were investigated. Three main findings emerged: 1 an increase in theta band activity during the first minutes of stimulation; 2 an increase in alpha and beta power during and after stimulation; 3 a widespread activation in several brain regions.

Increased contextual cue utilization with tDCS over the prefrontal cortex during a recognition task

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Pergolizzi, Denise; Chua, Elizabeth F.

2016-01-01

The precise role of the prefrontal and posterior parietal cortices in recognition performance remains controversial, with questions about whether these regions contribute to recognition via the availability of mnemonic evidence or via decision biases and retrieval orientation. Here we used an explicit memory cueing paradigm, whereby external cues probabilistically predict upcoming memoranda as old or new, in our case with 75% validity, and these cues affect recognition decision biases in the direction of the cue. The present study applied bilateral transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) over prefrontal or posterior parietal cortex, or sham tDCS, to test the causal role of these regions in recognition accuracy or decision biasing. Participants who received tDCS over prefrontal cortex showed increased cue utilization compared to tDCS over posterior parietal cortex and sham tDCS, suggesting that the prefrontal cortex is involved in processes that contribute to decision biases in memory. PMID:27845032

Left prefrontal neuronavigated electrode localization in tDCS : 10–20 EEG system versus MRI-guided neuronavigation

NARCIS (Netherlands)

De Witte, Sara; Klooster, Debby; Dedoncker, Josefien; Duprat, Romain; Remue, Jonathan; Baeken, Chris

2018-01-01

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) involves positioning two electrodes at specifically targeted locations on the human scalp. In neuropsychiatric research, the anode is often placed over the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), while the cathode is positioned over a contralateral

Motor/Prefrontal Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) Following Lumbar Surgery Reduces Postoperative Analgesia Use.

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Glaser, John; Reeves, Scott T; Stoll, William David; Epperson, Thomas I; Hilbert, Megan; Madan, Alok; George, Mark S; Borckardt, Jeffrey J

2016-05-01

Randomized, controlled pilot trial. The present study is the first randomized, double-blind, sham-controlled pilot clinical trial of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) for pain and patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) opioid usage among patients receiving spine surgery. Lumbar spinal surgeries are common, and while pain is often a complaint that precedes surgical intervention, the procedures themselves are associated with considerable postoperative pain lasting days to weeks. Adequate postoperative pain control is an important factor in determining recovery and new analgesic strategies are needed that can be used adjunctively to existing strategies potentially to reduce reliance on opioid analgesia. Several novel brain stimulation technologies including tDCS are beginning to demonstrate promise as treatments for a variety of pain conditions. Twenty-seven patients undergoing lumbar spine procedures at Medical University of South Carolina were randomly assigned to receive four 20-minute sessions of real or sham tDCS during their postsurgical hospital stay. Patient-administered hydromorphone usage was tracked along with numeric rating scale pain ratings. The effect of tDCS on the slope of the cumulative PCA curve was significant (P tDCS was associated with a 23% reduction in PCA usage. In the real tDCS group a 31% reduction was observed in pain-at-its-least ratings from admission to discharge (P = 0.027), but no other changes in numeric rating scale pain ratings were significant in either group. The present pilot trial is the first study to demonstrate an opioid sparing effect of tDCS after spine surgical procedures. Although this was a small pilot trial in a heterogeneous sample of spinal surgery patients, a moderate effect-size was observed for tDCS, suggesting that future work in this area is warranted. 2.

Imaging transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) of the prefrontal cortex-correlation or causality in stimulation-mediated effects?

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Wörsching, Jana; Padberg, Frank; Ertl-Wagner, Birgit; Kumpf, Ulrike; Kirsch, Beatrice; Keeser, Daniel

2016-10-01

Transcranial current stimulation approaches include neurophysiologically distinct non-invasive brain stimulation techniques widely applied in basic, translational and clinical research: transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), oscillating transcranial direct current stimulation (otDCS), transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) and transcranial random noise stimulation (tRNS). Prefrontal tDCS seems to be an especially promising tool for clinical practice. In order to effectively modulate relevant neural circuits, systematic research on prefrontal tDCS is needed that uses neuroimaging and neurophysiology measures to specifically target and adjust this method to physiological requirements. This review therefore analyses the various neuroimaging methods used in combination with prefrontal tDCS in healthy and psychiatric populations. First, we provide a systematic overview on applications, computational models and studies combining neuroimaging or neurophysiological measures with tDCS. Second, we categorise these studies in terms of their experimental designs and show that many studies do not vary the experimental conditions to the extent required to demonstrate specific relations between tDCS and its behavioural or neurophysiological effects. Finally, to support best-practice tDCS research we provide a methodological framework for orientation among experimental designs. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

DCS-Neural-Network Program for Aircraft Control and Testing

Science.gov (United States)

Jorgensen, Charles C.

2006-01-01

A computer program implements a dynamic-cell-structure (DCS) artificial neural network that can perform such tasks as learning selected aerodynamic characteristics of an airplane from wind-tunnel test data and computing real-time stability and control derivatives of the airplane for use in feedback linearized control. A DCS neural network is one of several types of neural networks that can incorporate additional nodes in order to rapidly learn increasingly complex relationships between inputs and outputs. In the DCS neural network implemented by the present program, the insertion of nodes is based on accumulated error. A competitive Hebbian learning rule (a supervised-learning rule in which connection weights are adjusted to minimize differences between actual and desired outputs for training examples) is used. A Kohonen-style learning rule (derived from a relatively simple training algorithm, implements a Delaunay triangulation layout of neurons) is used to adjust node positions during training. Neighborhood topology determines which nodes are used to estimate new values. The network learns, starting with two nodes, and adds new nodes sequentially in locations chosen to maximize reductions in global error. At any given time during learning, the error becomes homogeneously distributed over all nodes.

Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS: A Beginner's Guide for Design and Implementation

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Hayley Thair

2017-11-01

Full Text Available Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS is a popular brain stimulation method that is used to modulate cortical excitability, producing facilitatory or inhibitory effects upon a variety of behaviors. There is, however, a current lack of consensus between studies, with many results suggesting that polarity-specific effects are difficult to obtain. This article explores some of these differences and highlights the experimental parameters that may underlie their occurrence. We provide a general, practical snapshot of tDCS methodology, including what it is used for, how to use it, and considerations for designing an effective and safe experiment. Our aim is to equip researchers who are new to tDCS with the essential knowledge so that they can make informed and well-rounded decisions when designing and running successful experiments. By summarizing the varied approaches, stimulation parameters, and outcomes, this article should help inform future tDCS research in a variety of fields.

Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS): A Beginner's Guide for Design and Implementation

Science.gov (United States)

Thair, Hayley; Holloway, Amy L.; Newport, Roger; Smith, Alastair D.

2017-01-01

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a popular brain stimulation method that is used to modulate cortical excitability, producing facilitatory or inhibitory effects upon a variety of behaviors. There is, however, a current lack of consensus between studies, with many results suggesting that polarity-specific effects are difficult to obtain. This article explores some of these differences and highlights the experimental parameters that may underlie their occurrence. We provide a general, practical snapshot of tDCS methodology, including what it is used for, how to use it, and considerations for designing an effective and safe experiment. Our aim is to equip researchers who are new to tDCS with the essential knowledge so that they can make informed and well-rounded decisions when designing and running successful experiments. By summarizing the varied approaches, stimulation parameters, and outcomes, this article should help inform future tDCS research in a variety of fields. PMID:29213226

Online Shop System with Zencart

OpenAIRE

Uqbah Iqbal

2016-01-01

Written by Sabri Saifulsham and Syazwan Saifulsham, this book has eleven chapters that using quantitative research methodology to describes the three main components of success in building and managing online shops, namely the potential of products, obtain product and build and manage online stores. All three of these components are combined into a single system that can help anyone to build an online store even if no basic technical skills. The measures described also make it easy to use Zen...

Modulation of Brain Activity with Noninvasive Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS): Clinical Applications and Safety Concerns

Science.gov (United States)

Zhao, Haichao; Qiao, Lei; Fan, Dongqiong; Zhang, Shuyue; Turel, Ofir; Li, Yonghui; Li, Jun; Xue, Gui; Chen, Antao; He, Qinghua

2017-01-01

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a widely-used tool to induce neuroplasticity and modulate cortical function by applying weak direct current over the scalp. In this review, we first introduce the underlying mechanism of action, the brief history from discovery to clinical scientific research, electrode positioning and montages, and parameter setup of tDCS. Then, we review tDCS application in clinical samples including people with drug addiction, major depression disorder, Alzheimer's disease, as well as in children. This review covers the typical characteristics and the underlying neural mechanisms of tDCS treatment in such studies. This is followed by a discussion of safety, especially when the current intensity is increased or the stimulation duration is prolonged. Given such concerns, we provide detailed suggestions regarding safety procedures for tDCS operation. Lastly, future research directions are discussed. They include foci on the development of multi-tech combination with tDCS such as with TMS and fMRI; long-term behavioral and morphological changes; possible applications in other research domains, and more animal research to deepen the understanding of the biological and physiological mechanisms of tDCS stimulation. PMID:28539894

Repulsive guidance molecule a blockade exerts the immunoregulatory function in DCs stimulated with ABP and LPS.

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Xu, Xuxu; Gao, Yan; Zhai, Zhiyong; Zhang, Shuo; Shan, Fengping; Feng, Juan

2016-08-02

Repulsive guidance molecule a (RGMa) is an axonal guidance molecule that has recently found to exert function in immune system. This study evaluated the function of RGMa in modulation of dendritic cells (DCs) function stimulated with Achyranthes bidentata polysaccharide (ABP) and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) using a RGMa-neutralizing antibody. Compared with the Control-IgG/ABP and Control-IgG/LPS groups, DCs in the Anti-RGMa/ABP and Anti-RGMa/LPS groups 1) showed small, round cells with a few cell processes and organelles, and many pinocytotic vesicles; 2) had decreased MHC II, CD86, CD80, and CD40 expression; 3) displayed the decreased IL-12p70, IL-1β and TNF-α levels and increased IL-10 secretion; 4) had a high percentage of FITC-dextran uptake; and 5) displayed a reduced ability to drive T cell proliferation and reinforced T cell polarization toward a Th2 cytokine pattern. We conclude that DCs treated with RGMa-neutralizing antibodies present with tolerogenic and immunoregulatory characteristics, which provides new insights into further understanding of the function of RGMa.

A reliability evaluation method for NPP safety DCS application software

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li Yunjian; Zhang Lei; Liu Yuan

2014-01-01

In the field of nuclear power plant (NPP) digital i and c application, reliability evaluation for safety DCS application software is a key obstacle to be removed. In order to quantitatively evaluate reliability of NPP safety DCS application software, this paper propose a reliability evaluating method based on software development life cycle every stage's v and v defects density characteristics, by which the operating reliability level of the software can be predicted before its delivery, and helps to improve the reliability of NPP safety important software. (authors)

Quantitative Review Finds No Evidence of Cognitive Effects in Healthy Populations From Single-session Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS).

Science.gov (United States)

Horvath, Jared Cooney; Forte, Jason D; Carter, Olivia

2015-01-01

Over the last 15-years, transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), a relatively novel form of neuromodulation, has seen a surge of popularity in both clinical and academic settings. Despite numerous claims suggesting that a single session of tDCS can modulate cognition in healthy adult populations (especially working memory and language production), the paradigms utilized and results reported in the literature are extremely variable. To address this, we conduct the largest quantitative review of the cognitive data to date. Single-session tDCS data in healthy adults (18-50) from every cognitive outcome measure reported by at least two different research groups in the literature was collected. Outcome measures were divided into 4 broad categories: executive function, language, memory, and miscellaneous. To account for the paradigmatic variability in the literature, we undertook a three-tier analysis system; each with less-stringent inclusion criteria than the prior. Standard mean difference values with 95% CIs were generated for included studies and pooled for each analysis. Of the 59 analyses conducted, tDCS was found to not have a significant effect on any - regardless of inclusion laxity. This includes no effect on any working memory outcome or language production task. Our quantitative review does not support the idea that tDCS generates a reliable effect on cognition in healthy adults. Reasons for and limitations of this finding are discussed. This work raises important questions regarding the efficacy of tDCS, state-dependency effects, and future directions for this tool in cognitive research. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The KLOE online calibration system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pasqualucci, E.; Alexander, G.; Aloisio, A.

2001-01-01

Based on all the features of the KLOE online software, the online calibration system performs current calibration quality checking in real time and starts automatically new calibration procedures when needed. A calibration manager process controls the system, implementing the interface to the online system, receiving information from the run control and translating its state transitions to a separate state machine. It acts as a 'calibration run controller' and performs failure recovery when requested by a set of process checkers. The core of the system is a multi-threaded OO histogram server that receives histogramming commands by remote processes and operates on local ROOT histograms. A client library and C, fortran and C++ application interface libraries allow the user to connect and define his own histogram or read histograms owned by others using an book-like interface. Several calibration processes running in parallel in a distributed, multiplatform environment can fill the same histograms, allowing fast external information check. A monitor thread allow remote browsing for visual inspection. Pre-filtered data are read in non-privileged spy mode from the data acquisition system via the Kloe Integrated Dataflow. The main characteristics of the system are presented

Effects of prefrontal tDCS on executive function: Methodological considerations revealed by meta-analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Imburgio, Michael J; Orr, Joseph M

2018-05-01

A meta-analysis of studies using single-session transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) to target the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) was undertaken to examine the effect of stimulation on executive function (EF) in healthy samples. 27 studies were included in analyses, yielding 71 effect sizes. The most relevant measure for each task was determined a priori and used to calculate Hedge's g. Methodological characteristics of each study were examined individually as potential moderators of effect size. Stimulation effects on three domains of EF (inhibition of prepotent responses, mental set shifting, and information updating and monitoring) were analyzed separately. In line with previous work, the current study found no significant effect of anodal unilateral tDCS, cathodal unilateral tDCS, or bilateral tDCS on EF. Further moderator and subgroup analyses were only carried out for anodal unilateral montages due to the small number of studies using other montages. Subgroup analyses revealed a significant effect of anodal unilateral tDCS on updating tasks, but not on inhibition or set-shifting tasks. Cathode location significantly moderated the effect of anodal unilateral tDCS. Extracranial cathodes yielded a significant effect on EF while cranial cathodes yielded no effect. Anode size also significantly moderated effect of anodal unilateral tDCS, with smaller anodes being more effective than larger anodes. In summary, anodal DLPFC stimulation is more effective at improving updating ability than inhibition and set-shifting ability, but anodal stimulation can significantly improve general executive function when extracranial cathodes or small anodes are used. Future meta-analyses may examine how stimulation's effects on specific behavioral tasks, rather than broader domains, might be affected by methodological moderators. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Antigen Loading (e.g., Glutamic Acid Decarboxylase 65 of Tolerogenic DCs (tolDCs Reduces Their Capacity to Prevent Diabetes in the Non-Obese Diabetes (NOD-Severe Combined Immunodeficiency Model of Adoptive Cotransfer of Diabetes As Well As in NOD Mice

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David P. Funda

2018-02-01

Full Text Available Tolerogenic DCs (tolDCs are being researched as a promising intervention strategy also in autoimmune diseases including type 1 diabetes (T1D. T1D is a T-cell-mediated, organ-specific disease with several well-defined and rather specific autoantigens, i.e., proinsulin, insulin, glutamic acid decarboxylase 65 (GAD65, that have been used in animal as well as human intervention trials in attempts to achieve a more efficient, specific immunotherapy. In this study, we have tested tolerogenic DCs for their effectiveness to prevent adoptive transfer of diabetes by diabetogenic splenocytes into non-obese diabetes (NOD-severe combined immunodeficiency (NOD-SCID recipients. While i.p. application of tolDCs prepared from bone marrow of prediabetic NOD mice by vitamin D2 and dexamethasone significantly reduced diabetes transfer into the NOD-SCID females, this effect was completely abolished when tolDCs were loaded with the mouse recombinant GAD65, but also with a control protein—ovalbumin (OVA. The effect was not dependent on the presence of serum in the tolDC culture. Similar results were observed in NOD mice. Removal of possible bystander antigen-presenting cells within the diabetogenic splenocytes by negative magnetic sorting of T cells did not alter this surprising effect. Tolerogenic DCs loaded with an immunodominant mouse GAD65 peptide also displayed diminished diabetes-preventive effect. Tolerogenic DCs were characterized by surface maturation markers (CD40, CD80, CD86, MHC II and the lipopolysaccharide stability test. Data from alloreactive T cell proliferation and cytokine induction assays (IFN-γ did not reveal the differences observed in the diabetes incidence. Migration of tolDCs, tolDCs-GAD65 and tolDCs-OVA to spleen, mesenteric- and pancreatic lymph nodes displayed similar, mucosal pattern with highest accumulation in pancreatic lymph nodes present up to 9 days after the i.p. application. These data document that mechanisms by which tolDCs

Maturation and upregulation of functions of murine dendritic cells (DCs) under the influence of purified aromatic-turmerone (AR).

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Yonggang, Tan; Yiming, Meng; Heying, Zhang; Cheng, Sun; Qiushi, Wang; Xianghong, Yang; Wei, Zheng; Huawei, Zhou; Shan, Fengping

2012-10-01

The aim of this work is to evaluate the effects of purified aromatic-turmerone (ar-turmerione, AR) on murine dendritic cells (DCs). These impacts of AR on DCs from bone marrow derived DCs(BMDCs) were assessed with use of conventional scanning electron microscopy (SEM), fluorescence activated cell sorting (FACS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), cytochemistry assay, FITC-dextran, bio-assay and enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). We found that AR induced phenotypic maturation as evidenced by increased expression of CD86, CD40, CD83, CD80 and major histocompatibility complex II (MHC II). The functional tests showed the activity of acidic phosphatase (ACP) inside the DCs were downregulated after treatment with AR (which occurs when phagocytosis of DCs were decreased). Finally, we proved that AR increased the production of IL-12 and tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α). These data suggested that AR could promote phenotypic and functional maturation of DCs and this adjuvant-like activity may have potential therapeutic value. It is therefore concluded that AR could exert positive modulation on murine DCs.

Impact of DCS-facilitated cue exposure therapy on brain activation to cocaine cues in cocaine dependence.

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Prisciandaro, James J; Myrick, Hugh; Henderson, Scott; McRae-Clark, Aimee L; Santa Ana, Elizabeth J; Saladin, Michael E; Brady, Kathleen T

2013-09-01

The development of addiction is marked by a pathological associative learning process that imbues incentive salience to stimuli associated with drug use. Recent efforts to treat addiction have targeted this learning process using cue exposure therapy augmented with d-cycloserine (DCS), a glutamatergic agent hypothesized to enhance extinction learning. To better understand the impact of DCS-facilitated extinction on neural reactivity to drug cues, the present study reports fMRI findings from a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of DCS-facilitated cue exposure for cocaine dependence. Twenty-five participants completed two MRI sessions (before and after intervention), with a cocaine-cue reactivity fMRI task. The intervention consisted of 50mg of DCS or placebo, combined with two sessions of cocaine cue exposure and skills training. Participants demonstrated cocaine cue activation in a variety of brain regions at baseline. From the pre- to post-study scan, participants experienced decreased activation to cues in a number of regions (e.g., accumbens, caudate, frontal poles). Unexpectedly, placebo participants experienced decreases in activation to cues in the left angular and middle temporal gyri and the lateral occipital cortex, while DCS participants did not. Three trials of DCS-facilitated cue exposure therapy for cocaine dependence have found that DCS either increases or does not significantly impact response to cocaine cues. The present study adds to this literature by demonstrating that DCS may prevent extinction to cocaine cues in temporal and occipital brain regions. Although consistent with past research, results from the present study should be considered preliminary until replicated in larger samples. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

[Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) for depression: Results of nearly a decade of clinical research].

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Palm, U; Ayache, S S; Padberg, F; Lefaucheur, J-P

2016-02-01

Since 2006 transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) has been investigated in the treatment of depression. In this review, we discuss the implications and clinical perspectives that tDCS may have as a therapeutic tool in depression from the results reported in this domain. A comprehensive literature review has found nearly thirty articles - all in English - on this topic, corresponding to clinical studies, placebo-controlled or not, case reports and reviews. Several meta-analyses showed that the antidepressant effects of active tDCS are significant against placebo, but variable, mainly due to the heterogeneity of the patients included in the studies, for example regarding the resistance to antidepressant treatment. Specific recommendations for the use of tDCS in treating depression may not yet be available, but some elements of good practice can be highlighted. Of particular note is that anodal tDCS of the left prefrontal cortex at 2mA for 20 minutes per day has a potential therapeutic value without risk of significant side effects: tDCS offers safe conditions for clinical use in the treatment of depression. Copyright © 2015 L’Encéphale, Paris. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Trust and Online Reputation Systems

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Kwan, Ming; Ramachandran, Deepak

Web 2.0 technologies provide organizations with unprecedented opportunities to expand and solidify relationships with their customers, partners, and employees—while empowering firms to define entirely new business models focused on sharing information in online collaborative environments. Yet, in and of themselves, these technologies cannot ensure productive online interactions. Leading enterprises that are experimenting with social networks and online communities are already discovering this fact and along with it, the importance of establishing trust as the foundation for online collaboration and transactions. Just as today's consumers must feel secure to bank, exchange personal information and purchase products and services online; participants in Web 2.0 initiatives will only accept the higher levels of risk and exposure inherent in e-commerce and Web collaboration in an environment of trust. Indeed, only by attending to the need to cultivate online trust with customers, partners and employees will enterprises ever fully exploit the expanded business potential posed by Web 2.0. But developing online trust is no easy feat. While various preliminary attempts have occurred, no definitive model for establishing or measuring it has yet been established. To that end, nGenera has identified three, distinct dimensions of online trust: reputation (quantitative-based); relationship (qualitative-based) and process (system-based). When considered together, they form a valuable model for understanding online trust and a toolbox for cultivating it to support Web 2.0 initiatives.

Low Intensity Focused tDCS Over the Motor Cortex Shows Inefficacy to Improve Motor Imagery Performance

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Irma N. Angulo-Sherman

2017-07-01

Full Text Available Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS is a brain stimulation technique that can enhance motor activity by stimulating the motor path. Thus, tDCS has the potential of improving the performance of brain-computer interfaces during motor neurorehabilitation. tDCS effects depend on several aspects, including the current density, which usually varies between 0.02 and 0.08 mA/cm2, and the location of the stimulation electrodes. Hence, testing tDCS montages at several current levels would allow the selection of current parameters for improving stimulation outcomes and the comparison of montages. In a previous study, we found that cortico-cerebellar tDCS shows potential of enhancing right-hand motor imagery. In this paper, we aim to evaluate the effects of the focal stimulation of the motor cortex over motor imagery. In particular, the effect of supplying tDCS with a 4 × 1 ring montage, which consists in placing an anode on the motor cortex and four cathodes around it, over motor imagery was assessed with different current densities. Electroencephalographic (EEG classification into rest or right-hand/feet motor imagery was evaluated on five healthy subjects for two stimulation schemes: applying tDCS for 10 min on the (1 right-hand or (2 feet motor cortex before EEG recording. Accuracy differences related to the tDCS intensity, as well as μ and β band power changes, were tested for each subject and tDCS modality. In addition, a simulation of the electric field induced by the montage was used to describe its effect on the brain. Results show no improvement trends on classification for the evaluated currents, which is in accordance with the observation of variable EEG band power results despite the focused stimulation. The lack of effects is probably related to the underestimation of the current intensity required to apply a particular current density for small electrodes and the relatively short inter-electrode distance. Hence, higher current

The impact of cerebellar transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) on learning fine-motor sequences.

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Shimizu, Renee E; Wu, Allan D; Samra, Jasmine K; Knowlton, Barbara J

2017-01-05

The cerebellum has been shown to be important for skill learning, including the learning of motor sequences. We investigated whether cerebellar transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) would enhance learning of fine motor sequences. Because the ability to generalize or transfer to novel task variations or circumstances is a crucial goal of real world training, we also examined the effect of tDCS on performance of novel sequences after training. In Study 1, participants received either anodal, cathodal or sham stimulation while simultaneously practising three eight-element key press sequences in a non-repeating, interleaved order. Immediately after sequence practice with concurrent tDCS, a transfer session was given in which participants practised three interleaved novel sequences. No stimulation was given during transfer. An inhibitory effect of cathodal tDCS was found during practice, such that the rate of learning was slowed in comparison to the anodal and sham groups. In Study 2, participants received anodal or sham stimulation and a 24 h delay was added between the practice and transfer sessions to reduce mental fatigue. Although this consolidation period benefitted subsequent transfer for both tDCS groups, anodal tDCS enhanced transfer performance. Together, these studies demonstrate polarity-specific effects on fine motor sequence learning and generalization.This article is part of the themed issue 'New frontiers for statistical learning in the cognitive sciences'. © 2016 The Author(s).

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) for idiopathic Parkinson's disease.

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Elsner, Bernhard; Kugler, Joachim; Pohl, Marcus; Mehrholz, Jan

2016-07-18

Idiopathic Parkinson's disease (IPD) is a neurodegenerative disorder, with the severity of the disability usually increasing with disease duration. IPD affects patients' health-related quality of life, disability, and impairment. Current rehabilitation approaches have limited effectiveness in improving outcomes in patients with IPD, but a possible adjunct to rehabilitation might be non-invasive brain stimulation by transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) to modulate cortical excitability, and hence to improve these outcomes in IPD. To assess the effectiveness of tDCS in improving motor and non-motor symptoms in people with IPD. We searched the following databases (until February 2016): the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL; the Cochrane Library ; 2016 , Issue 2), MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, AMED, Science Citation Index, the Physiotherapy Evidence Database (PEDro), Rehabdata, and Inspec. In an effort to identify further published, unpublished, and ongoing trials, we searched trial registers and reference lists, handsearched conference proceedings, and contacted authors and equipment manufacturers. We included only randomised controlled trials (RCTs) and randomised controlled cross-over trials that compared tDCS versus control in patients with IPD for improving health-related quality of life , disability, and impairment. Two review authors independently assessed trial quality (JM and MP) and extracted data (BE and JM). If necessary, we contacted study authors to ask for additional information. We collected information on dropouts and adverse events from the trial reports. We included six trials with a total of 137 participants. We found two studies with 45 participants examining the effects of tDCS compared to control (sham tDCS) on our primary outcome measure, impairment, as measured by the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS). There was very low quality evidence for no effect of tDCS on change in global UPDRS score ( mean

Assessment of anodal and cathodal transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) on MMN-indexed auditory sensory processing.

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Impey, Danielle; de la Salle, Sara; Knott, Verner

2016-06-01

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a non-invasive form of brain stimulation which uses a very weak constant current to temporarily excite (anodal stimulation) or inhibit (cathodal stimulation) activity in the brain area of interest via small electrodes placed on the scalp. Currently, tDCS of the frontal cortex is being used as a tool to investigate cognition in healthy controls and to improve symptoms in neurological and psychiatric patients. tDCS has been found to facilitate cognitive performance on measures of attention, memory, and frontal-executive functions. Recently, a short session of anodal tDCS over the temporal lobe has been shown to increase auditory sensory processing as indexed by the Mismatch Negativity (MMN) event-related potential (ERP). This preliminary pilot study examined the separate and interacting effects of both anodal and cathodal tDCS on MMN-indexed auditory pitch discrimination. In a randomized, double blind design, the MMN was assessed before (baseline) and after tDCS (2mA, 20min) in 2 separate sessions, one involving 'sham' stimulation (the device is turned off), followed by anodal stimulation (to temporarily excite cortical activity locally), and one involving cathodal stimulation (to temporarily decrease cortical activity locally), followed by anodal stimulation. Results demonstrated that anodal tDCS over the temporal cortex increased MMN-indexed auditory detection of pitch deviance, and while cathodal tDCS decreased auditory discrimination in baseline-stratified groups, subsequent anodal stimulation did not significantly alter MMN amplitudes. These findings strengthen the position that tDCS effects on cognition extend to the neural processing of sensory input and raise the possibility that this neuromodulatory technique may be useful for investigating sensory processing deficits in clinical populations. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Inter- and Intra-individual Variability in Response to Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) at Varying Current Intensities.

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Chew, Taariq; Ho, Kerrie-Anne; Loo, Colleen K

2015-01-01

Translation of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) from research to clinical practice is hindered by a lack of consensus on optimal stimulation parameters, significant inter-individual variability in response, and in sufficient intra-individual reliability data. Inter-individual differences in response to anodal tDCS at a range of current intensities were explored. Intra-individual reliability in response to anodal tDCS across two identical sessions was also investigated. Twenty-nine subjects participated in a crossover study. Anodal-tDCS using four different current intensities (0.2, 0.5, 1 and 2 mA), with an anode size of 16 cm2, was tested. The 0.5 mA condition was repeated to assess intra-individual variability. TMS was used to elicit 40 motor-evoked potentials (MEPs) before 10 min of tDCS, and 20 MEPs at four time-points over 30 min following tDCS. ANOVA revealed no main effect of TIME for all conditions except the first 0.5 mA condition, and no differences in response between the four current intensities. Cluster analysis identified two clusters for the 0.2 and 2 mA conditions only. Frequency distributions based on individual subject responses (excitatory, inhibitory or no response) to each condition indicate possible differential responses between individuals to different current intensities. Test-retest reliability was negligible (ICC(2,1) = -0.50). Significant inter-individual variability in response to tDCS across a range of current intensities was found. 2 mA and 0.2 mA tDCS were most effective at inducing a distinct response. Significant intra-individual variability in response to tDCS was also found. This has implications for interpreting results of single-session tDCS experiments. Crown Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Enhancement of selective attention by tDCS: interaction with interference in a Sternberg task

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Gladwin, T.E.; den Uyl, T.E.; Fregni, F.F.; Wiers, R.W.

2012-01-01

Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) enhances performance on working memory tasks. However, such effects may be dependent on modulation of specific aspects of working memory. We therefore tested the hypothesis that tDCS improves selective attention in the context of a Sternberg task.

Anodal tDCS over the Primary Motor Cortex Facilitates Long-Term Memory Formation Reflecting Use-Dependent Plasticity.

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Orjon Rroji

Full Text Available Previous research suggests that anodal transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS over the primary motor cortex (M1 modulates NMDA receptor dependent processes that mediate synaptic plasticity. Here we test this proposal by applying anodal versus sham tDCS while subjects practiced to flex the thumb as fast as possible (ballistic movements. Repetitive practice of this task has been shown to result in performance improvements that reflect use-dependent plasticity resulting from NMDA receptor mediated, long-term potentiation (LTP-like processes. Using a double-blind within-subject cross-over design, subjects (n=14 participated either in an anodal or a sham tDCS session which were at least 3 months apart. Sham or anodal tDCS (1 mA was applied for 20 min during motor practice and retention was tested 30 min, 24 hours and one week later. All subjects improved performance during each of the two sessions (p < 0.001 and learning gains were similar. Our main result is that long term retention performance (i.e. 1 week after practice was significantly better when practice was performed with anodal tDCS than with sham tDCS (p < 0.001. This effect was large (Cohen's d=1.01 and all but one subject followed the group trend. Our data strongly suggest that anodal tDCS facilitates long-term memory formation reflecting use-dependent plasticity. Our results support the notion that anodal tDCS facilitates synaptic plasticity mediated by an LTP-like mechanism, which is in accordance with previous research.

Noninvasive transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) for the treatment of orofacial pain.

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Fricova, Jitka; Englerova, Katerina; Rokyta, Richard

2016-10-01

tDCS is a promising method for the treatment of chronic pain. Electrode placement locations must be chosen in accordance with the density and the time course of the current in order to prevent pathological changes in the underlying tissue. In order to reduce current spatial variability, more electrodes of the same polarity are placed in a circle around the second electrode of the opposite polarity. The applied current produced the greatest changes directly beneath the electrodes: the cathode reduces the excitability of cortical neurons, while the anode has the opposite effect. Based on inclusion criteria, 10 patients with chronic orofacial pain, secondary trigeminal neuralgia after oral surgery, were enrolled and underwent both anode and cathode stimulation. Before the first session we measured pain intensity on a numeric pain rating scale and tactile and thermal stimulation were used to assess somatosensory status. tDCS was applied for five consecutive days. At the end of tDCS application, somatosensory status was assessed again. From our results we can conclude that the application of tDCS improves the perception of some types of pain. When we increase our sample size, we would expect confirmation not only on our positive results, but also some additional findings for explaining the pathophysiology of orofacial pain. These pathophysiological findings and explanations are very important for the application of tDCS in the treatment of orofacial pain and also for other types of neuropathic pain.

Spelling rehabilitation using transcranial direct current (tDCS in primary progressive aphasia (PPA.

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Constantine Frangakis

2014-04-01

Full Text Available Introduction: Spelling impairments are one of the first deficits that occur early in PPA and can usually predict the variant of PPA in which the patient may progress (Sepelyak et al., 2011. PPA is a neurodegenerative disease that affects people relatively early in life (between 55-65 years and therefore it is important to find ways to alleviate the symptoms or impede the degree of degeneration. We present and discuss new data indicating that a neuromodulatory treatment, using transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS combined with a spelling intervention, shows promise for maintaining or even improving language abilities in PPA. The aim of this research is to determine whether tDCS plus language therapy is more effective than language therapy alone in treating written language deficits in PPA. Methods: Eight PPA participants underwent anodal tDCS or sham plus spelling intervention in a randomized order using a within-subject cross-over design. They were evaluated before, after, and at 2 weeks and 2 months post-intervention. Spelling intervention varied for each participant according to the main spelling deficit: 3 patients had phoneme-to-grapheme conversion (PGC intervention, 2 had lexical intervention and 3 had advanced PGC intervention (combined with written fluency and PGC practice. Four more patients have already finished the first period of stimulations (ether sham or tDCS and all their other sessions and evaluations will be completed in the next couple months. Analyses-Results: We analyzed the existing set of full data using both within-subject analyses (McNemar tests and across-subjects analyses while taking into account carry-over effects. We evaluated therapy effects by the Generalized Estimating Equation approach (Liang & Zeger, 1986. All participants showed improvement in spelling after spelling intervention in trained items (with either sham or tDCS. There was, however, a significant improvement for untrained items only in the tDCS

Enhancing performance in numerical magnitude processing and mental arithmetic using transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS

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Tobias U. Hauser

2013-06-01

Full Text Available The ability to accurately process numerical magnitudes and solve mental arithmetic is of highest importance for schooling and professional career. Although impairments in these domains in disorders such as developmental dyscalculia (DD are highly detrimental, remediation is still sparse. In recent years, transcranial brain stimulation methods such as transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS have been suggested as a treatment for various neurologic and neuropsychiatric disorders. The posterior parietal cortex (PPC is known to be crucially involved in numerical magnitude processing and mental arithmetic. In this study, we evaluated whether tDCS has a beneficial effect on numerical magnitude processing and mental arithmetic. Due to the unclear lateralization, we stimulated the left, right as well as both hemispheres simultaneously in two experiments. We found that left anodal tDCS significantly enhanced performance in a number comparison and a subtraction task, while bilateral and right anodal tDCS did not induce any improvements compared to sham. Our findings demonstrate that the left PPC is causally involved in numerical magnitude processing and mental arithmetic. Furthermore, we show that these cognitive functions can be enhanced by means of tDCS. These findings encourage to further investigate the beneficial effect of tDCS in the domain of mathematics in healthy and impaired humans.

Two New Chroman Derivations from the Endophytic Penicillium sp. DCS523

OpenAIRE

Li, Jun-Tian; Fu, Xiao-Li; Tan, Chun; Zeng, Ying; Wang, Qi; Zhao, Pei-Ji

2011-01-01

Strain DCS523 was isolated from the branch tissue of Daphniphyllum longeracemosum and determined to be a Penicillium sp. according to the ITS sequence analysis. The extracts from the PDA solid fermentation media of Penicillium sp. DCS523 were purified to give two new chroman derivatives as well as six known compounds. Based on their spectral data the new compounds were identified as (Z)-6-acetyl- 3-(1,2-dihydroxypropylidene)-5-hydroxy-8-methylchroman-2-one (1) and 6-acetyl-2α,5- dihydroxy-2-(...

Self-Administered Domiciliary tDCS Treatment for Tinnitus: A Double-Blind Sham-Controlled Study.

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Petteri Hyvärinen

Full Text Available Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS has shown potential for providing tinnitus relief, although positive effects have usually been observed only during a short time period after treatment. In recent studies the focus has turned from one-session experiments towards multi-session treatment studies investigating long-term outcomes with double-blinded and sham-controlled study designs. Traditionally, tDCS has been administered in a clinical setting by a healthcare professional but in studies involving multiple treatment sessions, often a trade-off has to be made between sample size and the amount of labor needed to run the trial. Also, as the number of required visits to the clinic increases, the dropout rate is likely to rise proportionally.The aim of the current study was to find out if tDCS treatment for tinnitus could be patient-administered in a domiciliary setting and whether the results would be comparable to those from in-hospital treatment studies. Forty-three patients with chronic (> 6 months tinnitus were involved in the study, and data on 35 out of these patients were included in final analysis. Patients received 20 minutes of left temporal area anodal (LTA or bifrontal tDCS stimulation (2 mA or sham stimulation (0.3 mA for ten consecutive days. An overall reduction in the main outcome measure, Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI, was found (mean change -5.0 points, p < 0.05, but there was no significant difference between active and sham treatment outcomes. Patients found the tDCS treatment easy to administer and they all tolerated it well. In conclusion, self-administered domiciliary tDCS treatment for tinnitus was found safe and feasible and gave outcome results similar to recent randomized controlled long-term treatment trials. The results suggest better overall treatment response-as measured by THI-with domiciliary treatment than with in-hospital treatment, but this advantage is not related to the tDCS variant. The study

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) neuromodulatory effects on mechanical hyperalgesia and cortical BDNF levels in ovariectomized rats.

Science.gov (United States)

da Silva Moreira, Sônia Fátima; Medeiros, Liciane Fernandes; de Souza, Andressa; de Oliveira, Carla; Scarabelot, Vanessa Leal; Fregni, Felipe; Caumo, Wolnei; Torres, Iraci L S

2016-01-15

Epidemiological studies show that painful disorders are more prevalent in women than in men, and the transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) technique has been tested in chronic pain states. We explored the effect of tDCS on pain behavior and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) levels in ovariectomized rats. Forty-five female Wistar adult rats were distributed into five groups: control (CT), ovariectomy + tDCS (OT), ovariectomy + sham tDCS (OS), sham ovariectomy + tDCS (ST), and sham ovariectomy+shamtDCS (SS). The rats were subjected to cathodal tDCS. The vaginal cytology and the estradiol levels confirmed the hormonal status. In addition, nociceptive behavior was evaluated using the tail-flick, von Frey, and hot-plate tests, as well as the BDNF levels in the serum, hypothalamus, hippocampus, spinal cord, and cerebral cortex. One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) or two-way ANOVA was used for statistical analysis, followed by the Bonferroni, and P-value b 0.05 was considered significant. The ovariectomized animals presented a hypersensitivity response in the hot-plate (P b 0.01) and von Frey (P b 0.05) tests, as well as increased serum BDNF (P b 0.05) and decreased hypothalamic BDNF (P b 0.01) levels. The OT, OS, ST, and SS groups showed decreased hippocampal BDNF levels as compared with the control group (P b 0.001). The interaction between tDCS and ovariectomy on the cortical BDNF levels (P b 0.01) was observed. The ovariectomy induced nociceptive hypersensitivity and altered serum and hypothalamic BDNF levels. The cathodal tDCS partially reversed nociceptive hypersensitivity.

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) facilitates overall visual search response times but does not interact with visual search task factors.

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Sung, Kyongje; Gordon, Barry

2018-01-01

Whether transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) affects mental functions, and how any such effects arise from its neural effects, continue to be debated. We investigated whether tDCS applied over the visual cortex (Oz) with a vertex (Cz) reference might affect response times (RTs) in a visual search task. We also examined whether any significant tDCS effects would interact with task factors (target presence, discrimination difficulty, and stimulus brightness) that are known to selectively influence one or the other of the two information processing stages posited by current models of visual search. Based on additive factor logic, we expected that the pattern of interactions involving a significant tDCS effect could help us colocalize the tDCS effect to one (or both) of the processing stages. In Experiment 1 (n = 12), anodal tDCS improved RTs significantly; cathodal tDCS produced a nonsignificant trend toward improvement. However, there were no interactions between the anodal tDCS effect and target presence or discrimination difficulty. In Experiment 2 (n = 18), we manipulated stimulus brightness along with target presence and discrimination difficulty. Anodal and cathodal tDCS both produced significant improvements in RTs. Again, the tDCS effects did not interact with any of the task factors. In Experiment 3 (n = 16), electrodes were placed at Cz and on the upper arm, to test for a possible effect of incidental stimulation of the motor regions under Cz. No effect of tDCS on RTs was found. These findings strengthen the case for tDCS having real effects on cerebral information processing. However, these effects did not clearly arise from either of the two processing stages of the visual search process. We suggest that this is because tDCS has a DIFFUSE, pervasive action across the task-relevant neuroanatomical region(s), not a discrete effect in terms of information processing stages.

Online Faculty Development and Assessment System (OFDAS)

Science.gov (United States)

Villar, Luis M.; Alegre, Olga M.

2006-01-01

The rapid growth of online learning has led to the development of faculty inservice evaluation models focused on quality improvement of degree programs. Based on current "best practices" of student online assessment, the Online Faculty Development and Assessment System (OFDAS), created at the Canary Islands, was designed to serve the…

Two new chroman derivations from the endophytic Penicillium sp. DCS523.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Jun-Tian; Fu, Xiao-Li; Tan, Chun; Zeng, Ying; Wang, Qi; Zhao, Pei-Ji

2011-01-18

Strain DCS523 was isolated from the branch tissue of Daphniphyllum longeracemosum and determined to be a Penicillium sp. according to the ITS sequence analysis. The extracts from the PDA solid fermentation media of Penicillium sp. DCS523 were purified to give two new chroman derivatives as well as six known compounds. Based on their spectral data the new compounds were identified as (Z)-6-acetyl- 3-(1,2-dihydroxypropylidene)-5-hydroxy-8-methylchroman-2-one and 6-acetyl-2α,5- dihydroxy-2-(2-hydroxypropyl)- 3α,8-dimethylchroman, respectively.

Shawnee Mission's On-Line Cataloging System

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Ellen Wasby Miller

1971-03-01

Full Text Available An on-line cataloging pilot project for two elementary schools is discussed. The system components are 2740 terminals, upper-lower-case input, IBM's FASTER generalized software package, and usual cards/labels output. Reasons for choosing FASTER, software and hardware features, operating procedures, system performance and costs are detailed. Future expansion to cataloging 100,000 annual K-12 acquisitions, on-line circulation, retrospective conversion, and union book catalogs is set forth.

Study on Online Hotel Reservation Systems

OpenAIRE

Alleweldt, Frank; Tonner, Klaus; McDonald, Marc

2009-01-01

This study, conducted by Civic Consulting, looks at both pre-contractual and contractual matters concerning online hotel reservation systems, examines relevant Community rules, identifies gaps and, where needed, discusses possible policy options. Key conclusions The study shows that the impact of Community law on online hotel

Consensus: "Can tDCS and TMS enhance motor learning and memory formation?"

Science.gov (United States)

Reis, Janine; Robertson, Edwin; Krakauer, John W; Rothwell, John; Marshall, Lisa; Gerloff, Christian; Wassermann, Eric; Pascual-Leone, Alvaro; Hummel, Friedhelm; Celnik, Pablo A; Classen, Joseph; Floel, Agnes; Ziemann, Ulf; Paulus, Walter; Siebner, Hartwig R; Born, Jan; Cohen, Leonardo G

2008-10-01

Noninvasive brain stimulation has developed as a promising tool for cognitive neuroscientists. Transcranial magnetic (TMS) and direct current (tDCS) stimulation allow researchers to purposefully enhance or decrease excitability in focal areas of the brain. The purpose of this paper is to review information on the use of TMS and tDCS as research tools to facilitate motor memory formation, motor performance and motor learning in healthy volunteers. Studies implemented so far have mostly focused on the ability of TMS and tDCS to elicit relatively short lasting motor improvements and the mechanisms underlying these changes have been only partially investigated. Despite limitations including the scarcity of data, work that has been already accomplished raises the exciting hypothesis that currently available noninvasive transcranial stimulation techniques could modulate motor learning and memory formation in healthy humans and potentially in patients with neurological and psychiatric disorders.

Detector Control System for CMS Endcap RPCs and Cross Section Measurement of $t\\bar{t}$ dileptonic channel with the CMS Detector at $\\sqrt{s}$ = 8 $TeV$

CERN Document Server

AUTHOR|(CDS)2069981

The Resistive Plate Chamber Endcap(RE) system consists of 432 double-gap chambers equipped with about 1296 front-end boards. Safe and correct operation of RE system requires a sophisticated and complex online Detector Control System(DCS), which should be able to control and monitor 2$\\times$$10^{3}$ hardware devices spanned on an area of about 2000 $m^{2}$. DCS of RE system monitors, acquires and stores about $10^{3}$ parameters obtained from the detector, electronics, power system, gas, and cooling systems. The RE DCS system and its performance during the 2007 and 2008 CMS cosmic runs, will be discussed in this thesis. The $\\tt$ pair production cross section is measured in 2012 proton-proton collisions at $\\sqrt{s}$ = 8 $TeV$ using 19.7 $fb^{-1}$ of integrated luminosity data sample of the CMS experiment. The measurement is done by using events in which we have two high $p_{T}$ leptons (muons or electrons), missing transverse energy and atleast one jet identified as $b$-quark, in the final state. The cross s...

Residency Applicants Prefer Online System for Scheduling Interviews

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wills, Charlotte

2015-03-01

Full Text Available Introduction: Residency coordinators may be overwhelmed when scheduling residency interviews. Applicants often have to coordinate interviews with multiple programs at once, and relying on verbal or email confirmation may delay the process. Our objective was to determine applicant mean time to schedule and satisfaction using online scheduling. Methods: This pilot study is a retrospective analysis performed on a sample of applicants offered interviews at an urban county emergency medicine residency. Applicants were asked their estimated time to schedule with the online system compared to their average time using other methods. In addition, they were asked on a five-point anchored scale to rate their satisfaction. Results: Of 171 applicants, 121 completed the survey (70.8%. Applicants were scheduling an average of 13.3 interviews. Applicants reported scheduling interviews using the online system in mean of 46.2 minutes (median 10, range 1-1800 from the interview offer as compared with a mean of 320.2 minutes (median 60, range 3-2880 for other programs not using this system. This difference was statistically significant. In addition, applicants were more likely to rate their satisfaction using the online system as “satisfied” (83.5% vs 16.5%. Applicants were also more likely to state that they preferred scheduling their interviews using the online system rather than the way other programs scheduled interviews (74.2% vs 4.1% and that the online system aided them coordinating travel arrangements (52.1% vs 4.1%. Conclusion: An online interview scheduling system is associated with higher satisfaction among applicants both in coordinating travel arrangements and in overall satisfaction. [West J Emerg Med. 2015;16(2:352-354.

Investigation of tDCS volume conduction effects in a highly realistic head model

Science.gov (United States)

Wagner, S.; Rampersad, S. M.; Aydin, Ü.; Vorwerk, J.; Oostendorp, T. F.; Neuling, T.; Herrmann, C. S.; Stegeman, D. F.; Wolters, C. H.

2014-02-01

Objective. We investigate volume conduction effects in transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) and present a guideline for efficient and yet accurate volume conductor modeling in tDCS using our newly-developed finite element (FE) approach. Approach. We developed a new, accurate and fast isoparametric FE approach for high-resolution geometry-adapted hexahedral meshes and tissue anisotropy. To attain a deeper insight into tDCS, we performed computer simulations, starting with a homogenized three-compartment head model and extending this step by step to a six-compartment anisotropic model. Main results. We are able to demonstrate important tDCS effects. First, we find channeling effects of the skin, the skull spongiosa and the cerebrospinal fluid compartments. Second, current vectors tend to be oriented towards the closest higher conducting region. Third, anisotropic WM conductivity causes current flow in directions more parallel to the WM fiber tracts. Fourth, the highest cortical current magnitudes are not only found close to the stimulation sites. Fifth, the median brain current density decreases with increasing distance from the electrodes. Significance. Our results allow us to formulate a guideline for volume conductor modeling in tDCS. We recommend to accurately model the major tissues between the stimulating electrodes and the target areas, while for efficient yet accurate modeling, an exact representation of other tissues is less important. Because for the low-frequency regime in electrophysiology the quasi-static approach is justified, our results should also be valid for at least low-frequency (e.g., below 100 Hz) transcranial alternating current stimulation.

No significant effect of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) found on simple motor reaction time comparing 15 different simulation protocols.

Science.gov (United States)

Horvath, Jared Cooney; Carter, Olivia; Forte, Jason D

2016-10-01

Research exploring the behavioral impact of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) over M1 has produced homogenous results. The most common explanations to address this homogeneity concerns the differential impact of varied tDCS parameters (such as stimulation intensity or electrode montage). To explore this, we systematically examined the effects of 15 different tDCS protocols on a well-elucidated neurobehavioral system: simple visual motor reaction time (smRT). For the initial phase of this study, 150 healthy participants were randomly assigned to one of 5 experimental groups (2mA anodal, 2mA cathodal, 1mA anodal, 1mA cathodal, or sham) across 3 different conditions (orbitofrontal, bilateral, or extracephalic reference electrode location). The active electrode was always placed over M1 and tDCS lasted for 20min. Starting ~5min prior to stimulation and running continuously for ~30min, participants were repeatedly presented with a visual cue centered on a computer monitor and asked to press a response button as quickly as possible at stimulus onset (stimuli number: 100 pre-, 400 during-, and 100-post stimulation - interstimulus interval: 1-3s). Ex-gaussian distribution curves, miss, and error rates were determined for each normalized batch of 100 RTs and compared using a two-way ANOVA. As the largest group differences were seen with 2mA anodal (compared to sham) stimulation using an orbitofrontal montage, an additional 60 healthy participants were recruited to further test for significance in this condition. No significant impact of tDCS was seen on any parameter of smRT distribution, error rate, or miss rate, regardless of polarity, stimulation intensity, electrode montage, or stimulation-to-task relationship. Our results suggest that tDCS over M1 might not have a predictable or reliable effect on short duration smRT. Our results raise interesting questions regarding the mechanisms by which tDCS might modulate more complex motor behaviors. Additional

Towards unravelling reading-related modulations of tDCS-induced neuroplasticity in the human visual cortex

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Andrea eAntal

2014-06-01

Full Text Available Stimulation using weak electrical direct currents has shown to be capable of inducing polarity dependent diminutions or elevations in motor and visual cortical excitability. The aim of the present study was to test if reading during transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS is able to modify stimulation-induced plasticity in the visual cortex. Phosphene thresholds (PT in 12 healthy subjects were recorded before and after 10 minutes of anodal, cathodal and sham tDCS in combination with reading. Reading alone decreased PTs significantly, compared to the sham tDCS condition without reading. Interestingly, after both anodal and cathodal stimulation there was a tendency toward smaller PTs. Our results support the observation that tDCS-induced plasticity is highly dependent on the cognitive state of the subject during stimulation, not only in the case of motor cortex but also in the case of visual cortex stimulation.

Finite element model predicts current density distribution for clinical applications of tDCS and tACS

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Toralf eNeuling

2012-09-01

Full Text Available Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS has been applied in numerous scientific studies over the past decade. However, the possibility to apply tDCS in therapy of neuropsychiatric disorders is still debated. While transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS has been approved for treatment of major depression in the United States by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA, tDCS is not as widely accepted. One of the criticisms against tDCS is the lack of spatial specificity. Focality is limited by the electrode size (35 cm2 are commonly used and the bipolar arrangement. However, a current flow through the head directly from anode to cathode is an outdated view. Finite element (FE models have recently been used to predict the exact current flow during tDCS. These simulations have demonstrated that the current flow depends on tissue shape and conductivity. Toface the challenge to predict the location, magnitude and direction of the current flow induced by tDCS and transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS, we used a refined realistic FE modeling approach. With respect to the literature on clinical tDCS and tACS, we analyzed two common setups for the location of the stimulation electrodes which target the frontal lobe and the occipital lobe, respectively. We compared lateral and medial electrode configuration with regard to theirusability. We were able to demonstrate that the lateral configurations yielded more focused stimulation areas as well as higher current intensities in the target areas. The high resolution of our simulation allows one to combine the modeled current flow with the knowledge of neuronal orientation to predict the consequences of tDCS and tACS. Our results not only offer a basis for a deeper understanding of the stimulation sites currently in use for clinical applications but also offer a better interpretation of observed effects.

The ALICE online-offline framework for the extraction of conditions data

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Grosse-Oetringhaus, Jan Fiete; Zampolli, Chiara; Carminati, Federico [CERN, 1211 Geneva 23 (Switzerland); Colla, Alberto, E-mail: Jan.Fiete.Grosse-Oetringhaus@cern.c, E-mail: Chiara.Zampolli@cern.c, E-mail: Alberto.Colla@roma1.infn.i, E-mail: Federico.Carminati@cern.c [Universita ' La Sapienza' and INFN, Roma (Italy)

2010-04-01

A Large Ion Collider Experiment (ALICE) is the dedicated heavy-ion experiment at the CERN LHC and will take data with a bandwidth of up to 1.25 GB/s. It consists of 18 subdetectors that interact with five online systems (CTP, DAQ, DCS, ECS, and HLT). Data recorded is read out by DAQ in a raw data stream produced by the subdetectors. In addition the subdetectors produce conditions data derived from the raw data, i.e. calibration and alignment information, which have to be available from the beginning of the reconstruction and therefore cannot be included in the raw data. The extraction of the conditions data is steered by a system called Shuttle. It provides the link between data produced by the subdetectors in the online systems and a dedicated procedure per subdetector, called preprocessor, that runs in the Shuttle system. The preprocessor performs merging, consolidation, and reformatting of the data. Finally, it stores the data in the Grid Offline Conditions DataBase (OCDB) so that they are available for the Offline reconstruction. The reconstruction of a given run is initiated automatically once the raw data is successfully exported to the Grid storage and the run has been processed in the Shuttle framework. These proceedings introduce the Shuttle system. The performance of the system during the ALICE cosmics commissioning and LHC startup is described.

The ALICE online-offline framework for the extraction of conditions data

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Grosse-Oetringhaus, Jan Fiete; Zampolli, Chiara; Carminati, Federico; Colla, Alberto

2010-01-01

A Large Ion Collider Experiment (ALICE) is the dedicated heavy-ion experiment at the CERN LHC and will take data with a bandwidth of up to 1.25 GB/s. It consists of 18 subdetectors that interact with five online systems (CTP, DAQ, DCS, ECS, and HLT). Data recorded is read out by DAQ in a raw data stream produced by the subdetectors. In addition the subdetectors produce conditions data derived from the raw data, i.e. calibration and alignment information, which have to be available from the beginning of the reconstruction and therefore cannot be included in the raw data. The extraction of the conditions data is steered by a system called Shuttle. It provides the link between data produced by the subdetectors in the online systems and a dedicated procedure per subdetector, called preprocessor, that runs in the Shuttle system. The preprocessor performs merging, consolidation, and reformatting of the data. Finally, it stores the data in the Grid Offline Conditions DataBase (OCDB) so that they are available for the Offline reconstruction. The reconstruction of a given run is initiated automatically once the raw data is successfully exported to the Grid storage and the run has been processed in the Shuttle framework. These proceedings introduce the Shuttle system. The performance of the system during the ALICE cosmics commissioning and LHC startup is described.

A PEDAGOGICAL CRITICAL REVIEW OF ONLINE LEARNING SYSTEM

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dwi SULISWORO

2016-08-01

Full Text Available E-learning which have various shapes such as blog, classroom learning which is facilitated the World Wide Web; a mix of online instruction and meeting the class known as additional models or hybrid; or the full online experience, where all assessment and instruction is done electronically. Object relationship of learning and constructivist educational philosophy and confirmed that online learning has the orientation which is basically a constructivist ideology, where the combination of some of the knowledge is an inquiry-oriented activities and authentic and also promote the progress of the construction of new knowledge. Description of the online learning system in theory and practice can be illustrated in a few examples that have been found in the research that has been done and found new discoveries obtained in the study, but not everything can be done because of several factors. Please note that the components in the online learning system can serve as a learning system which is very strong influence on learning in the class. The objective of this research is to a pedagogical critical review of online learning system in theory and practice that can be applied by teachers in the teaching process in the classroom. The results obtained in this study were teachers and students need extra effort to make online classes and virtual. Further research is needed on appropriate strategies in order to determine the next result is more useful. There some advices for any studies that discuss online learning system are done in certain areas, namely the use of electricity and other disciplines such as social and humanities.

tDCS for Memory Enhancement: Analysis of the Speculative Aspects of Ethical Issues.

Science.gov (United States)

Voarino, Nathalie; Dubljević, Veljko; Racine, Eric

2016-01-01

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a promising technology to enhance cognitive and physical performance. One of the major areas of interest is the enhancement of memory function in healthy individuals. The early arrival of tDCS on the market for lifestyle uses and cognitive enhancement purposes lead to the voicing of some important ethical concerns, especially because, to date, there are no official guidelines or evaluation procedures to tackle these issues. The aim of this article is to review ethical issues related to uses of tDCS for memory enhancement found in the ethics and neuroscience literature and to evaluate how realistic and scientifically well-founded these concerns are? In order to evaluate how plausible or speculative each issue is, we applied the methodological framework described by Racine et al. (2014) for "informed and reflective" speculation in bioethics. This framework could be succinctly presented as requiring: (1) the explicit acknowledgment of factual assumptions and identification of the value attributed to them; (2) the validation of these assumptions with interdisciplinary literature; and (3) the adoption of a broad perspective to support more comprehensive reflection on normative issues. We identified four major considerations associated with the development of tDCS for memory enhancement: safety, autonomy, justice and authenticity. In order to assess the seriousness and likelihood of harm related to each of these concerns, we analyzed the assumptions underlying the ethical issues, and the level of evidence for each of them. We identified seven distinct assumptions: prevalence, social acceptance, efficacy, ideological stance (bioconservative vs. libertarian), potential for misuse, long term side effects, and the delivery of complete and clear information. We conclude that ethical discussion about memory enhancement via tDCS sometimes involves undue speculation, and closer attention to scientific and social facts would bring

Modulation of Total Sleep Time by Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS).

Science.gov (United States)

Frase, Lukas; Piosczyk, Hannah; Zittel, Sulamith; Jahn, Friederike; Selhausen, Peter; Krone, Lukas; Feige, Bernd; Mainberger, Florian; Maier, Jonathan G; Kuhn, Marion; Klöppel, Stefan; Normann, Claus; Sterr, Annette; Spiegelhalder, Kai; Riemann, Dieter; Nitsche, Michael A; Nissen, Christoph

2016-09-01

Arousal and sleep are fundamental physiological processes, and their modulation is of high clinical significance. This study tested the hypothesis that total sleep time (TST) in humans can be modulated by the non-invasive brain stimulation technique transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) targeting a 'top-down' cortico-thalamic pathway of sleep-wake regulation. Nineteen healthy participants underwent a within-subject, repeated-measures protocol across five nights in the sleep laboratory with polysomnographic monitoring (adaptation, baseline, three experimental nights). tDCS was delivered via bi-frontal target electrodes and bi-parietal return electrodes before sleep (anodal 'activation', cathodal 'deactivation', and sham stimulation). Bi-frontal anodal stimulation significantly decreased TST, compared with cathodal and sham stimulation. This effect was location specific. Bi-frontal cathodal stimulation did not significantly increase TST, potentially due to ceiling effects in good sleepers. Exploratory resting-state EEG analyses before and after the tDCS protocols were consistent with the notion of increased cortical arousal after anodal stimulation and decreased cortical arousal after cathodal stimulation. The study provides proof-of-concept that TST can be decreased by non-invasive bi-frontal anodal tDCS in healthy humans. Further elucidating the 'top-down' pathway of sleep-wake regulation is expected to increase knowledge on the fundamentals of sleep-wake regulation and to contribute to the development of novel treatments for clinical conditions of disturbed arousal and sleep.

Main control system verification and validation of NPP digital I and C system based on engineering simulator

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lin Meng; Hou Dong; Liu Pengfei; Yang Zongwei; Yang Yanhua

2010-01-01

also very convenient for expansion to other type digital I and C V and V. This paper is mainly focused on V and V of closed-loop control systems in full-scope DCS and several detailed reactor control (RRC) systems, including pressurizer pressure and water level control, steam generator water level control. The V and V works were carried out by applying engineering simulator. This paper describes the structure and function of the simulator, V and V procedure, results analysis and problems identified. Through the actual on-line virtual closed-loop testing on Ling Ao Phase II NPP project, many problems of DCS configuration were found and solved. And it proved that V and V based on engineering simulator enables significant time saving, improves economics and safety in the phase of engineering debugging.

In-vivo Imaging of Magnetic Fields Induced by Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) in Human Brain using MRI

Science.gov (United States)

Jog, Mayank V.; Smith, Robert X.; Jann, Kay; Dunn, Walter; Lafon, Belen; Truong, Dennis; Wu, Allan; Parra, Lucas; Bikson, Marom; Wang, Danny J. J.

2016-10-01

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is an emerging non-invasive neuromodulation technique that applies mA currents at the scalp to modulate cortical excitability. Here, we present a novel magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technique, which detects magnetic fields induced by tDCS currents. This technique is based on Ampere’s law and exploits the linear relationship between direct current and induced magnetic fields. Following validation on a phantom with a known path of electric current and induced magnetic field, the proposed MRI technique was applied to a human limb (to demonstrate in-vivo feasibility using simple biological tissue) and human heads (to demonstrate feasibility in standard tDCS applications). The results show that the proposed technique detects tDCS induced magnetic fields as small as a nanotesla at millimeter spatial resolution. Through measurements of magnetic fields linearly proportional to the applied tDCS current, our approach opens a new avenue for direct in-vivo visualization of tDCS target engagement.

Effects of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) on Human Memory.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Matzen, Laura E.; Trumbo, Michael Christopher Stefan

2014-10-01

Training a person in a new knowledge base or skill set is extremely time consuming and costly, particularly in highly specialized domains such as the military and the intelligence community. Recent research in cognitive neuroscience has suggested that a technique called transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) has the potential to revolutionize training by enabling learners to acquire new skills faster, more efficiently, and more robustly (Bullard et al., 2011). In this project, we tested the effects of tDCS on two types of memory performance that are critical for learning new skills: associative memory and working memory. Associative memory is memory for the relationship between two items or events. It forms the foundation of all episodic memories, so enhancing associative memory could provide substantial benefits to the speed and robustness of learning new information. We tested the effects of tDCS on associative memory, using a real-world associative memory task: remembering the links between faces and names. Working memory refers to the amount of information that can be held in mind and processed at one time, and it forms the basis for all higher-level cognitive processing. We investigated the degree of transfer between various working memory tasks (the N-back task as a measure of verbal working memory, the rotation-span task as a measure of visuospatial working memory, and Raven's progressive matrices as a measure of fluid intelligence) in order to determine if tDCS-induced facilitation of performance is task-specific or general.

Influence of Anodal Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) over the Right Angular Gyrus on Brain Activity during Rest

Science.gov (United States)

Clemens, Benjamin; Jung, Stefanie; Mingoia, Gianluca; Weyer, David; Domahs, Frank; Willmes, Klaus

2014-01-01

Although numerous studies examined resting-state networks (RSN) in the human brain, so far little is known about how activity within RSN might be modulated by non-invasive brain stimulation applied over parietal cortex. Investigating changes in RSN in response to parietal cortex stimulation might tell us more about how non-invasive techniques such as transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) modulate intrinsic brain activity, and further elaborate our understanding of how the resting brain responds to external stimulation. Here we examined how activity within the canonical RSN changed in response to anodal tDCS applied over the right angular gyrus (AG). We hypothesized that changes in resting-state activity can be induced by a single tDCS session and detected with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Significant differences between two fMRI sessions (pre-tDCS and post-tDCS) were found in several RSN, including the cerebellar, medial visual, sensorimotor, right frontoparietal, and executive control RSN as well as the default mode and the task positive network. The present results revealed decreased and increased RSN activity following tDCS. Decreased RSN activity following tDCS was found in bilateral primary and secondary visual areas, and in the right putamen. Increased RSN activity following tDCS was widely distributed across the brain, covering thalamic, frontal, parietal and occipital regions. From these exploratory results we conclude that a single session of anodal tDCS over the right AG is sufficient to induce large-scale changes in resting-state activity. These changes were localized in sensory and cognitive areas, covering regions close to and distant from the stimulation site. PMID:24760013

Influence of anodal transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) over the right angular gyrus on brain activity during rest.

Science.gov (United States)

Clemens, Benjamin; Jung, Stefanie; Mingoia, Gianluca; Weyer, David; Domahs, Frank; Willmes, Klaus

2014-01-01

Although numerous studies examined resting-state networks (RSN) in the human brain, so far little is known about how activity within RSN might be modulated by non-invasive brain stimulation applied over parietal cortex. Investigating changes in RSN in response to parietal cortex stimulation might tell us more about how non-invasive techniques such as transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) modulate intrinsic brain activity, and further elaborate our understanding of how the resting brain responds to external stimulation. Here we examined how activity within the canonical RSN changed in response to anodal tDCS applied over the right angular gyrus (AG). We hypothesized that changes in resting-state activity can be induced by a single tDCS session and detected with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Significant differences between two fMRI sessions (pre-tDCS and post-tDCS) were found in several RSN, including the cerebellar, medial visual, sensorimotor, right frontoparietal, and executive control RSN as well as the default mode and the task positive network. The present results revealed decreased and increased RSN activity following tDCS. Decreased RSN activity following tDCS was found in bilateral primary and secondary visual areas, and in the right putamen. Increased RSN activity following tDCS was widely distributed across the brain, covering thalamic, frontal, parietal and occipital regions. From these exploratory results we conclude that a single session of anodal tDCS over the right AG is sufficient to induce large-scale changes in resting-state activity. These changes were localized in sensory and cognitive areas, covering regions close to and distant from the stimulation site.

Research on engineering simulator for function validating of DCS in Nuclear Power Plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu Pengfei; Lin Meng; Hou Dong; Yang Yanhua; Chen Zhi

2009-01-01

An engineering simulator for the function validating of Distributed Control System in Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) was developed in this paper.In the engineering simulator, the thermal-hydraulics was modeled by Relap5, the main control system of the NPP was modeled by Matlab/Simulink, the database was built by MySQL, and the control panel was developed by the Visual Studio. NET.Data acquisition system was used to realize the real-time communication between the simulator and the real Distributed Control System in the NPP. The validating results show that the simulator can meet the requirements of validating the hardware and logic control system of DCS in NPP. (authors)

Two New Chroman Derivations from the Endophytic Penicillium sp. DCS523

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Qi Wang

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Strain DCS523 was isolated from the branch tissue of Daphniphyllum longeracemosum and determined to be a Penicillium sp. according to the ITS sequence analysis. The extracts from the PDA solid fermentation media of Penicillium sp. DCS523 were purified to give two new chroman derivatives as well as six known compounds. Based on their spectral data the new compounds were identified as (Z-6-acetyl- 3-(1,2-dihydroxypropylidene-5-hydroxy-8-methylchroman-2-one (1 and 6-acetyl-2α,5- dihydroxy-2-(2-hydroxypropyl- 3α,8-dimethylchroman (2, respectively.

Neural signature of tDCS, tPCS and their combination: Comparing the effects on neural plasticity

Science.gov (United States)

Thibaut, Aurore; Russo, Cristina; Morales-Quezada, Leon; Hurtado-Puerto, Aura; Deitos, Alícia; Freedman, Steven; Carvalho, Sandra; Fregni, Felipe

2017-01-01

Transcranial pulsed current stimulation (tPCS) and transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) are two noninvasive neuromodulatory brain stimulation techniques whose effects on human brain and behavior have been studied individually. In the present study we aimed to quantify the effects of tDCS and tPCS, individually and in combination, on cortical activity, sensitivity and pain-related assessments in healthy individuals in order to understand their neurophysiological mechanisms and potential applications in clinical populations. A total of 48 healthy individuals participated in this randomized double blind sham controlled study. Participants were randomized to receive a single stimulation session of either: active or sham tPCS and active or sham tDCS. Quantitative electroencephalography (qEEG), sensitivity and pain assessments were used before and after each stimulation session. We observed that tPCS had a higher effect on power, as compared to tDCS, in several bandwidths on various cortical regions: the theta band in the parietal region (p = 0.021), the alpha band in the temporal (p = 0.009), parietal (p = 0.0063), and occipital (p tDCS significantly decreased power in the low beta bandwidth of the frontal (p = 0.0006), central (p = 0.0001), and occipital (p = 0.0003) regions, when compared to sham stimulation. Additionally, tDCS significantly increased power in high beta over the temporal (p = 0.0015) and parietal (p = 0.0007) regions, as compared to sham. We found no effect on sensitivity or pain-related assessments. We concluded that tPCS and tDCS have different neurophysiological mechanisms, elicit distinct signatures, and that the combination of the two leads to no effect or a decrease on qEEG power. Further studies are required to examine the effects of these techniques on clinical populations in which EEG signatures have been found altered. PMID:27765610

Long-Term Effects of Repeated Prefrontal Cortex Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) on Food Craving in Normal and Overweight Young Adults.

Science.gov (United States)

Ljubisavljevic, M; Maxood, K; Bjekic, J; Oommen, J; Nagelkerke, N

The dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) plays an important role in the regulation of food intake. Several previous studies demonstrated that a single session of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) of the DLPFC reduces food craving and caloric intake. We hypothesized that repeated tDCS of the right DLPFC cortex may exert long-term changes in food craving in young, healthy adults and that these changes may differ between normal and overweight subjects. Thirty healthy individuals who reported frequent food cravings without a prior history of eating disorders were initially recruited. Subjects were randomized into an ACTIVE group who received 5 days of real tDCS (20 minutes, anode right-cathode left montage, 2 mA with current density kept at 0.06 mA/cm2, 1 min ramp-up/ramp-down), and a SHAM group, who received one day of real tDCS, on the first day (same parameters), followed by 4 days of sham tDCS. Food craving intensity was examined by Food Craving Questionnaires State and Trait and Food Craving Inventory before, during, (5-days) and one month (30-days) after tDCS. Single session of tDCS significantly reduced the intensity of current food craving (FCQ-S). Five days of active tDCS significantly reduced habitual experiences of food craving (FCQ-T), when compared to baseline pre-stimulation levels. Furthermore, both current (FCQ-S) and habitual craving (FCQ-T) were significantly reduced 30 days after active tDCS, while sham tDCS, i.e. a single tDCS session did not have significant effects. Also, active tDCS significantly decreased craving for fast food and sweets, and to a lesser degree for fat, while it did not have significant effects on craving for carbohydrates (FCI). There were no significant differences between individual FCQ-T subscales (craving dimensions) after 5 or 30 days of either sham or active tDCS. Changes in craving were not significantly associated with the initial weight, or with weight changes 30 days after the stimulation in the

DCS-SVM: a novel semi-automated method for human brain MR image segmentation.

Science.gov (United States)

Ahmadvand, Ali; Daliri, Mohammad Reza; Hajiali, Mohammadtaghi

2017-11-27

In this paper, a novel method is proposed which appropriately segments magnetic resonance (MR) brain images into three main tissues. This paper proposes an extension of our previous work in which we suggested a combination of multiple classifiers (CMC)-based methods named dynamic classifier selection-dynamic local training local Tanimoto index (DCS-DLTLTI) for MR brain image segmentation into three main cerebral tissues. This idea is used here and a novel method is developed that tries to use more complex and accurate classifiers like support vector machine (SVM) in the ensemble. This work is challenging because the CMC-based methods are time consuming, especially on huge datasets like three-dimensional (3D) brain MR images. Moreover, SVM is a powerful method that is used for modeling datasets with complex feature space, but it also has huge computational cost for big datasets, especially those with strong interclass variability problems and with more than two classes such as 3D brain images; therefore, we cannot use SVM in DCS-DLTLTI. Therefore, we propose a novel approach named "DCS-SVM" to use SVM in DCS-DLTLTI to improve the accuracy of segmentation results. The proposed method is applied on well-known datasets of the Internet Brain Segmentation Repository (IBSR) and promising results are obtained.

Electrodes for high-definition transcutaneous DC stimulation for applications in drug-delivery and electrotherapy, including tDCS

OpenAIRE

Minhas, Preet; Bansal, Varun; Patel, Jinal; Ho, Johnson S.; Diaz, Julian; Datta, Abhishek; Bikson, Marom

2010-01-01

Transcutaneous electrical stimulation is applied in a range of biomedical applications including Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS). tDCS is a non-invasive procedure where a weak direct current (

Changes in corticomotor excitability and intracortical inhibition of the primary motor cortex forearm area induced by anodal tDCS.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xue Zhang

Full Text Available OBJECTIVE: Previous studies have investigated how tDCS over the primary motor cortex modulates excitability in the intrinsic hand muscles. Here, we tested if tDCS changes corticomotor excitability and/or cortical inhibition when measured in the extensor carpi radialis (ECR and if these aftereffects can be successfully assessed during controlled muscle contraction. METHODS: We implemented a double blind cross-over design in which participants (n = 16 completed two sessions where the aftereffects of 20 min of 1 mA (0.04 mA/cm2 anodal vs sham tDCS were tested in a resting muscle, and two more sessions where the aftereffects of anodal vs sham tDCS were tested in an active muscle. RESULTS: Anodal tDCS increased corticomotor excitability in ECR when aftereffects were measured with a low-level controlled muscle contraction. Furthermore, anodal tDCS decreased short interval intracortical inhibition but only when measured at rest and after non-responders (n = 2 were removed. We found no changes in the cortical silent period. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that targeting more proximal muscles in the upper limb with anodal tDCS is achievable and corticomotor excitability can be assessed in the presence of a low-level controlled contraction of the target muscle.

Online information system for data collection of cattle quality

Science.gov (United States)

Sugiharti, E.; Arifudin, R.; Putra, A. T.

2018-03-01

Innovation and development of the science and technology which proclaimed by the government through Ristekdikti need to be supported. On the other hand, the Department of Animal Husbandry and Fisheries began introducing the Cattle Card system that contains the identity of each farm animal. Therefore, UNNES especially the Department of Computer Science of FMIPA UNNES, need to give positive contribution in the field of Science and Technology to support the manual system of Cattle Card, through the preparation of prototype of the online information system of data collection of cattle in Semarang regency. The main problem is how to monitor the data of cattle quality through online information system in Semarang regency? The purpose of this research is to produce the prototype of an online information system for data collection of cattle quality in Semarang regency. Main activities: (1) Prepare the flowchart of an online system for data collection of cattle quality. (2) Collecting data to obtain data on identity descriptions of each cattle, owners, mutation records, and health records of livestock cattle. (3) Creation of the prototype of an online information system for data collection of cattle quality in Semarang Regency. The results, (1) had been produced the prototype of an online information system for data collection of cattle in the region of Semarang regency. (2) Socialization of the online information system for cattle quality data collection and exploring input from various related stakeholders. (3) There had been a limited trial of prototypes of the system in Pabelan district in the working area of the Department of Animal Husbandry and Fisheries of Semarang regency and succeeded well.

BES online calibration system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang Bingyun; Li Xiaonan; Zhu Kejun; Zhang Jiawen; Gong Mingyu

2003-01-01

We constructed BES (Beijing Spectrometer) online calibration system to ensure the coherence of readout electronic channels due to huge data volume in high energy physics experiment. This paper describes the structure of hardware and software, and its characteristic and function

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) to improve naming ability in post-stroke aphasia: A critical review.

Science.gov (United States)

ALHarbi, Mohammed F; Armijo-Olivo, Susan; Kim, Esther S

2017-08-14

Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) is a non-invasive neuromodulation tool that can be used to influence cortical brain activity to induce measurable behavioral changes. Although there is growing evidence that tDCS combined with behavioural language therapy could boost language recovery in patients with post-stroke aphasia, there is great variability in patient characteristics, treatment protocols, and outcome measures in these studies that poses challenges for analyzing the evidence. The purpose of this study is to critically analyze the methodological rigor of the evidence regarding the use of tDCS for post-stroke anomia. This critical review was conducted by searching four databases (MEDLINE, EMBase, PsycINFO, and CINAHL). Nineteen studies fully met the inclusion criteria. Three critical appraisal tools and Robey and Schultz's (1998) five- phase model for conducting clinical outcome research were adopted to evaluate and analyze the current level of evidence. Methodological issues of the studies were also identified. The current level of evidence for using tDCS for anomia is at the pre-efficacy level with emerging evidence at the efficacy level. Lack of proper evaluation of carry-over effects in cross-over studies, lack of or unclear randomization, allocation concealment, and incomplete data handling were the main methodological issues that could threaten the validity of the tDCS for anomia studies. Several methodological issues have been identified in pre-efficacy studies that pose challenges in determining whether tDCS is a beneficial adjunct to behavioral aphasia therapy. Future studies need to improve the quality of the methods used to investigate the effect of tDCS for anomia. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Regulatory Considerations for the Clinical and Research Use of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS): review and recommendations from an expert panel

Science.gov (United States)

Fregni, F; Nitsche, MA; Loo, C.K.; Brunoni, AR; Marangolo, P; Leite, J; Carvalho, S; Bolognini, N; Caumo, W; Paik, NJ; Simis, M; Ueda, K; Ekhitari, H; Luu, P; Tucker, DM; Tyler, WJ; Brunelin, J; Datta, A; Juan, CH; Venkatasubramanian, G; Boggio, PS; Bikson, M

2014-01-01

The field of transcranial electrical stimulation (tES) has experienced significant growth in the past 15 years. One of the tES techniques leading this increased interest is transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS). Significant research efforts have been devoted to determining the clinical potential of tDCS in humans. Despite the promising results obtained with tDCS in basic and clinical neuroscience, further progress has been impeded by a lack of clarity on international regulatory pathways. We therefore convened a group of research and clinician experts on tDCS to review the research and clinical use of tDCS. In this report, we review the regulatory status of tDCS, and we summarize the results according to research, off-label and compassionate use of tDCS in the following countries: Australia, Brazil, France, Germany, India, Iran, Italy, Portugal, South Korea, Taiwan and United States. Research use, off label treatment and compassionate use of tDCS are employed in most of the countries reviewed in this study. It is critical that a global or local effort is organized to pursue definite evidence to either approve and regulate or restrict the use of tDCS in clinical practice on the basis of adequate randomized controlled treatment trials. PMID:25983531

Effects of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) on Behaviour and Electrophysiology of Language Production

Science.gov (United States)

Wirth, Miranka; Rahman, Rasha Abdel; Kuenecke, Janina; Koenig, Thomas; Horn, Helge; Sommer, Werner; Dierks, Thomas

2011-01-01

Excitatory anodal transcranial direct current stimulation (A-tDCS) over the left dorsal prefrontal cortex (DPFC) has been shown to improve language production. The present study examined neurophysiological underpinnings of this effect. In a single-blinded within-subject design, we traced effects of A-tDCS compared to sham stimulation over the left…

CORBA Evaluations for the BABAR Online System

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Glanzman, Thomas

1998-01-01

The Common Object Request Broker Architecture (CORBA) is a software system to deal with distributed object computing. The release of CORBA version 2, and real implementations from numerous vendors (both freeware and payware) have made its use very attractive for interprocess and interprocessor communication within an object-oriented software system. A number of object request brokers (ORBs) were evaluated for possible use within the BABAR Online system. Given an expectation for a reasonable level of performance within the Online system, it was essential to characterize the behavior and test the response of these products prior to their adoption. This paper summarizes the results of a systematic performance study of six ORB products. The products tested include: Visibroker, Orbix, DAIS, Omnibroker, OmniORB2, and TAO. Performance results of ORB products, including a test of TCP/IP sockets, are compared. These tests resulted in the adoption of the TAO ORB for use within the BABAR Online system

Design of online shopping system

OpenAIRE

Li, Yueyuan

2011-01-01

E-commerce is a kind of comprehensive activity of management automation, business information network and financial electronic technology. It is a kind of commercial activity accomplished through the information network in all kinds of business activities in the world. As a new marketing model, the emergence of online stores is an epoch-making revolution in the field of product circulation. The thesis focuses on a study of how to design a small online shopping system which is simple and f...

Media Systems Online and Off

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ørsten, Mark; Willig, Ida; Benson, Rodney

2012-01-01

This study examines how media system differences in the form of news change or stay the same as newspapers in the United States (liberal), Denmark (democratic corporatist), and France (polarized pluralist) move from print to online. Internet technological affordances are posited to move online news...... voices increase slightly. A lesser degree of change in France may be due to greater state insulation from market pressures; some contradictory tendencies in Denmark indicate that technological influences are shaped by contextual national factors....

No Effects of Bilateral tDCS over Inferior Frontal Gyrus on Response Inhibition and Aggression.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Franziska Dambacher

Full Text Available Response inhibition is defined as the capacity to adequately withdraw pre-planned responses. It has been shown that individuals with deficits in inhibiting pre-planned responses tend to display more aggressive behaviour. The prefrontal cortex is involved in both, response inhibition and aggression. While response inhibition is mostly associated with predominantly right prefrontal activity, the neural components underlying aggression seem to be left-lateralized. These differences in hemispheric dominance are conceptualized in cortical asymmetry theories on motivational direction, which assign avoidance motivation (relevant to inhibit responses to the right and approach motivation (relevant for aggressive actions to the left prefrontal cortex. The current study aimed to directly address the inverse relationship between response inhibition and aggression by assessing them within one experiment. Sixty-nine healthy participants underwent bilateral transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS to the inferior frontal cortex. In one group we induced right-hemispheric fronto-cortical dominance by means of a combined right prefrontal anodal and left prefrontal cathodal tDCS montage. In a second group we induced left-hemispheric fronto-cortical dominance by means of a combined left prefrontal anodal and right prefrontal cathodal tDCS montage. A control group received sham stimulation. Response inhibition was assessed with a go/no-go task (GNGT and aggression with the Taylor Aggression Paradigm (TAP. We revealed that participants with poorer performance in the GNGT displayed more aggression during the TAP. No effects of bilateral prefrontal tDCS on either response inhibition or aggression were observed. This is at odds with previous brain stimulation studies applying unilateral protocols. Our results failed to provide evidence in support of the prefrontal cortical asymmetry model in the domain of response inhibition and aggression. The absence of tDCS

Design and Implementation of Online Booking System of University Sports Venues

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Li Can

2017-01-01

Full Text Available To solve the imbalanced use of university sports venues, the online booking system of university sports venues based on the table tennis hall of Zhengzhou University is designed, combining the experience of the existing online booking systems, the main methods and the major ideal of building these systems both at home and aboard. The basic functions of the system are designed according to the general requirement analysis, including user’s registration and login, online venue booking, online payment, personal center, message board and database construction. The development of the system used Java programming language, JSP (a Web platform development technology, MySQL database processing technology, JDBC data access model, MyEclipse development platform and Tomcat server. The system has accomplished such functions as online booking, online payment and online message. The tests of the system are run in good conditions. The use of the system has made up for the current luck of sports venues management, solved the problems of the online booking function of university sports venues, improved the efficiency of the venues and meet the needs of efficient use of the venues. The system can be an experience of the management of the other college sports venues.

Failure of the straight-line DCS boundary when extrapolated to the hypobaric realm.

Science.gov (United States)

Conkin, J; Van Liew, H D

1992-11-01

The lowest pressure (P2) to which a diver can ascend without developing decompression sickness (DCS) after becoming equilibrated at some higher pressure (P1) is described by a straight line with a negative y-intercept. We tested whether extrapolation of such a line also predicts safe decompression to altitude. We substituted tissue nitrogen pressure (P1N2) calculated for a compartment with a 360-min half-time for P1 values; this allows data from hypobaric exposures to be plotted on a P2 vs. P1N2 graph, even if the subject breathes oxygen before ascent. In literature sources, we found 40 reports of human exposures in hypobaric chambers that fell in the region of a P2 vs. P1N2 plot where the extrapolation from hyperbaric data predicted that the decompression should be free of DCS. Of 4,576 exposures, 785 persons suffered decompression sickness (17%), indicating that extrapolation of the diver line to altitude is not valid. Over the pressure range spanned by human hypobaric exposures and hyperbaric air exposures, the best separation between no DCS and DCS on a P2 vs. P1N2 plot seems to be a curve which approximates a straight line in the hyperbaric region but bends toward the origin in the hypobaric region.

The effectiveness of ground level post-flight 100 percent oxygen breathing as therapy for pain-only altitude Decompression Sickness (DCS)

Science.gov (United States)

Demboski, John T.; Pilmanis, Andrew A.

1994-01-01

In both the aviation and space environments, decompression sickness (DCS) is an operational limitation. Hyperbaric recompression is the most efficacious treatment for altitude DCS. However, the inherent recompression of descent to ground level while breathing oxygen is in itself therapy for altitude DCS. If pain-only DCS occurs during a hypobaric exposure, and the symptoms resolver during descent, ground level post-flight breathing of 100% O2 for 2 hours (GLO2) is considered sufficient treatment by USAF Regulation 161-21. The effectiveness of the GLO2 treatment protocol is defined.

On-line Monitoring System for Power Transformers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alexandru HOTEA

2016-12-01

Full Text Available Power transformers are the most important and expensive equipment from the electricity transmission system, so it is very important to know the real state of health of such equipment in every moment. De-energizing the power transformer accidentally due to internal defects can generate high costs. Annual maintenance proved to be ineffective in many cases to determine the internal condition of the equipment degradation due to faults rapidly evolving. An On-line Monitoring System for Power Transformers help real-time condition assessment and to detect errors early enough to take action to eliminate or minimize them. After abnormality detected, it is still important to perform full diagnostic tests to determine the exact condition of the equipment. On-line monitoring systems can help increase the level of availability and reliability of power transformers and lower costs of accidental interruption. This paper presents cases studies on several power transformers equipped with on-line monitoring systems from Transelectrica substation.

Use of Computational Modeling to Inform tDCS Electrode Montages for the Promotion of Language Recovery in Post-stroke Aphasia.

Science.gov (United States)

Galletta, Elizabeth E; Cancelli, Andrea; Cottone, Carlo; Simonelli, Ilaria; Tecchio, Franca; Bikson, Marom; Marangolo, Paola

2015-01-01

Although pilot trials of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) in aphasia are encouraging, protocol optimization is needed. Notably, it has not yet been clarified which of the varied electrode montages investigated is the most effective in enhancing language recovery. To consider and contrast the predicted brain current flow patterns (electric field distribution) produced by varied 1×1 tDCS (1 anode, 1 cathode, 5 × 7 cm pad electrodes) montages used in aphasia clinical trials. A finite element model of the head of a single left frontal stroke patient was developed in order to study the pattern of the cortical EF magnitude and inward/outward radial EF under five different electrode montages: Anodal-tDCS (A-tDCS) over the left Wernicke's area (Montage A) and over the left Broca's area (Montage B); Cathodal tDCS (C-tDCS) over the right homologue of Wernicke's area (Montage C), and of Broca's area (Montage D), where for all montages A-D the "return" electrode was placed over the supraorbital contralateral forehead; bilateral stimulation with A-tDCS over the left Broca's and CtDCS over the right Broca's homologue (Montage E). In all cases, the "return" electrode over the contralesional supraorbital forehead was not inert and influenced the current path through the entire brain. Montage B, although similar to montage D in focusing the current in the perilesional area, exerted the greatest effect over the left perilesional cortex, which was even stronger in montage E. The position and influence of both electrodes must be considered in the design and interpretation of tDCS clinical trials for aphasia. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) Targeting Left Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex Modulates Task-Induced Acute Pain in Healthy Volunteers.

Science.gov (United States)

Mariano, Timothy Y; Van't Wout, Mascha; Garnaat, Sarah L; Rasmussen, Steven A; Greenberg, Benjamin D

2016-04-01

Current chronic pain treatments target nociception rather than affective "suffering" and its associated functional and psychiatric comorbidities. The left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) has been implicated in affective, cognitive, and attentional aspects of pain and is a primary target of neuromodulation for affective disorders. Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) can non-invasively modulate cortical activity. The present study tests whether anodal tDCS targeting the left DLPFC will increase tolerability of acute painful stimuli vs cathodal tDCS. Forty tDCS-naive healthy volunteers received anodal and cathodal stimulation targeting the left DLPFC in two randomized and counterbalanced sessions. During stimulation, each participant performed cold pressor (CP) and breath holding (BH) tasks. We measured pain intensity with the Defense and Veterans Pain Rating Scale (DVPRS) before and after each task. Mixed ANOVA revealed no main effect of stimulation polarity for mean CP threshold, tolerance, or endurance, or mean BH time (allP > 0.27). However, DVPRS rise associated with CP was significantly smaller with anodal vs cathodal tDCS (P = 0.024). We further observed a significant tDCS polarity × stimulation order interaction (P = 0.042) on CP threshold, suggesting task sensitization. Although our results do not suggest that polarity of tDCS targeting the left DLPFC differentially modulates the tolerability of CP- and BH-related pain distress in healthy volunteers, there was a significant effect on DVPRS pain ratings. This contrasts with our previous findings that tDCS targeting the left dorsal anterior cingulate cortex showed a trend toward higher mean CP tolerance with cathodal vs anodal stimulation. The present results may suggest tDCS-related effects on nociception or DLPFC-mediated attention, or preferential modulation of the affective valence of pain as captured by the DVPRS. Sham-controlled clinical studies are needed. © 2015

Keep calm and carry on: improved frustration tolerance and processing speed by transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Christian Plewnia

Full Text Available Cognitive control (CC of attention is a major prerequisite for effective information processing. Emotional distractors can bias and impair goal-directed deployment of attentional resources. Frustration-induced negative affect and cognition can act as internal distractors with negative impact on task performance. Consolidation of CC may thus support task-oriented behavior under challenging conditions. Recently, transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS has been put forward as an effective tool to modulate CC. Particularly, anodal, activity enhancing tDCS to the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC can increase insufficient CC in depression as indicated by a reduction of attentional biases induced by emotionally salient stimuli. With this study, we provide first evidence that, compared to sham stimulation, tDCS to the left dlPFC enhances processing speed measured by an adaptive version of the Paced Auditory Serial Addition Task (PASAT that is typically thwarted by frustration. Notably, despite an even larger amount of error-related negative feedback, the task-induced upset was suppressed in the group receiving anodal tDCS. Moreover, inhibition of task-related negative affect was correlated with performance gains, suggesting a close link between enhanced processing speed and consolidation of CC by tDCS. Together, these data provide first evidence that activity enhancing anodal tDCS to the left dlPFC can support focused cognitive processing particularly when challenged by frustration-induced negative affect.

Keep calm and carry on: improved frustration tolerance and processing speed by transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS).

Science.gov (United States)

Plewnia, Christian; Schroeder, Philipp A; Kunze, Roland; Faehling, Florian; Wolkenstein, Larissa

2015-01-01

Cognitive control (CC) of attention is a major prerequisite for effective information processing. Emotional distractors can bias and impair goal-directed deployment of attentional resources. Frustration-induced negative affect and cognition can act as internal distractors with negative impact on task performance. Consolidation of CC may thus support task-oriented behavior under challenging conditions. Recently, transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) has been put forward as an effective tool to modulate CC. Particularly, anodal, activity enhancing tDCS to the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC) can increase insufficient CC in depression as indicated by a reduction of attentional biases induced by emotionally salient stimuli. With this study, we provide first evidence that, compared to sham stimulation, tDCS to the left dlPFC enhances processing speed measured by an adaptive version of the Paced Auditory Serial Addition Task (PASAT) that is typically thwarted by frustration. Notably, despite an even larger amount of error-related negative feedback, the task-induced upset was suppressed in the group receiving anodal tDCS. Moreover, inhibition of task-related negative affect was correlated with performance gains, suggesting a close link between enhanced processing speed and consolidation of CC by tDCS. Together, these data provide first evidence that activity enhancing anodal tDCS to the left dlPFC can support focused cognitive processing particularly when challenged by frustration-induced negative affect.

High Definition Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation Induces Both Acute and Persistent Changes in Broadband Cortical Synchronization: a Simultaneous tDCS-EEG Study

Science.gov (United States)

Roy, Abhrajeet; Baxter, Bryan

2014-01-01

The goal of this study was to develop methods for simultaneously acquiring electrophysiological data during high definition transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) using high resolution electroencephalography (EEG). Previous studies have pointed to the after effects of tDCS on both motor and cognitive performance, and there appears to be potential for using tDCS in a variety of clinical applications. However, little is known about the real-time effects of tDCS on rhythmic cortical activity in humans due to the technical challenges of simultaneously obtaining electrophysiological data during ongoing stimulation. Furthermore, the mechanisms of action of tDCS in humans are not well understood. We have conducted a simultaneous tDCS-EEG study in a group of healthy human subjects. Significant acute and persistent changes in spontaneous neural activity and event related synchronization (ERS) were observed during and after the application of high definition tDCS over the left sensorimotor cortex. Both anodal and cathodal stimulation resulted in acute global changes in broadband cortical activity which were significantly different than the changes observed in response to sham stimulation. For the group of 8 subjects studied, broadband individual changes in spontaneous activity during stimulation were apparent both locally and globally. In addition, we found that high definition tDCS of the left sensorimotor cortex can induce significant ipsilateral and contralateral changes in event related desynchronization (ERD) and ERS during motor imagination following the end of the stimulation period. Overall, our results demonstrate the feasibility of acquiring high resolution EEG during high definition tDCS and provide evidence that tDCS in humans directly modulates rhythmic cortical synchronization during and after its administration. PMID:24956615

Development of digital I&C system in HTR-PM

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shi Guilian

2014-01-01

Conclusions: HTR-PM DCS has been under execution for 5 years( 2009-2014) . It has taken CTEC 150 man/year so far. With close cooperation with INET, Chinergyand Shanghai Electric, CTEC overcame difficulties, like iterative design, voluminous customization work, new technology, and lacking of drawings. However, the accomplishment of the planned milestones prepared CTEC for the following work in HTR-PM DCS. 1. The 1ST integrated DCS, including safety DCS, non-safety DCS, DEH supplied by Chinese supplier. Rod control system and DEH are integrated in non-safety DCS. Simplified interface, integrated platform, and easy to use and maintenance. 2. CTEC obtained knowledge of 4th generation HTR-PM digital I&C, key design technology, and riched its DCS products by participation in HTRPM. HTR-PM Safety DCS project provided valuable experience for CTEC’s development and application of FIRMSYS, a safety protection control system platform. 3. The qualification solution by customized HTR-PM safety DCS prototype helps simply safety DCS design, V&V, qualification and safety review of the actual system, but results in some problems in system upgrade and maintenance. With the satisfactory application of FIRMSYS in 1000mw PWR and platform qualification , the future HTR-PM safety DCS could be provided based on a qualified safety DCS platform.

Users` demands narrow PLC-DCS gap

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

La Fauci, J.

1997-02-01

Supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) operator interface (OI) software has propelled programmable logic controllers (PLCs) into areas where they can successfully compete with distributed control systems (DCSs) for many control applications. As a result, automation engineers are struggling to develop guidelines to help determine which is best for batch operations and other applications. There is no clear answer to this issue. There are, however, decision tools such as Kepner-Tregoe (K-T) that can be applied by engineers as a structured approach to decision analysis and system selection. Other factors such as business environment, pressure to reduce project cost, validation, and predicting new technology direction all play a critical role for engineers in choosing between a PLC- or DCS-based control system. Higher-level business issues, however, are seldom considered by engineers during control system selection. Engineers should try to better understand their company`s business objectives and mission statement and how company business direction may affect control system selection. For instance, the pharmaceutical industry can be broken up into the following five basic application groups: bulk chemicals, finishing, biotech, pilot plant, and utilities. Each has a unique set of functional and process-control requirements. Understanding needs and differences of these five basic application groups and applying the optimum control system solution will place the company in a more competitive position. A financial analysis should be one of the first steps in the control system evaluation process. This may include early agreement of contractual terms and conditions as well as a nondisclosure agreement. Other financial considerations may include requesting a financial report on the control system manufacturer or systems integrator that will be performing the work to determine its financial stability. 3 figs.

Modelling the effect of electrode displacement on transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS)

Science.gov (United States)

Ramaraju, Sriharsha; Roula, Mohammed A.; McCarthy, Peter W.

2018-02-01

Objective. Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a neuromodulatory technique that delivers a low-intensity, direct current to cortical areas with the purpose of modulating underlying brain activity. Recent studies have reported inconsistencies in tDCS outcomes. The underlying assumption of many tDCS studies has been that replication of electrode montage equates to replicating stimulation conditions. It is possible however that anatomical difference between subjects, as well as inherent inaccuracies in montage placement, could affect current flow to targeted areas. The hypothesis that stimulation of a defined brain region will be stable under small displacements was tested. Approach. Initially, we compared the total simulated current flowing through ten specific brain areas for four commonly used tDCS montages: F3-Fp2, C3-Fp2, Fp1-F4, and P3-P4 using the software tool COMETS. The effect of a slight (~1 cm in each of four directions) anode displacement on the simulated regional current density for each of the four tDCS montages was then determined. Current flow was calculated and compared through ten segmented brain areas to determine the effect of montage type and displacement. The regional currents, as well as the localised current densities, were compared with the original electrode location, for each of these new positions. Main results. Recommendations for montages that maximise stimulation current for the ten brain regions are considered. We noted that the extent to which stimulation is affected by electrode displacement varies depending on both area and montage type. The F3-Fp2 montage was found to be the least stable with up to 38% change in average current density in the left frontal lobe while the Fp1-F4 montage was found to the most stable exhibiting only 1% change when electrodes were displaced. Significance. These results indicate that even relatively small changes in stimulation electrode placement appear to result in surprisingly large

Combined motor point associative stimulation (MPAS) and transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) improves plateaued manual dexterity performance.

Science.gov (United States)

Hoseini, Najmeh; Munoz-Rubke, Felipe; Wan, Hsuan-Yu; Block, Hannah J

2016-10-28

Motor point associative stimulation (MPAS) in hand muscles is known to modify motor cortex excitability and improve learning rate, but not plateau of performance, in manual dexterity tasks. Central stimulation of motor cortex, such as transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), can have similar effects if accompanied by motor practice, which can be difficult and tiring for patients. Here we asked whether adding tDCS to MPAS could improve manual dexterity in healthy individuals who are already performing at their plateau, with no motor practice during stimulation. We hypothesized that MPAS could provide enough coordinated muscle activity to make motor practice unnecessary, and that this combination of stimulation techniques could yield improvements even in subjects at or near their peak. If so, this approach could have a substantial effect on patients with impaired dexterity, who are far from their peak. MPAS was applied for 30min to two right hand muscles important for manual dexterity. tDCS was simultaneously applied over left sensorimotor cortex. The motor cortex input/output (I/O) curve was assessed with transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), and manual dexterity was assessed with the Purdue Pegboard Test. Compared to sham or cathodal tDCS combined with MPAS, anodal tDCS combined with MPAS significantly increased the plateau of manual dexterity. This result suggests that MPAS has the potential to substitute for motor practice in mediating a beneficial effect of tDCS on manual dexterity. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

OLDASS: On-line data acquisition system at SF cyclotron

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Omata, Kazuo; Yasue, Masaharu; Hamagaki, Hideki

1982-01-01

The on-line data acquisition system in the Institute for Nuclear Study, the University of Tokyo, is composed of 2 systems of Fujitsu mini-computer PFU-400 for data processing at the high energy synchrotron and one system of that computer for low energy cyclotron as terminals, the host computer being M 180 II AD of the same company. This system has been developed to have the features of being the on-line system capable of following the improvement of host computer performance, being capable of developing the on-line programmes of other experimenting groups in parallel with batch jobs or the operation of the on-line system, and capable of developing programmes using FORTRAN. The result of about 220 KB/s was obtained for the data transfer rate between the programmes of the host computer and terminals, and this fulfilled the aimed performance. The terminal system on the low energy side is provided with an ADC interface and a display interface specified particularly in addition to the miniature computer PFU400 and standard I/O devices of the manufacture. The accumulating type graphic display of the I/O devices can be switched to be connected to the host computer, and immediately displays the results transferred to the host computer and analyzed. Hard copy is also available. The above hardware and software are explained. The on-line system insures 80 K bytes of the total memory of 224 K bytes for data area. (Wakatsuki, Y.)

High Performance Work Systems for Online Education

Science.gov (United States)

Contacos-Sawyer, Jonna; Revels, Mark; Ciampa, Mark

2010-01-01

The purpose of this paper is to identify the key elements of a High Performance Work System (HPWS) and explore the possibility of implementation in an online institution of higher learning. With the projected rapid growth of the demand for online education and its importance in post-secondary education, providing high quality curriculum, excellent…

A systematic review of the clinical efficacy of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) in psychiatric disorders.

Science.gov (United States)

Kekic, Maria; Boysen, Elena; Campbell, Iain C; Schmidt, Ulrike

2016-03-01

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a non-invasive neuromodulation technique, which can be used to selectively disrupt patterns of neural activity that are associated with symptoms of mental illness. tDCS has been implemented in numerous therapeutic trials across a range of patient populations, with a rapidly increasing number of studies being published each year. This systematic review aimed to evaluate the efficacy of tDCS in the treatment of psychiatric disorders. Four electronic databases were searched from inception until December 2015 by two independent reviewers, and 66 eligible studies were identified. Depression was the most extensively researched condition, followed by schizophrenia and substance use disorders. Data on obsessive compulsive disorder, generalised anxiety disorder, and anorexia nervosa were also obtained. The quality of included studies was appraised using a standardised assessment framework, which yielded a median score corresponding to "weak" on the three-point scale. This improved to "moderate" when case reports/series were excluded from the analysis. Overall, data suggested that tDCS interventions comprising multiple sessions can ameliorate symptoms of several major psychiatric disorders, both acutely and in the long-term. Nevertheless, the tDCS field is still in its infancy, and several methodological and ethical issues must be addressed before clinical efficacy can truly be determined. Studies probing the mechanisms of action of tDCS and those facilitating the definition of optimised stimulation protocols are warranted. Furthermore, evidence from large-scale, multi-centre randomised controlled trials is required if the transition of this therapy from the laboratory to the clinic is to be considered. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Evaluation of DCS III Transmission Alternatives. Phase 1A report. Appendix B. Regulatory Barriers.

Science.gov (United States)

1980-05-26

Resolution DK). B.1.1.5 Importance of the RR in the DCS III Study. The ITU Radio Regulation offers a means to appraise viability of the alternatives to be...interference 466-1 483 Measurement of performance by means of signal 482 Measurement of noise in actual traffic 481 Table B.l-6. Communication Satellite...Economic and technical aspects of the choice of transmission systems GAS 5 Economic conditions and tel ecommunication development GAS 6 Economic and

Testing the involvement of the prefrontal cortex in lucid dreaming: a tDCS study.

Science.gov (United States)

Stumbrys, Tadas; Erlacher, Daniel; Schredl, Michael

2013-12-01

Recent studies suggest that lucid dreaming (awareness of dreaming while dreaming) might be associated with increased brain activity over frontal regions during rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. By applying transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), we aimed to manipulate the activation of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) during REM sleep to increase dream lucidity. Nineteen participants spent three consecutive nights in a sleep laboratory. On the second and third nights they randomly received either 1 mA tDCS for 10 min or sham stimulation during each REM period starting with the second one. According to the participants' self-ratings, tDCS over the DLPFC during REM sleep increased lucidity in dreams. The effects, however, were not strong and found only in frequent lucid dreamers. While this indicates some preliminary support for the involvement of the DLPFC in lucid dreaming, further research, controlling for indirect effects of stimulation and including other brain regions, is needed. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) for improving capacity in activities and arm function after stroke: a network meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials.

Science.gov (United States)

Elsner, Bernhard; Kwakkel, Gert; Kugler, Joachim; Mehrholz, Jan

2017-09-13

Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) is an emerging approach for improving capacity in activities of daily living (ADL) and upper limb function after stroke. However, it remains unclear what type of tDCS stimulation is most effective. Our aim was to give an overview of the evidence network regarding the efficacy and safety of tDCS and to estimate the effectiveness of the different stimulation types. We performed a systematic review of randomised trials using network meta-analysis (NMA), searching the following databases until 5 July 2016: Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, AMED, Web of Science, and four other databases. We included studies with adult people with stroke. We compared any kind of active tDCS (anodal, cathodal, or dual, that is applying anodal and cathodal tDCS concurrently) regarding improvement of our primary outcome of ADL capacity, versus control, after stroke. CRD42016042055. We included 26 studies with 754 participants. Our NMA showed evidence of an effect of cathodal tDCS in improving our primary outcome, that of ADL capacity (standardized mean difference, SMD = 0.42; 95% CI 0.14 to 0.70). tDCS did not improve our secondary outcome, that of arm function, measured by the Fugl-Meyer upper extremity assessment (FM-UE). There was no difference in safety between tDCS and its control interventions, measured by the number of dropouts and adverse events. Comparing different forms of tDCS shows that cathodal tDCS is the most promising treatment option to improve ADL capacity in people with stroke.

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS in behavioral and food addiction: A systematic review of efficacy, technical and methodological issues

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anne eSauvaget

2015-10-01

Full Text Available Objectives.Behavioral addictions (BA are complex disorders for which pharmacological and psychotherapeutic treatments have shown their limits. Non-invasive brain stimulation, among which transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS, has opened up new perspectives in addiction treatment. The purpose of this work is to conduct a critical and systematic review of tDCS efficacy, and of technical and methodological considerations in the field of BA.Methods.A bibliographic search has been conducted on the Medline and ScienceDirect databases until December 2014, based on the following selection criteria: clinical studies on tDCS and BA (namely eating disorders, compulsive buying, Internet addiction, pathological gambling, sexual addiction, sports addiction, video games addiction. Study selection, data analysis and reporting were conducted according to the PRISMA guidelines.Results.Out of 402 potential articles, seven studies were selected. So far focusing essentially on abnormal eating, these studies suggest that tDCS (right prefrontal anode / left prefrontal cathode reduces food craving induced by visual stimuli.ConclusionsDespite methodological and technical differences between studies, the results are promising. So far, only few studies of tDCS in BA have been conducted. New research is recommended on the use of tDCS in BA, other than eating disorders.

The Impacts of System and Human Factors on Online Learning Systems Use and Learner Satisfaction

Science.gov (United States)

Alshare, Khaled A.; Freeze, Ronald D.; Lane, Peggy L.; Wen, H. Joseph

2011-01-01

Success in an online learning environment is tied to both human and system factors. This study illuminates the unique contributions of human factors (comfort with online learning, self-management of learning, and perceived Web self-efficacy) to online learning system success, which is measured in terms of usage and satisfaction. The research model…

Teaching Dance with Online Course Management Systems

Science.gov (United States)

Colombi, Erika; Knosp, Suzanne

2017-01-01

As a result of easier access to and functionality of the Internet, online course management systems (CMSs) began to be developed in the mid-1990s. These technological tools were created to fill a need in the growing field of teaching through online courses.Most notable of these course tools are Blackboard (2015) and Desire2Learn (1999). Both of…

No evidential value in samples of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) studies of cognition and working memory in healthy populations.

Science.gov (United States)

Medina, Jared; Cason, Samuel

2017-09-01

A substantial number of studies have been published over the last decade, claiming that transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) can influence performance on cognitive tasks. However, there is some skepticism regarding the efficacy of tDCS, and evidence from meta-analyses are mixed. One major weakness of these meta-analyses is that they only examine outcomes in published studies. Given biases towards publishing positive results in the scientific literature, there may be a substantial "file-drawer" of unpublished negative results in the tDCS literature. Furthermore, multiple researcher degrees of freedom can also inflate published p-values. Recently, Simonsohn, Nelson and Simmons (2014) created a novel meta-analytic tool that examines the distribution of significant p-values in a literature, and compares it to expected distributions with different effect sizes. Using this tool, one can assess whether the selected studies have evidential value. Therefore, we examined a random selection of studies that used tDCS to alter performance on cognitive tasks, and tDCS studies on working memory in a recently published meta-analysis (Mancuso et al., 2016). Using a p-curve analysis, we found no evidence that the tDCS studies had evidential value (33% power or greater), with the estimate of statistical power of these studies being approximately 14% for the cognitive studies, and 5% (what would be expected from randomly generated data) for the working memory studies. It is likely that previous tDCS studies are substantially underpowered, and we provide suggestions for future research to increase the evidential value of future tDCS studies. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Development and application of online Stelmor Controlled Cooling System

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yu Wanhua; Chen Shaohui; Kuang Yonghai; Cao Kaichao

2009-01-01

An online Stelmor Controlled Cooling System (SCCS) has been developed successfully for the Stelmor production line, which can communicate with the material flow management system and Program Logic Control System (PLCs) automatically through local network. This online model adopts Implicit Finite Difference Time Domain (FDTD) method to calculate temperature evolution and phase transformation during the production process and predicts final properties. As Continuous Cooling Temperature (CCT) curves of various steels can be coupled in the model, it can predict the latent heat rise and range of phase transformation for various steels, which can provide direct guidance for new steel development and optimization of present Stelmor cooling process. This unique online system has been installed in three Stelmor production lines at present with good results.

IFNγ signaling endows DCs with the capacity to control type I inflammation during parasitic infection through promoting T-bet+ regulatory T cells.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hyang-Mi Lee

2015-02-01

Full Text Available IFNγ signaling drives dendritic cells (DCs to promote type I T cell (Th1 immunity. Here, we show that activation of DCs by IFNγ is equally crucial for the differentiation of a population of T-bet+ regulatory T (Treg cells specialized to inhibit Th1 immune responses. Conditional deletion of IFNγ receptor in DCs but not in Treg cells resulted in a severe defect in this specific Treg cell subset, leading to exacerbated immune pathology during parasitic infections. Mechanistically, IFNγ-unresponsive DCs failed to produce sufficient amount of IL-27, a cytokine required for optimal T-bet induction in Treg cells. Thus, IFNγ signalling endows DCs with the ability to efficiently control a specific type of T cell immunity through promoting a corresponding Treg cell population.

The design and implementation of online medical record system ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The design and implementation of online medical record system (OMRS) ... PROMOTING ACCESS TO AFRICAN RESEARCH. AFRICAN JOURNALS ONLINE (AJOL) ... International Journal of Natural and Applied Sciences. Journal Home ...

Online Testing of Real-time Systems Using Uppaal

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Larsen, Kim Guldstrand; Mikucionis, Marius; Nielsen, Brian

2005-01-01

We present T-Uppaal{} -- a new tool for online black-box testing of real-time embedded systems from non-deterministic timed automata specifications. We describe a sound and complete randomized online testing algorithm and how to implement it using symbolic state representation and manipulation te...

An Expert System Approach to Online Catalog Subject Searching.

Science.gov (United States)

Khoo, Christopher S. G.; Poo, Danny C. C.

1994-01-01

Reviews methods to improve online catalogs for subject searching and describes the design of an expert system front-end to improve subject access in online public access catalogs that focuses on search strategies. Implementation of a prototype system at the National University of Singapore is described, and reformulation strategies are discussed.…

On-line control systems in power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Freymeyer, P.

1981-01-01

This report is a review of on-line control systems as a complex system connected with all problems like, development, planning, degree of automation, economics, service, quality and documentation. (orig.) [de

LHCb Online Log Analysis and Maintenance System

CERN Document Server

Garnier, J-C

2011-01-01

History has shown, many times computer logs are the only information an administrator may have for an incident, which could be caused either by a malfunction or an attack. Due to the huge amount of logs that are produced from large-scale IT infrastructures, such as LHCb Online, critical information may be overlooked or simply be drowned in a sea of other messages. This clearly demonstrates the need for an automatic system for long-term maintenance and real time analysis of the logs. We have constructed a low cost, fault tolerant centralized logging system which is able to do in-depth analysis and cross-correlation of every log. This system is capable of handling O(10000) different log sources and numerous formats, while trying to keep the overhead as low as possible. It provides log gathering and management, Offline analysis and online analysis. We call Offline analysis the procedure of analyzing old logs for critical information, while Online analysis refer to the procedure of early alerting and reacting. ...

tDCS and Robotics on Upper Limb Stroke Rehabilitation: Effect Modification by Stroke Duration and Type of Stroke.

Science.gov (United States)

Straudi, Sofia; Fregni, Felipe; Martinuzzi, Carlotta; Pavarelli, Claudia; Salvioli, Stefano; Basaglia, Nino

2016-01-01

Objective. The aim of this exploratory pilot study is to test the effects of bilateral tDCS combined with upper extremity robot-assisted therapy (RAT) on stroke survivors. Methods. We enrolled 23 subjects who were allocated to 2 groups: RAT + real tDCS and RAT + sham-tDCS. Each patient underwent 10 sessions (5 sessions/week) over two weeks. Outcome measures were collected before and after treatment: (i) Fugl-Meyer Assessment-Upper Extremity (FMA-UE), (ii) Box and Block Test (BBT), and (iii) Motor Activity Log (MAL). Results. Both groups reported a significant improvement in FMA-UE score after treatment (p robotics on motor function. Patients with chronic and subcortical stroke benefited more from the treatments than patients with acute and cortical stroke, who presented very small changes. Conclusion. The additional use of bilateral tDCS to RAT seems to have a significant beneficial effect depending on the duration and type of stroke. These results should be verified by additional confirmatory studies.

MODEL DRIVEN DEVELOPMENT OF ONLINE BANKING SYSTEMS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bresfelean Vasile Paul

2011-07-01

Full Text Available In case of online applications the cycle of software development varies from the routine. The online environment, the variety of users, the treatability of the mass of information created by them, the reusability and the accessibility from different devices are all factors of these systems complexity. The use of model drive approach brings several advantages that ease up the development process. Working prototypes that simplify client relationship and serve as the base of model tests can be easily made from models describing the system. These systems make possible for the banks clients to make their desired actions from anywhere. The user has the possibility of accessing information or making transactions.

Toward unraveling reading-related modulations of tDCS-induced neuroplasticity in the human visual cortex.

OpenAIRE

Antal, Andrea; Ambrus, Géza Gergely; Chaieb, Leila

2014-01-01

Stimulation using weak electrical direct currents has shown to be capable of inducing polarity-dependent diminutions or elevations in motor and visual cortical excitability. The aim of the present study was to test if reading during transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is able to modify stimulation-induced plasticity in the visual cortex. Phosphene thresholds (PTs) in 12 healthy subjects were recorded before and after 10 min of anodal, cathodal, and sham tDCS in combination with rea...

Treatment of visuospatial neglect with biparietal tDCS and cognitive training: a single-case study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anna-Katharine eBrem

2014-09-01

Full Text Available Symptoms of visuospatial neglect occur frequently after unilateral brain damage. Neglect hampers rehabilitation progress and is associated with reduced quality of life. However, existing treatment methods show limited efficacy. Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS is a neuromodulatory technique, which can be used to increase or decrease brain excitability. Its combination with conventional neglect therapy may enhance treatment efficacy.A 72-year-old male with a subacute ischaemic stroke of the right posterior cerebral artery suffering from visuospatial neglect, hemianopia, and hemiparesis was treated with biparietal tDCS and cognitive neglect therapy in a double-blind, sham-controlled single-case study. Four weeks of daily treatment sessions (5 days per week, 30 min were started 26 days post-stroke. During week 1 and 4 the patient received conventional neglect therapy, during week 2, conventional neglect therapy was combined once with sham and once with real biparietal tDCS. Week 3 consisted of daily sessions of real biparietal tDCS (1 mA, 20 min combined with neglect therapy. Outcome measures were assessed before, immediately after, as well as 1 week and 3 months after the end of treatment. They included subtests of the Test for Attentional Performance (TAP: covert attention (main outcome, alertness, visual field; the Neglect-Test (NET: line bisection, cancellation, copying; and activities of daily living (ADL. After real stimulation, covert attention allocation towards left-sided invalid stimuli was significantly improved, and line bisection and copying improved qualitatively as compared to sham stimulation. ADL were only improved at the 3-month follow-up. This single-case study demonstrates for the first time that combined application of tDCS and cognitive training may enhance training-induced improvements in measures of visuospatial neglect and is applicable in a clinical context.

Predicting tDCS treatment outcomes of patients with major depressive disorder using automated EEG classification.

Science.gov (United States)

Al-Kaysi, Alaa M; Al-Ani, Ahmed; Loo, Colleen K; Powell, Tamara Y; Martin, Donel M; Breakspear, Michael; Boonstra, Tjeerd W

2017-01-15

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a promising treatment for major depressive disorder (MDD). Standard tDCS treatment involves numerous sessions running over a few weeks. However, not all participants respond to this type of treatment. This study aims to investigate the feasibility of identifying MDD patients that respond to tDCS treatment based on resting-state electroencephalography (EEG) recorded prior to treatment commencing. We used machine learning to predict improvement in mood and cognition during tDCS treatment from baseline EEG power spectra. Ten participants with a current diagnosis of MDD were included. Power spectral density was assessed in five frequency bands: delta (0.5-4Hz), theta (4-8Hz), alpha (8-12Hz), beta (13-30Hz) and gamma (30-100Hz). Improvements in mood and cognition were assessed using the Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale and Symbol Digit Modalities Test, respectively. We trained the classifiers using three algorithms (support vector machine, extreme learning machine and linear discriminant analysis) and a leave-one-out cross-validation approach. Mood labels were accurately predicted in 8 out of 10 participants using EEG channels FC4-AF8 (accuracy=76%, p=0.034). Cognition labels were accurately predicted in 10 out of 10 participants using channels pair CPz-CP2 (accuracy=92%, p=0.004). Due to the limited number of participants (n=10), the presented results mainly aim to serve as a proof of concept. These finding demonstrate the feasibility of using machine learning to identify patients that will respond to tDCS treatment. These promising results warrant a larger study to determine the clinical utility of this approach. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

An on-line adaptive core monitoring system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Verspeek, J.A.; Bruggink, J.C.; Karuza, J.

1997-01-01

An on-line core monitoring system has been in operation for three years in the Dodewaard Nuclear Power Plant. The core monitor uses the on-line measured reactor data as an input for a power distribution calculation. The measurements are frequently performed. The system is used for monitoring as well as for predicting purposes. The limiting thermal hydraulic parameters are monitored as well as the pellet-clad interaction limits. The data are added to a history file used for cycle burn-up calculations and trending of parameters. The reactor states are presented through a convenient graphical user interface. (authors)

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) in the treatment of depression: Systematic review and meta-analysis of efficacy and tolerability.

Science.gov (United States)

Meron, Daniel; Hedger, Nicholas; Garner, Matthew; Baldwin, David S

2015-10-01

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a potential alternative treatment option for major depressive episodes (MDE). We address the efficacy and safety of tDCS in MDE. The outcome measures were Hedges' g for continuous depression ratings, and categorical response and remission rates. A random effects model indicated that tDCS was superior to sham tDCS (k=11, N=393, g=0.30, 95% CI=[0.04, 0.57], p=0.027). Adjunctive antidepressant medication and cognitive control training negatively impacted on the treatment effect. The pooled log odds ratios (LOR) for response and remission were positive, but statistically non-significant (response: k=9, LOR=0.36, 95% CI[-0.16, 0.88], p=0.176, remission: k=9, LOR=0.25, 95% CI [-0.42, 0.91], p=0.468). We estimated that for a study to detect the pooled continuous effect (g=0.30) at 80% power (alpha=0.05), a total N of at least 346 would be required (with the total N required to detect the upper and lower bound being 49 and 12,693, respectively). tDCS may be efficacious for treatment of MDE. The data do not support the use of tDCS in treatment-resistant depression, or as an add-on augmentation treatment. Larger studies over longer treatment periods are needed. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Semantic Feature Training in Combination with Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS for Progressive Anomia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jinyi Hung

2017-05-01

Full Text Available We examined the effectiveness of a 2-week regimen of a semantic feature training in combination with transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS for progressive naming impairment associated with primary progressive aphasia (N = 4 or early onset Alzheimer’s Disease (N = 1. Patients received a 2-week regimen (10 sessions of anodal tDCS delivered over the left temporoparietal cortex while completing a language therapy that consisted of repeated naming and semantic feature generation. Therapy targets consisted of familiar people, household items, clothes, foods, places, hygiene implements, and activities. Untrained items from each semantic category provided item level controls. We analyzed naming accuracies at multiple timepoints (i.e., pre-, post-, 6-month follow-up via a mixed effects logistic regression and individual differences in treatment responsiveness using a series of non-parametric McNemar tests. Patients showed advantages for naming trained over untrained items. These gains were evident immediately post tDCS. Trained items also showed a shallower rate of decline over 6-months relative to untrained items that showed continued progressive decline. Patients tolerated stimulation well, and sustained improvements in naming accuracy suggest that the current intervention approach is viable. Future implementation of a sham control condition will be crucial toward ascertaining whether neurostimulation and behavioral treatment act synergistically or alternatively whether treatment gains are exclusively attributable to either tDCS or the behavioral intervention.

An on-line monitoring system for navigation equipment

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Bo; Yang, Ping; Liu, Jing; Yang, Zhengbo; Liang, Fei

2017-10-01

Civil air navigation equipment is the most important infrastructure of Civil Aviation, which is closely related to flight safety. In addition to regular flight inspection, navigation equipment's patrol measuring, maintenance measuring, running measuring under special weather conditions are the important means of ensuring aviation flight safety. According to the safety maintenance requirements of Civil Aviation Air Traffic Control navigation equipment, this paper developed one on-line monitoring system with independent intellectual property rights for navigation equipment, the system breakthroughs the key technologies of measuring navigation equipment on-line including Instrument Landing System (ILS) and VHF Omni-directional Range (VOR), which also meets the requirements of navigation equipment ground measurement set by the ICAO DOC 8071, it provides technical means of the ground on-line measurement for navigation equipment, improves the safety of navigation equipment operation, and reduces the impact of measuring navigation equipment on airport operation.

Focalised stimulation using high definition transcranial direct current stimulation (HD-tDCS) to investigate declarative verbal learning and memory functioning.

Science.gov (United States)

Nikolin, Stevan; Loo, Colleen K; Bai, Siwei; Dokos, Socrates; Martin, Donel M

2015-08-15

Declarative verbal learning and memory are known to be lateralised to the dominant hemisphere and to be subserved by a network of structures, including those located in frontal and temporal regions. These structures support critical components of verbal memory, including working memory, encoding, and retrieval. Their relative functional importance in facilitating declarative verbal learning and memory, however, remains unclear. To investigate the different functional roles of these structures in subserving declarative verbal learning and memory performance by applying a more focal form of transcranial direct current stimulation, "High Definition tDCS" (HD-tDCS). Additionally, we sought to examine HD-tDCS effects and electrical field intensity distributions using computer modelling. HD-tDCS was administered to the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (LDLPFC), planum temporale (PT), and left medial temporal lobe (LMTL) to stimulate the hippocampus, during learning on a declarative verbal memory task. Sixteen healthy participants completed a single blind, intra-individual cross-over, sham-controlled study which used a Latin Square experimental design. Cognitive effects on working memory and sustained attention were additionally examined. HD-tDCS to the LDLPFC significantly improved the rate of verbal learning (p=0.03, η(2)=0.29) and speed of responding during working memory performance (p=0.02, η(2)=0.35), but not accuracy (p=0.12, η(2)=0.16). No effect of tDCS on verbal learning, retention, or retrieval was found for stimulation targeted to the LMTL or the PT. Secondary analyses revealed that LMTL stimulation resulted in increased recency (p=0.02, η(2)=0.31) and reduced mid-list learning effects (p=0.01, η(2)=0.39), suggesting an inhibitory effect on learning. HD-tDCS to the LDLPFC facilitates the rate of verbal learning and improved efficiency of working memory may underlie performance effects. This focal method of administrating tDCS has potential for probing

Decompression sickness among diving fishermen in Mexico: observational retrospective analysis of DCS in three sea cucumber fishing seasons.

Science.gov (United States)

Huchim-Lara, Oswaldo; Chin, Walter; Salas, Silvia; Rivera-Canul, Normando; Cordero-Romero, Salvador; Tec, Juan; Joo, Ellie; Mendez-Dominguez, Nina

2017-01-01

The probabilities of decompression sickness (DCS) among diving fishermen are higher than in any other group of divers. Diving behavior of artisanal fishermen has been directed mainly to target high-value species. The aim of this study was to learn about the occurrence of DCS derived from sea cucumber harvesting in the Yucatán Peninsula, Mexico. We conducted a retrospective chart review of diving fishermen treated at a multiplace hyperbaric chamber in Tizimín, Mexico. In total, 233 recompression therapies were rendered to 166 diving fishermen from 2014 to 2016. The average age was 36.7 ± 9.2 years (range: 20-59 years); 84.3% had experienced at least one DCS event previously. There was a correlation between age and DCS incidents (F: 8.3; R2: 0.07) and differences in the fishing depth between seasons (H: 9.99; p⟨0.05). Musculoskeletal pain was the most frequently reported symptom. Three divers, respectively, suffered permanent hearing loss, spinal cord injury and fatal outcome. Diving fishermen experience DCS at an alarmingly high rate, probably due to the type of species targeted, given the requirements in each case. Understanding divers' behaviors and their incentives while in pursuit of high-value species such as sea cucumber could help to find ways to mitigate health risks and help enforce regulation. Copyright© Undersea and Hyperbaric Medical Society.

A Protocol for the Use of Remotely-Supervised Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) in Multiple Sclerosis (MS).

Science.gov (United States)

Kasschau, Margaret; Sherman, Kathleen; Haider, Lamia; Frontario, Ariana; Shaw, Michael; Datta, Abhishek; Bikson, Marom; Charvet, Leigh

2015-12-26

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a noninvasive brain stimulation technique that uses low amplitude direct currents to alter cortical excitability. With well-established safety and tolerability, tDCS has been found to have the potential to ameliorate symptoms such as depression and pain in a range of conditions as well as to enhance outcomes of cognitive and physical training. However, effects are cumulative, requiring treatments that can span weeks or months and frequent, repeated visits to the clinic. The cost in terms of time and travel is often prohibitive for many participants, and ultimately limits real-world access. Following guidelines for remote tDCS application, we propose a protocol that would allow remote (in-home) participation that uses specially-designed devices for supervised use with materials modified for patient use, and real-time monitoring through a telemedicine video conferencing platform. We have developed structured training procedures and clear, detailed instructional materials to allow for self- or proxy-administration while supervised remotely in real-time. The protocol is designed to have a series of checkpoints, addressing attendance and tolerability of the session, to be met in order to continue to the next step. The feasibility of this protocol was then piloted for clinical use in an open label study of remotely-supervised tDCS in multiple sclerosis (MS). This protocol can be widely used for clinical study of tDCS.

Impact of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) on neuronal functions

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Das, S. (Suman); P.J. Holland (Peter); M.A. Frens (Maarten); O. Donchin (Opher)

2016-01-01

textabstractTranscranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), a non-invasive brain stimulation technique, modulates neuronal excitability by the application of a small electrical current. The low cost and ease of the technique has driven interest in potential clinical applications. However, outcomes

Impact of tDCS on Performance and Learning of Target Detection: Interaction with Stimulus Characteristics and Experimental Design

Science.gov (United States)

Coffman, B. A.; Trumbo, M. C.; Flores, R. A.; Garcia, C. M.; van der Merwe, A. J.; Wassermann, E. M.; Weisend, M. P.; Clark, V. P.

2012-01-01

We have previously found that transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) over right inferior frontal cortex (RIFC) enhances performance during learning of a difficult visual target detection task (Clark et al., 2012). In order to examine the cognitive mechanisms of tDCS that lead to enhanced performance, here we analyzed its differential…

Effect of tDCS on task relevant and irrelevant perceptual learning of complex objects.

Science.gov (United States)

Van Meel, Chayenne; Daniels, Nicky; de Beeck, Hans Op; Baeck, Annelies

2016-01-01

During perceptual learning the visual representations in the brain are altered, but these changes' causal role has not yet been fully characterized. We used transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) to investigate the role of higher visual regions in lateral occipital cortex (LO) in perceptual learning with complex objects. We also investigated whether object learning is dependent on the relevance of the objects for the learning task. Participants were trained in two tasks: object recognition using a backward masking paradigm and an orientation judgment task. During both tasks, an object with a red line on top of it were presented in each trial. The crucial difference between both tasks was the relevance of the object: the object was relevant for the object recognition task, but not for the orientation judgment task. During training, half of the participants received anodal tDCS stimulation targeted at the lateral occipital cortex (LO). Afterwards, participants were tested on how well they recognized the trained objects, the irrelevant objects presented during the orientation judgment task and a set of completely new objects. Participants stimulated with tDCS during training showed larger improvements of performance compared to participants in the sham condition. No learning effect was found for the objects presented during the orientation judgment task. To conclude, this study suggests a causal role of LO in relevant object learning, but given the rather low spatial resolution of tDCS, more research on the specificity of this effect is needed. Further, mere exposure is not sufficient to train object recognition in our paradigm.

Good alarm design plays a vital role in successful DCS implementation: Hard learned lessons from petrochemical applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wilson, C.; Rothenberg, D.

2006-01-01

Nuclear operators are eager to update their automation infrastructure, but are apprehensive due to the consequences of failure. The process industries have learned that alarm design is critical to a successful Distributed Control System (DCS) implementation. This paper shares valuable insight into how alarms play a key role in successful management of upsets, help focus operator attention, and supply critical information during periods of high stress. (authors)

Multi-Mode Operation for On-line Uninterruptible Power Supply System

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lu, Jinghang; Savaghebi, Mehdi; Golestan, Saeed

2018-01-01

To enhance the robustness and disturbance rejection ability of an on-line uninterruptible power supply (UPS) system, an Internal Model Control (IMC)-based DC-link voltage regulation method is proposed in this paper. Furthermore, the multi-mode operations of the on-line UPS system are investigated...

TECDO-online, documentation system for nuclear engineering data

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hoepfner, K.A.; Keusenhoff, J.; Riedel, U.

1993-01-01

TECDO-online is the database offered by GRS for information on nuclear installations. The system contains full-text information, illustrations and drawings, which are transmitted online to the PC of the user. The TECDO-online database has been established for the purpose of supplying a centralized database with expertly analysed, evaluated and processed data, offering a userfriendly retrieval and data handling software for the geographically distributed users, and regular file updating and compatibility checking by the database supplier. The system is fully implemented and meets with increasing interest among users. It currently contains approx. 120,000 full-text pages, 40000 images (pictures, drawings, and reproduced textual information) as well as data on about 25,000 large-size technical drawings from the drawing archive of the GRS. (orig./DG) [de

Security analysis of electronic voting and online banking systems

OpenAIRE

Tjøstheim, Thomas

2007-01-01

The main focus of this dissertation is on security analysis of electronic voting and online banking systems. Six papers form the basis of the thesis and include the following topics: a model for analysis of voting systems, a case study where we apply the proposed model, a new scheme for remote electronic voting, and three case studies of commercial online banking solutions in Norway.

The role of primary auditory and visual cortices in temporal processing: A tDCS approach.

Science.gov (United States)

Mioni, G; Grondin, S; Forgione, M; Fracasso, V; Mapelli, D; Stablum, F

2016-10-15

Many studies showed that visual stimuli are frequently experienced as shorter than equivalent auditory stimuli. These findings suggest that timing is distributed across many brain areas and that "different clocks" might be involved in temporal processing. The aim of this study is to investigate, with the application of tDCS over V1 and A1, the specific role of primary sensory cortices (either visual or auditory) in temporal processing. Forty-eight University students were included in the study. Twenty-four participants were stimulated over A1 and 24 participants were stimulated over V1. Participants performed time bisection tasks, in the visual and the auditory modalities, involving standard durations lasting 300ms (short) and 900ms (long). When tDCS was delivered over A1, no effect of stimulation was observed on perceived duration but we observed higher temporal variability under anodic stimulation compared to sham and higher variability in the visual compared to the auditory modality. When tDCS was delivered over V1, an under-estimation of perceived duration and higher variability was observed in the visual compared to the auditory modality. Our results showed more variability of visual temporal processing under tDCS stimulation. These results suggest a modality independent role of A1 in temporal processing and a modality specific role of V1 in the processing of temporal intervals in the visual modality. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Project development and commercialization of on-line analysis systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Watt, J.S.

1997-01-01

A project team first in the Australian Atomic Energy Commission (AAEC) and since 1982 in CSIRO has developed many on-line analysis systems for the mineral and energy industries. The development of these projects has followed a common pattern of laboratory R and D, field trials, commercialisation and technology transfer. This successful pattern is illustrated using examples of the development of systems for the on-line analysis of mineral slurries, for determination of the ash content of coal on conveyors, and for determination of the flow rates of oil, water and gas in pipelines. The first two systems are licensed to Australian companies, Amdel Ltd and Mineral Control Instrumentation Ltd. Both systems are used by industry worldwide, and are the market leaders for radioisotope gauges in their application field. The third system, the multiphase flow meter, was licensed in 1997 to Kvaerner FSSL Ltd of Aberdeen. This meter has even greater potential than the other two systems for economic benefit from its used and for numbers of installations. The on-line analysis systems have been developed to increase the productivity of the Australian mineral and energy industries, and to provide economic benefit to Australia. The economic benefit sought is predominantly improved process control based on use of the instrument, rather than from its sale. Sales of instruments are significant, however, with about A$80 million from the analysis systems and their derivatives since the 1970s. Some of the issues associated with the development of the on-line analysis system are outlined

Malaysian Education Index (MEI): An Online Indexing and Repository System

Science.gov (United States)

Kabilan, Muhammad Kamarul; Ismail, Hairul Nizam; Yaakub, Rohizani; Yusof, Najeemah Mohd; Idros, Sharifah Noraidah Syed; Umar, Irfan Naufal; Arshad, Muhammad Rafie Mohd.; Idrus, Rosnah; Rahman, Habsah Abdul

2010-01-01

This "Project Sheet" describes an on-going project that is being carried out by a group of educational researchers, computer science researchers and librarians from Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang. The Malaysian Education Index (MEI) has two main functions--(1) Online Indexing System, and (2) Online Repository System. In this brief…

The critical role of cognitive-based trait differences in transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) suppression of food craving and eating in frank obesity.

Science.gov (United States)

Ray, Mary Katherine; Sylvester, Maria D; Osborn, Lauren; Helms, Joel; Turan, Bulent; Burgess, Emilee E; Boggiano, Mary M

2017-09-01

Obesity remains a major public health concern and novel treatments are needed. Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a neuromodulation technique shown to reduce food craving and consumption, especially when targeting the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) with a right anode/left cathode electrode montage. Despite the implications to treat frank (non-bingeeating) obesity, no study has tested the right anode/left cathode montage in this population. Additionally, most tDCS appetite studies have not controlled for differences in traits under DLPFC control that may influence how well one responds to tDCS. Hence, N = 18 (10F/8M) adults with frank obesity completed the Dutch Eating Behavior Questionnaire-Restraint and Barratt Impulsiveness Scale, and received 20 min of 2 mA active tDCS and control tDCS session. Craving and eating was assessed at both sessions with a food photo "wanting" test and in-lab measures of total, preferred, and less-preferred kilocalories consumed of three highly palatable snack foods. While main effects of tDCS vs. control were not found, significant differences emerged when trait scores were controlled. tDCS reduced food craving in females with lower attention-type impulsiveness (p = 0.047), reduced preferred-food consumption in males with lower intent to restrict calories (p = 0.024), and reduced total food consumption in males with higher non-planning-type impulsiveness (p = 0.009) compared to control tDCS. This is the first study to find significant reductions in food craving and consumption in a sample with frank obesity using the most popular tDCS montage in appetite studies. The results also highlight the cognitive-based heterogeneity of individuals with obesity and the importance of considering these differences when evaluating the efficacy of DLPFC-targeted tDCS in future studies aimed at treating obesity. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Online scheduling of 2-re-entrant flexible manufacturing systems

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Pinxten, J. van; Waqas, U.; Geilen, M.; Basten, T.; Somers, L.

2017-01-01

Online scheduling of operations is essential to optimize productivity of flexible manufacturing systems (FMSs) where manufacturing requests arrive on the fly. An FMS processes products according to a particular flow through processing stations. This work focusses on online scheduling of re-entrant

Cerebellar tDCS does not improve performance in probabilistic classification learning

NARCIS (Netherlands)

N. Seyed Majidi; M.C. Verhage (Claire); O. Donchin (Opher); P.J. Holland (Peter); M.A. Frens (Maarten); J.N. van der Geest (Jos)

2016-01-01

textabstractIn this study, the role of the cerebellum in a cognitive learning task using transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) was investigated. Using a weather prediction task, subjects had to learn the probabilistic associations between a stimulus (a combination of cards) and an outcome

An online infertility clinical decision support system

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fabio Diniz de Souza

2017-09-01

Full Text Available Objective: To explore some possibilities of computer applications in medicine, and to discuss an online infertility clinical decision support system. Methods: Retrospective data were obtained from 52 couples, and then entered into the online tool. Both its results and the initial diagnoses obtained by the treating physicians were compared with the final diagnoses established by laparoscopy and other diagnostic tests (semen analysis, hormone analysis, endometrial biopsy, ultrasound and hysteroscopy. The initial hypothesis of the research was that the online tool’s output was statistically associated with the final diagnoses. In order to verify that hypothesis, a chi-square (氈2 test with Yates’ correction for continuity (P<0.05 was performed to verify if the online tool’s and the doctor’s diagnoses were statistically associated with the final diagnoses. Results: Four etiological factors were present in more than 50% of the couples (ovarian, tubal-peritoneal, uterine, and endometriosis. The statistical results confirmed the research hypothesis for eight out of the nine etiological factors (ovarian, tubal-peritoneal, uterine, cervical, male, vaginal, psychosomatic, and endometriosis; P<0.05. Since there were no cases related to the immune factor in the sample, further clinical data are necessary in order to assess the online tool’s performance for that factor. Conclusions: The online tool tends to present more false-positives than false negatives, whereas the expert physician tends to present more false-negatives than false-positives. Therefore, the online tool and the doctor seem to complement each other. Finally, the obtained results suggest that the infertility online tool discussed herein might be a useful research and instructional tool.

An online infertility clinical decision support system

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fabio Diniz de Souza

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Objective: To explore some possibilities of computer applications in medicine, and to discuss an online infertility clinical decision support system.Methods: Retrospective data were obtained from 52 couples, and then entered into the online tool. Both its results and the initial diagnoses obtained by the treating physicians were compared with the final diagnoses established by laparoscopy and other diagnostic tests (semen analysis, hormone analysis, endometrial biopsy, ultrasound and hysteroscopy. The initial hypothesis of the research was that the online tool's output was statistically associated with the final diagnoses. In order to verify that hypothesis, a chi-square (χ2 test with Yates' correction for continuity (P<0.05 was performed to verify if the online tool's and the doctor's diagnoses were statistically associated with the final diagnoses.Results: Four etiological factors were present in more than 50% of the couples (ovarian, tubal-peritoneal, uterine, and endometriosis. The statistical results confirmed the research hypothesis for eight out of the nine etiological factors (ovarian, tubal-peritoneal, uterine, cervical, male, vaginal, psychosomatic, and endometriosis; P<0.05. Since there were no cases related to the immune factor in the sample, further clinical data are necessary in order to assess the online tool's performance for that factor.Conclusions: The online tool tends to present more false-positives than false-negatives, whereas the expert physician tends to present more false-negatives than false-positives. Therefore, the online tool and the doctor seem to complement each other. Finally, the obtained results suggest that the infertility online tool discussed herein might be a useful research and instructional tool.

Online data quality monitoring system at BES Ⅲ

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sun Xiaodong; Hu Jifeng; Zhao Haisheng; Ji Xiaobin; Wang Yifang; Liu Beijiang; Zheng Yangheng

2012-01-01

The online Data Quality Monitoring (DQM) tool plays an important role in the data recording process of HEP experiments. The BES Ⅲ DQM collects data from the online data flow, reconstructs them with offline reconstruction software and automatically analyzes the reconstructed data with user-defined algorithms. The DQM software is a scalable distributed system. The monitored results are gathered and displayed in various formats, which provides the shifter with current run information that can be used to identify problems quickly. This paper gives an overview of the DQM system at BES Ⅲ. (authors)

The Effect of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) Electrode Size and Current Intensity on Motor Cortical Excitability: Evidence From Single and Repeated Sessions.

Science.gov (United States)

Ho, Kerrie-Anne; Taylor, Janet L; Chew, Taariq; Gálvez, Verònica; Alonzo, Angelo; Bai, Siwei; Dokos, Socrates; Loo, Colleen K

2016-01-01

Current density is considered an important factor in determining the outcomes of tDCS, and is determined by the current intensity and electrode size. Previous studies examining the effect of these parameters on motor cortical excitability with small sample sizes reported mixed results. This study examined the effect of current intensity (1 mA, 2 mA) and electrode size (16 cm(2), 35 cm(2)) on motor cortical excitability over single and repeated tDCS sessions. Data from seven studies in 89 healthy participants were pooled for analysis. Single-session data were analyzed using mixed effects models and repeated-session data were analyzed using mixed design analyses of variance. Computational modeling was used to examine the electric field generated. The magnitude of increases in excitability after anodal tDCS was modest. For single-session tDCS, the 35 cm(2) electrodes produced greater increases in cortical excitability compared to the 16 cm(2) electrodes. There were no differences in the magnitude of cortical excitation produced by 1 mA and 2 mA tDCS. The repeated-sessions data also showed that there were greater increases in excitability with the 35 cm(2) electrodes. Further, repeated sessions of tDCS with the 35 cm(2) electrodes resulted in a cumulative increase in cortical excitability. Computational modeling predicted higher electric field at the motor hotspot for the 35 cm(2) electrodes. 2 mA tDCS does not necessarily produce larger effects than 1 mA tDCS in healthy participants. Careful consideration should be given to the exact positioning, size and orientation of tDCS electrodes relative to cortical regions. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Online reinforcement learning control for aerospace systems

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Zhou, Y.

2018-01-01

Reinforcement Learning (RL) methods are relatively new in the field of aerospace guidance, navigation, and control. This dissertation aims to exploit RL methods to improve the autonomy and online learning of aerospace systems with respect to the a priori unknown system and environment, dynamical

A manifesto for conscientious design of hybrid online social systems

OpenAIRE

Noriega, Pablo; Verhagen, Harko; d’Inverno, Mark; Padget, Julian A.

2016-01-01

Online Social Systems such as community forums, social media, e-commerce and gaming are having an increasingly significant impact on our lives. They affect the way we accomplish all sorts of collective activities, the way we relate to others, and the way we construct are own self-image. These systems often have both human and artificial agency creating what we call online hybrid social systems. However, when systems are designed and constructed, the psychological and sociological impact of su...

The effects of prefrontal cortex transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) on food craving and temporal discounting in women with frequent food cravings.

Science.gov (United States)

Kekic, Maria; McClelland, Jessica; Campbell, Iain; Nestler, Steffen; Rubia, Katya; David, Anthony S; Schmidt, Ulrike

2014-07-01

Bulimia nervosa, binge-eating disorder, and some forms of obesity are characterised by compulsive overeating that is often precipitated by food craving. Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) has been used to suppress food cravings, but there is insufficient evidence to support its application in clinical practice. Furthermore, the potential moderating role of impulsivity has not been considered. This study used a randomised within-subjects crossover design to examine whether a 20-minute session of sham-controlled bilateral tDCS to the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (anode right/cathode left) would transiently modify food cravings and temporal discounting (TD; a measure of choice impulsivity) in 17 healthy women with frequent food cravings. Whether the effects of tDCS on food craving were moderated by individual differences in TD behaviour was also explored. Participants were exposed to food and a film of people eating, and food cravings and TD were assessed before and after active and sham stimulation. Craving for sweet but not savoury foods was reduced following real tDCS. Participants that exhibited more reflective choice behaviour were more susceptible to the anti-craving effects of tDCS than those that displayed more impulsive choice behaviour. No differences were seen in TD or food consumption after real versus sham tDCS. These findings support the efficacy of tDCS in temporarily lowering food cravings and identify the moderating role of TD behaviour. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Preliminary Evidence of "Other-Race Effect"-Like Behavior Induced by Cathodal-tDCS over the Right Occipital Cortex, in the Absence of Overall Effects on Face/Object Processing.

Science.gov (United States)

Costantino, Andrea I; Titoni, Matilde; Bossi, Francesco; Premoli, Isabella; Nitsche, Michael A; Rivolta, Davide

2017-01-01

Neuromodulation techniques such as tDCS have provided important insight into the neurophysiological mechanisms that mediate cognition. Albeit anodal tDCS (a-tDCS) often enhances cognitive skills, the role of cathodal tDCS (c-tDCS) in visual cognition is largely unexplored and inconclusive. Here, in a single-blind, sham-controlled study, we investigated the offline effects of 1.5 mA c-tDCS over the right occipital cortex of 86 participants on four tasks assessing perception and memory of both faces and objects. Results demonstrated that c-tDCS does not overall affect performance on the four tasks. However, post-hoc exploratory analysis on participants' race (Caucasian vs. non-Caucasians), showed a "face-specific" performance decrease (≈10%) in non-Caucasian participants only . This preliminary evidence suggests that c-tDCS can induce "other-race effect (ORE)-like" behavior in non-Caucasian participants that did not show any ORE before stimulation (and in case of sham stimulation). Our results add relevant information about the breadth of cognitive processes and visual stimuli that can be modulated by c-tDCS, about the design of effective neuromodulation protocols, and have important implications for the potential neurophysiological bases of ORE.

Deft Control Software (DCS) for Remote Robotic Operations with Underlying Structure, Phase I

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — BluHaptics proposes Deft Control Software (DCS), which utilizes machine learning to enable intuitive and efficient control of robotic arms in remote operations with...

Online system for knowledge assessment enhances students' results on school knowledge test.

Science.gov (United States)

Kralj, Benjamin; Glazar, Sasa Aleksej

2013-01-01

Variety of online tools were built to help assessing students' performance in school. Many teachers changed their methods of assessment from paper-and-pencil (P&P) to online systems. In this study we analyse the influence that using an online system for knowledge assessment has on students' knowledge. Based on both a literature study and our own research we designed and built an online system for knowledge assessment. The system is evaluated using two groups of primary school teachers and students (N = 686) in Slovenia: an experimental and a control group. Students solved P&P exams on several occasions. The experimental group was allowed to access the system either at school or at home for a limited period during the presentation of a selected school topic. Students in the experimental group were able to solve tasks and compare their own achievements with those of their coevals. A comparison of the P&P school exams results achieved by both groups revealed a positive effect on subject topic comprehension for those with access to the online self-assessment system.

On-line diagnostics for a real time system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sreenivasan, P.

1976-01-01

The purpose of an on-line diagnostics is to infuse the ability of self diagnosing in an online computer to enhance its dependability in a real time system. Such a diagnostics evolved for the CDPS of the Fast Breeder Test Reactor at Kalpakkam is reported. The two phases of the diagnostics, i.e., the malfunction detection and post detection action are described in some detail. (A.K.)

ABOUT SYSTEM OF DISTANCE LEARNING IN OPEN ONLINE COURSE

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

V.М. Kukharenko

2012-03-01

Full Text Available This paper describes the first part of the open online course "E-Learning from A to Z", dedicated to the creation and development of system of distance learning (university or corporation. The results of the learning process and discussion on the workshop at NTU "KPI" in 2012 is shown the interest of teachers in a new form of online course and lack of development of personal learning environment. The open online courses can contribute to society practice.

Dependability analysis of the data communication system in train control system

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

无

2009-01-01

Communication based train control (CBTC) system is based on mobile communication and overcomes fixed blocks in order to increase track utilization and train safety. The data communication system (DCS) between trains and wayside equipment is a crucial factor for the safe and efficient operation of CBTC system. The dependability under various transmission conditions needs to be modeled and evaluated. In this paper,a stochastic reward net (SRN) model for DCS based IEEE 802.11 standard was developed,which captures all relevant failure and failure recovery behavior system aspects in a concise way. We compared the reliability,availability for DCS with and without access point (AP) and antenna redundant configuration. We also quantitatively evaluated and compared the frame loss probability for three DCS configurations with different train velocities and train numbers in one radio cell. Fixed-point iteration was adopted to simplify the analysis. Numerical results showed the significant improvement of the reliability,availability and the frame loss probability index for the full redundant configuration.

State of technology, system and solution supporting on-line maintenance - company's activities and products

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nishitani, Junichi; Shimizu, Shunichi; Higasa, Hisakazu

2010-01-01

The new inspection system based on operator's maintenance and monitoring program of nuclear power plants was introduced in Japan more than one year ago and recommended on-line maintenance (maintenance during operation) will be carried out to increase capacity factor with safe and reliable operation of the plant. In this feature article, nine experts described the state of technology, system and solution supporting on-line maintenance - company's activities and products. These were titled as 'MHI's technology supporting on-line maintenance'. 'Technology supporting on-line maintenance - Toshiba's activities to upgrade monitoring and diagnostic service and maintenance management', 'AsahiKASEI's activities of on-line maintenance', 'Importance of information sharing of on-line maintenance and its ideal method-function of impact plan of IBM Maximo Asset Management for Nuclear', 'US's on-line maintenance and information systems', 'SmartProcedures realizing safe operation of nuclear power plant - proposal of computerized procedures', 'Ultrasonic leak detection system SDT170', 'Application of infrared thermography for equipment maintenance in nuclear power plant' and 'On-line condition monitoring system - condition eye'. (T. Tanaka)

CDC WONDER: Online Tuberculosis Information System (OTIS)

Data.gov (United States)

U.S. Department of Health & Human Services — The Online Tuberculosis Information System (OTIS) on CDC WONDER contains information on verified tuberculosis (TB) cases reported to the Centers for Disease Control...

EARS: An Online Bibliographic Search and Retrieval System Based on Ordered Explosion.

Science.gov (United States)

Ramesh, R.; Drury, Colin G.

1987-01-01

Provides overview of Ergonomics Abstracts Retrieval System (EARS), an online bibliographic search and retrieval system in the area of human factors engineering. Other online systems are described, the design of EARS based on inverted file organization is explained, and system expansions including a thesaurus are discussed. (Author/LRW)

Exploratory study of once-daily transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) as a treatment for auditory hallucinations in schizophrenia.

Science.gov (United States)

Fröhlich, F; Burrello, T N; Mellin, J M; Cordle, A L; Lustenberger, C M; Gilmore, J H; Jarskog, L F

2016-03-01

Auditory hallucinations are resistant to pharmacotherapy in about 25% of adults with schizophrenia. Treatment with noninvasive brain stimulation would provide a welcomed additional tool for the clinical management of auditory hallucinations. A recent study found a significant reduction in auditory hallucinations in people with schizophrenia after five days of twice-daily transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) that simultaneously targeted left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and left temporo-parietal cortex. We hypothesized that once-daily tDCS with stimulation electrodes over left frontal and temporo-parietal areas reduces auditory hallucinations in patients with schizophrenia. We performed a randomized, double-blind, sham-controlled study that evaluated five days of daily tDCS of the same cortical targets in 26 outpatients with schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder with auditory hallucinations. We found a significant reduction in auditory hallucinations measured by the Auditory Hallucination Rating Scale (F2,50=12.22, PtDCS for treatment of auditory hallucinations and the pronounced response in the sham-treated group in this study contrasts with the previous finding and demonstrates the need for further optimization and evaluation of noninvasive brain stimulation strategies. In particular, higher cumulative doses and higher treatment frequencies of tDCS together with strategies to reduce placebo responses should be investigated. Additionally, consideration of more targeted stimulation to engage specific deficits in temporal organization of brain activity in patients with auditory hallucinations may be warranted. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Effects of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) on cognition, symptoms, and smoking in schizophrenia: A randomized controlled study.

Science.gov (United States)

Smith, Robert C; Boules, Sylvia; Mattiuz, Sanela; Youssef, Mary; Tobe, Russell H; Sershen, Henry; Lajtha, Abel; Nolan, Karen; Amiaz, Revital; Davis, John M

2015-10-01

Schizophrenia is characterized by cognitive deficits which persist after acute symptoms have been treated or resolved. Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) has been reported to improve cognition and reduce smoking craving in healthy subjects but has not been as carefully evaluated in a randomized controlled study for these effects in schizophrenia. We conducted a randomized double-blind, sham-controlled study of the effects of 5 sessions of tDCS (2 milliamps for 20minutes) on cognition, psychiatric symptoms, and smoking and cigarette craving in 37 outpatients with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder who were current smokers. Thirty subjects provided evaluable data on the MATRICS Consensus Cognitive Battery (MCCB), with the primary outcome measure, the MCCB Composite score. Active compared to sham tDCS subjects showed significant improvements after the fifth tDCS session in MCCB Composite score (p=0.008) and on the MCCB Working Memory (p=0.002) and Attention-Vigilance (p=0.027) domain scores, with large effect sizes. MCCB Composite and Working Memory domain scores remained significant at Benjamini-Hochberg corrected significance levels (α=0.05). There were no statistically significant effects on secondary outcome measures of psychiatric symptoms (PANSS scores), hallucinations, cigarette craving, or cigarettes smoked. The positive effects of tDCS on cognitive performance suggest a potential efficacious treatment for cognitive deficits in partially recovered chronic schizophrenia outpatients that should be further investigated. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The Effects of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS on Psychomotor and Visual Perception Functions Related to Driving Skills

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alexander Brunnauer

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Objective: It could be demonstrated that anodal transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS of the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC enhances accuracy in working memory tasks and reaction time in healthy adults and thus may also have an influence on complex everyday tasks like driving a car. However, no studies have applied tDCS to psychomotor skills related to a standard driving test so far.Methods: 10 female and 5 male healthy adults without any medication and history of psychiatric or neurological illness were randomly assigned to two groups receiving active and sham stimulation in a double blind, cross-over study design. Standardized computerized psychomotor tests according to the German guidelines for road and traffic safety were administered at baseline. Then they performed the same tests during an anodal or sham tDCS of the left DLPFC in two separated sessions.Results: No significant improvements in skills related to driving performance like visual perception, stress tolerance, concentration, and vigilance could be shown after left anodal prefrontal tDCS. Side effects were low and did not differ between active and sham stimulation.Conclusions: The findings of our study indicate that left prefrontal tDCS may not alter driving skills affording more automated action patterns but as shown in previous studies may have an influence on driving behavior requiring executive control processes. This however has to be proved in future studies and within greater samples.

Cyber security risk assessment for SCADA and DCS networks.

Science.gov (United States)

Ralston, P A S; Graham, J H; Hieb, J L

2007-10-01

The growing dependence of critical infrastructures and industrial automation on interconnected physical and cyber-based control systems has resulted in a growing and previously unforeseen cyber security threat to supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) and distributed control systems (DCSs). It is critical that engineers and managers understand these issues and know how to locate the information they need. This paper provides a broad overview of cyber security and risk assessment for SCADA and DCS, introduces the main industry organizations and government groups working in this area, and gives a comprehensive review of the literature to date. Major concepts related to the risk assessment methods are introduced with references cited for more detail. Included are risk assessment methods such as HHM, IIM, and RFRM which have been applied successfully to SCADA systems with many interdependencies and have highlighted the need for quantifiable metrics. Presented in broad terms is probability risk analysis (PRA) which includes methods such as FTA, ETA, and FEMA. The paper concludes with a general discussion of two recent methods (one based on compromise graphs and one on augmented vulnerability trees) that quantitatively determine the probability of an attack, the impact of the attack, and the reduction in risk associated with a particular countermeasure.

Modulating transcallosal and intra-hemispheric brain connectivity with tDCS: Implications for interventions in Aphasia.

Science.gov (United States)

Zheng, Xin; Dai, Weiying; Alsop, David C; Schlaug, Gottfried

2016-07-25

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) can enhance or diminish cortical excitability levels depending on the polarity of the stimulation. One application of non-invasive brain-stimulation has been to modulate a possible inter-hemispheric disinhibition after a stroke. This disinhibition model has been developed mainly for the upper extremity motor system, but it is not known whether the language/speech-motor system shows a similar inter-hemispheric interaction. We aimed to examine physiological evidence of inter- and intra-hemispheric connectivity changes induced by tDCS of the right inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) using arterial-spin labeling (ASL) MRI. Using an MR-compatible DC-Stimulator, we applied anodal stimulation to the right IFG region of nine healthy adults while undergoing non-invasive cerebral blood flow imaging with arterial-spin labeling (ASL) before, during, and after the stimulation. All ASL images were then normalized and timecourses were extracted in regions of interest (ROIs), which were the left and right IFG regions, and the right supramarginal gyrus (SMG) in the inferior parietal lobule. Two additional ROIs (the right occipital lobe and the left fronto-orbital region) were taken as control regions. Using regional correlation coefficients as a surrogate marker of connectivity, we could show that inter-hemispheric connectivity (right IFG with left IFG) decreased significantly (p < 0.05; r-scores from 0.67 to 0.53) between baseline and post-stimulation, while the intra-hemispheric connectivity (right IFG with right SMG) increased significantly (p < 0.05;r-scores from 0.74 to 0.81). A 2 × 2 ANOVA found a significant main effect of HEMISPHERE (F(8) = 6.83, p < 0.01) and a significant HEMISPHERE-by-TIME interaction (F(8) = 4.24, p < 0.05) in connectivity changes. The correlation scores did not change significantly in the control region pairs (right IFG with right occipital and right IFG with left fronto-orbital) over

Online evaluation of point-of-interest recommendation systems

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Dean-Hall, A.; Clarke, C.L.A.; Kamps, J.; Kiseleva, J.

2015-01-01

In this work we describe a system to evaluate multiple point- of-interest recommendation systems. In this system each recommendation service will be exposed online and crowd-sourced assessors will interact with merged results from multiple services, which are responding to suggestion requests live,

Non-linear effects of transcranial direct current stimulation as a function of individual baseline performance: Evidence from biparietal tDCS influence on lateralized attention bias.

Science.gov (United States)

Benwell, Christopher S Y; Learmonth, Gemma; Miniussi, Carlo; Harvey, Monika; Thut, Gregor

2015-08-01

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a well-established technique for non-invasive brain stimulation (NIBS). However, the technique suffers from a high variability in outcome, some of which is likely explained by the state of the brain at tDCS-delivery but for which explanatory, mechanistic models are lacking. Here, we tested the effects of bi-parietal tDCS on perceptual line bisection as a function of tDCS current strength (1 mA vs 2 mA) and individual baseline discrimination sensitivity (a measure associated with intrinsic uncertainty/signal-to-noise balance). Our main findings were threefold. We replicated a previous finding (Giglia et al., 2011) of a rightward shift in subjective midpoint after Left anode/Right cathode tDCS over parietal cortex (sham-controlled). We found this effect to be weak over our entire sample (n = 38), but to be substantial in a subset of participants when they were split according to tDCS-intensity and baseline performance. This was due to a complex, nonlinear interaction between these two factors. Our data lend further support to the notion of state-dependency in NIBS which suggests outcome to depend on the endogenous balance between task-informative 'signal' and task-uninformative 'noise' at baseline. The results highlight the strong influence of individual differences and variations in experimental parameters on tDCS outcome, and the importance of fostering knowledge on the factors influencing tDCS outcome across cognitive domains. Copyright © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

The ATLAS Detector Control System

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lantzsch, K; Braun, H; Hirschbuehl, D; Kersten, S; Arfaoui, S; Franz, S; Gutzwiller, O; Schlenker, S; Tsarouchas, C A; Mindur, B; Hartert, J; Zimmermann, S; Talyshev, A; Oliveira Damazio, D; Poblaguev, A; Martin, T; Thompson, P D; Caforio, D; Sbarra, C; Hoffmann, D

2012-01-01

The ATLAS experiment is one of the multi-purpose experiments at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN, constructed to study elementary particle interactions in collisions of high-energy proton beams. Twelve different sub detectors as well as the common experimental infrastructure are controlled and monitored by the Detector Control System (DCS) using a highly distributed system of 140 server machines running the industrial SCADA product PVSS. Higher level control system layers allow for automatic control procedures, efficient error recognition and handling, manage the communication with external systems such as the LHC controls, and provide a synchronization mechanism with the ATLAS data acquisition system. Different databases are used to store the online parameters of the experiment, replicate a subset used for physics reconstruction, and store the configuration parameters of the systems. This contribution describes the computing architecture and software tools to handle this complex and highly interconnected control system.

The ATLAS Detector Control System

Science.gov (United States)

Lantzsch, K.; Arfaoui, S.; Franz, S.; Gutzwiller, O.; Schlenker, S.; Tsarouchas, C. A.; Mindur, B.; Hartert, J.; Zimmermann, S.; Talyshev, A.; Oliveira Damazio, D.; Poblaguev, A.; Braun, H.; Hirschbuehl, D.; Kersten, S.; Martin, T.; Thompson, P. D.; Caforio, D.; Sbarra, C.; Hoffmann, D.; Nemecek, S.; Robichaud-Veronneau, A.; Wynne, B.; Banas, E.; Hajduk, Z.; Olszowska, J.; Stanecka, E.; Bindi, M.; Polini, A.; Deliyergiyev, M.; Mandic, I.; Ertel, E.; Marques Vinagre, F.; Ribeiro, G.; Santos, H. F.; Barillari, T.; Habring, J.; Huber, J.; Arabidze, G.; Boterenbrood, H.; Hart, R.; Iakovidis, G.; Karakostas, K.; Leontsinis, S.; Mountricha, E.; Ntekas, K.; Filimonov, V.; Khomutnikov, V.; Kovalenko, S.; Grassi, V.; Mitrevski, J.; Phillips, P.; Chekulaev, S.; D'Auria, S.; Nagai, K.; Tartarelli, G. F.; Aielli, G.; Marchese, F.; Lafarguette, P.; Brenner, R.

2012-12-01

The ATLAS experiment is one of the multi-purpose experiments at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN, constructed to study elementary particle interactions in collisions of high-energy proton beams. Twelve different sub detectors as well as the common experimental infrastructure are controlled and monitored by the Detector Control System (DCS) using a highly distributed system of 140 server machines running the industrial SCADA product PVSS. Higher level control system layers allow for automatic control procedures, efficient error recognition and handling, manage the communication with external systems such as the LHC controls, and provide a synchronization mechanism with the ATLAS data acquisition system. Different databases are used to store the online parameters of the experiment, replicate a subset used for physics reconstruction, and store the configuration parameters of the systems. This contribution describes the computing architecture and software tools to handle this complex and highly interconnected control system.

A technical guide to tDCS, and related non-invasive brain stimulation tools

Science.gov (United States)

Woods, AJ; Antal, A; Bikson, M; Boggio, PS; Brunoni, AR; Celnik, P; Cohen, LG; Fregni, F; Herrmann, CS; Kappenman, ES; Knotkova, H; Liebetanz, D; Miniussi, C; Miranda, PC; Paulus, W; Priori, A; Reato, D; Stagg, C; Wenderoth, N; Nitsche, MA

2015-01-01

Transcranial electrical stimulation (tES), including transcranial direct and alternating current stimulation (tDCS, tACS) are non-invasive brain stimulation techniques increasingly used for modulation of central nervous system excitability in humans. Here we address methodological issues required for tES application. This review covers technical aspects of tES, as well as applications like exploration of brain physiology, modelling approaches, tES in cognitive neurosciences, and interventional approaches. It aims to help the reader to appropriately design and conduct studies involving these brain stimulation techniques, understand limitations and avoid shortcomings, which might hamper the scientific rigor and potential applications in the clinical domain. PMID:26652115

The Message Reporting System of the ATLAS DAQ System

CERN Document Server

Caprini, M; Kolos, S; 10th ICATPP Conference on Astroparticle, Particle, Space Physics, Detectors and Medical Physics Applications

2008-01-01

The Message Reporting System (MRS) in the ATLAS data acquisition system (DAQ) is one package of the Online Software which acts as a glue of various elements of DAQ, High Level Trigger (HLT) and Detector Control System (DCS). The aim of the MRS is to provide a facility which allows all software components in ATLAS to report messages to other components of the distributed DAQ system. The processes requiring a MRS are on one hand applications that report error conditions or information and on the other hand message processors that receive reported messages. A message reporting application can inject one or more messages into the MRS at any time. An application wishing to receive messages can subscribe to a message group according to defined criteria. The application receives messages that fulfill the subscription criteria when they are reported to MRS. The receiver message processing can consist of anything from simply logging the messages in a file/terminal to performing message analysis. The inter-process comm...

Food craving, food choice and consumption: The role of impulsivity and sham-controlled tDCS stimulation of the right dlPFC.

Science.gov (United States)

Georgii, Claudio; Goldhofer, Philipp; Meule, Adrian; Richard, Anna; Blechert, Jens

2017-08-01

Impulsivity has been found to be associated with overeating and obesity. Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) may enhance inhibitory control while reducing food craving and intake. Thus, the aim of the present study was to investigate whether tDCS stimulation modifies food choice, craving and consumption as a function of trait impulsivity. Forty-two predominantly healthy-weight women received active tDCS stimulation to the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and sham stimulation in a within participant design. Trait impulsivity was measured with a short form of the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale. Participants completed a computerized food-choice task, during which their mouse movements were traced. Current food craving was measured by a modified version of the Food Cravings Questionnaire-State as well as by desire to eat ratings for food pictures. Food intake was measured in a taste test. There were no tDCS effects on any of the dependent variables. Trait impulsivity (and non-planning impulsivity in particular) was positively associated with higher calorie intake in the taste test, irrespective of tDCS stimulation. The current findings question the efficacy of single-session tDCS stimulation of the right dLPFC to reduce food craving, high caloric food choice and calorie intake in non-selected, predominantly healthy weight women. However, they do support the idea that trait impulsivity is related to overeating and, therefore, may be a risk factor for obesity. Future research needs to specify which appetitive behaviors can be modulated by brain stimulation and which populations might profit from it the most. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

In vivo approaches reveal a key role for DCs in CD4+ T cell activation and parasite clearance during the acute phase of experimental blood-stage malaria.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Henrique Borges da Silva

2015-02-01

Full Text Available Dendritic cells (DCs are phagocytes that are highly specialized for antigen presentation. Heterogeneous populations of macrophages and DCs form a phagocyte network inside the red pulp (RP of the spleen, which is a major site for the control of blood-borne infections such as malaria. However, the dynamics of splenic DCs during Plasmodium infections are poorly understood, limiting our knowledge regarding their protective role in malaria. Here, we used in vivo experimental approaches that enabled us to deplete or visualize DCs in order to clarify these issues. To elucidate the roles of DCs and marginal zone macrophages in the protection against blood-stage malaria, we infected DTx (diphtheria toxin-treated C57BL/6.CD11c-DTR mice, as well as C57BL/6 mice treated with low doses of clodronate liposomes (ClLip, with Plasmodium chabaudi AS (Pc parasites. The first evidence suggesting that DCs could contribute directly to parasite clearance was an early effect of the DTx treatment, but not of the ClLip treatment, in parasitemia control. DCs were also required for CD4+ T cell responses during infection. The phagocytosis of infected red blood cells (iRBCs by splenic DCs was analyzed by confocal intravital microscopy, as well as by flow cytometry and immunofluorescence, at three distinct phases of Pc malaria: at the first encounter, at pre-crisis concomitant with parasitemia growth and at crisis when the parasitemia decline coincides with spleen closure. In vivo and ex vivo imaging of the spleen revealed that DCs actively phagocytize iRBCs and interact with CD4+ T cells both in T cell-rich areas and in the RP. Subcapsular RP DCs were highly efficient in the recognition and capture of iRBCs during pre-crisis, while complete DC maturation was only achieved during crisis. These findings indicate that, beyond their classical role in antigen presentation, DCs also contribute to the direct elimination of iRBCs during acute Plasmodium infection.

In vivo approaches reveal a key role for DCs in CD4+ T cell activation and parasite clearance during the acute phase of experimental blood-stage malaria.

Science.gov (United States)

Borges da Silva, Henrique; Fonseca, Raíssa; Cassado, Alexandra Dos Anjos; Machado de Salles, Érika; de Menezes, Maria Nogueira; Langhorne, Jean; Perez, Katia Regina; Cuccovia, Iolanda Midea; Ryffel, Bernhard; Barreto, Vasco M; Marinho, Cláudio Romero Farias; Boscardin, Silvia Beatriz; Álvarez, José Maria; D'Império-Lima, Maria Regina; Tadokoro, Carlos Eduardo

2015-02-01

Dendritic cells (DCs) are phagocytes that are highly specialized for antigen presentation. Heterogeneous populations of macrophages and DCs form a phagocyte network inside the red pulp (RP) of the spleen, which is a major site for the control of blood-borne infections such as malaria. However, the dynamics of splenic DCs during Plasmodium infections are poorly understood, limiting our knowledge regarding their protective role in malaria. Here, we used in vivo experimental approaches that enabled us to deplete or visualize DCs in order to clarify these issues. To elucidate the roles of DCs and marginal zone macrophages in the protection against blood-stage malaria, we infected DTx (diphtheria toxin)-treated C57BL/6.CD11c-DTR mice, as well as C57BL/6 mice treated with low doses of clodronate liposomes (ClLip), with Plasmodium chabaudi AS (Pc) parasites. The first evidence suggesting that DCs could contribute directly to parasite clearance was an early effect of the DTx treatment, but not of the ClLip treatment, in parasitemia control. DCs were also required for CD4+ T cell responses during infection. The phagocytosis of infected red blood cells (iRBCs) by splenic DCs was analyzed by confocal intravital microscopy, as well as by flow cytometry and immunofluorescence, at three distinct phases of Pc malaria: at the first encounter, at pre-crisis concomitant with parasitemia growth and at crisis when the parasitemia decline coincides with spleen closure. In vivo and ex vivo imaging of the spleen revealed that DCs actively phagocytize iRBCs and interact with CD4+ T cells both in T cell-rich areas and in the RP. Subcapsular RP DCs were highly efficient in the recognition and capture of iRBCs during pre-crisis, while complete DC maturation was only achieved during crisis. These findings indicate that, beyond their classical role in antigen presentation, DCs also contribute to the direct elimination of iRBCs during acute Plasmodium infection.

Characterizing chemical systems with on-line computers and graphics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Frazer, J.W.; Rigdon, L.P.; Brand, H.R.; Pomernacki, C.L.

1979-01-01

Incorporating computers and graphics on-line to chemical experiments and processes opens up new opportunities for the study and control of complex systems. Systems having many variables can be characterized even when the variable interactions are nonlinear, and the system cannot a priori be represented by numerical methods and models. That is, large sets of accurate data can be rapidly acquired, then modeling and graphic techniques can be used to obtain partial interpretation plus design of further experimentation. The experimenter can thus comparatively quickly iterate between experimentation and modeling to obtain a final solution. We have designed and characterized a versatile computer-controlled apparatus for chemical research, which incorporates on-line instrumentation and graphics. It can be used to determine the mechanism of enzyme-induced reactions or to optimize analytical methods. The apparatus can also be operated as a pilot plant to design control strategies. On-line graphics were used to display conventional plots used by biochemists and three-dimensional response-surface plots

On-line fresh-cut lettuce quality measurement system using hyperspectral imaging

Science.gov (United States)

Lettuce, which is a main type of fresh-cut vegetable, has been used in various fresh-cut products. In this study, an online quality measurement system for detecting foreign substances on the fresh-cut lettuce was developed using hyperspectral reflectance imaging. The online detection system with a s...

Comparative study on current trading system and online trading: the ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Comparative study on current trading system and online trading: the case of ... of online trading and factors affecting its feasibility of implementation in ECX. ... The study found that there is significant capacity problem with major skills gap with ...

A modular multi-microcomputer system for on-line vibration diagnostics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Saedtler, E.

1988-01-01

A new modular multi-microprocessor system for on-line vibration monitoring and diagnostics of PWRs is described. The aim of the system is to make feasible an early detection of increasing failures in relevant regions of a reactor plant, to verify the mechanical integrity of the investigated components, and to improve therefore the operational safety of the plant. After a discussion of the implemented surveillance methods and algorithms, which are based on hierarchical structured identification (estimation) and statistical pattern recognition tools, the system architecture (software and hardware) is portrayed. The classification scheme itself works sequential so that samples (or features) can arrive on-line. This on-line classification is important in order to take necessary actions in time. Furthermore, the system has learning capabilities, which means it is adaptable to different, varying states and plant conditions. The main features of the system are presented and its contribution to an automation of complex surveillance and monitoring tasks is shown. (author)

Web-based online system for recording and examing of events in power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Seyd Farshi, S.; Dehghani, M.

2004-01-01

Occurrence of events in power plants could results in serious drawbacks in generation of power. This suggests high degree of importance for online recording and examing of events. In this paper an online web-based system is introduced, which records and examines events in power plants. Throughout the paper, procedures for design and implementation of this system, its features and results gained are explained. this system provides predefined level of online access to all data of events for all its users in power plants, dispatching, regional utilities and top-level managers. By implementation of electric power industry intranet, an expandable modular system to be used in different sectors of industry is offered. Web-based online recording and examing system for events offers the following advantages: - Online recording of events in power plants. - Examing of events in regional utilities. - Access to event' data. - Preparing managerial reports

A Complex Estimation Function based on Community Reputation for On-line Transaction Systems

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yu Yang

2012-09-01

Full Text Available A reputation management system is crucial in online transaction systems, in which a reputation function is its central component. We propose a generalized set-theoretic reputation function in this paper, which can be configured to meet various assessment requirements of a wide range of reputation scenarios encountered in online transaction nowadays. We analyze and verify tolerance of this reputation function against various socio-communal reputation attacks. We find the function to be dynamic, customizable and tolerant against different attacks. As such it can serve well in many online transaction systems such as e-commerce websites, online group activities, and P2P systems.

Combined brain Fe, Cu, Zn and neurometabolite analysis - a new methodology for unraveling the efficacy of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) in appetite control.

Science.gov (United States)

Ziomber, Agata; Surowka, Artur Dawid; Antkiewicz-Michaluk, Lucyna; Romanska, Irena; Wrobel, Pawel; Szczerbowska-Boruchowska, Magdalena

2018-03-01

Obesity is a chronic, multifactorial origin disease that has recently become one of the most frequent lifestyle disorders. Unfortunately, current obesity treatments seem to be ineffective. At present, transcranial direct current brain stimulation (tDCS) represents a promising novel treatment methodology that seems to be efficient, well-tolerated and safe for a patient. Unfortunately, the biochemical action of tDCS remains unknown, which prevents its widespread use in the clinical arena, although neurobiochemical changes in brain signaling and metal metabolism are frequently reported. Therefore, our research aimed at exploring the biochemical response to tDCS in situ, in the brain areas triggering feeding behavior in obese animals. The objective was to propose a novel neurochemical (serotoninergic and dopaminergic signaling) and trace metal analysis of Fe, Cu and Zn. In doing so, we used energy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence (EDXRF) and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Anodal-type stimulation (atDCS) of the right frontal cortex was utilized to down-regulate food intake and body weight gain in obese rats. EDXRF was coupled with the external standard method in order to quantify the chemical elements within appetite-triggering brain areas. Major dopamine metabolites were assessed in the brains, based on the HPLC assay utilizing the external standard assay. Our study confirms that elemental analysis by EDXRF and brain metabolite assay by HPLC can be considered as a useful tool for the in situ investigation of the interplay between neurochemical and Fe/Cu/Zn metabolism in the brain upon atDCS. With this methodology, an increase in both Cu and Zn in the satiety center of the stimulated group could be reported. In turn, the most significant neurochemical changes involved dopaminergic and serotoninergic signaling in the brain reward system.

On-line methanol sensor system development for recombinant ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

On-line methanol sensor system development for recombinant human serum ... of the methanol sensor system was done in a medium environment with yeast cells ... induction at a low temperature and a pH where protease does not function.

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) and its influence on analgesics effectiveness in patients suffering from migraine headache.

Science.gov (United States)

Przeklasa-Muszyńska, Anna; Kocot-Kępska, Magdalena; Dobrogowski, Jan; Wiatr, Maciej; Mika, Joanna

2017-08-01

Headache is one of the most common conditions troubling nearly 45% of the world's population. Migraine headache itself, being more common among women, affects 7-18% of people. As much as 20-30% of the population report accompanying aura and neurological symptoms. In many cases, migraine headache can be effectively treated with suitably selected pharmacotherapies which include drugs used in symptomatic treatment. Frequent occurrence of the condition is treated with prophylaxis, which often fails. Neuromodulating methods are part of the multidirectional treatment and they may be valuable complement to pharmacotherapy. Our study evaluates the impact of the transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) on the consumption of drugs and on pain conditions (frequency, duration, intensity). We recruited 50 patients with migraine headache (30 with aura, 20 without aura) refractory to pharmacological therapy. In 30 patients (18 with aura, 12 without aura) previous unsatisfactory treatment was supplemented with tDCS performed tenfold. 20 patients (12 with aura, 8 without aura) from a control group were treated with pharmacological methods The observation continued for 30 days after the stimulation. After tDCS, a reduction in the consumption of analgesics and triptans was reported. Additionally, we monitored pain intensity decrease during pain episodes, duration of episodes and the number of pain days. The subjective assessment of pain reduction in migraine patients encompassed 36-40% after tDCS much more effective in comparison to group with only pharmacotherapy (10-12.5%). The study suggests that tDCS may be safe and useful clinical tool in migraine prophylaxis and treatment. Copyright © 2017 Institute of Pharmacology, Polish Academy of Sciences. Published by Elsevier Urban & Partner Sp. z o.o. All rights reserved.

Site-dependent effects of tDCS uncover dissociations in the communication network underlying the processing of visual search.

Science.gov (United States)

Ball, Keira; Lane, Alison R; Smith, Daniel T; Ellison, Amanda

2013-11-01

The right posterior parietal cortex (rPPC) and the right frontal eye field (rFEF) form part of a network of brain areas involved in orienting spatial attention. Previous studies using transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) have demonstrated that both areas are critically involved in the processing of conjunction visual search tasks, since stimulation of these sites disrupts performance. This study investigated the effects of long term neuronal modulation to rPPC and rFEF using transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) with the aim of uncovering sharing of these resources in the processing of conjunction visual search tasks. Participants completed four blocks of conjunction search trials over the course of 45 min. Following the first block they received 15 min of either cathodal or anodal stimulation to rPPC or rFEF, or sham stimulation. A significant interaction between block and stimulation condition was found, indicating that tDCS caused different effects according to the site (rPPC or rFEF) and type of stimulation (cathodal, anodal, or sham). Practice resulted in a significant reduction in reaction time across the four blocks in all conditions except when cathodal tDCS was applied to rPPC. The effects of cathodal tDCS over rPPC are subtler than those seen with TMS, and no effect of tDCS was evident at rFEF. This suggests that rFEF has a more transient role than rPPC in the processing of conjunction visual search and is robust to longer-term methods of neuro-disruption. Our results may be explained within the framework of functional connectivity between these, and other, areas. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Online monitoring and diagnostic system on RA-6 nuclear reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Garcia Peyrano, O. A.; Marticorena, M.; Koch, R. G.; Martinez, J. S; Berruti, G. E.; Nunez, W. M.; Gonzales, L. A.; Tarquini, L. D.; Sotelo, J. P

2009-01-01

This paper presents the Online Automatic Monitoring and Diagnostic System for mechanical components, installed on RA-6 Nuclear Reactor (San Carlos de Bariloche, Argentina). This system has been designed, installed and set-up by the Vibrations and Mechatronics Laboratory (Centro Atomico Bariloche, Comision Nacional de Energia Atomica) and Sitrack.com Argentina SA. This system provides an online mechanical diagnostic of the main reactor components, allowing incipient failures to be early detected and identified, avoiding unscheduled shut-downs and reducing maintenance times. The diagnostic is accomplished by an online analysis of the vibratory signature of the mechanical components, obtained by vibrations sensors on the main pump and the decay tank. The mechanical diagnostic and the main operational parameters are displayed on the reactor control room and published on the internet. [es

Cloud Computing Platform for an Online Model Library System

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mingang Chen

2013-01-01

Full Text Available The rapid developing of digital content industry calls for online model libraries. For the efficiency, user experience, and reliability merits of the model library, this paper designs a Web 3D model library system based on a cloud computing platform. Taking into account complex models, which cause difficulties in real-time 3D interaction, we adopt the model simplification and size adaptive adjustment methods to make the system with more efficient interaction. Meanwhile, a cloud-based architecture is developed to ensure the reliability and scalability of the system. The 3D model library system is intended to be accessible by online users with good interactive experiences. The feasibility of the solution has been tested by experiments.

A Flexible Online Metadata Editing and Management System

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Aguilar, Raul [Arizona State University; Pan, Jerry Yun [ORNL; Gries, Corinna [Arizona State University; Inigo, Gil San [University of New Mexico, Albuquerque; Palanisamy, Giri [ORNL

2010-01-01

A metadata editing and management system is being developed employing state of the art XML technologies. A modular and distributed design was chosen for scalability, flexibility, options for customizations, and the possibility to add more functionality at a later stage. The system consists of a desktop design tool or schema walker used to generate code for the actual online editor, a native XML database, and an online user access management application. The design tool is a Java Swing application that reads an XML schema, provides the designer with options to combine input fields into online forms and give the fields user friendly tags. Based on design decisions, the tool generates code for the online metadata editor. The code generated is an implementation of the XForms standard using the Orbeon Framework. The design tool fulfills two requirements: First, data entry forms based on one schema may be customized at design time and second data entry applications may be generated for any valid XML schema without relying on custom information in the schema. However, the customized information generated at design time is saved in a configuration file which may be re-used and changed again in the design tool. Future developments will add functionality to the design tool to integrate help text, tool tips, project specific keyword lists, and thesaurus services. Additional styling of the finished editor is accomplished via cascading style sheets which may be further customized and different look-and-feels may be accumulated through the community process. The customized editor produces XML files in compliance with the original schema, however, data from the current page is saved into a native XML database whenever the user moves to the next screen or pushes the save button independently of validity. Currently the system uses the open source XML database eXist for storage and management, which comes with third party online and desktop management tools. However, access to

Characterization and properties of biosurfactants produced by a newly isolated strain Bacillus methylotrophicus DCS1 and their applications in enhancing solubility of hydrocarbon.

Science.gov (United States)

Jemil, Nawel; Ben Ayed, Hanen; Hmidet, Noomen; Nasri, Moncef

2016-11-01

Six biosurfactant-producing bacteria were isolated from hydrocarbon contaminated soils in Sfax, Tunisia. Isolates were screened for biosurfactant production by different conventional methods including hemolytic activity, surface tension reduction, drop-collapsing and oil displacement tests. All these screening tests show that all the isolates behave differently. Among the isolated bacteria, DCS1 strain was selected for further studies based on its highest activities and it was identified as Bacillus methylotrophicus DCS1. This strain was found to be a potent producer of biosurfactant when cultivated in mineral-salts medium supplemented with diesel oil (2 %, v/v) as a sole carbon source. Physicochemical properties and stability of biosurfactants synthesized by B. methylotrophicus DCS1 were investigated. The produced biosurfactants DCS1, from Landy medium, possess high surface activity that could lower the surface tension of water to a value of 31 from 72 mN m(-1) and have a critical micelle concentration (CMC) of 100 mg L(-1). Compared with SDS and Tween 80, biosurfactants showed excellent emulsification activities against different hydrocarbon substrates and high solubilization efficiency towards diesel oil. Biosurfactants DCS1 showed good stability in a wide range of temperature, pH and salinity. These results suggested that biosurfactants produced by B. methylotrophicus DCS1 could be an alternative to chemically synthesized surfactants for use in bioremediation processes to enhance the solubility of hydrophobic compounds.

Anodal tDCS of dorsolateral prefontal cortex during an Implicit Association Test

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Gladwin, T.E.; den Uyl, T.E.; Wiers, R.W.

2012-01-01

Anodal stimulation of dorsolateral prefrontal cortex by transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) has been shown to enhance performance on working memory tasks. However, it is not yet known precisely which aspects of working memory - a broad theoretical concept including short-term memory and

Modulation of risk-taking in marijuana users by transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC).

Science.gov (United States)

Boggio, Paulo S; Zaghi, Soroush; Villani, Ana Beatriz; Fecteau, Shirley; Pascual-Leone, Alvaro; Fregni, Felipe

2010-12-01

Cognitive deficits that are reported in heavy marijuana users (attention, memory, affect perception, decision-making) appear to be completely reversible after a prolonged abstinence period of about 28 days. However, it remains unclear whether the reversibility of these cognitive deficits indicates that (1) chronic marijuana use is not associated with long-lasting changes in cortical networks or (2) that such changes occur but the brain adapts to and compensates for the drug-induced changes. Therefore, we examined whether chronic marijuana smokers would demonstrate a differential pattern of response in comparison to healthy volunteers on a decision-making paradigm (Risk Task) while undergoing sham or active transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC). Twenty-five chronic marijuana users who were abstinent for at least 24h were randomly assigned to receive left anodal/right cathodal tDCS of DLPFC (n=8), right anodal/left cathodal tDCS of DLPFC (n=9), or sham stimulation (n=8); results on Risk Task during sham/active tDCS were compared to healthy volunteers from a previously published dataset. Chronic marijuana users demonstrated more conservative (i.e. less risky) decision-making during sham stimulation. While right anodal stimulation of the DLPFC enhanced conservative decision-making in healthy volunteers, both right anodal and left anodal DLPFC stimulation increased the propensity for risk-taking in marijuana users. These findings reveal alterations in the decision-making neural networks among chronic marijuana users. Finally, we also assessed the effects of tDCS on marijuana craving and observed that right anodal/left cathodal tDCS of DLPFC is significantly associated with a diminished craving for marijuana. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Culture supernatants of oral cancer cells induce impaired IFN-α production of pDCs partly through the down-regulation of TLR-9 expression.

Science.gov (United States)

Han, Nannan; Zhang, Zun; Jv, Houyu; Hu, Jingzhou; Ruan, Min; Zhang, Chenping

2018-06-05

The aim of the present study was to investigate whether tumor-derived supernatants down-regulate the immune function of plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs) in oral cancer and the potential molecular mechanisms of this effect. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) and flow cytometry were used to detect tumor-infiltrating and peripheral blood pDCs. MTS and flow cytometry were employed to evaluate the immune response of CD4 + T cells. Real-time PCR and ELISA assays were used to identify TLR-7 and TLR-9 expression, IFN-α production and tumor-secreted soluble cytokines. The proportion of pDCs (0.121%±0.043%) was significantly higher in Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) samples than in normal tissue (0.023%±0.016%) (P = 0.021). TLR9 mRNA was significantly lower in tumor-infiltrating pDCs and positively correlated to low IFN-α production (r = 0.956; Poral cancer cells negatively regulated TLR9 mRNA expression and the subsequent IFN-α production of pDCs, which inhibited the immune response of CD4 + T cells. The neutralizing antibodies blocking assay showed that the specific inhibitory effect of pDC functionality was associated with the soluble fraction of the oral cancer environment, which is mainly mediated by IL-10 and TGF-β cooperation. Tumor-derived supernatants may impair the function of tumor-infiltrating pDCs, which subsequently decreases the immune response of CD4 + T cells in human oral cancer through TGF-β- and IL-10- dependent mechanisms. Careful manipulation of these impaired pDCs may help develop an important alternative immunotherapy for the treatment of oral cancer. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The effects of anodal-tDCS on corticospinal excitability enhancement and its after-effects: conventional versus unihemispheric concurrent dual-site stimulation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bita eVaseghi

2015-09-01

Full Text Available Previous researchers have approved the ability of anodal transcranial direct current stimulation (a-tDCS of the primary motor cortex (M1 to enhance corticospinal excitability (CSE. The primary aim of the current study was to investigate the effect of concurrent stimulation of M1 and a functionally connected cortical site of M1 on CSE modulation. This new technique is called unihemispheric concurrent dual-site a-tDCS (a-tDCSUHCDS. The secondary aim was to investigate the mechanisms underlying the efficacy of this new approach in healthy individuals. In a randomized crossover study, 12 healthy right-handed volunteers received a-tDCS under five conditions: a-tDCS of M1, a-tDCSUHCDS of M1– dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC, a-tDCSUHCDS of M1– primary sensory cortex (S1, a-tDCSUHCDS of M1– primary visual cortex (V1, and sham a-tDCSUHCDS. Peak-to-peak amplitude of transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS induced MEPs, short-interval intracortical inhibition and intracortical facilitation were assessed before and four times after each condition. A-tDCSUHCDS conditions induced larger MEPs than conventional a-tDCS. The level of M1 CSE was significantly higher following a-tDCSUHCDS of M1-DLPFC than other a-tDCSUHCDS conditions (P < 0.001, and lasted for over 24 hours. The paired-pulse TMS results after a-tDCS of M1-DLPFC showed significant facilitatory increase and inhibitory change. A-tDCSUHCDS of M1-DLPFC increases M1 CSE twofold that of conventional a-tDCS. A-tDCSUHCDS of M1-DLPFC enhances the activity of glutamergic mechanisms for at least 24 hours. Such long-lasting M1 CSE enhancement induced by a-tDCSUHCDS of M1-DLPFC could be a valuable finding in clinical scenarios such as learning, motor performance, or pain management.The present study has been registered on the Australian New Zealand Clinical Trial at http://www.anzctr.org.au/ with registry number of ACTRN12614000817640.

Can online conference systems improve veterinary education? A study about the capability of online conferencing and its acceptance.

Science.gov (United States)

Koch, Michael; Fischer, Martin R; Tipold, Andrea; Ehlers, Jan P

2012-01-01

In veterinary medicine, there is an ongoing need for students, educators, and veterinarians to exchange the latest knowledge in their respective fields and to learn about unusual cases, emerging diseases, and treatment. Networking among veterinary faculties is developing rapidly, but conferences and meetings can be difficult to attend because of time limitations and travel costs. The current study examines acceptance of synchronous online conferences, seminars, meetings, and lectures by veterinarians and students. First, an online survey on the use of communication technology in veterinary medicine was made available for 15 weeks to every German-speaking veterinary university and via professional journals and an online veterinary forum. A total of 1,776 persons (620 veterinarians and 1,156 students) participated. Most reported using the Internet at least once per day; more than half reported using instant messengers. Most participants used the Internet for communication, but less than half used Skype. Second, to test the spectrum of tools for online conferences, a variety of "virtual classroom" systems (netucate systems iLinc, Adobe Acrobat Connect Pro, Cisco WebEx, Skype) were used to deliver student lectures, veterinary continuing-education courses, and academic conferences at the University of Veterinary Medicine, Hannover (TiHo). Of 591 participants in 63 online events, 99.4% rated the virtual events as enjoyable, 96.1% found them useful, and 92.4% said that they learned a lot. Participants noted that the courses were not tied to a certain place, and thus saved time and travel costs. Online conference systems thus offer new opportunities to provide information in veterinary medicine.

PsychotherapyPlus: augmentation of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) with prefrontal transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) in major depressive disorder-study design and methodology of a multicenter double-blind randomized placebo-controlled trial.

Science.gov (United States)

Bajbouj, Malek; Aust, Sabine; Spies, Jan; Herrera-Melendez, Ana-Lucia; Mayer, Sarah V; Peters, Maike; Plewnia, Christian; Fallgatter, Andreas J; Frase, Lukas; Normann, Claus; Behler, Nora; Wulf, Linda; Brakemeier, Eva-Lotta; Padberg, Frank

2017-12-06

Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) is one of the most prevalent psychiatric disorders worldwide. About 20-30% of patients do not respond to the standard psychopharmacological and/or psychotherapeutic interventions. Mounting evidence from neuroimaging studies in MDD patients reveal altered activation patterns in lateral prefrontal brain areas. Successful cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is associated with a recovery of these neural alterations. Moreover, it has been demonstrated that transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is capable of influencing prefrontal cortex activity and cognitive functions such as working memory and emotion regulation. Thus, a clinical trial investigating the effects of an antidepressant intervention combining CBT with tDCS seems promising. The present study investigates the antidepressant efficacy of a combined CBT-tDCS intervention as compared to CBT with sham-tDCS or CBT alone. A total of 192 patients (age range 20-65 years) with MDD (Hamilton Depression Rating Scale Score ≥ 15, 21-item version) will be recruited at four study sites across Germany (Berlin, Munich, Tuebingen, and Freiburg) and randomly assigned to one of the following three treatment arms: (1) CBT + active tDCS; (2) CBT + sham-tDCS; and (3) CBT alone. All participants will attend a 6-week psychotherapeutic intervention comprising 12 sessions of CBT each lasting 100 min in a closed group setting. tDCS will be applied simultaneously with CBT. Active tDCS includes stimulation with an intensity of 2 mA for 30 min with the anode placed over F3 and the cathode over F4 according to the EEG 10-20 system, if assigned. The primary outcome measure is the change in Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale scores from baseline to 6, 18, and 30 weeks after the first session. Participants also undergo pre- and post-treatment neuropsychological testing and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to assess changes in prefrontal functioning and connectivity

Booth Library On-Line Circulation System (BLOC

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Paladugu V. Rao

1971-06-01

Full Text Available An on-line circulation system developed at a relatively small university library demonstrates that academic libraries with limited funds can develop automated systems utilizing parent institution's computer facilities in a time-sharing mode. In operation since September 1968, using an IBM 360/50 computer and associated peripheral equipment, it provides control over all stack books.

Online Patent Searching: Guided by an Expert System.

Science.gov (United States)

Ardis, Susan B.

1990-01-01

Describes the development of an expert system for online patent searching that uses menu driven software to interpret the user's knowledge level and the general nature of the search problem. The discussion covers the rationale for developing such a system, current system functions, cost effectiveness, user reactions, and plans for future…

The Usage of ROOT in the LHCb Online System

CERN Document Server

Frank, M

2013-01-01

The online system in the LHCb experiment uses ROOT in various areas. ROOT is used in all processes participating in event data processing. The degree of usage varies quite significantly - from the very rudimentary usage of the ROOT plugin mechanism to fully equipped applications filling histograms with data describing online the detector status for monitoring purposes and the display of these data. An increasing number of processes uses the python binding offered by PyROOT to configure these processes. PyROOT also allows to efficiently and quickly manipulate certain corners of the experiment controls system where necessary. Beside these areas, where the LHCb online team advocated the usage of ROOT, in other areas other technologies were chosen. These deliberate choices like e.g. in the area of persistency of event data from particle collisions will be discussed.

78 FR 78998 - 60-Day Notice of Proposed Information Collection: HUD Environmental Review Online System (HEROS)

Science.gov (United States)

2013-12-27

... Information Collection: HUD Environmental Review Online System (HEROS) AGENCY: Office of Community Planning... Information Collection Title of Information Collection: HUD Environmental Review Online System (HEROS). OMB... online tool called the HUD Environmental Review Online System (HEROS), which will allow users to complete...

The ALICE silicon pixel detector system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kapusta, S.

2009-01-01

front-end to the on-detector electronics are from aluminum. In this thesis, I present my involvement in the ALICE SPD project, I summarize the design, the construction, and the testing phase of the ALICE SPD. My involvement in the ALICE DCS project is also presented. During the past years the ALICE SPD collaboration has carried out four testbeams. e primary objective of these testbeams was the validation of the pixel ASICs, the sensors, the read-out electronics and the online systems - Data Acquisition System (DAQ), Trigger (TRG) and Detector Control System DCS with their so w are and offline as well. e pixel chip and sensor prototypes were studied under different conditions (threshold scan, different inclination angles with respect to the beam, bias voltage scan, etc.). Tests of thick and also thin single chip assemblies and chip ladders as designed to be used in the ALICE experiment were also performed. During and a e r the testbeams I developed so w are to verify the data quality, to merge 2 data pixels offline, to correlate the spatial information from different planes, to run a complex offline analysis of the testbeam data, including hit maps, integrated hit maps, event by event analysis, efficiency, multiplicity, cluster size, etc. e prototype full read-out chain with two ladders, the DAQ, Trigger and DCS online systems with their so w are and also offline code were tested and validated during the testbeams. Configuration, readout and control of the SPD is performed via the Detector Control System DCS. As a member of the ALICE Control Coordination ACC team, I had the opportunity to participate in the design, development, commissioning and operation of this system. I took responsibility for the database systems and developed mechanisms for configuring the Front end Electronics (FERO). e SPD has been used as a working example for other detector groups which adopted this approach. I developed and implemented a mechanism of conditions data archival and participated in

MOIDSS?- Mobile Online Intelligent Decision Support System, Phase II

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — GRID has had a successfully completed Phase I 'Mobile Online Intelligent Decision Support System' (MOIDSS). The system developed into a total solution that supports...

Developing an online collaborative system within the domain of financial auditing

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pavel Năstase

2015-05-01

Full Text Available The research paper, focused on a rather technical approach, has the goal to design a system that brings together diverse audit stakeholders and investigates how an audit database available online can be implemented in SharePoint, as part of an on-line audit system which is collaborative and national. The online audit database covers various information needs for both financial auditors and the employees of the Chamber of Financial Auditors of Romania. For rapid deployment, we used various tools: Microsoft SQL Server 2008 R2, SharePoint Server 2010, SharePoint Designer 2010 and various implementation features: external content types, external lists, business data web parts etc. In this paper, we use two research methods: the first one is empiric, based on formulating a questionnaire and the interpretation of the results, while the second is the analysis of the implementation process by using a step-by-step approach. The online audit database stores information about the results of previous audits, the opinions issued as result of audits, the results of online electronic inspections, audit firms, audited entities, risks identified etc. The conclusion was that the online database, which is updated through Internet, is feasible to implement in SharePoint, for multiple audit stakeholders including financial auditors who can sell their financial audit services benefiting from the transparency that the system provides.

Evaluation of the effectiveness of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) and psychosensory stimulation through DOCS scale in a minimally conscious subject.

Science.gov (United States)

Dimitri, Danilo; De Filippis, Daniela; Galetto, Valentina; Zettin, Marina

2017-04-01

The aim of our study was to assess the effectiveness of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) on alertness improvement in a patient in a minimally conscious state (MCS) by means of disorders of consciousness scale combined with psycho-sensory stimulation. The effects of tDCS on muscle hypertonia through the Ashworth scale were also examined. tDCS was performed through a two-channel intra-cephalic stimulator. After stimulation, the patient followed a psychosensory stimulation training. Results pointed out an increase in DOCunit score, as well as an increase in alertness maintenance and an improvement in muscle hypertonia, although a MCS state persisted.

The rehabilitative effects on written language of a combined language and parietal dual-tDCS treatment in a stroke case.

Science.gov (United States)

De Tommaso, Barbara; Piedimonte, Alessandro; Caglio, Marcella M; D'Agata, Federico; Campagnoli, Marcello; Orsi, Laura; Raimondo, Simona; Vighetti, Sergio; Mortara, Paolo; Massazza, Giuseppe; Pinessi, Lorenzo

2017-09-01

In this paper we report the effect of a combined transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) and speech language therapy on linguistic deficits following left brain damage in a stroke case. We show that simultaneous electrical excitatory stimulation to the left and inhibitory stimulation to the right parietal regions (dual-tDCS) affected writing and reading rehabilitation, enhancing speech therapy outcomes. The results of a comparison with healthy controls showed that application of dual-tDCS could improve, in particular, sub-lexical transcoding and, specifically, the reading of non-words with increasing length and complexity. Positive repercussions on patient's quality of functional communication were also ascertained. Significant changes were also found in other language and cognitive tasks not directly treated (comprehension and constructive apraxia).

Prefrontal transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) as treatment for major depression: study design and methodology of a multicenter triple blind randomized placebo controlled trial (DepressionDC).

Science.gov (United States)

Padberg, Frank; Kumpf, Ulrike; Mansmann, Ulrich; Palm, Ulrich; Plewnia, Christian; Langguth, Berthold; Zwanzger, Peter; Fallgatter, Andreas; Nolden, Jana; Burger, Max; Keeser, Daniel; Rupprecht, Rainer; Falkai, Peter; Hasan, Alkomiet; Egert, Silvia; Bajbouj, Malek

2017-12-01

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) has been proposed as novel treatment for major depressive disorder (MDD) based on clinical pilot studies as well as randomized controlled monocentric trials. The DepressionDC trial is a triple-blind (blinding of rater, operator and patient), randomized, placebo controlled multicenter trial investigating the efficacy and safety of prefrontal tDCS used as additive treatment in MDD patients who have not responded to selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI). At 5 study sites, 152 patients with MDD receive a 6-weeks treatment with active tDCS (anode F3 and cathode F4, 2 mA intensity, 30 min/day) or sham tDCS add-on to a stable antidepressant medication with an SSRI. Follow-up visits are at 3 and 6 months after the last tDCS session. The primary outcome measure is the change of the Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) scores at week 6 post-randomisation compared to baseline. Secondary endpoints also cover other psychopathological domains, and a comprehensive safety assessment includes measures of cognition. Patients undergo optional investigations comprising genetic testing and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) of structural and functional connectivity. The study uses also an advanced tDCS technology including standard electrode positioning and recording of technical parameters (current, impedance, voltage) in every tDCS session. Aside reporting the study protocol here, we present a novel approach for monitoring technical parameters of tDCS which will allow quality control of stimulation and further analysis of the interaction between technical parameters and clinical outcome. The DepressionDC trial will hopefully answer the important clinical question whether prefrontal tDCS is a safe and effective antidepressant intervention in patients who have not sufficiently responded to SSRIs. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier NCT0253016.

核电站安全分级对DCS系统设计影响分析%Analysis of Effect of Safety Classification on DCS Design in Nuclear Power Plants

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

芶国楷; 黎国民; 王群峰

2011-01-01

By analyzing the safety classification for the systems and functions of nuclear power plants based on the general design requirements for nuclear power plants, especially the requirement of availability and reliability of I&C systems, the characteristics of modern DCS technology and I&C products currently applied in nuclear power field are interpreted. According to the requirements on the safety operation of nuclear power plants and the regulations for safety audit, the effect of different safety classifications on DCS design in nuclear power plants is analyzed, by considering the actual design process of different DCS solutions in the nuclear power plants under construction.%根据核电站设计总体要求,特别是对仪控系统可用性和可靠性的要求,通过分析核电站中系统、设备及其功能的安全分级,解析现代数字仪化控系统( DCS)的技术特点.结合实际在建核电站中不同DCS总体技术方案设计实施过程中的差异,从满足核电站安全运行以及安全评审相关法规标准的需求出发,阐明核电站中不同安全分级的系统和设备对DCS总体方案设计实施的影响.

The effect of the interval-between-sessions on prefrontal transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) on cognitive outcomes: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Dedoncker, Josefien; Brunoni, Andre R; Baeken, Chris; Vanderhasselt, Marie-Anne

2016-10-01

Recently, there has been wide interest in the effects of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) on cognitive functioning. However, many methodological questions remain unanswered. One of them is whether the time interval between active and sham-controlled stimulation sessions, i.e. the interval between sessions (IBS), influences DLPFC tDCS effects on cognitive functioning. Therefore, a systematic review and meta-analysis was performed of experimental studies published in PubMed, Science Direct, and other databases from the first data available to February 2016. Single session sham-controlled within-subject studies reporting the effects of tDCS of the DLPFC on cognitive functioning in healthy controls and neuropsychiatric patients were included. Cognitive tasks were categorized in tasks assessing memory, attention, and executive functioning. Evaluation of 188 trials showed that anodal vs. sham tDCS significantly decreased response times and increased accuracy, and specifically for the executive functioning tasks, in a sample of healthy participants and neuropsychiatric patients (although a slightly different pattern of improvement was found in analyses for both samples separately). The effects of cathodal vs. sham tDCS (45 trials), on the other hand, were not significant. IBS ranged from less than 1 h to up to 1 week (i.e. cathodal tDCS) or 2 weeks (i.e. anodal tDCS). This IBS length had no influence on the estimated effect size when performing a meta-regression of IBS on reaction time and accuracy outcomes in all three cognitive categories, both for anodal and cathodal stimulation. Practical recommendations and limitations of the study are further discussed.

Ventral medial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) as a target of the dorsolateral prefrontal modulation by transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) in drug addiction.

Science.gov (United States)

Nakamura-Palacios, Ester Miyuki; Lopes, Isabela Bittencourt Coutinho; Souza, Rodolpho Albuquerque; Klauss, Jaisa; Batista, Edson Kruger; Conti, Catarine Lima; Moscon, Janine Andrade; de Souza, Rodrigo Stênio Moll

2016-10-01

Here, we report some electrophysiologic and imaging effects of the transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) over the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC) in drug addiction, notably in alcohol and crack-cocaine dependence. The low resolution electromagnetic tomography (LORETA) analysis obtained through event-related potentials (ERPs) under drug-related cues, more specifically in its P3 segment (300-500 ms) in both, alcoholics and crack-cocaine users, showed that the ventral medial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) was the brain area with the largest change towards increasing activation under drug-related cues in those subjects that kept abstinence during and after the treatment with bilateral tDCS (2 mA, 35 cm(2), cathodal left and anodal right) over dlPFC, applied repetitively (five daily sessions). In an additional study in crack-cocaine, which showed craving decreases after repetitive bilateral tDCS, we examined data originating from diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), and we found increased DTI parameters in the left connection between vmPFC and nucleus accumbens (NAcc), such as the number of voxels, fractional anisotropy (FA) and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC), in tDCS-treated crack-cocaine users when compared to the sham-tDCS group. This increasing of DTI parameters was significantly correlated with craving decreasing after the repetitive tDCS. The vmPFC relates to the control of drug seeking, possibly by extinguishing this behavior. In our studies, the bilateral dlPFC tDCS reduced relapses and craving to the drug use, and increased the vmPFC activation under drug cues, which may be of a great importance in the control of drug use in drug addiction.

Online mass storage system detailed requirements document

Science.gov (United States)

1976-01-01

The requirements for an online high density magnetic tape data storage system that can be implemented in a multipurpose, multihost environment is set forth. The objective of the mass storage system is to provide a facility for the compact storage of large quantities of data and to make this data accessible to computer systems with minimum operator handling. The results of a market survey and analysis of candidate vendor who presently market high density tape data storage systems are included.

Online NPP monitoring with neuro-expert system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nabeshima, K.

2002-01-01

This study present a hybrid monitoring system for nuclear power plant utilizing neural networks and a rule-based expert system. The whole monitoring system including a data acquisition system and the advisory displays has been tested by an on-line simulator of pressurized water reactor. From the testing results, it was shown that the neural network in the monitoring system successfully modeled the plant dynamics and detected the symptoms of anomalies earlier than the conventional alarm system. The expert system also worked satisfactorily in diagnosing and displaying the system status by using the outputs of neural networks and a priori knowledge base

Using Biophysical Models to Understand the Effect of tDCS on Neurorehabilitation: Searching for Optimal Covariates to Enhance Poststroke Recovery.

Science.gov (United States)

Malerba, Paola; Straudi, Sofia; Fregni, Felipe; Bazhenov, Maxim; Basaglia, Nino

2017-01-01

Stroke is a leading cause of worldwide disability, and up to 75% of survivors suffer from some degree of arm paresis. Recently, rehabilitation of stroke patients has focused on recovering motor skills by taking advantage of use-dependent neuroplasticity, where high-repetition of goal-oriented movement is at times combined with non-invasive brain stimulation, such as transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS). Merging the two approaches is thought to provide outlasting clinical gains, by enhancing synaptic plasticity and motor relearning in the motor cortex primary area. However, this general approach has shown mixed results across the stroke population. In particular, stroke location has been found to correlate with the likelihood of success, which suggests that different patients might require different protocols. Understanding how motor rehabilitation and stimulation interact with ongoing neural dynamics is crucial to optimize rehabilitation strategies, but it requires theoretical and computational models to consider the multiple levels at which this complex phenomenon operate. In this work, we argue that biophysical models of cortical dynamics are uniquely suited to address this problem. Specifically, biophysical models can predict treatment efficacy by introducing explicit variables and dynamics for damaged connections, changes in neural excitability, neurotransmitters, neuromodulators, plasticity mechanisms, and repetitive movement, which together can represent brain state, effect of incoming stimulus, and movement-induced activity. In this work, we hypothesize that effects of tDCS depend on ongoing neural activity and that tDCS effects on plasticity may be also related to enhancing inhibitory processes. We propose a model design for each step of this complex system, and highlight strengths and limitations of the different modeling choices within our approach. Our theoretical framework proposes a change in paradigm, where biophysical models can contribute

Probing neural mechanisms underlying auditory stream segregation in humans by transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS).

Science.gov (United States)

Deike, Susann; Deliano, Matthias; Brechmann, André

2016-10-01

One hypothesis concerning the neural underpinnings of auditory streaming states that frequency tuning of tonotopically organized neurons in primary auditory fields in combination with physiological forward suppression is necessary for the separation of representations of high-frequency A and low-frequency B tones. The extent of spatial overlap between the tonotopic activations of A and B tones is thought to underlie the perceptual organization of streaming sequences into one coherent or two separate streams. The present study attempts to interfere with these mechanisms by transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) and to probe behavioral outcomes reflecting the perception of ABAB streaming sequences. We hypothesized that tDCS by modulating cortical excitability causes a change in the separateness of the representations of A and B tones, which leads to a change in the proportions of one-stream and two-stream percepts. To test this, 22 subjects were presented with ambiguous ABAB sequences of three different frequency separations (∆F) and had to decide on their current percept after receiving sham, anodal, or cathodal tDCS over the left auditory cortex. We could confirm our hypothesis at the most ambiguous ∆F condition of 6 semitones. For anodal compared with sham and cathodal stimulation, we found a significant decrease in the proportion of two-stream perception and an increase in the proportion of one-stream perception. The results demonstrate the feasibility of using tDCS to probe mechanisms underlying auditory streaming through the use of various behavioral measures. Moreover, this approach allows one to probe the functions of auditory regions and their interactions with other processing stages. Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

The Tilecal/ATLAS detector control system

CERN Document Server

Tomasio Pina, João Antonio

2004-01-01

Tilecal is the barrel hadronic calorimeter of the ATLAS detector that is presently being built at CERN to operate at the LHC accelerator. The main task of the Tilecal detector control system (DCS) is to enable the coherent and safe operation of the detector. All actions initiated by the operator and all errors, warnings, and alarms concerning the hardware of the detector are handled by DCS. The DCS has to continuously monitor all operational parameters, give warnings and alarms concerning the hardware of the detector. The DCS architecture consists of a distributed back-end (BE) system running on PC's and different front-end (FE) systems. The implementation of the BE will he achieved with a commercial supervisory control and data acquisition system (SCADA) and the FE instrumentation will consist on a wide variety of equipment. The connection between the FE and BE is provided by fieldbus or L

Cathodal transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) applied to the left premotor cortex (PMC) stabilizes a newly learned motor sequence.

Science.gov (United States)

Focke, Jan; Kemmet, Sylvia; Krause, Vanessa; Keitel, Ariane; Pollok, Bettina

2017-01-01

While the primary motor cortex (M1) is involved in the acquisition the premotor cortex (PMC) has been related to over-night consolidation of a newly learned motor skill. The present study aims at investigating the possible contribution of the left PMC for the stabilization of a motor sequence immediately after acquisition as determined by susceptibility to interference. Thirty six healthy volunteers received anodal, cathodal and sham transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) to the left PMC either immediately prior to or during training on a serial reaction time task (SRTT) with the right hand. TDCS was applied for 10min, respectively. Reaction times were measured prior to training (t1), at the end of training (t2), and after presentation of an interfering random pattern (t3). Beyond interference from learning, the random pattern served as control condition in order to estimate general effects of tDCS on reaction times. TDCS applied during SRTT training did not result in any significant effects neither on acquisition nor on susceptibility to interference. In contrast to this, tDCS prior to SRTT training yielded an unspecific facilitation of reaction times at t2 independent of tDCS polarity. At t3, reduced susceptibility to interference was found following cathodal stimulation. The results suggest the involvement of the PMC in early consolidation and reveal a piece of evidence for the hypothesis that behavioral tDCS effects vary with the activation state of the stimulated area. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier B.V.

An Online Interactive Competition Model for E-Learning System ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

An Online Interactive Competition Model for E-Learning System. ... A working prototype of the system was developed using MySQL Database Management System (DBMS), PHP as the scripting language and Apache as the web server. The system was tested and the results were presented graphically in this paper.

Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation in Tinnitus Patients: A Systemic Review and Meta-Analysis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jae-Jin Song

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Although transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS has already been used to manage tinnitus patients, paucity of reports and variations in protocols preclude a comprehensive understanding. Hence, we conducted a meta-analysis based on systemic review to assess effectiveness of tDCS in tinnitus management and to compare stimulation parameters. PubMed was searched for tDCS studies in tinnitus. For randomized controlled trials (RCTs, a meta-analysis was performed. A total of 17 studies were identified and 6 of them were included in the systemic review and 2 RCTs were included in the meta-analysis. Overall 39.5% responded to active tDCS with a mean tinnitus intensity reduction of 13.5%. Additionally, left temporal area (LTA and bifrontal tDCS indicated comparable results. Active tDCS was found to be more effective than sham tDCS for tinnitus intensity reduction (Hedges' g=.77, 95% confidence interval 0.23–1.31. The efficacy of tDCS in tinnitus could not be fully confirmed by the current study because of the limited number of studies, but all studies included in the current systemic review and meta-analysis demonstrated significant tinnitus intensity improvement. Therefore, tDCS may be a promising tool for tinnitus management. Future RCTs in a large series regarding the efficacy as well as the comparison between LTA- and bifrontal tDCS are recommended.

On-line test of power distribution prediction system for boiling water reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nishizawa, Y.; Kiguchi, T.; Kobayashi, S.; Takumi, K.; Tanaka, H.; Tsutsumi, R.; Yokomi, M.

1982-01-01

A power distribution prediction system for boiling water reactors has been developed and its on-line performance test has proceeded at an operating commercial reactor. This system predicts the power distribution or thermal margin in advance of control rod operations and core flow rate change. This system consists of an on-line computer system, an operator's console with a color cathode-ray tube, and plant data input devices. The main functions of this system are present power distribution monitoring, power distribution prediction, and power-up trajectory prediction. The calculation method is based on a simplified nuclear thermal-hydraulic calculation, which is combined with a method of model identification to the actual reactor core state. It has been ascertained by the on-line test that the predicted power distribution (readings of traversing in-core probe) agrees with the measured data within 6% root-mean-square. The computing time required for one prediction calculation step is less than or equal to 1.5 min by an HIDIC-80 on-line computer

The Bochum on-line data acquisition system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Paul, H.J.; Freiesleben, H.

1986-01-01

We describe an on-line data acquisition system based on a PDP 11 computer with CAMAC hardware. The software fully exploits the real-time features of the RSX-11M operating system. The basic characteristics of the program package, mainly written in FORTRAN 77, are: multitasking, shared common blocks, dynamical access to CAMAC hardware and data, and command orientated user interface. The system is particularly tailored for data acquisition in list mode of up to 64 parameters. (orig.)

A Conceptual Framework for Evolving, Recommender Online Learning Systems

Science.gov (United States)

Peiris, K. Dharini Amitha; Gallupe, R. Brent

2012-01-01

A comprehensive conceptual framework is developed and described for evolving recommender-driven online learning systems (ROLS). This framework describes how such systems can support students, course authors, course instructors, systems administrators, and policy makers in developing and using these ROLS. The design science information systems…

Repeated mapping of cortical language sites by preoperative navigated transcranial magnetic stimulation compared to repeated intraoperative DCS mapping in awake craniotomy

Science.gov (United States)

2014-01-01

Background Repetitive navigated transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) was recently described for mapping of human language areas. However, its capability of detecting language plasticity in brain tumor patients was not proven up to now. Thus, this study was designed to evaluate such data in order to compare rTMS language mapping to language mapping during repeated awake surgery during follow-up in patients suffering from language-eloquent gliomas. Methods Three right-handed patients with left-sided gliomas (2 opercular glioblastomas, 1 astrocytoma WHO grade III of the angular gyrus) underwent preoperative language mapping by rTMS as well as intraoperative language mapping provided via direct cortical stimulation (DCS) for initial as well as for repeated Resection 7, 10, and 15 months later. Results Overall, preoperative rTMS was able to elicit clear language errors in all mappings. A good correlation between initial rTMS and DCS results was observed. As a consequence of brain plasticity, initial DCS and rTMS findings only corresponded with the results obtained during the second examination in one out of three patients thus suggesting changes of language organization in two of our three patients. Conclusions This report points out the usefulness but also the limitations of preoperative rTMS language mapping to detect plastic changes in language function or for long-term follow-up prior to DCS even in recurrent gliomas. However, DCS still has to be regarded as gold standard. PMID:24479694

Effects of a common transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) protocol on motor evoked potentials found to be highly variable within individuals over 9 testing sessions.

Science.gov (United States)

Horvath, Jared Cooney; Vogrin, Simon J; Carter, Olivia; Cook, Mark J; Forte, Jason D

2016-09-01

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) uses a weak electric current to modulate neuronal activity. A neurophysiologic outcome measure to demonstrate reliable tDCS modulation at the group level is transcranial magnetic stimulation engendered motor evoked potentials (MEPs). Here, we conduct a study testing the reliability of individual MEP response patterns following a common tDCS protocol. Fourteen participants (7m/7f) each underwent nine randomized sessions of 1 mA, 10 min tDCS (3 anode; 3 cathode; 3 sham) delivered using an M1/orbito-frontal electrode montage (sessions separated by an average of ~5.5 days). Fifteen MEPs were obtained prior to, immediately following and in 5 min intervals for 30 min following tDCS. TMS was delivered at 130 % resting motor threshold using neuronavigation to ensure consistent coil localization. A number of non-experimental variables were collected during each session. At the individual level, considerable variability was seen among different testing sessions. No participant demonstrated an excitatory response ≥20 % to all three anodal sessions, and no participant demonstrated an inhibitory response ≥20 % to all three cathodal sessions. Intra-class correlation revealed poor anodal and cathodal test-retest reliability [anode: ICC(2,1) = 0.062; cathode: ICC(2,1) = 0.055] and moderate sham test-retest reliability [ICC(2,1) = 0.433]. Results also revealed no significant effect of tDCS at the group level. Using this common protocol, we found the effects of tDCS on MEP amplitudes to be highly variable at the individual level. In addition, no significant effects of tDCS on MEP amplitude were found at the group level. Future studies should consider utilizing a more strict experimental protocol to potentially account for intra-individual response variations.

Modernization of control system using the digital control system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Carrasco, J. A.; Fernandez, L.; Jimenez, A.

2002-01-01

Nowadays, all plant automation tendencies are based on the use of Digital Control System. In big industrial plants the control systems employed are Distributed Control Systems (DCS). The addition of these systems in nuclear power plants,implies an important adaptation process, because most of them were installed using analog control systems. This paper presents the objectives and the first results obtained, in a modernization project, focused in obtaining an engineering platform for making test and analysis of changes prior to their implementation in a nuclear plant. Modernization, Upgrade, DCS, Automation, Simulation, Training. (Author)

Performance analysis of online health care system | Kohli ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

This paper deals with selection of appropriate indexing techniques applied on MySQL database for a health care system and its related performance issues. The proposed Smart Card based Online Health Care System deals with frequent data storage, exchange and retrieval of data from the database servers. Speed and ...

Cathodal Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) to the Right Cerebellar Hemisphere Affects Motor Adaptation During Gait.

Science.gov (United States)

Fernandez, Lara; Albein-Urios, Natalia; Kirkovski, Melissa; McGinley, Jennifer L; Murphy, Anna T; Hyde, Christian; Stokes, Mark A; Rinehart, Nicole J; Enticott, Peter G

2017-02-01

The cerebellum appears to play a key role in the development of internal rules that allow fast, predictive adjustments to novel stimuli. This is crucial for adaptive motor processes, such as those involved in walking, where cerebellar dysfunction has been found to increase variability in gait parameters. Motor adaptation is a process that results in a progressive reduction in errors as movements are adjusted to meet demands, and within the cerebellum, this seems to be localised primarily within the right hemisphere. To examine the role of the right cerebellar hemisphere in adaptive gait, cathodal transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) was administered to the right cerebellar hemisphere of 14 healthy adults in a randomised, double-blind, crossover study. Adaptation to a series of distinct spatial and temporal templates was assessed across tDCS condition via a pressure-sensitive gait mat (ProtoKinetics Zeno walkway), on which participants walked with an induced 'limp' at a non-preferred pace. Variability was assessed across key spatial-temporal gait parameters. It was hypothesised that cathodal tDCS to the right cerebellar hemisphere would disrupt adaptation to the templates, reflected in a failure to reduce variability following stimulation. In partial support, adaptation was disrupted following tDCS on one of the four spatial-temporal templates used. However, there was no evidence for general effects on either the spatial or temporal domain. This suggests, under specific conditions, a coupling of spatial and temporal processing in the right cerebellar hemisphere and highlights the potential importance of task complexity in cerebellar function.

Beach Advisory and Closing Online Notification (BEACON) system

Data.gov (United States)

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency — Beach Advisory and Closing Online Notification system (BEACON) is a colletion of state and local data reported to EPA about beach closings and advisories. BEACON is...

Connectivity between Right Inferior Frontal Gyrus and Supplementary Motor Area Predicts After-Effects of Right Frontal Cathodal tDCS on Picture Naming Speed

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rosso, Charlotte; Valabregue, R.; Arbizy, C.

2014-01-01

Background: Cathodal transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) of the right frontal cortex improves language abilities in post-stroke aphasic patients. Yet little is known about the effects of right frontal cathodal tDCS on normal language function. Objective/hypothesis: To explore the catho...

Thinking Cap Plus Thinking Zap: tDCS of Frontopolar Cortex Improves Creative Analogical Reasoning and Facilitates Conscious Augmentation of State Creativity in Verb Generation.

Science.gov (United States)

Green, Adam E; Spiegel, Katherine A; Giangrande, Evan J; Weinberger, Adam B; Gallagher, Natalie M; Turkeltaub, Peter E

2017-04-01

Recent neuroimaging evidence indicates neural mechanisms that support transient improvements in creative performance (augmented state creativity) in response to cognitive interventions (creativity cueing). Separately, neural interventions via tDCS show encouraging potential for modulating neuronal function during creative performance. If cognitive and neural interventions are separately effective, can they be combined? Does state creativity augmentation represent "real" creativity, or do interventions simply yield divergence by diminishing meaningfulness/appropriateness? Can augmenting state creativity bolster creative reasoning that supports innovation, particularly analogical reasoning? To address these questions, we combined tDCS with creativity cueing. Testing a regionally specific hypothesis from neuroimaging, high-definition tDCS-targeted frontopolar cortex activity recently shown to predict state creativity augmentation. In a novel analogy finding task, participants under tDCS formulated substantially more creative analogical connections in a large matrix search space (creativity indexed via latent semantic analysis). Critically, increased analogical creativity was not due to diminished accuracy in discerning valid analogies, indicating "real" creativity rather than inappropriate divergence. A simpler relational creativity paradigm (modified verb generation) revealed a tDCS-by-cue interaction; tDCS further enhanced creativity cue-related increases in semantic distance. Findings point to the potential of noninvasive neuromodulation to enhance creative relational cognition, including augmentation of the deliberate effort to formulate connections between distant concepts. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Theories of inter-hemispheric interactions in aphasia: the role of tDCS in rehabilitation of post-stroke aphasia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Roy H Hamilton

2014-04-01

. Based on our prior findings using functional imaging meta-analysis and TMS in patients with aphasia1-2, we will make the case that these mechanisms are not mutually exclusive, and that multiple patterns of plastic change in language systems are observed across and even within individuals with aphasia. We will then the review the growing body of literature in which tDCS has been explored as a treatment for aphasia and argue that the heterogeneity of stimulation approaches speaks to the influence of multiple mechanisms of language plasticity. Moreover, based on our initial findings in a pilot study of tDCS in persons with chronic nonfluent aphasia3, we will argue that current and future approaches to aphasia treatment with tDCS should focus on identifying the influence of different mechanisms of aphasia recovery at the individual level. Future studies in this area will need to determine the relationship between clinical features such as lesion size, lesion distribution, and aphasia symptomotology and the hemispheric neuroplastic mechanisms that individual patients will preferentially employ to recover language ability, in order to optimally modulate these mechanisms using brain stimulation.

Modular Online Uninterruptible Power System Plug’n’Play Control and Stability Analysis

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Zhang, Chi; Coelho, Ernane A. A.; Guerrero, Josep M.

2016-01-01

In this paper, a plug`n'play control strategy proposed for modular online UPS system is presented, which allows to plug the UPS modules in or out randomly. This provides a less difficulty for the maintenance of the whole system. A two-level control scheme was proposed, including local controllers...... to achieve active and reactive power sharing and central controllers to maintain synchronization capability, which allows the online UPS modular system having faster dynamic performance according to the Standard IEC 62040-3. A detailed small signal mathematical model was developed in order to analyze...... the proposed modular online UPS system. Experimental results and data are presented to validate the stability analysis and support the proposed plug`n'play control feasibility....

FORESTRY COMPANY SATISFACTION TOWARDS ONLINE INFORMATION SYSTEM IMPLEMENTATION OF FOREST PRODUCT MANAGEMENT (SI-PUHH

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mangatas Simanjuntak

2016-01-01

Full Text Available This research was conducted with the aim 1 to analyze gaps that occurs between perception and expectations of the company implementation of SI-PUHH Online, 2 to analyze the level of satisfaction of the company implementation of SI-PUHH Online 3 Formulate a strategy to improve the quality of service implementation PUHH Information System Online. Analysis of the data used is the Importance Performance Analysis (IPA and the Customer Satisfaction Index (CSI. The results showed that there are five attributes that considered important in determining customer satisfaction. These five attributes are: 1 System Online has a server that is up to date with internet bandwidth that is large so it is not easy down and can be accessed quickly; 2 response rapid administrator/operator; 3 accurate data in accordance with entrian company; 4 There is a backup server; and 5 Officer SI-Online PUHH always willing to help. The fifth attribute is an attribute that has a high level of importance, but in its implementation or performance is still unsatisfactory. Customer Satisfaction Index (CSI on the implementation of this SIPUHH Online amounted to 72,07%, meaning that customers "satisfied" on the performance of services carried out by the Ministry of Environment and Forestry, but must maintain and improve the performance SERVQUAL PUHH Information System Online is to be able to satisfy the users company PUHH Information System Online.Keywords: SI-PUHH Online, SERVQUAL, IPA, CSI

Online Scheduling in Distributed Message Converter Systems

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Risse, Thomas; Wombacher, Andreas; Surridge, Mike; Taylor, Steve; Aberer, Karl

The optimal distribution of jobs among hosts in distributed environments is an important factor to achieve high performance. The optimal strategy depends on the application. In this paper we present a new online scheduling strategy for distributed EDI converter system. The strategy is based on the

Focused transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) over the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex modulates specific domains of self-regulation.

Science.gov (United States)

Pripfl, Jürgen; Lamm, Claus

2015-02-01

Recent neuroscience theories suggest that different kinds of self-regulation may share a common psychobiological mechanism. However, empirical evidence for a domain general self-regulation mechanism is scarce. The aim of this study was to investigate whether focused anodal transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), facilitating the activity of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC), acts on a domain general self-regulation mechanism and thus modulates both affective and appetitive self-regulation. Twenty smokers participated in this within-subject sham controlled study. Effects of anodal left, anodal right and sham tDCS over the dlPFC on affective picture appraisal and nicotine craving-cue appraisal were assessed. Anodal right tDCS over the dlPFC reduced negative affect in emotion appraisal, but neither modulated regulation of positive emotion appraisal nor of craving appraisal. Anodal left stimulation did not induce any significant effects. The results of our study show that domain specific self-regulation networks are at work in the prefrontal cortex. Focused tDCS modulation of this specific self-regulation network could probably be used during the first phase of nicotine abstinence, during which negative affect might easily result in relapse. These findings have implications for neuroscience models of self-regulation and are of relevance for the development of brain stimulation based treatment methods for neuropsychiatric disorders associated with self-regulation deficits. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd and the Japan Neuroscience Society. All rights reserved.

Online thesis guidance management information system

Science.gov (United States)

Nasution, T. H.; Pratama, F.; Tanjung, K.; Siregar, I.; Amalia, A.

2018-03-01

The development of internet technology in education is still not maximized, especially in the process of thesis guidance between students and lecturers. Difficulties met the lecturers to help students during thesis guidance is the limited communication time and the compatibility of schedule between students and lecturer. To solve this problem, we designed an online thesis guidance management information system that helps students and lecturers to do thesis tutoring process anytime, anywhere. The system consists of a web-based admin app for usage management and an android-based app for students and lecturers.

An Information System to Access Status Information of the LHCb Online

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Frank, M; Gaspar, C

2012-01-01

The LHCb collaboration consists of roughly 700 physicists from 52 institutes and universities. Most of the collaborating physicists - including subdetector experts - are not permanently based at CERN. This paper describes the architecture used to publish data internal to the LHCb experiment control- and data acquisition system to the World Wide Web. Collaborators can access the online (sub-) system status and the system performance directly from the institute abroad, from home or from a smart phone without the need of direct access to the online computing infrastructure.

A new electrostatic on-line collection-system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dufour, J.P.; Del Moral, R.; Fleury, A.

1981-06-01

The working conditions of a new on-line electrostatic collection system are presented. The main charactersitics are high efficiency (reaching 20%) and short delay time (down to the millisecond). The salient features of specific devices for measurements of absolute cross sections, recoil range distributions and angular distributions are given

ORION - the OMEGA Remote Interactive On-line System

CERN Document Server

Russell, R D; Krieger, M

1973-01-01

ORION is a system which permits the manipulation of files, records and characters, remote job submittal and retrieval of output files including the direct loading of remote on-line computers. The system uses the computer hardware of the OMEGA project at CERN, and is designed to assist researchers in development and debugging of their programs.

The Behavioral Effects of tDCS on Visual Search Performance Are Not Influenced by the Location of the Reference Electrode

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Amanda Ellison

2017-09-01

Full Text Available We investigated the role of reference electrode placement (ipsilateral v contralateral frontal pole on conjunction visual search task performance when the transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS cathode is placed over right posterior parietal cortex (rPPC and over right frontal eye fields (rFEF, both of which have been shown to be causally involved in the processing of this task using TMS. This resulted in four experimental manipulations in which sham tDCS was applied in week one followed by active tDCS the following week. Another group received sham stimulation in both sessions to investigate practice effects over 1 week in this task. Results show that there is no difference between effects seen when the anode is placed ipsi or contralaterally. Cathodal stimulation of rPPC increased search times straight after stimulation similarly for ipsi and contralateral references. This finding does not extend to rFEF stimulation. However, for both sites and both montages, practice effects as seen in the sham/sham condition were negated. This can be taken as evidence that for this task, reference placement on either frontal pole is not important, but also that care needs to be taken when contextualizing tDCS “effects” that may not be immediately apparent particularly in between-participant designs.

Online Voting System Based on Image Steganography and Visual Cryptography

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Biju Issac

2017-01-01

Full Text Available This paper discusses the implementation of an online voting system based on image steganography and visual cryptography. The system was implemented in Java EE on a web-based interface, with MySQL database server and Glassfish application server as the backend. After considering the requirements of an online voting system, current technologies on electronic voting schemes in published literature were examined. Next, the cryptographic and steganography techniques best suited for the requirements of the voting system were chosen, and the software was implemented. We have incorporated in our system techniques like the password hashed based scheme, visual cryptography, F5 image steganography and threshold decryption cryptosystem. The analysis, design and implementation phase of the software development of the voting system is discussed in detail. We have also used a questionnaire survey and did the user acceptance testing of the system.

tDCS combined with optokinetic drift reduces egocentric neglect in severely impaired post-acute patients.

Science.gov (United States)

Turgut, Nergiz; Miranda, Marcela; Kastrup, Andreas; Eling, Paul; Hildebrandt, Helmut

2018-06-01

Visuospatial neglect is a disabling syndrome resulting in impaired activities of daily living and in longer durations of inpatient rehabilitation. Effective interventions to remediate neglect are still needed. The combination of tDCS and an optokinetic task might qualify as a treatment method. A total of 32 post-acute patients with left (n = 20) or right-sided neglect were allotted to an intervention or a control group (both groups n = 16). The intervention group received eight sessions of 1.5-2.0 mA parietal transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) during the performance of an optokinetic task distributed over two weeks. Additionally they received standard therapy for five hours per day. The control group received only the standard therapy. Patients were examined twice before (with 3-4 days between examinations) and twice after treatment (5-6 days between examinations). Compared to the control group and controlling for spontaneous remission, the intervention group improved on spontaneous body orientation and the Clock Drawing Test. Intragroup comparisons showed broad improvements on egocentric but not on allocentric symptoms only for the intervention group. A short additional application of tDCS during an optokinetic task led to improvements of severe neglect compared to a standard neurological early rehabilitation treatment. Improvements seem to concern primarily egocentric rather than allocentric neglect.

Development of environmental education system using online element analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Niizeki, T.; Yoshihara, T.; Tsuchiya, K.; Kawasaki, K.; Komiya, K.

2007-01-01

We have constructed a network system which enables one to access and analyze environmental data obtained at different and distant laboratories. As a preliminary feasibility test of the system, we studied the elements in the water of the Tesio River using PIXE and ion chromatography. Students used the data online to carry out analysis via internet. We found two factors with different features in calcium from the factor analysis. The comparison of the specific result and relevant geology information has revealed a remarkable presence of Ca 2+ which might come from dissolution of limestone in the upper Tesio River. PIXE data gave crucial information to draw such a conclusion. The present system has been found useful in environmental education in universities, online sharing of PIXE data in particular. (author)

Spared Primary Motor Cortex and the Presence of MEP in Cerebral Palsy Dictate the Responsiveness to tDCS During Gait Training

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Luanda Collange Grecco

2016-07-01

Full Text Available The current priority of investigations involving transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS and neurorehabilitation is to identify biomarkers associated with the positive results of the interventions such that respondent and non-respondent patients can be identified in the early phases of treatment. The aims were to determine whether; 1 present motor evoked potential (MEP and, 2 injuries involving the primary motor cortex, are associated with tDCS-enhancement in functional outcome following gait training in children with cerebral palsy (CP. We reviewed the data from our parallel, randomized, sham-controlled, double-blind studies. Fifty-six children with spastic CP received gait training (either treadmill training or virtual reality training and tDCS (active or sham. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were employed to identify clinical, neurophysiologic and neuroanatomic predictors associated with the responsiveness to treatment with tDCS. MEP presence during the initial evaluation and the subcortical injury were associated with positive effects in the functional results. The logistic regression revealed that present MEP was a significant predictor for the six-minute walk test (p=0.003 and gait speed (p=0.028, whereas the subcortical injury was a significant predictor of gait kinematics (p=0.013 and gross motor function (p = 0.021. In this preliminary study involving children with CP, two important prediction factors of good responses to anodal tDCS combined with gait training were identified. Apparently, MEP (integrity of the corticospinal tract and subcortical location of the brain injury exerted different influences on aspects related to gait, such as velocity and kinematics.

Development of an online preparation system for multitracer solutions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kasamatsu, Yoshitaka [Graduate School of Science, Osaka University, Toyonaka, Osaka 560-0043 (Japan); Advanced Science Research Center, Japan Atomic Energy Agency, Tokai, Ibaraki 319-1195 (Japan)], E-mail: kasamatsu.yoshitaka@jaea.go.jp; Yatsukawa, Makoto; Sato, Wataru; Ninomiya, Kazuhiko; Ohki, Toshihiro; Takahashi, Naruto [Graduate School of Science, Osaka University, Toyonaka, Osaka 560-0043 (Japan); Yokoyama, Akihiko [Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, Ishikawa 920-1192 (Japan); Kikunaga, Hidetoshi [Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, Ishikawa 920-1192 (Japan); RIKEN, Wako, Saitama 351-0198 (Japan); Kinoshita, Norikazu [Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, Ishikawa 920-1192 (Japan); Shibata, Sadao [Nuclear Safety Technology Center, Rokkasho, Aomori 039-3212 (Japan); Shinohara, Atsushi [Graduate School of Science, Osaka University, Toyonaka, Osaka 560-0043 (Japan)

2008-03-15

We have developed a new target-irradiation system for the online preparation of multitracer solutions, where the nuclear-reaction products recoiling out of the target are directly implanted in a solvent as a liquid catcher. A rapid online transportation of the solution has enabled highly efficient recovery of the multitracer solutions having even short-lived radioactive isotopes without any chemical treatments. It has been suggested that the collection efficiency depends on the chemical properties of the recoil elements.

Development of an online preparation system for multitracer solutions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kasamatsu, Yoshitaka; Yatsukawa, Makoto; Sato, Wataru; Ninomiya, Kazuhiko; Ohki, Toshihiro; Takahashi, Naruto; Yokoyama, Akihiko; Kikunaga, Hidetoshi; Kinoshita, Norikazu; Shibata, Sadao; Shinohara, Atsushi

2008-01-01

We have developed a new target-irradiation system for the online preparation of multitracer solutions, where the nuclear-reaction products recoiling out of the target are directly implanted in a solvent as a liquid catcher. A rapid online transportation of the solution has enabled highly efficient recovery of the multitracer solutions having even short-lived radioactive isotopes without any chemical treatments. It has been suggested that the collection efficiency depends on the chemical properties of the recoil elements

Online remote radiological monitoring during operation of Advance Vitrification System (AVS), Tarapur

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Deokar, U.V.; Kulkarni, V.V.; Mathew, P.; Khot, A.R.; Singh, K.K.; Kamlesh; Deshpande, M.D.; Kulkarni, Y.

2010-01-01

Advanced Vitrification System (AVS) is commissioned for vitrification of high level waste (HLW) by using Joule heated ceramic melter first time in India. The HLW is generated in fuel reprocessing plant. For radiological surveillance of plant, Health Physics Unit (HPU) had installed 37 Area Gamma Monitors (AGM), 7 Continuous Air Monitors (CAM) and all types of personal contamination monitors. Exposure control is a major concern in operating plant. Therefore in addition to installed monitors, we have developed online remote radiation monitoring system to minimize exposures to the surveyor and operator. This also helped in volume reduction of secondary waste. The reliability and accuracy of the online monitoring system is confirmed by calibrating the system by comparing TLD and DRD readings and by theoretical analysis. In addition some modifications were carried in HP instruments to make them user friendly. This paper summarizes different kinds of remote radiological monitoring systems installed for online monitoring of Melter off Gas (MOG) filter, Hood filter, three exhaust filter banks, annulus air sampling and over pack monitoring in AVS. Our online remote monitoring system has helped the plant management to plan in advance for replacement of these filters, which resulted in considerable saving of collective dose. (author)

A new electrostatic on-line collection-system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dufour, J.P.; Del Moral, R.; Fleury, A.; Hubert, F.; Llabador, Y.; Mauhourat, M.B.; Bimbot, R.; Gardes, D.; Rivet, M.F.

1981-01-01

The working conditions of a new on-line electrostatic collection system are presented. The main characteristics are high efficiency (reaching 20%) and short delay time (down to the millisecond). The salient features of specific devices for measurements of absolute cross sections, recoil range distributions and angular distributions are given. (orig.)

ORION-the Omega Remote Interactive On-line System

CERN Document Server

Russell, R D; Levratt, B; Lipps, H; Sparrman, P

1974-01-01

ORION is a system which permits the manipulation of files, records and characters, remote job submittal and retrieval of output files including the direct loading of remote on-line computers. The system uses the computer hardware of the OMEGA project at CERN and is designed to assist researchers in development and debugging of their programs. (10 refs).

An image-guided transcranial direct current stimulation system: a pilot phantom study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jung, Young-Jin; Kim, Jung-Hoon; Kim, Daejeong; Im, Chang-Hwan

2013-01-01

In this study, an image-guided transcranial direct current stimulation (IG-tDCS) system that can deliver an increased stimulation current to a target brain area without the need to adjust the location of an active electrode was implemented. This IG-tDCS system was based on the array-type tDCS concept, which was validated through computer simulations in a previous study. Unlike a previous study, the present IG-tDCS system adopts a single reference electrode and an active electrode array consisting of 16 (4 × 4) sub-electrodes. The proposed IG-tDCS system is capable of shaping current flow inside the human head by controlling the input currents of the arrayed electrodes. Once a target brain area has been selected, the optimal injection current of each arrayed sub-electrode is evaluated automatically using a genetic algorithm in order to deliver the maximum available current to the target area. The operation of our pilot system was confirmed through a simple phantom experiment. (paper)

Using Transcranial tDCS to test cognitive hypotheses

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nazbanou Nozari

2014-04-01

Full Text Available Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS is used increasingly often for testing cognitive hypotheses. It is, however, often ignored that many assumptions regarding how the neural tissue reacts to stimulation have only been verified in the motor domain. Extrapolating these assumptions to the cognitive domain has a set of unique issues which, if ignored, can lead to incorrect interpretations. In this talk I will review a number of common pitfalls in using tDCS for testing a cognitive hypothesis, and discuss some solutions for better-controlled designs. I will address the following issues: 1- Making an incorrect assumption about the nature of the effect: It is often assumed that anodal stimulation has “excitatory” and cathodal stimulation has “inhibitory” effects. Results are then interpreted in light of this assumption. Obviously, if the assumption is incorrect, the interpretation of the results too will be incorrect. I will discuss how the effects of polarity can change as a function of a number of design parameters, and the dangers of making a priori assumptions about the direction of stimulation effects, especially when employing a new design. 2- Choosing an inappropriate montage: By definition, tDCS requires two electrodes, although we are often only interested in stimulating one brain region. Where the second (reference electrode is placed may not be of theoretical interest to us, but it can have serious consequences for our effects of interest. For one thing the path of the direct current changes as a function of where the reference electrode is placed. This affects the density of the current, as well as the regions that undergo stimulation. Moreover, the region directly under the reference electrode is very likely to be affected by stimulation. Therefore, sometimes the changes in behavior may be due to the unanticipated effects at the reference electrode site, as opposed to the hypothesized effects at the target electrode site

Information filtering in sparse online systems: recommendation via semi-local diffusion.

Science.gov (United States)

Zeng, Wei; Zeng, An; Shang, Ming-Sheng; Zhang, Yi-Cheng

2013-01-01

With the rapid growth of the Internet and overwhelming amount of information and choices that people are confronted with, recommender systems have been developed to effectively support users' decision-making process in the online systems. However, many recommendation algorithms suffer from the data sparsity problem, i.e. the user-object bipartite networks are so sparse that algorithms cannot accurately recommend objects for users. This data sparsity problem makes many well-known recommendation algorithms perform poorly. To solve the problem, we propose a recommendation algorithm based on the semi-local diffusion process on the user-object bipartite network. The simulation results on two sparse datasets, Amazon and Bookcross, show that our method significantly outperforms the state-of-the-art methods especially for those small-degree users. Two personalized semi-local diffusion methods are proposed which further improve the recommendation accuracy. Finally, our work indicates that sparse online systems are essentially different from the dense online systems, so it is necessary to reexamine former algorithms and conclusions based on dense data in sparse systems.

The impact of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) combined with modified constraint-induced movement therapy (mCIMT) on upper limb function in chronic stroke: a double-blind randomized controlled trial.

Science.gov (United States)

Rocha, Sérgio; Silva, Evelyn; Foerster, Águida; Wiesiolek, Carine; Chagas, Anna Paula; Machado, Giselle; Baltar, Adriana; Monte-Silva, Katia

2016-01-01

This pilot double-blind sham-controlled randomized trial aimed to determine if the addition of anodal tDCS on the affected hemisphere or cathodal tDCS on unaffected hemisphere to modified constraint-induced movement therapy (mCIMT) would be superior to constraints therapy alone in improving upper limb function in chronic stroke patients. Twenty-one patients with chronic stroke were randomly assigned to receive 12 sessions of either (i) anodal, (ii) cathodal or (iii) sham tDCS combined with mCIMT. Fugl-Meyer assessment (FMA), motor activity log scale (MAL), and handgrip strength were analyzed before, immediately, and 1 month (follow-up) after the treatment. Minimal clinically important difference (mCID) was defined as an increase of ≥5.25 in the upper limb FMA. An increase in the FMA scores between the baseline and post-intervention and follow-up for active tDCS group was observed, whereas no difference was observed in the sham group. At post-intervention and follow-up, when compared with the sham group, only the anodal tDCS group achieved an improvement in the FMA scores. ANOVA showed that all groups demonstrated similar improvement over time for MAL and handgrip strength. In the active tDCS groups, 7/7 (anodal tDCS) 5/7 (cathodal tDCS) of patients experienced mCID against 3/7 in the sham group. The results support the merit of association of mCIMT with brain stimulation to augment clinical gains in rehabilitation after stroke. However, the anodal tDCS seems to have greater impact than the cathodal tDCS in increasing the mCIMT effects on motor function of chronic stroke patients. The association of mCIMT with brain stimulation improves clinical gains in rehabilitation after stroke. The improvement in motor recovery (assessed by Fugl-Meyer scale) was only observed after anodal tDCS. The modulation of damaged hemisphere demonstrated greater improvements than the modulation of unaffected hemispheres.

DCS: A Case Study of Identification of Knowledge and Disposition Gaps Using Principles of Continuous Risk Management

Science.gov (United States)

Norcross, Jason; Steinberg, Susan; Kundrot, Craig; Charles, John

2011-01-01

The Human Research Program (HRP) is formulated around the program architecture of Evidence-Risk-Gap-Task-Deliverable. Review of accumulated evidence forms the basis for identification of high priority risks to human health and performance in space exploration. Gaps in knowledge or disposition are identified for each risk, and a portfolio of research tasks is developed to fill them. Deliverables from the tasks inform the evidence base with the ultimate goal of defining the level of risk and reducing it to an acceptable level. A comprehensive framework for gap identification, focus, and metrics has been developed based on principles of continuous risk management and clinical care. Research towards knowledge gaps improves understanding of the likelihood, consequence or timeframe of the risk. Disposition gaps include development of standards or requirements for risk acceptance, development of countermeasures or technology to mitigate the risk, and yearly technology assessment related to watching developments related to the risk. Standard concepts from clinical care: prevention, diagnosis, treatment, monitoring, rehabilitation, and surveillance, can be used to focus gaps dealing with risk mitigation. The research plan for the new HRP Risk of Decompression Sickness (DCS) used the framework to identify one disposition gap related to establishment of a DCS standard for acceptable risk, two knowledge gaps related to DCS phenomenon and mission attributes, and three mitigation gaps focused on prediction, prevention, and new technology watch. These gaps were organized in this manner primarily based on target for closure and ease of organizing interim metrics so that gap status could be quantified. Additional considerations for the knowledge gaps were that one was highly design reference mission specific and the other gap was focused on DCS phenomenon.

Ontological assumptions in techno-anthropological explorations of online dialogue through information systems

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Otrel-Cass, Kathrin; Andrule, Kristine

2015-01-01

With the widespread infusion of online technology there has been an increase in various studies investigating the practices in online communities including also philosophical perspectives. What those debates have in common is that they call for more critical thinking about the theory of online...... communication. Drawing on Techno-Anthropological research perspectives, our interest is placed on exploring and identifying human interactions and technology in intersectional spaces. This article explores information systems that allow for interchanges of different users. We discuss ontological assumptions...... that focus on understanding the kind of dialogue that can be captured between different expert groups when they utilize information systems. We present the notion of ‘dialogic’ by Mikhail Bakhtin and contextualize it through an analysis of online dialogue. Dialogic or ‘conversation and inquiry’ is discussed...

Anodal tDCS Over the Left DLPFC Did Not Affect the Encoding and Retrieval of Verbal Declarative Information

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Gabriel A. de Lara

2017-08-01

Full Text Available Several studies imply that anodal transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS over the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC can modulate the formation of verbal episodic memories. The aim of this study was to test if tDCS through a multi-electrode Laplacian montage over the left DLPFC could differentially modulate declarative memory performance depending on the application phase. Two groups of healthy participants (n = 2 × 15 received 1 mA anodal or sham stimulation for 20 min during the encoding or during the recall phase on a delayed cued-recall, using a randomized, double-blinded, repeated-measures experimental design. Memory performance was assessed at two time points: 10 min and 24 h after learning. We found no significant difference between anodal and sham stimulation with regard to the memory scores between conditions (stimulation during encoding or recall or between time points, suggesting that anodal tDCS over the left DLPFC with these stimulation parameters had no effect on the encoding and the consolidation of associative verbal content.

Controlling the Anchoring Effect through Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS to the Right Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex

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Jianbiao Li

2017-06-01

Full Text Available Selective accessibility mechanisms indicate that anchoring effects are results of selective retrieval of working memory. Neuroimaging studies have revealed that the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC is closely related to memory retrieval and performance. However, no research has investigated the effect of changing the cortical excitability in right DLPFC on anchoring effects. Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS can modulate the excitability of the human cerebral cortex, while anodal and cathodal tDCS are postulated to increase or decrease cortical activity, respectively. In this study, we used tDCS to investigate whether effects of increased or decreased right DLPFC excitability influence anchoring effects in willingness to pay (WTP experiments. Ninety participants were first randomly assigned to receive either anodal, cathodal, or sham stimulation of 15 min, then they performed a valuation task regarding WTP. The results showed that anchoring effects were negatively related to activities of right DLPFC: the anodal stimulation diminished anchoring effects while the cathodal stimulation increased anchoring effects. These outcomes provide one of the first instances of neural evidence for the role of the right DLPFC in anchoring effects and support psychological explanations of the selective accessibility mechanisms and cognitive sets.

Evidence that transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) generates little-to-no reliable neurophysiologic effect beyond MEP amplitude modulation in healthy human subjects: A systematic review.

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Horvath, Jared Cooney; Forte, Jason D; Carter, Olivia

2015-01-01

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a form of neuromodulation that is increasingly being utilized to examine and modify a number of cognitive and behavioral measures. The theoretical mechanisms by which tDCS generates these changes are predicated upon a rather large neurophysiological literature. However, a robust systematic review of this neurophysiological data has not yet been undertaken. tDCS data in healthy adults (18-50) from every neurophysiological outcome measure reported by at least two different research groups in the literature was collected. When possible, data was pooled and quantitatively analyzed to assess significance. When pooling was not possible, data was qualitatively compared to assess reliability. Of the 30 neurophysiological outcome measures reported by at least two different research groups, tDCS was found to have a reliable effect on only one: MEP amplitude. Interestingly, the magnitude of this effect has been significantly decreasing over the last 14 years. Our systematic review does not support the idea that tDCS has a reliable neurophysiological effect beyond MEP amplitude modulation - though important limitations of this review (and conclusion) are discussed. This work raises questions concerning the mechanistic foundations and general efficacy of this device - the implications of which extend to the steadily increasing tDCS psychological literature. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Laser systems for on-line laser ion sources

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Geppert, Christopher

2008-01-01

Since its initiation in the middle of the 1980s, the resonant ionization laser ion source has been established as a reliable and efficient on-line ion source for radioactive ion beams. In comparison to other on-line ion sources it comprises the advantages of high versatility for the elements to be ionized and of high selectivity and purity for the ion beam generated by resonant laser radiation. Dye laser systems have been the predominant and pioneering working horses for laser ion source applications up to recently, but the development of all-solid-state titanium:sapphire laser systems has nowadays initiated a significant evolution within this field. In this paper an overview of the ongoing developments will be given, which have contributed to the establishment of a number of new laser ion source facilities worldwide during the last five years.

STUDENTS’ ATTITUDES TOWARDS THE DEVELOPMENT OF AN ONLINE GUIDANCE COUNSELING SYSTEM

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John Audi Perillo Bato

2016-12-01

Full Text Available Information and communication technology (ICT impacts the guidance counseling services (GCS in many higher education institutions (HEIs. However, many HEIs are experiencing the digital gap most especially in bridging ICT and GCS. This paper aims to measure the attitudes towards the development of an online guidance counseling system in a private university in the Philippines. All respondents are tertiary students during the 1st semester of the academic year 2014-2015 in a total of 348. An adapted survey questionnaire was used. The study shows that despite the students underutilizing the GCS, these students show positive attitudes towards the proposed system. The result implies that these students are capable of adapting to an online environment as an alternative to a face-to-face counseling setup. Based on the results, developing an online guidance counseling system is a promising initiative for this university.

Status of the CMS Detector Control System

CERN Document Server

Bauer, Gerry; Bouffet, Olivier; Bowen, Matthew; Branson, James G; Bukowiec, Sebastian; Ciganek, Marek; Cittolin, Sergio; Jose Antonio Coarasa; Deldicque, Christian; Dobson, Marc; Dupont, Aymeric; Erhan, Samim; Flossdorf, Alexander; Gigi, Dominique; Glege, Frank; Gomez-Reino, Robert; Hartl, Christian; Hegeman, Jeroen; Holzner, André; Yi Ling Hwong; Masetti, Lorenzo; Meijers, Frans; Meschi, Emilio; Mommsen, Remigius K; O'Dell, Vivian; Orsini, Luciano; Paus, Christoph; Petrucci, Andrea; Pieri, Marco; Polese, Giovanni; Racz, Attila; Raginel, Olivier; Sakulin, Hannes; Sani, Matteo; Schwick, Christoph; Shpakov, Dennis; Simon, Michal; Andrei Cristian Spataru; Sumorok, Konstanty

2012-01-01

The Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS) is a CERN multi-purpose experiment that exploits the physics of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). The Detector Control System (DCS) ensures a safe, correct and efficient experiment operation, contributing to the recording of high quality physics data. The DCS is programmed to automatically react to the LHC operational mode. CMS sub-detectors' bias voltages are set depending on the machine mode and particle beam conditions. An operator provided with a small set of screens supervises the system status summarized from the approximately 6M monitored parameters. Using the experience of nearly two years of operation with beam the DCS automation software has been enhanced to increase the system efficiency by minimizing the time required by sub detectors to prepare for physics data taking. From the infrastructure point of view the DCS will be subject to extensive modifications in 2012. The current rack mounted control PCs will be exchanged by a redundant pair of DELL Blade systems. Thes...

Quantitative evaluation of patient-specific quality assurance using online dosimetry system

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Jung, Jae-Yong; Shin, Young-Ju; Sohn, Seung-Chang; Min, Jung-Whan; Kim, Yon-Lae; Kim, Dong-Su; Choe, Bo-Young; Suh, Tae-Suk

2018-01-01

In this study, we investigated the clinical performance of an online dosimetry system (Mobius FX system, MFX) by 1) dosimetric plan verification using gamma passing rates and dose volume metrics and 2) error-detection capability evaluation by deliberately introduced machine error. Eighteen volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) plans were studied. To evaluate the clinical performance of the MFX, we used gamma analysis and dose volume histogram (DVH) analysis. In addition, to evaluate the error-detection capability, we used gamma analysis and DVH analysis utilizing three types of deliberately introduced errors (Type 1: gantry angle-independent multi-leaf collimator (MLC) error, Type 2: gantry angle-dependent MLC error, and Type 3: gantry angle error). A dosimetric verification comparison of physical dosimetry system (Delt4PT) and online dosimetry system (MFX), gamma passing rates of the two dosimetry systems showed very good agreement with treatment planning system (TPS) calculation. For the average dose difference between the TPS calculation and the MFX measurement, most of the dose metrics showed good agreement within a tolerance of 3%. For the error-detection comparison of Delta4PT and MFX, the gamma passing rates of the two dosimetry systems did not meet the 90% acceptance criterion with the magnitude of error exceeding 2 mm and 1.5 ◦, respectively, for error plans of Types 1, 2, and 3. For delivery with all error types, the average dose difference of PTV due to error magnitude showed good agreement between calculated TPS and measured MFX within 1%. Overall, the results of the online dosimetry system showed very good agreement with those of the physical dosimetry system. Our results suggest that a log file-based online dosimetry system is a very suitable verification tool for accurate and efficient clinical routines for patient-specific quality assurance (QA).

Co-localization of a CD1d-binding glycolipid with a radiation-attenuated sporozoite vaccine in LN-resident DCs for a robust adjuvant effect

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Li, Xiangming; Kawamura, Akira; Andrews, Chasity D.; Miller, Jessica L.; Wu, Douglass; Tsao, Tiffany; Zhang, Min; Oren, Deena; Padte, Neal N.; Porcelli, Steven A.; Wong, Chi-Huey; Kappe, Stefan H. I.; Ho, David D.; Tsuji, Moriya

2015-01-01

A CD1d-binding glycolipid, α-Galactosylceramide (αGalCer), activates invariant natural killer T (iNKT) cells and acts as an adjuvant. We previously identified a fluorinated phenyl ring-modified αGalCer analog, 7DW8-5, displaying nearly 100-fold stronger CD1d binding affinity. In the present study, 7DW8-5 was found to exert a more potent adjuvant effect than αGalCer for a vaccine based on radiation-attenuated sporozoites (RAS) of a rodent malaria parasite, Plasmodium yoelii, also referred to as irradiated P. yoelii sporozoites (IrPySpz). 7DW8-5 had a superb adjuvant effect only when the glycolipid and IrPySpz were conjointly administered intramuscularly (i.m.). Therefore, we evaluated the impact of distinctly different biodistribution patterns of αGalCer and 7DW8-5 on their respective adjuvant activities. While both glycolipids induce a similar cytokine response in sera of mice injected intravenously, after i.m. injection, αGalCer induces a systemic cytokine response, whereas 7DW8-5 is locally trapped by CD1d expressed by dendritic cells (DCs) in draining lymph nodes (dLNs). Moreover, the i.m. co-administration of 7DW8-5 with IrPySpz results in the recruitment of DCs to dLNs and the activation and maturation of DCs. These events cause the potent adjuvant effect of 7DW8-5, resulting in the enhancement of the CD8+ T-cell response induced by IrPySpz, and, ultimately, improved protection against malaria. Our study is the first to show that the co-localization of a CD1d-binding iNKT-cell stimulatory glycolipid and a vaccine, like RAS, in dLN-resident DCs upon i.m. conjoin administration governs the potency of the adjuvant effect of the glycolipid. PMID:26254338

Activity Systems and Conflict Resolution in an Online Professional Communication Course

Science.gov (United States)

Walker, Kristin

2004-01-01

Conflicts often arise in online professional communication class discussions as students discuss sensitive ethical issues relating to the workplace. When conflicts arise in an online class, the activity system of the class has to be kept in balance for the course to continue functioning effectively. Activity theory and distributed learning theory…

PHENIX On-Line Distributed Computing System Architecture

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Desmond, Edmond; Haggerty, John; Kehayias, Hyon Joo; Purschke, Martin L.; Witzig, Chris; Kozlowski, Thomas

1997-01-01

PHENIX is one of the two large experiments at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) currently under construction at Brookhaven National Laboratory. The detector consists of 11 sub-detectors, that are further subdivided into 29 units (''granules'') that can be operated independently, which includes simultaneous data taking with independent data streams and independent triggers. The detector has 250,000 channels and is read out by front end modules, where the data is buffered in a pipeline while awaiting the level trigger decision. Zero suppression and calibration is done after the level accept in custom built data collection modules (DCMs) with DSPs before the data is sent to an event builder (design throughput of 2 Gb/sec) and higher level triggers. The On-line Computing Systems Group (ONCS) has two responsibilities. Firstly it is responsible for receiving the data from the event builder, routing it through a network of workstations to consumer processes and archiving it at a data rate of 20 MB/sec. Secondly it is also responsible for the overall configuration, control and operation of the detector and data acquisition chain, which comprises the software integration for several thousand custom built hardware modules. The software must furthermore support the independent operation of the above mentioned granules, which includes the coordination of processes that run in 60-100 VME processors and workstations. ONOS has adapted the Shlaer- Mellor Object Oriented Methodology for the design of the top layer software. CORBA is used as communication layer between the distributed objects, which are implemented as asynchronous finite state machines. We will give an overview of the PHENIX online system with the main focus on the system architecture, software components and integration tasks of the On-line Computing group ONCS and report on the status of the current prototypes

Cerebellum as a forward but not inverse model in visuomotor adaptation task: a tDCS-based and modeling study.

Science.gov (United States)

Yavari, Fatemeh; Mahdavi, Shirin; Towhidkhah, Farzad; Ahmadi-Pajouh, Mohammad-Ali; Ekhtiari, Hamed; Darainy, Mohammad

2016-04-01

Despite several pieces of evidence, which suggest that the human brain employs internal models for motor control and learning, the location of these models in the brain is not yet clear. In this study, we used transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) to manipulate right cerebellar function, while subjects adapt to a visuomotor task. We investigated the effect of this manipulation on the internal forward and inverse models by measuring two kinds of behavior: generalization of training in one direction to neighboring directions (as a proxy for inverse models) and localization of the hand position after movement without visual feedback (as a proxy for forward model). The experimental results showed no effect of cerebellar tDCS on generalization, but significant effect on localization. These observations support the idea that the cerebellum is a possible brain region for internal forward, but not inverse model formation. We also used a realistic human head model to calculate current density distribution in the brain. The result of this model confirmed the passage of current through the cerebellum. Moreover, to further explain some observed experimental results, we modeled the visuomotor adaptation process with the help of a biologically inspired method known as population coding. The effect of tDCS was also incorporated in the model. The results of this modeling study closely match our experimental data and provide further evidence in line with the idea that tDCS manipulates FM's function in the cerebellum.

Effects of Anodal High-Definition Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation on Bilateral Sensorimotor Cortex Activation During Sequential Finger Movements: An fNIRS Study.

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Muthalib, Makii; Besson, Pierre; Rothwell, John; Ward, Tomas; Perrey, Stephane

2016-01-01

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a non-invasive electrical brain stimulation technique that can modulate cortical neuronal excitability and activity. This study utilized functional near infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) neuroimaging to determine the effects of anodal high-definition (HD)-tDCS on bilateral sensorimotor cortex (SMC) activation. Before (Pre), during (Online), and after (Offline) anodal HD-tDCS (2 mA, 20 min) targeting the left SMC, eight healthy subjects performed a simple finger sequence (SFS) task with their right or left hand in an alternating blocked design (30-s rest and 30-s SFS task, repeated five times). In order to determine the level of bilateral SMC activation during the SFS task, an Oxymon MkIII fNIRS system was used to measure from the left and right SMC, changes in oxygenated (O2Hb) and deoxygenated (HHb) haemoglobin concentration values. The fNIRS data suggests a finding that compared to the Pre condition both the "Online" and "Offline" anodal HD-tDCS conditions induced a significant reduction in bilateral SMC activation (i.e., smaller decrease in HHb) for a similar motor output (i.e., SFS tap rate). These findings could be related to anodal HD-tDCS inducing a greater efficiency of neuronal transmission in the bilateral SMC to perform the same SFS task.

Project development and commercialisation of on-line analysis systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Watt, J.S.

2000-01-01

A project team first in the Australian Atomic Energy Commission (AAEC) and since 1982 in CSIRO has developed many on-line analysis systems for the mineral and energy industries. The development of these projects, usually lasting 7-10 years, has followed a common pattern of laboratory R and D, field trials, commercialisation and technology transfer. This successful pattern is illustrated using examples of the development of systems for the on-line analysis of mineral slurries, for determination of the ash content of coal on conveyors, and for determination of the flow rates of oil, water and gas in pipelines. The first two systems, licensed to Australian companies, are used world-wide. They are now the market leaders for radioisotope gauges in their application field. The third, the multiphase flow meter, was licensed in 1997 to an international company. This meter has even greater potential than the other two systems for economic benefit from its use and for numbers of installations. (author)

The Design Concept and Realization of University Library’s Online Lecture System

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Duan Linbo

2017-01-01

Full Text Available The traditional library lectures are based on the physical space environment, which is problematic in terms of user needs analysis, time selection, and resource utilization, so that the value of the library unexploited.University library’s online lecture system adopts the three-tier architecture design pattern, which based on ASP.NET as the development platform and SQL Server as the back-end database, designing the system to solve the problems in the traditional library service.The design and implementation of the University library’s online lecture system broke the traditional library lecture mode, and further optimized the library service concept, improve the quality of service to meet the diverse needs of the user groups. Integrating online test, interactive question and answer, feedback mechanism to the system, the system has a good user experience, visual way to show the audience’s learning situation and other information, optimize the content and quality of services to make comments and suggestions.

Modulating the Activity of the DLPFC and OFC Has Distinct Effects on Risk and Ambiguity Decision-Making: A tDCS Study

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Xiaolan Yang

2017-08-01

Full Text Available Human beings are constantly exposed to two types of uncertainty situations, risk and ambiguity. Neuroscientific studies suggest that the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC and the orbital frontal cortex (OFC play significant roles in human decision making under uncertainty. We applied the transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS device to modulate the activity of participants’ DLPFC and OFC separately, comparing the causal relationships between people’s behaviors and the activity of the corresponding brain cortex when confronted with situations of risk and ambiguity. Our experiment employed a pre–post design and a risk/ambiguity decision-making task, from which we could calculate the preferences via an estimation model. We found evidences that modulating the activity of the DLPFC using right anodal/left cathodal tDCS significantly enhanced the participants’ preferences for risk, whereas modulating the activity of the OFC with right anodal/left cathodal tDCS significantly decreased the participants’ preferences for ambiguity. The reverse effects were also observed in the reversed tDCS treatments on the two areas. Our results suggest that decision-making processes under risk and ambiguity are complicated and may be encoded in two distinct circuits in our brains as the DLPFC primarily impacts decisions under risk whereas the OFC affects ambiguity.

Modulating the Activity of the DLPFC and OFC Has Distinct Effects on Risk and Ambiguity Decision-Making: A tDCS Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Xiaolan; Gao, Mei; Shi, Jinchuan; Ye, Hang; Chen, Shu

2017-01-01

Human beings are constantly exposed to two types of uncertainty situations, risk and ambiguity. Neuroscientific studies suggest that the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) and the orbital frontal cortex (OFC) play significant roles in human decision making under uncertainty. We applied the transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) device to modulate the activity of participants' DLPFC and OFC separately, comparing the causal relationships between people's behaviors and the activity of the corresponding brain cortex when confronted with situations of risk and ambiguity. Our experiment employed a pre-post design and a risk/ambiguity decision-making task, from which we could calculate the preferences via an estimation model. We found evidences that modulating the activity of the DLPFC using right anodal/left cathodal tDCS significantly enhanced the participants' preferences for risk, whereas modulating the activity of the OFC with right anodal/left cathodal tDCS significantly decreased the participants' preferences for ambiguity. The reverse effects were also observed in the reversed tDCS treatments on the two areas. Our results suggest that decision-making processes under risk and ambiguity are complicated and may be encoded in two distinct circuits in our brains as the DLPFC primarily impacts decisions under risk whereas the OFC affects ambiguity.

The detector control system of the ATLAS experiment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Poy, A Barriuso; Burckhart, H J; Cook, J; Franz, S; Gutzwiller, O; Hallgren, B; Schlenker, S; Varela, F; Boterenbrood, H; Filimonov, V; Khomutnikov, V

2008-01-01

The ATLAS experiment is one of the experiments at the Large Hadron Collider, constructed to study elementary particle interactions in collisions of high-energy proton beams. The individual detector components as well as the common experimental infrastructure are supervised by the Detector Control System (DCS). The DCS enables equipment supervision using operator commands, reads, processes and archives the operational parameters of the detector, allows for error recognition and handling, manages the communication with external control systems, and provides a synchronization mechanism with the physics data acquisition system. Given the enormous size and complexity of ATLAS, special emphasis was put on the use of standardized hardware and software components enabling efficient development and long-term maintainability of the DCS over the lifetime of the experiment. Currently, the DCS is being used successfully during the experiment commissioning phase

Online Education Systems in Scandinavian and Australian Universities: A Comparative Study

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Morten Flate Paulsen

2002-10-01

Full Text Available This article presents a comparative study of online education systems in Norwegian, Swedish, and Australian universities. The online education systems discussed comprise content creation tools and systems for learning management, student management, and accounting. The author of this article arrives at the conclusion that there seems to be a general lack of integration between theses systems in all three countries. Further, there seems to be little focus on standards specifications such as IMS Global Learning Consortium (IMS and Sharable Content Object Reference Model (SCORM in higher education in all three countries. It was found that both Norway and Sweden value the importance of nationally developed learning management systems and student management systems; however, this does not seem to be the case in Australia. There also seems to be much more national coordination and governmental coercion concerning the choice of student management systems used in Sweden and Norway, than is the case in Australia. Finally, with regard to online education, the most striking difference between these three countries is that of economic policy. In Australia, education is considered an important export industry. In Norway and Sweden, however, the export of education does not seem to be an issue for public discussion.

Chinese National Optical Education Small Private Online Course system

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, XiaoJie; Lin, YuanFang; Liu, Xu; Liu, XiangDong; Cen, ZhaoFeng; Li, XiaoTong; Zheng, XiaoDong; Wang, XiaoPing

2017-08-01

In order to realize the sharing of high quality course resources and promote the deep integration of `Internet+' higher education and talent training, a new on-line to off-line specialized courses teaching mode was explored in Chinese colleges and universities, which emphasized different teaching places, being organized asynchronously and localized. The latest progress of the Chinese National Optical Education Small Private On-line Course (CNOESPOC) system set up by Zhejiang University and other colleges and universities having disciplines in the field of optics and photonics under the guidance of the Chinese National Steering Committee of Optics and Photonics (CNSCOP) was introduced in this paper. The On-line to Off-line (O2O) optical education teaching resource sharing practice offers a new good example for higher education in China under the background of Internet +.

Applying Human Factors Evaluation and Design Guidance to a Nuclear Power Plant Digital Control System

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Thomas Ulrich; Ronald Boring; William Phoenix; Emily Dehority; Tim Whiting; Jonathan Morrell; Rhett Backstrom

2012-08-01

The United States (U.S.) nuclear industry, like similar process control industries, has moved toward upgrading its control rooms. The upgraded control rooms typically feature digital control system (DCS) displays embedded in the panels. These displays gather information from the system and represent that information on a single display surface. In this manner, the DCS combines many previously separate analog indicators and controls into a single digital display, whereby the operators can toggle between multiple windows to monitor and control different aspects of the plant. The design of the DCS depends on the function of the system it monitors, but revolves around presenting the information most germane to an operator at any point in time. DCSs require a carefully designed human system interface. This report centers on redesigning existing DCS displays for an example chemical volume control system (CVCS) at a U.S. nuclear power plant. The crucial nature of the CVCS, which controls coolant levels and boration in the primary system, requires a thorough human factors evaluation of its supporting DCS. The initial digital controls being developed for the DCSs tend to directly mimic the former analog controls. There are, however, unique operator interactions with a digital vs. analog interface, and the differences have not always been carefully factored in the translation of an analog interface to a replacement DCS. To ensure safety, efficiency, and usability of the emerging DCSs, a human factors usability evaluation was conducted on a CVCS DCS currently being used and refined at an existing U.S. nuclear power plant. Subject matter experts from process control engineering, software development, and human factors evaluated the DCS displays to document potential usability issues and propose design recommendations. The evaluation yielded 167 potential usability issues with the DCS. These issues should not be considered operator performance problems but rather opportunities

Effects of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) on Pain Distress Tolerance: A Preliminary Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Mariano, Timothy Y; van't Wout, Mascha; Jacobson, Benjamin L; Garnaat, Sarah L; Kirschner, Jason L; Rasmussen, Steven A; Greenberg, Benjamin D

2015-08-01

Pain remains a critical medical challenge. Current treatments target nociception without addressing affective symptoms. Medically intractable pain is sometimes treated with cingulotomy or deep brain stimulation to increase tolerance of pain-related distress. Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) may noninvasively modulate cortical areas related to sensation and pain representations. The present study aimed to test the hypothesis that cathodal ("inhibitory") stimulation targeting left dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC) would increase tolerance to distress from acute painful stimuli vs anodal stimulation. Forty healthy volunteers received both anodal and cathodal stimulation. During stimulation, we measured pain distress tolerance with three tasks: pressure algometer, cold pressor, and breath holding. We measured pain intensity with a visual-analog scale before and after each task. Mixed ANOVA revealed that mean cold pressor tolerance tended to be higher with cathodal vs anodal stimulation (P = 0.055) for participants self-completing the task. Pressure algometer (P = 0.81) and breath holding tolerance (P = 0.19) did not significantly differ. The pressure algometer exhibited a statistically significant order effect irrespective of stimulation polarity (all P tDCS (P = 0.072). Although our primary results were nonsignificant, there is a preliminary suggestion that cathodal tDCS targeting left dACC may increase pain distress tolerance to cold pressor. Pressure algometer results are consistent with task-related sensitization. Future studies are needed to refine this novel approach for pain neuromodulation. Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Expanding Learning and Social Interaction through Intelligent Systems Design: Implementing a Reputation and Recommender System for the Claremont Conversation Online

Science.gov (United States)

Thoms, Brian

2009-01-01

In this dissertation I examine the design, construction and implementation of an online blog ratings and user recommender system for the Claremont Conversation Online (CCO). In line with constructivist learning models and practical information systems (IS) design, I implemented a blog ratings system (a system that can be extended to allow for…

Non-POSIX File System for LHCb Online Event Handling

CERN Document Server

Garnier, J C; Cherukuwada, S S

2011-01-01

LHCb aims to use its O(20000) CPU cores in the high level trigger (HLT) and its 120 TB Online storage system for data reprocessing during LHC shutdown periods. These periods can last a few days for technical maintenance or only a few hours during beam interfill gaps. These jobs run on files which are staged in from tape storage to the local storage buffer. The result are again one or more files. Efficient file writing and reading is essential for the performance of the system. Rather than using a traditional shared file-system such as NFS or CIFS we have implemented a custom, light-weight, non-Posix network file-system for the handling of these files. Streaming this file-system for the data-access allows to obtain high performance, while at the same time keep the resource consumption low and add nice features not found in NFS such as high-availability, transparent fail-over of the read and write service. The writing part of this streaming service is in successful use for the Online, real-time writing of the d...

Online Identification of a Mechanical System in the Frequency Domain with Short-Time DFT

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Niko Nevaranta

2015-07-01

Full Text Available A proper system identification method is of great importance in the process of acquiring an analytical model that adequately represents the characteristics of the monitored system. While the use of different time-domain online identification techniques has been widely recognized as a powerful approach for system diagnostics, the frequency domain identification techniques have primarily been considered for offline commissioning purposes. This paper addresses issues in the online frequency domain identification of a flexible two-mass mechanical system with varying dynamics, and a particular attention is paid to detect the changes in the system dynamics. An online identification method is presented that is based on a recursive Kalman filter configured to perform like a discrete Fourier transform (DFT at a selected set of frequencies. The experimental online identification results are compared with the corresponding values obtained from the offline-identified frequency responses. The results show an acceptable agreement and demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed identification method.

Enhancing decision-making and cognitive impulse control with transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) applied over the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC): A randomized and sham-controlled exploratory study.

Science.gov (United States)

Ouellet, Julien; McGirr, Alexander; Van den Eynde, Frederique; Jollant, Fabrice; Lepage, Martin; Berlim, Marcelo T

2015-10-01

Decision-making and impulse control (both cognitive and motor) are complex interrelated processes which rely on a distributed neural network that includes multiple cortical and subcortical regions. Among them, the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) seems to be particularly relevant as demonstrated by several neuropsychological and neuroimaging investigations. In the present study we assessed whether transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) applied bilaterally over the OFC is able to modulate decision-making and cognitive impulse control. More specifically, 45 healthy subjects were randomized to receive a single 30-min session of active or sham anodal tDCS (1.5 mA) applied over either the left or the right OFC (coupled with contralateral cathodal tDCS). They were also assessed pre- and post-tDCS with a battery of computerized tasks. Our results show that participants who received active anodal tDCS (irrespective of laterality), vs. those who received sham tDCS, displayed more advantageous decision-making (i.e., increased Iowa Gambling Task "net scores" [p = 0.04]), as well as improved cognitive impulse control (i.e., decreased "interference" in the Stroop Word-Colour Task [p = 0.007]). However, we did not observe tDCS-related effects on mood (assessed by visual analogue scales), attentional levels (assessed by the Continuous Performance Task) or motor impulse control (assessed by the Stop-Signal Task). Our study potentially serves as a key translational step towards the development of novel non-invasive neuromodulation-based therapeutic interventions directly targeting vulnerability factors for psychiatric conditions such as suicidal behaviour and addiction. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Impact of SONET digital cross-connect system architecture on distributed restoration

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wu, Tsong-ho; Kobrinski, H.; Lakshman, T.V.

1994-01-01

The viability of distributed control restoration using Digital Cross-Connect Systems (DC's) depends on its capability for restoring services within specified time requirements, and its economics for providing restoration compared to other alternatives. In this paper, we report a Bellcore study for the impact of the DCS architecture on distributed restoration. This study concludes that currently proposed distributed control DCS self-healing schemes may not meet the 2-s restoration objective for large metropolitan Local Exchange Carrier's networks, regardless of the distributed algorithm used, if the present DCS system architecture which uses serial message processing and serial path cross-connection remains unchanged. This paper also discusses several DCS architecture enhancement options, including a parallel processing/cross-connect DCS architecture, which may improve the service restoration time. 20 refs

A Novel Enclosed Online Control System for Microalgae Production

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bin Li

2014-03-01

Full Text Available Microalgae are single celled microscopic organisms which, like plants, convert solar energy into bio-energy through photosynthesis. They can be used to produce a variety of bio-based products, such as bio-food and biodiesel. Large scale algae production can be achieved in open or closed systems. An enclosed online microalgae control production system is presented in this paper. The designed system is composed of a reactor which is placed inside a box with light reflecting surface. Lighting system, CO2 supply, heating, as well as online cell mass monitoring via spectrophotometer, were integrated. The online monitoring of cell mass concentration is coupled to two pumps which remove a certain amount of cell suspension, and take fresh media as an alternative. Also, a LabView program was developed to collect data from a spectrophotometer and processed in a computer. Considering the limited experimental conditions and the pollution possibility for its high productivity if liquid is not properly disposed, food color was used to test the designed novel system in this paper. The results showed that, the system could detect a change in absorption over time with periodic sampling for every 4.8 minutes. When absorption value reach a pre-set gate, pump1 immediately starts to pump out a certain amount of solution?then pump2 starts to pump in fresh media according to the calculated time. The concentration could be controlled below the threshold value. From the continuous test using food color, the designed system showed good stability and controlling accuracy. It provides a good reference for the following microalgae testing experiment in future. Considering the applications of microalgae in agriculture, this research also provides resources for bio-fertilizer.

[Design and development of an online system of parasite's images for training and evaluation].

Science.gov (United States)

Yuan-Chun, Mao; Sui, Xu; Jie, Wang; Hua-Yun, Zhou; Jun, Cao

2017-08-08

To design and develop an online training and evaluation system for parasitic pathogen recognition. The system was based on a Parasitic Diseases Specimen Image Digitization Construction Database by using MYSQL 5.0 as the system of database development software, and PHP 5 as the interface development language. It was mainly used for online training and evaluation of parasitic pathology diagnostic techniques. The system interface was designed simple, flexible, and easy to operate for medical staff. It enabled full day and 24 hours accessible to online training study and evaluation. Thus, the system broke the time and space constraints of the traditional training models. The system provides a shared platform for the professional training of parasitic diseases, and a reference for other training tasks.

Multi-Agent Design and Implementation for an Online Peer Help System

Science.gov (United States)

Meng, Anbo

2014-01-01

With the rapid advance of e-learning, the online peer help is playing increasingly important role. This paper explores the application of MAS to an online peer help system (MAPS). In the design phase, the architecture of MAPS is proposed, which consists of a set of agents including the personal agent, the course agent, the diagnosis agent, the DF…

Boosting Memory by tDCS to Frontal or Parietal Brain Regions? A Study of the Enactment Effect Shows No Effects for Immediate and Delayed Recognition

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Beat Meier

2018-06-01

Full Text Available Boosting memory with transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS seems to be an elegant way to optimize learning. Here we tested whether tDCS to the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex or to the left posterior parietal cortex would boost recognition memory in general and/or particularly for action phrases enacted at study. During study, 48 young adults either read or enacted simple action phrases. Memory for the action phrases was assessed after a retention interval of 45 min and again after 7-days to investigate the long-term consequences of brain stimulation. The results showed a robust enactment effect in both test sessions. Moreover, the decrease in performance was more pronounced for reading than for enacting the phrases at study. However, tDCS did not reveal any effect on subsequent recognition memory performance. We conclude that memory benefits of tDCS are not easily replicated. In contrast, enactment at study reliably boosts subsequent memory.

The Effectiveness of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS on Working Memory in Patients with Major Depression

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mahboube Ebadi

2017-08-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS on working memory in patients with major depression. Materials and Methods: The research method was quasi-experimental with pretest and post-test and follow-up with control group. The research population comprised female outpatient referrals to private psychiatric centers and psychological counseling centers in Tehran in the first half of 2016, They had received a diagnosis of depression by a psychiatrist at least once. Of these, 30 females were selected as a sample group with convenience sampling method and based on the criteria of inclusion and exclusion and were divided randomly into two groups , experimental (n = 15 and control (n = 15 group. The experimental group received transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS in 10 sessions, While this intervention was not provided to the control group. The data were collected by N-BACK. Analysis of variance with repeated measurments was used to test the research hypothesis. Results: The results showed that transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS had a significant effect on increasing working memory and the impact will continue to follow up. Conclusion: Therefore, this approach can be used to improve working memory in people with major depression.

Diffuse correlation spectroscopy (DCS) study of blood flow changes during low level laser therapy (LLLT): a preliminary report

Science.gov (United States)

Soni, Sagar; Wang, Xinlong; Liu, Hanli; Tian, Fenghua

2017-02-01

Photobiomodulation with low-power, high-fluence light in the near-infrared range (600-1100nm), also known as low level laser therapy (LLLT), has been used for promoting healing of wounds, reducing pain, and so on. Understanding its physiological effect is essential for treatment optimization and evaluation. In this study, we used diffuse correlation spectroscopy (DCS) to investigate the changes of regional blood flow in skeletal muscle induced by a single session of LLLT. DCS is an emerging optical modality to probe microvascular blood flow in human tissues in vivo. We have developed a software-based autocorrelator system with the benefits such as flexibility in raw photon count data processing, portability and low cost. LLLT was administered at the human forearm with a 1064-nm, continuous-wave laser. The emitting power was 3.4 W in an area of 13.6 cm2, corresponding to 0.25W/cm2 irradiance. The emitting duration was 10 minutes. Eight healthy adults of any ethnic background, in an age range of 18-40 years old were included. The results indicate that LLLT causes reliable changes in regional blood flow. However, it remains unclear whether these changes are physiological or attributed to the heating effect of the stimulation laser.

User Participation and Honesty in Online Rating Systems: What a Social Network Can Do

OpenAIRE

Davoust, Alan; Esfandiari, Babak

2016-01-01

An important problem with online communities in general, and online rating systems in particular, is uncooperative behavior: lack of user participation, dishonest contributions. This may be due to an incentive structure akin to a Prisoners' Dilemma (PD). We show that introducing an explicit social network to PD games fosters cooperative behavior, and use this insight to design a new aggregation technique for online rating systems. Using a dataset of ratings from Yelp, we show that our aggrega...

A new on-line leakage current monitoring system of ZnO surge arresters

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Bok-Hee; Kang, Sung-Man

2005-01-01

This paper presents a new on-line leakage current monitoring system of zinc oxide (ZnO) surge arresters. To effectively diagnose the deterioration of ZnO surge arresters, a new algorithm and on-line leakage current detection device, which uses the time-delay addition method, for discriminating the resistive and capacitive currents was developed to use in the aging test and durability evaluation for ZnO arrester blocks. A computer-based measurement system of the resistive leakage current, the on-line monitoring device can detect accurately the leakage currents flowing through ZnO surge arresters for power frequency ac applied voltages. The proposed on-line leakage current monitoring device of ZnO surge arresters is more highly sensitive and gives more linear response than the existing devices using the detection method of the third harmonic leakage currents. Therefore, the proposed leakage current monitoring device can be useful for predicting the defects and performance deterioration of ZnO surge arresters in power system applications

Online maintenance policy for a deteriorating system with random change of mode

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Saassouh, B. [Laboratoire de Modelisation et Surete des Systemes, Institut Charles Delaunay-FRE CNRS 2848, Universite de Technologie de Troyes, 12, rue Marie Curie-BP 2060, 10010 Troyes Cedex (France); Dieulle, L. [Laboratoire de Modelisation et Surete des Systemes, Institut Charles Delaunay-FRE CNRS 2848, Universite de Technologie de Troyes, 12, rue Marie Curie-BP 2060, 10010 Troyes Cedex (France); Grall, A. [Laboratoire de Modelisation et Surete des Systemes, Institut Charles Delaunay-FRE CNRS 2848, Universite de Technologie de Troyes, 12, rue Marie Curie-BP 2060, 10010 Troyes Cedex (France)]. E-mail: antoine.grall@utt.fr

2007-12-15

Most of maintenance policies proposed in the literature for gradually deteriorating systems, consider a stationary deterioration process. This paper is an attempt to take into account stochastically deteriorating systems which are subject to a sudden change in their degradation process. A technical device subject to gradual degradation is considered. It is assumed that the level of degradation can be resumed by a single scalar variable. An online maintenance decision rule is proposed, which makes it possible to take into account in real time the online information available on the operating mode of the system as well as its actual deterioration level. We show the efficiency of considering online decision rules for maintenance with respect to traditional maintenance policies based on a static alarm threshold. Numerical simulations are given, to assess and optimize the performance of the maintained system from its asymptotic unavailability point of view. It is compared to the results obtained with classical control-limit maintenance policies.

Online Decision Support System (IRODOS) - an emergency preparedness tool for handling offsite nuclear emergency

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vinod Kumar, A.; Oza, R.B.; Chaudhury, P.; Suri, M.; Saindane, S.; Singh, K.D.; Bhargava, P.; Sharma, V.K.

2009-01-01

A real time online decision support system as a nuclear emergency response system for handling offsite nuclear emergency at the Nuclear Power Plants (NPPs) has been developed by Health, Safety and Environment Group, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC), Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) under the frame work of 'Indian Real time Online Decision Support System 'IRODOS'. (author)

Neurocognitive Effects of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation in Arithmetic Learning and Performance: A Simultaneous tDCS-fMRI Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Hauser, Tobias U; Rütsche, Bruno; Wurmitzer, Karoline; Brem, Silvia; Ruff, Christian C; Grabner, Roland H

A small but increasing number of studies suggest that non-invasive brain stimulation by means of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) can modulate arithmetic processes that are essential for higher-order mathematical skills and that are impaired in dyscalculic individuals. However, little is known about the neural mechanisms underlying such stimulation effects, and whether they are specific to cognitive processes involved in different arithmetic tasks. We addressed these questions by applying tDCS during simultaneous functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) while participants were solving two types of complex subtraction problems: repeated problems, relying on arithmetic fact learning and problem-solving by fact retrieval, and novel problems, requiring calculation procedures. Twenty participants receiving left parietal anodal plus right frontal cathodal stimulation were compared with 20 participants in a sham condition. We found a strong cognitive and neural dissociation between repeated and novel problems. Repeated problems were solved more accurately and elicited increased activity in the bilateral angular gyri and medial plus lateral prefrontal cortices. Solving novel problems, in contrast, was accompanied by stronger activation in the bilateral intraparietal sulci and the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex. Most importantly, tDCS decreased the activation of the right inferior frontal cortex while solving novel (compared to repeated) problems, suggesting that the cathodal stimulation rendered this region unable to respond to the task-specific cognitive demand. The present study revealed that tDCS during arithmetic problem-solving can modulate the neural activity in proximity to the electrodes specifically when the current demands lead to an engagement of this area. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Mixed Methods Student Evaluation of an Online Systemic Human Anatomy Course with Laboratory

Science.gov (United States)

Attardi, Stefanie M.; Choi, Suwhan; Barnett, John; Rogers, Kem A.

2016-01-01

A fully online section of an existing face-to-face (F2F) systemic human anatomy course with a prosection laboratory was offered for the first time in 2012-2013. Lectures for F2F students (N = 365) were broadcast in both live and archived format to online students (N = 40) using virtual classroom software. Laboratories were delivered online by a…

A Federated Recommender System for Online Learning Environments

OpenAIRE

Zhou, Lei; El Helou, Sandy; Moccozet, Laurent; Opprecht, Laurent; Benkacem, Omar; Salzmann, Christophe; Gillet, Denis

2012-01-01

From e-commerce to social networking sites, recommender systems are gaining more and more interest. They provide connections, news, resources, or products of interest. This paper presents a federated recommender system, which exploits data from different online learning platforms and delivers personalized recommendation. The underlying educational objective is to enable academic institutions to provide a Web 2.0 dashboard bringing together open resources from the Cloud and proprietary content...

The Effect of Online Systems Analysis Training on Aerospace Industry Business Performance: A Qualitative Study

Science.gov (United States)

Burk, Erlan

2012-01-01

Aerospace companies needed additional research on technology-based training to verify expectations when enhancing human capital through online systems analysis training. The research for online systems analysis training provided aerospace companies a means to verify expectations for systems analysis technology-based training on business…

STAR Online Meta-Data Collection Framework: Integration with the Pre-existing Controls Infrastructure

Science.gov (United States)

Arkhipkin, D.; Lauret, J.

2017-10-01

One of the STAR experiment’s modular Messaging Interface and Reliable Architecture framework (MIRA) integration goals is to provide seamless and automatic connections with the existing control systems. After an initial proof of concept and operation of the MIRA system as a parallel data collection system for online use and real-time monitoring, the STAR Software and Computing group is now working on the integration of Experimental Physics and Industrial Control System (EPICS) with MIRA’s interfaces. This integration goals are to allow functional interoperability and, later on, to replace the existing/legacy Detector Control System components at the service level. In this report, we describe the evolutionary integration process and, as an example, will discuss the EPICS Alarm Handler conversion. We review the complete upgrade procedure starting with the integration of EPICS-originated alarm signals propagation into MIRA, followed by the replacement of the existing operator interface based on Motif Editor and Display Manager (MEDM) with modern portable web-based Alarm Handler interface. To achieve this aim, we have built an EPICS-to-MQTT [8] bridging service, and recreated the functionality of the original Alarm Handler using low-latency web messaging technologies. The integration of EPICS alarm handling into our messaging framework allowed STAR to improve the DCS alarm awareness of existing STAR DAQ and RTS services, which use MIRA as a primary source of experiment control information.

Effects of repeated anodal tDCS coupled with cognitive training for patients with severe traumatic brain injury: a pilot randomized controlled trial.

Science.gov (United States)

Leśniak, Marcin; Polanowska, Katarzyna; Seniów, Joanna; Członkowska, Anna

2014-01-01

To determine whether cumulative anodal transcranial direct current stimulation (A-tDCS) of the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) could enhance rehabilitation of memory and attention in patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI). Inpatient and outpatient neurorehabilitation unit. Twenty-three adult patients, 4- to 92- months post severe TBI. Participants were randomly allocated to 2 groups. The experimental group received A-tDCS (10 minutes; 1 mA; in the DLPFC), followed by rehabilitative cognitive training, daily for 15 days. Controls received A-tDCS for 25 seconds (sham condition) with the same rehabilitation. Battery of memory and attention tests, which included visual and auditory modalities. Participants were tested twice before beginning rehabilitation (to control for spontaneous recovery), after rehabilitation completion, and 4 months later. Tests scores in both groups were similar at 3 weeks before and immediately before treatment. After treatment, the experimental group exhibited larger effect sizes in 6 of 8 cognitive outcome measures, but they were not significantly different from controls. At follow-up, differences remained insignificant. In contrast to previous studies, our study did not provide sufficient evidence to support the efficacy of repeated A-tDCS for enhancing rehabilitation of memory and attention in patients after severe TBI.

Improving the safety and protective automatic actions of the CMS electromagnetic calorimeter detector control system