The evolution of utility functions and psychological altruism.

Science.gov (United States)

Clavien, Christine; Chapuisat, Michel

2016-04-01

Numerous studies show that humans tend to be more cooperative than expected given the assumption that they are rational maximizers of personal gain. As a result, theoreticians have proposed elaborated formal representations of human decision-making, in which utility functions including "altruistic" or "moral" preferences replace the purely self-oriented "Homo economicus" function. Here we review mathematical approaches that provide insights into the mathematical stability of alternative utility functions. Candidate utility functions may be evaluated with help of game theory, classical modeling of social evolution that focuses on behavioral strategies, and modeling of social evolution that focuses directly on utility functions. We present the advantages of the latter form of investigation and discuss one surprisingly precise result: "Homo economicus" as well as "altruistic" utility functions are less stable than a function containing a preference for the common welfare that is only expressed in social contexts composed of individuals with similar preferences. We discuss the contribution of mathematical models to our understanding of human other-oriented behavior, with a focus on the classical debate over psychological altruism. We conclude that human can be psychologically altruistic, but that psychological altruism evolved because it was generally expressed towards individuals that contributed to the actor's fitness, such as own children, romantic partners and long term reciprocators. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A Custom Approach for a Flexible, Real-Time and Reliable Software Defined Utility

Science.gov (United States)

2018-01-01

Information and communication technologies (ICTs) have enabled the evolution of traditional electric power distribution networks towards a new paradigm referred to as the smart grid. However, the different elements that compose the ICT plane of a smart grid are usually conceived as isolated systems that typically result in rigid hardware architectures, which are hard to interoperate, manage and adapt to new situations. In the recent years, software-defined systems that take advantage of software and high-speed data network infrastructures have emerged as a promising alternative to classic ad hoc approaches in terms of integration, automation, real-time reconfiguration and resource reusability. The purpose of this paper is to propose the usage of software-defined utilities (SDUs) to address the latent deployment and management limitations of smart grids. More specifically, the implementation of a smart grid’s data storage and management system prototype by means of SDUs is introduced, which exhibits the feasibility of this alternative approach. This system features a hybrid cloud architecture able to meet the data storage requirements of electric utilities and adapt itself to their ever-evolving needs. Conducted experimentations endorse the feasibility of this solution and encourage practitioners to point their efforts in this direction. PMID:29495599

A Custom Approach for a Flexible, Real-Time and Reliable Software Defined Utility

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Agustín Zaballos

2018-02-01

Full Text Available Information and communication technologies (ICTs have enabled the evolution of traditional electric power distribution networks towards a new paradigm referred to as the smart grid. However, the different elements that compose the ICT plane of a smart grid are usually conceived as isolated systems that typically result in rigid hardware architectures, which are hard to interoperate, manage and adapt to new situations. In the recent years, software-defined systems that take advantage of software and high-speed data network infrastructures have emerged as a promising alternative to classic ad hoc approaches in terms of integration, automation, real-time reconfiguration and resource reusability. The purpose of this paper is to propose the usage of software-defined utilities (SDUs to address the latent deployment and management limitations of smart grids. More specifically, the implementation of a smart grid’s data storage and management system prototype by means of SDUs is introduced, which exhibits the feasibility of this alternative approach. This system features a hybrid cloud architecture able to meet the data storage requirements of electric utilities and adapt itself to their ever-evolving needs. Conducted experimentations endorse the feasibility of this solution and encourage practitioners to point their efforts in this direction.

User defined function for transformation of ellipsoidal coordinates

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ganić Aleksandar

2014-01-01

Full Text Available The topographic plane of the Earth has irregular shape, and for the purpose of mathematical defining, it is to be approximated by rotational ellipsoid. As local geodetic datum, rotational ellipsoids of various sizes are used in the world. More widely usage of the GPS while performing surveying tasks has resulted in the need to define global geodetic datum in order to obtain the best approximation the entire Earth. For this purpose, geocentric rotational ellipsoid WGS84 was defined and the results of the GPS measurements are shown in relation to it. By applying the appropriate equations, the ellipsoidal coordinates are being transformed from WGS84 into the coordinates on the local rotational ellipsoid, i.e. on the view plane. The paper shows User Defined Function created for Excel, by which the coordinates in the territory of Belgrade are being transformed from WGS84 of rotational ellipsoid into the Gauss-Krüger projection plane.

Strategic Risk Management Behavior: What Can Utility Functions Tell Us

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Pennings, J.M.E.; Garcia, P.

2004-01-01

Abstract The validity of the utility concept, particularly in an expected utility framework, has been questioned because of its inability to predict revealed behavior. In this paper we focus on the global shape of the utility function instead of the local shape of the utility function. We examine

Optimal Wonderful Life Utility Functions in Multi-Agent Systems

Science.gov (United States)

Wolpert, David H.; Tumer, Kagan; Swanson, Keith (Technical Monitor)

2000-01-01

The mathematics of Collective Intelligence (COINs) is concerned with the design of multi-agent systems so as to optimize an overall global utility function when those systems lack centralized communication and control. Typically in COINs each agent runs a distinct Reinforcement Learning (RL) algorithm, so that much of the design problem reduces to how best to initialize/update each agent's private utility function, as far as the ensuing value of the global utility is concerned. Traditional team game solutions to this problem assign to each agent the global utility as its private utility function. In previous work we used the COIN framework to derive the alternative Wonderful Life Utility (WLU), and experimentally established that having the agents use it induces global utility performance up to orders of magnitude superior to that induced by use of the team game utility. The WLU has a free parameter (the clamping parameter) which we simply set to zero in that previous work. Here we derive the optimal value of the clamping parameter, and demonstrate experimentally that using that optimal value can result in significantly improved performance over that of clamping to zero, over and above the improvement beyond traditional approaches.

Evolution of sequence-defined highly functionalized nucleic acid polymers

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Zhen; Lichtor, Phillip A.; Berliner, Adrian P.; Chen, Jonathan C.; Liu, David R.

2018-03-01

The evolution of sequence-defined synthetic polymers made of building blocks beyond those compatible with polymerase enzymes or the ribosome has the potential to generate new classes of receptors, catalysts and materials. Here we describe a ligase-mediated DNA-templated polymerization and in vitro selection system to evolve highly functionalized nucleic acid polymers (HFNAPs) made from 32 building blocks that contain eight chemically diverse side chains on a DNA backbone. Through iterated cycles of polymer translation, selection and reverse translation, we discovered HFNAPs that bind proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9) and interleukin-6, two protein targets implicated in human diseases. Mutation and reselection of an active PCSK9-binding polymer yielded evolved polymers with high affinity (KD = 3 nM). This evolved polymer potently inhibited the binding between PCSK9 and the low-density lipoprotein receptor. Structure-activity relationship studies revealed that specific side chains at defined positions in the polymers are required for binding to their respective targets. Our findings expand the chemical space of evolvable polymers to include densely functionalized nucleic acids with diverse, researcher-defined chemical repertoires.

Risk and utility in portfolio optimization

Science.gov (United States)

Cohen, Morrel H.; Natoli, Vincent D.

2003-06-01

Modern portfolio theory (MPT) addresses the problem of determining the optimum allocation of investment resources among a set of candidate assets. In the original mean-variance approach of Markowitz, volatility is taken as a proxy for risk, conflating uncertainty with risk. There have been many subsequent attempts to alleviate that weakness which, typically, combine utility and risk. We present here a modification of MPT based on the inclusion of separate risk and utility criteria. We define risk as the probability of failure to meet a pre-established investment goal. We define utility as the expectation of a utility function with positive and decreasing marginal value as a function of yield. The emphasis throughout is on long investment horizons for which risk-free assets do not exist. Analytic results are presented for a Gaussian probability distribution. Risk-utility relations are explored via empirical stock-price data, and an illustrative portfolio is optimized using the empirical data.

Performance evaluation of multi-stratum resources integration based on network function virtualization in software defined elastic data center optical interconnect.

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Hui; Zhang, Jie; Ji, Yuefeng; Tian, Rui; Han, Jianrui; Lee, Young

2015-11-30

Data center interconnect with elastic optical network is a promising scenario to meet the high burstiness and high-bandwidth requirements of data center services. In our previous work, we implemented multi-stratum resilience between IP and elastic optical networks that allows to accommodate data center services. In view of this, this study extends to consider the resource integration by breaking the limit of network device, which can enhance the resource utilization. We propose a novel multi-stratum resources integration (MSRI) architecture based on network function virtualization in software defined elastic data center optical interconnect. A resource integrated mapping (RIM) scheme for MSRI is introduced in the proposed architecture. The MSRI can accommodate the data center services with resources integration when the single function or resource is relatively scarce to provision the services, and enhance globally integrated optimization of optical network and application resources. The overall feasibility and efficiency of the proposed architecture are experimentally verified on the control plane of OpenFlow-based enhanced software defined networking (eSDN) testbed. The performance of RIM scheme under heavy traffic load scenario is also quantitatively evaluated based on MSRI architecture in terms of path blocking probability, provisioning latency and resource utilization, compared with other provisioning schemes.

An Empirical Assessment of the Form of Utility Functions

Science.gov (United States)

Kirby, Kris N.

2011-01-01

Utility functions, which relate subjective value to physical attributes of experience, are fundamental to most decision theories. Seven experiments were conducted to test predictions of the most widely assumed mathematical forms of utility (power, log, and negative exponential), and a function proposed by Rachlin (1992). For pairs of gambles for…

On the analytic continuation of functions defined by Legendre series

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Grinstein, F.F.

1981-07-01

An infinite diagonal sequence of Punctual Pade Approximants is considered for the approximate analytical continuation of a function defined by a formal Legendre series. The technique is tested in the case of two series with exactly known analytical sum: the generating function for Legendre polynomials and the Coulombian scattering amplitude. (author)

Role of Utility and Inference in the Evolution of Functional Information

Science.gov (United States)

Sharov, Alexei A.

2009-01-01

Functional information means an encoded network of functions in living organisms from molecular signaling pathways to an organism’s behavior. It is represented by two components: code and an interpretation system, which together form a self-sustaining semantic closure. Semantic closure allows some freedom between components because small variations of the code are still interpretable. The interpretation system consists of inference rules that control the correspondence between the code and the function (phenotype) and determines the shape of the fitness landscape. The utility factor operates at multiple time scales: short-term selection drives evolution towards higher survival and reproduction rate within a given fitness landscape, and long-term selection favors those fitness landscapes that support adaptability and lead to evolutionary expansion of certain lineages. Inference rules make short-term selection possible by shaping the fitness landscape and defining possible directions of evolution, but they are under control of the long-term selection of lineages. Communication normally occurs within a set of agents with compatible interpretation systems, which I call communication system. Functional information cannot be directly transferred between communication systems with incompatible inference rules. Each biological species is a genetic communication system that carries unique functional information together with inference rules that determine evolutionary directions and constraints. This view of the relation between utility and inference can resolve the conflict between realism/positivism and pragmatism. Realism overemphasizes the role of inference in evolution of human knowledge because it assumes that logic is embedded in reality. Pragmatism substitutes usefulness for truth and therefore ignores the advantage of inference. The proposed concept of evolutionary pragmatism rejects the idea that logic is embedded in reality; instead, inference rules are

User-defined functions in the Arden Syntax: An extension proposal.

Science.gov (United States)

Karadimas, Harry; Ebrahiminia, Vahid; Lepage, Eric

2015-12-11

The Arden Syntax is a knowledge-encoding standard, started in 1989, and now in its 10th revision, maintained by the health level seven (HL7) organization. It has constructs borrowed from several language concepts that were available at that time (mainly the HELP hospital information system and the Regenstrief medical record system (RMRS), but also the Pascal language, functional languages and the data structure of frames, used in artificial intelligence). The syntax has a rationale for its constructs, and has restrictions that follow this rationale. The main goal of the Standard is to promote knowledge sharing, by avoiding the complexity of traditional programs, so that a medical logic module (MLM) written in the Arden Syntax can remain shareable and understandable across institutions. One of the restrictions of the syntax is that you cannot define your own functions and subroutines inside an MLM. An MLM can, however, call another MLM, where this MLM will serve as a function. This will add an additional dependency between MLMs, a known criticism of the Arden Syntax knowledge model. This article explains why we believe the Arden Syntax would benefit from a construct for user-defined functions, discusses the need, the benefits and the limitations of such a construct. We used the recent grammar of the Arden Syntax v.2.10, and both the Arden Syntax standard document and the Arden Syntax Rationale article as guidelines. We gradually introduced production rules to the grammar. We used the CUP parsing tool to verify that no ambiguities were detected. A new grammar was produced, that supports user-defined functions. 22 production rules were added to the grammar. A parser was built using the CUP parsing tool. A few examples are given to illustrate the concepts. All examples were parsed correctly. It is possible to add user-defined functions to the Arden Syntax in a way that remains coherent with the standard. We believe that this enhances the readability and the robustness

Mechanisms by Which Different Functional States of Mitochondria Define Yeast Longevity

Science.gov (United States)

Beach, Adam; Leonov, Anna; Arlia-Ciommo, Anthony; Svistkova, Veronika; Lutchman, Vicky; Titorenko, Vladimir I.

2015-01-01

Mitochondrial functionality is vital to organismal physiology. A body of evidence supports the notion that an age-related progressive decline in mitochondrial function is a hallmark of cellular and organismal aging in evolutionarily distant eukaryotes. Studies of the baker’s yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, a unicellular eukaryote, have led to discoveries of genes, signaling pathways and chemical compounds that modulate longevity-defining cellular processes in eukaryotic organisms across phyla. These studies have provided deep insights into mechanistic links that exist between different traits of mitochondrial functionality and cellular aging. The molecular mechanisms underlying the essential role of mitochondria as signaling organelles in yeast aging have begun to emerge. In this review, we discuss recent progress in understanding mechanisms by which different functional states of mitochondria define yeast longevity, outline the most important unanswered questions and suggest directions for future research. PMID:25768339

Mechanisms by Which Different Functional States of Mitochondria Define Yeast Longevity

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Adam Beach

2015-03-01

Full Text Available Mitochondrial functionality is vital to organismal physiology. A body of evidence supports the notion that an age-related progressive decline in mitochondrial function is a hallmark of cellular and organismal aging in evolutionarily distant eukaryotes. Studies of the baker’s yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, a unicellular eukaryote, have led to discoveries of genes, signaling pathways and chemical compounds that modulate longevity-defining cellular processes in eukaryotic organisms across phyla. These studies have provided deep insights into mechanistic links that exist between different traits of mitochondrial functionality and cellular aging. The molecular mechanisms underlying the essential role of mitochondria as signaling organelles in yeast aging have begun to emerge. In this review, we discuss recent progress in understanding mechanisms by which different functional states of mitochondria define yeast longevity, outline the most important unanswered questions and suggest directions for future research.

Defining utility trace substance emissions and risks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Torrens, I.M.

1993-01-01

An update is presented on the activities of EPRI and other organizations, including DOE, aimed at improving the quality of available information on utility trace element emissions, control technologies and risks. Because of these efforts, the state of knowledge is advancing rapidly. The 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments aim to reduce emissions of 189 substances that they designate as hazardous air pollutants - commonly called air toxics. The more neutral term open-quotes trace substancesclose quotes is used in this paper, since most are emitted in extremely low concentrations from utility stacks. The degree of toxicity or hazard at these concentrations is subject to considerable uncertainty, and clarifying this is one of the objectives of the work in progress. The most clear and urgent need emanating from the CAAA has been to obtain reliable information on which of the substances on the CAAA list are emitted from different types of power plants - in what amounts, what risks they pose, how much is removed by today's pollution control equipment. EPRI is addressing the issue on several fronts, e.g.; developing a data base and tools that will enable utilities to estimate emissions levels from their power facilities, given the types of fuels burned and plant characteristics; developing a better understanding of how emissions are transported and transformed before they encounter humans and ecological systems; and assessing the risk to public health and the environment posed by utility releases of these substances

Maximize Minimum Utility Function of Fractional Cloud Computing System Based on Search Algorithm Utilizing the Mittag-Leffler Sum

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rabha W. Ibrahim

2018-01-01

Full Text Available The maximum min utility function (MMUF problem is an important representative of a large class of cloud computing systems (CCS. Having numerous applications in practice, especially in economy and industry. This paper introduces an effective solution-based search (SBS algorithm for solving the problem MMUF. First, we suggest a new formula of the utility function in term of the capacity of the cloud. We formulate the capacity in CCS, by using a fractional diffeo-integral equation. This equation usually describes the flow of CCS. The new formula of the utility function is modified recent active utility functions. The suggested technique first creates a high-quality initial solution by eliminating the less promising components, and then develops the quality of the achieved solution by the summation search solution (SSS. This method is considered by the Mittag-Leffler sum as hash functions to determine the position of the agent. Experimental results commonly utilized in the literature demonstrate that the proposed algorithm competes approvingly with the state-of-the-art algorithms both in terms of solution quality and computational efficiency.

GenomeRunner web server: regulatory similarity and differences define the functional impact of SNP sets.

Science.gov (United States)

Dozmorov, Mikhail G; Cara, Lukas R; Giles, Cory B; Wren, Jonathan D

2016-08-01

The growing amount of regulatory data from the ENCODE, Roadmap Epigenomics and other consortia provides a wealth of opportunities to investigate the functional impact of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). Yet, given the large number of regulatory datasets, researchers are posed with a challenge of how to efficiently utilize them to interpret the functional impact of SNP sets. We developed the GenomeRunner web server to automate systematic statistical analysis of SNP sets within a regulatory context. Besides defining the functional impact of SNP sets, GenomeRunner implements novel regulatory similarity/differential analyses, and cell type-specific regulatory enrichment analysis. Validated against literature- and disease ontology-based approaches, analysis of 39 disease/trait-associated SNP sets demonstrated that the functional impact of SNP sets corresponds to known disease relationships. We identified a group of autoimmune diseases with SNPs distinctly enriched in the enhancers of T helper cell subpopulations, and demonstrated relevant cell type-specificity of the functional impact of other SNP sets. In summary, we show how systematic analysis of genomic data within a regulatory context can help interpreting the functional impact of SNP sets. GenomeRunner web server is freely available at http://www.integrativegenomics.org/ mikhail.dozmorov@gmail.com Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

The Shape of Utility Functions and Organizational Behavior

NARCIS (Netherlands)

J.M.E. Pennings; A. Smidts (Ale)

2002-01-01

textabstractBased on measurements with 332 owner-managers, the global shape of the utility function (i.e., S-shaped versus concave or convex over the total range of outcomes) appears to discriminate organizational behavior. Whereas the degree of risk aversion, based on the local shape of the utility

UTILIZATION OF PLANT PROTEINS IN FUNCTIONAL NUTRITION

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

V. G. Kulakov

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Development of functional food products technology is considered to be a prospect way for creating new food products. Such products are known to be popular among consumers. Utilization of plant proteins allows to widen and improve food assortment and quality. The article represents a review of plant proteins utilization in production of functional food. For optimization of flour confectionery chemical composition the authors utilized a method of receipts modeling. Simulation of combined products is based on the principles of food combinatorics and aims to create recipes of new types of food products on basis of methods of mathematical optimization by reasonable selection of the basic raw materials, ingredients, food additives and dietary supplements, totality of which ensures formation desired organoleptic, physical and chemical properties product as well as a predetermined level of food, biological and energy value. Modeling process of combined products recipes includes the following three stages: preparation of input data for the design, formalization requirements for the composition and properties of raw ingredients and quality final product, process modeling; product design with desired structural properties.

GrDHP: a general utility function representation for dual heuristic dynamic programming.

Science.gov (United States)

Ni, Zhen; He, Haibo; Zhao, Dongbin; Xu, Xin; Prokhorov, Danil V

2015-03-01

A general utility function representation is proposed to provide the required derivable and adjustable utility function for the dual heuristic dynamic programming (DHP) design. Goal representation DHP (GrDHP) is presented with a goal network being on top of the traditional DHP design. This goal network provides a general mapping between the system states and the derivatives of the utility function. With this proposed architecture, we can obtain the required derivatives of the utility function directly from the goal network. In addition, instead of a fixed predefined utility function in literature, we conduct an online learning process for the goal network so that the derivatives of the utility function can be adaptively tuned over time. We provide the control performance of both the proposed GrDHP and the traditional DHP approaches under the same environment and parameter settings. The statistical simulation results and the snapshot of the system variables are presented to demonstrate the improved learning and controlling performance. We also apply both approaches to a power system example to further demonstrate the control capabilities of the GrDHP approach.

Dishonest Academic Conduct: From the Perspective of the Utility Function.

Science.gov (United States)

Sun, Ying; Tian, Rui

Dishonest academic conduct has aroused extensive attention in academic circles. To explore how scholars make decisions according to the principle of maximal utility, the author has constructed the general utility function based on the expected utility theory. The concrete utility functions of different types of scholars were deduced. They are as follows: risk neutral, risk averse, and risk preference. Following this, the assignment method was adopted to analyze and compare the scholars' utilities of academic conduct. It was concluded that changing the values of risk costs, internal condemnation costs, academic benefits, and the subjective estimation of penalties following dishonest academic conduct can lead to changes in the utility of academic dishonesty. The results of the current study suggest that within scientific research, measures to prevent and govern dishonest academic conduct should be formulated according to the various effects of the above four variables.

Information management applications for the compliance function: a utility perspective

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Savoie, R.A.

1986-01-01

Today's complex and changing regulatory environment presents many challenges to those involved in the nuclear power industry. This is particularly true of technical personnel and managers involved in serving the compliance function for nuclear utilities. Adequately supporting the construction, startup, and operations of a nuclear power plant while simultaneously satisfying each regulatory requirement requires the meshing of thousands of individual regulatory tasks with each possible implementation option. The compliance function acts as a screen or filter between the regulatory bodies and the utility nuclear staff. Many varied approaches are taken by utilities in performing this compliance function, both from an organizational and information management perspective. The purpose of this paper is to describe the experiences of Louisiana Power and Light (LP and L) in developing its compliance function and to describe the innovative information management techniques LP and L has developed to serve this function

Beyond Emotion Regulation: Emotion Utilization and Adaptive Functioning

OpenAIRE

Izard, Carroll; Stark, Kevin; Trentacosta, Christopher; Schultz, David

2008-01-01

Recent research indicates that emotionality, emotion information processing, emotion knowledge, and discrete emotion experiences may influence and interact with emotion utilization, that is, the effective use of the inherently adaptive and motivational functions of emotions. Strategies individuals learn for emotion modulation and emotion utilization become stabilized in emerging affective-cognitive structures, or emotion schemas. In these emotion schemas, the feeling/motivational component of...

Syntheses and Post-Polymerization Modifications of Well-Defined Styrenic Polymers Containing Three-Membered Heterocyclic Functionalities

Science.gov (United States)

McLeod, David Charles

Macromolecules that contain electrophilic moieties, such as benzyl halides, activated esters, and epoxides, will readily undergo efficient nucleophilic substitution reactions with a wide variety of compounds under mild conditions, and are therefore ideally suited to act as "universal" precursors to functional materials. Epoxide-containing polymers derived from the radical polymerization of commercially-available glycidyl methacrylate are often employed in this role; however, methacrylic polymers suffer from certain limitations as a result of the incorporated ester groups, which are not stabile in the presence of strong nucleophiles, acids, bases, or esterase enzymes. Styrenic polymers that do not contain labile carbonyl moieties are usually the precursors of choice when high chemical stability is desired in the end product, but the production of functional materials from epoxide-containing styrenic polymers is relatively unexplored. In this dissertation, improved methods were developed for synthesizing 4-vinylphenyloxirane (4VPO) and 4-vinylphenyl glycidyl ether (4VPGE), two of the better-known epoxide-containing styrenic monomers, in high-yield and purity. Well-defined, epoxide-containing styrenic polymers with targeted molecular weights, narrow molecular weight distributions, and controlled architectures (specifically, linear and star-shaped homopolymers, as well as linear block copolymers with styrene) were produced from 4VPO and 4VPGE for the first time using reversible-deactivation radical polymerization techniques, such as low-catalyst-concentration atom transfer radical polymerization (LCC ATRP) and reversible addition-fragmentation chain-transfer (RAFT) polymerization. The robust nature and utility of poly4VPO and poly4VPGE were then demonstrated by the efficient, ring-opening modification of the pendant epoxide groups with a structurally- and functionally-diverse array of alcohols under acidic conditions at ambient temperature. The macromolecular

Dynamic Functional Imaging of Brain Glucose Utilization using fPET-FDG

Science.gov (United States)

Villien, Marjorie; Wey, Hsiao-Ying; Mandeville, Joseph B.; Catana, Ciprian; Polimeni, Jonathan R.; Sander, Christin Y.; Zürcher, Nicole R.; Chonde, Daniel B.; Fowler, Joanna S.; Rosen, Bruce R.; Hooker, Jacob M.

2014-01-01

Glucose is the principal source of energy for the brain and yet the dynamic response of glucose utilization to changes in brain activity is still not fully understood. Positron emission tomography (PET) allows quantitative measurement of glucose metabolism using 2-[18F]-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG). However, FDG PET in its current form provides an integral (or average) of glucose consumption over tens of minutes and lacks the temporal information to capture physiological alterations associated with changes in brain activity induced by tasks or drug challenges. Traditionally, changes in glucose utilization are inferred by comparing two separate scans, which significantly limits the utility of the method. We report a novel method to track changes in FDG metabolism dynamically, with higher temporal resolution than exists to date and within a single session. Using a constant infusion of FDG, we demonstrate that our technique (termed fPET-FDG) can be used in an analysis pipeline similar to fMRI to define within-session differential metabolic responses. We use visual stimulation to demonstrate the feasibility of this method. This new method has a great potential to be used in research protocols and clinical settings since fPET-FDG imaging can be performed with most PET scanners and data acquisition and analysis is straightforward. fPET-FDG is a highly complementary technique to MRI and provides a rich new way to observe functional changes in brain metabolism. PMID:24936683

Utility Leadership in Defining Requirements for Advanced Light Water Reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sugnet, William R.; Layman, William H.

1990-01-01

It is appropriate, based on twenty five years of operating experience, that utilities take a position of leadership in developing the technical design and performance requirements for the next generations of nuclear electric generating plants. The U. S. utilities, through the Electric Power Research Institute, began an initiative in 1985 to develop such Utility requirements. Many international Utility organizations, including Korea Electric Power Corporation, have joined as full participants in this important Utility industry initiative. In light of the closer linkage among countries of the world due to rapid travel and telecommunications, it is also appropriate that there be international dialogue and agreement on the principal standards for nuclear power plant acceptability and performance. The Utility/EPRI Advanced Light Water Reactor Program guided by the ALRR Utility Steering Committee has been very successful in developing these Utility requirements. This paper will summarize the state of development of the ALRR Utility Requirements for Evolutionary Plants, recent developments in their review by the U. S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, resolution of open issues, and the extension of this effort to develop a companion set of ALRR Utility Requirements for plants employing passive safety features

Learning a decision maker's utility function from (possibly) inconsistent behavior

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nielsen, Thomas Dyhre; Jensen, Finn Verner

2004-01-01

developed for learning the probabilities from a database.However, methods for learning the utilities have only received limitedattention in the computer science community. A promising approach for learning a decision maker's utility function is to takeoutset in the decision maker's observed behavioral...... patterns, and then find autility function which (together with a domain model) can explainthis behavior. That is, it is assumed that decision maker's preferences arereflected in the behavior. Standard learning algorithmsalso assume that the decision maker is behavioralconsistent, i.e., given a model ofthe...... decision problem, there exists a utility function which canaccount for all the observed behavior. Unfortunately, this assumption israrely valid in real-world decision problems, and in these situationsexisting learning methods may only identify a trivial utilityfunction. In this paper we relax...

Paradox-Proof Utility Functions for Heavy-Tailed Payoffs: Two Instructive Two-Envelope Problems

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Michael R. Powers

2015-01-01

Full Text Available We identify restrictions on a decision maker’s utility function that are both necessary and sufficient to preserve dominance reasoning in each of two versions of the Two-Envelope Paradox (TEP. For the classical TEP, the utility function must satisfy a certain recurrence inequality. For the St. Petersburg TEP, the utility function must be bounded above asymptotically by a power function, which can be tightened to a constant. By determining the weakest conditions for dominance reasoning to hold, the article settles an open question in the research literature. Remarkably, neither constant-bounded utility nor finite expected utility is necessary for resolving the classical TEP; instead, finite expected utility is both necessary and sufficient for resolving the St. Petersburg TEP.

WEC Farm Functions: Defining the Behaviors of the Farm

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bull, Diana L. [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Costello, Ronan [Wave Venture Ltd, Penstraze (United Kingdom); Babarit, Aurelien [Ecole centrale de Nantes (France). Lab. of Research in Hydrodynamics, Energetics, and Atmospheric Environment (LHEEA); Malins, Robert Joseph [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Kennedy, Ben [Wave Venture Ltd, Penstraze (United Kingdom); Neilson, Kim [Ramboll, Copenhagen (Denmark); Bittencourt, Claudio [DNV GL, London (United Kingdom); Roberts, Jesse D. [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Weber, Jochem [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)

2016-09-01

Capabilities and functions are hierarchical structures (i.e. taxonomies) that are used in a systems engineering framework to identify complimentary requirements for the system: what the system must do to achieve what it must be. In the case of capabilities, the taxonomy embodies the list of characteristics that are desired, from the perspective of the stakeholders, for the system to be successful. In terms of the functions, the hierarchy represents the solution agnostic (i.e. independent of specific design embodiments) elements that are needed to meet the stakeholder requirements. This paper will focus on the development of the functions. The functions define the fundamental elements of the solution that must be provided in order to achieve the mission and deliver the capabilities. They identify the behaviors the farm must possess, i.e. the farm must be able to generate and deliver electricity from wave power. High-level functions are independent of the technology or design used to implement the function. However, detailed functions may begin to border on specific design choices. Hence a strong effort has been made to maintain functions that are design agnostic.

Functions of Conflict: Perceived Utility in the Emergent Professions.

Science.gov (United States)

Henkin, Alan B.; And Others

1991-01-01

Describes perceptions of conflict as a utility (functional conflict) among 1,953 department executives in programs of social work, education, and nursing (the emergent professions); and analyzes perceptual data in terms of organizational conflict climate and demographics. Variations in terms of perceived operational utility of organizational…

A New Class of Analytic Functions Defined by Using Salagean Operator

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

R. M. El-Ashwah

2013-01-01

Full Text Available We derive some results for a new class of analytic functions defined by using Salagean operator. We give some properties of functions in this class and obtain numerous sharp results including for example, coefficient estimates, distortion theorem, radii of star-likeness, convexity, close-to-convexity, extreme points, integral means inequalities, and partial sums of functions belonging to this class. Finally, we give an application involving certain fractional calculus operators that are also considered.

Defining functional DNA elements in the human genome

Science.gov (United States)

Kellis, Manolis; Wold, Barbara; Snyder, Michael P.; Bernstein, Bradley E.; Kundaje, Anshul; Marinov, Georgi K.; Ward, Lucas D.; Birney, Ewan; Crawford, Gregory E.; Dekker, Job; Dunham, Ian; Elnitski, Laura L.; Farnham, Peggy J.; Feingold, Elise A.; Gerstein, Mark; Giddings, Morgan C.; Gilbert, David M.; Gingeras, Thomas R.; Green, Eric D.; Guigo, Roderic; Hubbard, Tim; Kent, Jim; Lieb, Jason D.; Myers, Richard M.; Pazin, Michael J.; Ren, Bing; Stamatoyannopoulos, John A.; Weng, Zhiping; White, Kevin P.; Hardison, Ross C.

2014-01-01

With the completion of the human genome sequence, attention turned to identifying and annotating its functional DNA elements. As a complement to genetic and comparative genomics approaches, the Encyclopedia of DNA Elements Project was launched to contribute maps of RNA transcripts, transcriptional regulator binding sites, and chromatin states in many cell types. The resulting genome-wide data reveal sites of biochemical activity with high positional resolution and cell type specificity that facilitate studies of gene regulation and interpretation of noncoding variants associated with human disease. However, the biochemically active regions cover a much larger fraction of the genome than do evolutionarily conserved regions, raising the question of whether nonconserved but biochemically active regions are truly functional. Here, we review the strengths and limitations of biochemical, evolutionary, and genetic approaches for defining functional DNA segments, potential sources for the observed differences in estimated genomic coverage, and the biological implications of these discrepancies. We also analyze the relationship between signal intensity, genomic coverage, and evolutionary conservation. Our results reinforce the principle that each approach provides complementary information and that we need to use combinations of all three to elucidate genome function in human biology and disease. PMID:24753594

Dopamine reward prediction error responses reflect marginal utility.

Science.gov (United States)

Stauffer, William R; Lak, Armin; Schultz, Wolfram

2014-11-03

Optimal choices require an accurate neuronal representation of economic value. In economics, utility functions are mathematical representations of subjective value that can be constructed from choices under risk. Utility usually exhibits a nonlinear relationship to physical reward value that corresponds to risk attitudes and reflects the increasing or decreasing marginal utility obtained with each additional unit of reward. Accordingly, neuronal reward responses coding utility should robustly reflect this nonlinearity. In two monkeys, we measured utility as a function of physical reward value from meaningful choices under risk (that adhered to first- and second-order stochastic dominance). The resulting nonlinear utility functions predicted the certainty equivalents for new gambles, indicating that the functions' shapes were meaningful. The monkeys were risk seeking (convex utility function) for low reward and risk avoiding (concave utility function) with higher amounts. Critically, the dopamine prediction error responses at the time of reward itself reflected the nonlinear utility functions measured at the time of choices. In particular, the reward response magnitude depended on the first derivative of the utility function and thus reflected the marginal utility. Furthermore, dopamine responses recorded outside of the task reflected the marginal utility of unpredicted reward. Accordingly, these responses were sufficient to train reinforcement learning models to predict the behaviorally defined expected utility of gambles. These data suggest a neuronal manifestation of marginal utility in dopamine neurons and indicate a common neuronal basis for fundamental explanatory constructs in animal learning theory (prediction error) and economic decision theory (marginal utility). Copyright © 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Coding and decoding libraries of sequence-defined functional copolymers synthesized via photoligation.

Science.gov (United States)

Zydziak, Nicolas; Konrad, Waldemar; Feist, Florian; Afonin, Sergii; Weidner, Steffen; Barner-Kowollik, Christopher

2016-11-30

Designing artificial macromolecules with absolute sequence order represents a considerable challenge. Here we report an advanced light-induced avenue to monodisperse sequence-defined functional linear macromolecules up to decamers via a unique photochemical approach. The versatility of the synthetic strategy-combining sequential and modular concepts-enables the synthesis of perfect macromolecules varying in chemical constitution and topology. Specific functions are placed at arbitrary positions along the chain via the successive addition of monomer units and blocks, leading to a library of functional homopolymers, alternating copolymers and block copolymers. The in-depth characterization of each sequence-defined chain confirms the precision nature of the macromolecules. Decoding of the functional information contained in the molecular structure is achieved via tandem mass spectrometry without recourse to their synthetic history, showing that the sequence information can be read. We submit that the presented photochemical strategy is a viable and advanced concept for coding individual monomer units along a macromolecular chain.

A Utility-Based Downlink Radio Resource Allocation for Multiservice Cellular DS-CDMA Networks

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mahdi Shabany

2007-03-01

Full Text Available A novel framework is proposed to model downlink resource allocation problem in multiservice direct-sequence code division multiple-access (DS-CDMA cellular networks. This framework is based on a defined utility function, which leads to utilizing the network resources in a more efficient way. This utility function quantifies the degree of utilization of resources. As a matter of fact, using the defined utility function, users' channel fluctuations and their delay constraints along with the load conditions of all BSs are all taken into consideration. Unlike previous works, we solve the problem with the general objective of maximizing the total network utility instead of maximizing the achieved utility of each base station (BS. It is shown that this problem is equivalent to finding the optimum BS assignment throughout the network, which is mapped to a multidimensional multiple-choice knapsack problem (MMKP. Since MMKP is NP-hard, a polynomial-time suboptimal algorithm is then proposed to develop an efficient base-station assignment. Simulation results indicate a significant performance improvement in terms of achieved utility and packet drop ratio.

Diversity of Pol IV function is defined by mutations at the maize rmr7 locus.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jennifer L Stonaker

2009-11-01

Full Text Available Mutations affecting the heritable maintenance of epigenetic states in maize identify multiple small RNA biogenesis factors including NRPD1, the largest subunit of the presumed maize Pol IV holoenzyme. Here we show that mutations defining the required to maintain repression7 locus identify a second RNA polymerase subunit related to Arabidopsis NRPD2a, the sole second largest subunit shared between Arabidopsis Pol IV and Pol V. A phylogenetic analysis shows that, in contrast to representative eudicots, grasses have retained duplicate loci capable of producing functional NRPD2-like proteins, which is indicative of increased RNA polymerase diversity in grasses relative to eudicots. Together with comparisons of rmr7 mutant plant phenotypes and their effects on the maintenance of epigenetic states with parallel analyses of NRPD1 defects, our results imply that maize utilizes multiple functional NRPD2-like proteins. Despite the observation that RMR7/NRPD2, like NRPD1, is required for the accumulation of most siRNAs, our data indicate that different Pol IV isoforms play distinct roles in the maintenance of meiotically-heritable epigenetic information in the grasses.

Subjective Expected Utility Theory without States of the World

OpenAIRE

Edi Karni

2005-01-01

This paper develops an axiomatic theory of decision making under uncertainty that dispenses with the state space. The results are subjective expected utility models with unique, action-dependent, subjective probabilities, and a utility function defined over wealth-effect pairs that is unique up to positive linear transformation.

A pair density functional theory utilizing the correlated wave function

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Higuchi, M; Higuchi, K

2009-01-01

We propose a practical scheme for calculating the ground-state pair density (PD) by utilizing the correlated wave function. As the correlated wave function, we adopt a linear combination of the single Slater determinants that are constructed from the solutions of the initial scheme [Higuchi M and Higuchi K 2007 Physica B 387, 117]. The single-particle equation is derived by performing the variational principle within the set of PDs that are constructed from such correlated wave functions. Since the search region of the PD is substantially extended as compared with the initial scheme, it is expected that the present scheme can cover more correlation effects. The single-particle equation is practical, and may be easily applied to actual calculations.

Alzheimer’s disease: How metal ions define β-amyloid function

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kepp, Kasper Planeta

2017-01-01

focuses on the essential coordination chemistry and biochemistry that relate transition metal ions iron, copper, and zinc to β-amyloid (Aβ) and most likely define the peptide's roles in neurons. The metal-Aβ interactions have elements of both gain of toxic function, as usually considered, but also loss......Alzheimer’s disease is increasingly recognized to be linked to the function and status of metal ions, and recently, the amyloid hypothesis has been strongly intertwined with the metal ion hypothesis; in fact, these two hypotheses fit well together and are not mutually contradictory. This review...... of natural functions, as emphasized in this review. Both these aspects and their relationships are discussed and their implications for future therapeutic strategies are outlined....

Utilization of Natural Products as Functional Feed

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Stella Magdalena

2013-03-01

Full Text Available The use of antibiotics as feed additive improves performance in livestock. However, scientific data related to the use of antibiotics in feed merge spreading of bacterial resistance in animal and human bodies, therefore the usage of antibiotics in animal production is restricted. This condition raise the utilization of natural antibiotic as functional feed such as phytogenics (essential oil, flavonoid, saponin, and tannin, enzyme, probiotic, and prebiotic to improve the livestock’s performance, quality, and health. Functional feeds increase profitability in animal husbandry production and its use is feeds are expected to be functional foods that may have positive effects in human nutrition.

The Informational Content of the Shape of Utility Functions: Financial Strategic Behavior

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Pennings, J.M.E.; Garcia, P.

2009-01-01

Recently, Pennings and Smidts (2003) showed a relationship between organizational behavior and the global shape of the utility function. Their results suggest that the shape of the utility function may be related to `higher-order¿ decisions. This research examines the relationship between financial

Defining Modules, Modularity and Modularization

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Miller, Thomas Dedenroth; Pedersen, Per Erik Elgård

The paper describes the evolution of the concept of modularity in a historical perspective. The main reasons for modularity are: create variety, utilize similarities, and reduce complexity. The paper defines the terms: Module, modularity, and modularization.......The paper describes the evolution of the concept of modularity in a historical perspective. The main reasons for modularity are: create variety, utilize similarities, and reduce complexity. The paper defines the terms: Module, modularity, and modularization....

Using Multicriteria Analysis in Issues Concerning Adaptation of Historic Facilities for the Needs of Public Utility Buildings with a Function of a Theatre

Science.gov (United States)

Obracaj, Piotr; Fabianowski, Dariusz

2017-10-01

Implementations concerning adaptation of historic facilities for public utility objects are associated with the necessity of solving many complex, often conflicting expectations of future users. This mainly concerns the function that includes construction, technology and aesthetic issues. The list of issues is completed with proper protection of historic values, different in each case. The procedure leading to obtaining the expected solution is a multicriteria procedure, usually difficult to accurately define and requiring designer’s large experience. An innovative approach has been used for the analysis, namely - the modified EA FAHP (Extent Analysis Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process) Chang’s method of a multicriteria analysis for the assessment of complex functional and spatial issues. Selection of optimal spatial form of an adapted historic building intended for the multi-functional public utility facility was analysed. The assumed functional flexibility was determined in the scope of: education, conference, and chamber spectacles, such as drama, concerts, in different stage-audience layouts.

Communications technologies for demand side management, DSM, and European utility communications architecture, EurUCA

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Uuspaeae, P. [VTT Energy, Espoo (Finland)

1996-12-31

The scope of this research is data communications for electric utilities. Demand Side Management (DSM) calls for communication between the Electric Utility and the Customer. The communication capacity needed will depend on the functions that are chosen for DSM, and on the number of customers. Some functions may be handled with one-way communications, some functions require two-way communication. Utility Communication Architecture looks for an overall view of the communications needs and communication systems in an electric utility. The objective is to define and specify suitable and compatible communications procedures within the Utility and also to outside parties. (27 refs.)

Communications technologies for demand side management, DSM, and European utility communications architecture, EurUCA

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Uuspaeae, P [VTT Energy, Espoo (Finland)

1997-12-31

The scope of this research is data communications for electric utilities. Demand Side Management (DSM) calls for communication between the Electric Utility and the Customer. The communication capacity needed will depend on the functions that are chosen for DSM, and on the number of customers. Some functions may be handled with one-way communications, some functions require two-way communication. Utility Communication Architecture looks for an overall view of the communications needs and communication systems in an electric utility. The objective is to define and specify suitable and compatible communications procedures within the Utility and also to outside parties. (27 refs.)

Structural and Functional Characterization of a Short-Chain Flavodoxin Associated with a Noncanonical 1,2-Propanediol Utilization Bacterial Microcompartment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Plegaria, Jefferson S. [MSU-DOE; Sutter, Markus [MSU-DOE; Molecular; Ferlez, Bryan [MSU-DOE; Aussignargues, Clément [MSU-DOE; Niklas, Jens [Solar; Poluektov, Oleg G. [Solar; Fromwiller, Ciara [MSU-DOE; TerAvest, Michaela [Department; amp, Molecular Biology, Michigan State University, East; Utschig, Lisa M. [Solar; Tiede, David M. [Solar; Kerfeld, Cheryl A. [MSU-DOE; Molecular; Department; amp, Molecular Biology, Michigan State University, East; Berkeley Synthetic Biology Institute, Berkeley, California 94720, United States

2017-09-21

Bacterial microcompartments (BMCs) are proteinaceous organelles that encapsulate enzymes involved in CO2 fixation (carboxysomes). or carbon catabolism (metabolosomes). Metabolosomes share a common core of enzymes and a distinct signature enzyme for substrate degradation that defines the function of the BMC (e,g., propanediol or ethanolamine utilization BMCs, or glycyl-radical enzyme microcompartments). Loci encoding metabolosomes also typically contain genes for proteins that support organelle function, such as regulation, transport of substrate, and cofactor (e.g., vitamin B-12) synthesis and recycling. Flavoproteins are frequently among these ancillary gene products, suggesting that these redox active proteins play an undetermined function in many metabolosomes. Here, we report the first characterization of a BMC-associated flavodoxin (Fld1C), a small flavoprotein, derived from the noncanonical 1,2-propanediol utilization BMC locus (PDU1C) of Lactobacillus reuteri. The 2.0 angstrom X-ray structure of Fld1C displays the alpha/beta flavodoxin fold, which noncovalently binds a single flavin mononucleotide molecule. Fld1C is a short-chain flavodoxin with redox potentials of -240 +/- 3 mV oxidized/semiquinone and -344 +/- 1 mV semiquinone/hydroquinone versus the standard hydrogen electrode at pH 7.5. It can participate in an electron transfer reaction with a photoreductant to form a stable semiquinone species. Collectively, our structural and functional results suggest that PDU1C BMCs encapsulate Fld1C to store and transfer electrons for the reactivation and/or recycling of the B-12 cofactor utilized by the signature enzyme.

Some double sequence spaces of interval numbers defined by Orlicz function

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ayhan Esi

2014-10-01

Full Text Available In this paper we introduce some interval valued double sequence spaces defined by Orlicz function and study different properties of these spaces like inclusion relations, solidity, etc. We establish some inclusion relations among them. Also we introduce the concept of double statistical convergence for interval number sequences and give an inclusion relation between interval valued double sequence spaces.

Utility Green-Pricing Programs: What Defines Success? (Topical Issues Brief)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Swezey, B.; Bird, L.

2001-09-13

''Green pricing'' is an optional service through which customers can support a greater level of investment by their electric utility in renewable energy technologies. Electric utilities in 29 states are now implementing green-pricing programs. This report examines important elements of green-pricing programs, including the different types of programs offered, the premiums charged, customer response, and additional factors that experience indicates are key to the development of successful programs. The best-performing programs tend to share a number of common attributes related to product design, value creation, product pricing, and program implementation. The report ends with a list of ''best practices'' for utilities to follow when developing and implementing programs.

Utilization of Natural Products as Functional Feed

OpenAIRE

Stella Magdalena; Natadiputri G H; Nailufar; Purwadaria T

2013-01-01

The use of antibiotics as feed additive improves performance in livestock. However, scientific data related to the use of antibiotics in feed merge spreading of bacterial resistance in animal and human bodies, therefore the usage of antibiotics in animal production is restricted. This condition raise the utilization of natural antibiotic as functional feed such as phytogenics (essential oil, flavonoid, saponin, and tannin), enzyme, probiotic, and prebiotic to improve the livestock’s performan...

Utility function under decision theory: A construction arbitration application

Science.gov (United States)

Alozn, Ahmad E.; Galadari, Abdulla

2017-08-01

While a wide range of dispute resolution mechanisms exist, practitioners favor legally binding ones such as litigation and arbitration. Since initiating a litigation or arbitration case against a business partner may dissolve the business relationship between them, predicting the arbitrator's decision becomes valuable to the arbitrating parties. This paper proposes a construction-specific utility framework for the arbitrating party through decision theory, and based on expected utility theory. The proposed framework preserves the industry practicality and most importantly, considers direct short-term factors and indirect long-term factors as well. It is suggested that the arbitrating parties' utility functions could be then used to identify equilibrium points among them when interact via game theory principles, which would serve the purpose of predicting the arbitration outcome.

Approximation solutions for indifference pricing under general utility functions

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Chen, An; Pelsser, Antoon; Vellekoop, M.H.

2008-01-01

With the aid of Taylor-based approximations, this paper presents results for pricing insurance contracts by using indifference pricing under general utility functions. We discuss the connection between the resulting "theoretical" indifference prices and the pricing rule-of-thumb that practitioners

Approximate Solutions for Indifference Pricing under General Utility Functions

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Chen, A.; Pelsser, A.; Vellekoop, M.

2007-01-01

With the aid of Taylor-based approximations, this paper presents results for pricing insurance contracts by using indifference pricing under general utility functions. We discuss the connection between the resulting "theoretical" indifference prices and the pricing rule-of-thumb that practitioners

Modeling of a 3DTV service in the software-defined networking architecture

Science.gov (United States)

Wilczewski, Grzegorz

2014-11-01

In this article a newly developed concept towards modeling of a multimedia service offering stereoscopic motion imagery is presented. Proposed model is based on the approach of utilization of Software-defined Networking or Software Defined Networks architecture (SDN). The definition of 3D television service spanning SDN concept is identified, exposing basic characteristic of a 3DTV service in a modern networking organization layout. Furthermore, exemplary functionalities of the proposed 3DTV model are depicted. It is indicated that modeling of a 3DTV service in the Software-defined Networking architecture leads to multiplicity of improvements, especially towards flexibility of a service supporting heterogeneity of end user devices.

Biostimulants and Its Potential Utilization in Functional Water-soluble Fertilizers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

ZHANG Qiang

2018-02-01

Full Text Available Biostimulants are becoming widely applied and extended in the fertilizer industry, because of their effects on soil improvement, anti-stress ability enhancement and root growth promotion, which can increase efficient uptake and utilization of soil nutrients, crop yield and quality.This review introduced the concepts of biostimulants, and summarized the functions and related mechanisms of commonly-applied biostimulants in the market, i.e.humic acid, amino acid, seaweed extracts and plant-growth-promoting bacteria(PGPR. The properties and applied characteristics of different organic wastes containing some biostimulating compounds as the main material of functional water soluble fertilizers (WSFin the industry were presented. The technical keys to compound these organic wastes with some bio-active substances to produce the functional WSF were explored, with the aims to support the value -added utilization of organic wastes, reduce the use of fertilizers, and promote crops忆 quality and quantity.

Defining functional dyspepsia Definiendo la dispepsia funcional

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fermín Mearin

2011-12-01

Full Text Available Dyspepsia and functional dyspepsia represent a highly significant public health issue. A good definition of dyspepsia is key for helping us to better approach symptoms, decision making, and therapy indications. During the last few years many attempts were made at establishing a definition of dyspepsia. Results were little successful on most occasions, and clear discrepancies arose on whether symptoms should be associated with digestion, which types of symptoms were to be included, which anatomic location should symptoms have, etc. The Rome III Committee defined dyspepsia as "a symptom or set of symptoms that most physicians consider to originate from the gastroduodenal area", including the following: postprandial heaviness, early satiety, and epigastric pain or burning. Two new entities were defined: a food-induced dyspeptic symptoms (postprandial distress syndrome; and b epigastric pain (epigastric pain syndrome. These and other definitions have shown both strengths and weaknesses. At times they have been much too complex, at times much too simple; furthermore, they have commonly erred on the side of being inaccurate and impractical. On the other hand, some (the most recent ones are difficult to translate into the Spanish language. In a meeting of gastroenterologists with a special interest in digestive functional disorders, the various aspects of dyspepsia definition were discussed and put to the vote, and the following conclusions were arrived at: dyspepsia is defined as a set of symptoms, either related or unrelated to food ingestion, localized on the upper half of the abdomen. They include: a epigastric discomfort (as a category of severity or pain; b postprandial heaviness; and c early satiety. Associated complaints include: nausea, belching, bloating, and epigastric burn (heartburn. All these must be scored according to severity and frequency. Furthermore, psychological factors may be involved in the origin of functional dyspepsia. On the

The functional properties, modification and utilization of whey proteins

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

B. G. Venter

1986-03-01

Full Text Available Whey protein has an excellent nutritional value and exhibits a functional potential. In comparison with certain other food proteins, the whey protein content of essential amino acids is extremely favourable for human consumption. Depending on the heat-treatment history thereof, soluble whey proteins with utilizable functional properties, apart from high biological value, true digestibility, protein efficiency ratio and nett protein utilization, can be recovered. Various technological and chemical recovery processes have been designed. Chemically and enzymatically modified whey protein is manufactured to obtain technological and functional advantages. The important functional properties of whey proteins, namely hydration, gelation, emulsifying and foaming properties, are reviewed.

Pareto utility

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Ikefuji, M.; Laeven, R.J.A.; Magnus, J.R.; Muris, C.H.M.

2013-01-01

In searching for an appropriate utility function in the expected utility framework, we formulate four properties that we want the utility function to satisfy. We conduct a search for such a function, and we identify Pareto utility as a function satisfying all four desired properties. Pareto utility

Systemic-Functional Approach to Utilities Supplys

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nikolay I. Komkov

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Purpose: the purpose of the article consists in statement of management approach to development of utilities supply processes based on conflict situations decision – making search. It had appeared in the period of the transition from the planned and directive management to market development. Methods: the research methodology is based on the system analysis of full life cycle processes functioning, forecasting of complex systems development, mathematical modeling of processes of services supply and innovative and investment projects modeling as well as development of supplying services processes. Results: the results of the work are concentrated in the presentation of systemic-functional approach to managing the development of processes of municipal services, able to resolve conflict situations in this sphere. Conclusions and Relevance: the traditional management approach on the basis of elimination of "bottlenecks" and emergencies prevailing within planned and directive system at its transformation in the market conditions has led to accumulation of conflict situations and unsolvable problems. The offered systemic-functional approach based on forecasting of full life cycle of the modernized processes and the services providing systems allows to consider costs of modernization, prime cost and quality of the rendered services. 

Platelet function testing: methods of assessment and clinical utility.

LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

Mylotte, Darren

2012-02-01

Platelets play a central role in the regulation of both thrombosis and haemostasis yet tests of platelet function have, until recently, been exclusively used in the diagnosis and management of bleeding disorders. Recent advances have demonstrated the clinical utility of platelet function testing in patients with cardiovascular disease. The ex vivo measurement of response to antiplatelet therapies (aspirin and clopidogrel), by an ever-increasing array of platelet function tests, is with some assays, predictive of adverse clinical events and thus, represents an emerging area of interest for both the clinician and basic scientist. This review article will describe the advantages and disadvantages of the currently available methods of measuring platelet function and discuss both the limitations and emerging data supporting the role of platelet function studies in clinical practice.

Platelet function testing: methods of assessment and clinical utility.

LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

Mylotte, Darren

2011-01-01

Platelets play a central role in the regulation of both thrombosis and haemostasis yet tests of platelet function have, until recently, been exclusively used in the diagnosis and management of bleeding disorders. Recent advances have demonstrated the clinical utility of platelet function testing in patients with cardiovascular disease. The ex vivo measurement of response to antiplatelet therapies (aspirin and clopidogrel), by an ever-increasing array of platelet function tests, is with some assays, predictive of adverse clinical events and thus, represents an emerging area of interest for both the clinician and basic scientist. This review article will describe the advantages and disadvantages of the currently available methods of measuring platelet function and discuss both the limitations and emerging data supporting the role of platelet function studies in clinical practice.

Model for defining the level of implementation of the management functions in small enterprises

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dragan Mišetić

2001-01-01

Full Text Available Small enterprises, based on private ownership and entrepreneurial capability, represent, for the majority of the scientific and professional public, the prime movers of economic growth, both in developed market economies and in the economies of countries in transition. At the same time, various studies show that the main reason for the bankruptcy of many small enterprises (more than 90% can be found in weak management, i.e. unacquaintance with management functions (planning, organization, human resources management, leading and control and with the need of implementing those functions in practice. Although it is not easy to define the ingredients of the recipe for success or to define precisely the importance of different elements, and regardless of the fact that many authors think that the management theory for large enterprises is inapplicable for the small ones, we all agree that the owner/manager and his implementation of the management theory has a decisive influence on small enterprises in modern economic circumstances. Therefore, the author of this work is hereby representing the model, which defines the level of implementation of management functions in small enterprises, as well as three systems/levels (danger, risk, progress in which small enterprises may find themselves. After the level of implementation of the management function is identified, it is possible to undertake some corrective actions, which will remove the found failures. While choosing the variables of the model, the author took into consideration specific features of a small enterprise, as well as specific features of its owner/manager.

Development of utility generic functional requirements for electronic work packages and computer-based procedures

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Oxstrand, Johanna [Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States)

2017-06-01

The Nuclear Electronic Work Packages - Enterprise Requirements (NEWPER) initiative is a step toward a vision of implementing an eWP framework that includes many types of eWPs. This will enable immediate paper-related cost savings in work management and provide a path to future labor efficiency gains through enhanced integration and process improvement in support of the Nuclear Promise (Nuclear Energy Institute 2016). The NEWPER initiative was organized by the Nuclear Information Technology Strategic Leadership (NITSL) group, which is an organization that brings together leaders from the nuclear utility industry and regulatory agencies to address issues involved with information technology used in nuclear-power utilities. NITSL strives to maintain awareness of industry information technology-related initiatives and events and communicates those events to its membership. NITSL and LWRS Program researchers have been coordinating activities, including joint organization of NEWPER-related meetings and report development. The main goal of the NEWPER initiative was to develop a set of utility generic functional requirements for eWP systems. This set of requirements will support each utility in their process of identifying plant-specific functional and non-functional requirements. The NEWPER initiative has 140 members where the largest group of members consists of 19 commercial U.S. nuclear utilities and eleven of the most prominent vendors of eWP solutions. Through the NEWPER initiative two sets of functional requirements were developed; functional requirements for electronic work packages and functional requirements for computer-based procedures. This paper will describe the development process as well as a summary of the requirements.

Utility Green-Pricing Programs: What Defines Success? (Topical Issues Brief); TOPICAL

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Swezey, B.; Bird, L.

2001-01-01

''Green pricing'' is an optional service through which customers can support a greater level of investment by their electric utility in renewable energy technologies. Electric utilities in 29 states are now implementing green-pricing programs. This report examines important elements of green-pricing programs, including the different types of programs offered, the premiums charged, customer response, and additional factors that experience indicates are key to the development of successful programs. The best-performing programs tend to share a number of common attributes related to product design, value creation, product pricing, and program implementation. The report ends with a list of ''best practices'' for utilities to follow when developing and implementing programs

Optimal investment and indifference pricing when risk aversion is not monotone: SAHARA utility functions

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Chen, A.; Pelsser, A.; Vellekoop, M.

2008-01-01

Abstract. We develop a new class of utility functions, SAHARA utility, with the dis- tinguishing feature that they implement the assumption that agents may become less risk-averse for very low values of wealth. This means that SAHARA utility can be used to characterize risk gambling behavior of an

Functional differences between neurochemically defined populations of inhibitory interneurons in the rat spinal dorsal horn ?

OpenAIRE

Polg?r, Erika; Sardella, Thomas C.P.; Tiong, Sheena Y.X.; Locke, Samantha; Watanabe, Masahiko; Todd, Andrew J.

2013-01-01

In order to understand how nociceptive information is processed in the spinal dorsal horn we need to unravel the complex synaptic circuits involving interneurons, which constitute the vast majority of the neurons in laminae I?III. The main limitation has been the difficulty in defining functional populations among these cells. We have recently identified 4 non-overlapping classes of inhibitory interneuron, defined by expression of galanin, neuropeptide Y (NPY), neuronal nitric oxide synthase ...

Genetic utility of broadly defined bipolar schizoaffective disorder as a diagnostic concept

Science.gov (United States)

Hamshere, M. L.; Green, E. K.; Jones, I. R.; Jones, L.; Moskvina, V.; Kirov, G.; Grozeva, D.; Nikolov, I.; Vukcevic, D.; Caesar, S.; Gordon-Smith, K.; Fraser, C.; Russell, E.; Breen, G.; St Clair, D.; Collier, D. A.; Young, A. H.; Ferrier, I. N.; Farmer, A.; McGuffin, P.; Holmans, P. A.; Owen, M. J.; O’Donovan, M. C.; Craddock, N.

2009-01-01

Background Psychiatric phenotypes are currently defined according to sets of descriptive criteria. Although many of these phenotypes are heritable, it would be useful to know whether any of the various diagnostic categories in current use identify cases that are particularly helpful for biological–genetic research. Aims To use genome-wide genetic association data to explore the relative genetic utility of seven different descriptive operational diagnostic categories relevant to bipolar illness within a large UK case–control bipolar disorder sample. Method We analysed our previously published Wellcome Trust Case Control Consortium (WTCCC) bipolar disorder genome-wide association data-set, comprising 1868 individuals with bipolar disorder and 2938 controls genotyped for 276 122 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that met stringent criteria for genotype quality. For each SNP we performed a test of association (bipolar disorder group v. control group) and used the number of associated independent SNPs statistically significant at Pschizoaffective disorder, bipolar type; DSM–IV: bipolar I disorder; bipolar II disorder; schizoaffective disorder, bipolar type. Results The RDC schizoaffective disorder, bipolar type (v. controls) stood out from the other diagnostic subsets as having a significant excess of independent association signals (Pschizoaffective features have either a particularly strong genetic contribution or that, as a group, are genetically more homogeneous than the other phenotypes tested. The results point to the importance of using diagnostic approaches that recognise this group of individuals. Our approach can be applied to similar data-sets for other psychiatric and non-psychiatric phenotypes. PMID:19567891

MeV gamma-ray observation with a well-defined point spread function based on electron tracking

Science.gov (United States)

Takada, A.; Tanimori, T.; Kubo, H.; Mizumoto, T.; Mizumura, Y.; Komura, S.; Kishimoto, T.; Takemura, T.; Yoshikawa, K.; Nakamasu, Y.; Matsuoka, Y.; Oda, M.; Miyamoto, S.; Sonoda, S.; Tomono, D.; Miuchi, K.; Kurosawa, S.; Sawano, T.

2016-07-01

The field of MeV gamma-ray astronomy has not opened up until recently owing to imaging difficulties. Compton telescopes and coded-aperture imaging cameras are used as conventional MeV gamma-ray telescopes; however their observations are obstructed by huge background, leading to uncertainty of the point spread function (PSF). Conventional MeV gamma-ray telescopes imaging utilize optimizing algorithms such as the ML-EM method, making it difficult to define the correct PSF, which is the uncertainty of a gamma-ray image on the celestial sphere. Recently, we have defined and evaluated the PSF of an electron-tracking Compton camera (ETCC) and a conventional Compton telescope, and thereby obtained an important result: The PSF strongly depends on the precision of the recoil direction of electron (scatter plane deviation, SPD) and is not equal to the angular resolution measure (ARM). Now, we are constructing a 30 cm-cubic ETCC for a second balloon experiment, Sub-MeV gamma ray Imaging Loaded-on-balloon Experiment: SMILE-II. The current ETCC has an effective area of 1 cm2 at 300 keV, a PSF of 10° at FWHM for 662 keV, and a large field of view of 3 sr. We will upgrade this ETCC to have an effective area of several cm2 and a PSF of 5° using a CF4-based gas. Using the upgraded ETCC, our observation plan for SMILE-II is to map of the electron-positron annihilation line and the 1.8 MeV line from 26Al. In this paper, we will report on the current performance of the ETCC and on our observation plan.

Application of a disease-specific mapping function to estimate utility gains with effective treatment of schizophrenia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rupnow Marcia FT

2005-09-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Most tools for estimating utilities use clinical trial data from general health status models, such as the 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36. A disease-specific model may be more appropriate. The objective of this study was to apply a disease-specific utility mapping function for schizophrenia to data from a large, 1-year, open-label study of long-acting risperidone and to compare its performance with an SF-36-based utility mapping function. Methods Patients with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder by DSM-IV criteria received 25, 50, or 75 mg long-acting risperidone every 2 weeks for 12 months. The Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS and SF-36 were used to assess efficacy and health-related quality of life. Movement disorder severity was measured using the Extrapyramidal Symptom Rating Scale (ESRS; data concerning other common adverse effects (orthostatic hypotension, weight gain were collected. Transforms were applied to estimate utilities. Results A total of 474 patients completed the study. Long-acting risperidone treatment was associated with a utility gain of 0.051 using the disease-specific function. The estimated gain using an SF-36-based mapping function was smaller: 0.0285. Estimates of gains were only weakly correlated (r = 0.2. Because of differences in scaling and variance, the requisite sample size for a randomized trial to confirm observed effects is much smaller for the disease-specific mapping function (156 versus 672 total subjects. Conclusion Application of a disease-specific mapping function was feasible. Differences in scaling and precision suggest the clinically based mapping function has greater power than the SF-36-based measure to detect differences in utility.

Assessing the Utility of a Demand Assessment for Functional Analysis

Science.gov (United States)

Roscoe, Eileen M.; Rooker, Griffin W.; Pence, Sacha T.; Longworth, Lynlea J.

2009-01-01

We evaluated the utility of an assessment for identifying tasks for the functional analysis demand condition with 4 individuals who had been diagnosed with autism. During the demand assessment, a therapist presented a variety of tasks, and observers measured problem behavior and compliance to identify demands associated with low levels of…

Metatranscriptomic and functional metagenomic analysis of methylphosphonate utilization by marine bacteria

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Asuncion eMartinez

2013-11-01

Full Text Available Aerobic degradation of methylphosphonate (MPn by marine bacterioplankton has been hypothesized to contribute significantly to the ocean’s methane supersaturation, yet little is known about MPn utilization by marine microbes. To identify the microbial taxa and metabolic functions associated with MPn-driven methane production we performed parallel metagenomic, metatranscriptomic, and functional screening of microcosm perturbation experiments using surface water collected in North Pacific Subtropical Gyre. In nutrient amended microcosms containing MPn, a substrate-driven microbial succession occurred. Initially, the addition of glucose and nitrate resulted in a bloom of Vibrionales and a transcriptional profile dominated by glucose-specific PTS transport and polyhydroxyalkanoate biosynthesis. Transcripts associated with phosphorus (P acquisition were also overrepresented and suggested that the addition of glucose and nitrate had driven the community to P depletion. At this point, a second community shift occurred characterized by the increase in C-P lyase containing microbes of the Vibrionales and Rhodobacterales orders. Transcripts associated with C-P lyase components were among the most highly expressed at the community level, and only C-P lyase clusters were recovered in a functional screen for MPn utilization, consistent with this pathway being responsible for the majority, if not all the methane accumulation we observed. Our results identify specific bacterioplankton taxa that can utilize MPn aerobically under conditions of P limitation using the C-P lyase pathway, and thereby elicit a significant increase in the dissolved methane concentration.

A method of short range system analysis for nuclear utilities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Eng, R.; Mason, E.A.; Benedict, M.

1976-01-01

An optimization procedure has been formulated and tested that is capable of solving for the optimal generation schedule of several nuclear power reactors in an electric power utility system, under short-range, resource-limited, conditions. The optimization procedure utilizes a new concept called the Opportunity Cost of Nuclear Power (OCNP) to optimally assign the resource-limited nuclear energy to the different weeks and hours in the short-range planning horizon. OCNP is defined as the cost of displaced energy when optimally distributed nuclear energy is marginally increased. Under resource-limited conditions, the short-range 'value' of nuclear power to a utility system is not its actual generation cost, but the cost of the next best alternative supply of energy, the OCNP. OCNP is a function of a week's system reserve capacity, the system's economic loading order, the customer demand function, and the nature of the available utility system generating units. The optimized OCNP value of the short-range planning period represents the utility's short-range energy replacement cost incurred when selling nuclear energy to a neighbouring utility. (author)

Defining nodes in complex brain networks

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Matthew Lawrence Stanley

2013-11-01

Full Text Available Network science holds great promise for expanding our understanding of the human brain in health, disease, development, and aging. Network analyses are quickly becoming the method of choice for analyzing functional MRI data. However, many technical issues have yet to be confronted in order to optimize results. One particular issue that remains controversial in functional brain network analyses is the definition of a network node. In functional brain networks a node represents some predefined collection of brain tissue, and an edge measures the functional connectivity between pairs of nodes. The characteristics of a node, chosen by the researcher, vary considerably in the literature. This manuscript reviews the current state of the art based on published manuscripts and highlights the strengths and weaknesses of three main methods for defining nodes. Voxel-wise networks are constructed by assigning a node to each, equally sized brain area (voxel. The fMRI time-series recorded from each voxel is then used to create the functional network. Anatomical methods utilize atlases to define the nodes based on brain structure. The fMRI time-series from all voxels within the anatomical area are averaged and subsequently used to generate the network. Functional activation methods rely on data from traditional fMRI activation studies, often from databases, to identify network nodes. Such methods identify the peaks or centers of mass from activation maps to determine the location of the nodes. Small (~10-20 millimeter diameter spheres located at the coordinates of the activation foci are then applied to the data being used in the network analysis. The fMRI time-series from all voxels in the sphere are then averaged, and the resultant time series is used to generate the network. We attempt to clarify the discussion and move the study of complex brain networks forward. While the correct method to be used remains an open, possibly unsolvable question that

Platelet Function Tests: Preanalytical Variables, Clinical Utility, Advantages, and Disadvantages.

Science.gov (United States)

Hvas, Anne-Mette; Grove, Erik Lerkevang

2017-01-01

Platelet function tests are mainly used in the diagnostic work-up of platelet disorders. During the last decade, the additional use of platelet function tests to evaluate the effect of antiplatelet therapy has also emerged in an attempt to identify patients with an increased risk of arterial thrombosis. Furthermore, platelet function tests are increasingly used to measure residual effect of antiplatelet therapy prior to surgery with the aim of reducing the risk of bleeding. To a limited extend, platelet function tests are also used to evaluate hyperaggregability as a potential marker of a prothrombotic state outside the setting of antiplatelet therapy. This multifaceted use of platelet function tests and the development of simpler point-of-care tests with narrower application have increased the use of platelet function testing and also facilitated the use of platelet function tests outside the highly specialized laboratories. The present chapter describes the preanalytical variables, which should be taken into account when planning platelet function testing. Also, the most widely used platelet function tests are introduced, and their clinical utility and their relative advantages and disadvantages are discussed.

The C. elegans Connectome Consists of Homogenous Circuits with Defined Functional Roles.

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Aharon Azulay

2016-09-01

Full Text Available A major goal of systems neuroscience is to decipher the structure-function relationship in neural networks. Here we study network functionality in light of the common-neighbor-rule (CNR in which a pair of neurons is more likely to be connected the more common neighbors it shares. Focusing on the fully-mapped neural network of C. elegans worms, we establish that the CNR is an emerging property in this connectome. Moreover, sets of common neighbors form homogenous structures that appear in defined layers of the network. Simulations of signal propagation reveal their potential functional roles: signal amplification and short-term memory at the sensory/inter-neuron layer, and synchronized activity at the motoneuron layer supporting coordinated movement. A coarse-grained view of the neural network based on homogenous connected sets alone reveals a simple modular network architecture that is intuitive to understand. These findings provide a novel framework for analyzing larger, more complex, connectomes once these become available.

Synthesis and self-assembly of well-defined block copolypeptides via controlled NCA polymerization

OpenAIRE

Deming, TJ

2013-01-01

This article summarizes advances in the synthesis of well-defined polypeptides and block copolypeptides. Traditional methods used to polymerize α-amino acid-N-carboxyanhydrides (NCAs) are described, and limitations in the utility of these systems for the preparation of polypeptides are discussed. Improved initiators and methods that allow polypeptide synthesis with good control over chain length, chain length distribution, and chain-end functionality are also discussed. Using these methods, b...

Critical Uses of College Resources. Part I: Personnel Utilization System.

Science.gov (United States)

Vlahos, Mantha

A Personnel Utilization System has been designed at Broward Community College, which combines payroll, personnel, course, and function information in order to determine the actual duties performed by personnel for the amount of remuneration received. Objectives of the system are (1) to define the tasks being performed by faculty, staff, and…

Use of Behavior and Influence Functions for Relay Selection in Cooperative Communications

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Craciunescu, Razvan; Mihovska, Albena Dimitrova; Prasad, Ramjee

2015-01-01

This paper uses a novel set of functions to model the relay selection process in a scenario of cooperative wireless communications. We define a utility function that reflects the behavior and influence that a selected relay may have on the quality of the link to be established for the forwarding...... of data. The utility function takes into account also the strategies of other players. To this end, we define a relay selection game and a supporting Nash Equilibrium (NE) algorithm for the choice of a relay during communication. The successful selection of a relay is evaluated by simulations in terms...

Between morphology and function: How syntactic centers of the Beijing city are defined

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Tao Yang

2015-12-01

Full Text Available The application of big data provides a new angle of view on investigating whether, and if so, how to define the urban center through analyzing urban spatial morphology intrinsically interacts with its functions. This article, using empirical research of the Beijing city, first seeking to explore spatial configuration-the complex relation between any pair of individual spaces regarding other contextual spaces – of urban network collected from Baidu. And then, focusing on conducting a statistical correlation between the configurational patterns of urban network and the aggregation patterns of functions. Based on the different patterns of aggregation or dispersion of those functions we discussed, as well as the multi-scale syntactic location choice underlying those patterns, it then can be identified four types of centers in the Beijing city, which may be called active center, ordinary center, brand centers and specified center, as well as the extent to which spatial layout influences functional distribution.

Summary of the function and the safety design of the Tokai Reprocessing Utility Center

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yanai, Chisato; Yamazaki, Toshihiko; Tomita, Tsuneo; Horii, Shinichi; Uryu, Mituru; Ishiguro, Nobuharu; Kobayashi, Kentarou

1998-01-01

The Tokai Reprocessing Utility Center is a new facility to replace the utilities to the Tokai Reprocessing Plant such as the emergency power supply, compressed air, etc. which are scattered about the site and have became superannuated. The Facility building has a base-isolation system that is a strongly resistant to earthquake. After completion, the center will supply utilities to the Main Plant, the Central Building, the Auxiliary Active Facility, etc. of the Tokai Reprocessing Plant. This document outlines the function and the safety design of the Tokai Reprocessing Utility Center. (author)

Medicare home health utilization as a function of nursing home market factors.

OpenAIRE

Swan, J H; Benjamin, A E

1990-01-01

Rapid increases in the size and costs of the home health market, unknown impacts of Medicare's DRG hospital reimbursement on the posthospital market, and general lack of knowledge about factors that explain interstate variation in home health utilization all suggest the importance of developing and testing models of Medicare home health use. This article proposes and tests a model of state home health utilization as a function of the nursing home market. This model proposes that home health u...

Abstraction of continuous dynamical systems utilizing lyapunov functions

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sloth, Christoffer; Wisniewski, Rafael

2010-01-01

This paper considers the development of a method for abstracting continuous dynamical systems by timed automata. The method is based on partitioning the state space of dynamical systems with invariant sets, which form cells representing locations of the timed automata. To enable verification...... of the dynamical system based on the abstraction, conditions for obtaining sound, complete, and refinable abstractions are set up. It is proposed to partition the state space utilizing sub-level sets of Lyapunov functions, since they are positive invariant sets. The existence of sound abstractions for Morse......-Smale systems and complete and refinable abstractions for linear systems are shown....

Defining local food

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Eriksen, Safania Normann

2013-01-01

Despite evolving local food research, there is no consistent definition of “local food.” Various understandings are utilized, which have resulted in a diverse landscape of meaning. The main purpose of this paper is to examine how researchers within the local food systems literature define local...... food, and how these definitions can be used as a starting point to identify a new taxonomy of local food based on three domains of proximity....

Development of a preference-based index from the National Eye Institute Visual Function Questionnaire-25.

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Rentz, Anne M; Kowalski, Jonathan W; Walt, John G; Hays, Ron D; Brazier, John E; Yu, Ren; Lee, Paul; Bressler, Neil; Revicki, Dennis A

2014-03-01

Understanding how individuals value health states is central to patient-centered care and to health policy decision making. Generic preference-based measures of health may not effectively capture the impact of ocular diseases. Recently, 6 items from the National Eye Institute Visual Function Questionnaire-25 were used to develop the Visual Function Questionnaire-Utility Index health state classification, which defines visual function health states. To describe elicitation of preferences for health states generated from the Visual Function Questionnaire-Utility Index health state classification and development of an algorithm to estimate health preference scores for any health state. Nonintervention, cross-sectional study of the general community in 4 countries (Australia, Canada, United Kingdom, and United States). A total of 607 adult participants were recruited from local newspaper advertisements. In the United Kingdom, an existing database of participants from previous studies was used for recruitment. Eight of 15,625 possible health states from the Visual Function Questionnaire-Utility Index were valued using time trade-off technique. A θ severity score was calculated for Visual Function Questionnaire-Utility Index-defined health states using item response theory analysis. Regression models were then used to develop an algorithm to assign health state preference values for all potential health states defined by the Visual Function Questionnaire-Utility Index. Health state preference values for the 8 states ranged from a mean (SD) of 0.343 (0.395) to 0.956 (0.124). As expected, preference values declined with worsening visual function. Results indicate that the Visual Function Questionnaire-Utility Index describes states that participants view as spanning most of the continuum from full health to dead. Visual Function Questionnaire-Utility Index health state classification produces health preference scores that can be estimated in vision-related studies that

Defining the role of sensation, strength, and prehension for upper limb function in cervical spinal cord injury.

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Kalsi-Ryan, Sukhvinder; Beaton, Dorcas; Curt, Armin; Duff, Susan; Jiang, Depeng; Popovic, Milos R; Rudhe, Claudia; Fehlings, Michael G; Verrier, Mary C

2014-01-01

Upper limb function plays a significant role in enhancing independence for individuals with tetraplegia. However, there is limited knowledge about the specific input of sensorimotor deficits on upper limb function. Thus the theoretical framework designed to develop the Graded Redefined Assessment of Strength Sensibility and Prehension (GRASSP) was used as a hypothetical model to analyze the impact of impairment on function. To define the association of impairment (sensation, strength, and prehension measured by the GRASSP) to upper limb function as defined by functional measures (Capabilities of Upper Extremity Questionnaire, Spinal Cord Independence Measure). A hypothetical model representing relationships by applying structural equation modeling was used to estimate the effect of the impairment domains in GRASSP on upper limb function. Data collected on 72 chronic individuals with tetraplegia was used to test the hypothetical model. Structural equation modeling confirmed strong associations between sensation, strength, and prehension with upper limb function, and determined 72% of the variance in "sensorimotor upper limb function" was explained by the model. Statistics of fit showed the data did fit the hypothesized model. Sensation and strength influence upper limb function directly and indirectly with prehension as the mediator. The GRASSP is a sensitive diagnostic tool in distinguishing the relative contribution of strength, sensation and prehension to function. Thus, the impact of interventions on specific domains of impairment and related contribution on clinical recovery of the upper limb can be detailed to optimize rehabilitation programs.

Neurocognitive function in HIV-infected patients: comparison of two methods to define impairment.

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Alejandro Arenas-Pinto

Full Text Available To compare two definitions of neurocognitive impairment (NCI in a large clinical trial of effectively-treated HIV-infected adults at baseline.Hopkins Verbal Learning test-Revised (HVLT-R, Colour Trail (CTT and Grooved Pegboard (GPT tests were applied exploring five cognitive domains. Raw scores were transformed into Z-scores and NCI defined as summary NPZ-5 score one standard deviation below the mean of the normative dataset (i.e. <-1SD or Z-scores <-1SD in at least two individual domains (categorical scale. Principal component analysis (PCA was performed to explore the contribution of individual tests to the total variance.Mean NPZ-5 score was -0.72 (SD 0.98 and 178/548 (32% participants had NPZ-5 scores <-1SD. When impairment was defined as <-1SD in at least two individual tests, 283 (52% patients were impaired. Strong correlations between the two components of the HVLT-R test (learning/recall (r = 0.73, and the CTT and (attention/executive functioning (r = 0.66 were observed. PCA showed a clustering with three components accounting for 88% of the total variance. When patients who scored <-1SD only in two correlated tests were considered as not impaired, prevalence of NCI was 43%. When correlated test scores were averaged, 36% of participants had NPZ-3 scores <-1SD and 32% underperformed in at least two individual tests.Controlling for differential contribution of individual test-scores on the overall performance and the level of correlation between components of the test battery used appear to be important when testing cognitive function. These two factors are likely to affect both summary scores and categorical scales in defining cognitive impairment.EUDRACT: 2007-006448-23 and ISRCTN04857074.

Utility of TICS-M for the assessment of cognitive function in older adults.

Science.gov (United States)

de Jager, Celeste A; Budge, Marc M; Clarke, Robert

2003-04-01

Routine screening of high-risk elderly people for early cognitive impairment is constrained by the limitations of currently available cognitive function tests. The Telephone Interview of Cognitive Status is a novel instrument for assessment of cognitive function that can be administered in person or by telephone. To evaluate the determinants and utility of TICS-M (13-item modified version) for assessment of cognitive function in healthy elderly people. The utility of TICS-M was compared with more widely used MMSE and CAMCOG in a cross-sectional survey of 120 older (62 to 89 years) UK adults. The TICS-M cognitive test scores (27.97, SD 4.15) were normally distributed in contrast with those for MMSE and CAMCOG that had a negatively skewed distribution. TICS-M scores were inversely correlated with age (r = -0.21) and with the NART fullscale IQ (r = -0.35), but were independent of years of education in this cohort. TICS-M was highly correlated with MMSE (r = 0.57) and with CAMCOG (r = 0.62) scores. The time required to complete the test is comparable to MMSE and substantially less than CAMCOG. The normal distribution of TICS-M test scores suggest that this test is less constrained by the ceiling effect which limits the utility of MMSE and CAMCOG test scores in detecting early cognitive impairment. TICS-M is an appropriate instrument to assess cognitive function in both research and in clinical practice. Copyright 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Modular Software-Defined Radio

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Rhiemeier Arnd-Ragnar

2005-01-01

Full Text Available In view of the technical and commercial boundary conditions for software-defined radio (SDR, it is suggestive to reconsider the concept anew from an unconventional point of view. The organizational principles of signal processing (rather than the signal processing algorithms themselves are the main focus of this work on modular software-defined radio. Modularity and flexibility are just two key characteristics of the SDR environment which extend smoothly into the modeling of hardware and software. In particular, the proposed model of signal processing software includes irregular, connected, directed, acyclic graphs with random node weights and random edges. Several approaches for mapping such software to a given hardware are discussed. Taking into account previous findings as well as new results from system simulations presented here, the paper finally concludes with the utility of pipelining as a general design guideline for modular software-defined radio.

Interactive Preference Learning of Utility Functions for Multi-Objective Optimization

OpenAIRE

Dewancker, Ian; McCourt, Michael; Ainsworth, Samuel

2016-01-01

Real-world engineering systems are typically compared and contrasted using multiple metrics. For practical machine learning systems, performance tuning is often more nuanced than minimizing a single expected loss objective, and it may be more realistically discussed as a multi-objective optimization problem. We propose a novel generative model for scalar-valued utility functions to capture human preferences in a multi-objective optimization setting. We also outline an interactive active learn...

16 CFR 238.0 - Bait advertising defined. 1

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... 16 Commercial Practices 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Bait advertising defined. 1 238.0 Section... BAIT ADVERTISING § 238.0 Bait advertising defined. 1 1 For the purpose of this part “advertising” includes any form of public notice however disseminated or utilized. Bait advertising is an alluring but...

Ecological function as a target for ecosystem-based management: Defining when change matters in decision making

Science.gov (United States)

Ecosystem-based management (EBM) accounts for both direct and indirect drivers of ecological change for decision making. Just as with direct management of a resource, EBM requires a definition of management thresholds that define when change in function is sufficient to merit ma...

Neuromuscular junction formation between human stem cell-derived motoneurons and human skeletal muscle in a defined system.

Science.gov (United States)

Guo, Xiufang; Gonzalez, Mercedes; Stancescu, Maria; Vandenburgh, Herman H; Hickman, James J

2011-12-01

Functional in vitro models composed of human cells will constitute an important platform in the next generation of system biology and drug discovery. This study reports a novel human-based in vitro Neuromuscular Junction (NMJ) system developed in a defined serum-free medium and on a patternable non-biological surface. The motoneurons and skeletal muscles were derived from fetal spinal stem cells and skeletal muscle stem cells. The motoneurons and skeletal myotubes were completely differentiated in the co-culture based on morphological analysis and electrophysiology. NMJ formation was demonstrated by phase contrast microscopy, immunocytochemistry and the observation of motoneuron-induced muscle contractions utilizing time-lapse recordings and their subsequent quenching by d-Tubocurarine. Generally, functional human based systems would eliminate the issue of species variability during the drug development process and its derivation from stem cells bypasses the restrictions inherent with utilization of primary human tissue. This defined human-based NMJ system is one of the first steps in creating functional in vitro systems and will play an important role in understanding NMJ development, in developing high information content drug screens and as test beds in preclinical studies for spinal or muscular diseases/injuries such as muscular dystrophy, Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and spinal cord repair. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Defined-size DNA triple crossover construct for molecular electronics: modification, positioning and conductance properties.

Science.gov (United States)

Linko, Veikko; Leppiniemi, Jenni; Paasonen, Seppo-Tapio; Hytönen, Vesa P; Toppari, J Jussi

2011-07-08

We present a novel, defined-size, small and rigid DNA template, a so-called B-A-B complex, based on DNA triple crossover motifs (TX tiles), which can be utilized in molecular scale patterning for nanoelectronics, plasmonics and sensing applications. The feasibility of the designed construct is demonstrated by functionalizing the TX tiles with one biotin-triethylene glycol (TEG) and efficiently decorating them with streptavidin, and furthermore by positioning and anchoring single thiol-modified B-A-B complexes to certain locations on a chip via dielectrophoretic trapping. Finally, we characterize the conductance properties of the non-functionalized construct, first by measuring DC conductivity and second by utilizing AC impedance spectroscopy in order to describe the conductivity mechanism of a single B-A-B complex using a detailed equivalent circuit model. This analysis also reveals further information about the conductivity of DNA structures in general.

Defining Quantum Control Flow

OpenAIRE

Ying, Mingsheng; Yu, Nengkun; Feng, Yuan

2012-01-01

A remarkable difference between quantum and classical programs is that the control flow of the former can be either classical or quantum. One of the key issues in the theory of quantum programming languages is defining and understanding quantum control flow. A functional language with quantum control flow was defined by Altenkirch and Grattage [\\textit{Proc. LICS'05}, pp. 249-258]. This paper extends their work, and we introduce a general quantum control structure by defining three new quantu...

Performance verification of network function virtualization in software defined optical transport networks

Science.gov (United States)

Zhao, Yongli; Hu, Liyazhou; Wang, Wei; Li, Yajie; Zhang, Jie

2017-01-01

With the continuous opening of resource acquisition and application, there are a large variety of network hardware appliances deployed as the communication infrastructure. To lunch a new network application always implies to replace the obsolete devices and needs the related space and power to accommodate it, which will increase the energy and capital investment. Network function virtualization1 (NFV) aims to address these problems by consolidating many network equipment onto industry standard elements such as servers, switches and storage. Many types of IT resources have been deployed to run Virtual Network Functions (vNFs), such as virtual switches and routers. Then how to deploy NFV in optical transport networks is a of great importance problem. This paper focuses on this problem, and gives an implementation architecture of NFV-enabled optical transport networks based on Software Defined Optical Networking (SDON) with the procedure of vNFs call and return. Especially, an implementation solution of NFV-enabled optical transport node is designed, and a parallel processing method for NFV-enabled OTN nodes is proposed. To verify the performance of NFV-enabled SDON, the protocol interaction procedures of control function virtualization and node function virtualization are demonstrated on SDON testbed. Finally, the benefits and challenges of the parallel processing method for NFV-enabled OTN nodes are simulated and analyzed.

Association between MRI-defined osteoarthritis, pain, function and strength 3-10 years following knee joint injury in youth sport.

Science.gov (United States)

Whittaker, Jackie L; Toomey, Clodagh M; Woodhouse, Linda J; Jaremko, Jacob L; Nettel-Aguirre, Alberto; Emery, Carolyn A

2017-10-10

Youth and young adults who participate in sport have an increased risk of knee injury and subsequent osteoarthritis. Improved understanding of the relationship between structural and clinical outcomes postinjury could inform targeted osteoarthritis prevention interventions. This secondary analysis examines the association between MRI-defined osteoarthritis and self-reported and functional outcomes, 3-10 years following youth sport-related knee injury in comparison to healthy controls. Participants included a subsample (n=146) of the Alberta Youth Prevention of Early Osteoarthritis cohort: specifically, 73 individuals with 3-10 years history of sport-related intra-articular knee injury and 73 age-matched, sex-matched and sport-matched controls with completed MRI studies. Outcomes included: MRI-defined osteoarthritis, radiographic osteoarthritis, Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score, Intermittent and Constant Osteoarthritis Pain, knee extensor/flexor strength, triple-hop and Y-balance test. Descriptive statistics and univariate logistic regression were used to compare those with and without MRI-defined osteoarthritis. Associations between MRI-defined osteoarthritis and each outcome were assessed using multivariable linear regression considering the influence of injury history, sex, body mass index and time since injury. Participant median age was 23 years (range 15-27), and 63% were female. MRI-defined osteoarthritis varied by injury history, injury type and surgical history and was not isolated to participants with ACL and/or meniscal injuries. Those with a previous knee injury had 10-fold (95% CI 2.3 to 42.8) greater odds of MRI-defined osteoarthritis than uninjured participants. MRI-defined osteoarthritis was independently significantly associated with quality of life, but not symptoms, strength or function. MRI-detected structural changes 3-10 years following youth sport-related knee injury may not dictate clinical symptomatology, strength or function

Effects of Achieving Target Measures in Rheumatoid Arthritis on Functional Status, Quality of Life, and Resource Utilization: Analysis of Clinical Practice Data.

Science.gov (United States)

Alemao, Evo; Joo, Seongjung; Kawabata, Hugh; Al, Maiwenn J; Allison, Paul D; Rutten-van Mölken, Maureen P M H; Frits, Michelle L; Iannaccone, Christine K; Shadick, Nancy A; Weinblatt, Michael E

2016-03-01

To evaluate associations between achieving guideline-recommended targets of disease activity, defined by the Disease Activity Score in 28 joints using C-reactive protein level (DAS28-CRP) Clinical Disease Activity Index (CDAI) ≤2.8, and other health outcomes in a longitudinal observational study. Other defined thresholds included low disease activity (LDA), moderate (MDA), or severe disease activity (SDA). To control for intraclass correlation and estimate effects of independent variables on outcomes of the modified Health Assessment Questionnaire (M-HAQ), the EuroQol 5-domain (EQ-5D; a quality-of-life measure), hospitalization, and durable medical equipment (DME) use, we employed mixed models for continuous outcomes and generalized estimating equations for binary outcomes. Among 1,297 subjects, achievement (versus nonachievement) of recommended disease targets was associated with enhanced physical functioning and lower health resource utilization. After controlling for baseline covariates, achievement of disease targets (versus LDA) was associated with significantly enhanced physical functioning based on SDAI ≤3.3 (ΔM-HAQ -0.047; P = 0.0100) and CDAI ≤2.8 (-0.073; P = 0.0003) but not DAS28-CRP measures was associated with enhanced physical functioning and health-related quality of life. Some health outcomes were similar in subjects attaining guideline targets versus LDA. Achieving LDA is a worthy clinical objective in some patients. © 2016 The Authors. Arthritis Care & Research published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of the American College of Rheumatology.

Explanation of asymmetric dynamics of human water consumption in arid regions: prospect theory versus expected utility theory

Science.gov (United States)

Tian, F.; Lu, Y.

2017-12-01

Based on socioeconomic and hydrological data in three arid inland basins and error analysis, the dynamics of human water consumption (HWC) are analyzed to be asymmetric, i.e., HWC increase rapidly in wet periods while maintain or decrease slightly in dry periods. Besides the qualitative analysis that in wet periods great water availability inspires HWC to grow fast but the now expanded economy is managed to sustain by over-exploitation in dry periods, two quantitative models are established and tested, based on expected utility theory (EUT) and prospect theory (PT) respectively. EUT states that humans make decisions based on the total expected utility, namely the sum of utility function multiplied by probability of each result, while PT states that the utility function is defined over gains and losses separately, and probability should be replaced by probability weighting function.

Wigner functions defined with Laplace transform kernels.

Science.gov (United States)

Oh, Se Baek; Petruccelli, Jonathan C; Tian, Lei; Barbastathis, George

2011-10-24

We propose a new Wigner-type phase-space function using Laplace transform kernels--Laplace kernel Wigner function. Whereas momentum variables are real in the traditional Wigner function, the Laplace kernel Wigner function may have complex momentum variables. Due to the property of the Laplace transform, a broader range of signals can be represented in complex phase-space. We show that the Laplace kernel Wigner function exhibits similar properties in the marginals as the traditional Wigner function. As an example, we use the Laplace kernel Wigner function to analyze evanescent waves supported by surface plasmon polariton. © 2011 Optical Society of America

Multiattribute Utility Theory, Intertemporal Utility and Correlation Aversion

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Andersen, Steffen; Harrison, Glenn W.; Lau, Morten

2018-01-01

Convenient assumptions about qualitative properties of the intertemporal utility function have generated counterintuitive implications for the relationship between atemporal risk aversion and the intertemporal elasticity of substitution. If the intertemporal utility function is additively separable...... aversion. Our results show that subjects are correlation averse over lotteries with intertemporal income profiles....

Correlation of Theory and Function in Well-Defined Bimetallic Electrocatalysts - Final Report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Crooks, Richard M.

2014-06-05

The objective of this research proposal was to correlate the structure of nanoparticles that are comprised of ~100-200 atoms to their electrocatalytic function. This objective was based on the growing body of evidence suggesting that catalytic properties can be tailored through controlled synthesis of nanoparticles. What has been missing from many of these studies, and what we are contributing, is a model catalyst that is sufficiently small, structurally well-defined, and well-characterized that its function can be directly predicted by theory. Specifically, our work seeks to develop a fundamental and detailed understanding of the relationship between the structure of nanoscopic oxygen-reduction catalysts and their function. We assembled a team with expertise in theory, synthesis, and advanced characterization methods to address the primary objective of this project. We anticipated the outcomes of the study to be: (1) a better theoretical understanding of how nanoparticle structure affects catalytic properties; (2) the development of advanced, in-situ and ex-situ, atomic-scale characterization methods that are appropriate for particles containing about 100 atoms; and (3) improved synthetic methods that produce unique nanoparticle structures that can be used to test theoretical predictions. During the project period, we have made excellent progress on all three fronts.

Health and functional status and utilization of health care services among holocaust survivors and their counterparts in Israel.

Science.gov (United States)

Iecovich, Esther; Carmel, Sara

2010-01-01

To examine differences in health and functional status and in utilization of health services between holocaust survivors and their counterparts; and (b) to investigate if holocaust survivor status is a significant predictor of health status, functional status, and utilization of health services. The study included 1255 respondents of whom 272 were holocaust survivors. Interviews were conducted face-to-face at the respondents' homes. Participants were asked about their health (self-rated health and comorbidity) and functional (ADL and IADL) status, utilization of inpatient and outpatient health care services, age, gender, education, marital status, length of residence in Israel, and if they were holocaust survivors. Holocaust survivors, who were frailer and more chronically ill compared to their counterparts, visited their family physician and the nurse at the health care clinic more often than their counterparts did, and received more homecare services. Yet, there were no differences between them in the utilization of other health care services such as visits to specialists, emergency department, and hospitalizations. Holocaust survivors are more homebound due to more morbidity and functional limitations and therefore receive more health home care services that offset the utilization of other health services. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Empirically Defined Patterns of Executive Function Deficits in Schizophrenia and Their Relation to Everyday Functioning: A Person-Centered Approach

Science.gov (United States)

Iampietro, Mary; Giovannetti, Tania; Drabick, Deborah A. G.; Kessler, Rachel K.

2013-01-01

Executive function (EF) deficits in schizophrenia (SZ) are well documented, although much less is known about patterns of EF deficits and their association to differential impairments in everyday functioning. The present study empirically defined SZ groups based on measures of various EF abilities and then compared these EF groups on everyday action errors. Participants (n=45) completed various subtests from the Delis–Kaplan Executive Function System (D-KEFS) and the Naturalistic Action Test (NAT), a performance-based measure of everyday action that yields scores reflecting total errors and a range of different error types (e.g., omission, perseveration). Results of a latent class analysis revealed three distinct EF groups, characterized by (a) multiple EF deficits, (b) relatively spared EF, and (c) perseverative responding. Follow-up analyses revealed that the classes differed significantly on NAT total errors, total commission errors, and total perseveration errors; the two classes with EF impairment performed comparably on the NAT but performed worse than the class with relatively spared EF. In sum, people with SZ demonstrate variable patterns of EF deficits, and distinct aspects of these EF deficit patterns (i.e., poor mental control abilities) may be associated with everyday functioning capabilities. PMID:23035705

Modeling Asymmetric Flow of Viscoelastic Fluid in Symmetric Planar Sudden Expansion Geometry Based on User-Defined Function in FLUENT CFD Package

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zhi-Ying Zheng

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Through embedding an in-house subroutine into FLUENT code by utilizing the functionalization of user-defined function provided by the software, a new numerical simulation methodology on viscoelastic fluid flows has been established. In order to benchmark this methodology, numerical simulations under different viscoelastic fluid solution concentrations (with solvent viscosity ratio varied from 0.2 to 0.9, extensibility parameters (100≤L2≤500, Reynolds numbers (0.1 ≤ Re ≤ 100, and Weissenberg numbers (0 ≤ Wi ≤ 20 are conducted on unsteady laminar flows through a symmetric planar sudden expansion with expansion ratio of 1: 3 for viscoelastic fluid flows. The constitutive model used to describe the viscoelastic effect of viscoelastic fluid flow is FENE-P (finitely extensive nonlinear elastic-Peterlin model. The numerical simulation results show that the influences of elasticity, inertia, and concentration on the flow bifurcation characteristics are more significant than those of extensibility. The present simulation results including the critical Reynolds number for which the flow becomes asymmetric, vortex size, bifurcation diagram, velocity distribution, streamline, and pressure loss show good agreements with some published results. That means the newly established method based on FLUENT software platform for simulating peculiar flow behaviors of viscoelastic fluid is credible and suitable for the study of viscoelastic fluid flows.

Utilization of Educational Innovations and Technology in Research and Extension Functions of State Universities

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rosalinda M. Comia

2017-11-01

Full Text Available The study focused on the extent of utilization of the educational innovations and technology in research and extension functions of SUs. The descriptive design, triangulation method, and purposive sampling were applied in this study. The findings revealed that majority of the respondents are married adults and master’s degree graduates with education as their area of specialization. They are permanent in status and have considerable years in the University serving as research or extension officer. Research of SUs have common research thrusts in terms of environment and natural resources management but differ in their own respective agenda; similarly the SUs share common extension thrusts and concerns but differ in their programs, activities and projects related to community services. Commonly encountered problems concern inadequate funds and inability to access the available technology. Officers utilized educational innovations on research and extension to a moderate extent but software and hardware were utilized to a great extent; likewise internet-based communication was utilized to a great extent for research but used moderately for extension. This implies that compared to research, most of the extension functions do not require the use of internet-based communication. From the results of the study, it was recommended that review of the existing allocation of funds for technology development may be done to improve the existing hardware, software and communication facilities.

[An oral function improvement program utilizing health behavior theories ameliorates oral functions and oral hygienic conditions of pre-frail elderly persons].

Science.gov (United States)

Sakaguchi, Hideo

2014-06-01

Oral function improvement programs utilizing health behavior theories are considered to be effective in preventing the need for long-term social care. In the present study, an oral function improvement program based upon health behavior theories was designed, and its utility was assessed in 102 pre-frail elderly persons (33 males, 69 females, mean age: 76.9 +/- 5.7) considered to be in potential need of long-term social care and attending a long-term care prevention class in Sayama City, Saitama Prefecture, Japan. The degree of improvement in oral functions (7 items) and oral hygienic conditions (3 items) was assessed by comparing oral health before and after participation in the program. The results showed statistically significant improvements in the following oral functions: (1) lip functions (oral diadochokinesis, measured by the regularity of the repetition of the syllable "Pa"), (2) tongue functions, (3) tongue root motor skills (oral diadochokinesis, measured by the regularity of the repetition of the syllables "Ta" and "Ka"), (4) tongue extension/retraction, (5) side-to-side tongue movement functions, (6) cheek motor skills, and (7) repetitive saliva swallowing test (RSST). The following measures of oral hygiene also showed a statistically significant improvement: (1) debris on dentures or teeth, (2) coated tongue, and (3) frequency of oral cleaning. These findings demonstrated that an improvement program informed by health behavior theories is useful in improving oral functions and oral hygiene conditions.

SLAM-seq defines direct gene-regulatory functions of the BRD4-MYC axis.

Science.gov (United States)

Muhar, Matthias; Ebert, Anja; Neumann, Tobias; Umkehrer, Christian; Jude, Julian; Wieshofer, Corinna; Rescheneder, Philipp; Lipp, Jesse J; Herzog, Veronika A; Reichholf, Brian; Cisneros, David A; Hoffmann, Thomas; Schlapansky, Moritz F; Bhat, Pooja; von Haeseler, Arndt; Köcher, Thomas; Obenauf, Anna C; Popow, Johannes; Ameres, Stefan L; Zuber, Johannes

2018-05-18

Defining direct targets of transcription factors and regulatory pathways is key to understanding their roles in physiology and disease. We combined SLAM-seq [thiol(SH)-linked alkylation for the metabolic sequencing of RNA], a method for direct quantification of newly synthesized messenger RNAs (mRNAs), with pharmacological and chemical-genetic perturbation in order to define regulatory functions of two transcriptional hubs in cancer, BRD4 and MYC, and to interrogate direct responses to BET bromodomain inhibitors (BETis). We found that BRD4 acts as general coactivator of RNA polymerase II-dependent transcription, which is broadly repressed upon high-dose BETi treatment. At doses triggering selective effects in leukemia, BETis deregulate a small set of hypersensitive targets including MYC. In contrast to BRD4, MYC primarily acts as a selective transcriptional activator controlling metabolic processes such as ribosome biogenesis and de novo purine synthesis. Our study establishes a simple and scalable strategy to identify direct transcriptional targets of any gene or pathway. Copyright © 2018 The Authors, some rights reserved; exclusive licensee American Association for the Advancement of Science. No claim to original U.S. Government Works.

Self-defining future projections: exploring the identity function of thinking about the future.

Science.gov (United States)

D'Argembeau, Arnaud; Lardi, Claudia; Van der Linden, Martial

2012-01-01

The act of projecting oneself into meaningful future events may significantly contribute to a person's sense of self and identity. Yet if the role of memories, in particular self-defining memories (SDMs), in grounding the self is now well established, the identity function of anticipated future events has received comparatively little attention. This article introduces the construct of self-defining future projection (SDFP) to address this issue. Two studies show that people can readily identify significant future events that they frequently think about and that convey core information about who they are as individuals. Furthermore, a person's particular style of constructing SDMs is similarly manifested in SDFPs, suggesting that both types of events can be used to ground the self. Notably, people who display a stronger tendency to extract meaning from their past experiences also reflect more about the potential implications of imagined future events. The results further demonstrate that SDMs and SDFPs both give rise to a strong sense of personal continuity over time and are meaningfully related to self-esteem. Together these findings lend support to the idea that a person's sense of self and identity is in part nourished by the anticipation of significant future events.

VALUING BENEFITS FROM WATER QUALITY IMPROVEMENTS USING KUHN TUCKER MODEL - A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS ON UTILITY FUNCTIONAL FORMS-

Science.gov (United States)

Okuyama, Tadahiro

Kuhn-Tucker model, which has studied in recent years, is a benefit valuation technique using the revealed-preference data, and the feature is to treatvarious patterns of corner solutions flexibly. It is widely known for the benefit calculation using the revealed-preference data that a value of a benefit changes depending on a functional form. However, there are little studies which examine relationship between utility functions and values of benefits in Kuhn-Tucker model. The purpose of this study is to analysis an influence of the functional form to the value of a benefit. Six types of utility functions are employed for benefit calculations. The data of the recreational activity of 26 beaches of Miyagi Prefecture were employed. Calculation results indicated that Phaneuf and Siderelis (2003) and Whitehead et al.(2010)'s functional forms are useful for benefit calculations.

Genomic androgen receptor-occupied regions with different functions, defined by histone acetylation, coregulators and transcriptional capacity.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Li Jia

Full Text Available The androgen receptor (AR is a steroid-activated transcription factor that binds at specific DNA locations and plays a key role in the etiology of prostate cancer. While numerous studies have identified a clear connection between AR binding and expression of target genes for a limited number of loci, high-throughput elucidation of these sites allows for a deeper understanding of the complexities of this process.We have mapped 189 AR occupied regions (ARORs and 1,388 histone H3 acetylation (AcH3 loci to a 3% continuous stretch of human genomic DNA using chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP microarray analysis. Of 62 highly reproducible ARORs, 32 (52% were also marked by AcH3. While the number of ARORs detected in prostate cancer cells exceeded the number of nearby DHT-responsive genes, the AcH3 mark defined a subclass of ARORs much more highly associated with such genes -- 12% of the genes flanking AcH3+ARORs were DHT-responsive, compared to only 1% of genes flanking AcH3-ARORs. Most ARORs contained enhancer activities as detected in luciferase reporter assays. Analysis of the AROR sequences, followed by site-directed ChIP, identified binding sites for AR transcriptional coregulators FoxA1, CEBPbeta, NFI and GATA2, which had diverse effects on endogenous AR target gene expression levels in siRNA knockout experiments.We suggest that only some ARORs function under the given physiological conditions, utilizing diverse mechanisms. This diversity points to differential regulation of gene expression by the same transcription factor related to the chromatin structure.

Resource allocation on computational grids using a utility model and the knapsack problem

CERN Document Server

Van der ster, Daniel C; Parra-Hernandez, Rafael; Sobie, Randall J

2009-01-01

This work introduces a utility model (UM) for resource allocation on computational grids and formulates the allocation problem as a variant of the 0–1 multichoice multidimensional knapsack problem. The notion of task-option utility is introduced, and it is used to effect allocation policies. We present a variety of allocation policies, which are expressed as functions of metrics that are both intrinsic and external to the task and resources. An external user-defined credit-value metric is shown to allow users to intervene in the allocation of urgent or low priority tasks. The strategies are evaluated in simulation against random workloads as well as those drawn from real systems. We measure the sensitivity of the UM-derived schedules to variations in the allocation policies and their corresponding utility functions. The UM allocation strategy is shown to optimally allocate resources congruent with the chosen policies.

Functions and requirements for the INEL light duty utility arm gripper end effector

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pace, D.P.; Barnes, G.E.

1995-02-01

This gripper end effector system functions and requirements document defines the system functions that the end effector must perform as well as the requirements the design must meet. Safety, quality assurance, operations, environmental conditions, and regulatory requirements have been considered. The main purpose of this document is to provide a basis for the end effector engineering, design, and fabrication activities. The document shall be the living reference document to initiate the development activities and will be updated as system technologies are finalized

Functions and requirements for the INEL light duty utility arm sampler end effector

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pace, D.P.; Barnes, G.E.

1995-02-01

This sampler end effector system functions and requirements document defines the system functions that the end effector must perform as well as the requirements the design must meet. Safety, quality assurance, operations, environmental conditions, and regulatory requirements have been considered. The main purpose of this document is to provide a basis for the end effector engineering, design, and fabrication activities. The document shall be the living reference document to initiate the development activities and will be updated as system technologies are finalized

Synthesis of well-defined polystyrene macrophotoinitiators by ATRP

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Degirmenci, M.

2004-01-01

Macrophotointiators are polymers with a photoinitiator functionality at side chains or in the end or middle of the chain. these materials are of great scientific and technological interest because of their application in UV-curable coatings and as precursors for graft and block copolymers depending on the position of the photoinitiator moiety incorporated. Many macrophotoinitiators have been synthesized and their utilization in both applications have been studied. The major concern for their uses particulary in the latter application was related to the efficiency of functionalization, well-defined and predetermined structures, and low polydispersities. Obviously, if the all chains are not functionalized, upon irradiation non-funtionalized chains will not be activated and consequently remain as homopolymers in the system. In this study, new mono and bifunctional atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) initionars were synthesized by the condensation of 2-bromopropanoyl bromide with 2-hydroxy-2-methyl-1-phenyl propan-1-one (HMPP) and 2-hydroxy-1-(4-(2-hydroxyethoxy) phenyl)-2-methyl propan-1-one (HE-HMPP), respectively and characterized. The ATRP of styrene (St) in bulk at 110 degrees by means of these initiators in conjunction with a cuprous complex Cu(I) Br/bipyridine yields polystyrenes with photoactive alkoxy phenylketone groups. GPC, spectroscopic and photodegradation studies revealed that the initiation efficiency was quantitative and low-polydispersity polystyrenes with photoinitiator functionality in the end or middle of chain were obtained

Utility Function for modeling Group Multicriteria Decision Making problems as games

OpenAIRE

Alexandre Bevilacqua Leoneti

2016-01-01

To assist in the decision making process, several multicriteria methods have been proposed. However, the existing methods assume a single decision-maker and do not consider decision under risk, which is better addressed by Game Theory. Hence, the aim of this research is to propose a Utility Function that makes it possible to model Group Multicriteria Decision Making problems as games. The advantage of using Game Theory for solving Group Multicriteria Decision Making problems is to evaluate th...

Power utility generation portfolio optimization as function of specific RES and decarbonisation targets – EPBiH case study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kazagic, Anes; Merzic, Ajla; Redzic, Elma; Music, Mustafa

2014-01-01

Highlights: • Guidelines for power utilities to reach specific decarbonisation targets offered. • Optimization model of RES share to be introduced into power system is proposed. • Single criteria analysis and multicriteria sustainability assessment are applied. • The optimization method has been demonstrated on a real power system. • In the considered case, HIGH RES scenario showed to be the preferable one. - Abstract: This paper provides guidelines and principles for power utilities to reach specific energy and decarbonisation targets. Method of power generation portfolio optimization, as function of sustainability and decarbonisation, along with appropriate criteria, has been proposed. Application of this optimization method has been demonstrated on a real power system – power utility JP Elektroprivreda BiH d.d. – Sarajevo (EPBiH), a typical example of South East European power system. The software tool WASP IV has been employed in the analysis, in order to define the dynamics and an optimized expansion of generation portfolio of the power system under consideration for the next period. The mid-term generation portfolio development plan for the EPBiH power system until year 2030 has been made during this research, taking into account the shutdown dynamics of existing power units and commissioning new ones, in order to provide safe supply of electric and heat energy for local consumers. Three basic scenario of renewable energy sources (RES) expansion have been analysed to reach specific RES and decarbonisation targets set for 2030, including RES share increase from the current level of 18% up to 35% (LOW RES), 45% (MID RES) and 55% (HIGH RES). Effects to the sustainability are considered through environmental, economic and social indicators. Multicriteria sustainability assessment gave an advantage to the HIGH RES, under assumption of equal weighting factors of economic and environment groups of indicators. Also, single criteria analysis has been

Synthesis of Well-Defined Three-Arm Star-Branched Polystyrene through Arm-First Coupling Approach by Atom Transfer Radical Polymerization

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Syed Shahabuddin

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Here we describe a simple route to synthesize three-arm star-branched polystyrene. Atom transfer radical polymerization technique has been utilized to yield branched polystyrene involving Williamson coupling strategy. Initially a linear polymeric chain of predetermined molecular weight has been synthesized which is further end-functionalized into a primary alkyl bromide moiety, a prime requisition for Williamson reaction. The end-functionalized polymer is then coupled using 1,1,1-tris(4-hydroxyphenylethane, a trifunctional core molecule, to give well-defined triple-arm star-branched polystyrene.

Utility service entrance in boreholes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1987-08-01

This study evaluates alternatives for utility service entrances to the repository. We determined the requirements for a repository utility supply. These requirements were defined as safety, maintainability, flexibility, reliability, cost efficiency, voltage regulation, and simplicity of operation. The study showed that repository shafts can best satisfy all requirements for location of the utility supply without the use of borehole penetrations into the repository. It is recommended that the shafts be utilized for utility distribution to the repository, and that the current NWTS program position to minimize the number of boreholes penetrating the repository horizon be maintained. 42 refs., 2 figs., 3 tabs

Utility requirements for fusion power

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

DeBellis, R.J.

1977-03-01

A four-man month study was undertaken to identify utility requirements of fusion power and define a role for the utilities in the fusion development process during the 1980s. This report, preliminary in nature, serves mainly as a planning document for future requirements analyses. A requirements organization was defined to consist of three major chronological phases: research and development, plant installation, and plant operation. Thirty-seven requirements were identified, covering all categories. In addition, training, environment, safety, licensing, and utility model were identified as five matrix-type requirements. As the requirement definition process continued during the study period, comments received from utility representatives revealed a consistency of key issues in the fusion development process. These issues form the basis for the eventual establishment of definitive roles for the utilities during the 1980s. The issues are not meant to reflect a negative view of fusion, but are items that must be solved before fusion can be introduced commercially as an electrical power source. As a result of this requirements study, preliminary candidate roles for the utilities in the fusion development process during the 1980s were identified as public education, commercialization studies, industry investment analyses, training plan implementation, alternate reactor concept development, ERDA concept design review, and requirements refinement

In vitro Differentiation of Functional Human Skeletal Myotubes in a Defined System.

Science.gov (United States)

Guo, Xiufang; Greene, Keshel; Akanda, Nesar; Smith, Alec; Stancescu, Maria; Lambert, Stephen; Vandenburgh, Herman; Hickman, James

2014-01-01

In vitro human skeletal muscle systems are valuable tools for the study of human muscular development, disease and treatment. However, published in vitro human muscle systems have so far only demonstrated limited differentiation capacities. Advanced differentiation features such as cross-striations and contractility have only been observed in co-cultures with motoneurons. Furthermore, it is commonly regarded that cultured human myotubes do not spontaneously contract, and any contraction has been considered to originate from innervation. This study developed a serum-free culture system in which human skeletal myotubes demonstrated advanced differentiation. Characterization by immunocytochemistry, electrophysiology and analysis of contractile function revealed these major features: A) well defined sarcomeric development, as demonstrated by the presence of cross-striations. B) finely developed excitation-contraction coupling apparatus characterized by the close apposition of dihydropyridine receptors on T-tubules and Ryanodine receptors on sarcoplasmic reticulum membranes. C) spontaneous and electrically controlled contractility. This report not only demonstrates an improved level of differentiation of cultured human skeletal myotubes, but also provides the first published evidence that such myotubes are capable of spontaneous contraction. Use of this functional in vitro human skeletal muscle system would advance studies concerning human skeletal muscle development and physiology, as well as muscle-related disease and therapy.

Measuring the construct of executive control in schizophrenia: defining and validating translational animal paradigms for discovery research.

Science.gov (United States)

Gilmour, Gary; Arguello, Alexander; Bari, Andrea; Brown, Verity J; Carter, Cameron; Floresco, Stan B; Jentsch, David J; Tait, David S; Young, Jared W; Robbins, Trevor W

2013-11-01

Executive control is an aspect of cognitive function known to be impaired in schizophrenia. Previous meetings of the Cognitive Neuroscience Treatment Research to Improve Cognition in Schizophrenia (CNTRICS) group have more precisely defined executive control in terms of two constructs: "rule generation and selection", and "dynamic adjustments of control". Next, human cognitive tasks that may effectively measure performance with regard to these constructs were identified to be developed into practical and reliable measures for use in treatment development. The aim of this round of CNTRICS meetings was to define animal paradigms that have sufficient promise to warrant further investigation for their utility in measuring these constructs. Accordingly, "reversal learning" and the "attentional set-shifting task" were nominated to assess the construct of rule generation and selection, and the "stop signal task" for the construct of dynamic adjustments of control. These tasks are described in more detail here, with a particular focus on their utility for drug discovery efforts. Presently, each assay has strengths and weaknesses with regard to this point and increased emphasis on improving practical aspects of testing, understanding predictive validity, and defining biomarkers of performance represent important objectives in attaining confidence in translational validity here. Crown Copyright © 2012. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Social Service Utilization, Sense of Community, Family Functioning and the Mental Health of New Immigrant Women in Hong Kong

OpenAIRE

Wu, Qiaobing; Chow, Julian

2013-01-01

Drawing upon a sample of 296 new immigrant women in Hong Kong, this study investigated how social service utilization, family functioning, and sense of community influenced the depressive symptoms of new immigrant women. Results of the structural equation modeling suggested that family functioning and sense of community were both significantly and negatively associated with the depression of new immigrant women. Utilization of community services also influenced the depression of immigrant wom...

The changing utility workforce and the evolution of utility design

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Saunders, A. [Autodesk Inc., (United States); Zeiss, G. [Autodesk Inc., (Canada)

2008-07-01

Electric utilities are experiencing an unprecedented workforce turnover as a wave of retirement approaches. The challenge for the industry is to mitigate the loss of industry knowledge and attract talented new designers and engineers. Utilities need to effectively transfer knowledge from an existing workforce with up to three decades of experience to their new hires who have very different skill levels as well as different expectations regarding design tools compared to their predecessors. Knowledge transfer from the retiring workforce to the new hires can be facilitated with rules-based design software. Easy-to-use design software with built-in validations can accelerate training. By investing in utility design software that incorporates the best elements of design processes from other industries, utilities can attract the new generation of engineers and designers to help utilities define new processes to upgrade existing infrastructure, bring online new distributed and renewable generation facilities, implement smart devices and meters, and improve customer service. 3 refs.

Crosslinking of milk proteins by microbial transglutaminase: Utilization in functional yogurt products

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Gharibzahedi, Seyed Mohammad Taghi; Chronakis, Ioannis S.

2018-01-01

Key modifying roles of microbial transglutaminase (MTGase) in the development of innovative probiotic and non-probiotic yogurts with improved functional and quality characteristics have been comprehensively reviewed. MTGase crosslinking reactions with milk proteins stabilize the three-dimensional......Key modifying roles of microbial transglutaminase (MTGase) in the development of innovative probiotic and non-probiotic yogurts with improved functional and quality characteristics have been comprehensively reviewed. MTGase crosslinking reactions with milk proteins stabilize the three......-dimensional structure of yogurt. Yogurts treated with MTGase showed decreased syneresis, increased water-holding capacity and viscosity, homogeneous structure, desired texture, and physicochemical high stability during storage time. The utilization of MTGase does not affect negatively the sensory attributes of yogurt...

On calculating double logarithmical asymptotics of vertex functions defined on the mass shell

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Belokurov, V.V.; Usyukina, N.I.

1981-01-01

The essence of the calculation method of double logarithmical asymptotics of vertex functions defined on the mass shell is presented. Using the method the asymptotics of the form-factor of electron is calculated. The ladder and cross-ladder diagrams are asymptotically considerable in every order of the perturbation theory. The way in which the asymptotics of the 4-order diagrams is calculated has been shown. The diagrams of this order and reduction procedures for them are given in a graphic form. The photon mass μ 2 not equal to 0 plays the role of a regulator, removing infrared divergencies. The double logarithmical asymptotics of the form-factor of electron on the mass shell is calculated rigorously in an arbitrary order of the perturbation theory [ru

Some approaches to the formation of the financialmechanism of efficient housing and utility services functioning

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chernyshev Aleksey Valentinovich

2014-02-01

Full Text Available In modern market conditions the purpose of the financial mechanism formation of housing and utility services has to consist in ensuring efficient functioning of rendering services of this complex. While creating the financial mechanism of housing and utility services development, only such criteria are considered as purpose and operating principles of organizations. Thus, the main goal of this research is to establish the transparent mechanism of reflection of the price policy in housing services industry, and also the payment size control at the contents and repair of objects of housing and utility services. The financial mechanism formation has to be carried out within the principles of the finance management. Also, considering various points of view of the scientists on the quantity and essence of the principles, the authors discuss such of them, which are most specific to the sphere of housing and utility services.Many economists put as a basis of housing and utility services financial mechanism such purpose as creating favorable conditions for social development, which means compliance with the interests and requirements of the population.

The Utilization of the Cobb-Douglas Production Function for Analyzing Indonesia's and Malaysia's Economic Growth

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Elis Ratna Wulan

2014-06-01

Full Text Available This paper presents the utilization Cobb-Douglas production function in its classical form for analyzing Indonesia's and Malaysia's economic growth in relation to the intensity of using capital and labour as determinants of the production.

Utility requirements for fusion power

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

DeBellis, R.J.

1977-03-01

A four-man-month study, jointly funded by EPRI and McDonnell Douglas Astronautics Company-EAST, was undertaken to identify the utility requirements of fusion power and define a role for the utilities in the fusion development process during the 1980's. This report, preliminary in nature, serves mainly as a planning document for future requirements analyses. A requirements organization was defined to consist of three major chronological phases: research and development, plant installation, and plant operation. Thirty-seven requirements were identified, covering all categories. In addition, training, environment, safety, licensing, and utility model were identified as five matrix-type requirements. As the requirement definition process continued during the study period, comments received from utility representatives revealed a consistency of key issues in the fusion development process. These issues form the basis for the eventual establishment of definitive roles for the utilities during the 1980's. The issues are not meant to reflect a negative view of fusion, but are items which must be solved before fusion can be introduced commercially as an electrical power source. As a result of this requirements study, preliminary candidate roles for the utilities in the fusion development process during the 1980's were identified as public education, commercialization studies, industry investment analyses, training plan implementation, alternate reactor concept development, ERDA concept design review, and requirements refinement

Assessing the empirical validity of alternative multi-attribute utility measures in the maternity context

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Morrell Jane

2009-05-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Multi-attribute utility measures are preference-based health-related quality of life measures that have been developed to inform economic evaluations of health care interventions. The objective of this study was to compare the empirical validity of two multi-attribute utility measures (EQ-5D and SF-6D based on hypothetical preferences in a large maternity population in England. Methods Women who participated in a randomised controlled trial of additional postnatal support provided by trained community support workers represented the study population for this investigation. The women were asked to complete the EQ-5D descriptive system (which defines health-related quality of life in terms of five dimensions: mobility, self care, usual activities, pain/discomfort and anxiety/depression and the SF-36 (which defines health-related quality of life, using 36 items, across eight dimensions: physical functioning, role limitations (physical, social functioning, bodily pain, general health, mental health, vitality and role limitations (emotional at six months postpartum. Their responses were converted into utility scores using the York A1 tariff set and the SF-6D utility algorithm, respectively. One-way analysis of variance was used to test the hypothetically-constructed preference rule that each set of utility scores differs significantly by self-reported health status (categorised as excellent, very good, good, fair or poor. The degree to which EQ-5D and SF-6D utility scores reflected alternative dichotomous configurations of self-reported health status and the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale score was tested using the relative efficiency statistic and receiver operating characteristic (ROC curves. Results The mean utility score for the EQ-5D was 0.861 (95% CI: 0.844, 0.877, whilst the mean utility score for the SF-6D was 0.809 (95% CI: 0.796, 0.822, representing a mean difference in utility score of 0.052 (95% CI: 0.040, 0

Managing the GPS/GIS function in an electric utility

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Michelsen, M.W. Jr.

1999-01-01

A new period of higher significance has arrived for the GPS/GIS function at electric utilities such that to a degree never seen before, utility managers are looking to their GIS programs, filled with increasingly accurate data collected by GPS technology, before making many decisions. With this capability comes an expectation for GPS/GIS professionals to provide higher levels of planning and management of their data collection process. At Duke Power in Charlotte, North Carolina, managers rely on GPS mapping to fill their data collection equipment needs. When the city of Charlotte requested a more detailed billing system, Duke Power co-sponsored the street lighting inventory project, a comprehensive program implemented to fully account for street lighting facilities within the billing area. One of the key projects to be kept in mind was the creation of a common data base viewable by GIS from which a bill could be created and as well reveal data. A billing calculation routine can be run against the data base to generate a bill or use MapInfo to see a graphical picture. Prior to the creation of this data base capability, the difference between the data base as a display tool and billing system was a potential source of discrepancy, which is eliminated now. Creating the data base allows more than just creating a bill for the city, it allows Duke Power to work better with the city by improving its billing accountability and provides better service as well

Design and synthesis of structurally well-defined functional polypropylenes via transition metal-mediated olefin polymerization chemistry

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

Dong Jinyong

2006-01-01

Functionalization of polyolefins is an industrially important yet scientifically challenging research subject.This paper summarizes our recent effort to access structurally well-defined functional polypropylenes via transition metal-mediated olefin polymerization.In one approach,polypropylenes containing side chain functional groups of controlled concentrations were obtained by Ziegler-Natta-catalyzed copolymerization of propylene in combination with either living anionic or controlled radical polymerization of polar monomers.The copolymerization of propylene with 1,4-divinylbenzene using an isospecific MgC12-supported TIC14 catalyst yielded potypropylenes containing pendant styrene moieties.Both metalation reaction with n-butyllithium and hydrochlorination reaction with dry hydrogen chloride selectively and quantitatively occurred at the pendant reactive sites,generating polymeric benzyllithium and 1-chloroethylbenzene species.These species initiated living anionic polymerization of styrene(S)and atom transfer radical polymerization(in the presence of CuC1 and pentamethyldiethylenetriamine) of methyl methacrylate(MMA),respectively,resulting in functional polypropylene graft copolymers(PP-g-PS and PP-g-PMMA)with controllable graft lengths.In another approach,chain end-functionalized polypropylenes containing a terminal OH-group with controlled molecular weights were directly prepared by propylene polymerization with a metaUocene catalyst through a selective aluminum chain transfer reaction.Both approaches proved to be desirable polyolefin functionalization routes in terms of efficiency and polymer structure controllability.

Equilibrium arrival times to queues with general service times and non-linear utility functions

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Breinbjerg, Jesper

2017-01-01

by a general utility function which is decreasing in the waiting time and service completion time of each customer. Applications of such queueing games range from people choosing when to arrive at a grand opening sale to travellers choosing when to line up at the gate when boarding an airplane. We develop...

Utility Function and Optimum Consumption in the models with Habit Formation and Catching up with the Joneses

OpenAIRE

Naryshkin, Roman; Davison, Matt

2009-01-01

This paper analyzes popular time-nonseparable utility functions that describe "habit formation" consumer preferences comparing current consumption with the time averaged past consumption of the same individual and "catching up with the Joneses" (CuJ) models comparing individual consumption with a cross-sectional average consumption level. Few of these models give reasonable optimum consumption time series. We introduce theoretically justified utility specifications leading to a plausible cons...

The Health Utilities Index (HUI®: concepts, measurement properties and applications

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Horsman John

2003-10-01

Full Text Available Abstract This is a review of the Health Utilities Index (HUI® multi-attribute health-status classification systems, and single- and multi-attribute utility scoring systems. HUI refers to both HUI Mark 2 (HUI2 and HUI Mark 3 (HUI3 instruments. The classification systems provide compact but comprehensive frameworks within which to describe health status. The multi-attribute utility functions provide all the information required to calculate single-summary scores of health-related quality of life (HRQL for each health state defined by the classification systems. The use of HUI in clinical studies for a wide variety of conditions in a large number of countries is illustrated. HUI provides comprehensive, reliable, responsive and valid measures of health status and HRQL for subjects in clinical studies. Utility scores of overall HRQL for patients are also used in cost-utility and cost-effectiveness analyses. Population norm data are available from numerous large general population surveys. The widespread use of HUI facilitates the interpretation of results and permits comparisons of disease and treatment outcomes, and comparisons of long-term sequelae at the local, national and international levels.

A Constrained Genetic Algorithm with Adaptively Defined Fitness Function in MRS Quantification

Science.gov (United States)

Papakostas, G. A.; Karras, D. A.; Mertzios, B. G.; Graveron-Demilly, D.; van Ormondt, D.

MRS Signal quantification is a rather involved procedure and has attracted the interest of the medical engineering community, regarding the development of computationally efficient methodologies. Significant contributions based on Computational Intelligence tools, such as Neural Networks (NNs), demonstrated a good performance but not without drawbacks already discussed by the authors. On the other hand preliminary application of Genetic Algorithms (GA) has already been reported in the literature by the authors regarding the peak detection problem encountered in MRS quantification using the Voigt line shape model. This paper investigates a novel constrained genetic algorithm involving a generic and adaptively defined fitness function which extends the simple genetic algorithm methodology in case of noisy signals. The applicability of this new algorithm is scrutinized through experimentation in artificial MRS signals interleaved with noise, regarding its signal fitting capabilities. Although extensive experiments with real world MRS signals are necessary, the herein shown performance illustrates the method's potential to be established as a generic MRS metabolites quantification procedure.

Optimization of the dressing parameters in cylindrical grinding based on a generalized utility function

Science.gov (United States)

Aleksandrova, Irina

2016-01-01

The existing studies, concerning the dressing process, focus on the major influence of the dressing conditions on the grinding response variables. However, the choice of the dressing conditions is often made, based on the experience of the qualified staff or using data from reference books. The optimal dressing parameters, which are only valid for the particular methods and dressing and grinding conditions, are also used. The paper presents a methodology for optimization of the dressing parameters in cylindrical grinding. The generalized utility function has been chosen as an optimization parameter. It is a complex indicator determining the economic, dynamic and manufacturing characteristics of the grinding process. The developed methodology is implemented for the dressing of aluminium oxide grinding wheels by using experimental diamond roller dressers with different grit sizes made of medium- and high-strength synthetic diamonds type ??32 and ??80. To solve the optimization problem, a model of the generalized utility function is created which reflects the complex impact of dressing parameters. The model is built based on the results from the conducted complex study and modeling of the grinding wheel lifetime, cutting ability, production rate and cutting forces during grinding. They are closely related to the dressing conditions (dressing speed ratio, radial in-feed of the diamond roller dresser and dress-out time), the diamond roller dresser grit size/grinding wheel grit size ratio, the type of synthetic diamonds and the direction of dressing. Some dressing parameters are determined for which the generalized utility function has a maximum and which guarantee an optimum combination of the following: the lifetime and cutting ability of the abrasive wheels, the tangential cutting force magnitude and the production rate of the grinding process. The results obtained prove the possibility of control and optimization of grinding by selecting particular dressing

Light Duty Utility Arm interface control document plan

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Engstrom, J.W.

1994-12-27

This document describes the interface control documents that will be used to identify and control interface features throughout all phases of the Light Duty Utility Arm (LDUA) development and design. After the system is built, delivered and installed in the Cold Test Facility and later at the tank farm, the Interface Control Documents can be used in maintaining the configuration control process. The Interface Control Document will consist of Interface Control Drawings and a data base directly tied to the Interface Control Drawings. The data base can be used as an index to conveniently find interface information. Design drawings and other text documents that contain interface information will appear in the database. The Interface Control Drawings will be used to document and control the data and information that define the interface boundaries between systems, subsystems and equipment. Also, the interface boundaries will define the areas of responsibility for systems and subsystems. The drawing will delineate and identify all the physical and functional interfaces that required coordination to establish and maintain compatibility between the co-functioning equipment, computer software, and the tank farm facilities. An appendix contains the Engineering interface control database system riser manual.

Light Duty Utility Arm interface control document plan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Engstrom, J.W.

1994-01-01

This document describes the interface control documents that will be used to identify and control interface features throughout all phases of the Light Duty Utility Arm (LDUA) development and design. After the system is built, delivered and installed in the Cold Test Facility and later at the tank farm, the Interface Control Documents can be used in maintaining the configuration control process. The Interface Control Document will consist of Interface Control Drawings and a data base directly tied to the Interface Control Drawings. The data base can be used as an index to conveniently find interface information. Design drawings and other text documents that contain interface information will appear in the database. The Interface Control Drawings will be used to document and control the data and information that define the interface boundaries between systems, subsystems and equipment. Also, the interface boundaries will define the areas of responsibility for systems and subsystems. The drawing will delineate and identify all the physical and functional interfaces that required coordination to establish and maintain compatibility between the co-functioning equipment, computer software, and the tank farm facilities. An appendix contains the Engineering interface control database system riser manual

Liberalisation and green patent registrations of electric utilities in Europe

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Salies, Evens; Nesta, Lionel

2010-10-01

The authors report a study of the influence of reforms which introduce a liberalisation of energy markets on the innovation behaviour of electric utilities in some countries. Within a context of concentration of this sector, the hypothesis of a negative impact on patent registration by electric utilities is tested by the authors. They first define the notion of environmental innovation and its evolution in the electric energy sector as the climate and environment issues are nowadays extremely important for the energy sector. R and D here addresses micro-generation, fuel cells, tidal turbine systems, energy production by using solar energy, and biomass gasification. They discuss numbers of pattern registrations by European utilities before and after laws on energy market reform. They present an econometric model and data used to test the hypothesis and comment the obtained results. The model comprises a knowledge production function, and various explicative variables (firm size and R and D, reforms, technological opportunities, energy mix, and influence of demand)

Generation of functional inhibitory synapses incorporating defined combinations of GABA(A or glycine receptor subunits

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Christine Laura Dixon

2015-12-01

Full Text Available Fast inhibitory neurotransmission in the brain is mediated by wide range of GABAA receptor (GABAAR and glycine receptor (GlyR isoforms, each with different physiological and pharmacological properties. Because multiple isoforms are expressed simultaneously in most neurons, it is difficult to define the properties of inhibitory postsynaptic currents mediated by individual isoforms in vivo. Although recombinant expression systems permit the expression of individual isoforms in isolation, they require exogenous agonist application which cannot mimic the dynamic neurotransmitter profile characteristic of native synapses. We describe a neuron-HEK293 cell co-culture technique for generating inhibitory synapses incorporating defined combinations of GABAAR or GlyR subunits. Primary neuronal cultures, prepared from embryonic rat cerebral cortex or spinal cord, are used to provide presynaptic GABAergic and glycinergic terminals, respectively. When the cultures are mature, HEK293 cells expressing the subunits of interest plus neuroligin 2A are plated onto the neurons, which rapidly form synapses onto HEK293 cells. Patch clamp electrophysiology is then used to analyze the physiological and pharmacological properties of the inhibitory postsynaptic currents mediated by the recombinant receptors. The method is suitable for investigating the kinetic properties or the effects of drugs on inhibitory postsynaptic currents mediated by defined GABAAR or GlyR isoforms of interest, the effects of hereditary disease mutations on the formation and function of both types of synapses, and synaptogenesis and synaptic clustering mechanisms. The entire cell preparation procedure takes 2 – 5 weeks.

Risk-Sensitive Multiagent Decision-Theoretic Planning Based on MDP and One-Switch Utility Functions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wei Zeng

2014-01-01

Full Text Available In high stakes situations decision-makers are often risk-averse and decision-making processes often take place in group settings. This paper studies multiagent decision-theoretic planning under Markov decision processes (MDPs framework with considering the change of agent’s risk attitude as his wealth level varies. Based on one-switch utility function that describes agent’s risk attitude change with his wealth level, we give the additive and multiplicative aggregation models of group utility and adopt maximizing expected group utility as planning objective. When the wealth level approaches infinity, the characteristics of optimal policy are analyzed for the additive and multiplicative aggregation model, respectively. Then a backward-induction method is proposed to divide the wealth level interval from negative infinity to initial wealth level into subintervals and determine the optimal policy in states and subintervals. The proposed method is illustrated by numerical examples and the influences of agent’s risk aversion parameters and weights on group decision-making are also analyzed.

Direct conversion of human fibroblasts into functional osteoblasts by defined factors.

Science.gov (United States)

Yamamoto, Kenta; Kishida, Tsunao; Sato, Yoshiki; Nishioka, Keisuke; Ejima, Akika; Fujiwara, Hiroyoshi; Kubo, Toshikazu; Yamamoto, Toshiro; Kanamura, Narisato; Mazda, Osam

2015-05-12

Osteoblasts produce calcified bone matrix and contribute to bone formation and remodeling. In this study, we established a procedure to directly convert human fibroblasts into osteoblasts by transducing some defined factors and culturing in osteogenic medium. Osteoblast-specific transcription factors, Runt-related transcription factor 2 (Runx2), and Osterix, in combination with Octamer-binding transcription factor 3/4 (Oct4) and L-Myc (RXOL) transduction, converted ∼ 80% of the fibroblasts into osteocalcin-producing cells. The directly converted osteoblasts (dOBs) induced by RXOL displayed a similar gene expression profile as normal human osteoblasts and contributed to bone repair after transplantation into immunodeficient mice at artificial bone defect lesions. The dOBs expressed endogenous Runx2 and Osterix, and did not require continuous expression of the exogenous genes to maintain their phenotype. Another combination, Oct4 plus L-Myc (OL), also induced fibroblasts to produce bone matrix, but the OL-transduced cells did not express Osterix and exhibited a more distant gene expression profile to osteoblasts compared with RXOL-transduced cells. These findings strongly suggest successful direct reprogramming of fibroblasts into functional osteoblasts by RXOL, a technology that may provide bone regeneration therapy against bone disorders.

Multiple utility constrained multi-objective programs using Bayesian theory

Science.gov (United States)

Abbasian, Pooneh; Mahdavi-Amiri, Nezam; Fazlollahtabar, Hamed

2018-03-01

A utility function is an important tool for representing a DM's preference. We adjoin utility functions to multi-objective optimization problems. In current studies, usually one utility function is used for each objective function. Situations may arise for a goal to have multiple utility functions. Here, we consider a constrained multi-objective problem with each objective having multiple utility functions. We induce the probability of the utilities for each objective function using Bayesian theory. Illustrative examples considering dependence and independence of variables are worked through to demonstrate the usefulness of the proposed model.

Effects of mindfulness meditation on occupational functioning and health care utilization in individuals with anxiety.

Science.gov (United States)

Hoge, Elizabeth A; Guidos, Brittany M; Mete, Mihriye; Bui, Eric; Pollack, Mark H; Simon, Naomi M; Dutton, Mary Ann

2017-04-01

To examine the effect of mindfulness meditation on occupational functioning in individuals with Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). Fifty-seven individuals with GAD (mean (SD) age=39 (13); 56% women) participated in an 8-week clinical trial in which they were randomized to mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) or an attention control class. In this secondary analysis, absenteeism, entire workdays missed, partial workdays missed, and healthcare utilization patterns were assessed before and after treatment. Compared to the attention control class, participation in MBSR was associated with a significantly greater decrease in partial work days missed for adults with GAD (t=2.734, df=51, p=0.009). Interestingly, a dose effect was observed during the 24-week post-treatment follow-up period: among MBSR participants, greater home mindfulness meditation practice was associated with less work loss and with fewer mental health professional visits. Mindfulness meditation training may improve occupational functioning and decrease healthcare utilization in adults with GAD. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

184 Compounding in Igala: Defining Criteria, Forms and Functions ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Ike Odimegwu

West Benue-Congo language spoken in north central Nigeria. Defining ..... argues, in Ígálà, ọ́ma 'child', for instance, can stand in for the noun phrase 'ọ́ma óko' 'Oko's .... e.g. 'in Pawnee it is mainly body part words which are incorporated' (c.f. ...

Utility of Urinary Biomarkers in Predicting Loss of Residual Renal Function: The balANZ Trial

Science.gov (United States)

Cho, Yeoungjee; Johnson, David W.; Vesey, David A.; Hawley, Carmel M.; Clarke, Margaret; Topley, Nicholas

2015-01-01

♦ Background: The ability of urinary biomarkers to predict residual renal function (RRF) decline in peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients has not been defined. The present study aimed to explore the utility of established biomarkers from kidney injury models for predicting loss of RRF in incident PD patients, and to evaluate the impact on RRF of using neutral-pH PD solution low in glucose degradation products. ♦ Methods: The study included 50 randomly selected participants from the balANZ trial who had completed 24 months of follow-up. A change in glomerular filtration rate (GFR) was used as the primary clinical outcome measure. In a mixed-effects general linear model, baseline measurements of 18 novel urinary biomarkers and albumin were used to predict GFR change. The model was further used to evaluate the impact of biocompatible PD solution on RRF, adjusted for each biomarker. ♦ Results: Baseline albuminuria was not a useful predictor of change in RRF in PD patients (p = 0.84). Only clusterin was a significant predictor of GFR decline in the whole population (p = 0.04, adjusted for baseline GFR and albuminuria). However, the relationship was no longer apparent when albuminuria was removed from the model (p = 0.31). When the effect of the administered PD solutions was examined using a model adjusted for PD solution type, baseline albuminuria, and GFR, higher baseline urinary concentrations of trefoil factor 3 (TFF3, p = 0.02), kidney injury molecule 1 (KIM-1, p = 0.04), and interferon γ-induced protein 10 (IP-10, p = 0.03) were associated with more rapid decline of RRF in patients receiving conventional PD solution compared with biocompatible PD solution. ♦ Conclusions: Higher urinary levels of kidney injury biomarkers (TFF3, KIM-1, IP-10) at baseline predicted significantly slower RRF decline in patients receiving biocompatible PD solutions. Findings from the present investigation should help to guide future studies to validate the utility of urinary

The Functional Quality of Soluble Recombinant Polypeptides Produced in Escherichia coli Is Defined by a Wide Conformational Spectrum▿

Science.gov (United States)

Martínez-Alonso, Mónica; González-Montalbán, Nuria; García-Fruitós, Elena; Villaverde, Antonio

2008-01-01

We have observed that a soluble recombinant green fluorescent protein produced in Escherichia coli occurs in a wide conformational spectrum. This results in differently fluorescent protein fractions in which morphologically diverse soluble aggregates abound. Therefore, the functional quality of soluble versions of aggregation-prone recombinant proteins is defined statistically rather than by the prevalence of a canonical native structure. PMID:18836021

Optimizing virtual machine placement for energy and SLA in clouds using utility functions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Abdelkhalik Mosa

2016-10-01

Full Text Available Abstract Cloud computing provides on-demand access to a shared pool of computing resources, which enables organizations to outsource their IT infrastructure. Cloud providers are building data centers to handle the continuous increase in cloud users’ demands. Consequently, these cloud data centers consume, and have the potential to waste, substantial amounts of energy. This energy consumption increases the operational cost and the CO2 emissions. The goal of this paper is to develop an optimized energy and SLA-aware virtual machine (VM placement strategy that dynamically assigns VMs to Physical Machines (PMs in cloud data centers. This placement strategy co-optimizes energy consumption and service level agreement (SLA violations. The proposed solution adopts utility functions to formulate the VM placement problem. A genetic algorithm searches the possible VMs-to-PMs assignments with a view to finding an assignment that maximizes utility. Simulation results using CloudSim show that the proposed utility-based approach reduced the average energy consumption by approximately 6 % and the overall SLA violations by more than 38 %, using fewer VM migrations and PM shutdowns, compared to a well-known heuristics-based approach.

Mental Task Classification Scheme Utilizing Correlation Coefficient Extracted from Interchannel Intrinsic Mode Function.

Science.gov (United States)

Rahman, Md Mostafizur; Fattah, Shaikh Anowarul

2017-01-01

In view of recent increase of brain computer interface (BCI) based applications, the importance of efficient classification of various mental tasks has increased prodigiously nowadays. In order to obtain effective classification, efficient feature extraction scheme is necessary, for which, in the proposed method, the interchannel relationship among electroencephalogram (EEG) data is utilized. It is expected that the correlation obtained from different combination of channels will be different for different mental tasks, which can be exploited to extract distinctive feature. The empirical mode decomposition (EMD) technique is employed on a test EEG signal obtained from a channel, which provides a number of intrinsic mode functions (IMFs), and correlation coefficient is extracted from interchannel IMF data. Simultaneously, different statistical features are also obtained from each IMF. Finally, the feature matrix is formed utilizing interchannel correlation features and intrachannel statistical features of the selected IMFs of EEG signal. Different kernels of the support vector machine (SVM) classifier are used to carry out the classification task. An EEG dataset containing ten different combinations of five different mental tasks is utilized to demonstrate the classification performance and a very high level of accuracy is achieved by the proposed scheme compared to existing methods.

Inter-areal causal interactions in the gamma and beta frequency bands define a functional hierarchy in the primate visual system

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Vezoli, J.; Bastos, A.; Bosman, C.; Schoffelen, J.M.; Oostenveld, R.; Weerd, P. De; Kennedy, H.; Fries, P.

2013-01-01

Cortico-cortical connectivity has been shown to be hierarchically organized such that bottom-up and top-down information are conveyed through the well-defined feedforward and feedback counter-streams, respectively. It remains however unclear what mechanisms the cortex might use to functionally

Utility and Limitations of Using Gene Expression Data to Identify Functional Associations.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sahra Uygun

2016-12-01

Full Text Available Gene co-expression has been widely used to hypothesize gene function through guilt-by association. However, it is not clear to what degree co-expression is informative, whether it can be applied to genes involved in different biological processes, and how the type of dataset impacts inferences about gene functions. Here our goal is to assess the utility and limitations of using co-expression as a criterion to recover functional associations between genes. By determining the percentage of gene pairs in a metabolic pathway with significant expression correlation, we found that many genes in the same pathway do not have similar transcript profiles and the choice of dataset, annotation quality, gene function, expression similarity measure, and clustering approach significantly impacts the ability to recover functional associations between genes using Arabidopsis thaliana as an example. Some datasets are more informative in capturing coordinated expression profiles and larger data sets are not always better. In addition, to recover the maximum number of known pathways and identify candidate genes with similar functions, it is important to explore rather exhaustively multiple dataset combinations, similarity measures, clustering algorithms and parameters. Finally, we validated the biological relevance of co-expression cluster memberships with an independent phenomics dataset and found that genes that consistently cluster with leucine degradation genes tend to have similar leucine levels in mutants. This study provides a framework for obtaining gene functional associations by maximizing the information that can be obtained from gene expression datasets.

Mean-Variance Portfolio Selection Problem with Stochastic Salary for a Defined Contribution Pension Scheme: A Stochastic Linear-Quadratic-Exponential Framework

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Charles Nkeki

2013-11-01

Full Text Available This paper examines a mean-variance portfolio selection problem with stochastic salary and inflation protection strategy in the accumulation phase of a defined contribution (DC pension plan. The utility function is assumed to be quadratic. It was assumed that the flow of contributions made by the PPM are invested into a market that is characterized by a cash account, an inflation-linked bond and a stock. In this paper, inflationlinked bond is traded and used to hedge inflation risks associated with the investment. The aim of this paper is to maximize the expected final wealth and minimize its variance. Efficient frontier for the three classes of assets (under quadratic utility function that will enable pension plan members (PPMs to decide their own wealth and risk in their investment profile at retirement was obtained.

An LL-diaminopimelate aminotransferase defines a novel variant of the lysine biosynthesis pathway in plants.

Science.gov (United States)

Hudson, André O; Singh, Bijay K; Leustek, Thomas; Gilvarg, Charles

2006-01-01

Although lysine (Lys) biosynthesis in plants is known to occur by way of a pathway that utilizes diaminopimelic acid (DAP) as a central intermediate, the available evidence suggests that none of the known DAP-pathway variants found in nature occur in plants. A new Lys biosynthesis pathway has been identified in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) that utilizes a novel transaminase that specifically catalyzes the interconversion of tetrahydrodipicolinate and LL-diaminopimelate, a reaction requiring three enzymes in the DAP-pathway variant found in Escherichia coli. The LL-DAP aminotransferase encoded by locus At4g33680 was able to complement the dapD and dapE mutants of E. coli. This result, in conjunction with the kinetic properties and substrate specificity of the enzyme, indicated that LL-DAP aminotransferase functions in the Lys biosynthetic direction under in vivo conditions. Orthologs of At4g33680 were identified in all the cyanobacterial species whose genomes have been sequenced. The Synechocystis sp. ortholog encoded by locus sll0480 showed the same functional properties as At4g33680. These results demonstrate that the Lys biosynthesis pathway in plants and cyanobacteria is distinct from the pathways that have so far been defined in microorganisms.

Quad channel software defined receiver for passive radar application

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pető Tamás

2017-03-01

Full Text Available In recent times the growing utilization of the electromagnetic environment brings the passive radar researches more and more to the fore. For the utilization of the wide range of illuminators of opportunity the application of wideband radio receivers is required. At the same time the multichannel receiver structure has also critical importance in target direction finding and interference suppression. This paper presents the development of a multichannel software defined receiver specifically for passive radar applications. One of the relevant feature of the developed receiver platform is its up-to-date SoC (System on hip based structure, which greatly enhance the integration and signal processing capacity of the system, all while keeping the costs low. The software defined operation of the discussed receiver system is demonstrated with using DVB-T (Digital Video Broadcast – Terrestrial signal as illuminator of opportunity. During this demonstration the multichannel capabilities of the realized system are also tested with real data using direction finding and beamforming algorithms.

Poster: A Software-Defined Multi-Camera Network

OpenAIRE

Chen, Po-Yen; Chen, Chien; Selvaraj, Parthiban; Claesen, Luc

2016-01-01

The widespread popularity of OpenFlow leads to a significant increase in the number of applications developed in SoftwareDefined Networking (SDN). In this work, we propose the architecture of a Software-Defined Multi-Camera Network consisting of small, flexible, economic, and programmable cameras which combine the functions of the processor, switch, and camera. A Software-Defined Multi-Camera Network can effectively reduce the overall network bandwidth and reduce a large amount of the Capex a...

Privacy-preserving Network Functionality Outsourcing

OpenAIRE

Shi, Junjie; Zhang, Yuan; Zhong, Sheng

2015-01-01

Since the advent of software defined networks ({SDN}), there have been many attempts to outsource the complex and costly local network functionality, i.e. the middlebox, to the cloud in the same way as outsourcing computation and storage. The privacy issues, however, may thwart the enterprises' willingness to adopt this innovation since the underlying configurations of these middleboxes may leak crucial and confidential information which can be utilized by attackers. To address this new probl...

Recurrence Relations and Generating Functions of the Sequence of Sums of Corresponding Factorials and Triangular Numbers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Romer C. Castillo

2015-11-01

Full Text Available This study established some recurrence relations and exponential generating functions of the sequence of factoriangular numbers. A factoriangular number is defined as a sum of corresponding factorial and triangular number. The proofs utilize algebraic manipulations with some known results from calculus, particularly on power series and Maclaurin’s series. The recurrence relations were found by manipulating the formula defining a factoringular number while the ascertained exponential generating functions were in the closed form.

Defining Functions of Danish Political Commentary

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bengtsson, Mette

2011-01-01

In Denmark political commentary is still a relatively new phenomenon. This paper analyzes the metadiscourse in relation to political commentary to identify the different understandings that have coalesced around political commentary as a genre. I argue that people in different positions (e.......g. citizens, politicians, journalists, political editors, chief editors and political commentators themselves) emphasize different explanations for the rise of the genre and thereby functions of political commentary as part of an argumentative strategy favouring their own interests...

The fast-recycling receptor Megalin defines the apical recycling pathway of epithelial cells

Science.gov (United States)

Perez Bay, Andres E.; Schreiner, Ryan; Benedicto, Ignacio; Paz Marzolo, Maria; Banfelder, Jason; Weinstein, Alan M.; Rodriguez-Boulan, Enrique J.

2016-01-01

The basolateral recycling and transcytotic pathways of epithelial cells were previously defined using markers such as transferrin (TfR) and polymeric IgA (pIgR) receptors. In contrast, our knowledge of the apical recycling pathway remains fragmentary. Here we utilize quantitative live-imaging and mathematical modelling to outline the recycling pathway of Megalin (LRP-2), an apical receptor with key developmental and renal functions, in MDCK cells. We show that, like TfR, Megalin is a long-lived and fast-recycling receptor. Megalin enters polarized MDCK cells through segregated apical sorting endosomes and subsequently intersects the TfR and pIgR pathways at a perinuclear Rab11-negative compartment termed common recycling endosomes (CRE). Whereas TfR recycles to the basolateral membrane from CRE, Megalin, like pIgR, traffics to subapical Rab11-positive apical recycling endosomes (ARE) and reaches the apical membrane in a microtubule- and Rab11-dependent manner. Hence, Megalin defines the apical recycling pathway of epithelia, with CRE as its apical sorting station. PMID:27180806

Defining functioning levels in patients with schizophrenia: A combination of a novel clustering method and brain SPECT analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Catherine, Faget-Agius; Aurélie, Vincenti; Eric, Guedj; Pierre, Michel; Raphaëlle, Richieri; Marine, Alessandrini; Pascal, Auquier; Christophe, Lançon; Laurent, Boyer

2017-12-30

This study aims to define functioning levels of patients with schizophrenia by using a method of interpretable clustering based on a specific functioning scale, the Functional Remission Of General Schizophrenia (FROGS) scale, and to test their validity regarding clinical and neuroimaging characterization. In this observational study, patients with schizophrenia have been classified using a hierarchical top-down method called clustering using unsupervised binary trees (CUBT). Socio-demographic, clinical, and neuroimaging SPECT perfusion data were compared between the different clusters to ensure their clinical relevance. A total of 242 patients were analyzed. A four-group functioning level structure has been identified: 54 are classified as "minimal", 81 as "low", 64 as "moderate", and 43 as "high". The clustering shows satisfactory statistical properties, including reproducibility and discriminancy. The 4 clusters consistently differentiate patients. "High" functioning level patients reported significantly the lowest scores on the PANSS and the CDSS, and the highest scores on the GAF, the MARS and S-QoL 18. Functioning levels were significantly associated with cerebral perfusion of two relevant areas: the left inferior parietal cortex and the anterior cingulate. Our study provides relevant functioning levels in schizophrenia, and may enhance the use of functioning scale. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Utilities pull together to design latest storm management software

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wildman, T.; Ritchie, I.

2003-04-01

Development of Outage Mitigation and Recovery software by the Electric Power Research Institute with the support of cooperating electric utilities is discussed. The software is designed to aid utilities in their resource allocation and mutual assistance activities during recovery from major outages cause by natural or man-made disasters. The software is designed to operate in conjunction with major commercial outage systems, to add significant new functionality not available in existing systems. The new software module, called emPower, was actually developed by LeT Systems, a world leader in the design, development and deployment of mission critical e-business-based, real-time outage, network and workforce management solutions for the utility sector. The software is a real-time, stand-alone, web-based program built around advanced intelligence and robust algorithms, designed to interface easily and cleanly with embedded outage mitigation and recovery systems. emPower provides extensive procedural and logistical support to successfully integrate crews and equipment, and automatically assigns tasks and schedules them in accordance with defined restoration goals and priorities. emPower also tracks all activities and generates proper reports for internal and external agencies, among them utility management, police, government departments, media, medical facilities, and customers.

On Defining Mass

Science.gov (United States)

Hecht, Eugene

2011-01-01

Though central to any pedagogical development of physics, the concept of mass is still not well understood. Properly defining mass has proven to be far more daunting than contemporary textbooks would have us believe. And yet today the origin of mass is one of the most aggressively pursued areas of research in all of physics. Much of the excitement surrounding the Large Hadron Collider at CERN is associated with discovering the mechanism responsible for the masses of the elementary particles. This paper will first briefly examine the leading definitions, pointing out their shortcomings. Then, utilizing relativity theory, it will propose—for consideration by the community of physicists—a conceptual definition of mass predicated on the more fundamental concept of energy, more fundamental in that everything that has mass has energy, yet not everything that has energy has mass.

Advances in supramolecular polymer chemistry : well-defined terpyridine-functionalized materials

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Ott, C.

2008-01-01

Controlled/"living" polymerization techniques have attracted enormous attention in the field of polymer science since they have opened an avenue to the preparation of well-defined materials with precisely designed molecular architectures like random, block, graft and comb copolymers. These

Diverse Requirements for Microglial Survival, Specification, and Function Revealed by Defined-Medium Cultures.

Science.gov (United States)

Bohlen, Christopher J; Bennett, F Chris; Tucker, Andrew F; Collins, Hannah Y; Mulinyawe, Sara B; Barres, Ben A

2017-05-17

Microglia, the resident macrophages of the CNS, engage in various CNS-specific functions that are critical for development and health. To better study microglia and the properties that distinguish them from other tissue macrophage populations, we have optimized serum-free culture conditions to permit robust survival of highly ramified adult microglia under defined-medium conditions. We find that astrocyte-derived factors prevent microglial death ex vivo and that this activity results from three primary components, CSF-1/IL-34, TGF-β2, and cholesterol. Using microglial cultures that have never been exposed to serum, we demonstrate a dramatic and lasting change in phagocytic capacity after serum exposure. Finally, we find that mature microglia rapidly lose signature gene expression after isolation, and that this loss can be reversed by engrafting cells back into an intact CNS environment. These data indicate that the specialized gene expression profile of mature microglia requires continuous instructive signaling from the intact CNS. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Assessment of Global Functioning in Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorders: Utility of the Developmental Disability-Child Global Assessment Scale

Science.gov (United States)

White, Susan W.; Smith, Laura A.; Schry, Amie R.

2014-01-01

Assessment of global functioning is an important consideration in treatment outcome research; yet, there is little guidance on its evidence-based assessment for children with autism spectrum disorders. This study investigated the utility and validity of clinician-rated global functioning using the Developmental Disability-Child Global Assessment…

Impact of the legislation on electric utilities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

De Long, M.

1982-01-01

The possible impact of Federal nuclear waste legislation on electric utilities is discussed. The proposed legislation will set forth a well defined program enabling utilities with nuclear plants to make long term plans under a statutory mandate committed to an available technology and implementation timetable. The legislation includes the necessary specificity for the utility companies to fulfill their responsibilities in describing their waste disposal plans to their customers, the concerned public, and state and local legislators

Defining Starch Binding by Glucan Phosphatases

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Auger, Kyle; Raththagala, Madushi; Wilkens, Casper

2015-01-01

Starch is a vital energy molecule in plants that has a wide variety of uses in industry, such as feedstock for biomaterial processing and biofuel production. Plants employ a three enzyme cyclic process utilizing kinases, amylases, and phosphatases to degrade starch in a diurnal manner. Starch...... is comprised of the branched glucan amylopectin and the more linear glucan amylose. Our lab has determined the first structures of these glucan phosphatases and we have defined their enzymatic action. Despite this progress, we lacked a means to quickly and efficiently quantify starch binding to glucan...

Stochastic optimization under risk constraint and utility functions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Seck, B.

2008-09-01

In a context of concurrence and emergence of energy markets, the production of electricity is affected by the new sources of risks which are the price variations on the energy markets. These new sources of risks generate a new risk: the market risk. In this research, the author explores the possibility of introducing constraints, expressed by measurements of risk, into the process of optimization of electricity production when financial contracts are signed on the energy market. The author makes the distinction between the engineering approach (taking the risk into account by risk measurements) and the economist approach (taking the risk into account by utility functions). After an overview of these both approaches in a static framework, he gives an economical formulation (a Maccheroni type one) for a static optimization problem under a risk constraint when the risk measurement is written under the form of an expected infimum like the variance, the 'conditional value at risk', and so on. The obtained results are then extended to a dynamic optimization framework under risk constraints. A numerical application of this approach is presented to solve a problem of electricity production management under a constraint of 'conditional value at risk' on a middle term

The Individual Taxpayer Utility Function with Tax Optimization and Fiscal Fraud Environment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Paweł Pankiewicz

2011-11-01

Full Text Available In this paper I examine a taxpayer utility function determined by the extended set of variables – i.e. consumption, labor and tax-evasion propensity. This constitutes the main framework for the analysis of taxpayer’s decision making process under assumption that in the economy there exist two main reduction methods: a access to tax optimization techniques, which may decrease effective tax burden and are fully compliant with binding laws, but generate transactional costs and 2 possibility of fiscal fraud – in particular tax evasion, as the alternative method of reducing tax due, which has no direct transactional costs, but involves tax litigation risk.

On the Use of a Cumulative Distribution as a Utility Function in Educational or Employment Selection.

Science.gov (United States)

1981-02-01

economic applications. LI In the previous section, we discussed some properties of the TNU function. A GBU with a> 1 and b> 1 has similar characteristics...76/443 1 Dir :ctor, Office of Manpower Utilization Maxwell AFB, AL 36112 HQ, Marine Corps ( MPU ) BCB, Bldg. 2009 1 Dr. Earl A. Alluisi Quantico, VA

Definably compact groups definable in real closed fields. I

OpenAIRE

Barriga, Eliana

2017-01-01

We study definably compact definably connected groups definable in a sufficiently saturated real closed field $R$. We introduce the notion of group-generic point for $\\bigvee$-definable groups and show the existence of group-generic points for definably compact groups definable in a sufficiently saturated o-minimal expansion of a real closed field. We use this notion along with some properties of generic sets to prove that for every definably compact definably connected group $G$ definable in...

Functional Analysis Of A Selected Airport’s System

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dudek Ewa

2015-11-01

Full Text Available In this paper two selected airport’s systems (Flight Information System and Public Address Voice Annunciation are defined and described. Then they are used to create an integrated unit, with the presentation of its way of functioning and a schematic picture. The author names main purposes of the integration process, serving to counteract negative consequences arising from implementation of the increasing number of systems on transport objects. In the following part of the article functional analysis of the integrated unit is carried out, defining system’s possible states of work and relations between them. Utilization of mathematical apparatus allows to calculate probabilities of system staying in the respective states, as well as system’s time indexes. Presented results are a fundament for the further analysis of this matter.

Defining a radiotherapy target with positron emission tomography

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Black, Quinten C.; Grills, Inga S.; Kestin, Larry L.; Wong, Ching-Yee O.; Wong, John W.; Martinez, Alvaro A.; Yan Di

2004-01-01

�Ci/mL. Sphere images in each experiment were auto-contoured (simulating a GTV) using the threshold SUV that yielded a volume matching that of the known sphere volume. A regressive function was constructed to represent the relationship between the threshold SUV and the mean target SUV. This function was then applied to define the GTV of 15 NSCLC patients. The GTV volumes were compared to those determined by a fixed image intensity threshold proposed by other investigators. Results: There was a strong linear relationship between the threshold SUV and the mean target SUV. The linear regressive function derived was: threshold SUV = 0.307 x (mean target SUV) + 0.588. The background concentration and target volume indirectly affect the threshold SUV by way of their influence on the mean target SUV. We applied the linear regressive function, as well as a fixed image intensity threshold (42% of maximum intensity) to the sphere phantoms and 15 patients with NSCLC. The results indicated that a much smaller deviation occurred when the threshold SUV regressive function was utilized to estimate the phantom volume as compared to the fixed image intensity threshold. The average absolute difference between the two methods was 21% with respect to the true phantom volume. The deviation became even more pronounced when applied to true patient GTV volumes, with a mean difference between the two methods of 67%. This was largely due to a greater degree of heterogeneity in the SUV of tumors over phantoms. Conclusions: An FDG-PET-based GTV can be systematically defined using a threshold SUV according to the regressive function described above. The threshold SUV for defining the target is strongly dependent on the mean target SUV of the target, and can be uniquely determined through the proposed iteration process

Magnetic resonance imaging of the wrist in defining remission of rheumatoid arthritis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, J.; Lee, S.; Suh, J.; Yoon, M.; Song, J.; Lee, C.

1998-01-01

MRI is feasible for objectively defining remission and assessing the therapeutic effect of anti-rheumatic drugs ( methotrexate and hydroxy-chloroquine); utility of MRI measures in clinical remissions criteria remains to be verified. (N.C.)

Risk aversion and uncertainty in cost-effectiveness analysis: the expected-utility, moment-generating function approach.

Science.gov (United States)

Elbasha, Elamin H

2005-05-01

The availability of patient-level data from clinical trials has spurred a lot of interest in developing methods for quantifying and presenting uncertainty in cost-effectiveness analysis (CEA). Although the majority has focused on developing methods for using sample data to estimate a confidence interval for an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER), a small strand of the literature has emphasized the importance of incorporating risk preferences and the trade-off between the mean and the variance of returns to investment in health and medicine (mean-variance analysis). This paper shows how the exponential utility-moment-generating function approach is a natural extension to this branch of the literature for modelling choices from healthcare interventions with uncertain costs and effects. The paper assumes an exponential utility function, which implies constant absolute risk aversion, and is based on the fact that the expected value of this function results in a convenient expression that depends only on the moment-generating function of the random variables. The mean-variance approach is shown to be a special case of this more general framework. The paper characterizes the solution to the resource allocation problem using standard optimization techniques and derives the summary measure researchers need to estimate for each programme, when the assumption of risk neutrality does not hold, and compares it to the standard incremental cost-effectiveness ratio. The importance of choosing the correct distribution of costs and effects and the issues related to estimation of the parameters of the distribution are also discussed. An empirical example to illustrate the methods and concepts is provided. Copyright 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd

The laboratory test utilization management toolbox.

Science.gov (United States)

Baird, Geoffrey

2014-01-01

Efficiently managing laboratory test utilization requires both ensuring adequate utilization of needed tests in some patients and discouraging superfluous tests in other patients. After the difficult clinical decision is made to define the patients that do and do not need a test, a wealth of interventions are available to the clinician and laboratorian to help guide appropriate utilization. These interventions are collectively referred to here as the utilization management toolbox. Experience has shown that some tools in the toolbox are weak and other are strong, and that tools are most effective when many are used simultaneously. While the outcomes of utilization management studies are not always as concrete as may be desired, what data is available in the literature indicate that strong utilization management interventions are safe and effective measures to improve patient health and reduce waste in an era of increasing financial pressure.

Communications architecture for an electric company, European utility communications architecture, EURUCA

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Uuspaeae, P [VTT Energy, Espoo (Finland)

1998-08-01

The scope of this research is integration and interoperability of various information systems and data communications for electric utilities. Utility Communication Architecture refers to an overall view of the communications needs and communication systems in an electric utility. The objective is to define and specify suitable and compatible communications procedures within the Utility and also to outside parties

Defining the spatial relationships between eight anatomic planes in the 11+6 to 13+6 weeks fetus: a pilot study.

Science.gov (United States)

Abu-Rustum, Reem S; Ziade, M Fouad; Abu-Rustum, Sameer E

2012-09-01

Our study aims at investigating the spatial relationships between eight anatomic planes in the 11+6 to 13+6 weeks fetus. This is a retrospective pilot study where three-dimensional and four-dimensional stored data sets were manipulated to retrieve eight anatomic planes starting from the midsagittal plane of the fetus. Standardization of volumes was performed at the level of the transverse abdominal circumference plane. Parallel shift was utilized and the spatial relationships between eight anatomic planes were established. The median and the range were calculated for each of the planes, and they were evaluated as a function of the fetal crown-rump length. P planes were found to adhere to normal distribution curves, and most of the planes were in a definable relationship to each other with statistically significant correlations. To our knowledge, this is the first study to describe the possible spatial relationships between eight two-dimensional anatomic planes in the 11+6 to 13+6 weeks fetus, utilizing a standardized approach. Defining these spatial relationships may serve as the first step for the potential future development of automation software for fetal anatomic assessment at 11+6 to 13+6 weeks. © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Applying Utility Functions to Adaptation Planning for Home Automation Applications

Science.gov (United States)

Bratskas, Pyrros; Paspallis, Nearchos; Kakousis, Konstantinos; Papadopoulos, George A.

A pervasive computing environment typically comprises multiple embedded devices that may interact together and with mobile users. These users are part of the environment, and they experience it through a variety of devices embedded in the environment. This perception involves technologies which may be heterogeneous, pervasive, and dynamic. Due to the highly dynamic properties of such environments, the software systems running on them have to face problems such as user mobility, service failures, or resource and goal changes which may happen in an unpredictable manner. To cope with these problems, such systems must be autonomous and self-managed. In this chapter we deal with a special kind of a ubiquitous environment, a smart home environment, and introduce a user-preference-based model for adaptation planning. The model, which dynamically forms a set of configuration plans for resources, reasons automatically and autonomously, based on utility functions, on which plan is likely to best achieve the user's goals with respect to resource availability and user needs.

improving utilization of conceptual and theoretical framework

African Journals Online (AJOL)

DR. MRS. AKPABIO

KEYWORDS: Conceptual, Framework, Nursing, Research, Theoretical. INTRODUCTION ... frameworks, define the concepts in the framework and apply them .... abstraction; clinical utility and perspective on the issues of interest. Thus, before ...

Defining and Selecting Independent Directors

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Eric Pichet

2017-10-01

Full Text Available Drawing from the Enlightened Shareholder Theory that the author first developed in 2011, this theoretical paper with practical and normative ambitions achieves a better definition of independent director, while improving the understanding of the roles he fulfils on boards of directors. The first part defines constructs like firms, Governance system and Corporate governance, offering a clear distinction between the latter two concepts before explaining the four main missions of a board. The second part defines the ideal independent director by outlining the objective qualities that are necessary and adding those subjective aspects that have turned this into a veritable profession. The third part defines the ideal process for selecting independent directors, based on nominating committees that should themselves be independent. It also includes ways of assessing directors who are currently in function, as well as modalities for renewing their mandates. The paper’s conclusion presents the Paradox of the Independent Director.

Composite fuels. Defining a strategy for better Pu utilization in PWRs

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Porta, Jacques; Baldi, Stefano [DRN/DER/SIS CE Cadarache Bat. 211, 13108 St. Paul lez Durance CEDEX (France); Puill, Andre; Aillaud, Cecile

1999-07-01

After a description of the French context dominated by the accumulation of plutonium, and the international context in which the tendency is towards the disappearance of plutonium reserves and the destruction of minor actinides, a few solutions selected in the framework of the Innovating Fuels programme are presented. The aim is to burn the surplus Pu by means of fuel in inert matrices since, in addition to the increased burnup, the absence of plutonium generating conversion must be considered. The experiments intended to qualify selected CERCERs and CERMETs are presented and discussed, the feasibility of CERMET UO2 and MOX cores is established. Things are more complicated for PuO2 CERMET and we show that, in order to optimize loading, a dedicated heterogeneous assembly has to be defined. The Advanced Plutonium Assembly (APA) is presented. The last part of this article is devoted to the first fabrication tests on these very particular fuels and to the definition of reference accidents liable to affect 'cold' fuels such as CERMETs. (author)

Composite fuels. Defining a strategy for better Pu utilization in PWRs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Porta, Jacques; Baldi, Stefano; Puill, Andre; Aillaud, Cecile

1999-01-01

After a description of the French context dominated by the accumulation of plutonium, and the international context in which the tendency is towards the disappearance of plutonium reserves and the destruction of minor actinides, a few solutions selected in the framework of the Innovating Fuels programme are presented. The aim is to burn the surplus Pu by means of fuel in inert matrices since, in addition to the increased burnup, the absence of plutonium generating conversion must be considered. The experiments intended to qualify selected CERCERs and CERMETs are presented and discussed, the feasibility of CERMET UO2 and MOX cores is established. Things are more complicated for PuO2 CERMET and we show that, in order to optimize loading, a dedicated heterogeneous assembly has to be defined. The Advanced Plutonium Assembly (APA) is presented. The last part of this article is devoted to the first fabrication tests on these very particular fuels and to the definition of reference accidents liable to affect 'cold' fuels such as CERMETs. (author)

A Service-Oriented Approach for Dynamic Chaining of Virtual Network Functions over Multi-Provider Software-Defined Networks

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Barbara Martini

2016-06-01

Full Text Available Emerging technologies such as Software-Defined Networks (SDN and Network Function Virtualization (NFV promise to address cost reduction and flexibility in network operation while enabling innovative network service delivery models. However, operational network service delivery solutions still need to be developed that actually exploit these technologies, especially at the multi-provider level. Indeed, the implementation of network functions as software running over a virtualized infrastructure and provisioned on a service basis let one envisage an ecosystem of network services that are dynamically and flexibly assembled by orchestrating Virtual Network Functions even across different provider domains, thereby coping with changeable user and service requirements and context conditions. In this paper we propose an approach that adopts Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA technology-agnostic architectural guidelines in the design of a solution for orchestrating and dynamically chaining Virtual Network Functions. We discuss how SOA, NFV, and SDN may complement each other in realizing dynamic network function chaining through service composition specification, service selection, service delivery, and placement tasks. Then, we describe the architecture of a SOA-inspired NFV orchestrator, which leverages SDN-based network control capabilities to address an effective delivery of elastic chains of Virtual Network Functions. Preliminary results of prototype implementation and testing activities are also presented. The benefits for Network Service Providers are also described that derive from the adaptive network service provisioning in a multi-provider environment through the orchestration of computing and networking services to provide end users with an enhanced service experience.

Functional physiology of the human terminal antrum defined by high-resolution electrical mapping and computational modeling.

Science.gov (United States)

Berry, Rachel; Miyagawa, Taimei; Paskaranandavadivel, Niranchan; Du, Peng; Angeli, Timothy R; Trew, Mark L; Windsor, John A; Imai, Yohsuke; O'Grady, Gregory; Cheng, Leo K

2016-11-01

High-resolution (HR) mapping has been used to study gastric slow-wave activation; however, the specific characteristics of antral electrophysiology remain poorly defined. This study applied HR mapping and computational modeling to define functional human antral physiology. HR mapping was performed in 10 subjects using flexible electrode arrays (128-192 electrodes; 16-24 cm 2 ) arranged from the pylorus to mid-corpus. Anatomical registration was by photographs and anatomical landmarks. Slow-wave parameters were computed, and resultant data were incorporated into a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model of gastric flow to calculate impact on gastric mixing. In all subjects, extracellular mapping demonstrated normal aboral slow-wave propagation and a region of increased amplitude and velocity in the prepyloric antrum. On average, the high-velocity region commenced 28 mm proximal to the pylorus, and activation ceased 6 mm from the pylorus. Within this region, velocity increased 0.2 mm/s per mm of tissue, from the mean 3.3 ± 0.1 mm/s to 7.5 ± 0.6 mm/s (P human terminal antral contraction is controlled by a short region of rapid high-amplitude slow-wave activity. Distal antral wave acceleration plays a major role in antral flow and mixing, increasing particle strain and trituration. Copyright © 2016 the American Physiological Society.

Distributed Function Calculation over Noisy Networks

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zhidun Zeng

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Considering any connected network with unknown initial states for all nodes, the nearest-neighbor rule is utilized for each node to update its own state at every discrete-time step. Distributed function calculation problem is defined for one node to compute some function of the initial values of all the nodes based on its own observations. In this paper, taking into account uncertainties in the network and observations, an algorithm is proposed to compute and explicitly characterize the value of the function in question when the number of successive observations is large enough. While the number of successive observations is not large enough, we provide an approach to obtain the tightest possible bounds on such function by using linear programing optimization techniques. Simulations are provided to demonstrate the theoretical results.

Eliciting and Combining Decision Criteria Using a Limited Palette of Utility Functions and Uncertainty Distributions: Illustrated by Application to Pest Risk Analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Holt, Johnson; Leach, Adrian W; Schrader, Gritta; Petter, Françoise; MacLeod, Alan; van der Gaag, Dirk Jan; Baker, Richard H A; Mumford, John D

2014-01-01

Utility functions in the form of tables or matrices have often been used to combine discretely rated decision-making criteria. Matrix elements are usually specified individually, so no one rule or principle can be easily stated for the utility function as a whole. A series of five matrices are presented that aggregate criteria two at a time using simple rules that express a varying degree of constraint of the lower rating over the higher. A further nine possible matrices were obtained by using a different rule either side of the main axis of the matrix to describe situations where the criteria have a differential influence on the outcome. Uncertainties in the criteria are represented by three alternative frequency distributions from which the assessors select the most appropriate. The output of the utility function is a distribution of rating frequencies that is dependent on the distributions of the input criteria. In pest risk analysis (PRA), seven of these utility functions were required to mimic the logic by which assessors for the European and Mediterranean Plant Protection Organization arrive at an overall rating of pest risk. The framework enables the development of PRAs that are consistent and easy to understand, criticize, compare, and change. When tested in workshops, PRA practitioners thought that the approach accorded with both the logic and the level of resolution that they used in the risk assessments. © 2013 Society for Risk Analysis.

Utilization of process energy from supermarket refrigeration systems. Coupling of cooling and heating; Prozessenergienutzung von Supermarktkaelteanlagen. Kaelte-Waerme-Kopplung

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wirsching, Alexander [TEKO Gesellschaft fuer Kaeltetechnik mbH, Altenstadt (Germany). Technologie und Kommunikation

2010-03-15

The efficiency is defined as the relation between utility and expenditure. Thus, it is obvious for the specialist of refrigeration to tackle with the expenditure (energy consumption) since the utilization conventionally is defined as the produced/need cooling performance of a refrigeration plant. If refrigeration plants are regarded according to their function (withdrawal of heat from a refrigeration chamber and delivery to the environment), the heating system is the producer of the requirement for cooling in 'the winter' (heating season). Thus, the refrigeration plant perhaps already has a marvellous efficiency, and the separate heating system too - however in interaction. The broad view moves into the focus. The possible approaches and effects are described in the contribution under consideration using the example of a Discount supermarket with a sales area of 800 square meters and a requirement of cooling of more than 30 kW.

A Highly Efficient Xylan-Utilization System in Aspergillus niger An76: A Functional-Proteomics Study

OpenAIRE

Weili Gong; Lin Dai; Huaiqiang Zhang; Lili Zhang; Lushan Wang; Lushan Wang

2018-01-01

Xylan constituted with β-1,4-D-xylose linked backbone and diverse substituted side-chains is the most abundant hemicellulose component of biomass, which can be completely and rapidly degraded into fermentable sugars by Aspergillus niger. This is of great value for obtaining renewable biofuels and biochemicals. To clarify the underlying mechanisms associated with highly efficient xylan degradation, assimilation, and metabolism by A. niger, we utilized functional proteomics to analyze the secre...

Definably compact groups definable in real closed fields.II

OpenAIRE

Barriga, Eliana

2017-01-01

We continue the analysis of definably compact groups definable in a real closed field $\\mathcal{R}$. In [3], we proved that for every definably compact definably connected semialgebraic group $G$ over $\\mathcal{R}$ there are a connected $R$-algebraic group $H$, a definable injective map $\\phi$ from a generic definable neighborhood of the identity of $G$ into the group $H\\left(R\\right)$ of $R$-points of $H$ such that $\\phi$ acts as a group homomorphism inside its domain. The above result and o...

Maintenance Management in Network Utilities Framework and Practical Implementation

CERN Document Server

Gómez Fernández, Juan F

2012-01-01

In order to satisfy the needs of their customers, network utilities require specially developed maintenance management capabilities. Maintenance Management information systems are essential to ensure control, gain knowledge and improve-decision making in companies dealing with network infrastructure, such as distribution of gas, water, electricity and telecommunications. Maintenance Management in Network Utilities studies specified characteristics of maintenance management in this sector to offer a practical approach to defining and implementing  the best management practices and suitable frameworks.   Divided into three major sections, Maintenance Management in Network Utilities defines a series of stages which can be followed to manage maintenance frameworks properly. Different case studies provide detailed descriptions which illustrate the experience in real company situations. An introduction to the concepts is followed by main sections including: • A Literature Review: covering the basic concepts an...

CAD/CAM splints for the functional and esthetic evaluation of newly defined occlusal dimensions.

Science.gov (United States)

Edelhoff, Daniel; Schweiger, Josef; Prandtner, Otto; Trimpl, Johannes; Stimmelmayr, Michael; Güth, Jan-Frederik

2017-01-01

Pretreatment with occlusal splints is a crucial step in a structured treatment approach for a complex rehabilitation that changes the vertical dimension of occlusion. Meticulous patient compliance is one of the essential prerequisites for overall treatment success. However, patient compliance is all too often insufficient due to esthetic, phonetic, and functional limitations when using conventional occlusal splints in one arch. Modern production technologies now allow the use of tooth-colored occlusal splints made of polycarbonate, whose quality and material properties are quite distinct from those of conventionally manufactured splints made of transparent polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA). These materials, produced under standardized polymerization conditions, are extremely homogenous, which provides benefits such as a greater accuracy of fit by eliminating the polymerization shrinkage, greater long-term stability of shapes and shades, better biocompatibility, less wear, and a more favorable esthetic appearance. In addition, tooth-colored polycarbonate splints can be fabricated very thin without significantly increasing the fracture risk, thanks to the flexibility of the material. The improved wearing comfort combined with acceptable esthetics result in significantly improved patient compliance in terms of a "23-hour splint." By providing separate splints for the maxilla and mandible in the case of major alterations of the vertical dimension of occlusion, the esthetic and functional aspects defined by the wax-up can be completely transferred to the removable splints for a "test drive" by the patient, reversibly, and under realistic conditions. This dual-splint approach additionally facilitates segmental transfer into the definitive restoration.

Wigner functions and density matrices in curved spaces as computational tools

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Habib, S.; Kandrup, H.E.

1989-01-01

This paper contrasts two alternative approaches to statistical quantum field theory in curved spacetimes, namely (1) a canonical Hamiltonian approach, in which the basic object is a density matrix ρ characterizing the noncovariant, but globally defined, modes of the field; and (2) a Wigner function approach, in which the basic object is a Wigner function f defined quasilocally from the Hadamard, or correlation, function G 1 (x 1 , x 2 ). The key object is to isolate on the conceptual biases underlying each of these approaches and then to assess their utility and limitations in effecting concerete calculations. The following questions are therefore addressed and largely answered. What sort of spacetimes (e.g., de Sitter or Friedmann-Robertson-Walker) are comparatively eas to consider? What sorts of objects (e.g., average fields or renormalized stress energies) are easy to compute approximately? What, if anything, can be computed exactly? What approximations are intrinsic to each approach or convenient as computational tools? What sorts of ''field entropies'' are natural to define? copyright 1989 Academic Press, Inc

An ll-Diaminopimelate Aminotransferase Defines a Novel Variant of the Lysine Biosynthesis Pathway in Plants1[W

Science.gov (United States)

Hudson, André O.; Singh, Bijay K.; Leustek, Thomas; Gilvarg, Charles

2006-01-01

Although lysine (Lys) biosynthesis in plants is known to occur by way of a pathway that utilizes diaminopimelic acid (DAP) as a central intermediate, the available evidence suggests that none of the known DAP-pathway variants found in nature occur in plants. A new Lys biosynthesis pathway has been identified in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) that utilizes a novel transaminase that specifically catalyzes the interconversion of tetrahydrodipicolinate and ll-diaminopimelate, a reaction requiring three enzymes in the DAP-pathway variant found in Escherichia coli. The ll-DAP aminotransferase encoded by locus At4g33680 was able to complement the dapD and dapE mutants of E. coli. This result, in conjunction with the kinetic properties and substrate specificity of the enzyme, indicated that ll-DAP aminotransferase functions in the Lys biosynthetic direction under in vivo conditions. Orthologs of At4g33680 were identified in all the cyanobacterial species whose genomes have been sequenced. The Synechocystis sp. ortholog encoded by locus sll0480 showed the same functional properties as At4g33680. These results demonstrate that the Lys biosynthesis pathway in plants and cyanobacteria is distinct from the pathways that have so far been defined in microorganisms. PMID:16361515

CD34 defines an osteoprogenitor cell population in mouse bone marrow stromal cells

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Abdallah, Basem M; Al-Shammary, Asma; Skagen, Peter

2015-01-01

Bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs, also known as bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells) and their progenitors have been identified based on retrospective functional criteria. CD markers are employed to define cell populations with distinct functional characteristics. However, defining and pro...

Risk Aversion and Expected-Utility Theory: A Calibration Theorem.

OpenAIRE

Matthew Rabin.

2000-01-01

Within the expected-utility framework, the only explanation for risk aversion is that the utility function for wealth is concave: A person has lower marginal utility for additional wealth when she is wealthy than when she is poor. This paper provides a theorem showing that expected-utility theory is an utterly implausible explanation for appreciable risk aversion over modest stakes: Within expected-utility theory, for any concave utility function, even very little risk aversion over modest st...

Decomposing a Utility Function Based on Discrete Distribution Independence

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

He, Ying; Dyer, James; Butler, John

2014-01-01

For two-attribute decision-making problems, the multilinear utility model cannot be applied when the risk aversion on one attribute depends on the level of the other attribute. We propose a family of general preference conditions called nth-degree discrete distribution independence that can...... accommodate a variety of dependence relationships between two attributes. The special case of second-degree discrete distribution independence is equivalent to the utility independence condition. We focus on third-degree discrete distribution independence that leads to a decomposition formula that contains...

Time-frequency analysis and harmonic Gaussian functions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ranaivoson, R.T.R; Raoelina Andriambololona; Hanitriarivo, R.

2013-01-01

A method for time-frequency analysis is given. The approach utilizes properties of Gaussian distribution, properties of Hermite polynomials and Fourier analysis. We begin by the definitions of a set of functions called Harmonic Gaussian Functions. Then these functions are used to define a set of transformations, noted Τ n , which associate to a function ψ, of the time variable t, a set of functions Ψ n which depend on time, frequency and frequency (or time) standard deviation. Some properties of the transformations Τ n and the functions Ψ n are given. It is proved in particular that the square of the modulus of each function Ψ n can be interpreted as a representation of the energy distribution of the signal, represented by the function ψ, in the time-frequency plane for a given value of the frequency (or time) standard deviation. It is also shown that the function ψ can be recovered from the functions Ψ n .

On some strongly functions defined by α-open

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kocaman, A.H.; Yuksel, S.; Acikgoz, A.

2009-01-01

In this paper is to introduce and investigate new classes of generalizations of non-continuous functions, obtain some of their properties and to hold decompositions of strong α-irresolute in topological spaces.

Approaches to defining deltaic sustainability in the 21st century

Science.gov (United States)

Day, John W.; Agboola, Julius; Chen, Zhongyuan; D'Elia, Christopher; Forbes, Donald L.; Giosan, Liviu; Kemp, Paul; Kuenzer, Claudia; Lane, Robert R.; Ramachandran, Ramesh; Syvitski, James; Yañez-Arancibia, Alejandro

2016-12-01

Deltas are among the most productive and economically important of global ecosystems but unfortunately they are also among the most threatened by human activities. Here we discuss deltas and human impact, several approaches to defining deltaic sustainability and present a ranking of sustainability. Delta sustainability must be considered within the context of global biophysical and socioeconomic constraints that include thermodynamic limitations, scale and embeddedness, and constraints at the level of the biosphere/geosphere. The development, functioning, and sustainability of deltas are the result of external and internal inputs of energy and materials, such as sediments and nutrients, that include delta lobe development, channel switching, crevasse formation, river floods, storms and associated waves and storm surges, and tides and other ocean currents. Modern deltas developed over the past several thousand years with relatively stable global mean sea level, predictable material inputs from drainage basins and the sea, and as extremely open systems. Human activity has changed these conditions to make deltas less sustainable, in that they are unable to persist through time structurally or functionally. Deltaic sustainability can be considered from geomorphic, ecological, and economic perspectives, with functional processes at these three levels being highly interactive. Changes in this functioning can lead to either enhanced or diminished sustainability, but most changes have been detrimental. There is a growing understanding that the trajectories of global environmental change and cost of energy will make achieving delta sustainability more challenging and limit options for management. Several delta types are identified in terms of sustainability including those in arid regions, those with high and low energy-intensive management systems, deltas below sea level, tropical deltas, and Arctic deltas. Representative deltas are ranked on a sustainability range

A new fracture mechanics approach for defining defect acceptance standards for inservice inspection

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Heliot, J [Societe Franco-Americaine de Constructions Atomiques (FRAMATOME), 92 - Paris-La-Defense (France); Chevanne, H; Grandemange, J; Barthelet, B [Electricite de France (EDF), 75 - Paris (France). Service de la Production Thermique

1988-12-31

This document presents several standards and methods defined by the french national utility Electricite De France (EDF). Methods to predict crack propagation and crack stability in ductile materials are presented together with standards of allowable defects. (TEC).

A new fracture mechanics approach for defining defect acceptance standards for inservice inspection

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Heliot, J.; Chevanne, H.; Grandemange, J.; Barthelet, B.

1988-01-01

This document presents several standards and methods defined by the french national utility Electricite De France (EDF). Methods to predict crack propagation and crack stability in ductile materials are presented together with standards of allowable defects. (TEC)

The utility of health and wealth.

Science.gov (United States)

Levy, Moshe; Nir, Adi Rizansky

2012-03-01

Tradeoffs between health and wealth are among the most important decisions individuals make, and are central to social and economic policy. Yet, only a few studies have investigated the utility of health and wealth empirically. This paper investigates this utility function both theoretically and empirically. We conduct detailed personal interviews with 180 cancer patients, and also obtain questionnaires from 132 diabetes patients. We find strong support for the utility function U(h, w)=h·log(w), where h denotes health and w denotes wealth. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Simulation of speckle patterns with pre-defined correlation distributions

Science.gov (United States)

Song, Lipei; Zhou, Zhen; Wang, Xueyan; Zhao, Xing; Elson, Daniel S.

2016-01-01

We put forward a method to easily generate a single or a sequence of fully developed speckle patterns with pre-defined correlation distribution by utilizing the principle of coherent imaging. The few-to-one mapping between the input correlation matrix and the correlation distribution between simulated speckle patterns is realized and there is a simple square relationship between the values of these two correlation coefficient sets. This method is demonstrated both theoretically and experimentally. The square relationship enables easy conversion from any desired correlation distribution. Since the input correlation distribution can be defined by a digital matrix or a gray-scale image acquired experimentally, this method provides a convenient way to simulate real speckle-related experiments and to evaluate data processing techniques. PMID:27231589

Present status of research on radiation utilization in 1994 at JAERI. Utilization of irradiation and RI production and utilization

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1994-10-01

In Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute, Takasaki Radiation Chemistry Research Establishment is in charge of the utilization of irradiation, and Tokai Research Establishment is in charge of the production and utilization of radioisotopes. As for the utilization of irradiation the development of new polymers, the development of environment preservation technology such as flue gas treatment, and by using various ion beams from four accelerators, the development of the materials used for space environment, nuclear fusion and new functional materials, the research on the radiation application to biotechnology, the development of the production and utilization of new radioisotopes have been carried out. As for the production and utilization of radioisotopes, the development of new products and new utilization techniques, the technology of producing and using a large amount of tritium, and the research on the chemical behavior of tritium have been carried out. The international cooperations have been promoted positively. In this report, the research activities in 1994 are described. (K.I.)

Utility Maximization in Nonconvex Wireless Systems

CERN Document Server

Brehmer, Johannes

2012-01-01

This monograph formulates a framework for modeling and solving utility maximization problems in nonconvex wireless systems. First, a model for utility optimization in wireless systems is defined. The model is general enough to encompass a wide array of system configurations and performance objectives. Based on the general model, a set of methods for solving utility maximization problems is developed. The development is based on a careful examination of the properties that are required for the application of each method. The focus is on problems whose initial formulation does not allow for a solution by standard convex methods. Solution approaches that take into account the nonconvexities inherent to wireless systems are discussed in detail. The monograph concludes with two case studies that demonstrate the application of the proposed framework to utility maximization in multi-antenna broadcast channels.

Smooth Frechet subalgebras of C-algebras defined by first order ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

The differential structure in a *-algebra defined by a dense Frechet subalgebra whose topology is defined by a sequence of differential seminorms of order 1 is investigated. This includes differential Arens–Michael decomposition, spectral invariance, closure under functional calculi as well as intrinsic spectral description.

Xeno-Free and Defined Human Embryonic Stem Cell-Derived Retinal Pigment Epithelial Cells Functionally Integrate in a Large-Eyed Preclinical Model

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alvaro Plaza Reyes

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Human embryonic stem cell (hESC-derived retinal pigment epithelial (RPE cells could replace lost tissue in geographic atrophy (GA but efficacy has yet to be demonstrated in a large-eyed model. Also, production of hESC-RPE has not yet been achieved in a xeno-free and defined manner, which is critical for clinical compliance and reduced immunogenicity. Here we describe an effective differentiation methodology using human laminin-521 matrix with xeno-free and defined medium. Differentiated cells exhibited characteristics of native RPE including morphology, pigmentation, marker expression, monolayer integrity, and polarization together with phagocytic activity. Furthermore, we established a large-eyed GA model that allowed in vivo imaging of hESC-RPE and host retina. Cells transplanted in suspension showed long-term integration and formed polarized monolayers exhibiting phagocytic and photoreceptor rescue capacity. We have developed a xeno-free and defined hESC-RPE differentiation method and present evidence of functional integration of clinically compliant hESC-RPE in a large-eyed disease model.

Understanding how race/ethnicity and gender define age-trajectories of disability: an intersectionality approach.

Science.gov (United States)

Warner, David F; Brown, Tyson H

2011-04-01

A number of studies have demonstrated wide disparities in health among racial/ethnic groups and by gender, yet few have examined how race/ethnicity and gender intersect or combine to affect the health of older adults. The tendency of prior research to treat race/ethnicity and gender separately has potentially obscured important differences in how health is produced and maintained, undermining efforts to eliminate health disparities. The current study extends previous research by taking an intersectionality approach (Mullings & Schulz, 2006), grounded in life course theory, conceptualizing and modeling trajectories of functional limitations as dynamic life course processes that are jointly and simultaneously defined by race/ethnicity and gender. Data from the nationally representative 1994-2006 US Health and Retirement Study and growth curve models are utilized to examine racial/ethnic/gender differences in intra-individual change in functional limitations among White, Black and Mexican American Men and Women, and the extent to which differences in life course capital account for group disparities in initial health status and rates of change with age. Results support an intersectionality approach, with all demographic groups exhibiting worse functional limitation trajectories than White Men. Whereas White Men had the lowest disability levels at baseline, White Women and racial/ethnic minority Men had intermediate disability levels and Black and Hispanic Women had the highest disability levels. These health disparities remained stable with age-except among Black Women who experience a trajectory of accelerated disablement. Dissimilar early life social origins, adult socioeconomic status, marital status, and health behaviors explain the racial/ethnic disparities in functional limitations among Men but only partially explain the disparities among Women. Net of controls for life course capital, Women of all racial/ethnic groups have higher levels of functional

A comparison of probability of ruin and expected discounted utility ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Individuals in defined-contribution retirement funds currently have a number of options as to how to finance their post-retirement spending. The paper considers the ranking of selected annuitisation strategies by the probability of ruin and by expected discounted utility under different scenarios. 'Ruin' is defined as occurring ...

Arithmetic convergent sequence space defined by modulus function

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Taja Yaying

2019-10-01

Full Text Available The aim of this article is to introduce the sequence spaces $AC(f$ and $AS(f$ using arithmetic convergence and modulus function, and study algebraic and topological properties of this space, and certain inclusion results.

Efficient elicitation of utility and probability weighting functions

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Blavatskyy, Pavlo R.

-, č. 211 (2004), s. 1-31 ISSN 1424-0459 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z7085904 Keywords : decision theory * rank-dependent expected utility * cumulative prospect theory Subject RIV: AH - Economics http://www.iew.unizh.ch/wp/iewwp211.pdf

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

OAM system based on TMN for utility telecommunication network. Proposal of modeling method about managed objects; TMN ni motozuku denryoku tsushinmo no un`yo kanri system. Kanri object no sekkei shuho ni kansuru kento

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hirozawa, T.; Yusa, H.; Otani, T. [Central Research Institute of Electric Power Industry, Tokyo (Japan); Okamura, K. [Tokyo Electric Power Co. Inc., Tokyo (Japan)

1996-03-01

To construct an advanced operation and management system for utility telecommunications management network (TMN), this paper proposes a modeling method of managed objects (MOs) required for managing and managed systems, such as an asynchronous transmission mode (ATM) exchanger. Flexible line setting and path switching control are required for the advanced TMN, which must cope with the extension and modification of functions, flexibly. Assignment of roles of managing sides and managed sides was determined. Then, structures of objects such as facilities and logic data, and their interaction were modeled. Common management functions and objects of each function were classified. Based on the TMN standard and MOs of the existing design peculiar to utility, new MOs peculiar to utility were defined in response to the models. The existing MOs can be effectively utilized, and the optimum MOs to be incorporated can be expected. The MOs peculiar to utility are added to the common specification of electric power industry. Since they can be reused for the extension and modification of functions, the cost can be reduced. The MOs applicable to path switching control of utility were designed as a trial. 9 refs., 16 figs., 10 tabs.

A step-defined sedentary lifestyle index: <5000 steps/day.

Science.gov (United States)

Tudor-Locke, Catrine; Craig, Cora L; Thyfault, John P; Spence, John C

2013-02-01

Step counting (using pedometers or accelerometers) is widely accepted by researchers, practitioners, and the general public. Given the mounting evidence of the link between low steps/day and time spent in sedentary behaviours, how few steps/day some populations actually perform, and the growing interest in the potentially deleterious effects of excessive sedentary behaviours on health, an emerging question is "How many steps/day are too few?" This review examines the utility, appropriateness, and limitations of using a reoccurring candidate for a step-defined sedentary lifestyle index: 10 000) to lower (sedentary lifestyle index for adults is appropriate for researchers and practitioners and for communicating with the general public. There is little evidence to advocate any specific value indicative of a step-defined sedentary lifestyle index in children and adolescents.

Impact of lung function on exacerbations, health care utilization, and costs among patients with COPD

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ke X

2016-07-01

Full Text Available Xuehua Ke,1 Jessica Marvel,2 Tzy-Chyi Yu,2 Debra Wertz,1 Caroline Geremakis,1 Liya Wang,1 Judith J Stephenson,1 David M Mannino3 1HealthCore Inc., Wilmington, DE, 2Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation, East Hanover, NJ, 3University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA Objective: To evaluate the impact of lung function, measured as forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1 % predicted, on health care resource utilization and costs among patients with COPD in a real-world US managed-care population.Methods: This observational retrospective cohort study utilized administrative claim data augmented with medical record data. The study population consisted of patients with one or more medical claims for pre- and postbronchodilator spirometry during the intake period (July 1, 2012 to June 30, 2013. The index date was the date of the earliest medical claim for pre- and postbronchodilator spirometry. Spirometry results were abstracted from patients’ medical records. Patients were divided into two groups (low FEV1% predicted [<50%] and high FEV1% predicted [≥50%] based on the 2014 Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease report. Health care resource utilization and costs were based on the prevalence and number of discrete encounters during the 12-month postindex follow-up period. Costs were adjusted to 2014 US dollars.Results: A total of 754 patients were included (n=297 low FEV1% predicted group, n=457 high FEV1% predicted group. COPD exacerbations were more prevalent in the low FEV1% predicted group compared with the high group during the 12-month pre- (52.5% vs 39.6% and postindex periods (49.8% vs 36.8%. Mean (standard deviation follow-up all-cause and COPD-related costs were $27,380 ($38,199 and $15,873 ($29,609 for patients in the low FEV1% predicted group, and $22,075 ($28,108 and $10,174 ($18,521 for patients in the high group. In the multivariable analyses, patients in the low FEV1% predicted group were more likely to have COPD

A note on additive risk measures in rank-dependent utility

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Goovaerts, M.J.; Kaas, R.; Laeven, R.J.A.

2010-01-01

This note proves that risk measures obtained by applying the equivalent utility principle in rank-dependent utility are additive if and only if the utility function is linear or exponential and the probability weighting (distortion) function is the identity.

Method for utilizing properties of the sinc(x) function for phase retrieval on nyquist-under-sampled data

Science.gov (United States)

Dean, Bruce H. (Inventor); Smith, Jeffrey Scott (Inventor); Aronstein, David L. (Inventor)

2012-01-01

Disclosed herein are systems, methods, and non-transitory computer-readable storage media for simulating propagation of an electromagnetic field, performing phase retrieval, or sampling a band-limited function. A system practicing the method generates transformed data using a discrete Fourier transform which samples a band-limited function f(x) without interpolating or modifying received data associated with the function f(x), wherein an interval between repeated copies in a periodic extension of the function f(x) obtained from the discrete Fourier transform is associated with a sampling ratio Q, defined as a ratio of a sampling frequency to a band-limited frequency, and wherein Q is assigned a value between 1 and 2 such that substantially no aliasing occurs in the transformed data, and retrieves a phase in the received data based on the transformed data, wherein the phase is used as feedback to an optical system.

Well-defined (co)polypeptides bearing pendant alkyne groups

KAUST Repository

Zhao, Wei

2016-03-18

A novel metal-free strategy, using hydrogen-bonding catalytic ring opening polymerization of acetylene-functionalized N-carboxy anhydrites of α-amino acids, was developed for the synthesis of well-defined polypeptides bearing pendant alkyne groups. This method provides an efficient way to synthesize novel alkyne-functionalized homopolypeptides (A) and copolypeptides, such as AB diblock (B: non-functionalized), ABA triblock and star-AB diblock, as well as linear and star random copolypeptides, precursors of a plethora complex macromolecular architectures by click chemistry.

Well-defined (co)polypeptides bearing pendant alkyne groups

KAUST Repository

Zhao, Wei; Gnanou, Yves; Hadjichristidis, Nikolaos

2016-01-01

A novel metal-free strategy, using hydrogen-bonding catalytic ring opening polymerization of acetylene-functionalized N-carboxy anhydrites of α-amino acids, was developed for the synthesis of well-defined polypeptides bearing pendant alkyne groups. This method provides an efficient way to synthesize novel alkyne-functionalized homopolypeptides (A) and copolypeptides, such as AB diblock (B: non-functionalized), ABA triblock and star-AB diblock, as well as linear and star random copolypeptides, precursors of a plethora complex macromolecular architectures by click chemistry.

Subjective expected utility without preferences

OpenAIRE

Bouyssou , Denis; Marchant , Thierry

2011-01-01

This paper proposes a theory of subjective expected utility based on primitives only involving the fact that an act can be judged either "attractive" or "unattractive". We give conditions implying that there are a utility function on the set of consequences and a probability distribution on the set of states such that attractive acts have a subjective expected utility above some threshold. The numerical representation that is obtained has strong uniqueness properties.

The comparison of alternatives for nuclear spent fuel management using multi-attribute utility function

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yang, J. W.; Kang, C. S.

1999-01-01

It is necessary to find a solution immediately to nuclear spent fuel management that is temporarily stored in on-site spent fuel storage before the saturation of the storage. However the choice of alternative for nuclear spent fuel management consists of complex process that are affected by economic, technical and social factors. And it is not easy to quantify these factors; public opinion, probability of diplomatic problem and contribution to development of nuclear technology. Therefore the analysis of the affecting factors and assessment of alternatives are required. This study performed the comparison of the alternatives for nuclear spent fuel management using MAU (Multi-Attribute Utility Function) and AHP(Analytic Hierarchy Process)

Evaluation of an Empirical Reservoir Shape Function to Define Sediment Distributions in Small Reservoirs

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bogusław Michalec

2015-08-01

Full Text Available Understanding and defining the spatial distribution of sediment deposited in reservoirs is essential not only at the design stage but also during the operation. The majority of research concerns the distribution of sediment deposition in medium and large water reservoirs. Most empirical methods do not provide satisfactory results when applied to the determination of sediment deposition in small reservoirs. Small reservoir’s volumes do not exceed 5 × 106 m3 and their capacity-inflow ratio is less than 10%. Long-term silting measurements of three small reservoirs were used to evaluate the method described by Rahmanian and Banihashemi for predicting sediment distributions in small reservoirs. Rahmanian and Banihashemi stated that their model of distribution of sediment deposition in water reservoir works well for a long duration operation. In the presented study, the silting rate was used in order to determine the long duration operation. Silting rate is a quotient of volume of the sediment deposited in the reservoir and its original volume. It was stated that when the silting rate had reached 50%, the sediment deposition in the reservoir may be described by an empirical reservoir depth shape function (RDSF.

Novel Signs and Their Clinical Utility in Diagnosing Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS): A Prospective Observational Cohort Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Kuttikat, Anoop; Shaikh, Maliha; Oomatia, Amin; Parker, Richard; Shenker, Nicholas

2017-06-01

Delays in diagnosis occur with complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS). We define and prospectively demonstrate that novel bedside tests measuring body perception disruption can identify patients with CRPS postfracture. The objectives of our study were to define and validate 4 bedside tests, to identify the prevalence of positive tests in patients with CRPS and other chronic pain conditions, and to assess the clinical utility (sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value) for identifying CRPS within a Fracture cohort. This was a single UK teaching hospital prospective cohort study with 313 recruits from pain-free volunteers and patients with chronic pain conditions.Four novel tests were Finger Perception (FP), Hand Laterality identification (HL), Astereognosis (AS), and Body Scheme (BS) report. Five questionnaires (Brief Pain Inventory, Upper Extremity Functional Index, Lower Extremity Functional Index, Neglect-like Symptom Questionnaire, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Score) assessed the multidimensional pain experience. FP and BS were the best performing tests. Prospective monitoring of fracture patients showed that out of 7 fracture patients (total n=47) who had both finger misperception and abnormal BS report at initial testing, 3 developed persistent pain with 1 having a formal diagnosis of CRPS. Novel signs are reliable, easy to perform, and present in chronic pain patients. FP and BS have significant clinical utility in predicting persistent pain in a fracture group thereby allowing targeted early intervention.

Defining Cyberbullying.

Science.gov (United States)

Englander, Elizabeth; Donnerstein, Edward; Kowalski, Robin; Lin, Carolyn A; Parti, Katalin

2017-11-01

Is cyberbullying essentially the same as bullying, or is it a qualitatively different activity? The lack of a consensual, nuanced definition has limited the field's ability to examine these issues. Evidence suggests that being a perpetrator of one is related to being a perpetrator of the other; furthermore, strong relationships can also be noted between being a victim of either type of attack. It also seems that both types of social cruelty have a psychological impact, although the effects of being cyberbullied may be worse than those of being bullied in a traditional sense (evidence here is by no means definitive). A complicating factor is that the 3 characteristics that define bullying (intent, repetition, and power imbalance) do not always translate well into digital behaviors. Qualities specific to digital environments often render cyberbullying and bullying different in circumstances, motivations, and outcomes. To make significant progress in addressing cyberbullying, certain key research questions need to be addressed. These are as follows: How can we define, distinguish between, and understand the nature of cyberbullying and other forms of digital conflict and cruelty, including online harassment and sexual harassment? Once we have a functional taxonomy of the different types of digital cruelty, what are the short- and long-term effects of exposure to or participation in these social behaviors? What are the idiosyncratic characteristics of digital communication that users can be taught? Finally, how can we apply this information to develop and evaluate effective prevention programs? Copyright © 2017 by the American Academy of Pediatrics.

TWRS LDUA utilization study report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rieck, R.H.

1994-01-01

Tank Waste Remediation Systems functional requirements were reviewed. The Light Duty Utility Arm capabilities were considered as a means to support completion of these functional requirements. The recommendation is made to continue to develop the LDUA, integrating TWRS functional needs into the design to better support completion of TWRS mission needs

Determining firms׳ utility functions and competitive roles from data on market shares using Lotka–Volterra models

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. Marasco

2016-06-01

Full Text Available In this article, we include data on historical and estimated market shares of two markets. In particular, we include annual data on the market shares of the Japanese beer market (1963–2000 and biannual data on the market shares of the mobile phones market in Greece (1998–2007. In addition, we estimate monthly data on market shares for both markets. We show how this data can be used to derive firms’ utility functions and their competitive roles.

Anti-Money Laundry regulation and Crime: A two-period model of money-in-the-utility-function

OpenAIRE

Fanta, F; Mohsin, H

2010-01-01

The paper presents a two period model with two types of money i.e. dirty and cleans (legal) money in utility function. Clean money is earned from working in legal sector and dirty from illegal sector. Our two-two period model reveals that an increase in labor wage in legal sector unambiguously decease the labor hours allocated for illegal sector by increasing the opportunity cost for illegal activities. However, the crime-reducing impact of anti-money laundry regulation and the probability of...

Beyond Widgets -- Systems Incentive Programs for Utilities

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Regnier, Cindy [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Mathew, Paul [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Robinson, Alastair [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Schwartz, Peter [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Walter, Travis [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)

2017-08-15

Utility incentive programs remain one of the most significant means of deploying commercialized, but underutilized building technologies to scale. However, these programs have been largely limited to component-based products (e.g., lamps, RTUs). While some utilities do provide ‘custom’ incentive programs with whole building and system level technical assistance, these programs require deeper levels of analysis, resulting in higher program costs. This results in custom programs being restricted to utilities with greater resources, and are typically applied mainly to large or energy-intensive facilities, leaving much of the market without cost effective access and incentives for these solutions. In addition, with increasingly stringent energy codes, cost effective component-based solutions that achieve significant savings are dwindling. Building systems (e.g., integrated façade, HVAC and/or lighting solutions) can deliver higher savings that translate into large sector-wide savings if deployed at the scale of these programs. However, systems application poses a number of challenges – baseline energy use must be defined and measured; the metrics for energy and performance must be defined and tested against; in addition, system savings must be validated under well understood conditions. This paper presents a sample of findings of a project to develop validated utility incentive program packages for three specific integrated building systems, in collaboration with Xcel Energy (CO, MN), ComEd, and a consortium of California Public Owned Utilities (CA POUs) (Northern California Power Agency(NCPA) and the Southern California Public Power Authority(SCPPA)). Furthermore, these program packages consist of system specifications, system performance, M&V protocols, streamlined assessment methods, market assessment and implementation guidance.

Information processing architecture of functionally defined clusters in the macaque cortex.

Science.gov (United States)

Shen, Kelly; Bezgin, Gleb; Hutchison, R Matthew; Gati, Joseph S; Menon, Ravi S; Everling, Stefan; McIntosh, Anthony R

2012-11-28

Computational and empirical neuroimaging studies have suggested that the anatomical connections between brain regions primarily constrain their functional interactions. Given that the large-scale organization of functional networks is determined by the temporal relationships between brain regions, the structural limitations may extend to the global characteristics of functional networks. Here, we explored the extent to which the functional network community structure is determined by the underlying anatomical architecture. We directly compared macaque (Macaca fascicularis) functional connectivity (FC) assessed using spontaneous blood oxygen level-dependent functional magnetic resonance imaging (BOLD-fMRI) to directed anatomical connectivity derived from macaque axonal tract tracing studies. Consistent with previous reports, FC increased with increasing strength of anatomical connection, and FC was also present between regions that had no direct anatomical connection. We observed moderate similarity between the FC of each region and its anatomical connectivity. Notably, anatomical connectivity patterns, as described by structural motifs, were different within and across functional modules: partitioning of the functional network was supported by dense bidirectional anatomical connections within clusters and unidirectional connections between clusters. Together, our data directly demonstrate that the FC patterns observed in resting-state BOLD-fMRI are dictated by the underlying neuroanatomical architecture. Importantly, we show how this architecture contributes to the global organizational principles of both functional specialization and integration.

Mean Field Games for Stochastic Growth with Relative Utility

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Huang, Minyi, E-mail: mhuang@math.carleton.ca [Carleton University, School of Mathematics and Statistics (Canada); Nguyen, Son Luu, E-mail: sonluu.nguyen@upr.edu [University of Puerto Rico, Department of Mathematics (United States)

2016-12-15

This paper considers continuous time stochastic growth-consumption optimization in a mean field game setting. The individual capital stock evolution is determined by a Cobb–Douglas production function, consumption and stochastic depreciation. The individual utility functional combines an own utility and a relative utility with respect to the population. The use of the relative utility reflects human psychology, leading to a natural pattern of mean field interaction. The fixed point equation of the mean field game is derived with the aid of some ordinary differential equations. Due to the relative utility interaction, our performance analysis depends on some ratio based approximation error estimate.

Mean Field Games for Stochastic Growth with Relative Utility

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Huang, Minyi; Nguyen, Son Luu

2016-01-01

This paper considers continuous time stochastic growth-consumption optimization in a mean field game setting. The individual capital stock evolution is determined by a Cobb–Douglas production function, consumption and stochastic depreciation. The individual utility functional combines an own utility and a relative utility with respect to the population. The use of the relative utility reflects human psychology, leading to a natural pattern of mean field interaction. The fixed point equation of the mean field game is derived with the aid of some ordinary differential equations. Due to the relative utility interaction, our performance analysis depends on some ratio based approximation error estimate.

[Utilities: a solution of a decision problem?].

Science.gov (United States)

Koller, Michael; Ohmann, Christian; Lorenz, Wilfried

2008-01-01

Utility is a concept that originates from utilitarianism, a highly influential philosophical school in the Anglo-American world. The cornerstone of utilitarianism is the principle of maximum happiness or utility. In the medical sciences, this utility approach has been adopted and developed within the field of medical decision making. On an operational level, utility is the evaluation of a health state or an outcome on a one-dimensional scale ranging from 0 (death) to 1 (perfect health). By adding the concept of expectancy, the graphic representation of both concepts in a decision tree results in the specification of expected utilities and helps to resolve complex medical decision problems. Criticism of the utility approach relates to the rational perspective on humans (which is rejected by a considerable fraction of research in psychology) and to the artificial methods used in the evaluation of utility, such as Standard Gamble or Time Trade Off. These may well be the reason why the utility approach has never been accepted in Germany. Nevertheless, innovative concepts for defining goals in health care are urgently required, as the current debate in Germany on "Nutzen" (interestingly translated as 'benefit' instead of as 'utility') and integrated outcome models indicates. It remains to be seen whether this discussion will lead to a re-evaluation of the utility approach.

Genetic Variation of the SusC/SusD Homologs from a Polysaccharide Utilization Locus Underlies Divergent Fructan Specificities and Functional Adaptation in Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron Strains.

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Joglekar, Payal; Sonnenburg, Erica D; Higginbottom, Steven K; Earle, Kristen A; Morland, Carl; Shapiro-Ward, Sarah; Bolam, David N; Sonnenburg, Justin L

2018-01-01

Genomic differences between gut-resident bacterial strains likely underlie significant interindividual variation in microbiome function. Traditional methods of determining community composition, such as 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing, fail to capture this functional diversity. Metagenomic approaches are a significant step forward in identifying strain-level sequence variants; however, given the current paucity of biochemical information, they too are limited to mainly low-resolution and incomplete functional predictions. Using genomic, biochemical, and molecular approaches, we identified differences in the fructan utilization profiles of two closely related Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron strains. B. thetaiotaomicron 8736 ( Bt-8736 ) contains a fructan polysaccharide utilization locus (PUL) with a divergent susC / susD homolog gene pair that enables it to utilize inulin, differentiating this strain from other characterized Bt strains. Transfer of the distinct pair of susC / susD genes from Bt-8736 into the noninulin using type strain B. thetaiotaomicron VPI-5482 resulted in inulin use by the recipient strain, Bt ( 8736-2 ). The presence of the divergent susC / susD gene pair alone enabled the hybrid Bt ( 8736-2 ) strain to outcompete the wild-type strain in vivo in mice fed an inulin diet. Further, we discovered that the susC / susD homolog gene pair facilitated import of inulin into the periplasm without surface predigestion by an endo-acting enzyme, possibly due to the short average chain length of inulin compared to many other polysaccharides. Our data builds upon recent reports of dietary polysaccharide utilization mechanisms found in members of the Bacteroides genus and demonstrates how the acquisition of two genes can alter the functionality and success of a strain within the gut. IMPORTANCE Dietary polysaccharides play a dominant role in shaping the composition and functionality of our gut microbiota. Dietary interventions using these m icrobiota- a

A preliminary approach to creating an overview of lactoferrin multi-functionality utilizing a text mining method.

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Shimazaki, Kei-ichi; Kushida, Tatsuya

2010-06-01

Lactoferrin is a multi-functional metal-binding glycoprotein that exhibits many biological functions of interest to many researchers from the fields of clinical medicine, dentistry, pharmacology, veterinary medicine, nutrition and milk science. To date, a number of academic reports concerning the biological activities of lactoferrin have been published and are easily accessible through public data repositories. However, as the literature is expanding daily, this presents challenges in understanding the larger picture of lactoferrin function and mechanisms. In order to overcome the "analysis paralysis" associated with lactoferrin information, we attempted to apply a text mining method to the accumulated lactoferrin literature. To this end, we used the information extraction system GENPAC (provided by Nalapro Technologies Inc., Tokyo). This information extraction system uses natural language processing and text mining technology. This system analyzes the sentences and titles from abstracts stored in the PubMed database, and can automatically extract binary relations that consist of interactions between genes/proteins, chemicals and diseases/functions. We expect that such information visualization analysis will be useful in determining novel relationships among a multitude of lactoferrin functions and mechanisms. We have demonstrated the utilization of this method to find pathways of lactoferrin participation in neovascularization, Helicobacter pylori attack on gastric mucosa, atopic dermatitis and lipid metabolism.

The Utility of the MMPI-2 Malingering Discriminant Function Index in the Detection of Malingering: A Study of Criminal Defendants

Science.gov (United States)

Toomey, Joseph A.; Kucharski, L. Thomas; Duncan, Scott

2009-01-01

This study examined the utility of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2's (MMPI-2) malingering discriminant function index (M-DFI), recently developed by Bacchiochi and Bagby, in the detection of malingering in a forensic sample. Criminal defendants were divided into "malingering" and "not malingering" groups using…

Life cycle assessment of various cropping systems utilized for producing biofuels: Bioethanol and biodiesel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Seungdo; Dale, Bruce E.

2005-01-01

A life cycle assessment of different cropping systems emphasizing corn and soybean production was performed, assuming that biomass from the cropping systems is utilized for producing biofuels (i.e., ethanol and biodiesel). The functional unit is defined as 1 ha of arable land producing biomass for biofuels to compare the environmental performance of the different cropping systems. The external functions are allocated by introducing alternative product systems (the system expansion allocation approach). Nonrenewable energy consumption, global warming impact, acidification and eutrophication are considered as potential environmental impacts and estimated by characterization factors given by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA-TRACI). The benefits of corn stover removal are (1) lower nitrogen related environmental burdens from the soil, (2) higher ethanol production rate per unit arable land, and (3) energy recovery from lignin-rich fermentation residues, while the disadvantages of corn stover removal are a lower accumulation rate of soil organic carbon and higher fuel consumption in harvesting corn stover. Planting winter cover crops can compensate for some disadvantages (i.e., soil organic carbon levels and soil erosion) of removing corn stover. Cover crops also permit more corn stover to be harvested. Thus, utilization of corn stover and winter cover crops can improve the eco-efficiency of the cropping systems. When biomass from the cropping systems is utilized for biofuel production, all the cropping systems studied here offer environmental benefits in terms of nonrenewable energy consumption and global warming impact. Therefore utilizing biomass for biofuels would save nonrenewable energy, and reduce greenhouse gases. However, unless additional measures such as planting cover crops were taken, utilization of biomass for biofuels would also tend to increase acidification and eutrophication, primarily because large nitrogen (and phosphorus

Muscle glycogen and cell function--Location, location, location.

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Ørtenblad, N; Nielsen, J

2015-12-01

The importance of glycogen, as a fuel during exercise, is a fundamental concept in exercise physiology. The use of electron microscopy has revealed that glycogen is not evenly distributed in skeletal muscle fibers, but rather localized in distinct pools. In this review, we present the available evidence regarding the subcellular localization of glycogen in skeletal muscle and discuss this from the perspective of skeletal muscle fiber function. The distribution of glycogen in the defined pools within the skeletal muscle varies depending on exercise intensity, fiber phenotype, training status, and immobilization. Furthermore, these defined pools may serve specific functions in the cell. Specifically, reduced levels of these pools of glycogen are associated with reduced SR Ca(2+) release, muscle relaxation rate, and membrane excitability. Collectively, the available literature strongly demonstrates that the subcellular localization of glycogen has to be considered to fully understand the role of glycogen metabolism and signaling in skeletal muscle function. Here, we propose that the effect of low muscle glycogen on excitation-contraction coupling may serve as a built-in mechanism, which links the energetic state of the muscle fiber to energy utilization. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Defining recovery in chronic fatigue syndrome: a critical review.

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Adamowicz, Jenna L; Caikauskaite, Indre; Friedberg, Fred

2014-11-01

In chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), the lack of consensus on how recovery should be defined or interpreted has generated controversy and confusion. The purpose of this paper was to systematically review, compare, and evaluate the definitions of recovery reported in the CFS literature and to make recommendations about the scope of recovery assessments. A search was done using the MEDLINE, PubMed, PsycINFO, CINAHL, and Cochrane databases for peer review papers that contained the search terms "chronic fatigue syndrome" and "recovery," "reversal," "remission," and/or "treatment response." From the 22 extracted studies, recovery was operationally defined by reference with one or more of these domains: (1) pre-morbid functioning; (2) both fatigue and function; (3) fatigue (or related symptoms) alone; (4) function alone; and/or (5) brief global assessment. Almost all of the studies measuring recovery in CFS did so differently. The brief global assessment was the most common outcome measure used to define recovery. Estimates of recovery ranged from 0 to 66 % in intervention studies and 2.6 to 62 % in naturalistic studies. Given that the term "recovery" was often based on limited assessments and less than full restoration of health, other more precise and accurate labels (e.g., clinically significant improvement) may be more appropriate and informative. In keeping with common understandings of the term recovery, we recommend a consistent definition that captures a broad-based return to health with assessments of both fatigue and function as well as the patient's perceptions of his/her recovery status.

Assessing the utilization of functional imaging in multiparametric prostate MRI in routine clinical practice

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Quon, J.; Kielar, A.Z.; Jain, R.; Schieda, N.

2015-01-01

Aim: To evaluate the utilization of functional imaging tests in multiparametric (mp)-MRI of the prostate in routine practice and to assess whether education improves usage. Materials and methods: With research ethics board approval, 254 patients underwent mp-MRI [diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) and dynamic contrast enhancement (DCE)] over a 1-year period at a single tertiary-care referral centre for prostate disease. All studies were reported by fellowship-trained abdominal radiologists. To determine to what extent parametric tests were used, radiology reports were searched for terms indicating usage of DWI/DCE and studies were reviewed to determine whether post-processing of DCE was performed. Midway through the study, an internal continuing medical education (CME) programme was instituted (consisting of lectures, electronic reading material, intra- and inter-departmental prostate rounds) and a standardized reporting template was introduced. Utilization of functional imaging was compared between radiologists by years of experience and by number of examinations interpreted, by study indication, and before and after CME. Results: Overall, both DWI and DCE were used in 50.7% of examinations. DWI (67.3%) was more frequently used than DCE (56.3%). DCE contrast curves were generated in 33.5% of studies, and quantitative analysis was performed in only one patient. Use of parametric tests was higher after CME (60.6% versus 40.4%), p = 0.009. There was no correlation between the use of parametric tests and years of experience, (p = 0.94), and there was no association with the number of examinations interpreted (p = 0.19–0.97). There was no association between the use of parametric tests and study indication, (p = 0.16); however, contrast curves were produced more frequently in non-staging studies, (p = 0.027). Conclusion: Parametric tests were underutilized in routine practice. DWI was used more commonly than DCE. CME was associated with increased utilization

Expected utility with lower probabilities

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hendon, Ebbe; Jacobsen, Hans Jørgen; Sloth, Birgitte

1994-01-01

An uncertain and not just risky situation may be modeled using so-called belief functions assigning lower probabilities to subsets of outcomes. In this article we extend the von Neumann-Morgenstern expected utility theory from probability measures to belief functions. We use this theory...

Analytic properties for the honeycomb lattice Green function at the origin

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Joyce, G. S.

2018-05-01

The analytic properties of the honeycomb lattice Green function are investigated, where is a complex variable which lies in a plane. This double integral defines a single-valued analytic function provided that a cut is made along the real axis from w  =  ‑3 to . In order to analyse the behaviour of along the edges of the cut it is convenient to define the limit function where . It is shown that and can be evaluated exactly for all in terms of various hypergeometric functions, where the argument function is always real-valued and rational. The second-order linear Fuchsian differential equation satisfied by is also used to derive series expansions for and which are valid in the neighbourhood of the regular singular points and . Integral representations are established for and , where with . In particular, it is proved that where J 0(z) and Y 0(z) denote Bessel functions of the first and second kind, respectively. The results derived in the paper are utilized to evaluate the associated logarithmic integral where w lies in the cut plane. A new set of orthogonal polynomials which are connected with the honeycomb lattice Green function are also briefly discussed. Finally, a link between and the theory of Pearson random walks in a plane is established.

Length of stay, discharge destination, and functional improvement: utility of the Australian National Subacute and Nonacute Patient Casemix Classification.

Science.gov (United States)

Tooth, Leigh; McKenna, Kryss; Goh, Kong; Varghese, Paul

2005-07-01

Although implemented in 1998, no research has examined how well the Australian National Subacute and Nonacute Patient (AN-SNAP) Casemix Classification predicts length of stay (LOS), discharge destination, and functional improvement in public hospital stroke rehabilitation units in Australia. 406 consecutive admissions to 3 stroke rehabilitation units in Queensland, Australia were studied. Sociodemographic, clinical, and functional data were collected. General linear modeling and logistic regression were used to assess the ability of AN-SNAP to predict outcomes. AN-SNAP significantly predicted each outcome. There were clear relationships between the outcomes of longer LOS, poorer functional improvement and discharge into care, and the AN-SNAP classes that reflected poorer functional ability and older age. Other predictors included living situation, acute LOS, comorbidity, and stroke type. AN-SNAP is a consistent predictor of LOS, functional change and discharge destination, and has utility in assisting clinicians to set rehabilitation goals and plan discharge.

Distributed controller clustering in software defined networks.

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Ahmed Abdelaziz

Full Text Available Software Defined Networking (SDN is an emerging promising paradigm for network management because of its centralized network intelligence. However, the centralized control architecture of the software-defined networks (SDNs brings novel challenges of reliability, scalability, fault tolerance and interoperability. In this paper, we proposed a novel clustered distributed controller architecture in the real setting of SDNs. The distributed cluster implementation comprises of multiple popular SDN controllers. The proposed mechanism is evaluated using a real world network topology running on top of an emulated SDN environment. The result shows that the proposed distributed controller clustering mechanism is able to significantly reduce the average latency from 8.1% to 1.6%, the packet loss from 5.22% to 4.15%, compared to distributed controller without clustering running on HP Virtual Application Network (VAN SDN and Open Network Operating System (ONOS controllers respectively. Moreover, proposed method also shows reasonable CPU utilization results. Furthermore, the proposed mechanism makes possible to handle unexpected load fluctuations while maintaining a continuous network operation, even when there is a controller failure. The paper is a potential contribution stepping towards addressing the issues of reliability, scalability, fault tolerance, and inter-operability.

Distributed controller clustering in software defined networks.

Science.gov (United States)

Abdelaziz, Ahmed; Fong, Ang Tan; Gani, Abdullah; Garba, Usman; Khan, Suleman; Akhunzada, Adnan; Talebian, Hamid; Choo, Kim-Kwang Raymond

2017-01-01

Software Defined Networking (SDN) is an emerging promising paradigm for network management because of its centralized network intelligence. However, the centralized control architecture of the software-defined networks (SDNs) brings novel challenges of reliability, scalability, fault tolerance and interoperability. In this paper, we proposed a novel clustered distributed controller architecture in the real setting of SDNs. The distributed cluster implementation comprises of multiple popular SDN controllers. The proposed mechanism is evaluated using a real world network topology running on top of an emulated SDN environment. The result shows that the proposed distributed controller clustering mechanism is able to significantly reduce the average latency from 8.1% to 1.6%, the packet loss from 5.22% to 4.15%, compared to distributed controller without clustering running on HP Virtual Application Network (VAN) SDN and Open Network Operating System (ONOS) controllers respectively. Moreover, proposed method also shows reasonable CPU utilization results. Furthermore, the proposed mechanism makes possible to handle unexpected load fluctuations while maintaining a continuous network operation, even when there is a controller failure. The paper is a potential contribution stepping towards addressing the issues of reliability, scalability, fault tolerance, and inter-operability.

Multidimensional social support is associated with healthcare utilization among older Mexican adults.

Science.gov (United States)

Salinas-Rodríguez, Aarón; Moreno-Tamayo, Karla; Hernández-Serrato, María; Enríquez-Rosas, María Del Rocío; Manrique-Espinoza, Betty Soledad

2018-03-01

In this study, we aimed to estimate the association between social support and healthcare utilization among older Mexican adults. We conducted a prospective study with 4027 older adults aged 65-74 in rural areas in seven Mexican states. Data were collected at baseline (2007) and 14 months later (2009). Healthcare utilization was defined as number of visits to a physician for preventive or curative purposes in the last 6 months. Multidimensional social support was operationalized into two components: structural (living arrangements, marital status and network size) and functional (perceived availability of support; and perceived support across emotional, instrumental, economic and information domains). Mixed-effects regression models were used to estimate the probability of healthcare use and to examine the association between social support and the number of visits to a physician. Results showed that perceived availability of social support was associated with the probability of visits to a physician (OR 1.44; p  social support were associated with the probability of visits to a physician: instrumental (OR 1.55; p  social support, measured from a multidimensional viewpoint, and healthcare utilization, in which greater social support was related to a greater extent of use of health services.

An absolute scale for measuring the utility of money

Science.gov (United States)

Thomas, P. J.

2010-07-01

Measurement of the utility of money is essential in the insurance industry, for prioritising public spending schemes and for the evaluation of decisions on protection systems in high-hazard industries. Up to this time, however, there has been no universally agreed measure for the utility of money, with many utility functions being in common use. In this paper, we shall derive a single family of utility functions, which have risk-aversion as the only free parameter. The fact that they return a utility of zero at their low, reference datum, either the utility of no money or of one unit of money, irrespective of the value of risk-aversion used, qualifies them to be regarded as absolute scales for the utility of money. Evidence of validation for the concept will be offered based on inferential measurements of risk-aversion, using diverse measurement data.

Parametric utility comparison of coal and nuclear electricity generation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Maurer, K.M.

1977-02-01

The advantages and limitations of an explicit quantitative model for decision making are discussed. Several different quantitative models are presented, noting that the use of an expected utility maximization decision rule allows both the direct incorporation of multidimensional descriptions of the possible outcomes, and considerations of risk averse behavior. A broad class of utility functions, characterized by linear risk tolerance, was considered and extended to a multidimensional form. Choosing a multivariate risk neutral extension, using constant absolute risk aversion utility functions for monetary effects and for increased mortality, the author indicated how the parameters of this utility function can be selected to represent the decision maker's preferences, and suggest a reasonable range of values for the parameters. After describing an illustrative set of data on the risks inherent in coal burning and nuclear electricity generation facilities, the author used the chosen utility model to compare the overall risks associated with each technology, observing the effect of variations in the utility parameters and in the risk distributions on the implied preferences

Nebivolol: impact on cardiac and endothelial function and clinical utility

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Toblli JE

2012-03-01

heart failure compared with standard care. Thus, nebivolol is an effective and well tolerated agent with benefits above those of traditional β-blockers due to its influence on nitric oxide release, which give it singular hemodynamic effects, cardioprotective activity, and a good tolerability profile. This paper reviews the pharmacology structure and properties of nebivolol, focusing on endothelial dysfunction, clinical utility, comparative efficacy, side effects, and quality of life in general with respect to the other antihypertensive agents.Keywords: beta-blockers, nebivolol, oxidative stress, endothelial function, cardiovascular protection, nitric oxide

Network Coded Software Defined Networking

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hansen, Jonas; Roetter, Daniel Enrique Lucani; Krigslund, Jeppe

2015-01-01

Software defined networking has garnered large attention due to its potential to virtualize services in the Internet, introducing flexibility in the buffering, scheduling, processing, and routing of data in network routers. SDN breaks the deadlock that has kept Internet network protocols stagnant...... for decades, while applications and physical links have evolved. This article advocates for the use of SDN to bring about 5G network services by incorporating network coding (NC) functionalities. The latter constitutes a major leap forward compared to the state-of-the- art store and forward Internet paradigm...

Multi-Attribute Vickrey Auctions when Utility Functions are Unknown

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Máhr, T.; De Weerdt, M.M.

2006-01-01

Multi-attribute auctions allow negotiations over multiple attributes besides price. For example in task allocation, service providers can define their service by means of multiple attributes, such as quality of service, deadlines, or delay penalties. Auction mechanisms assume that the players have

Utilization of Peanut Skin Extracts as Functional Food Ingredients

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Peanut skins are a by-product of the blanching industry that have not been utilized to their full potential. They have been found to contain significant quantities of compounds containing phenolic moieties such as catechins, procyanidins, and other polyphenols that have positive associations with h...

Software-Defined Congestion Control Algorithm for IP Networks

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Yao Hu

2017-01-01

Full Text Available The rapid evolution of computer networks, increase in the number of Internet users, and popularity of multimedia applications have exacerbated the congestion control problem. Congestion control is a key factor in ensuring network stability and robustness. When the underlying network and flow information are unknown, the transmission control protocol (TCP must increase or reduce the size of the congestion window to adjust to the changes of traffic in the Internet Protocol (IP network. However, it is possible that a software-defined approach can relieve the network congestion problem more efficiently. This approach has the characteristic of centralized control and can obtain a global topology for unified network management. In this paper, we propose a software-defined congestion control (SDCC algorithm for an IP network. We consider the difference between TCP and the user datagram protocol (UDP and propose a new method to judge node congestion. We initially apply the congestion control mechanism in the congested nodes and then optimize the link utilization to control network congestion.

Economics of Utility Scale Photovoltaics at Purdue University

Science.gov (United States)

Arnett, William

The research for this case study shows that utility scale solar photovoltaics has become a competitive energy investment option, even when a campus operates a power plant at low electricity rates. To evaluate this an economic model called SEEMS (Solar Economic Evaluation Modelling Spreadsheets) was developed to evaluate a number of financial scenarios in Real Time Pricing for universities. The three main financing structures considered are 1) land leasing, 2) university direct purchase, and 3) third party purchase. Unlike other commercially available models SEEMS specifically accounts for real time pricing, where the local utility provides electricity at an hourly rate that changes with the expected demand. In addition, SEEMS also includes a random simulation that allows the model to predict the likelihood of success for a given solar installation strategy. The research showed that there are several options for utility scale solar that are financially attractive. The most practical financing structure is with a third party partnership because of the opportunity to take advantage of tax incentives. Other options could become more attractive if non-financial benefits are considered. The case study for this research, Purdue University, has a unique opportunity to integrate utility-scale solar electricity into its strategic planning. Currently Purdue is updating its master plan which will define how land is developed. Purdue is also developing a sustainability plan that will define long term environmental goals. In addition, the university is developing over 500 acres of land west of campus as part of its Aerospace Innovation District. This research helps make the case for including utility-scale solar electricity as part of the university's strategic planning.

The Investigation of NPP Control and Monitoring Functional Analysis Applied to Functional Displays’ Implementation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yan, J.

2015-01-01

NPP Control and Monitoring System has been recognised as extreme and safe as well as large scale product, thus it was one of the most major design activities that fully, accurately and operationally functional analysis. The results of functional analysis would be employed as initial instruction through the whole lifecycle of NPP Control and Monitoring System. In this paper, it was discovered that several disadvantages of present functional analysis methods included FAST, The Subtract and Operate Procedure and Functional Procedure Method; owing to the identity methods enveloped here was the combination of Functional Tree and System Structure, as well as its decomposition steps; and RCS Inventory Control function which is defined as one of the most significant control functions in Advanced Light Water Reactor Utility Requirement Document has been employed to demonstrate the feasibility of this method; the analysis results of RCS Inventory function has been applied to direct the design and implementation of related displays, here the functional display of RCS Inventory Control function has been implemented on NuCON which is originated by SNPAS. Owing to the analyzing results, it would be ensured that the accuracy of information displayed to operators, thus the operator would be aware the condition of systems and then make the proper move to ensure the safety and productivity of NPP based on the received data. (author)

Cross-study analysis of genomic data defines the ciliate multigenic epiplasmin family: strategies for functional analysis in Paramecium tetraurelia

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Ravet Viviane

2009-06-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The sub-membranous skeleton of the ciliate Paramecium, the epiplasm, is composed of hundreds of epiplasmic scales centered on basal bodies, and presents a complex set of proteins, epiplasmins, which belong to a multigenic family. The repeated duplications observed in the P. tetraurelia genome present an interesting model of the organization and evolution of a multigenic family within a single cell. Results To study this multigenic family, we used phylogenetic, structural, and analytical transcriptional approaches. The phylogenetic method defines 5 groups of epiplasmins in the multigenic family. A refined analysis by Hydrophobic Cluster Analysis (HCA identifies structural characteristics of 51 epiplasmins, defining five separate groups, and three classes. Depending on the sequential arrangement of their structural domains, the epiplasmins are defined as symmetric, asymmetric or atypical. The EST data aid in this classification, in the identification of putative regulating sequences such as TATA or CAAT boxes. When specific RNAi experiments were conducted using sequences from either symmetric or asymmetric classes, phenotypes were drastic. Local effects show either disrupted or ill-shaped epiplasmic scales. In either case, this results in aborted cell division. Using structural features, we show that 4 epiplasmins are also present in another ciliate, Tetrahymena thermophila. Their affiliation with the distinctive structural groups of Paramecium epiplasmins demonstrates an interspecific multigenic family. Conclusion The epiplasmin multigenic family illustrates the history of genomic duplication in Paramecium. This study provides a framework which can guide functional analysis of epiplasmins, the major components of the membrane skeleton in ciliates. We show that this set of proteins handles an important developmental information in Paramecium since maintenance of epiplasm organization is crucial for cell morphogenesis.

Simultaneous Optimization of Decisions Using a Linear Utility Function.

Science.gov (United States)

Vos, Hans J.

1990-01-01

An approach is presented to simultaneously optimize decision rules for combinations of elementary decisions through a framework derived from Bayesian decision theory. The developed linear utility model for selection-mastery decisions was applied to a sample of 43 first year medical students to illustrate the procedure. (SLD)

Utility of the modified ATP III defined metabolic syndrome and severe obesity as predictors of insulin resistance in overweight children and adolescents: a cross-sectional study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Agarwalla Vipin

2007-02-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The rising prevalence of obesity and metabolic syndrome (MetS has received increased attention since both place individuals at risk for Type II diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Insulin resistance (IR has been implicated in the pathogenesis of obesity and MetS in both children and adults and is a known independent cardiovascular risk factor. However measures of IR are not routinely performed in children while MetS or severe obesity when present, are considered as clinical markers for IR. Objective The study was undertaken to assess the utility of ATPIII defined metabolic syndrome (MetS and severe obesity as predictors of insulin resistance (IR in a group of 576 overweight children and adolescents attending a pediatric obesity clinic in Brooklyn. Methods Inclusion criteria were children ages 3–19, and body mass index > 95th percentile for age. MetS was defined using ATP III criteria, modified for age. IR was defined as upper tertile of homeostasis model assessment (HOMA within 3 age groups (3–8, n = 122; 9–11, n = 164; 12–19, n = 290. Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive values and odds ratios (OR with 95% confidence intervals (CI were calculated within age groups for predicting IR using MetS and severe obesity respectively. Results MetS was present in 45%, 48% and 42% of the respective age groups and significantly predicted IR only in the oldest group (OR = 2.0, 95% CI 1.2, 3.4; p = .006. Sensitivities were Conclusion The expression of IR in overweight children and adolescents is heterogeneous and MetS or severe obesity may not be sufficiently sensitive and specific indicators of insulin resistance. In addition to screening for MetS in overweight children markers for IR should be routinely performed. Further research is needed to establish threshold values of insulin measures in overweight children who may be at greater associated risk of adverse outcomes whether or not MetS is present.

Understanding utility regulation : a participants' guide to the British Columbia Utilities Commission

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1996-10-01

Information regarding British Columbia's regulated energy industries is presented with particular emphasis on the regulatory functions of the British Columbia Utilities Commission (BCUC). The objective of providing the information is to make the regulatory process as transparent as possible and to make it easy for ratepayers to effectively and economically participate in the regulation of energy utilities. The issue of why electricity and natural gas utilities are regulated is addressed, but the greater part of the report is devoted to describing opportunities for public participation at the BCUC, explaining how to get involved in the Commission's proceedings and the nature of the hearings used by the Commission. An introduction to rate making is also presented, along with an overview of other institutions involved in energy regulation. Appendices contain the text of the Utilities Commission Act (App. A), the Negotiated Settlement Process Policy, Procedures and Guidelines (App. B), Participant Funding and Cost Awards (App. C), and the Integrated Resource Planning Guide (App. D). tabs., figs., 4 appendices

Deficient motion-defined and texture-defined figure-ground segregation in amblyopic children.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Jane; Ho, Cindy S; Giaschi, Deborah E

2007-01-01

Motion-defined form deficits in the fellow eye and the amblyopic eye of children with amblyopia implicate possible direction-selective motion processing or static figure-ground segregation deficits. Deficient motion-defined form perception in the fellow eye of amblyopic children may not be fully accounted for by a general motion processing deficit. This study investigates the contribution of figure-ground segregation deficits to the motion-defined form perception deficits in amblyopia. Performances of 6 amblyopic children (5 anisometropic, 1 anisostrabismic) and 32 control children with normal vision were assessed on motion-defined form, texture-defined form, and global motion tasks. Performance on motion-defined and texture-defined form tasks was significantly worse in amblyopic children than in control children. Performance on global motion tasks was not significantly different between the 2 groups. Faulty figure-ground segregation mechanisms are likely responsible for the observed motion-defined form perception deficits in amblyopia.

A hybrid choice model with nonlinear utility functions and bounded distributions for latent variables : application to purchase intention decisions of electric cars

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kim, J.; Rasouli, S.; Timmermans, H.J.P.

2014-01-01

The hybrid choice model (HCM) provides a powerful framework to account for heterogeneity across decision-makers in terms of different underlying latent attitudes. Typically, effects of the latent attitudes have been represented assuming linear utility functions. In contributing to the further

Associations of recent weight loss with health care costs and utilization among older women.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

John T Schousboe

Full Text Available The association of weight loss with health care costs among older women is uncertain. Our study aim was to examine the association of objectively measured weight change with subsequent total health care (THC costs and other health care utilization among older women. Our study population included 2,083 women (mean age 80.2 years enrolled in the Study of Osteoporotic Fractures and U.S. Medicare Fee for Service. Weight loss and gain were defined, respectively, as ≥5% decrease and ≥5% increase in body weight, and weight maintenance as <5% change in body weight over a period of 4.5 years. THC costs, outpatient costs, hospitalizations, and skilled nursing facility [SNF] utilization were estimated from Medicare claims for 1 year after the period during which weight change was measured. The associations of weight change with THC and outpatient costs were estimated using generalized linear models with gamma variance and log link functions, and with hospitalizations and SNF utilization using logistic models. Adjusted for age and current body mass index (BMI, weight loss compared with weight maintenance was associated with a 35% increase in THC costs ($2148 [95% CI, 745 to 3552], 2014 U.S. dollars, a 15% increase in outpatient costs ($329 [95% C.I. -1 to 660], and odds ratios of 1.42 (95% CI, 1.14 to 1.76 for ≥1 hospital stay and 1.45 (95% CI, 1.03 to 2.03 for ≥1 SNF stay. These associations did not vary by BMI category. After additional adjustment for multi-morbidity and functional status, associations of weight loss with all four outcomes were no longer significant. In conclusion, ≥5% weight loss among older women is not associated with increased THC and outpatient costs, hospitalization, and SNF utilization, irrespective of BMI category after accounting for multi-morbidity and impaired functional status that accompany weight loss.

Delay Bounded Multi-Source Multicast in Software-Defined Networking

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Thabo Semong

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Software-Defined Networking (SDN is the next generation network architecture with exciting application prospects. The control function in SDN is decoupled from the data forwarding plane, hence it provides a new centralized architecture with flexible network resource management. Although SDN is attracting much attention from both industry and research, its advantage over the traditional networks has not been fully utilized. Multicast is designed to deliver content to multiple destinations. The current traffic engineering in SDN focuses mainly on unicast, however, multicast can effectively reduce network resource consumption by serving multiple clients. This paper studies a novel delay-bounded multi-source multicast SDN problem, in which among the set of potential sources, we select a source to build the multicast-tree, under the constraint that the transmission delay for every destination is bounded. This problem is more difficult than the traditional Steiner minimum tree (SMT problem, since it needs to find a source from the set of all potential sources. We model the problem as a mixed-integer linear programming (MILP and prove its NP-Hardness. To solve the problem, a delay bounded multi-source (DBMS scheme is proposed, which includes a DBMS algorithm to build a minimum delay cost DBMS-Forest. Through a MATLAB experiment, we demonstrate that DBMS is significantly more efficient and outperforms other existing algorithms in the literature.

Generic functional requirements for a NASA general-purpose data base management system

Science.gov (United States)

Lohman, G. M.

1981-01-01

Generic functional requirements for a general-purpose, multi-mission data base management system (DBMS) for application to remotely sensed scientific data bases are detailed. The motivation for utilizing DBMS technology in this environment is explained. The major requirements include: (1) a DBMS for scientific observational data; (2) a multi-mission capability; (3) user-friendly; (4) extensive and integrated information about data; (5) robust languages for defining data structures and formats; (6) scientific data types and structures; (7) flexible physical access mechanisms; (8) ways of representing spatial relationships; (9) a high level nonprocedural interactive query and data manipulation language; (10) data base maintenance utilities; (11) high rate input/output and large data volume storage; and adaptability to a distributed data base and/or data base machine configuration. Detailed functions are specified in a top-down hierarchic fashion. Implementation, performance, and support requirements are also given.

Network Coded Software Defined Networking

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Krigslund, Jeppe; Hansen, Jonas; Roetter, Daniel Enrique Lucani

2015-01-01

Software Defined Networking (SDN) and Network Coding (NC) are two key concepts in networking that have garnered a large attention in recent years. On the one hand, SDN's potential to virtualize services in the Internet allows a large flexibility not only for routing data, but also to manage....... This paper advocates for the use of SDN to bring about future Internet and 5G network services by incorporating network coding (NC) functionalities. The inherent flexibility of both SDN and NC provides a fertile ground to envision more efficient, robust, and secure networking designs, that may also...

Dimensional feature weighting utilizing multiple kernel learning for single-channel talker location discrimination using the acoustic transfer function.

Science.gov (United States)

Takashima, Ryoichi; Takiguchi, Tetsuya; Ariki, Yasuo

2013-02-01

This paper presents a method for discriminating the location of the sound source (talker) using only a single microphone. In a previous work, the single-channel approach for discriminating the location of the sound source was discussed, where the acoustic transfer function from a user's position is estimated by using a hidden Markov model of clean speech in the cepstral domain. In this paper, each cepstral dimension of the acoustic transfer function is newly weighted, in order to obtain the cepstral dimensions having information that is useful for classifying the user's position. Then, this paper proposes a feature-weighting method for the cepstral parameter using multiple kernel learning, defining the base kernels for each cepstral dimension of the acoustic transfer function. The user's position is trained and classified by support vector machine. The effectiveness of this method has been confirmed by sound source (talker) localization experiments performed in different room environments.

The homogeneous marginal utility of income assumption

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Demuynck, T.

2015-01-01

We develop a test to verify if every agent from a population of heterogeneous consumers has the same marginal utility of income function. This homogeneous marginal utility of income assumption is often (implicitly) used in applied demand studies because it has nice aggregation properties and

"Dermatitis" defined.

Science.gov (United States)

Smith, Suzanne M; Nedorost, Susan T

2010-01-01

The term "dermatitis" can be defined narrowly or broadly, clinically or histologically. A common and costly condition, dermatitis is underresourced compared to other chronic skin conditions. The lack of a collectively understood definition of dermatitis and its subcategories could be the primary barrier. To investigate how dermatologists define the term "dermatitis" and determine if a consensus on the definition of this term and other related terms exists. A seven-question survey of dermatologists nationwide was conducted. Of respondents (n  =  122), half consider dermatitis to be any inflammation of the skin. Nearly half (47.5%) use the term interchangeably with "eczema." Virtually all (> 96%) endorse the subcategory "atopic" under the terms "dermatitis" and "eczema," but the subcategories "contact," "drug hypersensitivity," and "occupational" are more highly endorsed under the term "dermatitis" than under the term "eczema." Over half (55.7%) personally consider "dermatitis" to have a broad meaning, and even more (62.3%) believe that dermatologists as a whole define the term broadly. There is a lack of consensus among experts in defining dermatitis, eczema, and their related subcategories.

Resource utilization in surgery after the revision of surgical fee schedule in Japan.

Science.gov (United States)

Nakata, Yoshinori; Yoshimura, Tatsuya; Watanabe, Yuichi; Otake, Hiroshi; Oiso, Giichiro; Sawa, Tomohiro

2015-01-01

The purpose of this paper is to examine whether the current surgical reimbursement system in Japan reflects resource utilization after the revision of fee schedule in 2014. The authors collected data from all the surgical procedures performed at Teikyo University Hospital from April 1 through September 30, 2014. The authors defined the decision-making unit as a surgeon with the highest academic rank in the surgery. Inputs were defined as the number of medical doctors who assisted surgery, and the time of operation from skin incision to closure. An output was defined as the surgical fee. The authors calculated surgeons' efficiency scores using data envelopment analysis. The efficiency scores of each surgical specialty were significantly different (p=0.000). This result demonstrates that the Japanese surgical reimbursement scales still fail to reflect resource utilization despite the revision of surgical fee schedule.

Light duty utility arm software requirements specification

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kiebel, G.R.

1995-01-01

This document defines the software requirements for the integrated control and data acquisition system of the Light Duty Utility Arm (LDUA) System. It is intended to be used to guide the design of the application software, to be a basis for assessing the application software design, and to establish what is to be tested in the finished application software product

Joint Content Placement and Traffic Management for Cloud Mobile Video Distribution over Software-Defined Networks

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

Zhenghuan Zhang; Xiaofeng Jiang; Hongsheng Xi

2016-01-01

To cope with the rapid growth of mobile video,video providers have leveraged cloud technologies to deploy their mobile video service system for more cost-effective and scalable performance.The emergence of Software-Defined Networking (SDN) provides a promising solution to manage the underlying network.In this paper,we introduce an SDN-enabled cloud mobile video distribution architecture and propose a joint video placement,request dispatching and traffic management mechanism to improve user experience and reduce the system operational cost.We use a utility function to capture the two aspects of user experience:the level of satisfaction and average latency,and formulate the joint optimization problem as a mixed integer programming problem.We develop an optimal algorithm based on dual decomposition and prove its optimality.We conduct simulations to evaluate the performance of our algorithm and the results show that our strategy can effectively cut down the total cost and guarantee user experience.

An Investigation of Data Privacy and Utility Using Machine Learning as a Gauge

Science.gov (United States)

Mivule, Kato

2014-01-01

The purpose of this investigation is to study and pursue a user-defined approach in preserving data privacy while maintaining an acceptable level of data utility using machine learning classification techniques as a gauge in the generation of synthetic data sets. This dissertation will deal with data privacy, data utility, machine learning…

Defining the Physiological Factors that Contribute to Postflight Changes in Functional Performance

Science.gov (United States)

Bloomberg, J. J.; Arzeno, N.; Buxton, R.; Feiveson, A. H.; Kofman, I.; Lawrence, E.; Lee, S. M. C.; Mulavara, A. P.; Peters, B. T.; Platts, S. H.;

Pipeline, utilities to spend $127 million on scada systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1993-01-01

Spending for new or upgraded supervisory control and data acquisition (scada) systems and for additional remote-terminal units (RTUs) by North American pipelines and utilities will exceed $165 million through February 1996. New and updated scada systems will total 122 at a cost of more than $127 million; 143 RTU add-on projects will cost more than $38 million. Pipelines and combined utilities/pipelines will spend $89.5 million for 58 scada-system projects and $30.2 million for RTU add-on projects. Scada systems are computerized hardware and software systems that perform monitoring and control functions. In gas utilities, these systems perform functions normally associated with gas transmission and distribution as well as production-plant process control. In gas and oil pipelines, the systems perform these functions as well as such specialized functions as batch tracking, leak detection, and gas load flow

Recombinant vitronectin is a functionally defined substrate that supports human embryonic stem cell self-renewal via alphavbeta5 integrin.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Braam, S.R.; Zeinstra, L.M.; Litjens, S.H.M.; Ward-van Oostwaard, D.; van den Brink, S.; van Laake, L.W.; Lebrin, F.; Kats, P.; Hochstenbach, R.; Passier, R.; Sonnenberg, A.; Mummery, C.L.

2008-01-01

Defined growth conditions are essential for many applications of human embryonic stem cells (hESC). Most defined media are presently used in combination with Matrigel, a partially defined extracellular matrix (ECM) extract from mouse sarcoma. Here, we defined ECM requirements of hESC by analyzing

The Acyl-CoA synthetases encoded within FAA1 and FAA4 in Saccharomyces cerevisiae function as components of the fatty acid transport system linking import, activation, and intracellular Utilization

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Færgeman, Nils J.; Black, P N; Zhao, X D

2001-01-01

CoA levels were defined following incubation of wild type and mutant cells with limiting concentrations of exogenous oleate. These studies demonstrated oleoyl CoA levels were reduced to less than 10% wild-type levels in faa1 Delta and faa1 Delta faa4 Delta strains. Defects in metabolic utilization...

Utilities for high performance dispersion model PHYSIC

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yamazawa, Hiromi

1992-09-01

The description and usage of the utilities for the dispersion calculation model PHYSIC were summarized. The model was developed in the study of developing high performance SPEEDI with the purpose of introducing meteorological forecast function into the environmental emergency response system. The procedure of PHYSIC calculation consists of three steps; preparation of relevant files, creation and submission of JCL, and graphic output of results. A user can carry out the above procedure with the help of the Geographical Data Processing Utility, the Model Control Utility, and the Graphic Output Utility. (author)

20 CFR 220.102 - Non-severe impairment(s), defined.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... 20 Employees' Benefits 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Non-severe impairment(s), defined. 220.102 Section 220.102 Employees' Benefits RAILROAD RETIREMENT BOARD REGULATIONS UNDER THE RAILROAD RETIREMENT... these include— (1) Physical functions such as walking, standing, sitting, lifting, pushing, pulling...

Utility requirements for advanced LWR passive plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yedidia, J.M.; Sugnet, W.R.

1992-01-01

LWR Passive Plants are becoming an increasingly attractive and prominent option for future electric generating capacity for U.S. utilities. Conceptual designs for ALWR Passive Plants are currently being developed by U.S. suppliers. EPRI-sponsored work beginning in 1985 developed preliminary conceptual designs for a passive BWR and PWR. DOE-sponsored work from 1986 to the present in conjunction with further EPRI-sponsored studies has continued this development to the point of mature conceptual designs. The success to date in developing the ALWR Passive Plant concepts has substantially increased utility interest. The EPRI ALWR Program has responded by augmenting its initial scope to develop a Utility Requirements Document for ALWR Passive Plants. These requirements will be largely based on the ALWR Utility Requirements Document for Evolutionary Plants, but with significant changes in areas related to the passive safety functions and system configurations. This work was begun in late 1988, and the thirteen-chapter Passive Plant Utility Requirements Document will be completed in 1990. This paper discusses the progress to date in developing the Passive Plant requirements, reviews the top-level requirements, and discusses key issues related to adaptation of the utility requirements to passive safety functions and system configurations. (orig.)

Software Defined Networking Demands on Software Technologies

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Galinac Grbac, T.; Caba, Cosmin Marius; Soler, José

2015-01-01

Software Defined Networking (SDN) is a networking approach based on a centralized control plane architecture with standardised interfaces between control and data planes. SDN enables fast configuration and reconfiguration of the network to enhance resource utilization and service performances....... This new approach enables a more dynamic and flexible network, which may adapt to user needs and application requirements. To this end, systemized solutions must be implemented in network software, aiming to provide secure network services that meet the required service performance levels. In this paper......, we review this new approach to networking from an architectural point of view, and identify and discuss some critical quality issues that require new developments in software technologies. These issues we discuss along with use case scenarios. Here in this paper we aim to identify challenges...

Enhancing Interest and Performance with a Utility Value Intervention

Science.gov (United States)

Hulleman, Chris S.; Godes, Olga; Hendricks, Bryan L.; Harackiewicz, Judith M.

2010-01-01

We tested whether a utility value intervention (via manipulated relevance) influenced interest and performance on a task and whether this intervention had different effects depending on an individual's performance expectations or prior performance. Interest was defined as triggered situational interest (i.e., affective and emotional task…

Mean-variance portfolio optimization by using time series approaches based on logarithmic utility function

Science.gov (United States)

Soeryana, E.; Fadhlina, N.; Sukono; Rusyaman, E.; Supian, S.

2017-01-01

Investments in stocks investors are also faced with the issue of risk, due to daily price of stock also fluctuate. For minimize the level of risk, investors usually forming an investment portfolio. Establishment of a portfolio consisting of several stocks are intended to get the optimal composition of the investment portfolio. This paper discussed about optimizing investment portfolio of Mean-Variance to stocks by using mean and volatility is not constant based on logarithmic utility function. Non constant mean analysed using models Autoregressive Moving Average (ARMA), while non constant volatility models are analysed using the Generalized Autoregressive Conditional heteroscedastic (GARCH). Optimization process is performed by using the Lagrangian multiplier technique. As a numerical illustration, the method is used to analyse some Islamic stocks in Indonesia. The expected result is to get the proportion of investment in each Islamic stock analysed.

A hybrid choice model with a nonlinear utility function and bounded distribution for latent variables : application to purchase intention decisions of electric cars

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kim, J.; Rasouli, S.; Timmermans, H.J.P.

2016-01-01

The hybrid choice model (HCM) provides a powerful framework to account for heterogeneity across decision-makers in terms of different underlying latent attitudes. Typically, effects of the latent attitudes have been represented assuming linear utility functions. In contributing to the further

A Proposal for User-defined Reductions in OpenMP

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Duran, A; Ferrer, R; Klemm, M; de Supinski, B R; Ayguade, E

2010-03-22

Reductions are commonly used in parallel programs to produce a global result from partial results computed in parallel. Currently, OpenMP only supports reductions for primitive data types and a limited set of base language operators. This is a significant limitation for those applications that employ user-defined data types (e. g., objects). Implementing manual reduction algorithms makes software development more complex and error-prone. Additionally, an OpenMP runtime system cannot optimize a manual reduction algorithm in ways typically applied to reductions on primitive types. In this paper, we propose new mechanisms to allow the use of most pre-existing binary functions on user-defined data types as User-Defined Reduction (UDR) operators. Our measurements show that our UDR prototype implementation provides consistently good performance across a range of thread counts without increasing general runtime overheads.

The impact of age-related macular degeneration on health status utility values.

Science.gov (United States)

Espallargues, Mireia; Czoski-Murray, Carolyn J; Bansback, Nicholas J; Carlton, Jill; Lewis, Grace M; Hughes, Lindsey A; Brand, Christopher S; Brazier, John E

2005-11-01

To estimate health status utility values in patients with age-related macular degeneration (ARMD) associated with visual impairments, by using preference-based measures of health. This was a cross-sectional study involving patients with unilateral or bilateral ARMD who attended a large teaching hospital. Patients underwent visual tests (near and distant visual acuity [VA] and contrast sensitivity [CS]) and completed health status questionnaires including the Index of Visual Function (VF)-14 and three preference-based measures (the Health Utilities Index Mark III [HUI-3], the EuroQoL Health Questionnaire [EQ-5D], and the Short Form 6D Health Status Questionnaire [SF-6D]) and the time tradeoff (TTO). The mean health status is presented for five groups, defined according to the VA in the better-seeing eye and for four CS groups. Two hundred nine patients were recruited with substantial loss of visual function as obtained by visual tests (mean decimal VA in the better-seeing eye: 0.2) and self-report (mean VF-14 score: 41.5). The mean (+/-SD) utilities were 0.34 +/- 0.28 for HUI-3, 0.66 +/- 0.14 for SF-6D, 0.72 +/- 0.22 for EQ-5D, and 0.64 +/- 0.31 for TTO. The HUI-3 had the highest correlation with VA and CS (0.40 and -0.34), followed by TTO (0.25 and -0.21). Across the VA and CS groups, only HUI3 and TTO had a significant linear trend (P preference-based measures used. The HUI-3 seems to be the instrument of choice for use in economic evaluations in which community data are needed. It may be more appropriate to base economic models on CS or some combination of CS and VA rather than on VA alone.

RYBP and Cbx7 Define Specific Biological Functions of Polycomb Complexes in Mouse Embryonic Stem Cells

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lluis Morey

2013-01-01

Full Text Available The Polycomb repressive complex 1 (PRC1 is required for decisions of stem cell fate. In mouse embryonic stem cells (ESCs, two major variations of PRC1 complex, defined by the mutually exclusive presence of Cbx7 or RYBP, have been identified. Here, we show that although the genomic localization of the Cbx7- and RYBP-containing PRC1 complexes overlaps in certain genes, it can also be mutually exclusive. At the molecular level, Cbx7 is necessary for recruitment of Ring1B to chromatin, whereas RYBP enhances the PRC1 enzymatic activity. Genes occupied by RYBP show lower levels of Ring1B and H2AK119ub and are consequently more highly transcribed than those bound by Cbx7. At the functional level, we show that genes occupied by RYBP are primarily involved in the regulation of metabolism and cell-cycle progression, whereas those bound by Cbx7 predominantly control early-lineage commitment of ESCs. Altogether, our results indicate that different PRC1 subtypes establish a complex pattern of gene regulation that regulates common and nonoverlapping aspects of ESC pluripotency and differentiation.

A Single-Stage Approach to Anscombe and Aumann's Expected Utility

NARCIS (Netherlands)

R.K. Sarin (Rakesh); P.P. Wakker (Peter)

1997-01-01

textabstractAnscombe and Aumann showed that if one accepts the existence of a physical randomizing device such as a roulette wheel then Savage's derivation of subjective expected utility can be considerably simplified. They, however, invoked compound gambles to define their axioms. We demonstrate

Pipelines, utilities plan over 150 scada systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1992-01-01

This paper reports that North American pipelines and utilities will spend more than $170 million on new or upgraded supervisory control and data acquisition (scada) systems during the 30-month period that commenced Sept. 1. Another $12.5 million will be spent on peripherals and consulting. Among the 699 various projects to be implemented during the period, companies will install 151 scada systems, add 154 remote-terminal units (RTUs) to existing scada units, and install 196 communications systems. Scada systems are computerized hardware and software systems that perform a set of monitoring and control functions. In gas utilities, these systems perform functions normally associated with gas transmission and distribution as well as production plant process control. In gas and oil pipelines, the systems perform these functions as well as such specialized functions as batch tracking, leak detection, and gas load flow

Software-defined reconfigurable microwave photonics processor.

Science.gov (United States)

Pérez, Daniel; Gasulla, Ivana; Capmany, José

2015-06-01

We propose, for the first time to our knowledge, a software-defined reconfigurable microwave photonics signal processor architecture that can be integrated on a chip and is capable of performing all the main functionalities by suitable programming of its control signals. The basic configuration is presented and a thorough end-to-end design model derived that accounts for the performance of the overall processor taking into consideration the impact and interdependencies of both its photonic and RF parts. We demonstrate the model versatility by applying it to several relevant application examples.

CRISPR/Cas9-Mediated Mutagenesis of Human Pluripotent Stem Cells in Defined Xeno-Free E8 Medium.

Science.gov (United States)

Soh, Chew-Li; Huangfu, Danwei

2017-01-01

The recent advent of engineered nucleases including the CRISPR/Cas9 system has greatly facilitated genome manipulation in human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs). In addition to facilitating hPSC-based disease studies, the application of genome engineering in hPSCs has also opened up new avenues for cell replacement therapy. To improve consistency and reproducibility of hPSC-based studies, and to meet the safety and regulatory requirements for clinical translation, it is necessary to use a defined, xeno-free cell culture system. This chapter describes protocols for CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing in an inducible Cas9 hPSC-based system, using cells cultured in chemically defined, xeno-free E8 Medium on a recombinant human vitronectin substrate. We detail procedures for the design and transfection of CRISPR guide RNAs, colony selection, and the expansion and validation of clonal mutant lines, all within this fully defined culture condition. These methods may be applied to a wide range of genome-engineering applications in hPSCs, including those that utilize different types of site-specific nucleases such as zinc finger nucleases (ZFNs) and TALENs, and form a closer step towards clinical utility of these cells.

Functional Object Analysis

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Raket, Lars Lau

We propose a direction it the field of statistics which we will call functional object analysis. This subfields considers the analysis of functional objects defined on continuous domains. In this setting we will focus on model-based statistics, with a particularly emphasis on mixed......-effect formulations, where the observed functional signal is assumed to consist of both fixed and random functional effects. This thesis takes the initial steps toward the development of likelihood-based methodology for functional objects. We first consider analysis of functional data defined on high...

Design, engineering and utility of biotic games.

Science.gov (United States)

Riedel-Kruse, Ingmar H; Chung, Alice M; Dura, Burak; Hamilton, Andrea L; Lee, Byung C

2011-01-07

Games are a significant and defining part of human culture, and their utility beyond pure entertainment has been demonstrated with so-called 'serious games'. Biotechnology--despite its recent advancements--has had no impact on gaming yet. Here we propose the concept of 'biotic games', i.e., games that operate on biological processes. Utilizing a variety of biological processes we designed and tested a collection of games: 'Enlightenment', 'Ciliaball', 'PAC-mecium', 'Microbash', 'Biotic Pinball', 'POND PONG', 'PolymerRace', and 'The Prisoner's Smellemma'. We found that biotic games exhibit unique features compared to existing game modalities, such as utilizing biological noise, providing a real-life experience rather than virtual reality, and integrating the chemical senses into play. Analogous to video games, biotic games could have significant conceptual and cost-reducing effects on biotechnology and eventually healthcare; enable volunteers to participate in crowd-sourcing to support medical research; and educate society at large to support personal medical decisions and the public discourse on bio-related issues.

Supplier Selection Using Weighted Utility Additive Method

Science.gov (United States)

Karande, Prasad; Chakraborty, Shankar

2015-10-01

Supplier selection is a multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) problem which mainly involves evaluating a number of available suppliers according to a set of common criteria for choosing the best one to meet the organizational needs. For any manufacturing or service organization, selecting the right upstream suppliers is a key success factor that will significantly reduce purchasing cost, increase downstream customer satisfaction and improve competitive ability. The past researchers have attempted to solve the supplier selection problem employing different MCDM techniques which involve active participation of the decision makers in the decision-making process. This paper deals with the application of weighted utility additive (WUTA) method for solving supplier selection problems. The WUTA method, an extension of utility additive approach, is based on ordinal regression and consists of building a piece-wise linear additive decision model from a preference structure using linear programming (LP). It adopts preference disaggregation principle and addresses the decision-making activities through operational models which need implicit preferences in the form of a preorder of reference alternatives or a subset of these alternatives present in the process. The preferential preorder provided by the decision maker is used as a restriction of a LP problem, which has its own objective function, minimization of the sum of the errors associated with the ranking of each alternative. Based on a given reference ranking of alternatives, one or more additive utility functions are derived. Using these utility functions, the weighted utilities for individual criterion values are combined into an overall weighted utility for a given alternative. It is observed that WUTA method, having a sound mathematical background, can provide accurate ranking to the candidate suppliers and choose the best one to fulfill the organizational requirements. Two real time examples are illustrated to prove

A single-stage approach to Ancombe and Aumann's expected utility

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Wakker, P.P.; Sarin, R.K.

1997-01-01

Anscombe and Aumann showed that if one accepts the existence of a physical randomizing device such as a roulette wheel then Savage's derivation of subjective expected utility can be considerably simplified. They, however, invoked compound gambles to define their axioms. We demonstrate that the

Utility-free heuristic models of two-option choice can mimic predictions of utility-stage models under many conditions

Science.gov (United States)

Piantadosi, Steven T.; Hayden, Benjamin Y.

2015-01-01

Economists often model choices as if decision-makers assign each option a scalar value variable, known as utility, and then select the option with the highest utility. It remains unclear whether as-if utility models describe real mental and neural steps in choice. Although choices alone cannot prove the existence of a utility stage, utility transformations are often taken to provide the most parsimonious or psychologically plausible explanation for choice data. Here, we show that it is possible to mathematically transform a large set of common utility-stage two-option choice models (specifically ones in which dimensions are can be decomposed into additive functions) into a heuristic model (specifically, a dimensional prioritization heuristic) that has no utility computation stage. We then show that under a range of plausible assumptions, both classes of model predict similar neural responses. These results highlight the difficulties in using neuroeconomic data to infer the existence of a value stage in choice. PMID:25914613

Using Software-Defined Networking for Ransomware Mitigation: the Case of CryptoWall

OpenAIRE

Cabaj, Krzysztof; Mazurczyk, Wojciech

2016-01-01

Currently, different forms of ransomware are increasingly threatening Internet users. Modern ransomware encrypts important user data and it is only possible to recover it once a ransom has been paid. In this paper we show how Software-Defined Networking (SDN) can be utilized to improve ransomware mitigation. In more detail, we analyze the behavior of popular ransomware - CryptoWall - and, based on this knowledge, we propose two real-time mitigation methods. Then we designed the SDN-based syst...

On Hybrid Energy Utilization in Wireless Sensor Networks

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mohammad Tala’t

2017-11-01

Full Text Available In a wireless sensor network (WSN, many applications have limited energy resources for data transmission. In order to accomplish a better green communication for WSN, a hybrid energy scheme can supply a more reliable energy source. In this article, hybrid energy utilization—which consists of constant energy source and solar harvested energy—is considered for WSN. To minimize constant energy usage from the hybrid source, a Markov decision process (MDP is designed to find the optimal transmission policy. With a finite packet buffer and a finite battery size, an MDP model is presented to define the states, actions, state transition probabilities, and the cost function including the cost values for all actions. A weighted sum of constant energy source consumption and a packet dropping probability (PDP are adopted as the cost value, enabling us to find the optimal solution for balancing the minimization of the constant energy source utilization and the PDP using a value iteration algorithm. As shown in the simulation results, the performance of optimal solution using MDP achieves a significant improvement compared to solution without its use.

On Undefined and Meaningless in Lambda Definability

OpenAIRE

de Vries, Fer-Jan

2016-01-01

We distinguish between undefined terms as used in lambda definability of partial recursive functions and meaningless terms as used in infinite lambda calculus for the infinitary terms models that generalise the Bohm model. While there are uncountable many known sets of meaningless terms, there are four known sets of undefined terms. Two of these four are sets of meaningless terms. In this paper we first present set of sufficient conditions for a set of lambda terms to se...

Dealing with the paradox of energy efficiency promotion by electric utilities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sousa, José Luís; Martins, António Gomes; Jorge, Humberto

2013-01-01

Utility-based Demand-Side Management (DSM) programmes started after the oil crises of the 70's and were adopted by utilities as a standard practice. However, deregulation of the electricity industry threatened DSM. More recent concerns regarding energy dependence and environmental impact of energy use caused renewed attention on the utilities role in energy efficiency fostering. EE is presently a cross-cutting issue, influencing energy policy definition and regulatory activity worldwide. Some instruments for influencing the behaviour of electric utilities in the market are used by regulators, corresponding to both impositions and stimuli, such as defining savings targets or decoupling profits from energy sales. The paper addresses categories of regulatory instruments and refers to examples of countries and regions using these identified categories of instruments. Although some cases show voluntary involvement of utilities in EE promotion on the grounds of customer retention strategies, there is a clear prevalence of regulatory constrained markets where utilities rationally engage in energy efficiency promotion

Active pore space utilization in nanoporous carbon-based supercapacitors: Effects of conductivity and pore accessibility

Science.gov (United States)

Seredych, Mykola; Koscinski, Mikolaj; Sliwinska-Bartkowiak, Malgorzata; Bandosz, Teresa J.

2012-12-01

Composites of commercial graphene and nanoporous sodium-salt-polymer-derived carbons were prepared with 5 or 20 weight% graphene. The materials were characterized using the adsorption of nitrogen, SEM/EDX, thermal analysis, Raman spectroscopy and potentiometric titration. The samples' conductivity was also measured. The performance of the carbon composites in energy storage was linked to their porosity and electronic conductivity. The small pores (<0.7) were found as very active for double layer capacitance. It was demonstrated that when double layer capacitance is a predominant mechanism of charge storage, the degree of the pore space utilization for that storage can be increased by increasing the conductivity of the carbons. That active pore space utilization is defined as gravimetric capacitance per unit pore volume in pores smaller than 0.7 nm. Its magnitude is affected by conductivity of the carbon materials. The functional groups, besides pseudocapacitive contribution, increased the wettability and thus the degree of the pore space utilization. Graphene phase, owing to its conductivity, also took part in an insitu increase of the small pore accessibility and thus the capacitance of the composites via enhancing an electron transfer to small pores and thus imposing the reduction of groups blocking the pores for electrolyte ions.

Exact density functional and wave function embedding schemes based on orbital localization

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hégely, Bence; Nagy, Péter R.; Kállay, Mihály; Ferenczy, György G.

2016-01-01

Exact schemes for the embedding of density functional theory (DFT) and wave function theory (WFT) methods into lower-level DFT or WFT approaches are introduced utilizing orbital localization. First, a simple modification of the projector-based embedding scheme of Manby and co-workers [J. Chem. Phys. 140, 18A507 (2014)] is proposed. We also use localized orbitals to partition the system, but instead of augmenting the Fock operator with a somewhat arbitrary level-shift projector we solve the Huzinaga-equation, which strictly enforces the Pauli exclusion principle. Second, the embedding of WFT methods in local correlation approaches is studied. Since the latter methods split up the system into local domains, very simple embedding theories can be defined if the domains of the active subsystem and the environment are treated at a different level. The considered embedding schemes are benchmarked for reaction energies and compared to quantum mechanics (QM)/molecular mechanics (MM) and vacuum embedding. We conclude that for DFT-in-DFT embedding, the Huzinaga-equation-based scheme is more efficient than the other approaches, but QM/MM or even simple vacuum embedding is still competitive in particular cases. Concerning the embedding of wave function methods, the clear winner is the embedding of WFT into low-level local correlation approaches, and WFT-in-DFT embedding can only be more advantageous if a non-hybrid density functional is employed.

Exact density functional and wave function embedding schemes based on orbital localization

Science.gov (United States)

Hégely, Bence; Nagy, Péter R.; Ferenczy, György G.; Kállay, Mihály

2016-08-01

Exact schemes for the embedding of density functional theory (DFT) and wave function theory (WFT) methods into lower-level DFT or WFT approaches are introduced utilizing orbital localization. First, a simple modification of the projector-based embedding scheme of Manby and co-workers [J. Chem. Phys. 140, 18A507 (2014)] is proposed. We also use localized orbitals to partition the system, but instead of augmenting the Fock operator with a somewhat arbitrary level-shift projector we solve the Huzinaga-equation, which strictly enforces the Pauli exclusion principle. Second, the embedding of WFT methods in local correlation approaches is studied. Since the latter methods split up the system into local domains, very simple embedding theories can be defined if the domains of the active subsystem and the environment are treated at a different level. The considered embedding schemes are benchmarked for reaction energies and compared to quantum mechanics (QM)/molecular mechanics (MM) and vacuum embedding. We conclude that for DFT-in-DFT embedding, the Huzinaga-equation-based scheme is more efficient than the other approaches, but QM/MM or even simple vacuum embedding is still competitive in particular cases. Concerning the embedding of wave function methods, the clear winner is the embedding of WFT into low-level local correlation approaches, and WFT-in-DFT embedding can only be more advantageous if a non-hybrid density functional is employed.

Exact density functional and wave function embedding schemes based on orbital localization

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hégely, Bence; Nagy, Péter R.; Kállay, Mihály, E-mail: kallay@mail.bme.hu [MTA-BME Lendület Quantum Chemistry Research Group, Department of Physical Chemistry and Materials Science, Budapest University of Technology and Economics, P.O. Box 91, H-1521 Budapest (Hungary); Ferenczy, György G. [Medicinal Chemistry Research Group, Research Centre for Natural Sciences, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Magyar tudósok körútja 2, H-1117 Budapest (Hungary); Department of Biophysics and Radiation Biology, Semmelweis University, Tűzoltó u. 37-47, H-1094 Budapest (Hungary)

2016-08-14

Exact schemes for the embedding of density functional theory (DFT) and wave function theory (WFT) methods into lower-level DFT or WFT approaches are introduced utilizing orbital localization. First, a simple modification of the projector-based embedding scheme of Manby and co-workers [J. Chem. Phys. 140, 18A507 (2014)] is proposed. We also use localized orbitals to partition the system, but instead of augmenting the Fock operator with a somewhat arbitrary level-shift projector we solve the Huzinaga-equation, which strictly enforces the Pauli exclusion principle. Second, the embedding of WFT methods in local correlation approaches is studied. Since the latter methods split up the system into local domains, very simple embedding theories can be defined if the domains of the active subsystem and the environment are treated at a different level. The considered embedding schemes are benchmarked for reaction energies and compared to quantum mechanics (QM)/molecular mechanics (MM) and vacuum embedding. We conclude that for DFT-in-DFT embedding, the Huzinaga-equation-based scheme is more efficient than the other approaches, but QM/MM or even simple vacuum embedding is still competitive in particular cases. Concerning the embedding of wave function methods, the clear winner is the embedding of WFT into low-level local correlation approaches, and WFT-in-DFT embedding can only be more advantageous if a non-hybrid density functional is employed.

Coffee-Ring Defined Short Channels for Inkjet-Printed Metal Oxide Thin-Film Transistors.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Yuzhi; Lan, Linfeng; Xiao, Peng; Sun, Sheng; Lin, Zhenguo; Song, Wei; Song, Erlong; Gao, Peixiong; Wu, Weijing; Peng, Junbiao

2016-08-03

Short-channel electronic devices several micrometers in length are difficult to implement by direct inkjet printing due to the limitation of position accuracy of the common inkjet printer system and the spread of functional ink on substrates. In this report, metal oxide thin-film transistors (TFTs) with channel lengths of 3.5 ± 0.7 μm were successfully fabricated with a common inkjet printer without any photolithography steps. Hydrophobic CYTOP coffee stripes, made by inkjet-printing and plasma-treating processes, were utilized to define the channel area of TFTs with channel lengths as short as ∼3.5 μm by dewetting the inks of the source/drain (S/D) precursors. Furthermore, by introduction of an ultrathin layer of PVA to modify the S/D surfaces, the spreading of precursor ink of the InOx semiconductor layer was well-controlled. The inkjet-printed short-channel TFTs exhibited a maximum mobility of 4.9 cm(2) V(-1) s(-1) and an on/off ratio of larger than 10(9). This approach of fabricating short-channel TFTs by inkjet printing will promote the large-area fabrication of short-channel TFTs in a cost-effective manner.

The physiological basis of Glottal electromagnetic micropower sensors (GEMS) and their use in defining an excitation function for the human vocal tract

Science.gov (United States)

Burnett, Gregory Clell

1999-10-01

The definition, use, and physiological basis of Glottal Electromagnetic Micropower Sensors (GEMS) is presented. These sensors are a new type of low power (excitation function for the human vocal tract. For the first time, an excitation function may be calculated in near real time using a noninvasive procedure. Several experiments and models are presented to demonstrate that the GEMS signal is representative of the motion of the subglottal posterior wall of the trachea as it vibrates in response to the pressure changes caused by the folds as they modulate the airflow supplied by the lungs. The vibrational properties of the tracheal wall are modeled using a lumped-element circuit model. Taking the output of the vocal tract to be the audio pressure captured by a microphone and the input to be the subglottal pressure, the transfer function of the vocal tract (including the nasal cavities) can be approximated every 10-30 milliseconds using an autoregressive moving-average model. Unlike the currently utilized method of transfer function approximation, this new method only involves noninvasive GEMS measurements and digital signal processing and does not demand the difficult task of obtaining precise physical measurements of the tract and subsequent estimation of the transfer function using its cross-sectional area. The ability to measure the physical motion of the trachea enables a significant number of potential applications, ranging from very accurate pitch detection to speech synthesis, speaker verification, and speech recognition.

In quest of a systematic framework for unifying and defining nanoscience

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tomalia, Donald A.

2009-01-01

This article proposes a systematic framework for unifying and defining nanoscience based on historic first principles and step logic that led to a 'central paradigm' (i.e., unifying framework) for traditional elemental/small-molecule chemistry. As such, a Nanomaterials classification roadmap is proposed, which divides all nanomatter into Category I: discrete, well-defined and Category II: statistical, undefined nanoparticles. We consider only Category I, well-defined nanoparticles which are >90% monodisperse as a function of Critical Nanoscale Design Parameters (CNDPs) defined according to: (a) size, (b) shape, (c) surface chemistry, (d) flexibility, and (e) elemental composition. Classified as either hard (H) (i.e., inorganic-based) or soft (S) (i.e., organic-based) categories, these nanoparticles were found to manifest pervasive atom mimicry features that included: (1) a dominance of zero-dimensional (0D) core-shell nanoarchitectures, (2) the ability to self-assemble or chemically bond as discrete, quantized nanounits, and (3) exhibited well-defined nanoscale valencies and stoichiometries reminiscent of atom-based elements. These discrete nanoparticle categories are referred to as hard or soft particle nanoelements. Many examples describing chemical bonding/assembly of these nanoelements have been reported in the literature. We refer to these hard:hard (H-n:H-n), soft:soft (S-n:S-n), or hard:soft (H-n:S-n) nanoelement combinations as nanocompounds. Due to their quantized features, many nanoelement and nanocompound categories are reported to exhibit well-defined nanoperiodic property patterns. These periodic property patterns are dependent on their quantized nanofeatures (CNDPs) and dramatically influence intrinsic physicochemical properties (i.e., melting points, reactivity/self-assembly, sterics, and nanoencapsulation), as well as important functional/performance properties (i.e., magnetic, photonic, electronic, and toxicologic properties). We propose this

Selenium Utilization Strategy by Microalgae

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hiroya Araie

2009-11-01

Full Text Available The diversity of selenoproteins raises the question of why so many life forms require selenium. Selenoproteins are found in bacteria, archaea, and many eukaryotes. In photosynthetic microorganisms, the essential requirement for selenium has been reported in 33 species belonging to six phyla, although its biochemical significance is still unclear. According to genome databases, 20 species are defined as selenoprotein-producing organisms, including five photosynthetic organisms. In a marine coccolithophorid, Emiliania huxleyi (Haptophyta, we recently found unique characteristics of selenium utilization and novel selenoproteins using 75Se-tracer experiments. In E. huxleyi, selenite, not selenate, is the main substrate used and its uptake is driven by an ATP-dependent highaffinity, active transport system. Selenite is immediately metabolized to low-molecular mass compounds and partly converted to at least six selenoproteins, named EhSEP1–6. The most (EhSEP2 and second-most abundant selenoproteins (EhSEP1 are disulfide isomerase (PDI homologous protein and thioredoxin reductase (TR 1, respectively. Involvement of selenium in PDI is unique in this organism, while TR1 is also found in other organisms. In this review, we summarize physiological, biochemical, and molecular aspects of selenium utilization by microalgae and discuss their strategy of selenium utilization.

Defining the cortical visual systems: "what", "where", and "how"

Science.gov (United States)

Creem, S. H.; Proffitt, D. R.; Kaiser, M. K. (Principal Investigator)

2001-01-01

The visual system historically has been defined as consisting of at least two broad subsystems subserving object and spatial vision. These visual processing streams have been organized both structurally as two distinct pathways in the brain, and functionally for the types of tasks that they mediate. The classic definition by Ungerleider and Mishkin labeled a ventral "what" stream to process object information and a dorsal "where" stream to process spatial information. More recently, Goodale and Milner redefined the two visual systems with a focus on the different ways in which visual information is transformed for different goals. They relabeled the dorsal stream as a "how" system for transforming visual information using an egocentric frame of reference in preparation for direct action. This paper reviews recent research from psychophysics, neurophysiology, neuropsychology and neuroimaging to define the roles of the ventral and dorsal visual processing streams. We discuss a possible solution that allows for both "where" and "how" systems that are functionally and structurally organized within the posterior parietal lobe.

Some properties for integro-differential operator defined by a fractional formal.

Science.gov (United States)

Abdulnaby, Zainab E; Ibrahim, Rabha W; Kılıçman, Adem

2016-01-01

Recently, the study of the fractional formal (operators, polynomials and classes of special functions) has been increased. This study not only in mathematics but extended to another topics. In this effort, we investigate a generalized integro-differential operator [Formula: see text] defined by a fractional formal (fractional differential operator) and study some its geometric properties by employing it in new subclasses of analytic univalent functions.

Efficient Construction of Well-Defined Multicompartment Porous Systems in a Modular and Chemically Orthogonal Fashion.

Science.gov (United States)

Gao, Ning; Tian, Tian; Cui, Jiecheng; Zhang, Wanlin; Yin, Xianpeng; Wang, Shiqiang; Ji, Jingwei; Li, Guangtao

2017-03-27

A microfluidic assembly approach was developed for efficiently producing hydrogel spheres with reactive multidomains that can be employed as an advantageous platform to create spherical porous networks in a facile manner with well-defined multicompartments and spatiotemporally controlled functions. This strategy allows for not only large scale fabrication of various robust hydrogel microspheres with controlled size and porosity, but also the domains embedded in hydrogel network could be introduced in a modular manner. Additionally, the number of different domains and their ratio could be widely variable on demand. More importantly, the reactive groups distributed in individual domains could be used as anchor sites to further incorporate functional units in an orthogonal fashion, leading to well-defined multicompartment systems. The strategy provides a new and efficient route to construct well-defined functional multicompartment systems with great flexibility and extendibility. © 2017 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Space-Based Reconfigurable Software Defined Radio Test Bed Aboard International Space Station

Science.gov (United States)

Reinhart, Richard C.; Lux, James P.

2014-01-01

The National Aeronautical and Space Administration (NASA) recently launched a new software defined radio research test bed to the International Space Station. The test bed, sponsored by the Space Communications and Navigation (SCaN) Office within NASA is referred to as the SCaN Testbed. The SCaN Testbed is a highly capable communications system, composed of three software defined radios, integrated into a flight system, and mounted to the truss of the International Space Station. Software defined radios offer the future promise of in-flight reconfigurability, autonomy, and eventually cognitive operation. The adoption of software defined radios offers space missions a new way to develop and operate space transceivers for communications and navigation. Reconfigurable or software defined radios with communications and navigation functions implemented in software or VHDL (Very High Speed Hardware Description Language) provide the capability to change the functionality of the radio during development or after launch. The ability to change the operating characteristics of a radio through software once deployed to space offers the flexibility to adapt to new science opportunities, recover from anomalies within the science payload or communication system, and potentially reduce development cost and risk by adapting generic space platforms to meet specific mission requirements. The software defined radios on the SCaN Testbed are each compliant to NASA's Space Telecommunications Radio System (STRS) Architecture. The STRS Architecture is an open, non-proprietary architecture that defines interfaces for the connections between radio components. It provides an operating environment to abstract the communication waveform application from the underlying platform specific hardware such as digital-to-analog converters, analog-to-digital converters, oscillators, RF attenuators, automatic gain control circuits, FPGAs, general-purpose processors, etc. and the interconnections among

Then and now with utility advertising and marketing

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Netschert, B.C.

1978-11-09

Basic business functions, such as advertising and marketing, occupy a valid place in the lives of public utilities, even in an environment where conservation and economy are emphasized. The author describes how a particular group of electric-utility companies has changed emphasis in an exemplary response to new societal pressures and values. He identifies the litmus test of the appropriateness of promotional and information activities and expenditures by utilities in terms of consumer sovereignty.

Complex-scaling of screened Coulomb potentials for resonance calculations utilizing the modified Bessel functions

Science.gov (United States)

Jiao, Li-Guang; Ho, Yew Kam

2014-05-01

The screened Coulomb potential (SCP) has been extensively used in atomic physics, nuclear physics, quantum chemistry and plasma physics. However, an accurate calculation for atomic resonances under SCP is still a challenging task for various methods. Within the complex-scaling computational scheme, we have developed a method utilizing the modified Bessel functions to calculate doubly-excited resonances in two-electron atomic systems with configuration interaction-type basis. To test the validity of our method, we have calculated S- and P-wave resonance states of the helium atom with various screening strengths, and have found good agreement with earlier calculations using different methods. Our present method can be applied to calculate high-lying resonances associated with high excitation thresholds of the He+ ion, and with high-angular-momentum states. The derivation and calculation details of our present investigation together with new results of high-angular-momentum states will be presented at the meeting. Supported by NSC of Taiwan.

Comparisons of the utility of researcher-defined and participant-defined successful ageing.

Science.gov (United States)

Brown, Lynsey J; Bond, Malcolm J

2016-03-01

To investigate the impact of different approaches for measuring 'successful ageing', four alternative researcher and participant definitions were compared, including a novel measure informed by cluster analysis. Rates of successful ageing were explored, as were their relative associations with age and measures of successful adaptation, to assess construct validity. Participants, aged over 65, were recruited from community-based organisations. Questionnaires (assessing successful ageing, lifestyle activities and selective optimisation with compensation) were completed by 317 individuals. Successful ageing ranged from 11.4% to 87.4%, with higher rates evident from participant definitions. Though dependent upon the definition, successful agers were typically younger, reported greater engagement with lifestyle activities and more frequent optimisation. While the current study suggested an improved classification algorithm using a common research definition, future research should explore how subjective and objective aspects of successful ageing may be combined to derive a measure relevant to policy and practice. © 2016 AJA Inc.

Asymptotically double lacunry equivalent sequences defined by Orlicz functions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ayhan Esi

2014-04-01

Full Text Available This paper presents the following definition which is natural combition of the definition for asymptotically equivalent and Orlicz function. The two nonnegative double sequences x=(x_{k,l} and y=(y_{k,l} are said to be M-asymptotically double equivalent to multiple L provided that for every ε>0, P-lim_{k,l}M(((|((x_{k,l}/(y_{k,l}-L|/ρ=0, for some ρ>0, (denoted by x∽y and simply M-asymptotically double equivalent if L=1. Also we give some new concepts related to this definition and some inclusion theorems.

Expected utility and catastrophic risk in a stochastic economy-climate model

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ikefuji, M. [Institute of Social and Economic Research, Osaka University, Osaka (Japan); Laeven, R.J.A.; Magnus, J.R. [Department of Econometrics and Operations Research, Tilburg University, Tilburg (Netherlands); Muris, C. [CentER, Tilburg University, Tilburg (Netherlands)

2010-11-15

In the context of extreme climate change, we ask how to conduct expected utility analysis in the presence of catastrophic risks. Economists typically model decision making under risk and uncertainty by expected utility with constant relative risk aversion (power utility); statisticians typically model economic catastrophes by probability distributions with heavy tails. Unfortunately, the expected utility framework is fragile with respect to heavy-tailed distributional assumptions. We specify a stochastic economy-climate model with power utility and explicitly demonstrate this fragility. We derive necessary and sufficient compatibility conditions on the utility function to avoid fragility and solve our stochastic economy-climate model for two examples of such compatible utility functions. We further develop and implement a procedure to learn the input parameters of our model and show that the model thus specified produces quite robust optimal policies. The numerical results indicate that higher levels of uncertainty (heavier tails) lead to less abatement and consumption, and to more investment, but this effect is not unlimited.

The voice of the customer: consumers define the ideal battery charger.

Science.gov (United States)

Lane, J P; Usiak, D J; Stone, V I; Scherer, M J

1997-01-01

The Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center on Technology Evaluation and Transfer is exploring how the users of assistive technology devices define the ideal device. This work is called the Consumer Ideal Product program. The results show what device characteristics are most and least important, indicating where to place the priority on product features and functions from the consumer's perspective. The "voice of the customer" can be used (1) to define the ideal characteristics of a product, (2) to make trade-offs in product design and function improvements based on their relative importance to the consumer, (3) to compare the characteristics of existing products against the characteristics of the ideal product, or (4) to generate a product checklist for consumers to use when making a purchase decision. This paper presents the results of consumers' defining the ideal battery charger. Four focus groups generated the survey's content, then 100 experienced users rated 159 characteristics organized under 11 general evaluation criteria. The consumers placed the highest importance on characteristics from the general evaluation criteria of product reliability, effectiveness, and physical security/safety. The findings should help manufacturers and vendors improve their products and services and help professionals and consumers make informed choices.

Array of titanium dioxide nanostructures for solar energy utilization

Science.gov (United States)

Qiu, Xiaofeng; Parans Paranthaman, Mariappan; Chi, Miaofang; Ivanov, Ilia N; Zhang, Zhenyu

2014-12-30

An array of titanium dioxide nanostructures for solar energy utilization includes a plurality of nanotubes, each nanotube including an outer layer coaxial with an inner layer, where the inner layer comprises p-type titanium dioxide and the outer layer comprises n-type titanium dioxide. An interface between the inner layer and the outer layer defines a p-n junction.

40 CFR 74.44 - Reduced utilization for combustion sources.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... for consumption or in the residence or facility of a customer to whom the opt-in source's utility... production, the designated representative of the opt-in source must demonstrate to the satisfaction of the...: ER04AP95.014 where “actual heat input” and “reduction from improved efficiency” are defined as set forth in...

42 CFR 482.30 - Condition of participation: Utilization review.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... circumstances: (1) A Utilization and Quality Control Quality Improvement Organization (QIO) has assumed binding... HUMAN SERVICES (CONTINUED) STANDARDS AND CERTIFICATION CONDITIONS OF PARTICIPATION FOR HOSPITALS Basic Hospital Functions § 482.30 Condition of participation: Utilization review. The hospital must have in...

Software-defined optical network for metro-scale geographically distributed data centers.

Science.gov (United States)

Samadi, Payman; Wen, Ke; Xu, Junjie; Bergman, Keren

2016-05-30

The emergence of cloud computing and big data has rapidly increased the deployment of small and mid-sized data centers. Enterprises and cloud providers require an agile network among these data centers to empower application reliability and flexible scalability. We present a software-defined inter data center network to enable on-demand scale out of data centers on a metro-scale optical network. The architecture consists of a combined space/wavelength switching platform and a Software-Defined Networking (SDN) control plane equipped with a wavelength and routing assignment module. It enables establishing transparent and bandwidth-selective connections from L2/L3 switches, on-demand. The architecture is evaluated in a testbed consisting of 3 data centers, 5-25 km apart. We successfully demonstrated end-to-end bulk data transfer and Virtual Machine (VM) migrations across data centers with less than 100 ms connection setup time and close to full link capacity utilization.

On defining and computing fuzzy kernels on L-valued simple graphs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bisdorff, R.; Roubens, M.

1996-01-01

In this paper we introduce the concept of fuzzy kernels defined on valued-finite simple graphs in a sense close to fuzzy preference modelling. First we recall the classic concept of kernel associated with a crisp binary relation defined on a finite set. In a second part, we introduce fuzzy binary relations. In a third part, we generalize the crisp kernel concept to such fuzzy binary relations and in a last part, we present an application to fuzzy choice functions on fuzzy outranking relations

AN EXPERIMENT IN MULTIATTRIBUTE UTILITY THEORY

OpenAIRE

Delforce, Robert J.; Hardaker, J. Brian

1985-01-01

A version of multiattribute utility theory is evaluated as an aid to social decision making using an Australian case study. A multiattribute utility function is assessed over the descriptive, discrete decision alternatives of the decision problem rather than over the risky consequences of the attributes as in the standard approach. The evaluation is made first from the perspective of the decision analysts as a test of the feasibility of the method, and second, from the perspective of social d...

Quantum theory with an energy operator defined as a quartic form of the momentum

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bezák, Viktor, E-mail: bezak@fmph.uniba.sk

2016-09-15

Quantum theory of the non-harmonic oscillator defined by the energy operator proposed by Yurke and Buks (2006) is presented. Although these authors considered a specific problem related to a model of transmission lines in a Kerr medium, our ambition is not to discuss the physical substantiation of their model. Instead, we consider the problem from an abstract, logically deductive, viewpoint. Using the Yurke–Buks energy operator, we focus attention on the imaginary-time propagator. We derive it as a functional of the Mehler kernel and, alternatively, as an exact series involving Hermite polynomials. For a statistical ensemble of identical oscillators defined by the Yurke–Buks energy operator, we calculate the partition function, average energy, free energy and entropy. Using the diagonal element of the canonical density matrix of this ensemble in the coordinate representation, we define a probability density, which appears to be a deformed Gaussian distribution. A peculiarity of this probability density is that it may reveal, when plotted as a function of the position variable, a shape with two peaks located symmetrically with respect to the central point.

Well-Defined Bilayered Molecular Cobrushes with Internal Polyethylene Blocks and ω-Hydroxyl-Functionalized Polyethylene Homobrushes

KAUST Repository

Zhang, Hefeng

2016-02-15

Novel well-defined bilayered molecular cobrushes with internal polyethylene blocks, P(PEcore-b-PScorona) (PE: polyethylene; PS: polystyrene), and ω-hydroxyl-functionalized polyethylene homobrushes, P(PE-OH), were synthesized through the macromonomer strategy. Two main steps were involved in the synthesis of the P(PEcore-b-PScorona) bilayered cobrushes: (i) formation of norbornyl-terminated macromonomer (Nor-PE-b-PS) by esterification of PS-b-PE-OH (combination of anionic polymerization, hydroboration, and polyhomologation) with 5-norbornene-2-carboxylic acid and (ii) ring-opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP) of Nor-PE-b-PS. The synthesis of P(PE-OH) was achieved by (i) hydroboration of tert-butyldimethylsilyl-protected allyl alcohol, followed by polyhomologation of dimethylsulfoxoniun methylide with the formed tri[3-(tert-butyldimethylsilyloxyl)propyl]borane initiator, oxidation/hydrolysis, and esterification of the TBDMS-O-PE-OH with 5-norbornene-2-carboxylic acid to afford the macromonomer TBDMS-O-PE-Nor, and (ii) ROMP of TBDMS-O-PE-Nor, followed by deprotection. Nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H and 13C NMR) and high temperature gel permeation chromatography (HT-GPC) were used to characterize all macromonomers/molecular brushes and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) to study the thermal properties. The molecular brush P(PE-b-PS) showed lower melting point (Tm) and better solubility in toluene than the corresponding macromonomer PS-b-PE-Nor. In the case of homobrushes, the thermal properties were strongly affected by the presence of the PE end-groups. © 2016 American Chemical Society.

Well-Defined Bilayered Molecular Cobrushes with Internal Polyethylene Blocks and ω-Hydroxyl-Functionalized Polyethylene Homobrushes

KAUST Repository

Zhang, Hefeng; Hadjichristidis, Nikolaos

2016-01-01

Novel well-defined bilayered molecular cobrushes with internal polyethylene blocks, P(PEcore-b-PScorona) (PE: polyethylene; PS: polystyrene), and ω-hydroxyl-functionalized polyethylene homobrushes, P(PE-OH), were synthesized through the macromonomer strategy. Two main steps were involved in the synthesis of the P(PEcore-b-PScorona) bilayered cobrushes: (i) formation of norbornyl-terminated macromonomer (Nor-PE-b-PS) by esterification of PS-b-PE-OH (combination of anionic polymerization, hydroboration, and polyhomologation) with 5-norbornene-2-carboxylic acid and (ii) ring-opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP) of Nor-PE-b-PS. The synthesis of P(PE-OH) was achieved by (i) hydroboration of tert-butyldimethylsilyl-protected allyl alcohol, followed by polyhomologation of dimethylsulfoxoniun methylide with the formed tri[3-(tert-butyldimethylsilyloxyl)propyl]borane initiator, oxidation/hydrolysis, and esterification of the TBDMS-O-PE-OH with 5-norbornene-2-carboxylic acid to afford the macromonomer TBDMS-O-PE-Nor, and (ii) ROMP of TBDMS-O-PE-Nor, followed by deprotection. Nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H and 13C NMR) and high temperature gel permeation chromatography (HT-GPC) were used to characterize all macromonomers/molecular brushes and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) to study the thermal properties. The molecular brush P(PE-b-PS) showed lower melting point (Tm) and better solubility in toluene than the corresponding macromonomer PS-b-PE-Nor. In the case of homobrushes, the thermal properties were strongly affected by the presence of the PE end-groups. © 2016 American Chemical Society.

How the largest electric and gas utility companies administer public relations

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bogart, J.D.

1979-04-12

This article describes the findings of a survey conducted by the author in the second half of 1978 to determine the sizes of the public relations staffs of the nation's largest operating electric and gas utilities, their budgets, organizational differences, and specific functions. Common public relations issues and major public relations problems of the utilities are identified, as well as recent trends or changes in budgeting and organization. Some functional variations of public relations departments among utility companies were detected and described.

Viewing the human microbiome through three-dimensional glasses: integrating structural and functional studies to better define the properties of myriad carbohydrate-active enzymes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Turnbaugh, Peter J.; Henrissat, Bernard; Gordon, Jeffrey I.

2010-01-01

Metagenomics has unleashed a deluge of sequencing data describing the organismal, genetic, and transcriptional diversity of the human microbiome. To better understand the precise functions of the myriad proteins encoded by the microbiome, including carbohydrate-active enzymes, it will be critical to combine structural studies with functional analyses. Recent studies have provided an unprecedented view of the trillions of microbes associated with the human body. The human microbiome harbors tremendous diversity at multiple levels: the species that colonize each individual and each body habitat; the genes that are found in each organism’s genome; the expression of these genes and the interactions and activities of their protein products. The sources of this diversity are wide-ranging and reflect both environmental and host factors. A major challenge moving forward is defining the precise functions of members of various families of proteins represented in our microbiomes, including the highly diverse carbohydrate-active enzymes (CAZymes) involved in numerous biologically important chemical transformations, such as the degradation of complex dietary polysaccharides. Coupling metagenomic analyses to structural genomics initiatives and to biochemical and other functional assays of CAZymes will be essential for determining how these as well as other microbiome-encoded proteins operate to shape the properties of microbial communities and their human hosts

Utilization of Smartphone Literacy In Learning Process

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yenni Yuniati

2017-01-01

Full Text Available The utilization of smartphones is increasingly developing among the students. It causes various modifications of attitude and behavior, that media literacy nowadays becomes highly important. Therefore, media literacy shall become the priority for related parties specifically parents and teachers. In addition to helping to find information and to conduct fast communication, smartphone is also functions in formal learning process among the students.The aim of this research is to acknowledge the utilization of smartphones in formal learning process. This study uses qualitative descriptive method which makes serious efforts in describing and depicting utilization of smartphones in learning process among Junior High School students in Bandung. The research result shows that smartphones may function as a device to channel messages and to stimulate the mind, feeling and desire of the students which may encourage learning process in them and to give positive values and to bridge media literacy among the students.

DSM and electric utility competitiveness: An Illinois perspective

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jackson, P.W.

1994-12-31

A predominant theme in the current electric utility industry literature is that competitive forces have emerged and may become more prominent. The wholesale bulk power market is alreadly competitive, as non-utility energy service providers already have had a significant impact on that market; this trend was accelerated by the Energy Policy Act of 1992. Although competition at the retail level is much less pervasive, electric utility customers increasingly have greater choice in selecting energy services. These choices may include, depending on the customer, the ability to self-generate, switch fuels, move to a new location, or rely more heavily on demand-side management as a means of controlling electric energy use. This paper explores the subject of how demand-side management (DSM) programs, which are often developed by a utility to satisfy resource requirements as a part of its least-cost planning process, can affect the utility`s ability to compete in the energy services marketplace. In this context, the term `DSM` is used in this paper to refer to those demand-side services and programs which provide resources to the utility`s system. Depending on one`s perspective, DSM programs (so defined) can be viewed either as an enhancement to the competitive position of a utility by enabling it to provide its customers with a broader menu of energy services, simultaneously satisfying the objectives of the utility as well as those of the customers, or as a detractor to a utility`s ability to compete. In the latter case, the concern is with respect to the potential for adverse rate impacts on customers who are not participants in DSM programs. The paper consists of an identification of the pros and cons of DSM as a competitive strategy, the tradeoff which can occur between the cost impacts and rate impacts of DSM, and an examination of alternative strategies for maximizing the utilization of DSM both as a resource and as a competitive strategy.

Role of the utility

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bellin, A.

1986-03-01

It is common to say that a nuclear programme needs basic infrastructures such as an appropriate educational system, governmental organizations for regulation, decision and inspection, engineering organizations for design and implementation, industrial infrastructures for manufacturing, erection and commissioning, operation organizations for running and maintaining power plants. This schematic organization is not sufficient to succeed in a nuclear programme: one has to consider very carefully the attribution of responsibilities. It appears, that, among all the different systems which exist in the world for the organization of a nuclear project, it is always the utility which bears the overall responsibility for the implementation of the project. It defines objectives such as production capacity, schedule, price; it takes part in the definition of a national policy for energy supply, for the choice of a type of reactor, for the implementation of a national nuclear industry; it selects sites and conducts feasibility studies including a preliminary project; it participates in the definition of organization charts and selects contractors; it calls for and obtains authorizations from regulatory bodies; it manages the project, coordinates contractors and permanently ensures that goals are attained as regards safety, quality, schedule, costs. The French utility has directly taken charge of all these basic responsibilities and this is commonly considered as a major reason of the success of the French nuclear programme. Depending on its capacities, the utility may delegate some of these responsibilities - mainly concerning engineering and project management - to experienced firms. Nevertheless, one has to remember that the utility bears the final responsibility and that it is probably the organization most fully aware of the fact that the final goal is not the construction of a nuclear power station but the production of nuclear electricity in the best and safest conditions

Desenvolupament d'un sistema de monitoratge per a Software Defined Networks (SDN)

OpenAIRE

Navarro Sánchez, Albert

2015-01-01

Les Software Defined-Networks (SDN) són una tecnologia emergent que permet als components software estendre funcionalitats sobre la xarxa. En aquest projecte s'estudia com pot encaixar Polygraph, un sistema de monitoratge per a xarxes tradicionals, dins les SDN. Software Defined-Networks (SDN) are a new tecnology that allows software components to add new functionalities on networks. This project studies how Polygraph, a monitoring system for traditional networks, can fit in a SDN scenario.

Using Bayesian Population Viability Analysis to Define Relevant Conservation Objectives.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Adam W Green

Full Text Available Adaptive management provides a useful framework for managing natural resources in the face of uncertainty. An important component of adaptive management is identifying clear, measurable conservation objectives that reflect the desired outcomes of stakeholders. A common objective is to have a sustainable population, or metapopulation, but it can be difficult to quantify a threshold above which such a population is likely to persist. We performed a Bayesian metapopulation viability analysis (BMPVA using a dynamic occupancy model to quantify the characteristics of two wood frog (Lithobates sylvatica metapopulations resulting in sustainable populations, and we demonstrate how the results could be used to define meaningful objectives that serve as the basis of adaptive management. We explored scenarios involving metapopulations with different numbers of patches (pools using estimates of breeding occurrence and successful metamorphosis from two study areas to estimate the probability of quasi-extinction and calculate the proportion of vernal pools producing metamorphs. Our results suggest that ≥50 pools are required to ensure long-term persistence with approximately 16% of pools producing metamorphs in stable metapopulations. We demonstrate one way to incorporate the BMPVA results into a utility function that balances the trade-offs between ecological and financial objectives, which can be used in an adaptive management framework to make optimal, transparent decisions. Our approach provides a framework for using a standard method (i.e., PVA and available information to inform a formal decision process to determine optimal and timely management policies.

Utility of QGS for 201Tl electrocardiogram-gated SPECT in cardiac function evaluations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shimazaki, Hiroshi; Oono, Ryuichi

2001-01-01

QGS (quantitative gated SPECT) was applied to 201 Tl SPECT, whose images are inferior to those of Tc SPECT, and its utility was evaluated. More specifically, the cardiac function index was calculated by QGS, and local wall motion was evaluated visually. Accuracy was assessed by comparison with left ventriculography. The subjects were 29 patients (21 males, 8 females; 6 with myocardial infarction, 18 with stenocardia, 2 with pericardial disease, 3 with other heart diseases) who had undergone myocardial scintigraphy and left ventriculography between February and May, 2000. 201 Tl (74 or 111 MBq) was administered to all patients. The resting image was obtained 10 minutes later, and the delayed image during loading was obtained 4 hours later. The conditions for acquiring the images were as follows. Two detectors were arranged at a 90-degree angle in the form of an L. The 180 degrees from 45 degrees right anterior oblique (RAO) to 45 degrees left posterior oblique (LPO) were divided into 30 sections at 6-degree intervals, and the image in each section was acquired for 60 seconds. The matrix was 64 x 64. As a cardiac function index, the left ventricular ejection function (LVEF) obtained by electrocardiogram-gated SPECT (QGS-EF) at the rest (14 cases) and the QGS-EF on the delayed images (15 cases) were compared with the LVEF determined by left ventriculography (LVG-EF). There was an excellent positive correlation between the data obtained by two methods, with a correlation coefficient of r=0.93 (y=1.04x-0.04). Most of the difference between the values fell within two standard deviations, and the error was in the clinically allowable range. There was no significant difference between the correlation coefficient at rest and during loading or between the cases that showed an obvious defect on the image and those that did not. The local wall motion of the left ventricle was visually evaluated in five stages in two directions (RAO, 30 degrees, and LAO, 60 degrees). The motion

Characteristics of cerebral glucose utilization in dementia

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Matsuzawa, Taiju; Matsui, Hiroshige; Meguro, Kenichi; Ueda, Masamichi; Yamada, Kenji; Yamaguchi, Tatsuo; Itoh, Masatoshi; Hatazawa, Jun; Kinomura, Shigeo (Tohoku Univ., Sendai (Japan). Research Inst. for Tuberculosis and Cancer)

1990-12-01

To make clear the characteristics of cerebral glucose utilization in dementia, PET studies with 18F-FDG were carried out. Taking the pattern of 18F-FDG utilization, dementia can be subdivided into two types. One type shows a simultaneous and symmetrical reduction glucose utilization in the posterior part of neocortex covering the temporal, parietal and occipital association cortices. This is referred to as type I. Although this type constitutes only about 1/5 of all dementia patients, it is considered the fundamental type of dementia. Aside from this, there is type wherein a simultaneous and symmetrical reduction in glucose utilization of the neocortex. This is type II. It constitutes about 4/5 of all dementia patients which is far more type I. There are no essential difference in the characteristics of cerebral glucose utilization in AD and MID. However, with regards the mean, AD is lower than MID. Various organic defect in neocortex do not correlate with the global reduction in glucose utilization in dementia patients. These results suggest that the reduction in glucose utilization in dementia may be functional disorder. (author).

Characteristics of cerebral glucose utilization in dementia

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Matsuzawa, Taiju; Matsui, Hiroshige; Meguro, Kenichi; Ueda, Masamichi; Yamada, Kenji; Yamaguchi, Tatsuo; Itoh, Masatoshi; Hatazawa, Jun; Kinomura, Shigeo

1990-01-01

To make clear the characteristics of cerebral glucose utilization in dementia, PET studies with 18F-FDG were carried out. Taking the pattern of 18F-FDG utilization, dementia can be subdivided into two types. One type shows a simultaneous and symmetrical reduction glucose utilization in the posterior part of neocortex covering the temporal, parietal and occipital association cortices. This is referred to as type I. Although this type constitutes only about 1/5 of all dementia patients, it is considered the fundamental type of dementia. Aside from this, there is type wherein a simultaneous and symmetrical reduction in glucose utilization of the neocortex. This is type II. It constitutes about 4/5 of all dementia patients which is far more type I. There are no essential difference in the characteristics of cerebral glucose utilization in AD and MID. However, with regards the mean, AD is lower than MID. Various organic defect in neocortex do not correlate with the global reduction in glucose utilization in dementia patients. These results suggest that the reduction in glucose utilization in dementia may be functional disorder. (author)

Substrate-dependent denitrification of abundant probe-defined denitrifying bacteria in activated sludge.

Science.gov (United States)

Morgan-Sagastume, Fernando; Nielsen, Jeppe Lund; Nielsen, Per Halkjaer

2008-11-01

The denitrification capacity of different phylogenetic bacterial groups was investigated on addition of different substrates in activated sludge from two nutrient-removal plants. Nitrate/nitrite consumption rates (CRs) were calculated from nitrate and nitrite biosensor, in situ measurements. The nitrate/nitrite CRs depended on the substrate added, and acetate alone or combined with other substrates yielded the highest rates (3-6 mg N gVSS(-1) h(-1)). The nitrate CRs were similar to the nitrite CRs for most substrates tested. The structure of the active denitrifying population was investigated using heterotrophic CO2 microautoradiography (HetCO2-MAR) and FISH. Probe-defined denitrifiers appeared as specialized substrate utilizers despite acetate being preferentially used by most of them. Azoarcus and Accumulibacter abundance in the two different sludges was related to differences in their substrate-specific nitrate/nitrite CRs. Aquaspirillum-related bacteria were the most abundant potential denitrifiers (c. 20% of biovolume); however, Accumulibacter (3-7%) and Azoarcus (2-13%) may have primarily driven denitrification by utilizing pyruvate, ethanol, and acetate. Activated sludge denitrification was potentially conducted by a diverse, versatile population including not only Betaproteobacteria (Aquaspirillum, Thauera, Accumulibacter, and Azoarcus) but also some Alphaproteobacteria and Gammaproteobacteria, as indicated by the assimilation of 14CO2 by these probe-defined groups with a complex substrate mixture as an electron donor and nitrite as an electron acceptor in HetCO2-MAR-FISH tests.

Functional, Structural, and Neurotoxicity Biomarkers in Integrative Assessment of Concussions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Svetlana A Dambinova

2016-10-01

Full Text Available Concussion is a complex, heterogenous process affecting the brain. Accurate assessment and diagnosis and appropriate management of concussion are essential to ensure athletes do not prematurely return to play or others to work or active military duty, risking re-injury. To date, clinical diagnosis relies primarily on evaluating subjects for functional impairment using instruments that include neurocognitive testing, subjective symptom report, and neurobehavioral assessments, such as balance and vestibular-ocular reflex testing. Structural biomarkers, defined as advanced neuroimaging techniques and biomarkers assessing neurotoxicity and immunoexcitotoxicity may complement the use of functional biomarkers. We hypothesize that neurotoxicity AMPA, NMDA, and kainite receptor biomarkers might be utilized as a part of comprehensive approach to concussion evaluations, with the goal of increasing diagnostic accuracy and facilitating treatment planning and prognostic assessment.

Efficiency in wood and fiber utilization in OECD countries

Science.gov (United States)

Hiroko Kando; Joseph Buongiorno

2009-01-01

Utilization efficiency has been defined as the ratio of the amount of industrial roundwood (or wood pulp) consumed in a country and year to the amount that would have been consumed to produce the same output with a reference technology.  The reference technology was described by the average input-output relationships in countries of the Organization for Economic...

IDH1 deficiency attenuates gluconeogenesis in mouse liver by impairing amino acid utilization.

Science.gov (United States)

Ye, Jing; Gu, Yu; Zhang, Feng; Zhao, Yuanlin; Yuan, Yuan; Hao, Zhenyue; Sheng, Yi; Li, Wanda Y; Wakeham, Andrew; Cairns, Rob A; Mak, Tak W

2017-01-10

Although the enzymatic activity of isocitrate dehydrogenase 1 (IDH1) was defined decades ago, its functions in vivo are not yet fully understood. Cytosolic IDH1 converts isocitrate to α-ketoglutarate (α-KG), a key metabolite regulating nitrogen homeostasis in catabolic pathways. It was thought that IDH1 might enhance lipid biosynthesis in liver or adipose tissue by generating NADPH, but we show here that lipid contents are relatively unchanged in both IDH1-null mouse liver and IDH1-deficient HepG2 cells generated using the CRISPR-Cas9 system. Instead, we found that IDH1 is critical for liver amino acid (AA) utilization. Body weights of IDH1-null mice fed a high-protein diet (HPD) were abnormally low. After prolonged fasting, IDH1-null mice exhibited decreased blood glucose but elevated blood alanine and glycine compared with wild-type (WT) controls. Similarly, in IDH1-deficient HepG2 cells, glucose consumption was increased, but alanine utilization and levels of intracellular α-KG and glutamate were reduced. In IDH1-deficient primary hepatocytes, gluconeogenesis as well as production of ammonia and urea were decreased. In IDH1-deficient whole livers, expression levels of genes involved in AA metabolism were reduced, whereas those involved in gluconeogenesis were up-regulated. Thus, IDH1 is critical for AA utilization in vivo and its deficiency attenuates gluconeogenesis primarily by impairing α-KG-dependent transamination of glucogenic AAs such as alanine.

Evaluation of the Geothermal Public Power Utility Workshops in California

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Farhar, B. C.

2004-10-01

The federal government devotes significant resources to educating consumers and businesses about geothermal energy. Yet little evidence exists for defining the kinds of information needed by the various audiences with specialized needs. This paper presents the results of an evaluation of the Geothermal Municipal Utility Workshops that presented information on geothermal energy to utility resource planners at customer-owned utilities in California. The workshops were sponsored by the Western Area Power Administration and the U.S. Department of Energy's GeoPowering the West Program and were intended to qualitatively assess the information needs of municipal utilities relative to geothermal energy and get feedback for future workshops. The utility workshop participants found the geothermal workshops to be useful and effective for their purposes. An important insight from the workshops is that utilities need considerable lead-time to plan a geothermal project. They need to know whether it is better to own a project or to purchase geothermal electricity from another nonutility owner. California customer-owned utilities say they do not need to generate more electricity to meet demand, but they do need to provide more electricity from renewable resources to meet the requirements of the state's Renewable Portfolio Standard.

Assessing Somatosensory Utilization during Unipedal Postural Control

OpenAIRE

Goel, Rahul; De Dios, Yiri E.; Gadd, Nichole E.; Caldwell, Erin E.; Peters, Brian T.; Reschke, Millard F.; Bloomberg, Jacob J.; Oddsson, Lars I. E.; Mulavara, Ajitkumar P.

2017-01-01

Multisensory—visual, vestibular and somatosensory information is integrated for appropriate postural control. The primary goal of this study was to assess somatosensory utilization during a functional motor task of unipedal postural control, in normal healthy adults. Assessing individual bias in the utilization of individual sensory contributions during postural control may help customization of rehabilitation protocols. In this study, a test paradigm of unipedal stance control in supine orie...

Functional Anorectal Disorders.

Science.gov (United States)

Rao, Satish Sc; Bharucha, Adil E; Chiarioni, Giuseppe; Felt-Bersma, Richelle; Knowles, Charles; Malcolm, Allison; Wald, Arnold

2016-03-25

This report defines criteria and reviews the epidemiology, pathophysiology, and management of common anorectal disorders: fecal incontinence (FI), functional anorectal pain and functional defecation disorders. FI is defined as the recurrent uncontrolled passage of fecal material for at least 3 months. The clinical features of FI are useful for guiding diagnostic testing and therapy. Anorectal manometry and imaging are useful for evaluating anal and pelvic floor structure and function. Education, antidiarrheals and biofeedback therapy are the mainstay of management; surgery may be useful in refractory cases. Functional anorectal pain syndromes are defined by clinical features and categorized into three subtypes. In proctalgia fugax, the pain is typically fleeting and lasts for seconds to minutes. In levator ani syndrome (LAS) and unspecified anorectal pain the pain lasts more than 30 minutes, but in LAS there is puborectalis tenderness. Functional defecation disorders are defined by >2 symptoms of chronic constipation or irritable bowel syndrome with constipation, and with >2 features of impaired evacuation i.e., abnormal evacuation pattern on manometry, abnormal balloon expulsion test or impaired rectal evacuation by imaging. It includes two subtypes; dyssynergic defecation and inadequate defecatory propulsion. Pelvic floor biofeedback therapy is effective for treating LAS and defecatory disorders. Copyright © 2016 AGA Institute. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Tunable Luminescent Carbon Nanospheres with Well-Defined Nanoscale Chemistry for Synchronized Imaging and Therapy.

Science.gov (United States)

Mukherjee, Prabuddha; Misra, Santosh K; Gryka, Mark C; Chang, Huei-Huei; Tiwari, Saumya; Wilson, William L; Scott, John W; Bhargava, Rohit; Pan, Dipanjan

2015-09-01

In this work, we demonstrate the significance of defined surface chemistry in synthesizing luminescent carbon nanomaterials (LCN) with the capability to perform dual functions (i.e., diagnostic imaging and therapy). The surface chemistry of LCN has been tailored to achieve two different varieties: one that has a thermoresponsive polymer and aids in the controlled delivery of drugs, and the other that has fluorescence emission both in the visible and near-infrared (NIR) region and can be explored for advanced diagnostic modes. Although these particles are synthesized using simple, yet scalable hydrothermal methods, they exhibit remarkable stability, photoluminescence and biocompatibility. The photoluminescence properties of these materials are tunable through careful choice of surface-passivating agents and can be exploited for both visible and NIR imaging. Here the synthetic strategy demonstrates the possibility to incorporate a potent antimetastatic agent for inhibiting melanomas in vitro. Since both particles are Raman active, their dispersion on skin surface is reported with Raman imaging and utilizing photoluminescence, their depth penetration is analysed using fluorescence 3D imaging. Our results indicate a new generation of tunable carbon-based probes for diagnosis, therapy or both. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Can play be defined?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Eichberg, Henning

2015-01-01

Can play be defined? There is reason to raise critical questions about the established academic demand that at phenomenon – also in humanist studies – should first of all be defined, i.e. de-lineated and by neat lines limited to a “little box” that can be handled. The following chapter develops....... Human beings can very well understand play – or whatever phenomenon in human life – without defining it....

Integrative functional analyses using rainbow trout selected for tolerance to plant diets reveal nutrigenomic signatures for soy utilization without the concurrence of enteritis.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jason Abernathy

Full Text Available Finding suitable alternative protein sources for diets of carnivorous fish species remains a major concern for sustainable aquaculture. Through genetic selection, we created a strain of rainbow trout that outperforms parental lines in utilizing an all-plant protein diet and does not develop enteritis in the distal intestine, as is typical with salmonids on long-term plant protein-based feeds. By incorporating this strain into functional analyses, we set out to determine which genes are critical to plant protein utilization in the absence of gut inflammation. After a 12-week feeding trial with our selected strain and a control trout strain fed either a fishmeal-based diet or an all-plant protein diet, high-throughput RNA sequencing was completed on both liver and muscle tissues. Differential gene expression analyses, weighted correlation network analyses and further functional characterization were performed. A strain-by-diet design revealed differential expression ranging from a few dozen to over one thousand genes among the various comparisons and tissues. Major gene ontology groups identified between comparisons included those encompassing central, intermediary and foreign molecule metabolism, associated biosynthetic pathways as well as immunity. A systems approach indicated that genes involved in purine metabolism were highly perturbed. Systems analysis among the tissues tested further suggests the interplay between selection for growth, dietary utilization and protein tolerance may also have implications for nonspecific immunity. By combining data from differential gene expression and co-expression networks using selected trout, along with ontology and pathway analyses, a set of 63 candidate genes for plant diet tolerance was found. Risk loci in human inflammatory bowel diseases were also found in our datasets, indicating rainbow trout selected for plant-diet tolerance may have added utility as a potential biomedical model.

Gate-defined Quantum Confinement in Suspended Bilayer Graphene

Science.gov (United States)

Allen, Monica

2013-03-01

Quantum confined devices in carbon-based materials offer unique possibilities for applications ranging from quantum computation to sensing. In particular, nanostructured carbon is a promising candidate for spin-based quantum computation due to the ability to suppress hyperfine coupling to nuclear spins, a dominant source of spin decoherence. Yet graphene lacks an intrinsic bandgap, which poses a serious challenge for the creation of such devices. We present a novel approach to quantum confinement utilizing tunnel barriers defined by local electric fields that break sublattice symmetry in suspended bilayer graphene. This technique electrostatically confines charges via band structure control, thereby eliminating the edge and substrate disorder that hinders on-chip etched nanostructures to date. We report clean single electron tunneling through gate-defined quantum dots in two regimes: at zero magnetic field using the energy gap induced by a perpendicular electric field and at finite magnetic fields using Landau level confinement. The observed Coulomb blockade periodicity agrees with electrostatic simulations based on local top-gate geometry, a direct demonstration of local control over the band structure of graphene. This technology integrates quantum confinement with pristine device quality and access to vibrational modes, enabling wide applications from electromechanical sensors to quantum bits. More broadly, the ability to externally tailor the graphene bandgap over nanometer scales opens a new unexplored avenue for creating quantum devices.

Utility and reliability of non-invasive muscle function tests in high-fat-fed mice.

Science.gov (United States)

Martinez-Huenchullan, Sergio F; McLennan, Susan V; Ban, Linda A; Morsch, Marco; Twigg, Stephen M; Tam, Charmaine S

2017-07-01

What is the central question of this study? Non-invasive muscle function tests have not been validated for use in the study of muscle performance in high-fat-fed mice. What is the main finding and its importance? This study shows that grip strength, hang wire and four-limb hanging tests are able to discriminate the muscle performance between chow-fed and high-fat-fed mice at different time points, with grip strength being reliable after 5, 10 and 20 weeks of dietary intervention. Non-invasive tests are commonly used for assessing muscle function in animal models. The value of these tests in obesity, a condition where muscle strength is reduced, is unclear. We investigated the utility of three non-invasive muscle function tests, namely grip strength (GS), hang wire (HW) and four-limb hanging (FLH), in C57BL/6 mice fed chow (chow group, n = 48) or a high-fat diet (HFD group, n = 48) for 20 weeks. Muscle function tests were performed at 5, 10 and 20 weeks. After 10 and 20 weeks, HFD mice had significantly reduced GS (in newtons; mean ± SD: 10 weeks chow, 1.89 ± 0.1 and HFD, 1.79 ± 0.1; 20 weeks chow, 1.99 ± 0.1 and HFD, 1.75 ± 0.1), FLH [in seconds per gram body weight; median (interquartile range): 10 weeks chow, 2552 (1337-4964) and HFD, 1230 (749-1994); 20 weeks chow, 2048 (765-3864) and HFD, 1036 (717-1855)] and HW reaches [n; median (interquartile range): 10 weeks chow, 4 (2-5) and HFD, 2 (1-3); 20 weeks chow, 3 (1-5) and HFD, 1 (0-2)] and higher falls [n; median (interquartile range): 10 weeks chow, 0 (0-2) and HFD, 3 (1-7); 20 weeks chow, 1 (0-4) and HFD, 8 (5-10)]. Grip strength was reliable in both dietary groups [intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) = 0.5-0.8; P tests are valuable and reliable tools for assessment of muscle strength and function in high-fat-fed mice. © 2017 The Authors. Experimental Physiology © 2017 The Physiological Society.

Software Defined Cyberinfrastructure

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Foster, Ian; Blaiszik, Ben; Chard, Kyle; Chard, Ryan

2017-07-17

Within and across thousands of science labs, researchers and students struggle to manage data produced in experiments, simulations, and analyses. Largely manual research data lifecycle management processes mean that much time is wasted, research results are often irreproducible, and data sharing and reuse remain rare. In response, we propose a new approach to data lifecycle management in which researchers are empowered to define the actions to be performed at individual storage systems when data are created or modified: actions such as analysis, transformation, copying, and publication. We term this approach software-defined cyberinfrastructure because users can implement powerful data management policies by deploying rules to local storage systems, much as software-defined networking allows users to configure networks by deploying rules to switches.We argue that this approach can enable a new class of responsive distributed storage infrastructure that will accelerate research innovation by allowing any researcher to associate data workflows with data sources, whether local or remote, for such purposes as data ingest, characterization, indexing, and sharing. We report on early experiments with this approach in the context of experimental science, in which a simple if-trigger-then-action (IFTA) notation is used to define rules.

Multiattribute utility theory without expected utility foundations

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Wakker, P.P.; Miyamoto, J.

1996-01-01

Methods for determining the form of utilities are needed for the implementation of utility theory in specific decisions. An important step forward was achieved when utility theorists characterized useful parametric families of utilities, and simplifying decompositions of multiattribute utilities.

Multiattribute Utility Theory without Expected Utility Foundations

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Stiggelbout, A.M.; Wakker, P.P.

1995-01-01

Methods for determining the form of utilities are needed for the implementation of utility theory in specific decisions. An important step forward was achieved when utility theorists characterized useful parametric families of utilities, and simplifying decompositions of multiattribute utilities.

Integrated Assessment of the Policy of Working Capital Management in Housing and Utilities Enterprises

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vladimir Petrovich Poluyanov

2017-06-01

Full Text Available The article describes the approaches to the management of current assets in the enterprises of various industries in economic literature. We discuss theoretical, methodological and applied issues concerning the formation and improvement of the working capital management policy in utility companies, which require further study. The authors propose to assess the policy of working capital management in these enterprises by means of the integrated approach based on the system of reasoned indicators defining the type of working capital management policy. It includes indicators characterizing the policy of working capital management, management of the liquidity of working capital and the policy of financing sources management. The indicators which define the type of the policy of working capital management have been chosen as the most influential for each vector of the improvement of management policy. The range of values is set taking into account the current market conditions for the housing and utilities companies based on theoretical standard values adapted to modern situation. The paper proposes to use an integrated indicator for the evaluation of the policy of working capital management in housing and utilities enterprises. We have substantiated the technique of the integrated assessment of the policy of working capital management in housing and utilities companies. As an example of the application of this indicator, we defined the type of the policy of working capital management in Rostovvodokanal Company. The initial data for the calculation of integrated indicators are the official data on the structure of the balance and financial results of Rostovvodokanal Company during the period from 2012 to 2016. At the Rostovvodokanal Company, it is necessary to bring the type of the policy of working capital management and sources of its financing closer to moderate or conservative type. The authors have substantiated the optimal type of policy of

WAIS Performance in Unincarcerated Groups of MMPI-Defined Sociopaths and Normal Controls

Science.gov (United States)

Allain, Albert N.

1974-01-01

This investigation examines WAIS performance in groups of 32 sociopaths and 33 normal controls defined by Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory criteria. Sociopaths and normal controls show no differences in overall level of intellectual functioning. (Author)

Consumer preference in ranking walking function utilizing the walking index for spinal cord injury II.

Science.gov (United States)

Patrick, M; Ditunno, P; Ditunno, J F; Marino, R J; Scivoletto, G; Lam, T; Loffree, J; Tamburella, F; Leiby, B

2011-12-01

Blinded rank ordering. To determine consumer preference in walking function utilizing the walking Index for spinal cord injury II (WISCI II) in individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI)from the Canada, the Italy and the United States of America. In all, 42 consumers with incomplete SCI (25 cervical, 12 thoracic, 5 lumbar) from Canada (12/42), Italy (14/42) and the United States of America (16/42) ranked the 20 levels of the WISCI II scale by their individual preference for walking. Subjects were blinded to the original ranking of the WISCI II scale by clinical scientists. Photographs of each WISCI II level used in a previous pilot study were randomly shuffled and rank ordered. Percentile, conjoint/cluster and graphic analyses were performed. All three analyses illustrated consumer ranking followed a bimodal distribution. Ranking for two levels with physical assistance and two levels with a walker were bimodal with a difference of five to six ranks between consumer subgroups (quartile analysis). The larger cluster (N=20) showed preference for walking with assistance over the smaller cluster (N=12), whose preference was walking without assistance and more devices. In all, 64% (27/42) of consumers ranked WISCI II level with no devices or braces and 1 person assistance higher than multiple levels of the WISCI II requiring no assistance. These results were unexpected, as the hypothesis was that consumers would rank independent walking higher than walking with assistance. Consumer preference for walking function should be considered in addition to objective measures in designing SCI trials that use significant improvement in walking function as an outcome measure.

Defining Documentary Film

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Juel, Henrik

2006-01-01

A discussion of various attemts at defining documentary film regarding form, content, truth, stile, genre or reception - and a propoposal of a positive list of essential, but non-exclusive characteristica of documentary film......A discussion of various attemts at defining documentary film regarding form, content, truth, stile, genre or reception - and a propoposal of a positive list of essential, but non-exclusive characteristica of documentary film...

Associations of anatomical measures from MRI with radiographically defined knee osteoarthritis score, pain, and physical functioning.

Science.gov (United States)

Sowers, Maryfran; Karvonen-Gutierrez, Carrie A; Jacobson, Jon A; Jiang, Yebin; Yosef, Matheos

2011-02-02

The prevalence of knee osteoarthritis is traditionally based on radiographic findings, but magnetic resonance imaging is now being used to provide better visualization of bone, cartilage, and soft tissues as well as the patellar compartment. The goal of this study was to estimate the prevalences of knee features defined on magnetic resonance imaging in a population and to relate these abnormalities to knee osteoarthritis severity scores based on radiographic findings, physical functioning, and reported knee pain in middle-aged women. Magnetic resonance images of the knee were evaluated for the location and severity of cartilage defects, bone marrow lesions, osteophytes, subchondral cysts, meniscal and/or ligamentous tears, effusion, and synovitis among 363 middle-aged women (724 knees) from the Michigan Study of Women's Health Across the Nation. These findings were related to Kellgren-Lawrence osteoarthritis severity scores from radiographs, self-reported knee pain, self-reported knee injury, perception of physical functioning, and physical performance measures to assess mobility. Radiographs, physical performance assessment, and interviews were undertaken at the 1996 study baseline and again (with the addition of magnetic resonance imaging assessment) at the follow-up visit during 2007 to 2008. The prevalence of moderate-to-severe knee osteoarthritis changed from 3.7% at the baseline assessment to 26.7% at the follow-up visit eleven years later. Full-thickness cartilage defects of the medial, lateral, and patellofemoral compartments were present in 14.5% (105 knees), 4.6% (thirty-three knees), and 26.2% (190 knees), respectively. Synovitis was identified in 24.7% (179) of the knees, and joint effusions were observed in 70% (507 knees); 21.7% (157) of the knees had complex or macerated meniscal tears. Large osteophytes, marked synovitis, macerated meniscal tears, and full-thickness tibial cartilage defects were associated with increased odds of knee pain and with

Cost effective shift schedules enhance utility operations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Coleman, R.M.

1995-01-01

This article describes how new shift scheduling concepts can save utility operations millions of dollars every year and yet maintain safety and improve employee morale. The key to scheduling is to define and match the work load. This includes discretionary as well as daily, weekly, and yearly core work loads. In most power plants the overall work load (including maintenance, operations, materials handling, etc.) on day shift is greater than on other shifts, hence an unbalanced schedule would be appropriate

A physical function test for use in the intensive care unit: validity, responsiveness, and predictive utility of the physical function ICU test (scored).

Science.gov (United States)

Denehy, Linda; de Morton, Natalie A; Skinner, Elizabeth H; Edbrooke, Lara; Haines, Kimberley; Warrillow, Stephen; Berney, Sue

2013-12-01

Several tests have recently been developed to measure changes in patient strength and functional outcomes in the intensive care unit (ICU). The original Physical Function ICU Test (PFIT) demonstrates reliability and sensitivity. The aims of this study were to further develop the original PFIT, to derive an interval score (the PFIT-s), and to test the clinimetric properties of the PFIT-s. A nested cohort study was conducted. One hundred forty-four and 116 participants performed the PFIT at ICU admission and discharge, respectively. Original test components were modified using principal component analysis. Rasch analysis examined the unidimensionality of the PFIT, and an interval score was derived. Correlations tested validity, and multiple regression analyses investigated predictive ability. Responsiveness was assessed using the effect size index (ESI), and the minimal clinically important difference (MCID) was calculated. The shoulder lift component was removed. Unidimensionality of combined admission and discharge PFIT-s scores was confirmed. The PFIT-s displayed moderate convergent validity with the Timed "Up & Go" Test (r=-.60), the Six-Minute Walk Test (r=.41), and the Medical Research Council (MRC) sum score (rho=.49). The ESI of the PFIT-s was 0.82, and the MCID was 1.5 points (interval scale range=0-10). A higher admission PFIT-s score was predictive of: an MRC score of ≥48, increased likelihood of discharge home, reduced likelihood of discharge to inpatient rehabilitation, and reduced acute care hospital length of stay. Scoring of sit-to-stand assistance required is subjective, and cadence cutpoints used may not be generalizable. The PFIT-s is a safe and inexpensive test of physical function with high clinical utility. It is valid, responsive to change, and predictive of key outcomes. It is recommended that the PFIT-s be adopted to test physical function in the ICU.

Reconfigurable, Cognitive Software-Defined Radio

Science.gov (United States)

Bhat, Arvind

2015-01-01

Software-defined radio (SDR) technology allows radios to be reconfigured to perform different communication functions without using multiple radios to accomplish each task. Intelligent Automation, Inc., has developed SDR platforms that switch adaptively between different operation modes. The innovation works by modifying both transmit waveforms and receiver signal processing tasks. In Phase I of the project, the company developed SDR cognitive capabilities, including adaptive modulation and coding (AMC), automatic modulation recognition (AMR), and spectrum sensing. In Phase II, these capabilities were integrated into SDR platforms. The reconfigurable transceiver design employs high-speed field-programmable gate arrays, enabling multimode operation and scalable architecture. Designs are based on commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) components and are modular in nature, making it easier to upgrade individual components rather than redesigning the entire SDR platform as technology advances.

Cost functions and the electric utility industry. A contribution to the debate on deregulation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ramos-Real, F.J.

2005-01-01

This study analyses the main articles that estimate cost functions in the electricity utility industry with a view to studying of the initial arguments for proposing competition and vertical disintegration. The works reviewed here, in general terms, confirm the initial arguments in favour of the deregulation process, mainly, the exhaustion of scale economies for moderate size firms in generation and the condition of natural monopoly for transmission and distribution. However, the savings obtained from undertaking different activities together should be kept in mind when restructuring the sector. On the other hand, the improvements in productivity deriving from the reforms have not translated into reductions in the price of electricity in many countries. These last two results suggest the need for appropriate market regulation for the deregulation process to translate into an improvement in how the sector works and into benefits for consumers. There is still insufficient empirical literature on these issues due to the fact that the process is still ongoing in many countries and more time will have to transpire before sufficient data is available

Determinants of U.S. poison center utilization.

Science.gov (United States)

Litovitz, Toby; Benson, Blaine E; Youniss, Jessica; Metz, Edward

2010-06-01

High poison center utilization has been associated with decreased emergency department usage and hospitalization rates. However, utilization requires awareness of the poison center. Penetrance, defined as the number of human poison exposures reported to a poison center per 1,000 population, has been used as a marker of poison center awareness. To identify factors that influence poison center penetrance to optimize the life- and cost-saving benefits of poison control centers. Human poison exposures that were reported to the National Poison Data System in 2001 were analyzed to identify and rank factors affecting poison center penetrance. Overall penetrance correlated with pediatric penetrance (R(2) = 0.75, p poison center that were already in or en route to a healthcare facility at the time of the call to the poison center (R(2) = 0.41, p poison center service populations were associated with lower penetrance (R(2) = 0.23, p poison center (multiple regression). Positive predictors included the percentage of the population younger than 5 years, the percentage of the adult population with a bachelor's degree, poison center certification, poison center educator FTEs (full time equivalents), Asian population percentage, and population density. The inverse correlation between pediatric penetrance and healthcare facility utilization supports prior observations of excessive healthcare utilization when a poison center is not called. Since race, language and distance are barriers to poison center utilization, and since healthcare utilization increases when poison center penetrance declines, low penetrance suggests a lack of awareness of the poison center rather than a low incidence of poisonings. Strategies to raise penetrance should be informed by an understanding of the barriers to utilization - language, Black/African American race, distance from the poison center, poverty, and lower education levels.

Expected utility without utility

OpenAIRE

Castagnoli, E.; Licalzi, M.

1996-01-01

This paper advances an interpretation of Von Neumann–Morgenstern’s expected utility model for preferences over lotteries which does not require the notion of a cardinal utility over prizes and can be phrased entirely in the language of probability. According to it, the expected utility of a lottery can be read as the probability that this lottery outperforms another given independent lottery. The implications of this interpretation for some topics and models in decision theory are considered....

Analysis of Department of Defense Organic Depot Maintenance Capacity Management and Facility Utilization Factors

Science.gov (United States)

1991-09-01

System ( CAPMS ) in lieu of using DODI 4151.15H. Facility utilization rate computation is not explicitly defined; it is merely identified as a ratio of...front of a bottleneck buffers the critical resource and protects against disruption of the system. This approach optimizes facility utilization by...run titled BUFFERED BASELINE. Three different levels of inventory were used to evaluate the effect of increasing the inventory level on critical

The curvature function in general relativity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hall, G S; MacNay, Lucy

2006-01-01

A function, here called the curvature function, is defined and which is constructed explicitly from the type (0, 4) curvature tensor. Although such a function may be defined for any manifold admitting a metric, attention is here concentrated on this function on a spacetime. Some properties of this function are explored and compared with a previous discussion of it given by Petrov

Antiderivative Series for Differentiable Functions

Science.gov (United States)

Howard, Roy M.

2004-01-01

A series defining the antiderivative of an n th order differentiable function is defined. This series provides an explicit expression for the second part of the Fundamental Theorem of Calculus and can facilitate the establishment of new antiderivative functions.

The role of distributed generation (DG) in a restructured utility environment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Feibus, H.

1999-01-01

A major consequence of the restructuring of the electric utility industry is disintegration, by which the traditional integrated utility is spinning off its generation business and becoming a power distribution company, or distco. This company will be the remaining entity of the traditional electric utility that continues to be regulated. The world in which the distco functions is becoming a very different place. The distco will be called upon to deliver not only power, but a range of ancillary services, defined by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, including spinning reserves, voltage regulation, reactive power, energy imbalance and network stability, some of which may be obtained from the independent system operator, and some of which may be provided by the distco. In this environment the distco must maintain system reliability and provide service to the customer at the least cost. Meanwhile, restructuring is spawning a new generation of unregulated energy service companies that threaten to win the most attractive customers from the distco. Fortunately there is a new emerging generation of technologies, distributed resources, that provide options to the distco to help retain prime customers, by improving reliability and lowering costs. Specifically, distributed generation and storage systems if dispersed into the distribution system can provide these benefits, if generators with the right characteristics are selected, and the integration into the distribution system is done skillfully. The Electric Power Research Institute has estimated that new distributed generation may account for 30% of new generation. This presentation will include the characteristics of several distributed resources and identify potential benefits that can be obtained through the proper integration of distributed generation and storage systems

Clinical utility and impact of functional neuronavigation for glioma surgery

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kamada, Kyousuke; Anei, Ryogo; Ota, Takahiro; Kawai, Kensuke; Saito, Nobuhito

2010-01-01

After co-registration of functional MRI with finger tapping tasks for corticospinal tract tractography, the results were imported to a neuronavigation system (functional neuronavigation). Cortical and subcortical stimulation with 5-train electric pulses was then used to identify the motor system. Functional neuronavigation was a reliable and practical technique for preservation of the motor function in glioma surgery. (author)

Analysis of Hydropower Potential Utilization of Watercourses in Slovakia

Science.gov (United States)

Gejguš, Mirko; Aschbacher, Christine; Sablik, Jozef

2017-09-01

This article analyzes the hydropower potential of watercourses in Slovakia, defining water as the most promising and most used renewable energy source. The hydro-energetic potential as a source of energy is determined by the calculation of the technically feasible potential of the watercourses, which is divided into exploited and unused. It also identifies the potential of utilizing the unused technical hydro-energetic potential.

The Defining Moment: Children's Conceptualization of Race and Experiences with Racial Discrimination.

Science.gov (United States)

Dulin-Keita, Akilah; Hannon, Lonnie; Fernandez, Jose R; Cockerham, William C

2011-04-01

This paper examines whether children of marginalized racial/ethnic groups have an awareness of race at earlier ages than youth from non-marginalized groups, documents their experiences with racial discrimination, and utilizes a modified racism-related stress model to explore the relationship between perceived racial discrimination and self-esteem. Data were collected for non-Hispanic black, non-Hispanic white, and Hispanic children aged 7 - 12 using face-to-face interviews (n = 175). The concept of race was measured by assessing whether children could define race, if not a standard definition was provided. Racial discrimination was measured using the Williams Every-day-Discrimination Scale, self-esteem was measured using the Rosenberg Scale, and ethnic identity was assessed using the Multi-group Ethnic Identity Measure. Non-Hispanic black children were able to define race more accurately, but overall, Hispanic children encountered more racial discrimination, with frequent reports of ethnic slurs. Additionally, after accounting for ethnic identity, perceived racial discrimination remained a salient stressor that contributed to low self-esteem.

On paranormed Zweier ideal convergent sequence spaces defined By Orlicz function

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bipan Hazarika

2014-10-01

Full Text Available In this article we introduce paranorm ideal convergent sequence spaces using Zweier transform and Orlicz function. We study some topological and algebraic properties. Further we prove some inclusion relations related to these new spaces.

Defining structural and functional dimensions of the extracellular thyrotropin receptor region.

Science.gov (United States)

Kleinau, Gunnar; Mueller, Sandra; Jaeschke, Holger; Grzesik, Paul; Neumann, Susanne; Diehl, Anne; Paschke, Ralf; Krause, Gerd

2011-06-24

The extracellular region of the thyrotropin receptor (TSHR) can be subdivided into the leucine-rich repeat domain (LRRD) and the hinge region. Both the LRRD and the hinge region interact with thyrotropin (TSH) or autoantibodies. Structural data for the TSHR LRRD were previously determined by crystallization (amino acids Glu(30)-Thr(257), 10 repeats), but the structure of the hinge region is still undefined. Of note, the amino acid sequence (Trp(258)-Tyr(279)) following the crystallized LRRD comprises a pattern typical for leucine-rich repeats with conserved hydrophobic side chains stabilizing the repeat fold. Moreover, functional data for amino acids between the LRRD and the transmembrane domain were fragmentary. We therefore investigated systematically these TSHR regions by mutagenesis to reveal insights into their functional contribution and potential structural features. We found that mutations of conserved hydrophobic residues between Thr(257) and Tyr(279) cause TSHR misfold, which supports a structural fold of this peptide, probably as an additional leucine-rich repeat. Furthermore, we identified several new mutations of hydrophilic amino acids in the entire hinge region leading to partial TSHR inactivation, indicating that these positions are important for intramolecular signal transduction. In summary, we provide new information regarding the structural features and functionalities of extracellular TSHR regions. Based on these insights and in context with previous results, we suggest an extracellular activation mechanism that supports an intramolecular agonistic unit as a central switch for activating effects at the extracellular region toward the serpentine domain.

Introduction to Generalized Functions with Applications in Aerodynamics and Aeroacoustics

Science.gov (United States)

Farassat, F.

1994-01-01

Generalized functions have many applications in science and engineering. One useful aspect is that discontinuous functions can be handled as easily as continuous or differentiable functions and provide a powerful tool in formulating and solving many problems of aerodynamics and acoustics. Furthermore, generalized function theory elucidates and unifies many ad hoc mathematical approaches used by engineers and scientists. We define generalized functions as continuous linear functionals on the space of infinitely differentiable functions with compact support, then introduce the concept of generalized differentiation. Generalized differentiation is the most important concept in generalized function theory and the applications we present utilize mainly this concept. First, some results of classical analysis, are derived with the generalized function theory. Other applications of the generalized function theory in aerodynamics discussed here are the derivations of general transport theorems for deriving governing equations of fluid mechanics, the interpretation of the finite part of divergent integrals, the derivation of the Oswatitsch integral equation of transonic flow, and the analysis of velocity field discontinuities as sources of vorticity. Applications in aeroacoustics include the derivation of the Kirchhoff formula for moving surfaces, the noise from moving surfaces, and shock noise source strength based on the Ffowcs Williams-Hawkings equation.

Defining human mesenchymal stem cell efficacy in vivo

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lennon Donald P

2010-10-01

Full Text Available Abstract Allogeneic human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs can suppress graft versus host disease (GvHD and have profound anti-inflammatory and regenerative capacity in stroke, infarct, spinal cord injury, meniscus regeneration, tendinitis, acute renal failure, and heart disease in human and animal models of disease. There is significant clinical hMSC variability in efficacy and the ultimate response in vivo. The challenge in hMSC based therapy is defining the efficacy of hMSC in vivo. Models which may provide insight into hMSC bioactivity in vivo would provide a means to distinguish hMSCs for clinical utility. hMSC function has been described as both regenerative and trophic through the production of bioactive factors. The regenerative component involves the multi-potentiality of hMSC progenitor differentiation. The secreted factors generated by the hMSCs are milieu and injury specific providing unique niches for responses in vivo. These bioactive factors are anti-scarring, angiogenic, anti-apoptotic as well as regenerative. Further, from an immunological standpoint, hMSC's can avoid host immune response, providing xenographic applications. To study the in vivo immuno-regulatory effectiveness of hMSCs, we used the ovalbumin challenge model of acute asthma. This is a quick 3 week in vivo pulmonary inflammation model with readily accessible ways of measuring effectiveness of hMSCs. Our data show that there is a direct correlation between the traditional ceramic cube score to hMSCs attenuation of cellular recruitment due to ovalbumin challenge. The results from these studies verify the in vivo immuno-modulator effectiveness of hMSCs and support the potential use of the ovalbumin model as an in vivo model of hMSC potency and efficacy. Our data also support future directions toward exploring hMSCs as an alternative therapeutic for the treatment of airway inflammation associated with asthma.

The private initiative in public infrastructure and public utilities concessions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Juan Carlos Expósito Vélez

2010-06-01

Full Text Available Given the renewed and growing importance of the initiative of the private sector in developing public infrastructure and public utilities, especially as a consequence of the incentives created by the law, this study intends to address the various aspects of the new legal framework for the formation of concession contracts as a result of a particular initiative or idea and not as a product of the needs defined by the Administration, with a particular emphasis on the requirements for the formation of public works concessions, but without forgetting how the mechanism of private initiative applies to public utilities when they require a concession contract to be provided.

The utility of quantitative 99mTc-GSA liver scintigraphy in the evaluation of hepatic functional reserve

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shuke, Noriyuki; Aburano, Tamio; Nakajima, Kenichi

1992-01-01

Using data from 17 patients with liver cirrhosis and 3 patients with fatty liver, we have compared the utility of 3 hepatic imaging agents in the evalution of hepatic functional reserve. Evaluated here were 99m Tc-galactosyl human serum albumin (GSA) which is a new ligand for hepatic binding protein, 99m Tc-N-pyridoxyl-5-methyl tryptophan (PMT) of a hepatobiliary agent, and 99m Tc-Sn colloid. In each patient, we performed these 3 imaging studies within a week and also examined hepatic function tests (indocyanine green test, hepaplastin test, choline-esterase, etc). In each imaging study, serial images and dynamic data were obtained after the injection of 99m Tc-GSA (185 MBq/3 mg), 99m Tc-PMT (185 MBq), or 99m Tc-Sn colloid (185 MBq). Using the dynamic data obtained, we analyzed the liver kinetics of the 3 agents based on 1 compartment model with 3 parameters (hepatic clearance, hepatic excretion rate, non-specific volume of distribution). From fitting the liver and heart data to this model, three unknown parameters were determined. Patlak plot was also applied in order to estimate liver uptake rate. Both curve fitting and Patlak plot could determine appropriate parameters in every study. In 99m Tc-GSA, a nonlinear 3 compartment model was also applied in order to estimate hepatic blood flow, liver receptor density, and affinity of receptor-GSA binding separately. Using the parameters obtained, we analyzed the correlations between the parameters and the results of hepatic function tests. In all of the parameters, those obtained from 99m Tc-GSA imaging showed the most significant statistical correlation with the results of hepatic function tests. From the present results, 99m Tc-GSA imaging was concluded to be the best for evaluation of hepatic functional reserve. (author)

Glucagon-like peptide-1 reduces contractile function and fails to boost glucose utilization in normal hearts in the presence of fatty acids.

Science.gov (United States)

Nguyen, T Dung; Shingu, Yasushige; Amorim, Paulo A; Schwarzer, Michael; Doenst, Torsten

2013-10-09

GLP-1 and exendin-4, which are used as insulin sensitizers or weight reducing drugs, were shown to improve glucose uptake in the heart. However, the direct effects of GLP-1 or exendin-4 on normal hearts in the presence of fatty acids, the main cardiac substrates, have never been investigated. We therefore assessed the effects of GLP-1 or exendin-4 on myocardial glucose uptake (GU), glucose oxidation (GO) and cardiac performance (CP) under conditions of fatty acid utilization. Rat hearts were perfused with only glucose (5 mM) or glucose (5 mM) plus oleate (0.4 mM) as substrates for 60 min. After 30 min, GLP-1 or exendin-4 (0.5 nM or 5 nM) was added. In the absence of oleate, GLP-1 increased both GU and GO. Exendin-4 increased GO but showed no effect on GU. Neither GLP-1 nor exendin-4 affected CP. However, when oleate was present, GLP-1 failed to stimulate glucose utilization and exendin-4 even decreased GU. Furthermore, now GLP-1 reduced CP. In contrast to prior reports, this negative inotropic effect could not be blocked by the protein kinase A inhibitor H-89. We then measured myocardial GO and CP in rats receiving a 4-week GLP-1 infusion. Interestingly, this chronic treatment resulted in a significant reduction in both GO and CP. Under the influence of oleate, GLP-1 reduces contractile function and fails to stimulate glucose utilization in normal hearts. Exendin-4 may acutely reduce cardiac glucose uptake but not contractility. We suggest advanced investigation of heart function and metabolism in patients treating with these peptides. © 2013.

Pediatric Dentist Density and Preventive Care Utilization for Medicaid Children.

Science.gov (United States)

Heidenreich, James F; Kim, Amy S; Scott, JoAnna M; Chi, Donald L

2015-01-01

The purpose of this study was to evaluate county-level pediatric dentist density and dental care utilization for Medicaid-enrolled children. This was a cross-sectional analysis of 604,885 zero- to 17-year-olds enrolled in the Washington State Medicaid Program for 11-12 months in 2012. The relationship between county-level pediatric dentist density, defined as the number of pediatric dentists per 10,000 Medicaid-enrolled children, and preventive dental care utilization was evaluated using linear regression models. In 2012, 179 pediatric dentists practiced in 16 of the 39 counties in Washington. County-level pediatric dentist density varied from zero to 5.98 pediatric dentists per 10,000 Medicaid-enrolled children. County-level preventive dental care utilization ranged from 32 percent to 81 percent, with 62 percent of Medicaid-enrolled children utilizing preventive dental services. County-level density was significantly associated with county-level dental care utilization (Slope equals 1.67, 95 percent confidence interval equals 0.02, 3.32, Pchildren who utilize preventive dental care services. Policies aimed at improving pediatric oral health disparities should include strategies to increase the number of oral health care providers, including pediatric dentists, in geographic areas with large proportions of Medicaid-enrolled children.

A utility theory approach for insurance pricing

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mohsen Gharakhani

2015-11-01

Full Text Available Providing insurance contract with “deductible” is beneficial for both insurer and insured. In this paper, we provide a utility modeling approach to handle insurance pricing and evaluate the tradeoff between discount benefit and deductible level. We analyze four different pricing problems of no insurance, full insurance coverage, insurance with β% deductible and insurance with D-dollar deductible based on a given utility function. A numerical example is also used to illustrate some interesting results.

The first sight of love: Relationship-defining memories and marital satisfaction across adulthood.

Science.gov (United States)

Alea, Nicole; Vick, Stephanie C

2010-10-01

The current study begins the exploration of relationship-defining memories (i.e., the first time someone met their spouse) across adulthood. Men and women ranging from 20 to 85 years old (N=267; M age=47.19) completed a measure of marital satisfaction, wrote a relationship-defining memory, and answered questions about the quality of their memory (i.e., vividness, valence, emotional intensity, and rehearsal). Data were collected online. Results indicate that individuals over 70 and those younger than 30 rehearsed relationship-defining memories most often. Women in midlife also reported more vivid memories. The quality of relationship-defining memories also predicted marital satisfaction. Relationship-defining memories that were more vivid, positive, emotionally intense, and rehearsed related to higher marital satisfaction. Age and gender differences were minimal. Results are discussed in the context of the adaptive social function of autobiographical memories, such that these memories might have a role in influencing marital satisfaction across adulthood.

Data-driven approach for assessing utility of medical tests using electronic medical records.

Science.gov (United States)

Skrøvseth, Stein Olav; Augestad, Knut Magne; Ebadollahi, Shahram

2015-02-01

To precisely define the utility of tests in a clinical pathway through data-driven analysis of the electronic medical record (EMR). The information content was defined in terms of the entropy of the expected value of the test related to a given outcome. A kernel density classifier was used to estimate the necessary distributions. To validate the method, we used data from the EMR of the gastrointestinal department at a university hospital. Blood tests from patients undergoing surgery for gastrointestinal surgery were analyzed with respect to second surgery within 30 days of the index surgery. The information content is clearly reflected in the patient pathway for certain combinations of tests and outcomes. C-reactive protein tests coupled to anastomosis leakage, a severe complication show a clear pattern of information gain through the patient trajectory, where the greatest gain from the test is 3-4 days post index surgery. We have defined the information content in a data-driven and information theoretic way such that the utility of a test can be precisely defined. The results reflect clinical knowledge. In the case we used the tests carry little negative impact. The general approach can be expanded to cases that carry a substantial negative impact, such as in certain radiological techniques. Copyright © 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

DSM and electric utility competitiveness: An Illinois perspective

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jackson, P.W.

1994-01-01

A predominant theme in the current electric utility industry literature is that competitive forces have emerged and may become more prominent. The wholesale bulk power market is alreadly competitive, as non-utility energy service providers already have had a significant impact on that market; this trend was accelerated by the Energy Policy Act of 1992. Although competition at the retail level is much less pervasive, electric utility customers increasingly have greater choice in selecting energy services. These choices may include, depending on the customer, the ability to self-generate, switch fuels, move to a new location, or rely more heavily on demand-side management as a means of controlling electric energy use. This paper explores the subject of how demand-side management (DSM) programs, which are often developed by a utility to satisfy resource requirements as a part of its least-cost planning process, can affect the utility's ability to compete in the energy services marketplace. In this context, the term 'DSM' is used in this paper to refer to those demand-side services and programs which provide resources to the utility's system. Depending on one's perspective, DSM programs (so defined) can be viewed either as an enhancement to the competitive position of a utility by enabling it to provide its customers with a broader menu of energy services, simultaneously satisfying the objectives of the utility as well as those of the customers, or as a detractor to a utility's ability to compete. In the latter case, the concern is with respect to the potential for adverse rate impacts on customers who are not participants in DSM programs. The paper consists of an identification of the pros and cons of DSM as a competitive strategy, the tradeoff which can occur between the cost impacts and rate impacts of DSM, and an examination of alternative strategies for maximizing the utilization of DSM both as a resource and as a competitive strategy

Multiattribute Utility Theory without Expected Utility Foundations

NARCIS (Netherlands)

J. Miyamoto (John); P.P. Wakker (Peter)

1996-01-01

textabstractMethods for determining the form of utilities are needed for the implementation of utility theory in specific decisions. An important step forward was achieved when utility theorists characterized useful parametric families of utilities and simplifying decompositions of multiattribute

Statistical utility theory for comparison of nuclear versus fossil power plant alternatives

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Garribba, S.; Ovi, A.

1977-01-01

A statistical formulation of utility theory is developed for decision problems concerned with the choice among alternative strategies in electric energy production. Four alternatives are considered: nuclear power, fossil power, solar energy, and conservation policy. Attention is focused on a public electric utility thought of as a rational decision-maker. A framework for decisions is then suggested where the admissible strategies and their possible consequences represent the information available to the decision-maker. Once the objectives of the decision process are assessed, consequences can be quantified in terms of measures of effectiveness. Maximum expected utility is the criterion of choice among alternatives. Steps toward expected values are the evaluation of the multidimensional utility function and the assessment of subjective probabilities for consequences. In this respect, the multiplicative form of the utility function seems less restrictive than the additive form and almost as manageable to implement. Probabilities are expressed through subjective marginal probability density functions given at a discrete number of points. The final stage of the decision model is to establish the value of each strategy. To this scope, expected utilities are computed and scaled. The result is that nuclear power offers the best alternative. 8 figures, 9 tables, 32 references

A bayesian approach to laboratory utilization management

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ronald G Hauser

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Background: Laboratory utilization management describes a process designed to increase healthcare value by altering requests for laboratory services. A typical approach to monitor and prioritize interventions involves audits of laboratory orders against specific criteria, defined as rule-based laboratory utilization management. This approach has inherent limitations. First, rules are inflexible. They adapt poorly to the ambiguity of medical decision-making. Second, rules judge the context of a decision instead of the patient outcome allowing an order to simultaneously save a life and break a rule. Third, rules can threaten physician autonomy when used in a performance evaluation. Methods: We developed an alternative to rule-based laboratory utilization. The core idea comes from a formula used in epidemiology to estimate disease prevalence. The equation relates four terms: the prevalence of disease, the proportion of positive tests, test sensitivity and test specificity. When applied to a laboratory utilization audit, the formula estimates the prevalence of disease (pretest probability [PTP] in the patients tested. The comparison of PTPs among different providers, provider groups, or patient cohorts produces an objective evaluation of laboratory requests. We demonstrate the model in a review of tests for enterovirus (EV meningitis. Results: The model identified subpopulations within the cohort with a low prevalence of disease. These low prevalence groups shared demographic and seasonal factors known to protect against EV meningitis. This suggests too many orders occurred from patients at low risk for EV. Conclusion: We introduce a new method for laboratory utilization management programs to audit laboratory services.

Helicobacter Pylori Related Functional Dyspepsia in a Defined Malaysian Population

OpenAIRE

Nafeeza, M.I.; Isa, M.R.; Kudva, M.V.; Ishak, M.S.; Mazlam, M.Z.; Haron, A.; Najib, R.; Shahimi, M.M.

2000-01-01

The objective of the study was to determine the prevalence of H. pylori in functional dyspepsia among the three main races in Malaysia. Gastric antral biopsies from 233 (98 males, 135 females; age range: 17–75 years, mean age 39.5 years) patients attending the Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) gastroenterology clinic were assessed for the presence of H. pylori by culture and histology. About a third of the cases (79 of 233 (34%); 34 males, 45 females; mean age 42.6 yrs) were positive for H...

Utility reconnection services : a new threat to vulnerable consumers?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lott, S.

2002-10-01

The current status of deregulation or restructuring of the energy and telecommunications sector in Canada and the United States was examined along with its impact on low-income consumers. In particular, this report examined the electricity, natural gas and telephone utilities and the extent to which reconnection services have emerged in Canada. With deregulation and utility restructuring, investment and pricing decisions are made according to market forces and competition. The core functions of the utility are unbundled into generation, transmission and distribution functions. The main impact on residential consumers is that their source of supply may change. This report also examined the regulatory responses to utility reconnection services and the impact of market segmentation in the energy sector. It focused on Canada's legislative framework that protects vulnerable consumers. It also examined the federal regulatory role in energy and telecommunications, siting Ontario as an example. It was noted that the experience in the United States with market segmentation and its negative impact on vulnerable consumers should provide some warnings for Canada. 75 refs

High utilizers of medical care: a crucial subgroup among somatizing patients.

Science.gov (United States)

Hiller, Wolfgang; Fichter, Manfred M

2004-04-01

Patients with somatoform disorders (SFD) are likely to overutilize healthcare services. This study investigates (a) whether extraordinarily high medical costs can be predicted from patient characteristics or psychopathology, and (b) whether high-utilizing patients respond differently to cognitive-behavioral treatment. We compared 42 SFD high utilizers with 53 SFD average utilizers and 29 patients suffering from other than SFD mental disorders. High utilization was defined by healthcare expenditures of > or = 2500 euros during the past 2 years. Costs were computed from medical and billing records of health insurance companies. Somatization distress, hypochondriasis, depression, dysfunctional cognitions related to bodily symptoms, general psychopathology, personality profiles, and psychosocial disabilities were assessed before treatment. High utilizers had higher levels of self- and observer-rated illness behavior, self-perceived bodily weakness, and psychosocial disabilities. Although they did not report more somatization symptoms, their subjective symptom distress was higher. There were no differences between high and average utilizers concerning general psychopathology, DSM-IV comorbidity, and personality profiles. Treatment improvements were similar. High- and average-utilizing somatizers represent distinguishable subgroups. The results emphasize the importance of mechanisms specifically related to SFD and may enhance the early detection of patients who are likely to develop overutilization. Copyright 2004 Elsevier Inc.

Interactive definition of transfer functions in volume rendering based on image markers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Teistler, Michael; Nowinski, Wieslaw L.; Breiman, Richard S.; Liong, Sauw Ming; Ho, Liang Yoong; Shahab, Atif

2007-01-01

Objectives A user interface for transfer function (TF) definition in volume rendering (VR) was developed that allows the user to intuitively assign color and opacity to the original image intensities. This software may surpass solutions currently deployed in clinical practice by simplifying the use of TFs beyond predefined settings that are not always applicable. Materials and methods The TF definition is usually a cumbersome task that requires the user to manipulate graphical representations of the TF (e.g. trapezoids). A new method that allows the user to place markers at points of interest directly on CT and MRI images or orthogonal reformations was developed based on two-dimensional region growing and a few user-definable marker-related parameters. For each user defined image marker, a segment of the transfer function is computed. The resulting TF can also be applied to the slice image views. Results were judged subjectively. Results Each individualized TF can be defined interactively in a few simple steps. For every user interaction, immediate visual feedback is given. Clinicians who tested the application appreciated being able to directly work on familiar slice images to generate the desired 3D views. Conclusion Interactive TF definition can increase the actual utility of VR, help to understand the role of the TF with its variations, and increase the acceptance of VR as a clinical tool. (orig.)

The Ultimate Big Data Enterprise Initiative: Defining Functional Capabilities for an International Information System (IIS) for Orbital Space Data (OSD)

Science.gov (United States)

Raygan, R.

Global collaboration in support of an International Information System (IIS) for Orbital Space Data (OSD) literally requires a global enterprise. As with many information technology enterprise initiatives attempting to coral the desires of business with the budgets and limitations of technology, Space Situational Awareness (SSA) includes many of the same challenges: 1) Adaptive / Intuitive Dash Board that facilitates User Experience Design for a variety of users. 2) Asset Management of hundreds of thousands of objects moving at thousands of miles per hour hundreds of miles in space. 3) Normalization and integration of diverse data in various languages, possibly hidden or protected from easy access. 4) Expectations of near real-time information availability coupled with predictive analysis to affect decisions before critical points of no return, such as Space Object Conjunction Assessment (CA). 5) Data Ownership, management, taxonomy, and accuracy. 6) Integrated metrics and easily modified algorithms for "what if" analysis. This paper proposes an approach to define the functional capabilities for an IIS for OSD. These functional capabilities not only address previously identified gaps in current systems but incorporate lessons learned from other big data, enterprise, and agile information technology initiatives that correlate to the space domain. Viewing the IIS as the "data service provider" allows adoption of existing information technology processes which strengthen governance and ensure service consumers certain levels of service dependability and accuracy.

A snapshot into the uptake and utilization of potential oligosaccharide prebiotics by probiotic lactobacilli and bifidobacteria as accessed by transcriptomics, functional genomics, and recombinant protein characterization

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Andersen, Joakim Mark

and lifestyle diseases are currently well documented. Selective utilization, of primarily non-digestible carbohydrates, termed prebiotics, by probiotics has been identified as an attribute of probiotic action, however the molecular mechanisms of prebiotics utilization and in particular the specificities...... of carbohydrate transporters and glycoside hydrolases that confer this remain largely unknown, limiting a robust understanding for the basis of selective utilization of known prebiotics and the discovery and documentation of novel prebiotics. The aim of this Ph.D. thesis was to identify the genes involved...... with uptake and catabolism of potential prebiotics by the probiotics Lactobacillus acidophilus NCFM and Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis Bl-04 as model organisms, using DNA whole genome microarrays and by in silico pathway re-construction to identify key genes for further functional analysis by gene...

Experimental Approaches for Defining Functional Roles of Microbes in the Human Gut

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Dantas, Gautam; Sommer, Morten; Degnan, Patrick H.

2013-01-01

The complex and intimate relationship between humans and their gut microbial communities is becoming less obscure, due in part to large-scale gut microbial genome-sequencing projects and culture-independent surveys of the composition and gene content of these communities.These studies build upon...... ofmicrobial genome and community profiling projects, and the loss-of-function and gain-of-function strategies long employed in model organisms are now being extended to microbial genes, species, and communities from the human gut. These developments promise to deepen our understanding of human gut host...

Convex trace functions of several variables

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hansen, Frank

2002-01-01

We prove that the function (x1,...,xk)¿Tr(f(x1,...,xk)), defined on k-tuples of symmetric matrices of order (n1,...,nk) in the domain of f, is convex for any convex function f of k variables. The matrix f(x1,...,xk) is defined by the functional calculus for functions of several variables, and it ...

Parametrically defined cerebral blood vessels as non-invasive blood input functions for brain PET studies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Asselin, Marie-Claude; Cunningham, Vincent J; Amano, Shigeko; Gunn, Roger N; Nahmias, Claude

2004-01-01

A non-invasive alternative to arterial blood sampling for the generation of a blood input function for brain positron emission tomography (PET) studies is presented. The method aims to extract the dimensions of the blood vessel directly from PET images and to simultaneously correct the radioactivity concentration for partial volume and spillover. This involves simulation of the tomographic imaging process to generate images of different blood vessel and background geometries and selecting the one that best fits, in a least-squares sense, the acquired PET image. A phantom experiment was conducted to validate the method which was then applied to eight subjects injected with 6-[ 18 F]fluoro-L-DOPA and one subject injected with [ 11 C]CO-labelled red blood cells. In the phantom study, the diameter of syringes filled with an 11 C solution and inserted into a water-filled cylinder were estimated with an accuracy of half a pixel (1 mm). The radioactivity concentration was recovered to 100 ± 4% in the 8.7 mm diameter syringe, the one that most closely approximated the superior sagittal sinus. In the human studies, the method systematically overestimated the calibre of the superior sagittal sinus by 2-3 mm compared to measurements made in magnetic resonance venograms on the same subjects. Sources of discrepancies related to the anatomy of the blood vessel were found not to be fundamental limitations to the applicability of the method to human subjects. This method has the potential to provide accurate quantification of blood radioactivity concentration from PET images without the need for blood samples, corrections for delay and dispersion, co-registered anatomical images, or manually defined regions of interest

Planning Routes Across Economic Terrains: Maximizing Utility, Following Heuristics

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Hang; Maddula, Soumya V.; Maloney, Laurence T.

2010-01-01

We designed an economic task to investigate human planning of routes in landscapes where travel in different kinds of terrain incurs different costs. Participants moved their finger across a touch screen from a starting point to a destination. The screen was divided into distinct kinds of terrain and travel within each kind of terrain imposed a cost proportional to distance traveled. We varied costs and spatial configurations of terrains and participants received fixed bonuses minus the total cost of the routes they chose. We first compared performance to a model maximizing gain. All but one of 12 participants failed to adopt least-cost routes and their failure to do so reduced their winnings by about 30% (median value). We tested in detail whether participants’ choices of routes satisfied three necessary conditions (heuristics) for a route to maximize gain. We report failures of one heuristic for 7 out of 12 participants. Last of all, we modeled human performance with the assumption that participants assign subjective utilities to costs and maximize utility. For 7 out 12 participants, the fitted utility function was an accelerating power function of actual cost and for the remaining 5, a decelerating power function. We discuss connections between utility aggregation in route planning and decision under risk. Our task could be adapted to investigate human strategy and optimality of route planning in full-scale landscapes. PMID:21833269

PLANNING ROUTES ACROSS ECONOMIC TERRAINS: MAXIMIZING UTILITY, FOLLOWING HEURISTICS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hang eZhang

2010-12-01

Full Text Available We designed an economic task to investigate human planning of routes in landscapes where travel in different kinds of terrain incurs different costs. Participants moved their finger across a touch screen from a starting point to a destination. The screen was divided into distinct kinds of terrain and travel within each kind of terrain imposed a cost proportional to distance traveled. We varied costs and spatial configurations of terrains and participants received fixed bonuses minus the total cost of the routes they chose. We first compared performance to a model maximizing gain. All but one of 12 participants failed to adopt least-cost routes and their failure to do so reduced their winnings by about 30% (median value. We tested in detail whether participants’ choices of routes satisfied three necessary conditions (heuristics for a route to maximize gain. We report failures of one heuristic for 7 out of 12 participants. Last of all, we modeled human performance with the assumption that participants assign subjective utilities to costs and maximize utility. For 7 out 12 participants, the fitted utility function was an accelerating power function of actual cost and for the remaining 5, a decelerating power function. We discuss connections between utility aggregation in route planning and decision under risk. Our task could be adapted to investigate human strategy and optimality of route planning in full-scale landscapes.

A utility theoretic view on probabilistic safety criteria

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Holmberg, J.E.

1997-03-01

A probabilistic safety criterion specifies the maximum acceptable hazard rates of various accidental consequences. Assuming that the criterion depends also on the benefit of the process to society and on the licensing time applied, we can regard such statements as preference relations. In this paper, a probabilistic safety criterion is interpreted to mean that if the accident hazard rate is higher than the accident hazard rate criterion, then the optimal stopping time of a hazardous process is shorter than the licensing time. This interpretation yields a condition for a feasible utility function. In particular, we derive such a condition for the parameters of a linear plus exponential utility function. (orig.) (12 refs.)

Oral intake of encapsulated dried ginger root powder hardly affects human thermoregulatory function, but appears to facilitate fat utilization

Science.gov (United States)

Miyamoto, Mayumi; Matsuzaki, Kentaro; Katakura, Masanori; Hara, Toshiko; Tanabe, Yoko; Shido, Osamu

2015-10-01

The present study investigated the impact of a single oral ingestion of ginger on thermoregulatory function and fat oxidation in humans. Morning and afternoon oral intake of 1.0 g dried ginger root powder did not alter rectal temperature, skin blood flow, O2 consumption, CO2 production, and thermal sensation and comfort, or induce sweating at an ambient temperature of 28 °C. Ginger ingestion had no effect on threshold temperatures for skin blood flow or thermal sweating. Serum levels of free fatty acids were significantly elevated at 120 min after ginger ingestion in both the morning and afternoon. Morning ginger intake significantly reduced respiratory exchange ratios and elevated fat oxidation by 13.5 % at 120 min after ingestion. This was not the case in the afternoon. These results suggest that the effect of a single oral ginger administration on the peripheral and central thermoregulatory function is miniscule, but does facilitate fat utilization although the timing of the administration may be relevant.

Pulmonary functional MR imaging for COPD

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ohno, Yoshiharu

2008-01-01

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a slowly progressive disease characterized by airflow limitation, cough, sputum production, and, at later stages, dyspnea. COPD is currently the fourth-leading cause of mortality and the twelfth-leading cause of disability, and by the year 2020 it is expected to be the third-leading cause of death and the fifth-leading cause of disability worldwide. The diagnosis of COPD largely relies on a history of exposure to noxious stimuli and abnormal lung function test results. Since the pathology of COPD varies and the molecular mechanisms are only slightly understood, the diagnosis and stage assessment of COPD have relied on the results of pulmonary function test. In addition, CT and nuclear medicine study are utilized for assessment of regional morphological and functional abnormalities. Recently, pulmonary functional MR imaging is suggested as a new technique for assessment of regional physiopathologic information in various pulmonary diseases including COPD, pulmonary thromboembolism, lung cancer and interstitial lung diseases. This review article covers the brief description of theory and clinical application of contrast-enhanced perfusion MR imaging; hyperpolarized noble gas MR imaging and oxygen-enhanced MR imaging in COPD subjects. We believe that further basic studies as well as clinical applications of this new technique will define the real significance of pulmonary functional MR imaging for the future of pulmonary functional imaging and its usefulness for diagnosis and patients' management in COPD. (author)

Summary of functional and performance test procedures

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mitzel, Jens; Gülzow, Erich; Friedrich, K. Andreas

Different Test Modules (TM) are defined for the functional and performance characterization of a PEMFC stack. The master document TM2.00 defines requirements and methodology for parameter variation, stability and data acquisition.......Different Test Modules (TM) are defined for the functional and performance characterization of a PEMFC stack. The master document TM2.00 defines requirements and methodology for parameter variation, stability and data acquisition....

On Poisson functions

OpenAIRE

Terashima, Yuji

2008-01-01

In this paper, defining Poisson functions on super manifolds, we show that the graphs of Poisson functions are Dirac structures, and find Poisson functions which include as special cases both quasi-Poisson structures and twisted Poisson structures.

Practical guidance for defining a smart grid modernization strategy the case of distribution

CERN Document Server

Madrigal, Marcelino

2015-01-01

This document provides some practical guidance on how utilities can define their own smart grid vision, identify priorities, and structure investment plans. While most of these strategic aspects apply to any area of the electricity grid, the document focuses on the segment of distribution. The guidance includes key building blocks that are needed to modernize the distribution grid and provides examples of grid modernization projects. Potential benefits that can be achieved (in monetary terms) for a given investment range are also discussed.The concept of the smart grid is relevant to any grid

Defining immune engagement thresholds for in vivo control of virus-driven lymphoproliferation.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cristina Godinho-Silva

2014-06-01

Full Text Available Persistent infections are subject to constant surveillance by CD8+ cytotoxic T cells (CTL. Their control should therefore depend on MHC class I-restricted epitope presentation. Many epitopes are described for γ-herpesviruses and form a basis for prospective immunotherapies and vaccines. However the quantitative requirements of in vivo immune control for epitope presentation and recognition remain poorly defined. We used Murid Herpesvirus-4 (MuHV-4 to determine for a latently expressed viral epitope how MHC class-I binding and CTL functional avidity impact on host colonization. Tracking MuHV-4 recombinants that differed only in epitope presentation, we found little latitude for sub-optimal MHC class I binding before immune control failed. By contrast, control remained effective across a wide range of T cell functional avidities. Thus, we could define critical engagement thresholds for the in vivo immune control of virus-driven B cell proliferation.

Model Penentuan Nilai Target Functional Requirement Berbasis Utilitas

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cucuk Nur Rosyidi

2012-01-01

Full Text Available In a product design and development process, a designer faces a problem to decide functional requirement (FR target values. That decision is made under a risk since it is conducted in the early design phase using incomplete information. Utility function can be used to reflect the decision maker attitude towards the risk in making such decision. In this research, we develop a utility-based model to determine FR target values using quadratic utility function and information from Quality Function Deployment (QFD. A pencil design is used as a numerical example using quadratic utility function for each FR. The model can be applied for balancing customer and designer interest in determining FR target values.

Assessment of net lost revenue adjustment mechanisms for utility DSM programs

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Baxter, L.W.

1995-01-01

Utility shareholders can lose money on demand-side management (DSM) investments between rate cases. Several industry analysts argue that the revenues lost from utility DSM programs are an important financial disincentive to utility DSM investment. A key utility regulatory reform undertaken since 1989 allows utilities to recover the lost revenues incurred through successful operation of DSM programs. Explicitly defined net lost revenue adjustment (NLRA) mechanisms are states` preferred approach to lost revenue recovery from DSM programs. This report examines the experiences states and utilities are having with the NLRA approach. The report has three objectives. First, we determine whether NLRA is a feasible and successful approach to removing the lost-revenue disincentive to utility operation of DSM programs. Second, we identify the conditions linked to successful implementation of NLRA mechanisms in different states and assess whether NLRA has changed utility investment behavior. Third, we suggest improvements to NLRA mechanisms. We first identify states with NLRA mechanisms where utilities are recovering lost revenues from DSM programs. We interview staff at regulatory agencies in all these states and utility staff in four states. These interviews focus on the status of NLRA, implementation issues, DSM measurement issues, and NLRA results. We also analyze regulatory agency orders on NLRA, as well as associated testimony, reports, and utility lost revenue recovery filings. Finally, we use qualitative and quantitative indicators to assess NLRA`s effectiveness. Contrary to the concerns raised by some industry analysts, our results indicate NLRA is a feasible approach to the lost-revenue disincentive.

Memory Synapses Are Defined by Distinct Molecular Complexes: A Proposal.

Science.gov (United States)

Sossin, Wayne S

2018-01-01

Synapses are diverse in form and function. While there are strong evidential and theoretical reasons for believing that memories are stored at synapses, the concept of a specialized "memory synapse" is rarely discussed. Here, we review the evidence that memories are stored at the synapse and consider the opposing possibilities. We argue that if memories are stored in an active fashion at synapses, then these memory synapses must have distinct molecular complexes that distinguish them from other synapses. In particular, examples from Aplysia sensory-motor neuron synapses and synapses on defined engram neurons in rodent models are discussed. Specific hypotheses for molecular complexes that define memory synapses are presented, including persistently active kinases, transmitter receptor complexes and trans-synaptic adhesion proteins.

Utilizing functional near-infrared spectroscopy for prediction of cognitive workload in noisy work environments.

Science.gov (United States)

Gabbard, Ryan; Fendley, Mary; Dar, Irfaan A; Warren, Rik; Kashou, Nasser H

2017-10-01

Occupational noise frequently occurs in the work environment in military intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance operations. This impacts cognitive performance by acting as a stressor, potentially interfering with the analysts' decision-making process. We investigated the effects of different noise stimuli on analysts' performance and workload in anomaly detection by simulating a noisy work environment. We utilized functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) to quantify oxy-hemoglobin (HbO) and deoxy-hemoglobin concentration changes in the prefrontal cortex (PFC), as well as behavioral measures, which include eye tracking, reaction time, and accuracy rate. We hypothesized that noisy environments would have a negative effect on the participant in terms of anomaly detection performance due to the increase in workload, which would be reflected by an increase in PFC activity. We found that HbO for some of the channels analyzed were significantly different across noise types ([Formula: see text]). Our results also indicated that HbO activation for short-intermittent noise stimuli was greater in the PFC compared to long-intermittent noises. These approaches using fNIRS in conjunction with an understanding of the impact on human analysts in anomaly detection could potentially lead to better performance by optimizing work environments.

A Real-Time GPP Software-Defined Radio Testbed for the Physical Layer of Wireless Standards

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Schiphorst, Roelof; Hoeksema, F.W.; Slump, Cornelis H.

2005-01-01

We present our contribution to the general-purpose-processor-(GPP)-based radio. We describe a baseband software-defined radio testbed for the physical layer of wireless LAN standards. All physical layer functions have been successfully mapped on a Pentium 4 processor that performs these functions in

Enabling Cross-Discipline Collaboration Via a Functional Data Model

Science.gov (United States)

Lindholm, D. M.; Wilson, A.; Baltzer, T.

2016-12-01

Many research disciplines have very specialized data models that are used to express the detailed semantics that are meaningful to that community and easily utilized by their data analysis tools. While invaluable to members of that community, such expressive data structures and metadata are of little value to potential collaborators from other scientific disciplines. Many data interoperability efforts focus on the difficult task of computationally mapping concepts from one domain to another to facilitate discovery and use of data. Although these efforts are important and promising, we have found that a great deal of discovery and dataset understanding still happens at the level of less formal, personal communication. However, a significant barrier to inter-disciplinary data sharing that remains is one of data access.Scientists and data analysts continue to spend inordinate amounts of time simply trying to get data into their analysis tools. Providing data in a standard file format is often not sufficient since data can be structured in many ways. Adhering to more explicit community standards for data structure and metadata does little to help those in other communities.The Functional Data Model specializes the Relational Data Model (used by many database systems)by defining relations as functions between independent (domain) and dependent (codomain) variables. Given that arrays of data in many scientific data formats generally represent functionally related parameters (e.g. temperature as a function of space and time), the Functional Data Model is quite relevant for these datasets as well. The LaTiS software framework implements the Functional Data Model and provides a mechanism to expose an existing data source as a LaTiS dataset. LaTiS datasets can be manipulated using a Functional Algebra and output in any number of formats.LASP has successfully used the Functional Data Model and its implementation in the LaTiS software framework to bridge the gap between

Functional identification in Lactobacillus reuteri of a PocR-like transcription factor regulating glycerol utilization and vitamin B12 synthesis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Saulnier Delphine MA

2011-07-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Lactobacillus reuteri harbors the genes responsible for glycerol utilization and vitamin B12 synthesis within a genetic island phylogenetically related to gamma-Proteobacteria. Within this island, resides a gene (lreu_1750 that based on its genomic context has been suggested to encode the regulatory protein PocR and presumably control the expression of the neighboring loci. However, this functional assignment is not fully supported by sequence homology, and hitherto, completely lacks experimental confirmation. Results In this contribution, we have overexpressed and inactivated the gene encoding the putative PocR in L. reuteri. The comparison of these strains provided metabolic and transcriptional evidence that this regulatory protein controls the expression of the operons encoding glycerol utilization and vitamin B12 synthesis. Conclusions We provide clear experimental evidence for assigning Lreu_1750 as PocR in Lactobacillus reuteri. Our genome-wide transcriptional analysis further identifies the loci contained in the PocR regulon. The findings reported here could be used to improve the production-yield of vitamin B12, 1,3-propanediol and reuterin, all industrially relevant compounds.

Analysis of C. elegans NR2E nuclear receptors defines three conserved clades and ligand-independent functions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Weber Katherine P

2012-06-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The nuclear receptors (NRs are an important class of transcription factors that are conserved across animal phyla. Canonical NRs consist of a DNA-binding domain (DBD and ligand-binding domain (LBD. While most animals have 20–40 NRs, nematodes of the genus Caenorhabditis have experienced a spectacular proliferation and divergence of NR genes. The LBDs of evolutionarily-conserved Caenorhabditis NRs have diverged sharply from their Drosophila and vertebrate orthologs, while the DBDs have been strongly conserved. The NR2E family of NRs play critical roles in development, especially in the nervous system. In this study, we explore the phylogenetics and function of the NR2E family of Caenorhabditis elegans, using an in vivo assay to test LBD function. Results Phylogenetic analysis reveals that the NR2E family of NRs consists of three broadly-conserved clades of orthologous NRs. In C. elegans, these clades are defined by nhr-67, fax-1 and nhr-239. The vertebrate orthologs of nhr-67 and fax-1 are Tlx and PNR, respectively. While the nhr-239 clade includes orthologs in insects (Hr83, an echinoderm, and a hemichordate, the gene appears to have been lost from vertebrate lineages. The C. elegans and C. briggsae nhr-239 genes have an apparently-truncated and highly-diverged LBD region. An additional C. elegans NR2E gene, nhr-111, appears to be a recently-evolved paralog of fax-1; it is present in C. elegans, but not C. briggsae or other animals with completely-sequenced genomes. Analysis of the relatively unstudied nhr-111 and nhr-239 genes demonstrates that they are both expressed—nhr-111 very broadly and nhr-239 in a small subset of neurons. Analysis of the FAX-1 LBD in an in vivo assay revealed that it is not required for at least some developmental functions. Conclusions Our analysis supports three conserved clades of NR2E receptors, only two of which are represented in vertebrates, indicating three ancestral NR2E genes in the

Short communication: Feed utilization and its associations with fertility and productive life in 11 commercial Pennsylvania tie-stall herds.

Science.gov (United States)

Vallimont, J E; Dechow, C D; Daubert, J M; Dekleva, M W; Blum, J W; Liu, W; Varga, G A; Heinrichs, A J; Baumrucker, C R

2013-02-01

The objectives of this study were to quantify the relationships of various definitions of feed utilization with both fertility and productive life. Intake and body measurement data were collected monthly on 970 cows in 11 tie-stall herds for 6 consecutive months. Measures of feed utilization for this study were dry matter intake (DMI), dry matter intake efficiency (DME, defined as 305-d fat-corrected milk/305-d DMI), DME with intake adjusted for maintenance requirements (DMEM), crude protein efficiency (defined as 305-d protein yield/305-d crude protein intake), and 2 definitions of residual feed intake (RFI). The first, RFI(reg), was calculated by regressing daily DMI on daily milk, fat, and protein yields, body weight (BW), daily body condition score (BCS) gain or loss, the interaction between BW and BCS gain or loss, and days in milk. The second, RFI(NRC), was estimated by subtracting 305-d DMI predicted according to their fat-corrected milk and BW from actual 305-d DMI. Data were analyzed with 8-trait animal models and included one measure of feed utilization and milk, fat, and protein yields, BW, BCS, days open (DO), and productive life (PL). The genetic correlation between DME and DO was 0.53 (± 0.19) and that between DME and PL was 0.66 (± 0.10). These results show that cows who had higher feed efficiency had greater DO (undesirable) and greater PL (desirable). Results were similar for the genetic correlation between DO and crude protein efficiency (0.42). Productive life had genetic correlations of -0.22 with BW and -0.48 with BCS, suggesting that larger, fatter cows in this study had shorter PL. Correlations between estimated breeding values for feed utilization and official sire genetic evaluations for fertility were in agreement with the results from the multiple-trait models. Selection programs intended to enhance feed efficiency should factor relationships with functional traits to avoid unfavorable effects on cow fertility. Copyright © 2013

Languages for Software-Defined Networks

Science.gov (United States)

2013-02-01

switches, firewalls, and middleboxes) with closed and proprietary configuration inter- faces. Software - Defined Networks ( SDN ) are poised to change...how- ever, have seen growing interest in software - defined networks ( SDNs ), in which a logically-centralized controller manages the packet-processing...switches, firewalls, and middleboxes) with closed and proprietary configuration interfaces. Software - Defined Networks ( SDN ) are poised to change this

Enhanced disease characterization through multi network functional normalization in fMRI.

Science.gov (United States)

Çetin, Mustafa S; Khullar, Siddharth; Damaraju, Eswar; Michael, Andrew M; Baum, Stefi A; Calhoun, Vince D

2015-01-01

Conventionally, structural topology is used for spatial normalization during the pre-processing of fMRI. The co-existence of multiple intrinsic networks which can be detected in the resting brain are well-studied. Also, these networks exhibit temporal and spatial modulation during cognitive task vs. rest which shows the existence of common spatial excitation patterns between these identified networks. Previous work (Khullar et al., 2011) has shown that structural and functional data may not have direct one-to-one correspondence and functional activation patterns in a well-defined structural region can vary across subjects even for a well-defined functional task. The results of this study and the existence of the neural activity patterns in multiple networks motivates us to investigate multiple resting-state networks as a single fusion template for functional normalization for multi groups of subjects. We extend the previous approach (Khullar et al., 2011) by co-registering multi group of subjects (healthy control and schizophrenia patients) and by utilizing multiple resting-state networks (instead of just one) as a single fusion template for functional normalization. In this paper we describe the initial steps toward using multiple resting-state networks as a single fusion template for functional normalization. A simple wavelet-based image fusion approach is presented in order to evaluate the feasibility of combining multiple functional networks. Our results showed improvements in both the significance of group statistics (healthy control and schizophrenia patients) and the spatial extent of activation when a multiple resting-state network applied as a single fusion template for functional normalization after the conventional structural normalization. Also, our results provided evidence that the improvement in significance of group statistics lead to better accuracy results for classification of healthy controls and schizophrenia patients.

Exercise, physiological function, and the selection of participants for aging research.

Science.gov (United States)

Lazarus, Norman R; Harridge, Stephen D R

2010-08-01

Regular and vigorous exercisers appear to be the logical choice for studying the inherent aging process as they are essentially free from the complications of disuse. Cross-sectional studies of aging tend to depict an essentially smooth and progressive decrement of physiological function with increasing chronological age. On closer examination of such data, it is seen that although the young have high functional values and the very old low, between these limits, values are widely scattered. We have reevaluated published data from a meta-analysis of 242 studies on men and from a similar study on women. From both data sets, where VO2max was plotted against chronological age, we stratified the VO2max values into bandwidth intervals of 5 ml/kg/minute and then allocated data points to their respective bandwidth irrespective of chronological age. When replotted into bandwidths of functional equivalence, these data show that at the extremes of function, the young are separated from the old. Between these values, each functional bandwidth accommodates a wide age range. The decrement in function with chronological age is not smooth or well defined. We suggest that participants for research into healthy aging should be initially segregated into bands of functionally equivalent VO2max values irrespective of their chronological age. Subsequently, other physiological measurements should be made on every participant in the band in order to begin to define the physiological profile of the participants. By conducting longitudinal studies on every individual, it will be possible to chart the physiological history of each participant through various ages. Segregating participants into cohorts of functional equivalence with data handling blinded to chronological age may be of great utility in increasing our understanding of the inherent aging process.

US utility I ampersand C upgrade initiative

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wilkinson, D.

1993-01-01

This paper describes an initiative which is being pursued to address the problems associated with the increasing obsolescence of instrumentation and control (I ampersand C) systems in nuclear power plants. Such efforts will improve safety, availability, and reliability of plant operation. The program presented is a joint plan between EPRI, utilities, and vendors, to bring about the development of technology to meet these needs, to encourage the private sector to develop such technology, and to prove to utilities the value and utility in applying such technology to upgrade their facilities. Part of this plan is demonstration programs where plant-wide sensor and I ampersand C improvements can be implemented, in a documented manner, to provide R ampersand D information on their performance, functionality, and reliability. The intent is to reduce the costs and shorten the learning curve associated with the utilization of modern I ampersand C equipment

Improved estimation of electricity demand function by integration of fuzzy system and data mining approach

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Azadeh, A.; Saberi, M.; Ghaderi, S.F.; Gitiforouz, A.; Ebrahimipour, V.

2008-01-01

This study presents an integrated fuzzy system, data mining and time series framework to estimate and predict electricity demand for seasonal and monthly changes in electricity consumption especially in developing countries such as China and Iran with non-stationary data. Furthermore, it is difficult to model uncertain behavior of energy consumption with only conventional fuzzy system or time series and the integrated algorithm could be an ideal substitute for such cases. To construct fuzzy systems, a rule base is needed. Because a rule base is not available, for the case of demand function, look up table which is one of the extracting rule methods is used to extract the rule base. This system is defined as FLT. Also, decision tree method which is a data mining approach is similarly utilized to extract the rule base. This system is defined as FDM. Preferred time series model is selected from linear (ARMA) and nonlinear model. For this, after selecting preferred ARMA model, McLeod-Li test is applied to determine nonlinearity condition. When, nonlinearity condition is satisfied, preferred nonlinear model is selected and compare with preferred ARMA model and finally one of this is selected as time series model. At last, ANOVA is used for selecting preferred model from fuzzy models and time series model. Also, the impact of data preprocessing and postprocessing on the fuzzy system performance is considered by the algorithm. In addition, another unique feature of the proposed algorithm is utilization of autocorrelation function (ACF) to define input variables, whereas conventional methods which use trial and error method. Monthly electricity consumption of Iran from 1995 to 2005 is considered as the case of this study. The MAPE estimation of genetic algorithm (GA), artificial neural network (ANN) versus the proposed algorithm shows the appropriateness of the proposed algorithm

Outpatient utilization of psychopharmaceuticals in the City of Zagreb 2001-2006.

Science.gov (United States)

Stimac, Danijela; Culig, Josip

2009-03-01

A comprehensive insight into drug utilization as an economic and primarily a public health issue can only be acquired in the context of overall health state of the respective population. The objectives of the study were: 1) to determine the real outpatient utilization of psychopharmaceuticals in Zagreb, 2) to determine the psychopharmaceutical prescribing quality during the study period; and 3) to propose appropriate interventions in Zagreb on the basis of the results obtained. Data on drug utilization were obtained from all Zagreb pharmacies. The number of defined daily doses (DDD) and number of DDD per 1000 inhabitants per day (DDD/1000/day) were calculated from the number of particular drug packages. The Drug Utilization 90% (DU90%) method was used as a criterion of prescribing quality. Outpatient utilization of psychopharmaceuticals showed a declining pattern from 115.40 DDD/1000/day in 2001 to 93.15 DDD/1000/day in 2006. Anxiolytics accounted for the majority of this drug group utilization in the City of Zagreb, although the anxiolytic/antidepressant ratio decreased from 7.19 in 2001 to 3.86 in 2006. The utilization of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors showed a 2.5-fold increase and accounted for 90% of overall antidepressant utilization. A 2.5-fold decrease was recorded in the utilization of antipsychotics, while the atypical/typical antipsychotic ratio changed from 1:2 in 2001 to 1.1:1 in 2006. Despite some improvement observed in the prescribing quality, the predominance of benzodiazepines in the utilization of psychopharmaceuticals points to the need of additional rationalization in the field.

Positioning the electric utility to build information infrastructure

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1994-11-01

In two particular respects (briefly investigated in this study from a lawyer`s perspective), electric utilities appear uniquely well-positioned to contribute to the National Information Infrastructure (NII). First of all, utilities have legal powers derived from their charters and operating authorities, confirmed in their rights-of-way, to carry out activities and functions necessary for delivering electric service. These activities and functions include building telecommunications facilities and undertaking information services that have become essential to managing electricity demand and supply. The economic value of the efficiencies made possible by telecommunications and information could be substantial. How great remains to be established, but by many estimates electric utility applications could fund a significant share of the capital costs of building the NII. Though utilities` legal powers to pursue such efficiencies through telecommunications and information appear beyond dispute, it is likely that the effort to do so will produce substantial excess capacity. Who will benefit from this excess capacity is a potentially contentious political question that demands early resolution. Will this windfall go to the utility, the customer, or no one (because of political paralysis), or will there be some equitable and practical split? A second aspect of inquiry here points to another contemporary issue of very great societal importance that could very well become the platform on which the first question can be resolved fortuitously-how to achieve universal telecommunications service. In the effort to fashion the NII that will now continue, ways and means to maximize the unique potential contribution of electric utilities to meeting important social and economic needs--in particular, universal service--merit priority attention.

Utility Sector Impacts of Reduced Electricity Demand

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Coughlin, Katie

2014-12-01

This report presents a new approach to estimating the marginal utility sector impacts associated with electricity demand reductions. The method uses publicly available data and provides results in the form of time series of impact factors. The input data are taken from the Energy Information Agency's Annual Energy Outlook (AEO) projections of how the electric system might evolve in the reference case, and in a number of side cases that incorporate different effciency and other policy assumptions. The data published with the AEO are used to define quantitative relationships between demand-side electricity reductions by end use and supply-side changes to capacity by plant type, generation by fuel type and emissions of CO2, Hg, NOx and SO2. The impact factors define the change in each of these quantities per unit reduction in site electricity demand. We find that the relative variation in these impacts by end use is small, but the time variation can be significant.

Loading pattern optimization with maximum utilization of discharging fuel employing adaptively constrained discontinuous penalty function

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Park, T. K.; Joo, H. G.; Kim, C. H.

2010-01-01

In order to find the most economical loading pattern (LP) considering multi-cycle fuel loading, multi-objective fuel LP optimization problems are examined by employing an adaptively constrained discontinuous penalty function (ACDPF) method. This is an improved method to simplify the complicated acceptance logic of the original DPF method in that the stochastic effects caused by the different random number sequence can be reduced. The effectiveness of the multi-objective simulated annealing (SA) algorithm employing ACDPF is examined for the reload core LP of Cycle 4 of Yonggwang Nuclear Unit 4. Several optimization runs are performed with different numbers of objectives consisting of cycle length and average burnup of fuels to be discharged or reloaded. The candidate LPs obtained from the multi-objective optimization runs turn out to be better than the reference LP in the aspects of cycle length and utilization of given fuels. It is note that the proposed ACDPF based MOSA algorithm can be a practical method to obtain an economical LP considering multi-cycle fuel loading. (authors)

THE IMPACT OF FINANCIAL OPERATIONS OF UTILITY COMPANIES ON THE FINANCIAL POSITION OF THE CITY

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Milan Stanić

2015-12-01

Full Text Available In this paper, the main topic will be the financing of utility companies and the financial impact on the budget of the local business units. A special emphasis will be placed on the financing of utility companies in Slavonski Brod. The paper defines each area of utility services and presents the utilities as services of public interest as well their privatization in general. The paper reports on the financing of these services and on the European Union regulations and directives concerning them. In addition, the paper includes an overview of the sources of funding of utility companies and loan opportunities. Guarantees and subsidies are included as financing measures of the activities of communal companies. The practical part presents an interview with key individuals of the city of Slavonski Brod with regard to the impact of the budget on the financing of utility services of the utility company in this city – “Komunalac Ltd.”.

Availability and Utilization of Anganwadi Services in an Adopted Urban Area of Wardha

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bhagat VM

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Background - The ICDS is world’s largest community-based child nutrition and development programme aimed at holistic development of children (0-6 years, expectant and nursing mothers through the Anganwadi centers (AWC. Improvement in nutritional and health status of their beneficiaries to prevent morbidities and mortalities due to malnutrition is one of the important objectives of ICDS. Objectives: To determine the availability and extent of utilization of AWC services by the beneficiaries, and to study factors influencing utilization and reasons for non/under utilization. Methodology: A community based cross-sectional study conducted in three well defined adopted urban field practice areas of a rural tertiary health care facility in Wardha, Maharashtra. A cluster comprising of 40 households was identified in each area to provide 140 study participants. Epi-info-3.7.1 for univariate and SYSTAT-12 used for multivariate analysis. Results: Overall 89.29% of beneficiaries utilized one or more services of AWC. Working women and those with lower socio-economic status had significantly and independently lower/non utilization of AWC services. Conclusions: Most of the study participants were aware and utilized the services of AWC. Among the women not utilizing the services; the reasons for non-utilization need to be addressed for optimal utilization of AWCs.

Defining the value framework for prostate brachytherapy using patient-centered outcome metrics and time-driven activity-based costing.

Science.gov (United States)

Thaker, Nikhil G; Pugh, Thomas J; Mahmood, Usama; Choi, Seungtaek; Spinks, Tracy E; Martin, Neil E; Sio, Terence T; Kudchadker, Rajat J; Kaplan, Robert S; Kuban, Deborah A; Swanson, David A; Orio, Peter F; Zelefsky, Michael J; Cox, Brett W; Potters, Louis; Buchholz, Thomas A; Feeley, Thomas W; Frank, Steven J

2016-01-01

Value, defined as outcomes over costs, has been proposed as a measure to evaluate prostate cancer (PCa) treatments. We analyzed standardized outcomes and time-driven activity-based costing (TDABC) for prostate brachytherapy (PBT) to define a value framework. Patients with low-risk PCa treated with low-dose-rate PBT between 1998 and 2009 were included. Outcomes were recorded according to the International Consortium for Health Outcomes Measurement standard set, which includes acute toxicity, patient-reported outcomes, and recurrence and survival outcomes. Patient-level costs to 1 year after PBT were collected using TDABC. Process mapping and radar chart analyses were conducted to visualize this value framework. A total of 238 men were eligible for analysis. Median age was 64 (range, 46-81). Median followup was 5 years (0.5-12.1). There were no acute Grade 3-5 complications. Expanded Prostate Cancer Index Composite 50 scores were favorable, with no clinically significant changes from baseline to last followup at 48 months for urinary incontinence/bother, bowel bother, sexual function, and vitality. Ten-year outcomes were favorable, including biochemical failure-free survival of 84.1%, metastasis-free survival 99.6%, PCa-specific survival 100%, and overall survival 88.6%. TDABC analysis demonstrated low resource utilization for PBT, with 41% and 10% of costs occurring in the operating room and with the MRI scan, respectively. The radar chart allowed direct visualization of outcomes and costs. We successfully created a visual framework to define the value of PBT using the International Consortium for Health Outcomes Measurement standard set and TDABC costs. PBT is associated with excellent outcomes and low costs. Widespread adoption of this methodology will enable value comparisons across providers, institutions, and treatment modalities. Copyright © 2016 American Brachytherapy Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Defining the Value Framework for Prostate Brachytherapy using Patient-Centered Outcome Metrics and Time-Driven Activity-Based Costing

Science.gov (United States)

Thaker, Nikhil G.; Pugh, Thomas J.; Mahmood, Usama; Choi, Seungtaek; Spinks, Tracy E.; Martin, Neil E.; Sio, Terence T.; Kudchadker, Rajat J.; Kaplan, Robert S.; Kuban, Deborah A.; Swanson, David A.; Orio, Peter F.; Zelefsky, Michael J.; Cox, Brett W.; Potters, Louis; Buchholz, Thomas A.; Feeley, Thomas W.; Frank, Steven J.

2017-01-01

PURPOSE Value, defined as outcomes over costs, has been proposed as a measure to evaluate prostate cancer (PCa) treatments. We analyzed standardized outcomes and time-driven activity-based costing (TDABC) for prostate brachytherapy (PBT) to define a value framework. METHODS AND MATERIALS Patients with low-risk PCa treated with low-dose rate PBT between 1998 and 2009 were included. Outcomes were recorded according to the International Consortium for Health Outcomes Measurement (ICHOM) standard set, which includes acute toxicity, patient-reported outcomes, and recurrence and survival outcomes. Patient-level costs to one year after PBT were collected using TDABC. Process mapping and radar chart analyses were conducted to visualize this value framework. RESULTS A total of 238 men were eligible for analysis. Median age was 64 (range, 46–81). Median follow-up was 5 years (0.5–12.1). There were no acute grade 3–5 complications. EPIC-50 scores were favorable, with no clinically significant changes from baseline to last follow-up at 48 months for urinary incontinence/bother, bowel bother, sexual function, and vitality. Ten-year outcomes were favorable, including biochemical failure-free survival of 84.1%, metastasis-free survival 99.6%, PCa-specific survival 100%, and overall survival 88.6%. TDABC analysis demonstrated low resource utilization for PBT, with 41% and 10% of costs occurring in the operating room and with the MRI scan, respectively. The radar chart allowed direct visualization of outcomes and costs. CONCLUSIONS We successfully created a visual framework to define the value of PBT using the ICHOM standard set and TDABC costs. PBT is associated with excellent outcomes and low costs. Widespread adoption of this methodology will enable value comparisons across providers, institutions, and treatment modalities. PMID:26916105

Defining the end-point of mastication: A conceptual model.

Science.gov (United States)

Gray-Stuart, Eli M; Jones, Jim R; Bronlund, John E

2017-10-01

The great risks of swallowing are choking and aspiration of food into the lungs. Both are rare in normal functioning humans, which is remarkable given the diversity of foods and the estimated 10 million swallows performed in a lifetime. Nevertheless, it remains a major challenge to define the food properties that are necessary to ensure a safe swallow. Here, the mouth is viewed as a well-controlled processor where mechanical sensory assessment occurs throughout the occlusion-circulation cycle of mastication. Swallowing is a subsequent action. It is proposed here that, during mastication, temporal maps of interfacial property data are generated, which the central nervous system compares against a series of criteria in order to be sure that the bolus is safe to swallow. To determine these criteria, an engineering hazard analysis tool, alongside an understanding of fluid and particle mechanics, is used to deduce the mechanisms by which food may deposit or become stranded during swallowing. These mechanisms define the food properties that must be avoided. By inverting the thinking, from hazards to ensuring safety, six criteria arise which are necessary for a safe-to-swallow bolus. A new conceptual model is proposed to define when food is safe to swallow during mastication. This significantly advances earlier mouth models. The conceptual model proposed in this work provides a framework of decision-making to define when food is safe to swallow. This will be of interest to designers of dietary foods, foods for dysphagia sufferers and will aid the further development of mastication robots for preparation of artificial boluses for digestion research. It enables food designers to influence the swallow-point properties of their products. For example, a product may be designed to satisfy five of the criteria for a safe-to-swallow bolus, which means the sixth criterion and its attendant food properties define the swallow-point. Alongside other organoleptic factors, these

Functional displays

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Angelis De, F.; Haentjens, J.

1995-01-01

The Functional Displays are directly derived from the Man-Machine Design key document: Function-Based Task Analysis. The presentation defines and describes the goals-means structure of the plant function along with applicable control volumes and parameters of interest. The purpose of the subject is to show, through an example of a preliminary design, what the main parts of a function are. (3 figs.)

A divergent calponin homology (NN–CH) domain defines a novel family

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Schou, Kenneth Bødtker; Andersen, Jens S.; Pedersen, Lotte Bang

2014-01-01

and NUF2 share evolutionary ancestry with a novel protein family in mammals comprising, besides NDC80/HEC1 and NUF2, three Intraflagellar Transport (IFT) complex B subunits (IFT81, IFT57, CLUAP1) as well as six proteins with poorly defined function (FAM98A-C, CCDC22, CCDC93 and C14orf166). We show...

The Utility of the Addenbrooke's Cognitive Examination Version Three in Early-Onset Dementia.

Science.gov (United States)

Elamin, Marwa; Holloway, Guy; Bak, Thomas H; Pal, Suvankar

2016-01-01

Early-onset dementia (EOD) is defined as functionally relevant cognitive decline with age of onset at less than 65 years. The aim of this study was to investigate the utility of the recently validated third version of the Addenbrooke's Cognitive Examination (ACE-III) in predicting dementia diagnoses in EOD. ACE-III scores of EOD patients were compared to those of healthy controls (HC) and individuals with subjective memory impairment (SMI). The study included 71 EOD patients (Alzheimer's disease, n = 31; primary progressive aphasia, n = 11; behavioural-variant frontotemporal dementia, n = 18, and posterior cortical atrophy, n = 11); there were 28 HC and 15 individuals with SMI. At a cut-off score of 88/100, the ACE-III displayed high sensitivity and specificity in distinguishing EOD from HC (91.5 and 96.4%) and SMI (91.5 and 86.7%). The ACE-III is a reliable cognitive screening tool in EOD. © 2015 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Defining Plagiarism: A Literature Review

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Akbar Akbar

2018-02-01

Full Text Available Plagiarism has repeatedly occurred in Indonesia, resulting in focusing on such academic misbehavior as a “central issue” in Indonesian higher education. One of the issues of addressing plagiarism in higher education is that there is a confusion of defining plagiarism. It seems that Indonesian academics had different perception when defining plagiarism. This article aims at exploring the issue of plagiarism by helping define plagiarism to address confusion among Indonesian academics. This article applies literature review by firs finding relevant articles after identifying databases for literature searching. After the collection of required articles for review, the articles were synthesized before presenting the findings. This study has explored the definition of plagiarism in the context of higher education. This research found that plagiarism is defined in the relation of criminal acts. The huge numbers of discursive features used position plagiaristic acts as an illegal deed. This study also found that cultural backgrounds and exposure to plagiarism were influential in defining plagiarism.

Software-Defined Collaborative Offloading for Heterogeneous Vehicular Networks

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wei Quan

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Vehicle-assisted data offloading is envisioned to significantly alleviate the problem of explosive growth of mobile data traffic. However, due to the high mobility of vehicles and the frequent disruption of communication links, it is very challenging to efficiently optimize collaborative offloading from a group of vehicles. In this paper, we leverage the concept of Software-Defined Networking (SDN and propose a software-defined collaborative offloading (SDCO solution for heterogeneous vehicular networks. In particular, SDCO can efficiently manage the offloading nodes and paths based on a centralized offloading controller. The offloading controller is equipped with two specific functions: the hybrid awareness path collaboration (HPC and the graph-based source collaboration (GSC. HPC is in charge of selecting the suitable paths based on the round-trip time, packet loss rate, and path bandwidth, while GSC optimizes the offloading nodes according to the minimum vertex cover for effective offloading. Simulation results are provided to demonstrate that SDCO can achieve better offloading efficiency compared to the state-of-the-art solutions.

Future Scenarios for Software-Defined Metro and Access Networks and Software-Defined Photonics

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tommaso Muciaccia

2017-01-01

Full Text Available In recent years, architectures, devices, and components in telecommunication networks have been challenged by evolutionary and revolutionary factors which are drastically changing the traffic features. Most of these changes imply the need for major re-configurability and programmability not only in data-centers and core networks, but also in the metro-access segment. In a wide variety of contexts, this necessity has been addressed by the proposed introduction of the innovative paradigm of software-defined networks (SDNs. Several solutions inspired by the SDN model have been recently proposed also for metro and access networks, where the adoption of a new generation of software-defined reconfigurable integrated photonic devices is highly desirable. In this paper, we review the possible future application scenarios for software-defined metro and access networks and software-defined photonics (SDP, on the base of analytics, statistics, and surveys. This work describes the reasons underpinning the presented radical change of paradigm and summarizes the most significant solutions proposed in literature, with a specific emphasis to physical-layer reconfigurable networks and a focus on both architectures and devices.

A Qualitative Linear Utility Theory for Spohn's Theory of Epistemic Beliefs

OpenAIRE

Giang, Phan H.; Shenoy, Prakash P.

2013-01-01

In this paper, we formulate a qualitative "linear" utility theory for lotteries in which uncertainty is expressed qualitatively using a Spohnian disbelief function. We argue that a rational decision maker facing an uncertain decision problem in which the uncertainty is expressed qualitatively should behave so as to maximize "qualitative expected utility." Our axiomatization of the qualitative utility is similar to the axiomatization developed by von Neumann and Morgenstern for probabilistic l...

Defining planktonic protist functional groups on mechanisms for energy and nutrient acquisition

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mitra, Aditee; Flynn, Kevin J.; Tillmann, Urban

2016-01-01

Arranging organisms into functional groups aids ecological research by grouping organisms (irrespective of phylogenetic origin) that interact with environmental factors in similar ways. Planktonic protists traditionally have been split between photoautotrophic “phytoplankton” and phagotrophic...... “microzooplankton”. However, there is a growing recognition of the importance of mixotrophy in euphotic aquatic systems, where many protists often combine photoautotrophic and phagotrophic modes of nutrition. Such organisms do not align with the traditional dichotomy of phytoplankton and microzooplankton...... for phototrophy, and (iv) non-constitutive mixotrophs (NCMs) that acquire their phototrophic capacity by ingesting specific (SNCM) or general non-specific (GNCM) prey. For the first time, we incorporate these functional groups within a foodweb structure and show, using model outputs, that there is scope...

Utilizing forest tree genetic diversity for an adaptation of forest to climate change

Science.gov (United States)

Schueler, Silvio; Lackner, Magdalena; Chakraborty, Debojyoti

2017-04-01

Since climate conditions are considered to be major determinants of tree species' distribution ranges and drivers of local adaptation, anthropogenic climate change (CC) is expected to modify the distribution of tree species, tree species diversity and the forest ecosystems connected to these species. The expected speed of environmental change is significantly larger than the natural migration and adaptation capacity of trees and makes spontaneous adjustment of forest ecosystems improbable. Planting alternative tree species and utilizing the tree species' intrinsic adaptive capacity are considered to be the most promising adaptation strategy. Each year about 900 million seedlings of the major tree species are being planted in Central Europe. At present, the utilization of forest reproductive material is mainly restricted to nationally defined ecoregions (seed/provenance zones), but when seedlings planted today become adult, they might be maladapted, as the climate conditions within ecoregions changed significantly. In the cooperation project SUSTREE, we develop transnational delineation models for forest seed transfer and genetic conservation based on species distribution models and available intra-specific climate-response function. These models are being connected to national registers of forest reproductive material in order support nursery and forest managers by selecting the appropriate seedling material for future plantations. In the long-term, European and national policies as well as regional recommendations for provenances use need to adapted to consider the challenges of climate change.

Final Report Report: Smart Grid Ready PV Inverters with Utility Communication

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Seal, Brian [Electric Power Research Inst. (EPRI), Knovville, TN (United States); Huque, Aminul [Electric Power Research Inst. (EPRI), Knovville, TN (United States); Rogers, Lindsey [Electric Power Research Inst. (EPRI), Knovville, TN (United States); Key, Tom [Electric Power Research Inst. (EPRI), Knovville, TN (United States); Riley, Cameron [Electric Power Research Inst. (EPRI), Knovville, TN (United States); Li, Huijuan [Electric Power Research Inst. (EPRI), Knovville, TN (United States); York, Ben [Electric Power Research Inst. (EPRI), Knovville, TN (United States); Purcell, Chris [BPL Global, Inc., Canonsburg, PA (United States); Pacific, Oliver [Spirae, Inc., Fort Collins, CO (United States); Ropp, Michael [Northern Plains Power Technologies, Brookings, SD (United States); Tran, Teresa [DTE Energy, Detroit, MI (United States); Asgeirsson, Hawk [DTE Energy, Detroit, MI (United States); Woodard, Justin [National Grid, Warwick (United Kingdom); Steffel, Steve [Pepco Holdings, Inc., Washington, DC (United States)

2016-03-30

In 2011, EPRI began a four-year effort under the Department of Energy (DOE) SunShot Initiative Solar Energy Grid Integration Systems - Advanced Concepts (SEGIS-AC) to demonstrate smart grid ready inverters with utility communication. The objective of the project was to successfully implement and demonstrate effective utilization of inverters with grid support functionality to capture the full value of distributed photovoltaic (PV). The project leveraged ongoing investments and expanded PV inverter capabilities, to enable grid operators to better utilize these grid assets. Developing and implementing key elements of PV inverter grid support capabilities will increase the distribution system’s capacity for higher penetration levels of PV, while reducing the cost. The project team included EPRI, Yaskawa-Solectria Solar, Spirae, BPL Global, DTE Energy, National Grid, Pepco, EDD, NPPT and NREL. The project was divided into three phases: development, deployment, and demonstration. Within each phase, the key areas included: head-end communications for Distributed Energy Resources (DER) at the utility operations center; methods for coordinating DER with existing distribution equipment; back-end PV plant master controller; and inverters with smart-grid functionality. Four demonstration sites were chosen in three regions of the United States with different types of utility operating systems and implementations of utility-scale PV inverters. This report summarizes the project and findings from field demonstration at three utility sites.

A study on utilization of oral contraceptives in the City of Zagreb (2008-2010).

Science.gov (United States)

Zelić-Kerep, Ana; Stimac, Danijela; Ozić, Sanja; Zivković, Kresimir; Zivković, Nikica

2014-06-01

Main aim of this study is to quantify and analyze the utilization and utilization trends of oral hormonal contraceptives in the City of Zagreb, 2008-2010, and to propose potential interventions, if necessary. Data gathered from Zagreb pharmacies were assessed by Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical Classification of drugs and Daily Defined Dose methodology. An alarming decrease in total utilization of hormonal contraceptives by 76% from 2008-2009 was found as the main result of this study. A major decrease by 95.5% in utilization of G03AB04 subgroup, sequential combined oral contraceptives, was noted in the year 2009. The subgroup G03AC0, progesterone-only pill group, showed a stable trend, and it became the most utilized subgroup in 2010, due to the decrease in utilization of both fixed and sequential combined oral contraceptives. Utilization of oral contraceptives in Croatia is not regulated adequately, since such dynamics in utilization can occur unnoticed. Measures need to take place in order to improve this situation. Proposed measures include organized farmacovigilance, prescription based on guidelines, and strict screening for risk factors in women seeking oral contraception. More research is required in Croatia to understand the pattern of utilization of hormonal contraceptives and to find the true cause of decrease in utilization of oral contraceptives.