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...

Can standard sequential extraction determinations effectively define heavy metal species in superfund site soils?

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dahlin, Cheryl L.; Williamson, Connie A.; Collins, Wesley K.; Dahlin, David C.

2001-01-01

Speciation and distribution of heavy metals in soils controls the degree to which metals and their compounds are mobile, extractable, and plant-available. Consequently, speciation impacts the success of remediation efforts both by defining the relationship of the contaminants with their environment and by guiding development and evaluation of workable remediation strategies. The U.S. Department of Energy, Albany Research Center (Albany, OR), under a two-year interagency project with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), examined the suitability of sequential extraction as a definitive means to determine species of heavy metals in soil samples. Representative soil samples, contaminated with lead, arsenic, and/or chromium, were collected by EPA personnel from two Superfund sites, the National Lead Company site in Pedricktown, NJ, and the Roebling Steel, Inc., site in Florence, NJ. Data derived from Tessier=s standard three-stage sequential-extraction procedure were compared to data from a comprehensive characterization study that combined optical- and scanning-electron microscopy (with energy-dispersive x-ray and wavelength-dispersive x-ray analyses), x-ray diffraction, and chemical analyses. The results show that standard sequential-extraction procedures that were developed for characterizing species of contaminants in river sediments may be unsuitable for sole evaluation of contaminant species in industrial-site materials (particularly those that contain larger particles of the contaminants, encapsulated contaminants, and/or man-made materials such as slags, metals, and plastics). However, each sequential extraction or comprehensive characterization procedure has it=s own strengths and weaknesses. Findings of this study indicate that the use of both approaches, during the early stages of site studies, would be a best practice. The investigation also highlights the fact that an effective speciation study does not simply identify metal contaminants as

Characterizing novel endogenous retroviruses from genetic variation inferred from short sequence reads

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mourier, Tobias; Mollerup, Sarah; Vinner, Lasse

2015-01-01

From Illumina sequencing of DNA from brain and liver tissue from the lion, Panthera leo, and tumor samples from the pike-perch, Sander lucioperca, we obtained two assembled sequence contigs with similarity to known retroviruses. Phylogenetic analyses suggest that the pike-perch retrovirus belongs...... to the epsilonretroviruses, and the lion retrovirus to the gammaretroviruses. To determine if these novel retroviral sequences originate from an endogenous retrovirus or from a recently integrated exogenous retrovirus, we assessed the genetic diversity of the parental sequences from which the short Illumina reads...

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...

Defining cyber warfare

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dragan D. Mladenović

2012-04-01

Full Text Available Cyber conflicts represent a new kind of warfare that is technologically developing very rapidly. Such development results in more frequent and more intensive cyber attacks undertaken by states against adversary targets, with a wide range of diverse operations, from information operations to physical destruction of targets. Nevertheless, cyber warfare is waged through the application of the same means, techniques and methods as those used in cyber criminal, terrorism and intelligence activities. Moreover, it has a very specific nature that enables states to covertly initiate attacks against their adversaries. The starting point in defining doctrines, procedures and standards in the area of cyber warfare is determining its true nature. In this paper, a contribution to this effort was made through the analysis of the existing state doctrines and international practice in the area of cyber warfare towards the determination of its nationally acceptable definition.

Research Network of Tehran Defined Population: Methodology and Establishment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ali-Asghar Kolahi

2015-12-01

Full Text Available Background: We need a defined population for determining prevalence and incidence of diseases, as well as conducting interventional, cohort and longitudinal studies, calculating correct and timely public health indicators, assessing actual health needs of community, performing educational programs and interventions to promote healthy lifestyle, and enhancing quality of primary health services.The objective of this project was to determine a defined population which is representative of Tehran, the Capital of Iran. This article reports the methodology and establishment of the research network of Tehran defined population.Methods: This project started by selecting two urban health centers from each of the five district health centers affiliated to Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences in 2012. Inside each selected urban health center, one defined population research station was established. Two new centers have been added during 2013 and 2014. For the time being, the number of the covered population of the network has reached 40000 individuals. The most important criterion for the defined population has been to be representative of the population of Tehran. For this, we selected two urban health centers from 12 of 22 municipality districts and from each of the five different socioeconomic of Greater Tehran. Merely 80000 individuals in neighborhoods of each defined population research station were considered as control group of the project.Findings: Totally we selected 12 defined population research stations and their under-covered population developed a defined population which is representative of Tehran population.Conclusion: a population lab is ready now in metropolitan of Tehran.

Investigation of factors determining risk-taking strategies in Pension fund investment of Defined Benefit schemes in the UK corporate pension system

OpenAIRE

Hu, Chunan

2014-01-01

This paper investigates various incentives determining risk taking strategies of the corporate pension fund investment from the perspective of sponsors. In the United Kingdom, occupational pension plans especially defined benefit (DB) pension schemes play important roles in the financial market. Comparing with the conventional framework managing pension risk as a contained part of the whole firm risk, recent studies start to focus on pension risk especially investment risk as an individual to...

Analysis of Stakeholder-Defined Needs in Northeast U.S. Coastal Communities to Determine Gaps in Research Informing Coastal Resilience Planning

Science.gov (United States)

Molino, G. D.; Kenney, M. A.; Sutton-Grier, A.; Penn, K.

2017-12-01

The impacts of climate change on our coastlines are increasing pressure on communities, ecosystems, infrastructure, and state-to-local economies in the northeastern United States (U.S.). As a result of current or imminent risk of acute and chronic hazards, local, state and regional entities have taken steps to identify and address vulnerabilities to climate change. Decisions to increase coastal infrastructure resilience and grey, green, and cultural infrastructure solutions requires physical, natural, and social science that is useful for decision-making and effective science translation mechanisms. Despite the desire to conduct or fund science that meets the needs of communities, there has been no comprehensive analysis to determine stakeholder-defined research needs. To address this gap, this study conducts a stakeholder needs analysis in northeast U.S. coastal communities to determine gaps in information and translation processes supporting coastal resilience planning. Documents were sourced from local, state, and regional organizations in both the public and private sectors, using the northeast region defined by the third National Climate Assessment. Modeled after Dilling et al. (2015), a deductive coding schema was developed that categorized documents using specific search terms such as "Location and condition of infrastructure" and "Proactive planning". A qualitative document analysis was then executed using NVivo to formally identify patterns and themes present in stakeholder surveys, workshop proceedings, and reports. Initial stakeholder priorities centered around incorporation of climate science into planning and decision making regarding vulnerabilities of infrastructure, enhanced emergency planning and response, and communication of key information.

Towards a Southern African English Defining Vocabulary

African Journals Online (AJOL)

user

of parameters, such as avoiding synonyms and antonyms, to determine which words are necessary to write definitions in a concise and simple way. It has been found that existing defining vocabularies lack certain words that would make definitions more accessible to southern African learners, and therefore there is a need ...

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.

Defining genes using "blueprint" versus "instruction" metaphors: effects for genetic determinism, response efficacy, and perceived control.

Science.gov (United States)

Parrott, Roxanne; Smith, Rachel A

2014-01-01

Evidence supports mixed attributions aligned with personal and/or clinical control and gene expression for health in this era of genomic science and health care. We consider variance in these attributions and possible relationships to individual mind sets associated with essentialist beliefs that genes determine health versus threat beliefs that genes increase susceptibility for disease and severity linked to gene-environment interactions. Further, we contribute to theory and empirical research to evaluate the use of metaphors to define genes. Participants (N = 324) read a message that varied the introduction by providing a definition of genes that used either an "instruction" metaphor or a "blueprint" metaphor. The "instruction" metaphor compared to the "blueprint" metaphor promoted stronger threat perceptions, which aligned with both belief in the response efficacy of genetic research for health and perceived behavioral control linked to genes and health. The "blueprint" metaphor compared to the "instruction" metaphor promoted stronger essentialist beliefs, which aligned with more intense positive regard for the efficacy of genetic research and human health. Implications for health communicators include societal effects aligned with stigma and discrimination that such findings portend.

How Do Deaf Adults Define Quality of Life?

Science.gov (United States)

McAbee, Emilee R.; Drasgow, Erik; Lowrey, K. Alisa

2017-01-01

Six deaf adults defined quality of life (QOL) in personal interviews. Questions were based on an eight-domain QOL framework: physical well-being, emotional well-being, interpersonal relations, social inclusion, personal development, material well-being, self-determination, and rights (Schalock & Alonso, 2002). The interview process had three…

Defining the complement biomarker profile of c3 glomerulopathy

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Zhang, Yuzhou; Nester, Carla M; Martin, Bertha

2014-01-01

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: C3 glomerulopathy (C3G) applies to a group of renal diseases defined by a specific renal biopsy finding: a dominant pattern of C3 fragment deposition on immunofluorescence. The primary pathogenic mechanism involves abnormal control of the alternative complement pathway......, although a full description of the disease spectrum remains to be determined. This study sought to validate and define the association of complement dysregulation with C3G and to determine whether specific complement pathway abnormalities could inform disease definition. DESIGN, SETTING, PARTICIPANTS......, & MEASUREMENTS: This study included 34 patients with C3G (17 with C3 glomerulonephritis [C3GN] and 17 with dense deposit disease [DDD]) diagnosed between 2008 and 2013 selected from the C3G Registry. Control samples (n=100) were recruited from regional blood drives. Nineteen complement biomarkers were assayed...

Farm elders define health as the ability to work.

Science.gov (United States)

Reed, Deborah B; Rayens, Mary Kay; Conley, Christina K; Westneat, Susan; Adkins, Sarah M

2012-08-01

Thirty percent of America's 2.2 million farms are operated by individuals older than 65 years. This study examined how older farmers define health and determined whether demographic characteristics, farm work, and physical and mental health status predict health definition. Data were collected via telephone and mailed surveys during the baseline wave of data collection in a longitudinal study of family farmers residing in two southern states (n=1,288). Nearly 42% defined health as the "ability to work" compared to a physical health-related definition. Predictors of defining health as the ability to work included being White, performing more farm tasks in the past week, taking prescription medications daily, and having minimal health-related limitations to farm work. Health behaviors are centered on the individual's perception of health. Understanding the defining attributes of health can support better approaches to health care and health promotion, particularly among rural subcultures such as farmers, whose identity is rooted in their work. Copyright 2012, SLACK Incorporated.

45 CFR 506.10 - “Vietnam conflict” defined.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... § 506.10 “Vietnam conflict” defined. Vietnam conflict refers to the period beginning February 28, 1961... “Vietnam conflict” for purposes of payment of interest on missing military service members' deposits in the... ending date for the Vietnam conflict for purposes of determining eligibility for compensation under 50 U...

20 CFR 404.1581 - Meaning of blindness as defined in the law.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... 20 Employees' Benefits 2 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Meaning of blindness as defined in the law..., SURVIVORS AND DISABILITY INSURANCE (1950- ) Determining Disability and Blindness Blindness § 404.1581 Meaning of blindness as defined in the law. We will consider you blind under the law for a period of...

20 CFR 416.981 - Meaning of blindness as defined in the law.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... 20 Employees' Benefits 2 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Meaning of blindness as defined in the law... INCOME FOR THE AGED, BLIND, AND DISABLED Determining Disability and Blindness Blindness § 416.981 Meaning of blindness as defined in the law. We will consider you blind under the law for payment of...

Control of System with Defined Risk Level

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pavol Tomasov

2002-01-01

Full Text Available In the following paper the basic requirements for system control with defined risk level is presented. The paper should be an introduction to describe of theoretical apparatus, which was created during some years of research work in the Department of information and safety systems in this area. It a modification or creation of new parts of Information theory, System theory, and Control theory means. This parts are necessary for the analysis and synthesis tasks in the systems where dominant attribute of control is defined risk level. The basic problem is the creation of protect mechanism again the threats from inside and from controlled system environs. For each risk reduction mechanism is needed some redundancy which should be into control algorithm to put by exactly determined way.

The equationally-defined commutator a study in equational logic and algebra

CERN Document Server

Czelakowski, Janusz

2015-01-01

This monograph introduces and explores the notions of a commutator equation and the equationally-defined commutator from the perspective of abstract algebraic logic.  An account of the commutator operation associated with equational deductive systems is presented, with an emphasis placed on logical aspects of the commutator for equational systems determined by quasivarieties of algebras.  The author discusses the general properties of the equationally-defined commutator, various centralization relations for relative congruences, the additivity and correspondence properties of the equationally-defined commutator, and its behavior in finitely generated quasivarieties. Presenting new and original research not yet considered in the mathematical literature, The Equationally-Defined Commutator will be of interest to professional algebraists and logicians, as well as graduate students and other researchers interested in problems of modern algebraic logic.

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...

Discovery of drugs that possess activity against feline leukemia virus.

Science.gov (United States)

Greggs, Willie M; Clouser, Christine L; Patterson, Steven E; Mansky, Louis M

2012-04-01

Feline leukemia virus (FeLV) is a gammaretrovirus that is a significant cause of neoplastic-related disorders affecting cats worldwide. Treatment options for FeLV are limited, associated with serious side effects, and can be cost-prohibitive. The development of drugs used to treat a related retrovirus, human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1), has been rapid, leading to the approval of five drug classes. Although structural differences affect the susceptibility of gammaretroviruses to anti-HIV drugs, the similarities in mechanism of replication suggest that some anti-HIV-1 drugs may also inhibit FeLV. This study demonstrates the anti-FeLV activity of four drugs approved by the US FDA (Food and Drug Administration) at non-toxic concentrations. Of these, tenofovir and raltegravir are anti-HIV-1 drugs, while decitabine and gemcitabine are approved to treat myelodysplastic syndromes and pancreatic cancer, respectively, but also have anti-HIV-1 activity in cell culture. Our results indicate that these drugs may be useful for FeLV treatment and should be investigated for mechanism of action and suitability for veterinary use.

Defining Medical Capabilities for Exploration Missions

Science.gov (United States)

Hailey, M.; Antonsen, E.; Blue, R.; Reyes, D.; Mulcahy, R.; Kerstman, E.; Bayuse, T.

2018-01-01

Exploration-class missions to the moon, Mars and beyond will require a significant change in medical capability from today's low earth orbit centric paradigm. Significant increases in autonomy will be required due to differences in duration, distance and orbital mechanics. Aerospace medicine and systems engineering teams are working together within ExMC to meet these challenges. Identifying exploration medical system needs requires accounting for planned and unplanned medical care as defined in the concept of operations. In 2017, the ExMC Clinicians group identified medical capabilities to feed into the Systems Engineering process, including: determining what and how to address planned and preventive medical care; defining an Accepted Medical Condition List (AMCL) of conditions that may occur and a subset of those that can be treated effectively within the exploration environment; and listing the medical capabilities needed to treat those conditions in the AMCL. This presentation will discuss the team's approach to addressing these issues, as well as how the outputs of the clinical process impact the systems engineering effort.

Well-defined azazirconacyclopropane complexes supported on silica structurally determined by 2D NMR comparative elucidation

KAUST Repository

El Eter, Mohamad; Hamzaoui, Bilel; Abou-Hamad, Edy; Pelletier, Jeremie; Basset, Jean-Marie

2013-01-01

Grafting of Zr(NMe2)4 on mesoporous silica SBA-15 afforded selectively well-defined surface species SiOZr(NMe2) (η2NMeCH2). 2D solid-state NMR (1H- 13C HETCOR, Multiple Quantum) experiments have shown a unique structural rearrangement occurring on the immobilised zirconium bis methylamido ligand. © The Royal Society of Chemistry 2013.

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....

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.

Multiplex biomarker approach for determining risk of prostate-specific antigen-defined recurrence of prostate cancer.

Science.gov (United States)

Rhodes, Daniel R; Sanda, Martin G; Otte, Arie P; Chinnaiyan, Arul M; Rubin, Mark A

2003-05-07

Molecular signatures in cancer tissue may be useful for diagnosis and are associated with survival. We used results from high-density tissue microarrays (TMAs) to define combinations of candidate biomarkers associated with the rate of prostate cancer progression after radical prostatectomy that could identify patients at high risk for recurrence. Fourteen candidate biomarkers for prostate cancer for which antibodies are available included hepsin, pim-1 kinase, E-cadherin (ECAD; cell adhesion molecule), alpha-methylacyl-coenzyme A racemase, and EZH2 (enhancer of zeste homolog 2, a transcriptional repressor). TMAs containing more than 2000 tumor samples from 259 patients who underwent radical prostatectomy for localized prostate cancer were studied with these antibodies. Immunohistochemistry results were evaluated in conjunction with clinical parameters associated with prostate cancer progression, including tumor stage, Gleason score, and prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level. Recurrence was defined as a postsurgery PSA level of more than 0.2 ng/mL. All statistical tests were two-sided. Moderate or strong expression of EZH2 coupled with at most moderate expression of ECAD (i.e., a positive EZH2:ECAD status) was the biomarker combination that was most strongly associated with the recurrence of prostate cancer. EZH2:ECAD status was statistically significantly associated with prostate cancer recurrence in a training set of 103 patients (relative risk [RR] = 2.52, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.09 to 5.81; P =.021), in a validation set of 80 patients (RR = 3.72, 95% CI = 1.27 to 10.91; P =.009), and in the combined set of 183 patients (RR = 2.96, 95% CI = 1.56 to 5.61; P<.001). EZH2:ECAD status was statistically significantly associated with disease recurrence even after adjusting for clinical parameters, such as tumor stage, Gleason score, and PSA level (hazard ratio = 3.19, 95% CI = 1.50 to 6.77; P =.003). EZH2:ECAD status was statistically significantly associated

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...

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...

Defining a region of optimization based on engine usage data

Science.gov (United States)

Jiang, Li; Lee, Donghoon; Yilmaz, Hakan; Stefanopoulou, Anna

2015-08-04

Methods and systems for engine control optimization are provided. One or more operating conditions of a vehicle engine are detected. A value for each of a plurality of engine control parameters is determined based on the detected one or more operating conditions of the vehicle engine. A range of the most commonly detected operating conditions of the vehicle engine is identified and a region of optimization is defined based on the range of the most commonly detected operating conditions of the vehicle engine. The engine control optimization routine is initiated when the one or more operating conditions of the vehicle engine are within the defined region of optimization.

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

Defined contribution health benefits.

Science.gov (United States)

Fronstin, P

2001-03-01

This Issue Brief discusses the emerging issue of "defined contribution" (DC) health benefits. The term "defined contribution" is used to describe a wide variety of approaches to the provision of health benefits, all of which have in common a shift in the responsibility for payment and selection of health care services from employers to employees. DC health benefits often are mentioned in the context of enabling employers to control their outlay for health benefits by avoiding increases in health care costs. DC health benefits may also shift responsibility for choosing a health plan and the associated risks of choosing a plan from employers to employees. There are three primary reasons why some employers currently are considering some sort of DC approach. First, they are once again looking for ways to keep their health care cost increases in line with overall inflation. Second, some employers are concerned that the public "backlash" against managed care will result in new legislation, regulations, and litigation that will further increase their health care costs if they do not distance themselves from health care decisions. Third, employers have modified not only most employee benefit plans, but labor market practices in general, by giving workers more choice, control, and flexibility. DC-type health benefits have existed as cafeteria plans since the 1980s. A cafeteria plan gives each employee the opportunity to determine the allocation of his or her total compensation (within employer-defined limits) among various employee benefits (primarily retirement or health). Most types of DC health benefits currently being discussed could be provided within the existing employment-based health insurance system, with or without the use of cafeteria plans. They could also allow employees to purchase health insurance directly from insurers, or they could drive new technologies and new forms of risk pooling through which health care services are provided and financed. DC health

Development of a chemically defined medium for the production of the antibiotic platensimycin by Streptomyces platensis.

Science.gov (United States)

Falzone, Maria; Martens, Evan; Tynan, Heather; Maggio, Christian; Golden, Samantha; Nayda, Vasyl; Crespo, Emmanuel; Inamine, Gregory; Gelber, Michael; Lemence, Ryan; Chiappini, Nicholas; Friedman, Emily; Shen, Ben; Gullo, Vincent; Demain, Arnold L

2013-11-01

The actinomycete Streptomyces platensis produces two compounds that display antibacterial activity: platensimycin and platencin. These compounds were discovered by the Merck Research Laboratories, and a complex insoluble production medium was reported. We have used this medium as our starting point in our studies. In a previous study, we developed a semi-defined production medium, i.e., PM5. In the present studies, by varying the concentration of the components of PM5, we were able to develop a superior semi-defined medium, i.e., PM6, which contains a higher concentration of lactose. Versions of PM6, containing lower concentrations of all components, were also found to be superior to PM5. The new semi-defined production media contain dextrin, lactose, MOPS buffer, and ammonium sulfate in different concentrations. We determined antibiotic production capabilities using agar diffusion assays and chemical assays via thin-layer silica chromatography and high-performance liquid chromatography. We reduced crude nutrient carryover from the seed medium by washing the cells with distilled water. Using these semi-defined media, we determined that addition of the semi-defined component soluble starch stimulated antibiotic production and that it and dextrin could both be replaced with glucose, resulting in the chemically defined medium, PM7.

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.

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.

Defining the biomethane potential (BMP) of solid organic wastes and energy crops

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Angelidaki, Irini; Alves, M.; Bolzonella, D.

2009-01-01

The application of anaerobic digestion technology is growing worldwide because of its economic and environmental benefits. As a consequence, a number of studies and research activities dealing with the determination of the biogas potential of solid organic substrates have been carrying out...... in the recent years. Therefore, it is of particular importance to define a protocol for the determination of the ultimate methane potential for a given solid substrates. In fact, this parameter determines, to a certain extent, both design and economic details of a biogas plant. Furthermore, the definition...

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

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

Purpose: F-18 fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) imaging is now considered the most accurate clinical staging study for non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and is also important in the staging of multiple other malignancies. Gross tumor volume (GTV) definition for radiotherapy, however, is typically based entirely on computed tomographic data. We performed a series of phantom studies to determine an accurate and uniformly applicable method for defining a GTV with FDG-PET. Methods and materials: A model-based method was tested by a phantom study to determine a threshold, or unique cutoff of standardized uptake value based on body weight (standardized uptake value [SUV]) for FDG-PET based GTV definition. The degree to which mean target SUV, background FDG concentration, and target volume influenced that GTV definition were evaluated. A phantom was constructed consisting of a 9.0-L cylindrical tank. Glass spheres with volumes ranging from 12.2 to 291.0 cc were suspended within the tank, with a minimum separation of 4 cm between the edges of the spheres. The sphere volumes were selected based on the range of NSCLC patient tumor volumes seen in our clinic. The tank and spheres were filled with a variety of known concentrations of FDG in several experiments and then scanned using a General Electric Advance PET scanner. In the initial experiment, six spheres with identical volumes were filled with varying concentrations of FDG (mean SUV 1.85 ∼ 9.68) and suspended within a background bath of FDG at a similar concentration to that used in clinical practice (0.144 μCi/mL). The second experiment was identical to the first, but was performed at 0.144 and 0.036 μCi/mL background concentrations to determine the effect of background FDG concentration on sphere definition. In the third experiment, six spheres with volumes of 12.2 to 291.0 cc were filled with equal concentrations of FDG and suspended in a standard background FDG concentration of 0.144 �

Subclinical ketosis in post-partum dairy cows fed a predominantly pasture-based diet: defining cut-points for diagnosis using concentrations of beta-hydroxybutyrate in blood and determining prevalence.

Science.gov (United States)

Compton, C W R; Young, L; McDougall, S

2015-09-01

Firstly, to define, in dairy cows in the first 5 weeks post-calving fed a predominantly pasture-based diet, cut-points of concentrations of beta-hydroxybutyrate (BHBA) in blood, above which there were associations with purulent vaginal discharge (PVD), reduced pregnancy rates (PR) and decreased milk production, in order to better define subclinical ketosis (SCK) in such cattle; and secondly, to determine the prevalence, incidence and risk factors for SCK. An observational field study was conducted in 565 cows from 15 spring-calving and predominantly pasture-fed dairy herds in two regions of New Zealand during the 2010- 2011 dairy season. Within each herd, a cohort of randomly selected cows (approximately 40 per herd) was blood sampled to determine concentrations of BHBA on six occasions at weekly intervals starting within 5 days of calving. The key outcome variables were the presence/absence of PVD at 5 weeks post-calving, PR after 6 weeks (6-week PR) and after the completion of the breeding season (final PR), and mean daily milk solids production. Two cut-points for defining SCK were identified: firstly concentration of BHBA in blood≥1.2 mmol/L within 5 days post-calving, which was associated with an increased diagnosis of PVD (24 vs. 8%); and secondly concentration of BHBA in blood≥1.2 mmol/L at any stage within 5 weeks post-calving, which was associated with decreased 6-week PR (78 vs. 85%). The mean herd-level incidence of SCK within 5 weeks post-calving was 68 (min 12; max 100)% and large variations existed between herds in peak prevalence of SCK and the interval post-calving at which such peaks occurred. Cows>8 years of age and cows losing body condition were at increased risk of SCK within 5 weeks of calving. Cows with concentration of BHBA in blood≥1.2 mmol/L in early lactation had a higher risk of PVD and lower 6-week PR. Cow and herd-level prevalence of SCK varied widely in early lactation. Subclinical ketosis is common and is significantly

Defining and understanding healthy lifestyles choices for adolescents.

Science.gov (United States)

He, Ka; Kramer, Ellen; Houser, Robert F; Chomitz, Virginia R; Hacker, Karen A

2004-07-01

To: (a) establish criteria for defining positive health behaviors and lifestyle; and (b) identify characteristics of adolescents who practice a healthy lifestyle. Responses from a 1998 survey via questionnaire, of 1487 students, from a public high school, Cambridge, Massachusetts, were used to assess correlates of healthy lifestyle choices. Strict and broad assessments of healthy behaviors were defined for students: use of alcohol, tobacco, and illegal drugs; sexual behavior; attempted suicide. Whereas the "strict" criteria included only those adolescents who did not practice any of the behaviors in question, the broad criteria reflected experimentation and moderate risk-taking. The prevalence of positive behaviors was assessed by demographic and student characteristics. In addition, logistic regression models were created to predict determinants of teenagers' healthy lifestyles using both strict and broad definitions. Using strict criteria of healthy lifestyle, significant predictors were being female, born outside the United States, higher academic performance, and fewer stressful life events. Using a broad definition of a healthy lifestyle, significant predictors were being non-Caucasian, in the lower grade levels at the school, higher academic performance, and fewer stressful life events. In both models, peers' approval of risky behaviors negatively influenced teens' lifestyles, whereas parents' disapproval of risky behaviors was a positive influence. These results reinforce the importance of school, peer, and parent support of positive behaviors. It is important for public health workers and families to understand and define healthy lifestyles choices for adolescents.

Modular Software-Defined Radio

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

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.

Phylogenetic reconstruction of South American felids defined by protein electrophoresis

OpenAIRE

Pecon Slattery, J.; Johnson, W. E.; Goldman, D.; O'Brien, S. J.

1994-01-01

Phylogenetic associations among six closely related South American felid species were defined by changes in protein-encoding gene loci. We analyzed proteins isolated from skin fibroblasts using two-dimensional electrophoresis and allozymes extracted from blood cells. Genotypes were determined for multiple individuals of ocelot, margay, tigrina, Geoffroy's cat, kodkod, and pampas cat at 548 loci resolved by two-dimensional electrophoresis and 44 allozyme loci. Phenograms were constructed using...

Application-Defined Decentralized Access Control

Science.gov (United States)

Xu, Yuanzhong; Dunn, Alan M.; Hofmann, Owen S.; Lee, Michael Z.; Mehdi, Syed Akbar; Witchel, Emmett

2014-01-01

DCAC is a practical OS-level access control system that supports application-defined principals. It allows normal users to perform administrative operations within their privilege, enabling isolation and privilege separation for applications. It does not require centralized policy specification or management, giving applications freedom to manage their principals while the policies are still enforced by the OS. DCAC uses hierarchically-named attributes as a generic framework for user-defined policies such as groups defined by normal users. For both local and networked file systems, its execution time overhead is between 0%–9% on file system microbenchmarks, and under 1% on applications. This paper shows the design and implementation of DCAC, as well as several real-world use cases, including sandboxing applications, enforcing server applications’ security policies, supporting NFS, and authenticating user-defined sub-principals in SSH, all with minimal code changes. PMID:25426493

Define Project

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Munk-Madsen, Andreas

2005-01-01

"Project" is a key concept in IS management. The word is frequently used in textbooks and standards. Yet we seldom find a precise definition of the concept. This paper discusses how to define the concept of a project. The proposed definition covers both heavily formalized projects and informally...... organized, agile projects. Based on the proposed definition popular existing definitions are discussed....

Teleology and Defining Sex.

Science.gov (United States)

Gamble, Nathan K; Pruski, Michal

2018-07-01

Disorders of sexual differentiation lead to what is often referred to as an intersex state. This state has medical, as well as some legal, recognition. Nevertheless, the question remains whether intersex persons occupy a state in between maleness and femaleness or whether they are truly men or women. To answer this question, another important conundrum needs to be first solved: what defines sex? The answer seems rather simple to most people, yet when morphology does not coincide with haplotypes, and genetics might not correlate with physiology the issue becomes more complex. This paper tackles both issues by establishing where the essence of sex is located and by superimposing that framework onto the issue of the intersex. This is achieved through giving due consideration to the biology of sexual development, as well as through the use of a teleological framework of the meaning of sex. Using a range of examples, the paper establishes that sex cannot be pinpointed to one biological variable but is rather determined by how the totality of one's biology is oriented towards biological reproduction. A brief consideration is also given to the way this situation could be comprehended from a Christian understanding of sex and suffering.

Determinants of adolescent fertility in Ethiopia

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Bernt Lindtjorn

demographic and economic determinants whereas Bongaarts model was used to determine proximate determinants fertility. ... Organization defines the age group of 10-19 and 15-24 ..... In urban areas, 24% of marital fertility was prevented.

Defining asthma in genetic studies

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Koppelman, GH; Postma, DS; Meijer, G.

1999-01-01

Genetic studies have been hampered by the lack of a gold standard to diagnose asthma. The complex nature of asthma makes it more difficult to identify asthma genes. Therefore, approaches to define phenotypes, which have been successful in other genetically complex diseases, may be applied to define

Characterization of a nucleocapsid-like region and of two distinct primer tRNALys,2 binding sites in the endogenous retrovirus Gypsy.

Science.gov (United States)

Gabus, Caroline; Ivanyi-Nagy, Roland; Depollier, Julien; Bucheton, Alain; Pelisson, Alain; Darlix, Jean-Luc

2006-01-01

Mobile LTR-retroelements comprising retroviruses and LTR-retrotransposons form a large part of eukaryotic genomes. Their mode of replication and abundance favour the notion that they are major actors in eukaryote evolution. The Gypsy retroelement can spread in the germ line of the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster via both env-independent and env-dependent processes. Thus, Gypsy is both an active retrotransposon and an infectious retrovirus resembling the gammaretrovirus MuLV. However, unlike gammaretroviruses, the Gypsy Gag structural precursor is not processed into Matrix, Capsid and Nucleocapsid (NC) proteins. In contrast, it has features in common with Gag of the ancient yeast TY1 retroelement. These characteristics of Gypsy make it a very interesting model to study replication of a retroelement at the frontier between ancient retrotransposons and retroviruses. We investigated Gypsy replication using an in vitro model system and transfection of insect cells. Results show that an unstructured domain of Gypsy Gag has all the properties of a retroviral NC. This NC-like peptide forms ribonucleoparticle-like complexes upon binding Gypsy RNA and directs the annealing of primer tRNA(Lys,2) to two distinct primer binding sites (PBS) at the genome 5' and 3' ends. Only the 5' PBS is indispensable for cDNA synthesis in vitro and in Drosophila cells.

How do pediatric anesthesiologists define intraoperative hypotension?

Science.gov (United States)

Nafiu, Olubukola O; Voepel-Lewis, Terri; Morris, Michelle; Chimbira, Wilson T; Malviya, Shobha; Reynolds, Paul I; Tremper, Kevin K

2009-11-01

Although blood pressure (BP) monitoring is a recommended standard of care by the ASA, and pediatric anesthesiologists routinely monitor the BP of their patients and when appropriate treat deviations from 'normal', there is no robust definition of hypotension in any of the pediatric anesthesia texts or journals. Consequently, what constitutes hypotension in pediatric anesthesia is currently unknown. We designed a questionnaire-based survey of pediatric anesthesiologists to determine the BP ranges and thresholds used to define intraoperative hypotension (IOH). Members of the Society of Pediatric Anesthesia (SPA) and the Association of Paediatric Anaesthetists (APA) of Great Britain and Ireland were contacted through e-mail to participate in this survey. We asked a few demographic questions and five questions about specific definitions of hypotension for different age groups of patients undergoing inguinal herniorraphy, a common pediatric surgical procedure. The overall response rate was 56% (483/860), of which 76% were SPA members. Majority of the respondents (72%) work in academic institutions, while 8.9% work in institutions with fewer than 1000 annual pediatric surgical caseload. About 76% of respondents indicated that a 20-30% reduction in baseline systolic blood pressure (SBP) indicates significant hypotension in children under anesthesia. Most responders (86.7%) indicated that they use mean arterial pressure or SBP (72%) to define IOH. The mean SBP values for hypotension quoted by SPA members was about 5-7% lower across all pediatric age groups compared to values quoted by APA members (P = 0.001 for all age groups). There is great variability in the BP parameters used and the threshold used for defining and treating IOH among pediatric anesthesiologists. The majority of respondents considered a 20-30% reduction from baseline in SBP as indicative of significant hypotension. Lack of a consensus definition for a common clinical condition like IOH could have

Water and temperature stress define the optimal flowering period for wheat in south-eastern Australia

OpenAIRE

Evans, John; Kirkegaard, John; Hunt, James; Flohr, Bonnie

2017-01-01

Across the Australian wheat belt, the time at which wheat flowers is a critical determinant of yield. In all environments an optimal flowering period (OFP) exists which is defined by decreasing frost risk, and increasing water and heat stress. Despite their critical importance, OFPs have not been comprehensively defined across south eastern Australia′s (SEA) cropping zone using yield estimates incorporating temperature, radiation and water-stress. In this study, the widely validated cropping ...

Defining depth of anesthesia.

Science.gov (United States)

Shafer, S L; Stanski, D R

2008-01-01

In this chapter, drawn largely from the synthesis of material that we first presented in the sixth edition of Miller's Anesthesia, Chap 31 (Stanski and Shafer 2005; used by permission of the publisher), we have defined anesthetic depth as the probability of non-response to stimulation, calibrated against the strength of the stimulus, the difficulty of suppressing the response, and the drug-induced probability of non-responsiveness at defined effect site concentrations. This definition requires measurement of multiple different stimuli and responses at well-defined drug concentrations. There is no one stimulus and response measurement that will capture depth of anesthesia in a clinically or scientifically meaningful manner. The "clinical art" of anesthesia requires calibration of these observations of stimuli and responses (verbal responses, movement, tachycardia) against the dose and concentration of anesthetic drugs used to reduce the probability of response, constantly adjusting the administered dose to achieve the desired anesthetic depth. In our definition of "depth of anesthesia" we define the need for two components to create the anesthetic state: hypnosis created with drugs such as propofol or the inhalational anesthetics and analgesia created with the opioids or nitrous oxide. We demonstrate the scientific evidence that profound degrees of hypnosis in the absence of analgesia will not prevent the hemodynamic responses to profoundly noxious stimuli. Also, profound degrees of analgesia do not guarantee unconsciousness. However, the combination of hypnosis and analgesia suppresses hemodynamic response to noxious stimuli and guarantees unconsciousness.

Drinking Levels Defined

Science.gov (United States)

... of Alcohol Consumption Alcohol's Effects on the Body Alcohol Use Disorder Fetal Alcohol Exposure Support & Treatment Alcohol Policy Special ... Definition of Drinking at Low Risk for Developing Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD): For women, low-risk drinking is defined ...

Developing social standards for wilderness encounters in Mount Rainier National Park: Manager-defined versus visitor-defined standards

Science.gov (United States)

Kristopher J. Lah

2000-01-01

This research compared the differences found between manager-defined and visitor-defined social standards for wilderness encounters in Mount Rainier National Park. Social standards in recreation areas of public land are defined by what is acceptable to the public, in addition to the area’s management. Social standards for the encounter indicator in Mount Rainier’s...

Selected microRNAs define cell fate determination of murine central memory CD8 T cells.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gonzalo Almanza

2010-06-01

Full Text Available During an immune response T cells enter memory fate determination, a program that divides them into two main populations: effector memory and central memory T cells. Since in many systems protection appears to be preferentially mediated by T cells of the central memory it is important to understand when and how fate determination takes place. To date, cell intrinsic molecular events that determine their differentiation remains unclear. MicroRNAs are a class of small, evolutionarily conserved RNA molecules that negatively regulate gene expression, causing translational repression and/or messenger RNA degradation. Here, using an in vitro system where activated CD8 T cells driven by IL-2 or IL-15 become either effector memory or central memory cells, we assessed the role of microRNAs in memory T cell fate determination. We found that fate determination to central memory T cells is under the balancing effects of a discrete number of microRNAs including miR-150, miR-155 and the let-7 family. Based on miR-150 a new target, KChIP.1 (K (+ channel interacting protein 1, was uncovered, which is specifically upregulated in developing central memory CD8 T cells. Our studies indicate that cell fate determination such as surface phenotype and self-renewal may be decided at the pre-effector stage on the basis of the balancing effects of a discrete number of microRNAs. These results may have implications for the development of T cell vaccines and T cell-based adoptive therapies.

Comparison of the convergent receptor utilization of a retargeted feline leukemia virus envelope with a naturally-occurring porcine endogenous retrovirus A.

Science.gov (United States)

Mazari, Peter M; Argaw, Takele; Valdivieso, Leonardo; Zhang, Xia; Marcucci, Katherine T; Salomon, Daniel R; Wilson, Carolyn A; Roth, Monica J

2012-06-05

In vitro screening of randomized FeLV Envelope libraries identified the CP isolate, which enters cells through HuPAR-1, one of two human receptors utilized by porcine endogenous retrovirus-A (PERV-A), a distantly related gammaretrovirus. The CP and PERV-A Envs however, share little amino acid homology. Their receptor utilization was examined to define the common receptor usage of these disparate viral Envs. We demonstrate that the receptor usage of CP extends to HuPAR-2 but not to the porcine receptor PoPAR, the cognate receptor for PERV-A. Reciprocal interference between virus expressing CP and PERV-A Envs was observed on human cells. Amino acid residues localized to within the putative second extracellular loop (ECL-2) of PAR-1 and PAR-2 are found to be critical for CP envelope function. Through a panel of receptor chimeras and point mutations, this area was also found to be responsible for the differential usage of the PoPAR receptor between CP and PERV-A. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

HIV-induced immunodeficiency and mortality from AIDS-defining and non-AIDS-defining malignancies

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Monforte, Antonella d'Arminio; Abrams, Donald; Pradier, Christian

2008-01-01

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate deaths from AIDS-defining malignancies (ADM) and non-AIDS-defining malignancies (nADM) in the D:A:D Study and to investigate the relationship between these deaths and immunodeficiency. DESIGN: Observational cohort study. METHODS: Patients (23 437) were followed prospectively......-fold higher latest CD4 cell count was associated with a halving of the risk of ADM mortality. Other predictors of an increased risk of ADM mortality were homosexual risk group, older age, a previous (non-malignancy) AIDS diagnosis and earlier calendar years. Predictors of an increased risk of nADM mortality...

ON DEFINING S-SPACES

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Francesco Strati

2013-05-01

Full Text Available The present work is intended to be an introduction to the Superposition Theory of David Carfì. In particular I shall depict the meaning of his brand new theory, on the one hand in an informal fashion and on the other hand by giving a formal approach of the algebraic structure of the theory: the S-linear algebra. This kind of structure underpins the notion of S-spaces (or Carfì-spaces by defining both its properties and its nature. Thus I shall define the S-triple as the fundamental principle upon which the S-linear algebra is built up.

Defining Legal Moralism

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Thaysen, Jens Damgaard

2015-01-01

This paper discusses how legal moralism should be defined. It is argued that legal moralism should be defined as the position that “For any X, it is always a pro tanto reason for justifiably imposing legal regulation on X that X is morally wrong (where “morally wrong” is not conceptually equivalent...... to “harmful”)”. Furthermore, a distinction between six types of legal moralism is made. The six types are grouped according to whether they are concerned with the enforcement of positive or critical morality, and whether they are concerned with criminalising, legally restricting, or refraining from legally...... protecting morally wrong behaviour. This is interesting because not all types of legal moralism are equally vulnerable to the different critiques of legal moralism that have been put forth. Indeed, I show that some interesting types of legal moralism have not been criticised at all....

INTEGRATING TOURISM AND POSITIONING CULTURE AS A DETERMINANT IN DEFINING THE FUTURE TRAVEL OFFERS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Radu Lucian Blaga

2013-06-01

Full Text Available The end of the twentieth century marked the transition period, maybe irreversible, of the global economic system from internationalization to globalization, which according to recent definitions seems to be the integration of civilizations and cultures of the planet. This paper presents from the cultural perspective, the process of integration of the tourism sector, by integrating the individual – visitors and the corporations and the public authorities, that represent tourism as an economic activity, helpful for the development of communities, tourist destination's local actors like businesses, NGOs, governmental and intergovernmental world tourism organizations. The effects of integration are different from international tourism transformation "mass consumption", the establishment of standardized local, regional or global travel packages, to boost tourism consumption. Arriving at this point we can say that the culture as a part of the external /internal environment of an organization is vital. For this reason, defining the European travel offer, we have to analyze and manage the future more closely the relationships between: the culture - corporate culture - the organization oriented to global market.

Contribution of past and future self-defining event networks to personal identity.

Science.gov (United States)

Demblon, Julie; D'Argembeau, Arnaud

2017-05-01

Personal identity is nourished by memories of significant past experiences and by the imagination of meaningful events that one anticipates to happen in the future. The organisation of such self-defining memories and prospective thoughts in the cognitive system has received little empirical attention, however. In the present study, our aims were to investigate to what extent self-defining memories and future projections are organised in networks of related events, and to determine the nature of the connections linking these events. Our results reveal the existence of self-defining event networks, composed of both memories and future events of similar centrality for identity and characterised by similar identity motives. These self-defining networks expressed a strong internal coherence and frequently organised events in meaningful themes and sequences (i.e., event clusters). Finally, we found that the satisfaction of identity motives in represented events and the presence of clustering across events both contributed to increase in the perceived centrality of events for the sense of identity. Overall, these findings suggest that personal identity is not only nourished by representations of significant past and future events, but also depends on the formation of coherent networks of related events that provide an overarching meaning to specific life experiences.

On defining semantics of extended attribute grammars

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Madsen, Ole Lehrmann

1980-01-01

Knuth has introduced attribute grammars (AGs) as a tool to define the semanitcs of context-free languages. The use of AGs in connection with programming language definitions has mostly been to define the context-sensitive syntax of the language and to define a translation in code for a hypothetic...

Systematic development and optimization of chemically defined medium supporting high cell density growth of Bacillus coagulans.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Yu; Dong, Fengqing; Wang, Yonghong

2016-09-01

With determined components and experimental reducibility, the chemically defined medium (CDM) and the minimal chemically defined medium (MCDM) are used in many metabolism and regulation studies. This research aimed to develop the chemically defined medium supporting high cell density growth of Bacillus coagulans, which is a promising producer of lactic acid and other bio-chemicals. In this study, a systematic methodology combining the experimental technique with flux balance analysis (FBA) was proposed to design and simplify a CDM. The single omission technique and single addition technique were employed to determine the essential and stimulatory compounds, before the optimization of their concentrations by the statistical method. In addition, to improve the growth rationally, in silico omission and addition were performed by FBA based on the construction of a medium-size metabolic model of B. coagulans 36D1. Thus, CDMs were developed to obtain considerable biomass production of at least five B. coagulans strains, in which two model strains B. coagulans 36D1 and ATCC 7050 were involved.

Cultural sensitivity in public health: defined and demystified.

Science.gov (United States)

Resnicow, K; Baranowski, T; Ahluwalia, J S; Braithwaite, R L

1999-01-01

There is consensus that health promotion programs should be culturally sensitive (CS). Yet, despite the ubiquitous nature of CS within public health research and practice, there has been surprisingly little attention given to defining CS or delineating a framework for developing culturally sensitive programs and practitioners. This paper describes a model for understanding CS from a public health perspective; describes a process for applying this model in the development of health promotion and disease prevention interventions; and highlights research priorities. Cultural sensitivity is defined by two dimensions: surface and deep structures. Surface structure involves matching intervention materials and messages to observable, "superficial" characteristics of a target population. This may involve using people, places, language, music, food, locations, and clothing familiar to, and preferred by, the target audience. Surface structure refers to how well interventions fit within a specific culture. Deep structure involves incorporating the cultural, social, historical, environmental and psychological forces that influence the target health behavior in the proposed target population. Whereas surface structure generally increases the "receptivity" or "acceptance" of messages, deep structure conveys salience. Techniques, borrowed from social marketing and health communication theory, for developing culturally sensitive interventions are described. Research is needed to determine the effectiveness of culturally sensitive programs.

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....

Defining Hepatocellular Carcinoma Subtypes and Treatment Responses in Patient-Derived Tumorgrafts

Science.gov (United States)

2017-10-01

Specific AIM 2: Determine the efficacy of small RNA therapeutics against the LIN28B/LET-7 pathway in PDXs activating this oncogenic pathway Major...Task 1: Identify and deliver small RNAs to target PDX populations (ongoing). Major Task 2: Define response to small RNAs in target PDX populations...Allow time to receive the regulatory approval for animal use (IACUC and DoD ACURO). This task was performed by Drs. Yopp, Singal, and Zhu. We

Defining robustness protocols: a method to include and evaluate robustness in clinical plans

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McGowan, S E; Albertini, F; Lomax, A J; Thomas, S J

2015-01-01

We aim to define a site-specific robustness protocol to be used during the clinical plan evaluation process. Plan robustness of 16 skull base IMPT plans to systematic range and random set-up errors have been retrospectively and systematically analysed. This was determined by calculating the error-bar dose distribution (ebDD) for all the plans and by defining some metrics used to define protocols aiding the plan assessment. Additionally, an example of how to clinically use the defined robustness database is given whereby a plan with sub-optimal brainstem robustness was identified. The advantage of using different beam arrangements to improve the plan robustness was analysed. Using the ebDD it was found range errors had a smaller effect on dose distribution than the corresponding set-up error in a single fraction, and that organs at risk were most robust to the range errors, whereas the target was more robust to set-up errors. A database was created to aid planners in terms of plan robustness aims in these volumes. This resulted in the definition of site-specific robustness protocols. The use of robustness constraints allowed for the identification of a specific patient that may have benefited from a treatment of greater individuality. A new beam arrangement showed to be preferential when balancing conformality and robustness for this case. The ebDD and error-bar volume histogram proved effective in analysing plan robustness. The process of retrospective analysis could be used to establish site-specific robustness planning protocols in proton therapy. These protocols allow the planner to determine plans that, although delivering a dosimetrically adequate dose distribution, have resulted in sub-optimal robustness to these uncertainties. For these cases the use of different beam start conditions may improve the plan robustness to set-up and range uncertainties. (paper)

Defining robustness protocols: a method to include and evaluate robustness in clinical plans

Science.gov (United States)

McGowan, S. E.; Albertini, F.; Thomas, S. J.; Lomax, A. J.

2015-04-01

We aim to define a site-specific robustness protocol to be used during the clinical plan evaluation process. Plan robustness of 16 skull base IMPT plans to systematic range and random set-up errors have been retrospectively and systematically analysed. This was determined by calculating the error-bar dose distribution (ebDD) for all the plans and by defining some metrics used to define protocols aiding the plan assessment. Additionally, an example of how to clinically use the defined robustness database is given whereby a plan with sub-optimal brainstem robustness was identified. The advantage of using different beam arrangements to improve the plan robustness was analysed. Using the ebDD it was found range errors had a smaller effect on dose distribution than the corresponding set-up error in a single fraction, and that organs at risk were most robust to the range errors, whereas the target was more robust to set-up errors. A database was created to aid planners in terms of plan robustness aims in these volumes. This resulted in the definition of site-specific robustness protocols. The use of robustness constraints allowed for the identification of a specific patient that may have benefited from a treatment of greater individuality. A new beam arrangement showed to be preferential when balancing conformality and robustness for this case. The ebDD and error-bar volume histogram proved effective in analysing plan robustness. The process of retrospective analysis could be used to establish site-specific robustness planning protocols in proton therapy. These protocols allow the planner to determine plans that, although delivering a dosimetrically adequate dose distribution, have resulted in sub-optimal robustness to these uncertainties. For these cases the use of different beam start conditions may improve the plan robustness to set-up and range uncertainties.

DEFINED CONTRIBUTION PLANS, DEFINED BENEFIT PLANS, AND THE ACCUMULATION OF RETIREMENT WEALTH

Science.gov (United States)

Poterba, James; Rauh, Joshua; Venti, Steven; Wise, David

2010-01-01

The private pension structure in the United States, once dominated by defined benefit (DB) plans, is currently divided between defined contribution (DC) and DB plans. Wealth accumulation in DC plans depends on the participant's contribution behavior and on financial market returns, while accumulation in DB plans is sensitive to a participant's labor market experience and to plan parameters. This paper simulates the distribution of retirement wealth under representative DB and DC plans. It uses data from the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) to explore how asset returns, earnings histories, and retirement plan characteristics contribute to the variation in retirement wealth outcomes. We simulate DC plan accumulation by randomly assigning individuals a share of wages that they and their employer contribute to the plan. We consider several possible asset allocation strategies, with asset returns drawn from the historical return distribution. Our DB plan simulations draw earnings histories from the HRS, and randomly assign each individual a pension plan drawn from a sample of large private and public defined benefit plans. The simulations yield distributions of both DC and DB wealth at retirement. Average retirement wealth accruals under current DC plans exceed average accruals under private sector DB plans, although DC plans are also more likely to generate very low retirement wealth outcomes. The comparison of current DC plans with more generous public sector DB plans is less definitive, because public sector DB plans are more generous on average than their private sector counterparts. PMID:21057597

22 CFR 92.36 - Authentication defined.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... 22 Foreign Relations 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Authentication defined. 92.36 Section 92.36... Notarial Acts § 92.36 Authentication defined. An authentication is a certification of the genuineness of... recognized in another jurisdiction. Documents which may require authentication include legal instruments...

Defining Game Mechanics

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sicart (Vila), Miguel Angel

2008-01-01

This article defins game mechanics in relation to rules and challenges. Game mechanics are methods invoked by agents for interacting with the game world. I apply this definition to a comparative analysis of the games Rez, Every Extend Extra and Shadow of the Colossus that will show the relevance...... of a formal definition of game mechanics. Udgivelsesdato: Dec 2008...

Indico CONFERENCE: Define the Call for Abstracts

CERN Multimedia

CERN. Geneva; Ferreira, Pedro

2017-01-01

In this tutorial, you will learn how to define and open a call for abstracts. When defining a call for abstracts, you will be able to define settings related to the type of questions asked during a review of an abstract, select the users who will review the abstracts, decide when to open the call for abstracts, and more.

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.

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.

Defining Hardwood Veneer Log Quality Attributes

Science.gov (United States)

Jan Wiedenbeck; Michael Wiemann; Delton Alderman; John Baumgras; William Luppold

2004-01-01

This publication provides a broad spectrum of information on the hardwood veneer industry in North America. Veneer manufacturers and their customers impose guidelines in specifying wood quality attributes that are very discriminating but poorly defined (e.g., exceptional color, texture, and/or figure characteristics). To better understand and begin to define the most...

Defining Overweight and Obesity

Science.gov (United States)

... Micronutrient Malnutrition State and Local Programs Defining Adult Overweight and Obesity Recommend on Facebook Tweet Share Compartir ... weight for a given height is described as overweight or obese. Body Mass Index, or BMI, is ...

A self-defining hierarchical data system

Science.gov (United States)

Bailey, J.

1992-01-01

The Self-Defining Data System (SDS) is a system which allows the creation of self-defining hierarchical data structures in a form which allows the data to be moved between different machine architectures. Because the structures are self-defining they can be used for communication between independent modules in a distributed system. Unlike disk-based hierarchical data systems such as Starlink's HDS, SDS works entirely in memory and is very fast. Data structures are created and manipulated as internal dynamic structures in memory managed by SDS itself. A structure may then be exported into a caller supplied memory buffer in a defined external format. This structure can be written as a file or sent as a message to another machine. It remains static in structure until it is reimported into SDS. SDS is written in portable C and has been run on a number of different machine architectures. Structures are portable between machines with SDS looking after conversion of byte order, floating point format, and alignment. A Fortran callable version is also available for some machines.

DALI: Defining Antibiotic Levels in Intensive care unit patients: a multi-centre point of prevalence study to determine whether contemporary antibiotic dosing for critically ill patients is therapeutic.

Science.gov (United States)

Roberts, Jason A; De Waele, Jan J; Dimopoulos, George; Koulenti, Despoina; Martin, Claude; Montravers, Philippe; Rello, Jordi; Rhodes, Andrew; Starr, Therese; Wallis, Steven C; Lipman, Jeffrey

2012-07-06

The clinical effects of varying pharmacokinetic exposures of antibiotics (antibacterials and antifungals) on outcome in infected critically ill patients are poorly described. A large-scale multi-centre study (DALI Study) is currently underway describing the clinical outcomes of patients achieving pre-defined antibiotic exposures. This report describes the protocol. DALI will recruit over 500 patients administered a wide range of either beta-lactam or glycopeptide antibiotics or triazole or echinocandin antifungals in a pharmacokinetic point-prevalence study. It is anticipated that over 60 European intensive care units (ICUs) will participate. The primary aim will be to determine whether contemporary antibiotic dosing for critically ill patients achieves plasma concentrations associated with maximal activity. Secondary aims will compare antibiotic pharmacokinetic exposures with patient outcome and will describe the population pharmacokinetics of the antibiotics included. Various subgroup analyses will be conducted to determine patient groups that may be at risk of very low or very high concentrations of antibiotics. The DALI study should inform clinicians of the potential clinical advantages of achieving certain antibiotic pharmacokinetic exposures in infected critically ill patients.

Ultrasound-enhanced thrombolysis using Definity as a cavitation nucleation agent.

Science.gov (United States)

Datta, Saurabh; Coussios, Constantin-C; Ammi, Azzdine Y; Mast, T Douglas; de Courten-Myers, Gabrielle M; Holland, Christy K

2008-09-01

Ultrasound has been shown previously to act synergistically with a thrombolytic agent, such as recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (rt-PA) to accelerate thrombolysis. In this in vitro study, a commercial contrast agent, Definity, was used to promote and sustain the nucleation of cavitation during pulsed ultrasound exposure at 120 kHz. Ultraharmonic signals, broadband emissions and harmonics of the fundamental were measured acoustically by using a focused hydrophone as a passive cavitation detector and used to quantify the level of cavitation activity. Human whole blood clots suspended in human plasma were exposed to a combination of rt-PA, Definity and ultrasound at a range of ultrasound peak-to-peak pressure amplitudes, which were selected to expose clots to various degrees of cavitation activity. Thrombolytic efficacy was determined by measuring clot mass loss before and after the treatment and correlated with the degree of cavitation activity. The penetration depth of rt-PA and plasminogen was also evaluated in the presence of cavitating microbubbles using a dual-antibody fluorescence imaging technique. The largest mass loss (26.2%) was observed for clots treated with 120-kHz ultrasound (0.32-MPa peak-to-peak pressure amplitude), rt-PA and stable cavitation nucleated by Definity. A significant correlation was observed between mass loss and ultraharmonic signals (r = 0.85, p cavitation activity. Stable cavitation activity plays an important role in enhancement of thrombolysis and can be monitored to evaluate the efficacy of thrombolytic treatment.

Defining the Constructs of Expert Coaching: A Q-Methodological Study of Olympic Sport Coaches

Science.gov (United States)

DeWeese, Brad Heath

2012-01-01

The purpose of this study was to enhance the development of coaches for participation at International level competition through the improvement of coaching education programming. Although many studies have alluded to the benefit of various coaching education tactics, no study to date had set out to determine the constructs that define an expert…

Accuracy of Body Mass Index-defined Obesity Status in US Firefighters

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nattinee Jitnarin

2014-09-01

Full Text Available Obesity is a significant problem affecting United States (US firefighters. While body mass index (BMI is widely used to diagnose obesity, its use for this occupational group has raised concerns about validity. We examined rates and types of misclassification of BMI-based obesity status compared to body fat percentage (BF% and waist circumference (WC. Male career firefighters (N = 994 from 20 US departments completed all three body composition assessments. Mean BMI, BF%, and WC were 29 kg/m2, 23%, and 97 cm, respectively. Approximately 33% and 15% of BF%- and WC-defined obese participants were misclassified as non-obese (false negatives using BMI, while 8% and 9% of non-obese participants defined by BF% and WC standards were identified as obese (false positives using BMI. When stratified by race/ethnicity, Pacific Islanders showed high rates of false positive misclassification. Precision in obesity classification would be improved by using WC along with BMI to determine firefighters' weight status.

How do people define moderation?

Science.gov (United States)

vanDellen, Michelle R; Isherwood, Jennifer C; Delose, Julie E

2016-06-01

Eating in moderation is considered to be sound and practical advice for weight maintenance or prevention of weight gain. However, the concept of moderation is ambiguous, and the effect of moderation messages on consumption has yet to be empirically examined. The present manuscript examines how people define moderate consumption. We expected that people would define moderate consumption in ways that justified their current or desired consumption rather than view moderation as an objective standard. In Studies 1 and 2, moderate consumption was perceived to involve greater quantities of an unhealthy food (chocolate chip cookies, gummy candies) than perceptions of how much one should consume. In Study 3, participants generally perceived themselves to eat in moderation and defined moderate consumption as greater than their personal consumption. Furthermore, definitions of moderate consumption were related to personal consumption behaviors. Results suggest that the endorsement of moderation messages allows for a wide range of interpretations of moderate consumption. Thus, we conclude that moderation messages are unlikely to be effective messages for helping people maintain or lose weight. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Just caring: defining a basic benefit package.

Science.gov (United States)

Fleck, Leonard M

2011-12-01

What should be the content of a package of health care services that we would want to guarantee to all Americans? This question cannot be answered adequately apart from also addressing the issue of fair health care rationing. Consequently, as I argue in this essay, appeal to the language of "basic," "essential," "adequate," "minimally decent," or "medically necessary" for purposes of answering our question is unhelpful. All these notions are too vague to be useful. Cost matters. Effectiveness matters. The clinical circumstances of a patient matters. But what we must ultimately determine is what we mutually agree are the just claims to needed health care of each American in a relatively complex range of clinical circumstances. Answering this question will require a public moral conversation, a fair process of rational democratic deliberation aimed at defining both just claims to needed health care and just limits.

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...

Defining chaos.

Science.gov (United States)

Hunt, Brian R; Ott, Edward

2015-09-01

In this paper, we propose, discuss, and illustrate a computationally feasible definition of chaos which can be applied very generally to situations that are commonly encountered, including attractors, repellers, and non-periodically forced systems. This definition is based on an entropy-like quantity, which we call "expansion entropy," and we define chaos as occurring when this quantity is positive. We relate and compare expansion entropy to the well-known concept of topological entropy to which it is equivalent under appropriate conditions. We also present example illustrations, discuss computational implementations, and point out issues arising from attempts at giving definitions of chaos that are not entropy-based.

Bilayer graphene quantum dot defined by topgates

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Müller, André; Kaestner, Bernd; Hohls, Frank; Weimann, Thomas; Pierz, Klaus; Schumacher, Hans W., E-mail: hans.w.schumacher@ptb.de [Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt, Bundesallee 100, 38116 Braunschweig (Germany)

2014-06-21

We investigate the application of nanoscale topgates on exfoliated bilayer graphene to define quantum dot devices. At temperatures below 500 mK, the conductance underneath the grounded gates is suppressed, which we attribute to nearest neighbour hopping and strain-induced piezoelectric fields. The gate-layout can thus be used to define resistive regions by tuning into the corresponding temperature range. We use this method to define a quantum dot structure in bilayer graphene showing Coulomb blockade oscillations consistent with the gate layout.

Optimal combination of illusory and luminance-defined 3-D surfaces: A role for ambiguity.

Science.gov (United States)

Hartle, Brittney; Wilcox, Laurie M; Murray, Richard F

2018-04-01

The shape of the illusory surface in stereoscopic Kanizsa figures is determined by the interpolation of depth from the luminance edges of adjacent inducing elements. Despite ambiguity in the position of illusory boundaries, observers reliably perceive a coherent three-dimensional (3-D) surface. However, this ambiguity may contribute additional uncertainty to the depth percept beyond what is expected from measurement noise alone. We evaluated the intrinsic ambiguity of illusory boundaries by using a cue-combination paradigm to measure the reliability of depth percepts elicited by stereoscopic illusory surfaces. We assessed the accuracy and precision of depth percepts using 3-D Kanizsa figures relative to luminance-defined surfaces. The location of the surface peak was defined by illusory boundaries, luminance-defined edges, or both. Accuracy and precision were assessed using a depth-discrimination paradigm. A maximum likelihood linear cue combination model was used to evaluate the relative contribution of illusory and luminance-defined signals to the perceived depth of the combined surface. Our analysis showed that the standard deviation of depth estimates was consistent with an optimal cue combination model, but the points of subjective equality indicated that observers consistently underweighted the contribution of illusory boundaries. This systematic underweighting may reflect a combination rule that attributes additional intrinsic ambiguity to the location of the illusory boundary. Although previous studies show that illusory and luminance-defined contours share many perceptual similarities, our model suggests that ambiguity plays a larger role in the perceptual representation of illusory contours than of luminance-defined contours.

Evaluation of methods for characterizing the melting curves of a high temperature cobalt-carbon fixed point to define and determine its melting temperature

Science.gov (United States)

Lowe, David; Machin, Graham

2012-06-01

The future mise en pratique for the realization of the kelvin will be founded on the melting temperatures of particular metal-carbon eutectic alloys as thermodynamic temperature references. However, at the moment there is no consensus on what should be taken as the melting temperature. An ideal melting or freezing curve should be a completely flat plateau at a specific temperature. Any departure from the ideal is due to shortcomings in the realization and should be accommodated within the uncertainty budget. However, for the proposed alloy-based fixed points, melting takes place over typically some hundreds of millikelvins. Including the entire melting range within the uncertainties would lead to an unnecessarily pessimistic view of the utility of these as reference standards. Therefore, detailed analysis of the shape of the melting curve is needed to give a value associated with some identifiable aspect of the phase transition. A range of approaches are or could be used; some purely practical, determining the point of inflection (POI) of the melting curve, some attempting to extrapolate to the liquidus temperature just at the end of melting, and a method that claims to give the liquidus temperature and an impurity correction based on the analytical Scheil model of solidification that has not previously been applied to eutectic melting. The different methods have been applied to cobalt-carbon melting curves that were obtained under conditions for which the Scheil model might be valid. In the light of the findings of this study it is recommended that the POI continue to be used as a pragmatic measure of temperature but where required a specified limits approach should be used to define and determine the melting temperature.

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 and application of a conceptual approach for defining high-level waste

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Croff, A.G.; Forsberg, C.W.; Kocher, D.C.; Cohen, J.J.; Smith, C.F.; Miller, D.E.

1986-01-01

This paper presents a conceptual approach to defining high-level radioactive waste (HLW) and a preliminary quantitative definition obtained from an example implementation of the conceptual approach. On the basis of the description of HLW in the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982, we have developed a conceptual model in which HLW has two attributes: HLW is (1) highly radioactive and (2) requires permanent isolation via deep geologic disposal. This conceptual model results in a two-dimensional waste categorization system in which one axis, related to ''requires permanent isolation,'' is associated with long-term risks from waste disposal and the other axis, related to ''highly radioactive,'' is associated with short-term risks from waste management and operations; this system also leads to the specification of categories of wastes that are not HLW. Implementation of the conceptual model for defining HLW was based primarily on health and safety considerations. Wastes requiring permanent isolation via deep geologic disposal were defined by estimating the maximum concentrations of radionuclides that would be acceptable for disposal using the next-best technology, i.e., greater confinement disposal (GCD) via intermediate-depth burial or engineered surface structures. Wastes that are highly radioactive were defined by adopting heat generation rate as the appropriate measure and examining levels of decay heat that necessitate special methods to control risks from operations in a variety of nuclear fuel-cycle situations. We determined that wastes having a power density >200 W/m 3 should be considered highly radioactive. Thus, in the example implementation, the combination of maximum concentrations of long-lived radionuclides that are acceptable for GCD and a power density of 200 W/m 3 provides boundaries for defining wastes that are HLW

Defining and classifying syncope

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Thijs, Roland D.; Wieling, Wouter; Kaufmann, Horacio; van Dijk, Gert

2004-01-01

There is no widely adopted definition or classification of syncope and related disorders. This lack of uniformity harms patient care, research, and medical education. In this article, syncope is defined as a form of transient loss of consciousness (TLOC) due to cerebral hypoperfusion. Differences

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.

Defining Abnormally Low Tenders

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ølykke, Grith Skovgaard; Nyström, Johan

2017-01-01

The concept of an abnormally low tender is not defined in EU public procurement law. This article takes an interdisciplinary law and economics approach to examine a dataset consisting of Swedish and Danish judgments and verdicts concerning the concept of an abnormally low tender. The purpose...

Koala retroviruses: characterization and impact on the life of koalas

OpenAIRE

Denner, Joachim; Young, Paul R

2013-01-01

Koala retroviruses (KoRV) have been isolated from wild and captive koalas in Australia as well as from koala populations held in zoos in other countries. They are members of the genus Gammaretrovirus, are most closely related to gibbon ape leukemia virus (GaLV), feline leukemia virus (FeLV) and porcine endogenous retrovirus (PERV) and are likely the result of a relatively recent trans-species transmission from rodents or bats. The first KoRV to be isolated, KoRV-A, is widely distributed in th...

DEFINE: A Service-Oriented Dynamically Enabling Function Model

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tan Wei-Yi

2017-01-01

In this paper, we introduce an innovative Dynamically Enable Function In Network Equipment (DEFINE to allow tenant get the network service quickly. First, DEFINE decouples an application into different functional components, and connects these function components in a reconfigurable method. Second, DEFINE provides a programmable interface to the third party, who can develop their own processing modules according to their own needs. To verify the effectiveness of this model, we set up an evaluating network with a FPGA-based OpenFlow switch prototype, and deployed several applications on it. Our results show that DEFINE has excellent flexibility and performance.

Software Defined Coded Networking

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Di Paola, Carla; Roetter, Daniel Enrique Lucani; Palazzo, Sergio

2017-01-01

the quality of each link and even across neighbouring links and using simulations to show that an additional reduction of packet transmission in the order of 40% is possible. Second, to advocate for the use of network coding (NC) jointly with software defined networking (SDN) providing an implementation...

DALI: Defining Antibiotic Levels in Intensive care unit patients: a multi-centre point of prevalence study to determine whether contemporary antibiotic dosing for critically ill patients is therapeutic

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Roberts Jason A

2012-07-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The clinical effects of varying pharmacokinetic exposures of antibiotics (antibacterials and antifungals on outcome in infected critically ill patients are poorly described. A large-scale multi-centre study (DALI Study is currently underway describing the clinical outcomes of patients achieving pre-defined antibiotic exposures. This report describes the protocol. Methods DALI will recruit over 500 patients administered a wide range of either beta-lactam or glycopeptide antibiotics or triazole or echinocandin antifungals in a pharmacokinetic point-prevalence study. It is anticipated that over 60 European intensive care units (ICUs will participate. The primary aim will be to determine whether contemporary antibiotic dosing for critically ill patients achieves plasma concentrations associated with maximal activity. Secondary aims will compare antibiotic pharmacokinetic exposures with patient outcome and will describe the population pharmacokinetics of the antibiotics included. Various subgroup analyses will be conducted to determine patient groups that may be at risk of very low or very high concentrations of antibiotics. Discussion The DALI study should inform clinicians of the potential clinical advantages of achieving certain antibiotic pharmacokinetic exposures in infected critically ill patients.

Defining Baconian Probability for Use in Assurance Argumentation

Science.gov (United States)

Graydon, Patrick J.

2016-01-01

The use of assurance cases (e.g., safety cases) in certification raises questions about confidence in assurance argument claims. Some researchers propose to assess confidence in assurance cases using Baconian induction. That is, a writer or analyst (1) identifies defeaters that might rebut or undermine each proposition in the assurance argument and (2) determines whether each defeater can be dismissed or ignored and why. Some researchers also propose denoting confidence using the counts of defeaters identified and eliminated-which they call Baconian probability-and performing arithmetic on these measures. But Baconian probabilities were first defined as ordinal rankings which cannot be manipulated arithmetically. In this paper, we recount noteworthy definitions of Baconian induction, review proposals to assess confidence in assurance claims using Baconian probability, analyze how these comport with or diverge from the original definition, and make recommendations for future practice.

Optimum Criteria for Developing Defined Structures

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ion IVAN

2008-01-01

Full Text Available Basic aspects concerning distributed applications are presented: definition, particularities and importance. For distributed applications linear, arborescent, graph structures are defined with different versions and aggregation methods. Distributed applications have associated structures which through their characteristics influence the costs of the stages in the development cycle and the exploitation costs transferred to each user. The complexity of the defined structures is analyzed. The minimum and maximum criteria are enumerated for optimizing distributed application structures.

Defining nodes in complex brain networks

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

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

12 CFR 914.1 - Regulatory Report defined.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... Bank. (b) Examples. Regulatory Report includes: (1) Call reports and reports of instrument-level risk... 12 Banks and Banking 7 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Regulatory Report defined. 914.1 Section 914.1... DATA AVAILABILITY AND REPORTING § 914.1 Regulatory Report defined. (a) Definition. Regulatory Report...

Defining Spaces of Potential Art: The significance of representation in computer-aided creativity

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Dahlstedt, Palle

2005-01-01

One way of looking at the creative process is as a search in a space of possible answers. One way of simulating such a process is through evolutionary algorithms, i.e., simulated evolution by random variation and selection. The search space is defined by the chosen genetic representation, a kind...... of formal description, and the ways of navigating the space are defined by the choice of genetic operators (e.g., mutations). In creative systems, such as computer-aided music composition tools, these choices determine the efficiency of the system, in terms of the diversity of the results, the degree...... of novelty and the coherence within the material. Based on various implementations developed during five years of research, and experiences from real-life artistic applications, I will explain and discuss these mechanisms, from a perspective of the creative artist....

Defining the public, defining sociology: hybrid science-public relations and boundary-work in early American sociology.

Science.gov (United States)

Evans, Michael S

2009-01-01

In this paper, I examine how scientific disciplines define their boundaries by defining the publics with whom they engage. The case study is an episode in the development of early American sociology. In response to the dual challenge of credibility set up by the conflict between religious Baconian science and secular positivist science, key actors engaged in specific strategies of boundary-work to create their desired "sociological public"--a hybrid form of science-public relations that appealed to hostile university scientists while excluding a supportive religious audience from participation in the production of scientific knowledge. Using this case, I offer two specific insights. First I illustrate how, in the pursuit of scientific credibility, actors engage in boundary-work to differentiate audiences, not just practitioners. Such defining of publics is constitutive of scientific disciplines in their formative stage. Second, I demonstrate how audience boundaries can be redefined through the capture of existing boundary objects. Specifically, the removal of informational content in key boundary objects creates durable boundaries that are difficult to overcome.

Organization of Valence-Encoding and Projection-Defined Neurons in the Basolateral Amygdala

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anna Beyeler

2018-01-01

Full Text Available The basolateral amygdala (BLA mediates associative learning for both fear and reward. Accumulating evidence supports the notion that different BLA projections distinctly alter motivated behavior, including projections to the nucleus accumbens (NAc, medial aspect of the central amygdala (CeM, and ventral hippocampus (vHPC. Although there is consensus regarding the existence of distinct subsets of BLA neurons encoding positive or negative valence, controversy remains regarding the anatomical arrangement of these populations. First, we map the location of more than 1,000 neurons distributed across the BLA and recorded during a Pavlovian discrimination task. Next, we determine the location of projection-defined neurons labeled with retrograde tracers and use CLARITY to reveal the axonal path in 3-dimensional space. Finally, we examine the local influence of each projection-defined populations within the BLA. Understanding the functional and topographical organization of circuits underlying valence assignment could reveal fundamental principles about emotional processing.

47 CFR 2.801 - Radiofrequency device defined.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... 47 Telecommunication 1 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Radiofrequency device defined. 2.801 Section 2... MATTERS; GENERAL RULES AND REGULATIONS Marketing of Radio-frequency Devices § 2.801 Radiofrequency device defined. As used in this part, a radiofrequency device is any device which in its operation is capable of...

Defining the genetic susceptibility to cervical neoplasia-A genome-wide association study.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Paul J Leo

2017-08-01

Full Text Available A small percentage of women with cervical HPV infection progress to cervical neoplasia, and the risk factors determining progression are incompletely understood. We sought to define the genetic loci involved in cervical neoplasia and to assess its heritability using unbiased unrelated case/control statistical approaches. We demonstrated strong association of cervical neoplasia with risk and protective HLA haplotypes that are determined by the amino-acids carried at positions 13 and 71 in pocket 4 of HLA-DRB1 and position 156 in HLA-B. Furthermore, 36% (standard error 2.4% of liability of HPV-associated cervical pre-cancer and cancer is determined by common genetic variants. Women in the highest 10% of genetic risk scores have approximately >7.1% risk, and those in the highest 5% have approximately >21.6% risk, of developing cervical neoplasia. Future studies should examine genetic risk prediction in assessing the risk of cervical neoplasia further, in combination with other screening methods.

33 CFR 211.1 - Real estate defined.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 33 Navigation and Navigable Waters 3 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Real estate defined. 211.1... DEFENSE REAL ESTATE ACTIVITIES OF THE CORPS OF ENGINEERS IN CONNECTION WITH CIVIL WORKS PROJECTS Real Estate; General § 211.1 Real estate defined. The term real estate as used in this part includes land...

Software Defined Common Processing System (SDCPS), Phase I

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — Coherent Logix, Incorporated proposes the Software Defined Common Processing System (SDCPS) program to facilitate the development of a Software Defined Radio...

26 CFR 1.761-1 - Terms defined.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... TAXES Definitions § 1.761-1 Terms defined. (a) Partnership. The term partnership means a partnership as... 26 Internal Revenue 8 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Terms defined. 1.761-1 Section 1.761-1 Internal... means a member of a partnership. (c) Partnership agreement. For the purposes of subchapter K, a...

Defining perennial, intermittent and ephemeral channels in eastern Kentucky: application to forestry best management practices

Science.gov (United States)

J. R. Svec; R. K. Kolka; J. W. Stringer

2003-01-01

In Kentucky stream classification is used to determine which forestry best management practice (BMP) to apply in riparian zones. Kentucky defines stream classes as follows (Stringer and others 1998): a) perennial streams that hold water throughout the year, b) intermittent streams that hold water during wet portions of the year, and c) ephemeral channels that hold...

48 CFR 311.7000 - Defining electronic information technology requirements.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 4 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Defining electronic information technology requirements. 311.7000 Section 311.7000 Federal Acquisition Regulations System HEALTH... Accessibility Standards 311.7000 Defining electronic information technology requirements. HHS staff that define...

Dilution Confusion: Conventions for Defining a Dilution

Science.gov (United States)

Fishel, Laurence A.

2010-01-01

Two conventions for preparing dilutions are used in clinical laboratories. The first convention defines an "a:b" dilution as "a" volumes of solution A plus "b" volumes of solution B. The second convention defines an "a:b" dilution as "a" volumes of solution A diluted into a final volume of "b". Use of the incorrect dilution convention could affect…

20 CFR 725.221 - Determination of dependency; child.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... 20 Employees' Benefits 3 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Determination of dependency; child. 725.221... Determination of dependency; child. For the purposes of determining whether a child was dependent upon a... the eligibility of a child who is under a disability as defined in section 223(d) of the Social...

Modal Logics and Definability

OpenAIRE

Kuusisto, Antti

2013-01-01

In recent years, research into the mathematical foundations of modal logic has become increasingly popular. One of the main reasons for this is the fact that modal logic seems to adapt well to the requirements of a wide range of different fields of application. This paper is a summary of some of the author’s contributions to the understanding of modal definability theory.

Environmental drivers defining linkages among life-history traits: mechanistic insights from a semiterrestrial amphipod subjected to macroscale gradients.

Science.gov (United States)

Gómez, Julio; Barboza, Francisco R; Defeo, Omar

2013-10-01

Determining the existence of interconnected responses among life-history traits and identifying underlying environmental drivers are recognized as key goals for understanding the basis of phenotypic variability. We studied potentially interconnected responses among senescence, fecundity, embryos size, weight of brooding females, size at maturity and sex ratio in a semiterrestrial amphipod affected by macroscale gradients in beach morphodynamics and salinity. To this end, multiple modelling processes based on generalized additive mixed models were used to deal with the spatio-temporal structure of the data obtained at 10 beaches during 22 months. Salinity was the only nexus among life-history traits, suggesting that this physiological stressor influences the energy balance of organisms. Different salinity scenarios determined shifts in the weight of brooding females and size at maturity, having consequences in the number and size of embryos which in turn affected sex determination and sex ratio at the population level. Our work highlights the importance of analysing field data to find the variables and potential mechanisms that define concerted responses among traits, therefore defining life-history strategies.

A definability theorem for first order logic

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Butz, C.; Moerdijk, I.

1997-01-01

In this paper we will present a definability theorem for first order logic This theorem is very easy to state and its proof only uses elementary tools To explain the theorem let us first observe that if M is a model of a theory T in a language L then clearly any definable subset S M ie a subset S

Defining generic architecture for Cloud IaaS provisioning model

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Demchenko, Y.; de Laat, C.; Mavrin, A.; Leymann, F.; Ivanov, I.; van Sinderen, M.; Shishkov, B.

2011-01-01

Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) is one of the provisioning models for Clouds as defined in the NIST Clouds definition. Although widely used, current IaaS implementations and solutions doesn’t have common and well defined architecture model. The paper attempts to define a generic architecture for

Variable Bandwidth Analog Channel Filters for Software Defined Radio

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Arkesteijn, V.J.; Klumperink, Eric A.M.; Nauta, Bram

2001-01-01

An important aspect of Software Defined Radio is the ability to define the bandwidth of the filter that selects the desired channel. This paper first explains the importance of channel filtering. Then the advantage of analog channel filtering with a variable bandwidth in a Software Defined Radio is

Toward Edge-Defined Holey Boron Nitride Nanosheets

Science.gov (United States)

Lin, Yi; Liao, Yunlong; Chen, Zhongfan; Connell, John W.

2015-01-01

"Holey" two-dimensional (2D) nanosheets with well-defined holy morphology and edge chemistry are highly desirable for applications such as energy storage, catalysis, sensing, transistors, and molecular transport/separation. For example, holey grapheme is currently under extensive investigation for energy storage applications because of the improvement in ion transport due to through the thickness pathways provided by the holes. Without the holes, the 2D materials have significant limitations for such applications in which efficient ion transport is important. As part of an effort to apply this approach to other 2D nanomaterials, a method to etch geometrically defined pits or holes on the basal plane surface of hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) nanosheets has been developed. The etching, conducted via heating in ambient air using metal nanoparticles as catalysts, was facile, controllable, and scalable. Starting h-BN layered crystals were etched and subsequently exfoliated into boron nitride nanosheets (BNNSs). The as-etched and exfoliated h-BN nanosheets possessed defined pit and hole shapes that were comprised of regulated nanostructures at the edges. The current finding are the first step toward the bulk preparation of holey BNNSs with defined holes and edges.

Rapid Induction of Cerebral Organoids From Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells Using a Chemically Defined Hydrogel and Defined Cell Culture Medium.

Science.gov (United States)

Lindborg, Beth A; Brekke, John H; Vegoe, Amanda L; Ulrich, Connor B; Haider, Kerri T; Subramaniam, Sandhya; Venhuizen, Scott L; Eide, Cindy R; Orchard, Paul J; Chen, Weili; Wang, Qi; Pelaez, Francisco; Scott, Carolyn M; Kokkoli, Efrosini; Keirstead, Susan A; Dutton, James R; Tolar, Jakub; O'Brien, Timothy D

2016-07-01

Tissue organoids are a promising technology that may accelerate development of the societal and NIH mandate for precision medicine. Here we describe a robust and simple method for generating cerebral organoids (cOrgs) from human pluripotent stem cells by using a chemically defined hydrogel material and chemically defined culture medium. By using no additional neural induction components, cOrgs appeared on the hydrogel surface within 10-14 days, and under static culture conditions, they attained sizes up to 3 mm in greatest dimension by day 28. Histologically, the organoids showed neural rosette and neural tube-like structures and evidence of early corticogenesis. Immunostaining and quantitative reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction demonstrated protein and gene expression representative of forebrain, midbrain, and hindbrain development. Physiologic studies showed responses to glutamate and depolarization in many cells, consistent with neural behavior. The method of cerebral organoid generation described here facilitates access to this technology, enables scalable applications, and provides a potential pathway to translational applications where defined components are desirable. Tissue organoids are a promising technology with many potential applications, such as pharmaceutical screens and development of in vitro disease models, particularly for human polygenic conditions where animal models are insufficient. This work describes a robust and simple method for generating cerebral organoids from human induced pluripotent stem cells by using a chemically defined hydrogel material and chemically defined culture medium. This method, by virtue of its simplicity and use of defined materials, greatly facilitates access to cerebral organoid technology, enables scalable applications, and provides a potential pathway to translational applications where defined components are desirable. ©AlphaMed Press.

INSULIN-SECRETION BY RAT ISLET ISOGRAFTS OF A DEFINED ENDOCRINE VOLUME AFTER TRANSPLANTATION TO 3 DIFFERENT SITES

NARCIS (Netherlands)

VANSUYLICHEM, PTR; STRUBBE, JH; HOUWING, H; WOLTERS, GHJ; VANSCHILFGAARDE, R

1992-01-01

We have analysed the graft function of rat islet isografts of identical and well-defined endocrine volumes after transplantation to three different sites (kidney, liver and spleen). Graft endocrine mass was determined by measuring the total islet volume prior to transplantation and was chosen to be

Insulin secretion by rat islet isografts of a defined endocrine volume after transplantation to three different sites

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Suylichem, P.T.R. van; Strubbe, J.H.; Houwing, H.; Wolters, G.H.J.; Schilfgaarde, R. van

1992-01-01

We have analysed the graft function of rat islet isografts of identical and well-defined endocrine volumes after transplantation to three different sites (kidney, liver and spleen). Graft endocrine mass was determined by measuring the total islet volume prior to transplantation and was chosen to be

The benefits of defining "snacks".

Science.gov (United States)

Hess, Julie M; Slavin, Joanne L

2018-04-18

Whether eating a "snack" is considered a beneficial or detrimental behavior is largely based on how "snack" is defined. The term "snack food" tends to connote energy-dense, nutrient-poor foods high in nutrients to limit (sugar, sodium, and/or saturated fat) like cakes, cookies, chips and other salty snacks, and sugar-sweetened beverages. Eating a "snack food" is often conflated with eating a "snack," however, leading to an overall perception of snacks as a dietary negative. Yet the term "snack" can also refer simply to an eating occasion outside of breakfast, lunch, or dinner. With this definition, the evidence to support health benefits or detriments to eating a "snack" remains unclear, in part because relatively few well-designed studies that specifically focus on the impact of eating frequency on health have been conducted. Despite these inconsistencies and research gaps, in much of the nutrition literature, "snacking" is still referred to as detrimental to health. As discussed in this review, however, there are multiple factors that influence the health impacts of snacking, including the definition of "snack" itself, the motivation to snack, body mass index of snack eaters, and the food selected as a snack. Without a definition of "snack" and a body of research using methodologically rigorous protocols, determining the health impact of eating a "snack" will continue to elude the nutrition research community and prevent the development of evidence-based policies about snacking that support public health. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Multiple cues add up in defining a figure on a ground.

Science.gov (United States)

Devinck, Frédéric; Spillmann, Lothar

2013-01-25

We studied the contribution of multiple cues to figure-ground segregation. Convexity, symmetry, and top-down polarity (henceforth called wide base) were used as cues. Single-cue displays as well as ambiguous stimulus patterns containing two or three cues were presented. Error rate (defined by responses to uncued stimuli) and reaction time were used to quantify the figural strength of a given cue. In the first experiment, observers were asked to report which of two regions, left or right, appeared as foreground figure. Error rate did not benefit from adding additional cues if convexity was present, suggesting that responses were based on convexity as the predominant figural determinant. However, reaction time became shorter with additional cues even if convexity was present. For example, when symmetry and wide base were added, figure-ground segregation was facilitated. In a second experiment, stimulus patterns were exposed for 150ms to rule out eye movements. Results were similar to those found in the first experiment. Both experiments suggest that under the conditions of our experiment figure-ground segregation is perceived more readily, when several cues cooperate in defining the figure. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Locating and defining underground goaf caused by coal mining from space-borne SAR interferometry

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Zefa; Li, Zhiwei; Zhu, Jianjun; Yi, Huiwei; Feng, Guangcai; Hu, Jun; Wu, Lixin; Preusse, Alex; Wang, Yunjia; Papst, Markus

2018-01-01

It is crucial to locate underground goafs (i.e., mined-out areas) resulting from coal mining and define their spatial dimensions for effectively controlling the induced damages and geohazards. Traditional geophysical techniques for locating and defining underground goafs, however, are ground-based, labour-consuming and costly. This paper presents a novel space-based method for locating and defining the underground goaf caused by coal extraction using Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) techniques. As the coal mining-induced goaf is often a cuboid-shaped void and eight critical geometric parameters (i.e., length, width, height, inclined angle, azimuth angle, mining depth, and two central geodetic coordinates) are capable of locating and defining this underground space, the proposed method reduces to determine the eight geometric parameters from InSAR observations. Therefore, it first applies the Probability Integral Method (PIM), a widely used model for mining-induced deformation prediction, to construct a functional relationship between the eight geometric parameters and the InSAR-derived surface deformation. Next, the method estimates these geometric parameters from the InSAR-derived deformation observations using a hybrid simulated annealing and genetic algorithm. Finally, the proposed method was tested with both simulated and two real data sets. The results demonstrate that the estimated geometric parameters of the goafs are accurate and compatible overall, with averaged relative errors of approximately 2.1% and 8.1% being observed for the simulated and the real data experiments, respectively. Owing to the advantages of the InSAR observations, the proposed method provides a non-contact, convenient and practical method for economically locating and defining underground goafs in a large spatial area from space.

The problem of defining contemporary right-wing extremism in political theory

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Đorić Marija

2016-01-01

Full Text Available The subject matter of research in this paper is theoretical controversy related to the definition of right-wing extremism. Given the fact that extremism is a variable, amorphous and insufficiently researched phenomenon, largely conditioned by time, space, political and cultural differences, there is a great confusion in the field of political science when defining right-wing extremism. The problem of researching right-wing extremism is additionally complicated by various terms that are being used in the contemporary literature as its synonyms, such as right-wing radicalism, neo-Fascism, ultra-radicalism, etc. In order to provide the most valid theoretical determination of right-wing extremism, the author provides a detailed analysis of all the components constituting this phenomenon and examines their causality. In the political praxis, the term extremism is extensively abused, which additionally complicates its determination. Videlicet, politicians often use term 'extremist' in order to discredit their political opponents. While during the French revolution aristocracy saw the bourgeoisie as extremists, the members of the working class later stated that the bourgeoisie were extremists. The problem lies in the fact that, in politics, extremists are not only the ones who use violence as modus operandi; indeed, it is also used by political opponents who do not belong to the extreme political option. Another aggravating factor in defining right-wing extremism is that many administrative and academic definitions do not make a clear distinction between extremism and related phenomena, such as terrorism, radicalism and populism. Extremism is most often equaled with terrorism, which gives rise to another problem in defining this phenomenon. The relation between extremism and terrorism is the relation of general and specific. Namely, every act of terrorism is concurrently considered to be an act of extremism, but not vice versa, given the fact that

75 FR 65023 - Notice of Issuance of Final Determination Concerning Certain Heating Boilers

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-21

... is attached. Any party-at-interest, as defined in 19 CFR 177.22(d), may seek judicial review of this... party-at-interest, as defined in 19 CFR 177.22(d), may seek judicial review of a final determination..., 224- 225 (1982) (where it was determined that imported uppers were the essence of a completed shoe...

Defining Sustainable Universities Following Public Opinion Formation Process

Science.gov (United States)

Zaptcioglu Celikdemir, Deniz; Gunay, Gonca; Katrinli, Alev; Penbek Alpbaz, Sebnem

2017-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to define the sustainable university in Turkey, by considering perspectives of various stakeholders such as experts, intellectual, public, political parties and media using public opinion formation analysis. The paper aims to re-define the "sustainable university" with all dimensions including…

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.

Definable Group Extensions and o-Minimal Group Cohomology via Spectral Sequences

OpenAIRE

BARRIGA, ELIANA

2013-01-01

We provide the theoretical foundation for the Lyndon-Hochschild-Serre spectral sequence as a tool to study the group cohomology and with this the group extensions in the category of definable groups. We also present various results on definable modules and actions, definable extensions and group cohomology of definable groups. These have applications to the study of non-definably compact groups definable in o-minimal theories (see [1]). Se presenta el fundamento teórico para las sucesiones...

Surface Charge Measurement of SonoVue, Definity and Optison: A Comparison of Laser Doppler Electrophoresis and Micro-Electrophoresis.

Science.gov (United States)

Ja'afar, Fairuzeta; Leow, Chee Hau; Garbin, Valeria; Sennoga, Charles A; Tang, Meng-Xing; Seddon, John M

2015-11-01

Microbubble (MB) contrast-enhanced ultrasonography is a promising tool for targeted molecular imaging. It is important to determine the MB surface charge accurately as it affects the MB interactions with cell membranes. In this article, we report the surface charge measurement of SonoVue, Definity and Optison. We compare the performance of the widely used laser Doppler electrophoresis with an in-house micro-electrophoresis system. By optically tracking MB electrophoretic velocity in a microchannel, we determined the zeta potentials of MB samples. Using micro-electrophoresis, we obtained zeta potential values for SonoVue, Definity and Optison of -28.3, -4.2 and -9.5 mV, with relative standard deviations of 5%, 48% and 8%, respectively. In comparison, laser Doppler electrophoresis gave -8.7, +0.7 and +15.8 mV with relative standard deviations of 330%, 29,000% and 130%, respectively. We found that the reliability of laser Doppler electrophoresis is compromised by MB buoyancy. Micro-electrophoresis determined zeta potential values with a 10-fold improvement in relative standard deviation. Copyright © 2015 World Federation for Ultrasound in Medicine & Biology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Positive facial expressions during retrieval of self-defining memories.

Science.gov (United States)

Gandolphe, Marie Charlotte; Nandrino, Jean Louis; Delelis, Gérald; Ducro, Claire; Lavallee, Audrey; Saloppe, Xavier; Moustafa, Ahmed A; El Haj, Mohamad

2017-11-14

In this study, we investigated, for the first time, facial expressions during the retrieval of Self-defining memories (i.e., those vivid and emotionally intense memories of enduring concerns or unresolved conflicts). Participants self-rated the emotional valence of their Self-defining memories and autobiographical retrieval was analyzed with a facial analysis software. This software (Facereader) synthesizes the facial expression information (i.e., cheek, lips, muscles, eyebrow muscles) to describe and categorize facial expressions (i.e., neutral, happy, sad, surprised, angry, scared, and disgusted facial expressions). We found that participants showed more emotional than neutral facial expressions during the retrieval of Self-defining memories. We also found that participants showed more positive than negative facial expressions during the retrieval of Self-defining memories. Interestingly, participants attributed positive valence to the retrieved memories. These findings are the first to demonstrate the consistency between facial expressions and the emotional subjective experience of Self-defining memories. These findings provide valuable physiological information about the emotional experience of the past.

Coding ill-defined and unknown cause of death is 13 times more frequent in Denmark than in Finland

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ylijoki-Sørensen, Seija; Sajantila, Antti; Lalu, Kaisa

2014-01-01

Exact cause and manner of death determination improves legislative safety for the individual and for society and guides aspects of national public health. In the International Classification of Diseases, codes R00-R99 are used for "symptoms, signs and abnormal clinical and laboratory findings......, not elsewhere classified" designated as "ill-defined" or "with unknown etiology". The World Health Organisation recommends avoiding the use of ill-defined and unknown causes of death in the death certificate as this terminology does not give any information concerning the possible conditions that led...... autopsy. Our study suggests that if all deaths in all age groups with unclear cause of death were systematically investigated with a forensic autopsy, only 2-3/1000 deaths per year would be coded as an ill-defined and unknown cause of death in national mortality statistics. At the same time the risk...

Defining and Differentiating the Makerspace

Science.gov (United States)

Dousay, Tonia A.

2017-01-01

Many resources now punctuate the maker movement landscape. However, some schools and communities still struggle to understand this burgeoning movement. How do we define these spaces and differentiate them from previous labs and shops? Through a multidimensional framework, stakeholders should consider how the structure, access, staffing, and tools…

Indico CONFERENCE: Define the Programme

CERN Multimedia

CERN. Geneva; Ferreira, Pedro

2017-01-01

In this tutorial you are going to learn how to define the programme of a conference in Indico. The program of your conference is divided in different “tracks”. Tracks represent the subject matter of the conference, such as “Online Computing”, “Offline Computing”, and so on.

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...

26 CFR 1.1250-2 - Additional depreciation defined.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... 26 Internal Revenue 11 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 true Additional depreciation defined. 1.1250-2... Additional depreciation defined. (a) In general—(1) Definition for purposes of section 1250(b)(1). Except as... depreciation means: (i) In the case of property which at the time of disposition has a holding period under...

Non-self-adjoint Hamiltonians defined by generalized Riesz bases

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Inoue, H., E-mail: h-inoue@math.kyushu-u.ac.jp [Graduate School of Mathematics, Kyushu University, 744 Motooka, Nishi-ku, Fukuoka 819-0395 (Japan); Takakura, M., E-mail: mayumi@fukuoka-u.ac.jp [Department of Applied Mathematics, Fukuoka University, Fukuoka 814-0180 (Japan)

2016-08-15

Bagarello, Inoue, and Trapani [J. Math. Phys. 55, 033501 (2014)] investigated some operators defined by the Riesz bases. These operators connect with quasi-Hermitian quantum mechanics, and its relatives. In this paper, we introduce a notion of generalized Riesz bases which is a generalization of Riesz bases and investigate some operators defined by the generalized Riesz bases by changing the frameworks of the operators defined in the work of Bagarello, Inoue, and Trapani.

Genetic diversity in the feline leukemia virus gag gene.

Science.gov (United States)

Kawamura, Maki; Watanabe, Shinya; Odahara, Yuka; Nakagawa, So; Endo, Yasuyuki; Tsujimoto, Hajime; Nishigaki, Kazuo

2015-06-02

Feline leukemia virus (FeLV) belongs to the Gammaretrovirus genus and is horizontally transmitted among cats. FeLV is known to undergo recombination with endogenous retroviruses already present in the host during FeLV-subgroup A infection. Such recombinant FeLVs, designated FeLV-subgroup B or FeLV-subgroup D, can be generated by transduced endogenous retroviral env sequences encoding the viral envelope. These recombinant viruses have biologically distinct properties and may mediate different disease outcomes. The generation of such recombinant viruses resulted in structural diversity of the FeLV particle and genetic diversity of the virus itself. FeLV env diversity through mutation and recombination has been studied, while gag diversity and its possible effects are less well understood. In this study, we investigated recombination events in the gag genes of FeLVs isolated from naturally infected cats and reference isolates. Recombination and phylogenetic analyses indicated that the gag genes often contain endogenous FeLV sequences and were occasionally replaced by entire endogenous FeLV gag genes. Phylogenetic reconstructions of FeLV gag sequences allowed for classification into three distinct clusters, similar to those previously established for the env gene. Analysis of the recombination junctions in FeLV gag indicated that these variants have similar recombination patterns within the same genotypes, indicating that the recombinant viruses were horizontally transmitted among cats. It remains to be investigated whether the recombinant sequences affect the molecular mechanism of FeLV transmission. These findings extend our understanding of gammaretrovirus evolutionary patterns in the field. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

High throughput protease profiling comprehensively defines active site specificity for thrombin and ADAMTS13.

Science.gov (United States)

Kretz, Colin A; Tomberg, Kärt; Van Esbroeck, Alexander; Yee, Andrew; Ginsburg, David

2018-02-12

We have combined random 6 amino acid substrate phage display with high throughput sequencing to comprehensively define the active site specificity of the serine protease thrombin and the metalloprotease ADAMTS13. The substrate motif for thrombin was determined by >6,700 cleaved peptides, and was highly concordant with previous studies. In contrast, ADAMTS13 cleaved only 96 peptides (out of >10 7 sequences), with no apparent consensus motif. However, when the hexapeptide library was substituted into the P3-P3' interval of VWF73, an exosite-engaging substrate of ADAMTS13, 1670 unique peptides were cleaved. ADAMTS13 exhibited a general preference for aliphatic amino acids throughout the P3-P3' interval, except at P2 where Arg was tolerated. The cleaved peptides assembled into a motif dominated by P3 Leu, and bulky aliphatic residues at P1 and P1'. Overall, the P3-P2' amino acid sequence of von Willebrand Factor appears optimally evolved for ADAMTS13 recognition. These data confirm the critical role of exosite engagement for substrates to gain access to the active site of ADAMTS13, and define the substrate recognition motif for ADAMTS13. Combining substrate phage display with high throughput sequencing is a powerful approach for comprehensively defining the active site specificity of proteases.

Self-determination and older people--a concept analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Ekelund, Christina; Dahlin-Ivanoff, Synneve; Eklund, Kajsa

2014-03-01

Self-determination has emerged as an important concept within health care, used to emphasize clients' control and independence as they participate in rehabilitation. To strengthen clients' self-determination is a central aim in occupational therapy. However, there is a lack of a clear definition of self-determination concerning community-dwelling older people. The definition should be flexible in different contexts, such as cultural. To define and clarify the concept of self-determination in relation to community-dwelling frail older people. Walker & Avant's analysis procedure was carried out to identify textual attributes to the concept of self-determination, supplemented by a content analysis of 21 articles that were used to define and further justify the textual attributes. Self-determination was used in diverse contexts for community-dwelling older people, concerning: decision-making in everyday life, professionals' views, health, and legal/ethical rights. Different textual attributes were identified, to propose a conceptual definition of self-determination in relation to community-dwelling frail older people: A process in which a person has control and legal/ethical rights, and has the knowledge and ability to make a decision of his/her own free choice. This concept analysis has contributed to clarifying the concept for the convenience of research with community-dwelling frail older people.

Treatment recommendations for DSM-5-defined mixed features.

Science.gov (United States)

Rosenblat, Joshua D; McIntyre, Roger S

2017-04-01

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5) mixed features specifier provides a less restrictive definition of mixed mood states, compared to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, Text Revision (DSM-IV-TR), including mood episodes that manifest with subthreshold symptoms of the opposite mood state. A limited number of studies have assessed the efficacy of treatments specifically for DSM-5-defined mixed features in mood disorders. As such, there is currently an inadequate amount of data to appropriately inform evidence-based treatment guidelines of DSM-5 defined mixed features. However, given the high prevalence and morbidity of mixed features, treatment recommendations based on the currently available evidence along with expert opinion may be of benefit. This article serves to provide these interim treatment recommendations while humbly acknowledging the limited amount of evidence currently available. Second-generation antipsychotics (SGAs) appear to have the greatest promise in the treatment of bipolar disorder (BD) with mixed features. Conventional mood stabilizing agents (ie, lithium and divalproex) may also be of benefit; however, they have been inadequately studied. In the treatment of major depressive disorder (MDD) with mixed features, the comparable efficacy of antidepressants versus other treatments, such as SGAs, remains unknown. As such, antidepressants remain first-line treatment of MDD with or without mixed features; however, there are significant safety concerns associated with antidepressant monotherapy when mixed features are present, which merits increased monitoring. Lurasidone is the only SGA monotherapy that has been shown to be efficacious specifically in the treatment of MDD with mixed features. Further research is needed to accurately determine the efficacy, safety, and tolerability of treatments specifically for mood episodes with mixed features to adequately inform

An examination of the prevalence of IDF- and ATPIII-defined metabolic syndrome in an Irish screening population.

LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

Waterhouse, D F

2012-02-01

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the prevalence of ATPIII- and IDF-defined metabolic syndrome (MetS) in an Irish screening population and to determine the calculated cardiovascular risk for each group. DESIGN: A total of 1,716 subjects were enrolled over a 12-month period. MAIN OUTCOMES: The ATPIII-defined prevalence of MetS in this population was 13.2%. Using IDF criteria, 21.4% of subjects were identified as having the MetS. Correlation between the two definitions was high; however, IDF criteria identified an additional 9.5% (n = 164) of the population as having MetS, which ATPIII criteria failed to recognise. CONCLUSION: We noted a higher prevalence of MetS in the studied population when defined by IDF criteria. However, those identified by IDF and not by ATPIII definition did not have a higher cardiovascular risk score by either Framingham or European Score than those without MetS. Thus, application of the ATPIII definition of MetS, may be the more practical.

47 CFR 76.1904 - Encoding rules for defined business models.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... 47 Telecommunication 4 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Encoding rules for defined business models. 76... defined business models. (a) Commercial audiovisual content delivered as unencrypted broadcast television... the Commission pursuant to a petition with respect to a defined business model other than unencrypted...

Defining defect specifications to optimize photomask production and requalification

Science.gov (United States)

Fiekowsky, Peter

2006-10-01

Reducing defect repairs and accelerating defect analysis is becoming more important as the total cost of defect repairs on advanced masks increases. Photomask defect specs based on printability, as measured on AIMS microscopes has been used for years, but the fundamental defect spec is still the defect size, as measured on the photomask, requiring the repair of many unprintable defects. ADAS, the Automated Defect Analysis System from AVI is now available in most advanced mask shops. It makes the use of pure printability specs, or "Optimal Defect Specs" practical. This software uses advanced algorithms to eliminate false defects caused by approximations in the inspection algorithm, classify each defect, simulate each defect and disposition each defect based on its printability and location. This paper defines "optimal defect specs", explains why they are now practical and economic, gives a method of determining them and provides accuracy data.

A statistical approach designed for finding mathematically defined repeats in shotgun data and determining the length distribution of clone-inserts

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Zhong, Lan; Zhang, Kunlin; Huang, Xiangang

2003-01-01

that repeats of different copy number have different probabilities of appearance in shotgun data, so based on this principle, we constructed a statistical model and inferred criteria for mathematically defined repeats (MDRs) at different shotgun coverages. According to these criteria, we developed software...... MDRmasker to identify and mask MDRs in shotgun data. With repeats masked prior to assembly, the speed of assembly was increased with lower error probability. In addition, clone-insert size affect the accuracy of repeat assembly and scaffold construction, we also designed length distribution of clone...

Defining the Lower Limit of a "Critical Bone Defect" in Open Diaphyseal Tibial Fractures.

Science.gov (United States)

Haines, Nikkole M; Lack, William D; Seymour, Rachel B; Bosse, Michael J

2016-05-01

To determine healing outcomes of open diaphyseal tibial shaft fractures treated with reamed intramedullary nailing (IMN) with a bone gap of 10-50 mm on ≥50% of the cortical circumference and to better define a "critical bone defect" based on healing outcome. Retrospective cohort study. Forty patients, age 18-65, with open diaphyseal tibial fractures with a bone gap of 10-50 mm on ≥50% of the circumference as measured on standard anteroposterior and lateral postoperative radiographs treated with IMN. IMN of an open diaphyseal tibial fracture with a bone gap. Level-1 trauma center. Healing outcomes, union or nonunion. Forty patients were analyzed. Twenty-one (52.5%) went on to nonunion and nineteen (47.5%) achieved union. Radiographic apparent bone gap (RABG) and infection were the only 2 covariates predicting nonunion outcome (P = 0.046 for infection). The RABG was determined by measuring the bone gap on each cortex and averaging over 4 cortices. Fractures achieving union had a RABG of 12 ± 1 mm versus 20 ± 2 mm in those going on to nonunion (P gaps have a higher probability of nonunion. Research investigating interventions for RABGs should use a predictive threshold for defining a critical bone defect that is associated with greater than 50% risk of nonunion without supplementary treatment. Prognostic Level III. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.

Graphs for information security control in software defined networks

Science.gov (United States)

Grusho, Alexander A.; Abaev, Pavel O.; Shorgin, Sergey Ya.; Timonina, Elena E.

2017-07-01

Information security control in software defined networks (SDN) is connected with execution of the security policy rules regulating information accesses and protection against distribution of the malicious code and harmful influences. The paper offers a representation of a security policy in the form of hierarchical structure which in case of distribution of resources for the solution of tasks defines graphs of admissible interactions in a networks. These graphs define commutation tables of switches via the SDN controller.

Method of determining coking temperature of coke. [Experimental method of determining final coking temperature using a small sample and calibration graph

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mel' nichuk, A.Yu.; Bondarenko, A.K.; Fialkov, B.S.; Khegay, L.U.; Khvan, L.A.; Muzyzhuk, V.D.; Zakharov, A.G.; Zelenskiy, V.P.

1985-01-01

The coking temperature of coke should be determined from the magnitude of the ionization current of the medium during heating (3/sup 0//min) of a coke sample (2 g, fraction < 0.2 mm) in an oxidation medium with air supply (1 1/min). The coking temperature is determined from the maximum magnitude of current using a graduated graph constructed during analysis of coke samples obtained with different final coking temperatures. The discrepancy between the established coking temperature and that defined from the proposed method is 8-19/sup 0/, and that defined from electrical resistance of coke is 26-43/sup 0/. In addition to high accuracy, this method reduces the time outlays for making the analysis.

Defining acceptable levels for ecological indicators: an approach for considering social values.

Science.gov (United States)

Smyth, Robyn L; Watzin, Mary C; Manning, Robert E

2007-03-01

Ecological indicators can facilitate an adaptive management approach, but only if acceptable levels for those indicators have been defined so that the data collected can be interpreted. Because acceptable levels are an expression of the desired state of the ecosystem, the process of establishing acceptable levels should incorporate not just ecological understanding but also societal values. The goal of this research was to explore an approach for defining acceptable levels of ecological indicators that explicitly considers social perspectives and values. We used a set of eight indicators that were related to issues of concern in the Lake Champlain Basin. Our approach was based on normative theory. Using a stakeholder survey, we measured respondent normative evaluations of varying levels of our indicators. Aggregated social norm curves were used to determine the level at which indicator values shifted from acceptable to unacceptable conditions. For seven of the eight indicators, clear preferences were interpretable from these norm curves. For example, closures of public beaches because of bacterial contamination and days of intense algae bloom went from acceptable to unacceptable at 7-10 days in a summer season. Survey respondents also indicated that the number of fish caught from Lake Champlain that could be safely consumed each month was unacceptably low and the number of streams draining into the lake that were impaired by storm water was unacceptably high. If indicators that translate ecological conditions into social consequences are carefully selected, we believe the normative approach has considerable merit for defining acceptable levels of valued ecological system components.

The Diabetes Evaluation Framework for Innovative National Evaluations (DEFINE): Construct and Content Validation Using a Modified Delphi Method.

Science.gov (United States)

Paquette-Warren, Jann; Tyler, Marie; Fournie, Meghan; Harris, Stewart B

2017-06-01

In order to scale-up successful innovations, more evidence is needed to evaluate programs that attempt to address the rising prevalence of diabetes and the associated burdens on patients and the healthcare system. This study aimed to assess the construct and content validity of the Diabetes Evaluation Framework for Innovative National Evaluations (DEFINE), a tool developed to guide the evaluation, design and implementation with built-in knowledge translation principles. A modified Delphi method, including 3 individual rounds (questionnaire with 7-point agreement/importance Likert scales and/or open-ended questions) and 1 group round (open discussion) were conducted. Twelve experts in diabetes, research, knowledge translation, evaluation and policy from Canada (Ontario, Quebec and British Columbia) and Australia participated. Quantitative consensus criteria were an interquartile range of ≤1. Qualitative data were analyzed thematically and confirmed by participants. An importance scale was used to determine a priority multi-level indicator set. Items rated very or extremely important by 80% or more of the experts were reviewed in the final group round to build the final set. Participants reached consensus on the content and construct validity of DEFINE, including its title, overall goal, 5-step evaluation approach, medical and nonmedical determinants of health schematics, full list of indicators and associated measurement tools, priority multi-level indicator set and next steps in DEFINE's development. Validated by experts, DEFINE has the right theoretic components to evaluate comprehensively diabetes prevention and management programs and to support acquisition of evidence that could influence the knowledge translation of innovations to reduce the burden of diabetes. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Physiological determinants of human acute hypoxia tolerance.

Science.gov (United States)

2013-11-01

AbstractIntroduction. We investigated possible physiological determinants of variability in hypoxia tolerance in subjects given a 5-minute normobaric exposure to 25,000 ft equivalent. Physiological tolerance to hypoxia was defined as the magnitude of...

20 CFR 641.710 - How are the performance indicators defined?

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... customer satisfaction surveys administered to each of these three customer groups. The Department will... 20 Employees' Benefits 3 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false How are the performance indicators defined... § 641.710 How are the performance indicators defined? (a) The core indicators are defined as follows: (1...

Defining Generic Architecture for Cloud Infrastructure as a Service model

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Demchenko, Y.; de Laat, C.

2011-01-01

Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) is one of the provisioning models for Clouds as defined in the NIST Clouds definition. Although widely used, current IaaS implementations and solutions doesn’t have common and well defined architecture model. The paper attempts to define a generic architecture for

Defining Primary Care Shortage Areas: Do GIS-based Measures Yield Different Results?

Science.gov (United States)

Daly, Michael R; Mellor, Jennifer M; Millones, Marco

2018-02-12

To examine whether geographic information systems (GIS)-based physician-to-population ratios (PPRs) yield determinations of geographic primary care shortage areas that differ from those based on bounded-area PPRs like those used in the Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA) designation process. We used geocoded data on primary care physician (PCP) locations and census block population counts from 1 US state to construct 2 shortage area indicators. The first is a bounded-area shortage indicator defined without GIS methods; the second is a GIS-based measure that measures the populations' spatial proximity to PCP locations. We examined agreement and disagreement between bounded shortage areas and GIS-based shortage areas. Bounded shortage area indicators and GIS-based shortage area indicators agree for the census blocks where the vast majority of our study populations reside. Specifically, 95% and 98% of the populations in our full and urban samples, respectively, reside in census blocks where the 2 indicators agree. Although agreement is generally high in rural areas (ie, 87% of the rural population reside in census blocks where the 2 indicators agree), agreement is significantly lower compared to urban areas. One source of disagreement suggests that bounded-area measures may "overlook" some shortages in rural areas; however, other aspects of the HPSA designation process likely mitigate this concern. Another source of disagreement arises from the border-crossing problem, and it is more prevalent. The GIS-based PPRs we employed would yield shortage area determinations that are similar to those based on bounded-area PPRs defined for Primary Care Service Areas. Disagreement rates were lower than previous studies have found. © 2018 National Rural Health Association.

Boundary determinations for trivariate solids

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Duchaineau, M; Joy, K I

1999-01-01

The trivariate tensor-product B-spline solid is a direct extension of the B-spline patch and has been shown to be useful in the creation and visualization of free-form geometric solids. Visualizing these solid objects requires the determination of the boundary surface of the solid, which is a combination of parametric and implicit surfaces. This paper presents a method that determines the implicit boundary surface by examination of the Jacobian determinant of the defining B-spline function. Using an approximation to this determinant, the domain space is adaptively subdivided until a mesh can be determined such that the boundary surface is close to linear in the cells of the mesh. A variation of the marching cubes algorithm is then used to draw the surface. Interval approximation techniques are used to approximate the Jacobian determinant and to approximate the Jacobian determinant gradient for use in the adaptive subdivision methods. This technique can be used to create free-form solid objects, useful in geometric modeling applications

Definable group extensions and o-minimal group cohomology via spectral sequences

OpenAIRE

Barriga, Eliana

2013-01-01

Se presenta el fundamento teórico para las sucesiones espectrales de Lyndon-Hochschild-Serre como una herramienta para estudiar la cohomología de grupos y con ésta las extensiones de grupos en la categoría de los grupos definibles. También se presentan varios resultados en módulos definibles y acciones, extensiones definibles y cohomología de grupos definibles. Estos tienen aplicaciones en el estudio de los grupos definibles no definiblemente compactos en teorías o-minimales (see [1]).

Utilising artificial intelligence in software defined wireless sensor network

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Matlou, OG

2017-10-01

Full Text Available Software Defined Wireless Sensor Network (SDWSN) is realised by infusing Software Defined Network (SDN) model in Wireless Sensor Network (WSN), Reason for that is to overcome the challenges of WSN. Artificial Intelligence (AI) and machine learning...

76 FR 4713 - Notice of Issuance of Final Determination Concerning the Engenio 7900 Storage System

Science.gov (United States)

2011-01-26

..., 2011. A copy of the final determination is attached. Any party-at-interest, as defined in 19 CFR 177.22...-at-interest, as defined in 19 CFR 177.22(d), may seek judicial review of a final determination within... that programming altered the character of a PROM. The essence of the article, its interconnections or...

Defining functional distances over Gene Ontology

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

del Pozo Angela

2008-01-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background A fundamental problem when trying to define the functional relationships between proteins is the difficulty in quantifying functional similarities, even when well-structured ontologies exist regarding the activity of proteins (i.e. 'gene ontology' -GO-. However, functional metrics can overcome the problems in the comparing and evaluating functional assignments and predictions. As a reference of proximity, previous approaches to compare GO terms considered linkage in terms of ontology weighted by a probability distribution that balances the non-uniform 'richness' of different parts of the Direct Acyclic Graph. Here, we have followed a different approach to quantify functional similarities between GO terms. Results We propose a new method to derive 'functional distances' between GO terms that is based on the simultaneous occurrence of terms in the same set of Interpro entries, instead of relying on the structure of the GO. The coincidence of GO terms reveals natural biological links between the GO functions and defines a distance model Df which fulfils the properties of a Metric Space. The distances obtained in this way can be represented as a hierarchical 'Functional Tree'. Conclusion The method proposed provides a new definition of distance that enables the similarity between GO terms to be quantified. Additionally, the 'Functional Tree' defines groups with biological meaning enhancing its utility for protein function comparison and prediction. Finally, this approach could be for function-based protein searches in databases, and for analysing the gene clusters produced by DNA array experiments.

Software Defined Networking

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Caba, Cosmin Marius

Network Service Providers (NSP) often choose to overprovision their networks instead of deploying proper Quality of Services (QoS) mechanisms that allow for traffic differentiation and predictable quality. This tendency of overprovisioning is not sustainable for the simple reason that network...... resources are limited. Hence, to counteract this trend, current QoS mechanisms must become simpler to deploy and operate, in order to motivate NSPs to employ QoS techniques instead of overprovisioning. Software Defined Networking (SDN) represents a paradigm shift in the way telecommunication and data...... generic perspective (e.g. service provisioning speed, resources availability). As a result, new mechanisms for providing QoS are proposed, solutions for SDN-specific QoS challenges are designed and tested, and new network management concepts are prototyped, all aiming to improve QoS for network services...

Defining enthesitis in spondyloarthritis by ultrasound

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Terslev, Lene; Naredo, E; Iagnocco, A

2014-01-01

Objective: To standardize ultrasound (US) in enthesitis. Methods: An Initial Delphi exercise was undertaken to define US detected enthesitis and its core components. These definitions were subsequently tested on static images taken from Spondyloarthritis (SpA) patients in order to evaluate...... elementary component. On static images the intra-observer reliability showed a high degree of variability for the detection of elementary lesions with kappa coefficients ranging from 0.14 - 1. The inter-observer kappa value was variable with the lowest kappa for enthesophytes (0.24) and the best for Doppler...... activity at the enthesis (0.63). Conclusion: This is the first consensus based definition of US enthesitis and its elementary components and the first step performed to ensure a higher degree of homogeneity and comparability of results between studies and in daily clinical work. Defining Enthesitis...

Exploring self-defining memories in schizophrenia.

Science.gov (United States)

Raffard, Stéphane; D'Argembeau, Arnaud; Lardi, Claudia; Bayard, Sophie; Boulenger, Jean-Philippe; Van Der Linden, Martial

2009-01-01

Previous studies have shown that patients with schizophrenia are impaired in recalling specific events from their personal past. However, the relationship between autobiographical memory impairments and disturbance of the sense of identity in schizophrenia has not been investigated in detail. In this study the authors investigated schizophrenic patients' ability to recall self-defining memories; that is, memories that play an important role in building and maintaining the self-concept. Results showed that patients recalled as many specific self-defining memories as healthy participants. However, patients with schizophrenia exhibited an abnormal reminiscence bump and reported different types of thematic content (i.e., they recalled less memories about past achievements and more memories regarding hospitalisation and stigmatisation of illness). Furthermore, the findings suggest that impairments in extracting meaning from personal memories could represent a core disturbance of autobiographical memory in patients with schizophrenia.

CD19 CAR-T cells of defined CD4+:CD8+ composition in adult B cell ALL patients.

Science.gov (United States)

Turtle, Cameron J; Hanafi, Laïla-Aïcha; Berger, Carolina; Gooley, Theodore A; Cherian, Sindhu; Hudecek, Michael; Sommermeyer, Daniel; Melville, Katherine; Pender, Barbara; Budiarto, Tanya M; Robinson, Emily; Steevens, Natalia N; Chaney, Colette; Soma, Lorinda; Chen, Xueyan; Yeung, Cecilia; Wood, Brent; Li, Daniel; Cao, Jianhong; Heimfeld, Shelly; Jensen, Michael C; Riddell, Stanley R; Maloney, David G

2016-06-01

T cells that have been modified to express a CD19-specific chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) have antitumor activity in B cell malignancies; however, identification of the factors that determine toxicity and efficacy of these T cells has been challenging in prior studies in which phenotypically heterogeneous CAR-T cell products were prepared from unselected T cells. We conducted a clinical trial to evaluate CD19 CAR-T cells that were manufactured from defined CD4+ and CD8+ T cell subsets and administered in a defined CD4+:CD8+ composition to adults with B cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia after lymphodepletion chemotherapy. The defined composition product was remarkably potent, as 27 of 29 patients (93%) achieved BM remission, as determined by flow cytometry. We established that high CAR-T cell doses and tumor burden increase the risks of severe cytokine release syndrome and neurotoxicity. Moreover, we identified serum biomarkers that allow testing of early intervention strategies in patients at the highest risk of toxicity. Risk-stratified CAR-T cell dosing based on BM disease burden decreased toxicity. CD8+ T cell-mediated anti-CAR transgene product immune responses developed after CAR-T cell infusion in some patients, limited CAR-T cell persistence, and increased relapse risk. Addition of fludarabine to the lymphodepletion regimen improved CAR-T cell persistence and disease-free survival. Immunotherapy with a CAR-T cell product of defined composition enabled identification of factors that correlated with CAR-T cell expansion, persistence, and toxicity and facilitated design of lymphodepletion and CAR-T cell dosing strategies that mitigated toxicity and improved disease-free survival. ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01865617. R01-CA136551; Life Science Development Fund; Juno Therapeutics; Bezos Family Foundation.

CD19 CAR–T cells of defined CD4+:CD8+ composition in adult B cell ALL patients

Science.gov (United States)

Turtle, Cameron J.; Hanafi, Laïla-Aïcha; Berger, Carolina; Gooley, Theodore A.; Cherian, Sindhu; Hudecek, Michael; Sommermeyer, Daniel; Melville, Katherine; Pender, Barbara; Budiarto, Tanya M.; Robinson, Emily; Steevens, Natalia N.; Chaney, Colette; Soma, Lorinda; Chen, Xueyan; Li, Daniel; Cao, Jianhong; Heimfeld, Shelly; Jensen, Michael C.; Riddell, Stanley R.; Maloney, David G.

2016-01-01

BACKGROUND. T cells that have been modified to express a CD19-specific chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) have antitumor activity in B cell malignancies; however, identification of the factors that determine toxicity and efficacy of these T cells has been challenging in prior studies in which phenotypically heterogeneous CAR–T cell products were prepared from unselected T cells. METHODS. We conducted a clinical trial to evaluate CD19 CAR–T cells that were manufactured from defined CD4+ and CD8+ T cell subsets and administered in a defined CD4+:CD8+ composition to adults with B cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia after lymphodepletion chemotherapy. RESULTS. The defined composition product was remarkably potent, as 27 of 29 patients (93%) achieved BM remission, as determined by flow cytometry. We established that high CAR–T cell doses and tumor burden increase the risks of severe cytokine release syndrome and neurotoxicity. Moreover, we identified serum biomarkers that allow testing of early intervention strategies in patients at the highest risk of toxicity. Risk-stratified CAR–T cell dosing based on BM disease burden decreased toxicity. CD8+ T cell–mediated anti-CAR transgene product immune responses developed after CAR–T cell infusion in some patients, limited CAR–T cell persistence, and increased relapse risk. Addition of fludarabine to the lymphodepletion regimen improved CAR–T cell persistence and disease-free survival. CONCLUSION. Immunotherapy with a CAR–T cell product of defined composition enabled identification of factors that correlated with CAR–T cell expansion, persistence, and toxicity and facilitated design of lymphodepletion and CAR–T cell dosing strategies that mitigated toxicity and improved disease-free survival. TRIAL REGISTRATION. ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01865617. FUNDING. R01-CA136551; Life Science Development Fund; Juno Therapeutics; Bezos Family Foundation. PMID:27111235

Expressiveness and definability in circumscription

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Francicleber Martins Ferreira

2011-06-01

Full Text Available We investigate expressiveness and definability issues with respect to minimal models, particularly in the scope of Circumscription. First, we give a proof of the failure of the Löwenheim-Skolem Theorem for Circumscription. Then we show that, if the class of P; Z-minimal models of a first-order sentence is Δ-elementary, then it is elementary. That is, whenever the circumscription of a first-order sentence is equivalent to a first-order theory, then it is equivalent to a finitely axiomatizable one. This means that classes of models of circumscribed theories are either elementary or not Δ-elementary. Finally, using the previous result, we prove that, whenever a relation Pi is defined in the class of P; Z-minimal models of a first-order sentence Φ and whenever such class of P; Z-minimal models is Δ-elementary, then there is an explicit definition ψ for Pi such that the class of P; Z-minimal models of Φ is the class of models of Φ ∧ ψ. In order words, the circumscription of P in Φ with Z varied can be replaced by Φ plus this explicit definition ψ for Pi.

Defining Quality in Undergraduate Education

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alison W. Bowers

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Objectives: This research brief explores the literature addressing quality in undergraduate education to identify what previous research has said about quality and to offer future directions for research on quality in undergraduate education. Method: We conducted a scoping review to provide a broad overview of existing research. Using targeted search terms in academic databases, we identified and reviewed relevant academic literature to develop emergent themes and implications for future research. Results: The exploratory review of the literature revealed a range of thoughtful discussions and empirical studies attempting to define quality in undergraduate education. Many publications highlighted the importance of including different stakeholder perspectives and presented some of the varying perceptions of quality among different stakeholders. Conclusions: While a number of researchers have explored and written about how to define quality in undergraduate education, there is not a general consensus regarding a definition of quality in undergraduate education. Past research offers a range of insights, models, and data to inform future research. Implication for Theory and/or Practice: We provide four recommendations for future research to contribute to a high quality undergraduate educational experience. We suggest more comprehensive systematic reviews of the literature as a next step.

Where can pixel counting area estimates meet user-defined accuracy requirements?

Science.gov (United States)

Waldner, François; Defourny, Pierre

2017-08-01

Pixel counting is probably the most popular way to estimate class areas from satellite-derived maps. It involves determining the number of pixels allocated to a specific thematic class and multiplying it by the pixel area. In the presence of asymmetric classification errors, the pixel counting estimator is biased. The overarching objective of this article is to define the applicability conditions of pixel counting so that the estimates are below a user-defined accuracy target. By reasoning in terms of landscape fragmentation and spatial resolution, the proposed framework decouples the resolution bias and the classifier bias from the overall classification bias. The consequence is that prior to any classification, part of the tolerated bias is already committed due to the choice of the spatial resolution of the imagery. How much classification bias is affordable depends on the joint interaction of spatial resolution and fragmentation. The method was implemented over South Africa for cropland mapping, demonstrating its operational applicability. Particular attention was paid to modeling a realistic sensor's spatial response by explicitly accounting for the effect of its point spread function. The diagnostic capabilities offered by this framework have multiple potential domains of application such as guiding users in their choice of imagery and providing guidelines for space agencies to elaborate the design specifications of future instruments.

Defining human death: an intersection of bioethics and metaphysics.

Science.gov (United States)

Manninen, Bertha Alvarez

2009-01-01

For many years now, bioethicists, physicians, and others in the medical field have disagreed concerning how to best define human death. Different theories range from the Harvard Criteria of Brain Death, which defines death as the cessation of all brain activity, to the Cognitive Criteria, which is based on the loss of almost all core mental properties, e.g., memory, self-consciousness, moral agency, and the capacity for reason. A middle ground is the Irreversibility Standard, which defines death as occurring when the capacity for consciousness is forever lost. Given all these different theories, how can we begin to approach solving the issue of how to define death? I propose that a necessary starting point is discussing an even more fundamental question that properly belongs in the philosophical field of metaphysics: we must first address the issue of diachronic identity over time, and the persistence conditions of personal identity. In this paper, I illustrate the interdependent relationship between this metaphysical question and questions concerning the definition of death. I also illustrate how it is necessary to antecedently attend to the metaphysical issue of defining death before addressing certain issues in medical ethics, e.g., whether it is morally permissible to euthanize patients in persistent vegetative states or procure organs from anencephalic infants.

Factors stimulating riboflavin produced by Lactobacillus plantarum CRL 725 grown in a semi-defined medium.

Science.gov (United States)

Juarez Del Valle, Marianela; Laiño, Jonathan Emiliano; Savoy de Giori, Graciela; LeBlanc, Jean Guy

2017-03-01

Riboflavin (vitamin B 2 ) is one of the B-group water-soluble vitamins and is essential for energy metabolism of the cell. The aim of this study was to determine factors that affect riboflavin production by Lactobacillus (L.) plantarum CRL 725 grown in a semi defined medium and evaluate the expression of its rib genes. The factors found to enhance riboflavin production in this medium were incubation at 30 °C, and the addition of specific medium constituents, such as casamino acids (10 g L -1 ), guanosine (0.04 g L -1 ), and sucrose as carbon source (20 g L -1 ). In these conditions, higher riboflavin concentrations were directly associated with significant increases in the expression of ribA, ribB, and ribC genes. The culture conditions defined in this work and its application to a roseoflavin resistant mutant of L. plantarum allowed for a sixfold increase in riboflavin concentrations in our semi-defined medium which were also significantly higher than those obtained previously using the same strain to ferment soymilk. These conditions should thus be evaluated to increase vitamin production in fermented foods. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

DEFINING SPATIAL VIOLENCE. BUCHAREST AS A STUDY CASE

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Celia GHYKA

2015-05-01

Full Text Available The paper looks at the spatial manifestations of violence, aiming to define the category of spatial violence by focusing on the recent urban history of Bucharest; it establishes links with the longer history of natural and inflicted disasters that defined the city, and it explores the spatial, urban, social and symbolical conflicts that occured during the last 25 years, pointing at their consequences on the social and urban substance of the city.

Responsibility for proving and defining in abstract algebra class

Science.gov (United States)

Fukawa-Connelly, Timothy

2016-07-01

There is considerable variety in inquiry-oriented instruction, but what is common is that students assume roles in mathematical activity that in a traditional, lecture-based class are either assumed by the teacher (or text) or are not visible at all in traditional math classrooms. This paper is a case study of the teaching of an inquiry-based undergraduate abstract algebra course. In particular, gives a theoretical account of the defining and proving processes. The study examines the intellectual responsibility for the processes of defining and proving that the professor devolved to the students. While the professor wanted the students to engage in all aspects of defining and proving, he was only successful at devolving responsibility for certain aspects and much more successful at devolving responsibility for proving than conjecturing or defining. This study suggests that even a well-intentioned instructor may not be able to devolve responsibility to students for some aspects of mathematical practice without using a research-based curriculum or further professional development.

No evidence of XMRV or related retroviruses in a London HIV-1-positive patient cohort.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Eleanor R Gray

2011-03-01

Full Text Available Several studies have implicated a recently discovered gammaretrovirus, XMRV (Xenotropic murine leukaemia virus-related virus, in chronic fatigue syndrome and prostate cancer, though whether as causative agent or opportunistic infection is unclear. It has also been suggested that the virus can be found circulating amongst the general population. The discovery has been controversial, with conflicting results from attempts to reproduce the original studies.We extracted peripheral blood DNA from a cohort of 540 HIV-1-positive patients (approximately 20% of whom have never been on anti-retroviral treatment and determined the presence of XMRV and related viruses using TaqMan PCR. While we were able to amplify as few as 5 copies of positive control DNA, we did not find any positive samples in the patient cohort.In view of these negative findings in this highly susceptible group, we conclude that it is unlikely that XMRV or related viruses are circulating at a significant level, if at all, in HIV-1-positive patients in London or in the general population.

User constraints for reliable user-defined smart home scenarios

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Le Guilly, Thibaut; Nielsen, Michael Kvist; Pedersen, Thomas

2016-01-01

Defining control scenarios in a smart home is a difficult task for end users. In particular, one concern is that user-defined scenarios could lead to unsafe or undesired state of the system. To help them explore scenario specifications, we propose in this paper a system that enables specification...

7 CFR 28.950 - Terms defined.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... Regulations of the Department of Agriculture AGRICULTURAL MARKETING SERVICE (Standards, Inspections, Marketing..., TESTING, AND STANDARDS Cotton Fiber and Processing Tests Definitions § 28.950 Terms defined. As used... Agricultural Marketing Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. (c) Administrator. The Administrator of...

Pointwise Extensions of GSOS-Defined Operations

NARCIS (Netherlands)

H.H. Hansen (Helle); B. Klin

2011-01-01

textabstractFinal coalgebras capture system behaviours such as streams, infinite trees and processes. Algebraic operations on a final coalgebra can be defined by distributive laws (of a syntax functor $\\FSig$ over a behaviour functor $F$). Such distributive laws correspond to abstract specification

Defining Tiger Parenting in Chinese Americans.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Su Yeong

2013-09-01

"Tiger" parenting, as described by Amy Chua [2011], has instigated scholarly discourse on this phenomenon and its possible effects on families. Our eight-year longitudinal study, published in the Asian American Journal of Psychology [Kim, Wang, Orozco-Lapray, Shen, & Murtuza, 2013b], demonstrates that tiger parenting is not a common parenting profile in a sample of 444 Chinese American families. Tiger parenting also does not relate to superior academic performance in children. In fact, the best developmental outcomes were found among children of supportive parents. We examine the complexities around defining tiger parenting by reviewing classical literature on parenting styles and scholarship on Asian American parenting, along with Amy Chua's own description of her parenting method, to develop, define, and categorize variability in parenting in a sample of Chinese American families. We also provide evidence that supportive parenting is important for the optimal development of Chinese American adolescents.

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.

Defining the mobilome.

Science.gov (United States)

Siefert, Janet L

2009-01-01

This chapter defines the agents that provide for the movement of genetic material which fuels the adaptive potential of life on our planet. The chapter has been structured to be broadly comprehensive, arbitrarily categorizing the mobilome into four classes: (1) transposons, (2) plasmids, (3) bacteriophage, and (4) self-splicing molecular parasites.Our increasing understanding of the mobilome is as dynamic as the mobilome itself. With continuing discovery, it is clear that nature has not confined these genomic agents of change to neat categories, but rather the classification categories overlap and intertwine. Massive sequencing efforts and their published analyses are continuing to refine our understanding of the extent of the mobilome. This chapter provides a framework to describe our current understanding of the mobilome and a foundation on which appreciation of its impact on genome evolution can be understood.

Determinants of Depression in the ECLIPSE COPD Cohort

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hanania, Nicola A; Müllerova, Hana; Locantore, Nicholas W

2010-01-01

, current smokers and those with severe disease (GOLD-defined). Multivariate modelling of depression determinants in subjects with COPD revealed that increased fatigue, higher SGRQ-C score, younger age, female gender, history of cardiovascular disease and current smoking status were all significantly......RATIONALE: Depression is prevalent in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD); however, its etiology and relationship to the clinical features of COPD are not well understood. Using data from a large cohort, we explored prevalence and determinants of depression in subjects...... the Center for Epidemiologic Studies of Depression Scale (CES-D). For the purposes of this analysis, depression was defined as a CES-D score of 16 and higher which reflects a high load of depressive symptoms and has a good correspondence with a clinical diagnosis of major depression. RESULTS: The study...

Self-defining memories during exposure to music in Alzheimer's disease.

Science.gov (United States)

El Haj, Mohamad; Antoine, Pascal; Nandrino, Jean Louis; Gély-Nargeot, Marie-Christine; Raffard, Stéphane

2015-10-01

Research suggests that exposure to music may enhance autobiographical recall in Alzheimer's Disease (AD) patients. This study investigated whether exposure to music could enhance the production of self-defining memories, that is, memories that contribute to self-discovery, self-understanding, and identity in AD patients. Twenty-two mild-stage AD patients and 24 healthy controls were asked to produce autobiographical memories in silence, while listening to researcher-chosen music, and to their own-chosen music. AD patients showed better autobiographical recall when listening to their own-chosen music than to researcher-chosen music or than in silence. More precisely, they produced more self-defining memories during exposure to their own-chosen music than to researcher-chosen music or during silence. Additionally, AD patients produced more self-defining memories than autobiographical episodes or personal-semantics during exposure to their own-chosen music. This pattern contrasted with the poor production of self-defining memories during silence or during exposure to researcher-chosen music. Healthy controls did not seem to enjoy the same autobiographical benefits nor the same self-defining memory enhancement in the self-chosen music condition. Poor production of self-defining memories, as observed in AD, may somehow be alleviated by exposure to self-chosen music.

Service-oriented Software Defined Optical Networks for Cloud Computing

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Yuze; Li, Hui; Ji, Yuefeng

2017-10-01

With the development of big data and cloud computing technology, the traditional software-defined network is facing new challenges (e.g., ubiquitous accessibility, higher bandwidth, more flexible management and greater security). This paper proposes a new service-oriented software defined optical network architecture, including a resource layer, a service abstract layer, a control layer and an application layer. We then dwell on the corresponding service providing method. Different service ID is used to identify the service a device can offer. Finally, we experimentally evaluate that proposed service providing method can be applied to transmit different services based on the service ID in the service-oriented software defined optical network.

Sleep Health: Can We Define It? Does It Matter?

Science.gov (United States)

Buysse, Daniel J.

2014-01-01

Good sleep is essential to good health. Yet for most of its history, sleep medicine has focused on the definition, identification, and treatment of sleep problems. Sleep health is a term that is infrequently used and even less frequently defined. It is time for us to change this. Indeed, pressures in the research, clinical, and regulatory environments require that we do so. The health of populations is increasingly defined by positive attributes such as wellness, performance, and adaptation, and not merely by the absence of disease. Sleep health can be defined in such terms. Empirical data demonstrate several dimensions of sleep that are related to health outcomes, and that can be measured with self-report and objective methods. One suggested definition of sleep health and a description of self-report items for measuring it are provided as examples. The concept of sleep health synergizes with other health care agendas, such as empowering individuals and communities, improving population health, and reducing health care costs. Promoting sleep health also offers the field of sleep medicine new research and clinical opportunities. In this sense, defining sleep health is vital not only to the health of populations and individuals, but also to the health of sleep medicine itself. Citation: Buysse DJ. Sleep health: can we define it? Does it matter? SLEEP 2014;37(1):9-17. PMID:24470692

Spaces defined by the Paley function

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Astashkin, S V [Samara State University, Samara (Russian Federation); Semenov, E M [Voronezh State University, Faculty of Mathematics, Voronezh (Russian Federation)

2013-07-31

The paper is concerned with Haar and Rademacher series in symmetric spaces, and also with the properties of spaces defined by the Paley function. In particular, the symmetric hull of the space of functions with uniformly bounded Paley function is found. Bibliography: 27 titles.

Pointwise extensions of GSOS-defined operations

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hansen, H.H.; Klin, B.

2011-01-01

Final coalgebras capture system behaviours such as streams, infinite trees and processes. Algebraic operations on a final coalgebra can be defined by distributive laws (of a syntax functor S over a behaviour functor F). Such distributive laws correspond to abstract specification formats. One such

Defining nuclear medical file formal based on DICOM standard

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

He Bin; Jin Yongjie; Li Yulan

2001-01-01

With the wide application of computer technology in medical area, DICOM is becoming the standard of digital imaging and communication. The author discusses how to define medical imaging file formal based on DICOM standard. It also introduces the format of ANMIS system the authors defined the validity and integrality of this format

TRUTH AS DETERMINANT OF RELIGIOUS FAITH

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Admin

of values like any other institution”. Our concern here is how religious truth that ought to be absolute has become relative thus producing many different religions in the world. Relativity of Religious Truths As Determinant. Of Religious Faith. Truth has been defined as that which conforms to essential reality, but is it absolute?

Survival-associated heterogeneity of marker-defined perivascular cells in colorectal cancer

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mezheyeuski, Artur; Lindh, Maja Bradic; Guren, Tormod Kyrre

2016-01-01

of vessel characteristics and PC, which was applied to two collections of human metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC).Initial analyses identified marker-defined subsets of PC, including cells expressing PDGFR-β or α-SMA or both markers. PC subsets were largely independently expressed in a manner unrelated......Perivascular cells (PC) were recently implied as regulators of metastasis and immune cell activity. Perivascular heterogeneity in clinical samples, and associations with other tumor features and outcome, remain largely unknown.Here we report a novel method for digital quantitative analyses...... to vessel density and size. Association studies implied specific oncogenic mutations in malignant cells as determinants of PC status. Semi-quantitative and digital-image-analyses-based scoring of the NORDIC-VII cohort identified significant associations between low expression of perivascular PDGFR-α and -β...

Antibody responses against xenotropic murine leukemia virus-related virus envelope in a murine model.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Natalia Makarova

2011-04-01

Full Text Available Xenotropic murine leukemia virus-related virus (XMRV was recently discovered to be the first human gammaretrovirus that is associated with chronic fatigue syndrome and prostate cancer (PC. Although a mechanism for XMRV carcinogenesis is yet to be established, this virus belongs to the family of gammaretroviruses well known for their ability to induce cancer in the infected hosts. Since its original identification XMRV has been detected in several independent investigations; however, at this time significant controversy remains regarding reports of XMRV detection/prevalence in other cohorts and cell type/tissue distribution. The potential risk of human infection, coupled with the lack of knowledge about the basic biology of XMRV, warrants further research, including investigation of adaptive immune responses. To study immunogenicity in vivo, we vaccinated mice with a combination of recombinant vectors expressing codon-optimized sequences of XMRV gag and env genes and virus-like particles (VLP that had the size and morphology of live infectious XMRV.Immunization elicited Env-specific binding and neutralizing antibodies (NAb against XMRV in mice. The peak titers for ELISA-binding antibodies and NAb were 1:1024 and 1:464, respectively; however, high ELISA-binding and NAb titers were not sustained and persisted for less than three weeks after immunizations.Vaccine-induced XMRV Env antibody titers were transiently high, but their duration was short. The relatively rapid diminution in antibody levels may in part explain the differing prevalences reported for XMRV in various prostate cancer and chronic fatigue syndrome cohorts. The low level of immunogenicity observed in the present study may be characteristic of a natural XMRV infection in humans.

Koala retroviruses: characterization and impact on the life of koalas

Science.gov (United States)

2013-01-01

Koala retroviruses (KoRV) have been isolated from wild and captive koalas in Australia as well as from koala populations held in zoos in other countries. They are members of the genus Gammaretrovirus, are most closely related to gibbon ape leukemia virus (GaLV), feline leukemia virus (FeLV) and porcine endogenous retrovirus (PERV) and are likely the result of a relatively recent trans-species transmission from rodents or bats. The first KoRV to be isolated, KoRV-A, is widely distributed in the koala population in both integrated endogenous and infectious exogenous forms with evidence from museum specimens older than 150 years, indicating a relatively long engagement with the koala population. More recently, additional subtypes of KoRV that are not endogenized have been identified based on sequence differences and host cell receptor specificity (KoRV-B and KoRV-J). A specific association with fatal lymphoma and leukemia has been recently suggested for KoRV-B. In addition, it has been proposed that the high viral loads found in many animals may lead to immunomodulation resulting in a higher incidence of diseases such as chlamydiosis. Although the molecular basis of this immunomodulation is still unclear, purified KoRV particles and a peptide corresponding to a highly conserved domain in the envelope protein have been shown to modulate cytokine expression in vitro, similar to that induced by other gammaretroviruses. While much is still to be learned, KoRV induced lymphoma/leukemia and opportunistic disease arising as a consequence of immunomodulation are likely to play an important role in the stability of koala populations both in the wild and in captivity. PMID:24148555

Phylogenetic and structural diversity in the feline leukemia virus env gene.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shinya Watanabe

Full Text Available Feline leukemia virus (FeLV belongs to the genus Gammaretrovirus, and causes a variety of neoplastic and non-neoplastic diseases in cats. Alteration of viral env sequences is thought to be associated with disease specificity, but the way in which genetic diversity of FeLV contributes to the generation of such variants in nature is poorly understood. We isolated FeLV env genes from naturally infected cats in Japan and analyzed the evolutionary dynamics of these genes. Phylogenetic reconstructions separated our FeLV samples into three distinct genetic clusters, termed Genotypes I, II, and III. Genotype I is a major genetic cluster and can be further classified into Clades 1-7 in Japan. Genotypes were correlated with geographical distribution; Genotypes I and II were distributed within Japan, whilst FeLV samples from outside Japan belonged to Genotype III. These results may be due to geographical isolation of FeLVs in Japan. The observed structural diversity of the FeLV env gene appears to be caused primarily by mutation, deletion, insertion and recombination, and these variants may be generated de novo in individual cats. FeLV interference assay revealed that FeLV genotypes did not correlate with known FeLV receptor subgroups. We have identified the genotypes which we consider to be reliable for evaluating phylogenetic relationships of FeLV, which embrace the high structural diversity observed in our sample. Overall, these findings extend our understanding of Gammaretrovirus evolutionary patterns in the field, and may provide a useful basis for assessing the emergence of novel strains and understanding the molecular mechanisms of FeLV transmission in cats.

Koala retroviruses: characterization and impact on the life of koalas.

Science.gov (United States)

Denner, Joachim; Young, Paul R

2013-10-23

Koala retroviruses (KoRV) have been isolated from wild and captive koalas in Australia as well as from koala populations held in zoos in other countries. They are members of the genus Gammaretrovirus, are most closely related to gibbon ape leukemia virus (GaLV), feline leukemia virus (FeLV) and porcine endogenous retrovirus (PERV) and are likely the result of a relatively recent trans-species transmission from rodents or bats. The first KoRV to be isolated, KoRV-A, is widely distributed in the koala population in both integrated endogenous and infectious exogenous forms with evidence from museum specimens older than 150 years, indicating a relatively long engagement with the koala population. More recently, additional subtypes of KoRV that are not endogenized have been identified based on sequence differences and host cell receptor specificity (KoRV-B and KoRV-J). A specific association with fatal lymphoma and leukemia has been recently suggested for KoRV-B. In addition, it has been proposed that the high viral loads found in many animals may lead to immunomodulation resulting in a higher incidence of diseases such as chlamydiosis. Although the molecular basis of this immunomodulation is still unclear, purified KoRV particles and a peptide corresponding to a highly conserved domain in the envelope protein have been shown to modulate cytokine expression in vitro, similar to that induced by other gammaretroviruses. While much is still to be learned, KoRV induced lymphoma/leukemia and opportunistic disease arising as a consequence of immunomodulation are likely to play an important role in the stability of koala populations both in the wild and in captivity.

[Evaluation and dimensions that define the labor environment and job satisfaction in nursing staff].

Science.gov (United States)

García-Pozo, A; Moro-Tejedor, M N; Medina-Torres, M

2010-01-01

To describe the dimensions with the greatest impact on the job satisfaction and work environment in the nursing staff in a tertiary hospital. Cross-sectional analytical and observational study, carried out in nurses with a full-time job. The instrument used was a questionnaire adapted from the satisfaction survey of the Basque Country (Spain) Outcome variables: global evaluation of work environment and job satisfaction. characteristics of individuals and organizations. An overall and by professional categories analysis has been made by a multivariate regression. 1676 questionnaires were received. Average age: 40.8 years (9.7) Seniority: Median: 12 years (IR: 4-20). The average overall evaluation of work environment was 5.9 (2) and of the job satisfaction 6.7 (2). The variables that explain the work environment are: physical conditions, training, satisfaction, promotion, organization, relationships with colleagues, knowledge of the directive objectives, adequacy of management decisions. Job satisfaction is defined by: use of the professional capacity, recognition, organization, satisfaction, information, knowledge of the directive objectives and receptiveness of nursing directive. The overall evaluation of work environment and job satisfaction is good/high overall and by categories, although the dimensions that determine the evaluation are different depending on each category. It is noted that the dimensions that define the work environment are more related to work environment and those which define job satisfaction are more related to individual factors. Copyright 2009 SECA. Published by Elsevier Espana. All rights reserved.

AIDS defining disease: Disseminated cryptococcosis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Roshan Anupama

2006-01-01

Full Text Available Disseminated cryptococcosis is one of the acquired immune deficiency syndrome defining criteria and the most common cause of life threatening meningitis. Disseminated lesions in the skin manifest as papules or nodules that mimic molluscum contagiosum (MC. We report here a human immunodeficiency virus positive patient who presented with MC like lesions. Disseminated cryptococcosis was confirmed by India ink preparation and histopathology. The condition of the patient improved with amphotercin B.

46 CFR 9.5 - Night, Sunday, and holiday defined.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... 46 Shipping 1 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Night, Sunday, and holiday defined. 9.5 Section 9.5... COMPENSATION FOR OVERTIME SERVICES § 9.5 Night, Sunday, and holiday defined. (a) For the purpose of this part... term holiday shall mean only national legal public holidays, viz., January 1, February 22, May 30, July...

(Re)Defining Salesperson Motivation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Khusainova, Rushana; de Jong, Ad; Lee, Nick

2018-01-01

The construct of motivation is one of the central themes in selling and sales management research. Yet, to-date no review article exists that surveys the construct (both from an extrinsic and intrinsic motivation context), critically evaluates its current status, examines various key challenges...... apparent from the extant research, and suggests new research opportunities based on a thorough review of past work. The authors explore how motivation is defined, major theories underpinning motivation, how motivation has historically been measured, and key methodologies used over time. In addition......, attention is given to principal drivers and outcomes of salesperson motivation. A summarizing appendix of key articles in salesperson motivation is provided....

Software Defined Multiband EVA Radio, Phase I

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — The objective of this research is to propose a reliable, lightweight, programmable, multi-band, multi-mode, miniaturized frequency-agile EVA software defined radio...

Reconfigurable, Cognitive Software Defined Radio, Phase II

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — IAI is actively developing Software Defined Radio platforms that can adaptively switch between different modes of operation by modifying both transmit waveforms and...

Reconfigurable, Cognitive Software Defined Radio, Phase I

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — Intelligent Automation Inc, (IAI) is currently developing a software defined radio (SDR) platform that can adaptively switch between different modes of operation for...

The Evolution of Gene Regulatory Networks that Define Arthropod Body Plans.

Science.gov (United States)

Auman, Tzach; Chipman, Ariel D

2017-09-01

Our understanding of the genetics of arthropod body plan development originally stems from work on Drosophila melanogaster from the late 1970s and onward. In Drosophila, there is a relatively detailed model for the network of gene interactions that proceeds in a sequential-hierarchical fashion to define the main features of the body plan. Over the years, we have a growing understanding of the networks involved in defining the body plan in an increasing number of arthropod species. It is now becoming possible to tease out the conserved aspects of these networks and to try to reconstruct their evolution. In this contribution, we focus on several key nodes of these networks, starting from early patterning in which the main axes are determined and the broad morphological domains of the embryo are defined, and on to later stage wherein the growth zone network is active in sequential addition of posterior segments. The pattern of conservation of networks is very patchy, with some key aspects being highly conserved in all arthropods and others being very labile. Many aspects of early axis patterning are highly conserved, as are some aspects of sequential segment generation. In contrast, regional patterning varies among different taxa, and some networks, such as the terminal patterning network, are only found in a limited range of taxa. The growth zone segmentation network is ancient and is probably plesiomorphic to all arthropods. In some insects, it has undergone significant modification to give rise to a more hardwired network that generates individual segments separately. In other insects and in most arthropods, the sequential segmentation network has undergone a significant amount of systems drift, wherein many of the genes have changed. However, it maintains a conserved underlying logic and function. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology. All rights reserved. For permissions please

Self-rated driving habits among older adults with clinically-defined mild cognitive impairment, clinically-defined dementia, and normal cognition.

Science.gov (United States)

O'Connor, Melissa L; Edwards, Jerri D; Bannon, Yvonne

2013-12-01

Older adults with clinically-defined dementia may report reducing their driving more than cognitively normal controls. However, it is unclear how these groups compare to individuals with clinically-defined mild cognitive impairment (MCI) in terms of driving behaviors. The current study investigated self-reported driving habits among adults age 60 and older with clinical MCI (n=41), clinical mild dementia (n=40), and normal cognition (n=43). Participants reported their driving status, driving frequency (days per week), and how often they avoided accessing the community, making left turns, driving at night, driving in unfamiliar areas, driving on high-traffic roads, and driving in bad weather. After adjusting for education, a MANCOVA revealed that participants with MCI and dementia avoided unfamiliar areas and high-traffic roads significantly more than normal participants. Participants with dementia also avoided left turns and accessing the community more than those with normal cognition and MCI (pdriving variables did not significantly differ between groups. Thus, older adults with clinically-defined MCI, as well as those with dementia, avoided some complex driving situations more than cognitively intact adults. However, all diagnostic groups had similar rates of driving cessation and frequency. Future research should examine the safety implications of such findings. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A Case Study of Six Sigma Define-Measure-Analyze-Improve-Control (DMAIC Methodology in Garment Sector

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Abdur Rahman

2017-12-01

Full Text Available This paper demonstrates the empirical application of Six Sigma and Define-Measure-Analyze-Improve-Control (DMAIC methodology to reduce product defects within a garments manufacturing organization in Bangladesh which follows the DMAIC methodology to investigate defects, root causes and provide a solution to eliminate these defects. The analysis from employing Six Sigma and DMAIC indicated that the broken stitch and open seam influenced the number of defective products. Design of experiments (DOE and the analysis of variance (ANOVA techniques were combined to statistically determine the correlation of the broken stitch and open seam with defects as well as to define their optimum values needed to eliminate the defects. Thus, a reduction of about 35% in the garments defect was achieved, which helped the organization studied to reduce its defects and thus improve its Sigma level from 1.7 to 3.4.

Defining safety goals. 2. Basic Consideration on Defining Safety Goals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hakata, T.

2001-01-01

The purpose of this study is to develop basic safety goals that are rational and consistent for all nuclear facilities, including nuclear power plants and fuel cycle facilities. Basic safety goals (risk limits) by an index of radiation dose are discussed, which are based on health effects of detriment and fatality and risk levels presumably accepted by society. The contents of this paper are the personal opinions of the author. The desirable structure of safety goals is assumed to be 'basic safety goals plus specific safety goals (or supplemental safety goals) for each sort of facility, which reflects their characteristics'. The requisites of the basic safety goals must include (a) rational bases (scientific and social), (b) comprehensiveness (common to all sorts of nuclear facilities covering from normal to accidental conditions), and (c) applicability. To meet the requirements, the basic safety goals might have to be a risk profile expression by an index of radiation dose. The societal rationality is consideration of absolute risk levels (10 -6 or 10 -7 /yr) and/or relative risk factors (such as 0.1% of U.S. safety goals) that the general public accepts as tolerable. The following quantitative objectives are adopted in this study for protection of average individuals in the vicinity of a nuclear facility: 1. The additive annual radiation dose during normal operation must be -4 /yr (health detriment), 2x10 -6 /yr (latent cancer and severe hereditary effects), and 10 -7 /yr (acute fatality) from the statistics in Japan. The radiation effects on human beings are determined by recommendations of UNSCEAR (Ref. 1) and ICRP. The health effects considered are non-severe stochastic health detriment, i.e., detectable opacities of lens of eye (threshold 5 0.5 to 2 Sv), depression of hematopoiesis of bone marrow (0.5 Sv), and depression of reproductive capability (temporary sterility of testes ) (0.15 Sv). The LD 50/60 of acute fatality is ∼4 Sv, and fatalities by latent

Stimulation site within the MRI-defined STN predicts postoperative motor outcome.

Science.gov (United States)

Wodarg, Fritz; Herzog, Jan; Reese, René; Falk, Daniela; Pinsker, Markus O; Steigerwald, Frank; Jansen, Olav; Deuschl, Günther; Mehdorn, H Maximillian; Volkmann, Jens

2012-06-01

High-frequency stimulation of the subthalamic nucleus (STN-HFS) is highly effective in treating motor symptoms in Parkinson's disease (PD) and medication side effects as well as in improving quality of life. Despite preoperative screening for patients as eligible candidates for this treatment, electrode position may furthermore influence treatment quality. Here, we investigated the relationship between the anatomical site of stimulation within the MRI-defined STN and the outcome of PD patients after STN-HFS. In 30 PD patients with bilateral STN stimulation, we retrospectively defined the boundaries of the STN within the axial target plane of the stereotactic T2-weighted MRI and determined the position of the active electrode contact in relation to the border of the STN. The position of the active contact within the STN was the only variable to predict the outcome of STN stimulation. In contrast, covariates such as age, disease duration, symptom severity, and response to levodopa had no effect. The lateral position of the stimulation contact within the STN led to significantly better clinical improvement, lower stimulation parameters, and less need for postoperative dopaminergic medication. The outcome of patients with stimulation contacts within the medial region of the STN was significantly worse. Precise targeting of the lateral region of the STN is essential for achieving sufficient stimulation efficacy. Preoperative T2-weighted MRI might be a useful component of the targeting procedure to improve the outcome of PD patients. Copyright © 2012 Movement Disorder Society.

Software Defined Multiband EVA Radio, Phase II

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — The objective of Phase 2 is to build a reliable, lightweight, programmable, multi-mode, miniaturized EVA Software Defined Radio (SDR) that supports data telemetry,...

47 CFR 54.401 - Lifeline defined.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... SERVICE Universal Service Support for Low-Income Consumers § 54.401 Lifeline defined. (a) As used in this subpart, Lifeline means a retail local service offering: (1) That is available only to qualifying low-income consumers; (2) For which qualifying low-income consumers pay reduced charges as a result of...

Big data and software defined networks

CERN Document Server

Taheri, Javid

2018-01-01

Big Data Analytics and Software Defined Networking (SDN) are helping to drive the management of data usage of the extraordinary increase of computer processing power provided by Cloud Data Centres (CDCs). This new book investigates areas where Big-Data and SDN can help each other in delivering more efficient services.

Software-Defined Networks as a Stage of the Network Technology Evolution

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. A. Krasotin

2013-01-01

Full Text Available The authors of the article focus on the concept of a software defined network. In the beginning, the brief historical account is given concerning software defined networks as a scientific concept, its formation and technological and scientific meaning. The software defined network concept is treated in the article not as the final state-of-the-art in networking, but rather as a possible step and direction in the development of a networking paradigm. The article touches on pros and cons as well of the software defined networking and gives an account of possible stages of development of this technology in the context of other technologies, considering its hybrid with MPLS, as an example. OpenFlow protocol constitutes the main part of the article. The authors further discuss various kinds of existing libraries realizing programmable management routines for a software defined network using OpenFlow. All of these libraries provide API for building modular applications for software defined network management. Touching on practical side of implementation the results of comparative tests of throughput and latency, achieved with these libraries are shown.

Defined Contribution Pension Plans: Mutual Fund Asset Allocation Changes

OpenAIRE

Clemens Sialm; Laura Starks; Hanjiang Zhang

2015-01-01

In this paper we compare changes in asset allocations between mutual funds held in defined contribution pension plans and funds held by other investors. We investigate how flows into equity and fixed income mutual funds depend on macroeconomic conditions. We find that defined contribution plans react more sensitively to these conditions, suggesting effects on mutual fund managers and other investors.

Delta Semantics Defined By Petri Nets

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jensen, Kurt; Kyng, Morten; Madsen, Ole Lehrmann

and the possibility of using predicates to specify state changes. In this paper a formal semantics for Delta is defined and analysed using Petri nets. Petri nets was chosen because the ideas behind Petri nets and Delta concide on several points. A number of proposals for changes in Delta, which resulted from...

Spectrographic determination of chlorine and fluorine

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Contamin, G.

1965-04-01

Experimental conditions have been investigated in order to obtain the highest sensitivity in spectrographic determination of chlorine and fluorine using the Fassel method of excitation in an inert atmosphere. The influence of the nature of the atmosphere, of the discharge conditions and of the matrix material has been investigated. The following results have been established: 1. chlorine determination is definitely possible: a working curve has been drawn between 10 μg and 100 μg, the detection limit being around 5 μg; 2. fluorine determination is not satisfactory: the detection limit is still of the order of 80 μg. The best operating conditions have been defined for both elements. (author) [fr

How Should Energy Be Defined Throughout Schooling?

Science.gov (United States)

Bächtold, Manuel

2017-02-01

The question of how to teach energy has been renewed by recent studies focusing on the learning and teaching progressions for this concept. In this context, one question has been, for the most part, overlooked: how should energy be defined throughout schooling? This paper addresses this question in three steps. We first identify and discuss two main approaches in physics concerning the definition of energy, one claiming there is no satisfactory definition and taking conservation as a fundamental property, and the other based on Rankine's definition of energy as the capacity of a system to produce changes. We then present a study concerning how energy is actually defined throughout schooling in the case of France by analyzing national programs, physics textbooks, and the answers of teachers to a questionnaire. This study brings to light a consistency problem in the way energy is defined across school years: in primary school, an adapted version of Rankine's definition is introduced and conservation is ignored; in high school, conservation is introduced and Rankine's definition is ignored. Finally, we address this consistency problem by discussing possible teaching progressions. We argue in favor of the use of Rankine's definition throughout schooling: at primary school, it is a possible substitute to students' erroneous conceptions; at secondary school, it might help students become aware of the unifying role of energy and thereby overcome the compartmentalization problem.

How to define e-cigarette prevalence? Finding clues in the use frequency distribution.

Science.gov (United States)

Amato, Michael S; Boyle, Raymond G; Levy, David

2016-04-01

E-cigarette use has rapidly increased. Recent studies define prevalence using a variety of measures; competing definitions challenge cross-study comparison. We sought to understand patterns of use by investigating the number of days out of the past 30 days when adults had used e-cigarettes. We used the 2014 Minnesota Adult Tobacco Survey, a random digit dial population survey (n=9304 adults). Questions included ever using e-cigarettes, number of days used in the past 30 days and reasons for use. Smoking status was determined by combustible cigarette use. Histograms of e-cigarette use were visually inspected for current, former and never smokers with any 30-day e-cigarette use. Different definitions of current use were compared. Use ≤5 days in the past 30 days demarcated a cluster of infrequent users at the low end of the distribution. Among those with use in the past 30 days, infrequent users were the majorities of current (59%) and never smokers (89.5%), but fewer than half of former smokers (43.2%). Infrequent users were more likely to cite curiosity and less likely to cite quitting/cutting down other tobacco use as reasons for use. Defining adult prevalence as any use in the past 30 days may include experimenters unlikely to continue use, and is of questionable utility for population surveillance of public health trends over time. Defining prevalence as >5 days excludes those infrequent users. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/

Statistically defining optimal conditions of coagulation time of skim milk

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Celebi, M.; Ozdemir, Z.O.; Eroglu, E.; Guney, I

2014-01-01

Milk consist huge amount of largely water and different proteins. Kappa-kazein of these milk proteins can be coagulated by Mucor miehei rennet enzyme, is an aspartic protease which cleavege 105 (phenly alanine)-106 (methionine) peptide bond. It is commonly used clotting milk proteins for cheese production in dairy industry. The aim of this study to measure milk clotting times of skim milk by using Mucor Miehei rennet and determination of optimal conditions of milk clotting time by mathematical modelling. In this research, milk clotting times of skim milk were measured at different pHs (3.0, 4.0, 5.0, 6.0, 7.0, 8.0) and temperatures (20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, 50, 55, 60, 65, 70, 75 degree C). It was used statistical approach for defining best pH and temperature for milk clotting time of skim milk. Milk clotting activity was increase at acidic pHs and high temperatures. (author)

User-Defined Meteorological (MET) Profiles from Climatological and Extreme Condition Data

Science.gov (United States)

2018-04-01

ARL-TN-0876 ● MAR 2018 US Army Research Laboratory User-Defined Meteorological (MET) Profiles from Climatological and Extreme...needed. Do not return it to the originator. ARL-TN-0876 ● MAR 2018 US Army Research Laboratory User-Defined Meteorological (MET...User-Defined Meteorological (MET) Profiles from Climatological and Extreme Condition Data 5a. CONTRACT NUMBER 5b. GRANT NUMBER 5c. PROGRAM

Forward and backward dynamics in implicitly defined overlapping generations models

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Gardini, L.; Hommes, C.; Tramontana, F.; de Vilder, R.

2009-01-01

In dynamic economic models derived from optimization principles, the forward equilibrium dynamics may not be uniquely defined, while the backward dynamics is well defined. We derive properties of the global forward equilibrium paths based on properties of the backward dynamics. We propose the

Controversies in urinary iodine determinations

OpenAIRE

Soldin, Offie Porat

2002-01-01

Iodine deficiency (ID) is associated with increased prevalence of goiter, increased risk for neurodevelopmental disorders, and is the world’s leading cause of intellectual deficits. Iodine nutritional status of a population is assessed by measurements of urinary iodine concentrations which are also used to define, indicate, survey and monitor iodine deficiency and consequently its treatment. Several methods are available for urinary iodine determination. Discussed here are some of the limitat...

Defining the Anthropocene

Science.gov (United States)

Lewis, Simon; Maslin, Mark

2016-04-01

Time is divided by geologists according to marked shifts in Earth's state. Recent global environmental changes suggest that Earth may have entered a new human-dominated geological epoch, the Anthropocene. Should the Anthropocene - the idea that human activity is a force acting upon the Earth system in ways that mean that Earth will be altered for millions of years - be defined as a geological time-unit at the level of an Epoch? Here we appraise the data to assess such claims, first in terms of changes to the Earth system, with particular focus on very long-lived impacts, as Epochs typically last millions of years. Can Earth really be said to be in transition from one state to another? Secondly, we then consider the formal criteria used to define geological time-units and move forward through time examining whether currently available evidence passes typical geological time-unit evidence thresholds. We suggest two time periods likely fit the criteria (1) the aftermath of the interlinking of the Old and New Worlds, which moved species across continents and ocean basins worldwide, a geologically unprecedented and permanent change, which is also the globally synchronous coolest part of the Little Ice Age (in Earth system terms), and the beginning of global trade and a new socio-economic "world system" (in historical terms), marked as a golden spike by a temporary drop in atmospheric CO2, centred on 1610 CE; and (2) the aftermath of the Second World War, when many global environmental changes accelerated and novel long-lived materials were increasingly manufactured, known as the Great Acceleration (in Earth system terms) and the beginning of the Cold War (in historical terms), marked as a golden spike by the peak in radionuclide fallout in 1964. We finish by noting that the Anthropocene debate is politically loaded, thus transparency in the presentation of evidence is essential if a formal definition of the Anthropocene is to avoid becoming a debate about bias. The

Radiologically defining horizontal gaze using EOS imaging-a prospective study of healthy subjects and a retrospective audit.

Science.gov (United States)

Hey, Hwee Weng Dennis; Tan, Kimberly-Anne; Ho, Vivienne Chien-Lin; Azhar, Syifa Bte; Lim, Joel-Louis; Liu, Gabriel Ka-Po; Wong, Hee-Kit

2018-06-01

As sagittal alignment of the cervical spine is important for maintaining horizontal gaze, it is important to determine the former for surgical correction. However, horizontal gaze remains poorly-defined from a radiological point of view. The objective of this study was to establish radiological criteria to define horizontal gaze. This study was conducted at a tertiary health-care institution over a 1-month period. A prospective cohort of healthy patients was used to determine the best radiological criteria for defining horizontal gaze. A retrospective cohort of patients without rigid spinal deformities was used to audit the incidence of horizontal gaze. Two categories of radiological parameters for determining horizontal gaze were tested: (1) the vertical offset distances of key identifiable structures from the horizontal gaze axis and (2) imaginary lines convergent with the horizontal gaze axis. Sixty-seven healthy subjects underwent whole-body EOS radiographs taken in a directed standing posture. Horizontal gaze was radiologically defined using each parameter, as represented by their means, 95% confidence intervals (CIs), and associated 2 standard deviations (SDs). Subsequently, applying the radiological criteria, we conducted a retrospective audit of such radiographs (before the implementation of a strict radioimaging standardization). The mean age of our prospective cohort was 46.8 years, whereas that of our retrospective cohort was 37.2 years. Gender was evenly distributed across both cohorts. The four parameters with the lowest 95% CI and 2 SD were the distance offsets of the midpoint of the hard palate (A) and the base of the sella turcica (B), the horizontal convergents formed by the tangential line to the hard palate (C), and the line joining the center of the orbital orifice with the internal occipital protuberance (D). In the prospective cohort, good sensitivity (>98%) was attained when two or more parameters were used. Audit using Criterion B

Using Cognitive Control in Software Defined Networking for Port Scan Detection

Science.gov (United States)

2017-07-01

ARL-TR-8059 ● July 2017 US Army Research Laboratory Using Cognitive Control in Software -Defined Networking for Port Scan...Cognitive Control in Software -Defined Networking for Port Scan Detection by Vinod K Mishra Computational and Information Sciences Directorate, ARL...Technical Report 3. DATES COVERED (From - To) 15 June–31 July 2016 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE Using Cognitive Control in Software -Defined Networking for

Electrostatics at the membrane define MscL channel mechanosensitivity and kinetics.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhong, Dalian; Blount, Paul

2014-12-01

The bacterial mechanosensitive channel of large conductance (MscL) serves as a biological emergency release valve, preventing the occurrence of cell lysis caused by acute osmotic stress. Its tractable nature allows it to serve as a paradigm for how a protein can directly sense membrane tension. Although much is known of the importance of the hydrophobicity of specific residues in channel gating, it has remained unclear whether electrostatics at the membrane plays any role. We studied MscL chimeras derived from functionally distinct orthologues: Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. Dissection of one set led to an observation that changing the charge of a single residue, K101, of E. coli (Ec)-MscL, effects a channel phenotype: when mutated to a negative residue, the channel is less mechanosensitive and has longer open dwell times. Assuming electrostatic interactions, we determined whether they are due to protein-protein or protein-lipid interactions by performing site-directed mutagenesis elsewhere in the protein and reconstituting channels into defined lipids, with and without negative head groups. We found that although both interactions appear to play some role, the primary determinant of the channel phenotype seems to be protein-lipid electrostatics. The data suggest a model for the role of electrostatic interactions in the dynamics of MscL gating. © FASEB.

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.

Defining the therapeutic time window for suppressing the inflammatory prostaglandin E2 signaling after status epilepticus

Science.gov (United States)

Du, Yifeng; Kemper, Timothy; Qiu, Jiange; Jiang, Jianxiong

2016-01-01

Neuroinflammation is a common feature in nearly all neurological and some psychiatric disorders. Resembling its extraneural counterpart, neuroinflammation can be both beneficial and detrimental depending on the responding molecules. The overall effect of inflammation on disease progression is highly dependent on the extent of inflammatory mediator production and the duration of inflammatory induction. The time-dependent aspect of inflammatory responses suggests that the therapeutic time window for quelling neuroinflammation might vary with molecular targets and injury types. Therefore, it is important to define the therapeutic time window for anti-inflammatory therapeutics, as contradicting or negative results might arise when different treatment regimens are utilized even in similar animal models. Herein, we discuss a few critical factors that can help define the therapeutic time window and optimize treatment paradigm for suppressing the cyclooxygenase-2/prostaglandin-mediated inflammation after status epilepticus. These determinants should also be relevant to other anti-inflammatory therapeutic strategies for the CNS diseases. PMID:26689339

Can we set a global threshold age to define mature forests?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Philip Martin

2016-02-01

Full Text Available Globally, mature forests appear to be increasing in biomass density (BD. There is disagreement whether these increases are the result of increases in atmospheric CO2 concentrations or a legacy effect of previous land-use. Recently, it was suggested that a threshold of 450 years should be used to define mature forests and that many forests increasing in BD may be younger than this. However, the study making these suggestions failed to account for the interactions between forest age and climate. Here we revisit the issue to identify: (1 how climate and forest age control global forest BD and (2 whether we can set a threshold age for mature forests. Using data from previously published studies we modelled the impacts of forest age and climate on BD using linear mixed effects models. We examined the potential biases in the dataset by comparing how representative it was of global mature forests in terms of its distribution, the climate space it occupied, and the ages of the forests used. BD increased with forest age, mean annual temperature and annual precipitation. Importantly, the effect of forest age increased with increasing temperature, but the effect of precipitation decreased with increasing temperatures. The dataset was biased towards northern hemisphere forests in relatively dry, cold climates. The dataset was also clearly biased towards forests <250 years of age. Our analysis suggests that there is not a single threshold age for forest maturity. Since climate interacts with forest age to determine BD, a threshold age at which they reach equilibrium can only be determined locally. We caution against using BD as the only determinant of forest maturity since this ignores forest biodiversity and tree size structure which may take longer to recover. Future research should address the utility and cost-effectiveness of different methods for determining whether forests should be classified as mature.

29 CFR 779.247 - “Goods” defined.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... OR SERVICES Employment to Which the Act May Apply; Enterprise Coverage Interstate Inflow Test Under... Act is defined in section 3(i) of the Act. The statutory definition is quoted in § 779.14, and is...

Defining malnutrition: A plea to rethink.

Science.gov (United States)

Soeters, P; Bozzetti, F; Cynober, L; Forbes, A; Shenkin, A; Sobotka, L

2017-06-01

In a recent consensus report in Clinical Nutrition the undernourished category of malnutrition was proposed to be defined and diagnosed on the basis of a low BMI or unintentional weight loss combined with low BMI or FFMI with certain cut off points. The definition was endorsed by ESPEN despite recent endorsement of a very different definition. The approach aims to assess whether nutritional intake is sufficient but is imprecise because a low BMI does not always indicate malnutrition and individuals with increasing BMI's may have decreasing FFM's. The pathophysiology of individuals, considered to be malnourished in rich countries and in areas with endemic malnutrition, results predominantly from deficient nutrition combined with infection/inflammation. Both elements jointly determine body composition and function and consequently outcome of disease, trauma or treatment. When following the consensus statement only an imprecise estimate is acquired of nutritional intake without knowing the impact of inflammation. Most importantly, functional abilities are not assessed. Consequently it will remain uncertain how well the individual can overcome stressful events, what the causes are of dysfunction, how to set priorities for treatment and how to predict the effect of nutritional support. We therefore advise to consider the pathophysiology of malnourished individuals leading to inclusion of the following elements in the definition of malnutrition: a disordered nutritional state resulting from a combination of inflammation and a negative nutrient balance, leading to changes in body composition, function and outcome. A precise diagnosis of malnutrition should be based on assessment of these elements. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd and European Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism. All rights reserved.

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.

Employing Deceptive Dynamic Network Topology Through Software-Defined Networking

Science.gov (United States)

2014-03-01

actions. From [64] . . . . . 37 xi THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK xii List of Acronyms and Abbreviations ACL Access Control List API Application...can be extremely useful in topology mapping through various latency-based geolocation methods [35], [36], [37]. PING 1 7 2 . 2 0 . 5 . 2 ( 1 7 2 . 2 0...defined northbound Applica- tion Programming Interfaces ( APIs ). Figure 3.1: Software-Defined Network Architecture. From [8] 29 3.3 SDN OpenFlow

High-Q Variable Bandwidth Passive Filters for Software Defined Radio

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Arkesteijn, V.J.; Klumperink, Eric A.M.; Nauta, Bram

2001-01-01

An important aspect of Software Defined Radio is the ability to define the bandwidth of the filter that selects the desired channel. This paper describes a technique for channel filtering, in which two passive filters are combined to obtain a variable bandwidth. Passive filters have the advantage of

High-Q variable bandwidth passive filters for Software Defined Radio

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Arkesteijn, V.J.; Klumperink, Eric A.M.; Nauta, Bram

An important aspect of Software Defined Radio is the ability to define the bandwidth of the filter that selects the desired channel. This paper describes a technique for channel filtering, in which two passive filters are combined to obtain a variable bandwidth. Passive filters have the advantage of

75 FR 27927 - Diversification Requirements for Certain Defined Contribution Plans

Science.gov (United States)

2010-05-19

... section 414(l) with respect to any other defined benefit plan or defined contribution plan maintained by... disclosure of the fund's portfolio holdings (for example, Form N-CSR, ``Certified Shareholder Report of... securities, as well as a direct or indirect benefit that is conditioned on investment in employer securities...

Assessing Professionalism: A Theoretical Framework for Defining Clinical Rotation Assessment Criteria.

Science.gov (United States)

Armitage-Chan, Elizabeth

Although widely accepted as an important graduate competence, professionalism is a challenging outcome to define and assess. Clinical rotations provide an excellent opportunity to develop student professionalism through the use of experiential learning and effective feedback, but without appropriate theoretical frameworks, clinical teachers may find it difficult to identify appropriate learning outcomes. The adage "I know it when I see it" is unhelpful in providing feedback and guidance for student improvement, and criteria that are more specifically defined would help students direct their own development. This study sought first to identify how clinical faculty in one institution currently assess professionalism, using retrospective analysis of material obtained in undergraduate teaching and faculty development sessions. Subsequently, a faculty workshop was held in which a round-table type discussion sought to develop these ideas and identify how professionalism assessment could be improved. The output of this session was a theoretical framework for teaching and assessing professionalism, providing example assessment criteria and ideas for clinical teaching. This includes categories such as client and colleague interaction, respect and trust, recognition of limitations, and understanding of different professional identities. Each category includes detailed descriptions of the knowledge, skills, and behaviors expected of students in these areas. The criteria were determined by engaging faculty in the development of the framework, and therefore they should represent a focused development of criteria already used to assess professionalism, and not a novel and unfamiliar set of assessment guidelines. The faculty-led nature of this framework is expected to facilitate implementation in clinical teaching.

Sporulation of Clostridium cylindrosporum on a Defined, Low-Manganese Medium

OpenAIRE

Sacks, L. E.; Smith, M. R.

1987-01-01

Clostridium cylindrosporum HC-1 grew and sporulated well on a defined medium. This is the first demonstration of sporulation of a purinolytic clostridium on a defined medium; manganese levels were below those considered essential for sporulation of most Bacillus species. Sporulation appeared to be initiated before exhaustion of the purine substrate.

Firm Decisions: Determinants of Investments

OpenAIRE

Ionescu Alexandra

2011-01-01

The investment decision is part of a companies’ investment strategy. Defined as a logical set of technical and economic information, the investment strategy determines the main objectives of the firm regarding its investments, based on studies, analysis and simulations. It also establishes the actions to be undertaken in order to achieve the objectives, methods of achieving them, sources of funding and resource allocation methods. Still, all these are influenced by several factors. The invest...

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...

Defining Usability of PN Services

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nicolajsen, Hanne Westh; Ahola, Titta; Fleury, Alexandre

In this deliverable usability and user experience are defined in relation to MAGNET Beyond technologies, and it is described how the main MAGNET Beyond concepts can be evaluated through the involvement of users. The concepts include the new "Activity based communication approach" for interacting...... with the MAGNET Beyond system, as well as the core concepts: Personal Network, Personal Network-Federation, Service Discovery, User Profile Management, Personal Network Management, Privacy and Security and Context Awareness. The overall plans for the final usability evaluation are documented based on the present...

User-Defined Clocks in the Real-Time Specification for Java

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Wellings, Andy; Schoeberl, Martin

2011-01-01

This paper analyses the new user-defined clock model that is to be supported in Version 1.1 of the Real-Time Specification for Java (RTSJ). The model is a compromise between the current position, where there is no support for user-defined clocks, and a fully integrated model. The paper investigat...

Defining clogging potential for permeable concrete.

Science.gov (United States)

Kia, Alalea; Wong, Hong S; Cheeseman, Christopher R

2018-08-15

Permeable concrete is used to reduce urban flooding as it allows water to flow through normally impermeable infrastructure. It is prone to clogging by particulate matter and predicting the long-term performance of permeable concrete is challenging as there is currently no reliable means of characterising clogging potential. This paper reports on the performance of a range of laboratory-prepared and commercial permeable concretes, close packed glass spheres and aggregate particles of varying size, exposed to different clogging methods to understand this phenomena. New methods were developed to study clogging and define clogging potential. The tests involved applying flowing water containing sand and/or clay in cycles, and measuring the change in permeability. Substantial permeability reductions were observed in all samples, particularly when exposed to sand and clay simultaneously. Three methods were used to define clogging potential based on measuring the initial permeability decay, half-life cycle and number of cycles to full clogging. We show for the first time strong linear correlations between these parameters for a wide range of samples, indicating their use for service-life prediction. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Functional determinants in gauge theory and string theory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Della Pietra, V.J.

1988-01-01

Determinants arise whenever Gaussian functional integrals are evaluated. As a result, they are pervasive in physics. In this thesis the author studied, in a mathematically precise fashion, some questions concerning functional determinants in Quantum Field Theory and String Theory. The emphasis is on deriving explicit general identities which can be applied to physical problems. In Chapters 1-3, he studies determinants of families of Weyl operators on compact manifolds. The motivation for this work comes from Chiral Gauge Theory. In a theory containing chiral Fermions coupled to Bosons y, a partial integration in the functional integral over the Fermi fields yields terms involving determinants of Weyl operators ∂y. In Chapter 4 he turns his attention to a problem in String Theory. In the Polyakov formulation of string perturbation theory, the partition function and scattering amplitudes are calculated as sums of contributions from different world sheet topologies. The contribution from surfaces of a particular topology is given by a functional integral, which, after gauge-fixing, can be expressed as an integral of a certain measure over an appropriate moduli space. For an arbitrary finite group acting on a compact manifold, he defines an analytic torsion for the invariant subcomplex of the de Rham complex, generalizing the definition given by Ray and Singer in the absence of a group action. Motivated by the work of Quillen, he uses this torsion to define a natural norm on the determinant line of the invariant cohomology

Calculation methods for determining dose equivalent

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Endres, G.W.R.; Tanner, J.E.; Scherpelz, R.I.; Hadlock, D.E.

1987-11-01

A series of calculations of neutron fluence as a function of energy in an anthropomorphic phantom was performed to develop a system for determining effective dose equivalent for external radiation sources. Critical organ dose equivalents are calculated and effective dose equivalents are determined using ICRP-26 [1] methods. Quality factors based on both present definitions and ICRP-40 definitions are used in the analysis. The results of these calculations are presented and discussed. The effective dose equivalent determined using ICRP-26 methods is significantly smaller than the dose equivalent determined by traditional methods. No existing personnel dosimeter or health physics instrument can determine effective dose equivalent. At the present time, the conversion of dosimeter response to dose equivalent is based on calculations for maximal or ''cap'' values using homogeneous spherical or cylindrical phantoms. The evaluated dose equivalent is, therefore, a poor approximation of the effective dose equivalent as defined by ICRP Publication 26. 3 refs., 2 figs., 1 tab

Defining indoor heat thresholds for health in the UK.

Science.gov (United States)

Anderson, Mindy; Carmichael, Catriona; Murray, Virginia; Dengel, Andy; Swainson, Michael

2013-05-01

It has been recognised that as outdoor ambient temperatures increase past a particular threshold, so do mortality/morbidity rates. However, similar thresholds for indoor temperatures have not yet been identified. Due to a warming climate, the non-sustainability of air conditioning as a solution, and the desire for more energy-efficient airtight homes, thresholds for indoor temperature should be defined as a public health issue. The aim of this paper is to outline the need for indoor heat thresholds and to establish if they can be identified. Our objectives include: describing how indoor temperature is measured; highlighting threshold measurements and indices; describing adaptation to heat; summary of the risk of susceptible groups to heat; reviewing the current evidence on the link between sleep, heat and health; exploring current heat and health warning systems and thresholds; exploring the built environment and the risk of overheating; and identifying the gaps in current knowledge and research. A global literature search of key databases was conducted using a pre-defined set of keywords to retrieve peer-reviewed and grey literature. The paper will apply the findings to the context of the UK. A summary of 96 articles, reports, government documents and textbooks were analysed and a gap analysis was conducted. Evidence on the effects of indoor heat on health implies that buildings are modifiers of the effect of climate on health outcomes. Personal exposure and place-based heat studies showed the most significant correlations between indoor heat and health outcomes. However, the data are sparse and inconclusive in terms of identifying evidence-based definitions for thresholds. Further research needs to be conducted in order to provide an evidence base for threshold determination. Indoor and outdoor heat are related but are different in terms of language and measurement. Future collaboration between the health and building sectors is needed to develop a common

Exploring Cognition Using Software Defined Radios for NASA Missions

Science.gov (United States)

Mortensen, Dale J.; Reinhart, Richard C.

2016-01-01

NASA missions typically operate using a communication infrastructure that requires significant schedule planning with limited flexibility when the needs of the mission change. Parameters such as modulation, coding scheme, frequency, and data rate are fixed for the life of the mission. This is due to antiquated hardware and software for both the space and ground assets and a very complex set of mission profiles. Automated techniques in place by commercial telecommunication companies are being explored by NASA to determine their usability by NASA to reduce cost and increase science return. Adding cognition the ability to learn from past decisions and adjust behavior is also being investigated. Software Defined Radios are an ideal way to implement cognitive concepts. Cognition can be considered in many different aspects of the communication system. Radio functions, such as frequency, modulation, data rate, coding and filters can be adjusted based on measurements of signal degradation. Data delivery mechanisms and route changes based on past successes and failures can be made to more efficiently deliver the data to the end user. Automated antenna pointing can be added to improve gain, coverage, or adjust the target. Scheduling improvements and automation to reduce the dependence on humans provide more flexible capabilities. The Cognitive Communications project, funded by the Space Communication and Navigation Program, is exploring these concepts and using the SCaN Testbed on board the International Space Station to implement them as they evolve. The SCaN Testbed contains three Software Defined Radios and a flight computer. These four computing platforms, along with a tracking antenna system and the supporting ground infrastructure, will be used to implement various concepts in a system similar to those used by missions. Multiple universities and SBIR companies are supporting this investigation. This paper will describe the cognitive system ideas under consideration and

Defined bacterial populations in the rumens of gnotobiotic lambs.

Science.gov (United States)

Lysons, R J; Alexander, T J; Wellstead, P D; Hobson, P N; Mann, S O; Stewart, C S

1976-06-01

Five gnotobiotic lambs were fed on sterile diets until they were killed at 13 to 21 weeks of age. They were dosed orally with different combinations of 11 species of rumen bacteria. The biochemical reactions of each of the bacteria inoculated had been determined in pure culture in vitro, and they were chosen to perform the main reactions known to be associated with digestion in the normal mature rumen. Two of the bacteria could not be reisolated, but the remainder had established readily in the rumen, forming stable, mixed, defined populations. The total numbers of bacteria in the rumen, and the viable counts of most of the individual species were comparable to those of normal sheep. The concentration of volatile fatty acids was lower, however, and in four of the lambs there was a higher proportion of butyric acid and a lower proportion of propionic acid than in normal sheep. Cellulolytic, ureolytic, and methanogenic activities appeared to be taking place and lactate-utilizing bacteria appeared to reverse the accumulation of lactate which resulted from the activity of lactate-producing bacteria. Some of the bacteria also established at high levels in the caecum.

Biodegradation of Maya crude oil fractions by bacterial strains and a defined mixed culture isolated from Cyperus laxus rhizosphere soil in a contaminated site

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Diaz-Ramirez, I. J.; Gutierrez-Rojas, M.; Favela-Torres, E. [Autonomous Metropolitan University (UAM)- Iztapalapa, Dept. of Biotechnology, Federal District (Mexico); Ramirez-Sada, H. [Autonomous Metropolitan University (UAM)-Xochimilco, Dept. of Biological Systems, Federal District (Mexico)

2003-12-01

Biodegradation of aliphatic, aromatic, and polar constituents of Maya crude oil by a set of isolated bacterial strains and a defined mixed culture made up with all isolated strains, was evaluated. The bacterial strains were obtained from the rhizosphere of Cyperus laxus, a native plant on a highly hydrocarbon-polluted site. Oxygen uptake rate was used to determine the culture transfer timing during the enrichment culture. Results showed that five of the isolated strains were able to degrade 50 per cent of the aliphatic fractions of Maya crude oil. With the defined mixed culture the level of biodegradation was 47 per cent for aliphatics and 6 per cent of the aromatic-polar mixture. When grown in the presence of total hydrocarbons, the defined mixed culture was able to degrade 40 per cent of the aliphatic fraction and 26 per cent of the aromatic fraction. By combining enrichment cultures with oxygen uptake rate to determine the culture transfer timing during the enrichment cultures allowed the isolation of bacterial strains that are able to degrade specific hydrocarbon fractions at high consumption rates. 28 refs., 4 tabs., 1 fig.

Normal Functions As A New Way Of Defining Computable Functions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Leszek Dubiel

2004-01-01

Full Text Available Report sets new method of defining computable functions. This is formalization of traditional function descriptions, so it allows to define functions in very intuitive way. Discovery of Ackermann function proved that not all functions that can be easily computed can be so easily described with Hilbert’s system of recursive functions. Normal functions lack this disadvantage.

Normal Functions as a New Way of Defining Computable Functions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Leszek Dubiel

2004-01-01

Full Text Available Report sets new method of defining computable functions. This is formalization of traditional function descriptions, so it allows to define functions in very intuitive way. Discovery of Ackermann function proved that not all functions that can be easily computed can be so easily described with Hilbert's system of recursive functions. Normal functions lack this disadvantage.

Defining and Assessing Team Skills of Business and Accountancy Students

Science.gov (United States)

Alghalith, Nabil; Blum, Michael; Medlock, Amanda; Weber, Sandy

2004-01-01

The objectives of the project are (1) to define the skills necessary for students to work effectively with others to achieve common goals, and (2) to develop an assessment instrument to measure student progress toward achieving these skills. The defined skill set will form a basis for common expectations related to team skills that will be shared…

2D nanomaterials assembled from sequence-defined molecules

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mu, Peng; State University of New York; Zhou, Guangwen; Chen, Chun-Long

2017-01-01

Two dimensional (2D) nanomaterials have attracted broad interest owing to their unique physical and chemical properties with potential applications in electronics, chemistry, biology, medicine and pharmaceutics. Due to the current limitations of traditional 2D nanomaterials (e.g., graphene and graphene oxide) in tuning surface chemistry and compositions, 2D nanomaterials assembled from sequence-defined molecules (e.g., DNAs, proteins, peptides and peptoids) have recently been developed. They represent an emerging class of 2D nanomaterials with attractive physical and chemical properties. Here, we summarize the recent progress in the synthesis and applications of this type of sequence-defined 2D nanomaterials. We also discuss the challenges and opportunities in this new field.

To Define or Not to Define; Implications for the Governability of Small-Scale coastal Fisheries in the Netherlands

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Vos, de B.I.; Kraan, M.L.

2015-01-01

This chapter discusses the need to define the small-scale coastal fisheries sector in the Netherlands. It shows that the fact that there is no clear definition of what small-scale fisheries is, affects its governability. This seems to go hand in hand with the lack of a clear perspective on what the

Impact significance determination-Pushing the boundaries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lawrence, David P.

2007-01-01

Impact significance determination practice tends to be highly variable. Too often insufficient consideration is given to good practice insights. Also, impact significance determinations are frequently narrowly defined addressing, for example, only individual, negative impacts, focusing on bio-physical impacts, and not seeking to integrate either the Precautionary Principle or sustainability. This article seeks to extend the boundaries of impact significance determination practice by providing an overview of good general impact significance practices, together with stakeholder roles and potential methods for addressing significance determination challenges. Relevant thresholds, criteria, contextual considerations and support methods are also highlighted. The analysis is then extended to address how impact significance determination practices change for positive as compared with negative impacts, for cumulative as compared with individual impacts, for socio-economic as compared with bio-physical impacts, when the Precautionary Principle is integrated into the process, and when sustainability contributions drive the EIA process and related impact significance determinations. These refinements can assist EIA practitioners in ensuring that the scope and nature of impact significance determinations reflect the broadened scope of emerging EIA requirements and practices. Suggestions are included for further refining and testing of the proposed changes to impact significance determination practice

Living Polycondensation: Synthesis of Well-Defined Aromatic Polyamide-Based Polymeric Materials

KAUST Repository

Alyami, Mram Z.

2016-01-01

Chain growth condensation polymerization is a powerful tool towards the synthesis of well-defined polyamides. This thesis focuses on one hand, on the synthesis of well-defined aromatic polyamides with different aminoalkyl pendant groups with low

Moving from payg pensions to defined-contribution plan in the Russian Federation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Arnautova Yulia Valerievna

2016-03-01

Full Text Available This article is devoted to the moving from PAYG Pensions to Defined-Contribution Plan. The special aspects of this reorganization are analyzed. Pen-sion models of OECD countries are compared. Inability of the Defined-Contribution Plan in Russia is being proved. The present paper provides modern ways to improve the Defined-Contribution pension schemes.

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...

Bruxism defined and graded: an international consensus

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Lobbezoo, F.; Ahlberg, J.; Glaros, A.G.; Kato, T.; Koyano, K.; Lavigne, G.J.; de Leeuw, R.; Manfredini, D.; Svensson, P.; Winocur, E.

2013-01-01

To date, there is no consensus about the definition and diagnostic grading of bruxism. A written consensus discussion was held among an international group of bruxism experts as to formulate a definition of bruxism and to suggest a grading system for its operationalisation. The expert group defined

AppNVM: Software-Defined, Application_Driven SSD

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bjørling, Matias; Madsen, Jesper; Gonzalez, Javier

2015-01-01

-NVM SSDs by installing rules, which define (i) the logical address space exposed to the application, and (ii) how application requests are handled. A controller then transforms those rules and installs them onto the device, enforcing permissions and global policies such as wear-leveling and garbage...

Software Defined Common Processing System (SDCPS), Phase II

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — Coherent Logix, Incorporated (CLX) proposes the development of a Software Defined Common Processing System (SDCPS) that leverages the inherent advantages of an...

FINANCIAL ACCOUNTING QUALITY AND ITS DEFINING CHARACTERISTICS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Andra M. ACHIM

2014-11-01

Full Text Available The importance ofhigh-quality financial statements is highlighted by the main standard-setting institutions activating in the field of accounting and reporting. These have issued Conceptual Frameworks which state and describe the qualitative characteristics of accounting information. In this qualitative study, the research methodology consists of reviewing the literature related to the definition of accounting quality and striving for understanding how it can be explained. The main objective of the study is to identify the characteristics information should possess in order to be of high quality. These characteristics also contribute to the way of defining financial accounting quality. The main conclusions that arise from this research are represented by the facts that indeed financial accounting quality cannot be uniquely defined and that financial information is of good quality when it enhances the characteristics incorporated in the conceptual frameworks issued by both International Accounting Standards Board and Financial Accounting Standards Board.

Software Defined Network Monitoring Scheme Using Spectral Graph Theory and Phantom Nodes

Science.gov (United States)

2014-09-01

networks is the emergence of software - defined networking ( SDN ) [1]. SDN has existed for the...Chapter III for network monitoring. A. SOFTWARE DEFINED NETWORKS SDNs provide a new and innovative method to simplify network hardware by logically...and R. Giladi, “Performance analysis of software - defined networking ( SDN ),” in Proc. of IEEE 21st International Symposium on Modeling, Analysis

Combinatorial Quantum Field Theory and Gluing Formula for Determinants

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Reshetikhin, N.; Vertman, B.

2015-01-01

We define the combinatorial Dirichlet-to-Neumann operator and establish a gluing formula for determinants of discrete Laplacians using a combinatorial Gaussian quantum field theory. In case of a diagonal inner product on cochains we provide an explicit local expression for the discrete

Defining frequent use of an urban emergency department

Science.gov (United States)

Locker, Thomas E; Baston, Simon; Mason, Suzanne M; Nicholl, Jon

2007-01-01

Objective This study aimed to develop a definition of frequent use of an emergency department (ED) by comparing differences in the observed frequency distribution with that of a theoretical frequency distribution. Methods A retrospective analysis of attendance of ED and minor injury unit attendances in one city over 1 year was conducted. From these data, the expected frequency distribution was determined based upon a Poisson distribution. Results During the period studied, 75 141 people attended on 98 908 occasions. The theoretical frequency distribution showed that there were 2764 (3.7%) “frequent users” presenting repeatedly due to non‐random events. These patients made 12 316 (12.4%) attendances. Frequent users were older than chance users (mean age 49.7 vs 44.5 years). A greater proportion arrived by ambulance (55.3% vs 27.5%), presented with psychiatric problems (5.8% vs 1.1%) or alcohol intoxication (1.3% vs 0.5%), and were admitted to hospital (37.4% vs 19.6%). Conclusion We have identified that there is a group of patients who present repeatedly due to non‐random events, confirming the existence of “frequent users”. Their characteristics are clearly different to other patients in the ED. We propose that “frequent users” be defined as any patient who makes more than four attendances per year. PMID:17513534

Remarks on the gamma-ray spectrometry for the determination of natural radioisotopes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kalita, S.; Niewodniczanski, J.

1987-01-01

Semiconductor low-energy gamma ray spectrometry is compared with the routinely used scintillation method (within higher energy range). Measurements of low-energy natural gamma radiation using a semiconductor detector permit the determination of radioactive equilibrium of the uranium series. In this method 238 U ( 234 Th) content is determined by 63 keV, 226 Ra by 186 keV and 214 Pb by 295 keV gamma rays. Using the same results one can calculate a radioactive equilibrium coefficient R, defined as concentration ratio 226 Ra/ 238 U and a 222 Rn emanation ratio E, defined as 1 - 214 Pb/ 226 Ra (concentrations in uranium equivalent units). The relative standard errors for the method are: 10 - 15% in case of radioisotope content and about 18% for R and E determination. 7 refs., 2 figs., 2 tabs. (author)

How Do You Define an Internship?

Science.gov (United States)

Wilson, C. E.; Keane, C.

2017-12-01

According to the American Geosciences Institute's Geoscience Student Exit Survey, internship participation rates over the past four years have been low, particularly among bachelor's and doctoral graduates. In 2016, 65% of bachelor's graduates, 44% of master's graduates, and 57% of doctoral graduates did not participate in an internship while working on their degree. When asked if they submitted applications for internship opportunities, 42% of bachelor's graduates, 23% of master's graduates, and 46% of doctoral graduates claimed to not submit any applications. These statistics have raised concern at AGI because internships provide experiences that help develop critical professional skills and industry connections that can lead to jobs after graduation. However, when internships are discussed among various representatives in geoscience industries, there are disagreements in how an internship experience is defined. For example, opinions differ on whether REUs or other research experiences count as an internship. Clear definitions of internship opportunities may help academic faculty and advisors direct students towards these opportunities and help develop a collection of resources for finding future internships. This presentation will present some of the recent statistics on internship participation among geoscience graduates and present a series of questions to ascertain defining features of internships among AGU attendees and where help is needed to increase participation in internships among current geoscience students.

Optimisation of Software-Defined Networks Performance Using a Hybrid Intelligent System

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ann Sabih

2017-06-01

Full Text Available This paper proposes a novel intelligent technique that has been designed to optimise the performance of Software Defined Networks (SDN. The proposed hybrid intelligent system has employed integration of intelligence-based optimisation approaches with the artificial neural network. These heuristic optimisation methods include Genetic Algorithms (GA and Particle Swarm Optimisation (PSO. These methods were utilised separately in order to select the best inputs to maximise SDN performance. In order to identify SDN behaviour, the neural network model is trained and applied. The maximal optimisation approach has been identified using an analytical approach that considered SDN performance and the computational time as objective functions. Initially, the general model of the neural network was tested with unseen data before implementing the model using GA and PSO to determine the optimal performance of SDN. The results showed that the SDN represented by Artificial Neural Network ANN, and optmised by PSO, generated a better configuration with regards to computational efficiency and performance index.

PHGDH Defines a Metabolic Subtype in Lung Adenocarcinomas with Poor Prognosis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Boxi Zhang

2017-06-01

Full Text Available Molecular signatures are emerging determinants of choice of therapy for lung adenocarcinomas. An evolving therapeutic approach includes targeting metabolic dependencies in cancers. Here, using an integrative approach, we have dissected the metabolic fingerprints of lung adenocarcinomas, and we show that Phosphoglycerate dehydrogenase (PHGDH, the rate-limiting enzyme in serine biosynthesis, is highly expressed in a adenocarcinoma subset with poor prognosis. This subset harbors a gene signature for DNA replication and proliferation. Accordingly, models with high levels of PHGDH display rapid proliferation, migration, and selective channeling of serine-derived carbons to glutathione and pyrimidines, while depletion of PHGDH shows potent and selective toxicity to this subset. Differential PHGDH protein levels were defined by its degradation, and the deubiquitinating enzyme JOSD2 is a regulator of its protein stability. Our study provides evidence that a unique metabolic program is activated in a lung adenocarcinoma subset, described by PHGDH, which confers growth and survival and may have therapeutic implications.

Hanford defined waste model limitations and improvements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

HARMSEN, R.W.

1999-01-01

Recommendation 93-5 Implementation Plan, Milestone 5,6.3.1.i requires issuance of this report which addresses ''updates to the tank contents model''. This report summarizes the review of the Hanford Defined Waste, Revision 4, model limitations and provides conclusions and recommendations for potential updates to the model

Parallel Education and Defining the Fourth Sector.

Science.gov (United States)

Chessell, Diana

1996-01-01

Parallel to the primary, secondary, postsecondary, and adult/community education sectors is education not associated with formal programs--learning in arts and cultural sites. The emergence of cultural and educational tourism is an opportunity for adult/community education to define itself by extending lifelong learning opportunities into parallel…

Software-Defined Radio Demonstrators: An Example and Future Trends

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ronan Farrell

2009-01-01

Full Text Available Software-defined radio requires the combination of software-based signal processing and the enabling hardware components. In this paper, we present an overview of the criteria for such platforms and the current state of development and future trends in this area. This paper will also provide details of a high-performance flexible radio platform called the maynooth adaptable radio system (MARS that was developed to explore the use of software-defined radio concepts in the provision of infrastructure elements in a telecommunications application, such as mobile phone basestations or multimedia broadcasters.

[Ill-defined causes of death and unattended deaths, Brazil, 2003].

Science.gov (United States)

Santo, Augusto Hasiak

2008-01-01

We studied the distribution of deaths from ill-defined causes that occurred in Brazil during 2003, from which was identified the proportion of unattended deaths. Data were obtained from the Mortality Information System, coordinated by the Ministry of Health. Causes of death included in "Chapter XVIII - Symptoms, signs and abnormal clinical and laboratory findings, not classified elsewhere" of the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, tenth revision, were considered ill-defined, among which the category R98 identified "unattended deaths". In Brazil during 2003 the underlying causes of 13.3% of deaths were included in the Chapter of ill-defined causes, and the highest proportions of these deaths occurred in the Northeast and North Regions. Considering the total deaths from ill-defined causes, 53 % correspond to unattended deaths. This proportion increased to over 70% in the states of Maranhão, Piauí, Rio Grande do Norte, Pernambuco, Bahia, Paraíba and Alagoas. Due to the decentralized structure of data collection in the country, we believe that the municipalities bear the major responsibility, followed by the states, for upgrading the quality of mortality statistics.

78 FR 33757 - Rural Determination and Financing Percentage

Science.gov (United States)

2013-06-05

... Agency for determining what percentage of a project is eligible for RUS financing if the Rural Percentage... defined as rural. As the Agency investigates financing options for projects owned by entities other than... inability to fund 100 percent of the financing needs of a given project has undermined the Agency's effort...

Radiation Tolerant Software Defined Video Processor, Phase I

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — MaXentric's is proposing a radiation tolerant Software Define Video Processor, codenamed SDVP, for the problem of advanced motion imaging in the space environment....

Defining Multiple Chronic Conditions for Quality Measurement.

Science.gov (United States)

Drye, Elizabeth E; Altaf, Faseeha K; Lipska, Kasia J; Spatz, Erica S; Montague, Julia A; Bao, Haikun; Parzynski, Craig S; Ross, Joseph S; Bernheim, Susannah M; Krumholz, Harlan M; Lin, Zhenqiu

2018-02-01

Patients with multiple chronic conditions (MCCs) are a critical but undefined group for quality measurement. We present a generally applicable systematic approach to defining an MCC cohort of Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries that we developed for a national quality measure, risk-standardized rates of unplanned admissions for Accountable Care Organizations. To define the MCC cohort we: (1) identified potential chronic conditions; (2) set criteria for cohort conditions based on MCC framework and measure concept; (3) applied the criteria informed by empirical analysis, experts, and the public; (4) described "broader" and "narrower" cohorts; and (5) selected final cohort with stakeholder input. Subjects were patients with chronic conditions. Participants included 21.8 million Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries in 2012 aged 65 years and above with ≥1 of 27 Medicare Chronic Condition Warehouse condition(s). In total, 10 chronic conditions were identified based on our criteria; 8 of these 10 were associated with notably increased admission risk when co-occurring. A broader cohort (2+ of the 8 conditions) included 4.9 million beneficiaries (23% of total cohort) with an admission rate of 70 per 100 person-years. It captured 53% of total admissions. The narrower cohort (3+ conditions) had 2.2 million beneficiaries (10%) with 100 admissions per 100 person-years and captured 32% of admissions. Most stakeholders viewed the broader cohort as best aligned with the measure concept. By systematically narrowing chronic conditions to those most relevant to the outcome and incorporating stakeholder input, we defined an MCC admission measure cohort supported by stakeholders. This approach can be used as a model for other MCC outcome measures.

Defining culturally responsive teaching: The case of mathematics

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jenni L. Harding-DeKam

2014-12-01

Full Text Available Elementary classroom teachers in eight school districts across Colorado, United States, share the knowledge of their students’ home and community life, define culturally responsive mathematics based on the children they instruct, and give examples of how students learn math through culture in their classrooms. Findings from two interviews, classroom observations, and student artifacts reveal that teachers have an intimate cultural knowledge of the students in their classrooms, define culturally responsive mathematical practices consistent with research, use culturally responsive mathematics teaching for authentic learning, and express a need for additional professional development and curriculum support for culturally responsive mathematics instruction. Culturally responsive mathematics is important in elementary classrooms because it allows students to make personal connections to mathematics content.

Microfluidic perfusion culture of human induced pluripotent stem cells under fully defined culture conditions.

Science.gov (United States)

Yoshimitsu, Ryosuke; Hattori, Koji; Sugiura, Shinji; Kondo, Yuki; Yamada, Rotaro; Tachikawa, Saoko; Satoh, Taku; Kurisaki, Akira; Ohnuma, Kiyoshi; Asashima, Makoto; Kanamori, Toshiyuki

2014-05-01

Human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) are a promising cell source for drug screening. For this application, self-renewal or differentiation of the cells is required, and undefined factors in the culture conditions are not desirable. Microfluidic perfusion culture allows the production of small volume cultures with precisely controlled microenvironments, and is applicable to high-throughput cellular environment screening. Here, we developed a microfluidic perfusion culture system for hiPSCs that uses a microchamber array chip under defined extracellular matrix (ECM) and culture medium conditions. By screening various ECMs we determined that fibronectin and laminin are appropriate for microfluidic devices made out of the most popular material, polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS). We found that the growth rate of hiPSCs under pressure-driven perfusion culture conditions was higher than under static culture conditions in the microchamber array. We applied our new system to self-renewal and differentiation cultures of hiPSCs, and immunocytochemical analysis showed that the state of the hiPSCs was successfully controlled. The effects of three antitumor drugs on hiPSCs were comparable between microchamber array and 96-well plates. We believe that our system will be a platform technology for future large-scale screening of fully defined conditions for differentiation cultures on integrated microfluidic devices. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

19 CFR 10.175 - Imported directly defined.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... imported directly only if they: (1) Remained under the control of the customs authority of the intermediate... 19 Customs Duties 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Imported directly defined. 10.175 Section 10.175 Customs Duties U.S. CUSTOMS AND BORDER PROTECTION, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY; DEPARTMENT OF THE...

Miniature EVA Software Defined Radio

Science.gov (United States)

Pozhidaev, Aleksey

2012-01-01

As NASA embarks upon developing the Next-Generation Extra Vehicular Activity (EVA) Radio for deep space exploration, the demands on EVA battery life will substantially increase. The number of modes and frequency bands required will continue to grow in order to enable efficient and complex multi-mode operations including communications, navigation, and tracking applications. Whether conducting astronaut excursions, communicating to soldiers, or first responders responding to emergency hazards, NASA has developed an innovative, affordable, miniaturized, power-efficient software defined radio that offers unprecedented power-efficient flexibility. This lightweight, programmable, S-band, multi-service, frequency- agile EVA software defined radio (SDR) supports data, telemetry, voice, and both standard and high-definition video. Features include a modular design, an easily scalable architecture, and the EVA SDR allows for both stationary and mobile battery powered handheld operations. Currently, the radio is equipped with an S-band RF section. However, its scalable architecture can accommodate multiple RF sections simultaneously to cover multiple frequency bands. The EVA SDR also supports multiple network protocols. It currently implements a Hybrid Mesh Network based on the 802.11s open standard protocol. The radio targets RF channel data rates up to 20 Mbps and can be equipped with a real-time operating system (RTOS) that can be switched off for power-aware applications. The EVA SDR's modular design permits implementation of the same hardware at all Network Nodes concept. This approach assures the portability of the same software into any radio in the system. It also brings several benefits to the entire system including reducing system maintenance, system complexity, and development cost.

Proposed criteria for determining enforcement actions in the regulation of nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Amparo, O.L.

1982-01-01

This document describes an approach for determining regulatory enforcement actions that would serve as basis for the maintenance of a license. Enforcement actions are determined according to defined severity of violations or failure by the licensee to meet regulatory requirements and license conditions. (ELC)

48 CFR 218.270 - Head of contracting activity determinations.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... REGULATIONS SYSTEM, DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE CONTRACTING METHODS AND CONTRACT TYPES EMERGENCY ACQUISITIONS Emergency Acquisition Flexibilities 218.270 Head of contracting activity determinations. For contract... contracting activity,” as defined in FAR 2.101, in the following locations: (a) FAR 2.101: (1) Definition of...

Skew category algebras associated with partially defined dynamical systems

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lundström, Patrik; Öinert, Per Johan

2012-01-01

We introduce partially defined dynamical systems defined on a topological space. To each such system we associate a functor s from a category G to Topop and show that it defines what we call a skew category algebra A ⋊σ G. We study the connection between topological freeness of s and, on the one...... hand, ideal properties of A ⋊σ G and, on the other hand, maximal commutativity of A in A ⋊σ G. In particular, we show that if G is a groupoid and for each e ∈ ob(G) the group of all morphisms e → e is countable and the topological space s(e) is Tychonoff and Baire. Then the following assertions...... are equivalent: (i) s is topologically free; (ii) A has the ideal intersection property, i.e. if I is a nonzero ideal of A ⋊σ G, then I ∩ A ≠ {0}; (iii) the ring A is a maximal abelian complex subalgebra of A ⋊σ G. Thereby, we generalize a result by Svensson, Silvestrov and de Jeu from the additive group...

Defining Peer-to-Peer Accountability From the Nurse's Perspective.

Science.gov (United States)

Lockett, Jacqueline Jansen; Barkley, Leslie; Stichler, Jaynelle; Palomo, Jeanne; Kik, Bozena; Walker, Christopher; Donnelly, Janet; Willon, Judy; Sanborn, Julie; O'Byrne, Noeleen

2015-11-01

The aim of this study was to define and create a conceptual model for peer-to-peer accountability (P to PA). Many organizations cite the importance of peer accountability (PA) as essential in ensuring patient safety. Professionalism in nursing requires self-regulation of practice and PA. Although discussed in the literature, P to PA is not conceptually defined. A grounded theory study design with constant comparative data collection and analysis was used to explore nurses' definitions of P to PA and their perceptions of motivators and barriers to engaging in P to PA. Transcripts of digital recordings of all interviews were analyzed using line-by-line coding until identified themes emerged. P to PA was defined as the act of speaking up when one observes a peer not practicing to acceptable standards. A conceptual model illustrates the antecedents, attributes, and consequences of P to PA. P to PA is the professional responsibility of every nurse and healthcare provider and is essential for safe patient care. The conceptual definition facilitates actualization of P to PA in practice.

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.

An Integrated Gait and Balance Analysis System to Define Human Locomotor Control

Science.gov (United States)

2016-04-29

test hypotheses they developed about how people walk. An Integrated Gait and Balance Analysis System to define Human Locomotor Control W911NF-14-R-0009...An Integrated Gait and Balance Analysis System to Define Human Locomotor Control Walking is a complicated task that requires the motor coordination...Gait and Balance Analysis System to Define Human Locomotor Control Report Title Walking is a complicated task that requires the motor coordination across

Fermionization of chiral string determinants in factorizable metrics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Iengo, R.; Ivanov, B.

1987-11-01

We use fermionization, defined as a change of variables in the functional integration, to find chiral determinants of the string integrand in any holomorphically factorizable metric. In this way we derive and generalize the formulae proposed by Knizhnik and clarify their relation to those of Eguchi, Ooguri and Verlinde, Verlinde. (author). 20 refs

Retroviral infection of non-dividing cells: Old and new perspectives

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yamashita, Masahiro; Emerman, Michael

2006-01-01

The dependence of retroviral replication on cell proliferation was described as early as 1958, although different classes of retroviruses are able to infect non-dividing cells with different efficiencies. For example, the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and other lentiviruses infect most non-dividing cells nearly as well as dividing cells, while the gammaretroviruses such as the murine leukemia virus (MLV) cannot infect non-dividing cells, and other retroviruses have intermediate phenotypes. One exception to the ability of HIV to infect non-dividing cells involves resting CD4+ T cells in vitro where there are multiple restrictions. However, recent data show that there is massive infection of non-activated CD4+ T cell during acute infection which suggests that the situation is different in vivo. Finally, much work trying to explain the difference between HIV and MLV in non-dividing cells has focused on describing the ability of HIV to enter the nucleus during interphase. However, we suggest that events in the viral lifecycle other than nuclear import may be more important in determining the ability of a given retrovirus to infect non-dividing cells

Animal models of physiologic markers of male reproduction: genetically defined infertile mice

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chubb, C.

1987-10-01

The present report focuses on novel animal models of male infertility: genetically defined mice bearing single-gene mutations that induce infertility. The primary goal of the investigations was to identify the reproductive defects in these mutant mice. The phenotypic effects of the gene mutations were deciphered by comparing the mutant mice to their normal siblings. Initially testicular steroidogenesis and spermatogenesis were investigated. The physiologic markers for testicular steroidogenesis were steroid secretion by testes perifused in vitro, seminal vesicle weight, and Leydig cell histology. Spermatogenesis was evaluated by the enumeration of homogenization-resistant sperm/spermatids in testes and by morphometric analyses of germ cells in the seminiferous epithelium. If testicular function appeared normal, the authors investigated the sexual behavior of the mice. The parameters of male sexual behavior that were quantified included mount patency, mount frequency, intromission latency, thrusts per intromission, ejaculation latency, and ejaculation duration. Females of pairs breeding under normal circumstances were monitored for the presence of vaginal plugs and pregnancies. The patency of the ejaculatory process was determined by quantifying sperm in the female reproductive tract after sexual behavior tests. Sperm function was studied by quantitatively determining sperm motility during videomicroscopic observation. Also, the ability of epididymal sperm to function within the uterine environment was analyzed by determining sperm capacity to initiate pregnancy after artificial insemination. Together, the experimental results permitted the grouping of the gene mutations into three general categories. They propose that the same biological markers used in the reported studies can be implemented in the assessment of the impact that environmental toxins may have on male reproduction.

Determination of minimal clinically important change in early and advanced Parkinson's disease.

Science.gov (United States)

Hauser, Robert A; Auinger, Peggy

2011-04-01

Two common primary efficacy outcome measures in Parkinson's disease (PD) are change in Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) scores in early PD and change in "off" time in patients with motor fluctuations. Defining the minimal clinically important change (MCIC) in these outcome measures is important to interpret the clinical relevance of changes observed in clinical trials and other situations. We analyzed data from 2 multicenter, placebo-controlled, randomized clinical trials of rasagiline; TEMPO studied 404 early PD subjects, and PRESTO studied 472 levodopa-treated subjects with motor fluctuations. An anchor-based approach using clinical global impression of improvement (CGI-I) was used to determine MCIC for UPDRS scores and daily "off" time. MCIC was defined as mean change in actively treated subjects rated minimally improved on CGI-I. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves defined optimal cutoffs discriminating between changed and unchanged subjects. MCIC for improvement in total UPDRS score (parts I-III) in early PD was determined to be -3.5 points based on mean scores and -3.0 points based on ROC curves. In addition, we found an MCIC for reduction in "off" time of 1.0 hours as defined by mean reduction in "off" time in active treated subjects self-rated as minimally improved on CGI-I minus mean reduction in "off" time in placebo-treated subjects self-rated as unchanged (1.9-0.9 hours). We hypothesize that many methodological factors can influence determination of the MCIC, and a range of values is likely to emerge from multiple studies. Copyright © 2011 Movement Disorder Society.

Defining Trust Using Expected Utility Theory

OpenAIRE

Arai, Kazuhiro

2009-01-01

Trust has been discussed in many social sciences including economics, psychology, and sociology. However, there is no widely accepted definition of trust. Inparticular, there is no definition that can be used for economic analysis. This paper regards trust as expectation and defines it using expected utility theory together with concepts such as betrayal premium. In doing so, it rejects the widely accepted black-and-white view that (un) trustworthy people are always (un)trustworthy. This pape...

Mathematical determination of image quality

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Barrett, H H

1982-01-01

The subjective term ''image quality'' is generally not easy to define and to measure. If, however, we limit ourselves, to determine certain anomalies in blurred images, then the task can be done more easily. The efficiency can in fact be measured and the results can be presented as ROC-characteristics (receiver operating characteristics). One can determine a relation between the characteristic and the noise distance of the imaging system, and this way the efficiency of an hypothetical ideal observer can be predicted. Furthermore one can compute noise distance and other statistical parameters of X-ray images distorted by quantum interference by special techniques that are founded on the so-called ''blur core''. The technique proved to be very successful in nuclear medicine, but is also valid in computerized tomography and X-ray diagnostics. The technique is explained without mathematical details. The question will be answered concerning the role mathematical analysis will play in the determination and optimization of the quality of diagnostic exposures.

Implementing Software Defined Radio

CERN Document Server

Grayver, Eugene

2013-01-01

Software Defined Radio makes wireless communications easier, more efficient, and more reliable. This book bridges the gap between academic research and practical implementation. When beginning a project, practicing engineers, technical managers, and graduate students can save countless hours by considering the concepts presented in these pages. The author covers the myriad options and trade-offs available when selecting an appropriate hardware architecture. As demonstrated here, the choice between hardware- and software-centric architecture can mean the difference between meeting an aggressive schedule and bogging down in endless design iterations. Because of the author’s experience overseeing dozens of failed and successful developments, he is able to present many real-life examples. Some of the key concepts covered are: Choosing the right architecture for the market – laboratory, military, or commercial Hardware platforms – FPGAs, GPPs, specialized and hybrid devices Standardization efforts to ens...

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

PAEA Accreditation Task Force Briefing Paper: Moving Toward Profession-Defined, Outcomes-Based Accreditation.

Science.gov (United States)

Bondy, Mary Jo; Fletcher, Sara; Lane, Steven

2017-12-01

In anticipation of a revision to the Standards for Accreditation, the Phyisician Assistant Education Association (PAEA) charged a small task force to develop a strategy for engaging its members in the revision process. Rather than focusing on the current Standards, the task force members recommend a backward design approach to determine the desired outcomes of a successful revision to the Standards. Ultimately, the group believes that shifting to a profession-defined, outcomes-based model for accreditation will allow for greater innovation in physician assistant education and reduce the strain on programs facing resource limitations, particularly clinical site shortages. Task force members value accreditation and urge a paradigm shift in the Standards revision process to focus on meaningful educational outcomes that lead to enhanced program quality and patient safety.

Fibroadenomas of the breast showing an ill-defined margin on ultrasonogram: Correlation with histopathologic findings

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hwang, Ji Young; Choi, Hye Young; Shim, Sung Shine; Rhee, Chung Sik; Sung, Soon Hee

2002-01-01

To correlate the sonographic finding of ill-defined fibroadenoma with the histopathologic findings. Sonographic finding of forty nine surgically proven fibroadenomas were retrospectively correlated with histopathologic findings. We evaluated sonographic findings including the margin, shape, size and the echotexture of fibroadenoma. The histopathologic glandular structure, stromal type of fibroadenoma, type of the surrounding breast tissue and presence of interdigitation between fibroadenoma and the surrounding breast tissue were pathologically reviewed and analyzed statistically. Breast sonography of fibroadenomas demonstrated well-defined margin in 28 (57%) and ill-defined margin in 21 (43%) among 49 lesions. Histopathologically, the glandular structure and type of the surrounding breast tissue were not significantly different between well-defined and ill-defined fibroadenomas. The stromal type of fibroadenoma was sclerotic in 8 (29%) well-defined fibroadenomas while sclerotic in 15 (72%) of 21 ill-defined fibroadenomas,showing difference with a statistical significance between well-defined and ill-defined fibroadenomas (p<0.05). Twenty (71%) of 28 fibroadenomas with well-defined sonographic margins showed well-defined border between mass and the surrounding breast tissue, pathologically. Meanwhile, twenty (95%) of 21 fibroadenomas with ill-defined sonographic margins demonstrated interdigitation of the surrounding breast tissue and mass, exhibiting a statistical significance (p<0.005). Ill-defined margins of fibroadenomas on sonography represent the interdigitation of the surrounding breast tissue with a mass and is seen in the sclerotic stromal type of fibroadenomas.

Fibroadenomas of the breast showing an ill-defined margin on ultrasonogram: Correlation with histopathologic findings

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hwang, Ji Young; Choi, Hye Young; Shim, Sung Shine; Rhee, Chung Sik; Sung, Soon Hee [Ewha Womans University College of Medicine, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

2002-12-15

To correlate the sonographic finding of ill-defined fibroadenoma with the histopathologic findings. Sonographic finding of forty nine surgically proven fibroadenomas were retrospectively correlated with histopathologic findings. We evaluated sonographic findings including the margin, shape, size and the echotexture of fibroadenoma. The histopathologic glandular structure, stromal type of fibroadenoma, type of the surrounding breast tissue and presence of interdigitation between fibroadenoma and the surrounding breast tissue were pathologically reviewed and analyzed statistically. Breast sonography of fibroadenomas demonstrated well-defined margin in 28 (57%) and ill-defined margin in 21 (43%) among 49 lesions. Histopathologically, the glandular structure and type of the surrounding breast tissue were not significantly different between well-defined and ill-defined fibroadenomas. The stromal type of fibroadenoma was sclerotic in 8 (29%) well-defined fibroadenomas while sclerotic in 15 (72%) of 21 ill-defined fibroadenomas,showing difference with a statistical significance between well-defined and ill-defined fibroadenomas (p<0.05). Twenty (71%) of 28 fibroadenomas with well-defined sonographic margins showed well-defined border between mass and the surrounding breast tissue, pathologically. Meanwhile, twenty (95%) of 21 fibroadenomas with ill-defined sonographic margins demonstrated interdigitation of the surrounding breast tissue and mass, exhibiting a statistical significance (p<0.005). Ill-defined margins of fibroadenomas on sonography represent the interdigitation of the surrounding breast tissue with a mass and is seen in the sclerotic stromal type of fibroadenomas.

38 CFR 17.31 - Duty periods defined.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... Definitions and Active Duty § 17.31 Duty periods defined. Full-time duty as a member of the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps, Women's Reserve of the Navy and Marine Corps and Women's Reserve of the Coast Guard. [34 FR..., 1996, § 17.31(b)(5) was redesignated as § 17.31. Protection of Patient Rights ...

A trait based approach to defining valued mentoring qualities

Science.gov (United States)

Pendall, E.

2012-12-01

Graduate training in the sciences requires strong personal interactions among faculty, senior lab members and more junior members. Within the lab-group setting we learn to frame problems, to conduct research and to communicate findings. The result is that individual scientists are partly shaped by a few influential mentors. We have all been influenced by special relationships with mentors, and on reflection we may find that certain qualities have been especially influential in our career choices. In this presentation I will discuss favorable mentoring traits as determined from an informal survey of scientists in varying stages of careers and from diverse backgrounds. Respondents addressed questions about traits they value in their mentors in several categories: 1) personal qualities such as approachability, humor and encouragement; background including gender, ethnicity, and family status; 2) scientific qualities including discipline or specialization, perceived stature in discipline, seniority, breadth of perspective, and level of expectations; and 3) community-oriented qualities promoted by mentors, such as encouraging service contributions and peer-mentoring within the lab group. The results will be compared among respondents by gender, ethnicity, stage of career, type of work, and subdiscipline within the broadly defined Biogeoscience community. We hope to contribute to the growing discussion on building a diverse and balanced scientific workforce.

Determination of cosmological parameters: An introduction for non ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Then I show how the age of the universe depends on them, followed by the evolution of the scale parameter of the universe for various values of the density parameters. Then I define strategies for measuring them, and show the results for the recent determination of these parameters from measurements on supernovas of ...

29 CFR 780.103 - “Agriculture” as defined by the Act.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... AGRICULTURE, PROCESSING OF AGRICULTURAL COMMODITIES, AND RELATED SUBJECTS UNDER THE FAIR LABOR STANDARDS ACT General Scope of Agriculture Introductory § 780.103 “Agriculture” as defined by the Act. Section 3(f) of the Act defines “agriculture” as follows: “Agriculture” includes farming in all its branches and among...

Value of 18FDG PET-CT in defining the length of esophageal cancer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yuan Shuanghu; Yu Jinming; Yu Yonghua; Yang Xinhua; Chen Shaoqing; Fu Zheng; Yang Guoren; Guo Hongbo; Wang Xiaohang; Zhou Yingzhi

2006-01-01

Objective: To assess the value of 18-fluoro-deoxy-glucose positron emission-CT (FDG PET-CT) in defining the length of primary esophageal cancer. Methods: Thirty-two patients had undergone esophagoscopy, esophagography and FDG PET-CT scans one week before esophagectomy. There was one tumor located in the upper thoracic esophagus, 22 in the middle thoracic esophagus, and 9 in the lower thoracic esophagus. The location and length of primary lesion of the tumor was determined by esophagoscopy, esophagography, and FDG PET-CT. The length of the abnormality seen on the CT portion of the PET-CT scan was determined separately and independently by two radiologists. All results were compared with the resected specimen. Results: According to esophagography, CT and PET-CT, all lesion lengths were compared with that of the resected specimen. It was found that the tumor location determined by esophagoscopy was not in accordance with the resected specimen in 2 patients. The mean length of the primary tumor, being from short to long, were (3.8±1.4),(4.1±1.5),(4.4±1.6),(5.3±1.9) and (4.7±1.7) cm, as determined by esophagoscopy, esophagography, CT, actral length of the resected specimen and PET-CT. Compared with the resected specimen,there was obvious difference (P=0.000, 0.007, 0.025, 0.001). Considering that there might be some kind of shrinkage in the resected specimen (about 83.59%, as reported by Ma et al), we rectified the length of resected specimen and compared with other findings again. It was found that insignificant difference existed between PET-CT and rectified length value of the resected specimen (P=0.082). Conclusions: FDG PET-CT is effective in the length determination of primary esophageal cancer. It may be used to determine the length of esophagus to be resected for patients indicated for esophagectomy. It may also be used to accurately delineate the gross tumor volume for patients eligible for radiotherapy. (authors)

How Should Energy Be Defined throughout Schooling?

Science.gov (United States)

Bächtold, Manuel

2018-01-01

The question of how to teach energy has been renewed by recent studies focusing on the learning and teaching progressions for this concept. In this context, one question has been, for the most part, overlooked: how should energy be defined throughout schooling? This paper addresses this question in three steps. We first identify and discuss two…

Fingerprinting Software Defined Networks and Controllers

Science.gov (United States)

2015-03-01

rps requests per second RTT Round-Trip Time SDN Software Defined Networking SOM Self-Organizing Map STP Spanning Tree Protocol TRW-CB Threshold Random...Protocol ( STP ) updates), in which case the frame will be “punted” from the forwarding lookup process and processed by the route processor [9]. The act of...environment 20 to accomplish the needs of B4. In addition to Google, the SDN market is expected to grow beyond $35 billion by April 2018 [31]. The rate

Defining the "normal" postejaculate urinalysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Mehta, Akanksha; Jarow, Jonathan P; Maples, Pat; Sigman, Mark

2012-01-01

Although sperm have been shown to be present in the postejaculate urinalysis (PEU) of both fertile and infertile men, the number of sperm present in the PEU of the general population has never been well defined. The objective of this study was to describe the semen and PEU findings in both the general and infertile population, in order to develop a better appreciation for "normal." Infertile men (n = 77) and control subjects (n = 71) were prospectively recruited. Exclusion criteria included azoospermia and medications known to affect ejaculation. All men underwent a history, physical examination, semen analysis, and PEU. The urine was split into 2 containers: PEU1, the initial voided urine, and PEU2, the remaining voided urine. Parametric statistical methods were applied for data analysis to compare sperm concentrations in each sample of semen and urine between the 2 groups of men. Controls had higher average semen volume (3.3 ± 1.6 vs 2.0 ± 1.4 mL, P sperm concentrations (112 million vs 56.2 million, P = .011), compared with infertile men. The presence of sperm in urine was common in both groups, but more prevalent among infertile men (98.7% vs 88.7%, P = .012), in whom it comprised a greater proportion of the total sperm count (46% vs 24%, P = .022). The majority of sperm present in PEU were seen in PEU1 of both controls (69%) and infertile men (88%). An association was noted between severe oligospermia (sperm counts in PEU (sperm in the urine compared with control, there is a large degree of overlap between the 2 populations, making it difficult to identify a specific threshold to define a positive test. Interpretation of a PEU should be directed by whether the number of sperm in the urine could affect subsequent management.

Software defined radios from smart(er) to cognitive

CERN Document Server

Pollin, Sofie; Van der Perre, Liesbet

2011-01-01

Software Defined Radios presents a systematic approach to dealing with the complexity of wireless systems with varying standards. The text aims to enable smart operation of radios with impressive efficiency gains, without hampering the quality of service.

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

Defining and detecting malaria epidemics in south-east Iran.

Science.gov (United States)

McKelvie, William R; Haghdoost, Ali Akbar; Raeisi, Ahmad

2012-03-23

A lack of consensus on how to define malaria epidemics has impeded the evaluation of early detection systems. This study aimed to develop local definitions of malaria epidemics in a known malarious area of Iran, and to use that definition to evaluate the validity of several epidemic alert thresholds. Epidemic definition variables generated from surveillance data were plotted against weekly malaria counts to assess which most accurately labelled aberrations. Various alert thresholds were then generated from weekly counts or log counts. Finally, the best epidemic definition was used to calculate and compare sensitivities, specificities, detection delays, and areas under ROC curves of the alert thresholds. The best epidemic definition used a minimum duration of four weeks and week-specific and overall smoothed geometric means plus 1.0 standard deviation. It defined 13 epidemics. A modified C-SUM alert of untransformed weekly counts using a threshold of mean+0.25 SD had the highest combined sensitivity and specificity. Untransformed C-SUM alerts also had the highest area under the ROC curve. Defining local malaria epidemics using objective criteria facilitated the evaluation of alert thresholds. This approach needs further study to refine epidemic definitions and prospectively evaluate epidemic alerts.

Multiplexed Dosing Assays by Digitally Definable Hydrogel Volumes

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Faralli, Adele; Melander, Fredrik; Larsen, Esben Kjær Unmack

2016-01-01

Stable and low-cost multiplexed drug sensitivity assays using small volumes of cells or tissue are in demand for personalized medicine, including patientspecific combination chemotherapy. Spatially defined projected light photopolymerization of hydrogels with embedded active compounds is introduc...

Defined Contribution Model: Definition, Theory and an Application for Turkey

OpenAIRE

Metin Ercen; Deniz Gokce

1998-01-01

Based on a numerical application that employs social and economic parameters of the Turkish economy, this study attempts to demonstrate that the current collapse in the Turkish social security system is not unavoidable. The present social security system in Turkey is based on the defined benefit model of pension provision. On the other hand, recent proposals for reform in the social security system are based on a multipillar system, where one of the alternatives is a defined contribution pens...

Defining The Energy Saving Potential of Architectural Design

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Naboni, Emanuele; Malcangi, Antonio; Zhang, Yi

2015-01-01

Designers, in response to codes or voluntary " green building " programs, are increasingly concerned with building energy demand reduction, but they are not fully aware of the energy saving potential of architectural design. According to literature, building form, construction and material choices...... on sustainable design: " Design With Climate " by Olgyay (1963), which discussed strategies for climate-adapted architecture, and Lechner´s " Heating, Cooling and Lighting " (1991), on how to reduce building energy needs by as much as 60 – 80 percent with proper architectural design decisions. Both books used...... behaviour. The research shows the best solution for each of the climates and compares them with Olgyay´s findings. Finally, for each climate the energy saving potential is defined and then compared to Lechner's conclusions. Defining The Energy Saving Potential of Architectural Design (PDF Download Available...

A population-based survey of the epidemiology of symptom-defined gastroesophageal reflux disease: the Systematic Investigation of Gastrointestinal Diseases in China

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

He Jia

2010-08-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The epidemiology of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD has yet to be investigated using the symptomatic threshold criteria recommended by the Montreal Definition. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of symptom-defined GERD across five regions of China, and to investigate variables associated with GERD. Methods A representative sample of 18 000 adults (aged 18-80 years were selected equally from rural and urban areas in each region (n = 1800. According to the Montreal Definition, GERD is present when mild symptoms of heartburn and/or regurgitation occur on ≥2 days a week, or moderate-to-severe symptoms of heartburn and/or regurgitation occur on ≥1 day a week. Results In total, 16 091 participants completed the survey (response rate: 89.4% and 16 078 responses were suitable for analysis. Applying the Montreal criteria, the prevalence of symptom-defined GERD was 3.1% and varied significantly (p Conclusions This population-based survey found that the prevalence of symptom-defined GERD in China was 3.1%, which is lower than that found in Western countries.

In-network adaptation of SHVC video in software-defined networks

Science.gov (United States)

Awobuluyi, Olatunde; Nightingale, James; Wang, Qi; Alcaraz Calero, Jose Maria; Grecos, Christos

2016-04-01

Software Defined Networks (SDN), when combined with Network Function Virtualization (NFV) represents a paradigm shift in how future networks will behave and be managed. SDN's are expected to provide the underpinning technologies for future innovations such as 5G mobile networks and the Internet of Everything. The SDN architecture offers features that facilitate an abstracted and centralized global network view in which packet forwarding or dropping decisions are based on application flows. Software Defined Networks facilitate a wide range of network management tasks, including the adaptation of real-time video streams as they traverse the network. SHVC, the scalable extension to the recent H.265 standard is a new video encoding standard that supports ultra-high definition video streams with spatial resolutions of up to 7680×4320 and frame rates of 60fps or more. The massive increase in bandwidth required to deliver these U-HD video streams dwarfs the bandwidth requirements of current high definition (HD) video. Such large bandwidth increases pose very significant challenges for network operators. In this paper we go substantially beyond the limited number of existing implementations and proposals for video streaming in SDN's all of which have primarily focused on traffic engineering solutions such as load balancing. By implementing and empirically evaluating an SDN enabled Media Adaptation Network Entity (MANE) we provide a valuable empirical insight into the benefits and limitations of SDN enabled video adaptation for real time video applications. The SDN-MANE is the video adaptation component of our Video Quality Assurance Manager (VQAM) SDN control plane application, which also includes an SDN monitoring component to acquire network metrics and a decision making engine using algorithms to determine the optimum adaptation strategy for any real time video application flow given the current network conditions. Our proposed VQAM application has been implemented and

49 CFR 26.65 - What rules govern business size determinations?

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... (including its affiliates) must be an existing small business, as defined by Small Business Administration... 49 Transportation 1 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false What rules govern business size determinations? 26... DISADVANTAGED BUSINESS ENTERPRISES IN DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS Certification...

Defining the Strategy of Nuclear Activity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Racana, R.

2006-01-01

This article presents nuclear activity as defined within the field of the nuclear industry, which is studied from its capacity to generate electric power to its application in industry and medicine as well as a source for weapons of mass destruction. These fields of analysis introduce some problems that the nuclear activity itself must know how to confront employing action strategies aimed at becoming an activity to be kept in mind when making use of the benefits that its peaceful use contributes to human life. (Author)

On Defining "Imaginary" Beings and Attributes: How Do Lexicographers Cope with Culturally Determined Differences in Beliefs about Cosmology, Ontology and Epistemology?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Piet Swanepoel

2011-10-01

Full Text Available

ABSTRACT: Members of linguistic communities often have opposing beliefs about the existence of beings denoted by lexical items or about the truth of the attributes ascribed to entities. As very little research has been forthcoming in this regard, this article focuses on how people's beliefs about existence and truth are encoded in explanatory dictionaries, and on the kind of semantics that is needed to account for these beliefs. The way in which dictionaries define issues of existence and truth against a default world view is outlined in Section 2. Section 3 indicates what happens if the default world view of lexicographic descriptions changes and how cultural biases operate in the treatment of the meaning of lexical items that denote "imaginary" beings or "imaginary" attributes. Section 4 summarizes the main findings of the article and delimits topics for further research.

Keywords: IMAGINARY BEINGS, FABULOUS CREATURES, DEFINING ATTRIBUTES, LEXICOGRAPHIC DEFINITIONS, EXISTENCE, TRUTH, SENSE, REFERENCE, DENOTATION, IDEALIZED COGNITIVE MODELS, COGNITIVE SEMANTICS, CULTURAL BIAS, CULTURAL SENSITIVITY

*****

OPSOMMING: Oor die definiëring van "denkbeeldige" wesens en eienskap-pe: Hoe hanteer leksikograwe kultureel bepaalde verskille in beskouings oor die kosmologie, ontologie en epistemologie? Lede van taalgemeenskappe het dikwels opponerende beskouings oor die bestaan van wesens waarna leksikale items verwys of oor die waarheid van die eienskappe wat aan entiteite toegeskryf word. Omdat baie min navorsing in dié verband beskikbaar is, fokus hierdie artikel op hoe mense se beskouings oor die bestaan en waarheid ten opsigte hiervan in verklarende woordeboeke gekodeer word, en op die soort seman-tiek wat benodig word om hierdie opvattings te verantwoord. Die manier waarop woordeboeke kwessies van bestaan en waarheid teen 'n verstekwêreldbeskouing omskryf, word in Afdeling 2 geskets. Afdeling 3 dui aan wat gebeur indien die

Risk of Breast Cancer with CXCR4-using HIV Defined by V3-Loop Sequencing

Science.gov (United States)

Goedert, James J.; Swenson, Luke C.; Napolitano, Laura A.; Haddad, Mojgan; Anastos, Kathryn; Minkoff, Howard; Young, Mary; Levine, Alexandra; Adeyemi, Oluwatoyin; Seaberg, Eric C.; Aouizerat, Bradley; Rabkin, Charles S.; Harrigan, P. Richard; Hessol, Nancy A.

2014-01-01

Objective Evaluate the risk of female breast cancer associated with HIV-CXCR4 (X4) tropism as determined by various genotypic measures. Methods A breast cancer case-control study, with pairwise comparisons of tropism determination methods, was conducted. From the Women's Interagency HIV Study repository, one stored plasma specimen was selected from 25 HIV-infected cases near the breast cancer diagnosis date and 75 HIV-infected control women matched for age and calendar date. HIVgp120-V3 sequences were derived by Sanger population sequencing (PS) and 454-pyro deep sequencing (DS). Sequencing-based HIV-X4 tropism was defined using the geno2pheno algorithm, with both high-stringency DS [False-Positive-Rate (FPR 3.5) and 2% X4 cutoff], and lower stringency DS (FPR 5.75, 15% X4 cut-off). Concordance of tropism results by PS, DS, and previously performed phenotyping was assessed with kappa (κ) statistics. Case-control comparisons used exact P-values and conditional logistic regression. Results In 74 women (19 cases, 55 controls) with complete results, prevalence of HIV-X4 by PS was 5% in cases vs 29% in controls (P=0.06, odds ratio 0.14, confidence interval 0.003-1.03). Smaller case-control prevalence differences were found with high-stringency DS (21% vs 36%, P=0.32), lower-stringency DS (16% vs 35%, P=0.18), and phenotyping (11% vs 31%, P=0.10). HIV-X4-tropism concordance was best between PS and lower-stringency DS (93%, κ=0.83). Other pairwise concordances were 82%-92% (κ=0.56-0.81). Concordance was similar among cases and controls. Conclusions HIV-X4 defined by population sequencing (PS) had good agreement with lower stringency deep sequencing and was significantly associated with lower odds of breast cancer. PMID:25321183

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

A guide to defining the competence required of a consultant in clinical chemistry and laboratory medicine.

Science.gov (United States)

Beastall, Graham; Kenny, Desmond; Laitinen, Paivi; ten Kate, Joop

2005-01-01

A definition has been agreed for the most senior professional (consultant) in clinical chemistry and laboratory medicine. A model job description for a consultant has been determined, which is intended to act as a toolkit to assist employing authorities and professional bodies to define the role of individual consultant posts. A total of 86 competences for a consultant have been designated and expressed in the form of simple generic proficiency standards. These competences have been allocated to six broad areas: clinical [13]; scientific [15]; technical [12]; communication [12]; management and leadership [20]; professional autonomy and accountability [14]. The competences are intended to be illustrative rather than definitive and to enable the duties of any consultant post to be defined. Assessment of competence is likely to entail consideration of qualifications, registration status, continuing professional development and performance review. The project is intended as a guide to European societies of clinical chemistry and laboratory medicine. The guide should be capable of local interpretation to encourage a greater degree of commonality in the role of the consultant whilst protecting national identity. The guide should stimulate international understanding and collaboration and contribute to an overall improvement in the quality of practice.

Field sampling for monitoring, migration and defining the areal extent of chemical contamination

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Thomas, J.M.; Skalski, J.R.; Eberhardt, L.L.; Simmons, M.A.

1984-01-01

As part of two studies funded by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the USEPA, the authors have investigated field sampling strategies and compositing as a means of detecting spills or migration at commercial low-level radioactive and chemical waste disposal sites and bioassays for detecting contamination at chemical waste sites. Compositing (pooling samples) for detection is discussed first, followed by the development of a statistical test to determine whether any component of a composite exceeds a prescribed maximum acceptable level. Subsequently, the authors explore the question of optimal field sampling designs and present the features of a microcomputer program designed to show the difficulties in constructing efficient field designs and using compositing schemes. Finally, they propose the use of bioassays as an adjunct or replacement for chemical analysis as a means of detecting and defining the areal extent of chemical migration

BAD-LAMP defines a subset of early endocytic organelles in subpopulations of cortical projection neurons.

Science.gov (United States)

David, Alexandre; Tiveron, Marie-Catherine; Defays, Axel; Beclin, Christophe; Camosseto, Voahirana; Gatti, Evelina; Cremer, Harold; Pierre, Philippe

2007-01-15

The brain-associated LAMP-like molecule (BAD-LAMP) is a new member of the family of lysosome associated membrane proteins (LAMPs). In contrast to other LAMPs, which show a widespread expression, BAD-LAMP expression in mice is confined to the postnatal brain and therein to neuronal subpopulations in layers II/III and V of the neocortex. Onset of expression strictly parallels cortical synaptogenesis. In cortical neurons, the protein is found in defined clustered vesicles, which accumulate along neurites where it localizes with phosphorylated epitopes of neurofilament H. In primary neurons, BAD-LAMP is endocytosed, but is not found in classical lysosomal/endosomal compartments. Modification of BAD-LAMP by addition of GFP revealed a cryptic lysosomal retention motif, suggesting that the cytoplasmic tail of BAD-LAMP is actively interacting with, or modified by, molecules that promote its sorting away from lysosomes. Analysis of BAD-LAMP endocytosis in transfected HeLa cells provided evidence that the protein recycles to the plasma membrane through a dynamin/AP2-dependent mechanism. Thus, BAD-LAMP is an unconventional LAMP-like molecule and defines a new endocytic compartment in specific subtypes of cortical projection neurons. The striking correlation between the appearance of BAD-LAMP and cortical synatogenesis points towards a physiological role of this vesicular determinant for neuronal function.

Distributed controller clustering in software defined networks.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

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.

Defining mental disorder. Exploring the 'natural function' approach.

Science.gov (United States)

Varga, Somogy

2011-01-21

Due to several socio-political factors, to many psychiatrists only a strictly objective definition of mental disorder, free of value components, seems really acceptable. In this paper, I will explore a variant of such an objectivist approach to defining metal disorder, natural function objectivism. Proponents of this approach make recourse to the notion of natural function in order to reach a value-free definition of mental disorder. The exploration of Christopher Boorse's 'biostatistical' account of natural function (1) will be followed an investigation of the 'hybrid naturalism' approach to natural functions by Jerome Wakefield (2). In the third part, I will explore two proposals that call into question the whole attempt to define mental disorder (3). I will conclude that while 'natural function objectivism' accounts fail to provide the backdrop for a reliable definition of mental disorder, there is no compelling reason to conclude that a definition cannot be achieved.

Self-assembly behavior of well-defined polymethylene-block-poly(ethylene glycol) copolymers in aqueous solution

KAUST Repository

Alkayal, Nazeeha

2016-09-22

A series of well-defined amphiphilic polymethylene-b-poly(ethylene glycol) (PM-b-PEG) diblock copolymers, with different hydrophobic chain length, were synthesized by combining Diels-Alder reaction with polyhomologation. The successful synthetic procedure was confirmed by size-exclusion chromatography (SEC) and 1H NMR spectroscopy. These block copolymers self-assembled into spherical micelles in aqueous solutions and exhibit low critical micelle concentration (CMC) of 2–4 mg/mL, as determined by fluorescence spectroscopy using pyrene as a probe. Measurements of the micelle hydrodynamic diameters, performed by dynamic light scattering (DLS), cryo-transmission electron microscopy (cryo-TEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM), revealed a direct dependence of the micelle size from the polymethylene block length.

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.

Defining the sizes of airborne particles that mediate influenza transmission in ferrets.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhou, Jie; Wei, Jianjian; Choy, Ka-Tim; Sia, Sin Fun; Rowlands, Dewi K; Yu, Dan; Wu, Chung-Yi; Lindsley, William G; Cowling, Benjamin J; McDevitt, James; Peiris, Malik; Li, Yuguo; Yen, Hui-Ling

2018-03-06

Epidemics and pandemics of influenza are characterized by rapid global spread mediated by non-mutually exclusive transmission modes. The relative significance between contact, droplet, and airborne transmission is yet to be defined, a knowledge gap for implementing evidence-based infection control measures. We devised a transmission chamber that separates virus-laden particles by size and determined the particle sizes mediating transmission of influenza among ferrets through the air. Ferret-to-ferret transmission was mediated by airborne particles larger than 1.5 µm, consistent with the quantity and size of virus-laden particles released by the donors. Onward transmission by donors was most efficient before fever onset and may continue for 5 days after inoculation. Multiple virus gene segments enhanced the transmissibility of a swine influenza virus among ferrets by increasing the release of virus-laden particles into the air. We provide direct experimental evidence of influenza transmission via droplets and fine droplet nuclei, albeit at different efficiency. Copyright © 2018 the Author(s). Published by PNAS.

An approach to define semantics for BPM systems interoperability

Science.gov (United States)

Rico, Mariela; Caliusco, María Laura; Chiotti, Omar; Rosa Galli, María

2015-04-01

This article proposes defining semantics for Business Process Management systems interoperability through the ontology of Electronic Business Documents (EBD) used to interchange the information required to perform cross-organizational processes. The semantic model generated allows aligning enterprise's business processes to support cross-organizational processes by matching the business ontology of each business partner with the EBD ontology. The result is a flexible software architecture that allows dynamically defining cross-organizational business processes by reusing the EBD ontology. For developing the semantic model, a method is presented, which is based on a strategy for discovering entity features whose interpretation depends on the context, and representing them for enriching the ontology. The proposed method complements ontology learning techniques that can not infer semantic features not represented in data sources. In order to improve the representation of these entity features, the method proposes using widely accepted ontologies, for representing time entities and relations, physical quantities, measurement units, official country names, and currencies and funds, among others. When the ontologies reuse is not possible, the method proposes identifying whether that feature is simple or complex, and defines a strategy to be followed. An empirical validation of the approach has been performed through a case study.

Using greenhouse gas fluxes to define soil functional types

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Petrakis, Sandra; Barba, Josep; Bond-Lamberty, Ben; Vargas, Rodrigo

2017-12-04

Soils provide key ecosystem services and directly control ecosystem functions; thus, there is a need to define the reference state of soil functionality. Most common functional classifications of ecosystems are vegetation-centered and neglect soil characteristics and processes. We propose Soil Functional Types (SFTs) as a conceptual approach to represent and describe the functionality of soils based on characteristics of their greenhouse gas (GHG) flux dynamics. We used automated measurements of CO2, CH4 and N2O in a forested area to define SFTs following a simple statistical framework. This study supports the hypothesis that SFTs provide additional insights on the spatial variability of soil functionality beyond information represented by commonly measured soil parameters (e.g., soil moisture, soil temperature, litter biomass). We discuss the implications of this framework at the plot-scale and the potential of this approach at larger scales. This approach is a first step to provide a framework to define SFTs, but a community effort is necessary to harmonize any global classification for soil functionality. A global application of the proposed SFT framework will only be possible if there is a community-wide effort to share data and create a global database of GHG emissions from soils.

Defining and detecting malaria epidemics in south-east Iran

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

McKelvie William R

2012-03-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background A lack of consensus on how to define malaria epidemics has impeded the evaluation of early detection systems. This study aimed to develop local definitions of malaria epidemics in a known malarious area of Iran, and to use that definition to evaluate the validity of several epidemic alert thresholds. Methods Epidemic definition variables generated from surveillance data were plotted against weekly malaria counts to assess which most accurately labelled aberrations. Various alert thresholds were then generated from weekly counts or log counts. Finally, the best epidemic definition was used to calculate and compare sensitivities, specificities, detection delays, and areas under ROC curves of the alert thresholds. Results The best epidemic definition used a minimum duration of four weeks and week-specific and overall smoothed geometric means plus 1.0 standard deviation. It defined 13 epidemics. A modified C-SUM alert of untransformed weekly counts using a threshold of mean + 0.25 SD had the highest combined sensitivity and specificity. Untransformed C-SUM alerts also had the highest area under the ROC curve. Conclusions Defining local malaria epidemics using objective criteria facilitated the evaluation of alert thresholds. This approach needs further study to refine epidemic definitions and prospectively evaluate epidemic alerts.

40 CFR 68.33 - Defining offsite impacts-environment.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 15 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Defining offsite impacts-environment. 68.33 Section 68.33 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) AIR... impacts—environment. (a) The owner or operator shall list in the RMP environmental receptors within a...

Problem of determining optimum geological and technical measures

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Osipov, G N; Roste, Z A; Salimzhanov, E S

1968-01-01

This article is concerned with the mathematical simulation of oilfield operation, particularly the use of linear programing to determine optimum conditions for exploitation of a field. The basic approach is to define the field operation by a series of equations, apply boundary conditions and through an iterative computer technique find optimum operating conditions. Application of the method to Tuimazy field is illustrated.

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.

Defining a caring hospital by using currently implemented survey tools.

Science.gov (United States)

Jennings, Nancy

2010-09-01

Health care organizations are constantly striving to provide a more cost-effective and higher quality treatment within a caring environment. However, balancing the demands of regulatory agencies with the holistic needs of the patient is challenging. Further challenging is how to define those hospitals that provide an exceptional caring environment for their patients. By using survey tools that are already being administered in hospital settings, the opportunity exists to analyze the results obtained from these tools to define a hospital as a caring organization without the added burden of separate data collection.

A Formal Model and Verification Problems for Software Defined Networks

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

V. A. Zakharov

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Software-defined networking (SDN is an approach to building computer networks that separate and abstract data planes and control planes of these systems. In a SDN a centralized controller manages a distributed set of switches. A set of open commands for packet forwarding and flow-table updating was defined in the form of a protocol known as OpenFlow. In this paper we describe an abstract formal model of SDN, introduce a tentative language for specification of SDN forwarding policies, and set up formally model-checking problems for SDN.

Optimization of the Actuarial Model of Defined Contribution Pension Plan

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yan Li

2014-01-01

Full Text Available The paper focuses on the actuarial models of defined contribution pension plan. Through assumptions and calculations, the expected replacement ratios of three different defined contribution pension plans are compared. Specially, more significant considerable factors are put forward in the further cost and risk analyses. In order to get an assessment of current status, the paper finds a relationship between the replacement ratio and the pension investment rate using econometrics method. Based on an appropriate investment rate of 6%, an expected replacement ratio of 20% is reached.

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.

40 CFR 68.30 - Defining offsite impacts-population.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 15 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Defining offsite impacts-population. 68.30 Section 68.30 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) AIR... impacts—population. (a) The owner or operator shall estimate in the RMP the population within a circle...

Doublecortin May Play a Role in Defining Chondrocyte Phenotype

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dongxia Ge

2014-04-01

Full Text Available Embryonic development of articular cartilage has not been well understood and the role of doublecortin (DCX in determination of chondrocyte phenotype is unknown. Here, we use a DCX promoter-driven eGFP reporter mouse model to study the dynamic gene expression profiles in mouse embryonic handplates at E12.5 to E13.5 when the condensed mesenchymal cells differentiate into either endochondral chondrocytes or joint interzone cells. Illumina microarray analysis identified a variety of genes that were expressed differentially in the different regions of mouse handplate. The unique expression patterns of many genes were revealed. Cytl1 and 3110032G18RIK were highly expressed in the proximal region of E12.5 handplate and the carpal region of E13.5 handplate, whereas Olfr538, Kctd15, and Cited1 were highly expressed in the distal region of E12.5 and the metacarpal region of E13.5 handplates. There was an increasing gradient of Hrc expression in the proximal to distal direction in E13.5 handplate. Furthermore, when human DCX protein was expressed in human adipose stem cells, collagen II was decreased while aggrecan, matrilin 2, and GDF5 were increased during the 14-day pellet culture. These findings suggest that DCX may play a role in defining chondrocyte phenotype.

Defining mental disorder. Exploring the 'natural function' approach

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Varga Somogy

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Abstract Due to several socio-political factors, to many psychiatrists only a strictly objective definition of mental disorder, free of value components, seems really acceptable. In this paper, I will explore a variant of such an objectivist approach to defining metal disorder, natural function objectivism. Proponents of this approach make recourse to the notion of natural function in order to reach a value-free definition of mental disorder. The exploration of Christopher Boorse's 'biostatistical' account of natural function (1 will be followed an investigation of the 'hybrid naturalism' approach to natural functions by Jerome Wakefield (2. In the third part, I will explore two proposals that call into question the whole attempt to define mental disorder (3. I will conclude that while 'natural function objectivism' accounts fail to provide the backdrop for a reliable definition of mental disorder, there is no compelling reason to conclude that a definition cannot be achieved.

Methodology to Define Delivery Accuracy Under Current Day ATC Operations

Science.gov (United States)

Sharma, Shivanjli; Robinson, John E., III

2015-01-01

In order to enable arrival management concepts and solutions in a NextGen environment, ground- based sequencing and scheduling functions have been developed to support metering operations in the National Airspace System. These sequencing and scheduling algorithms as well as tools are designed to aid air traffic controllers in developing an overall arrival strategy. The ground systems being developed will support the management of aircraft to their Scheduled Times of Arrival (STAs) at flow-constrained meter points. This paper presents a methodology for determining the undelayed delivery accuracy for current day air traffic control operations. This new method analyzes the undelayed delivery accuracy at meter points in order to understand changes of desired flow rates as well as enabling definition of metrics that will allow near-future ground automation tools to successfully achieve desired separation at the meter points. This enables aircraft to meet their STAs while performing high precision arrivals. The research presents a possible implementation that would allow delivery performance of current tools to be estimated and delivery accuracy requirements for future tools to be defined, which allows analysis of Estimated Time of Arrival (ETA) accuracy for Time-Based Flow Management (TBFM) and the FAA's Traffic Management Advisor (TMA). TMA is a deployed system that generates scheduled time-of-arrival constraints for en- route air traffic controllers in the US. This new method of automated analysis provides a repeatable evaluation of the delay metrics for current day traffic, new releases of TMA, implementation of different tools, and across different airspace environments. This method utilizes a wide set of data from the Operational TMA-TBFM Repository (OTTR) system, which processes raw data collected by the FAA from operational TMA systems at all ARTCCs in the nation. The OTTR system generates daily reports concerning ATC status, intent and actions. Due to its

Reconfigurable network systems and software-defined networking

OpenAIRE

Zilberman, N.; Watts, P. M.; Rotsos, C.; Moore, A. W.

2015-01-01

Modern high-speed networks have evolved from relatively static networks to highly adaptive networks facilitating dynamic reconfiguration. This evolution has influenced all levels of network design and management, introducing increased programmability and configuration flexibility. This influence has extended from the lowest level of physical hardware interfaces to the highest level of network management by software. A key representative of this evolution is the emergence of software-defined n...

Improving network management with Software Defined Networking

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dzhunev, Pavel

2013-01-01

Software-defined networking (SDN) is developed as an alternative to closed networks in centers for data processing by providing a means to separate the control layer data layer switches, and routers. SDN introduces new possibilities for network management and configuration methods. In this article, we identify problems with the current state-of-the-art network configuration and management mechanisms and introduce mechanisms to improve various aspects of network management

Determination of Healthy Lifestyle Behaviors of High School Students

Science.gov (United States)

Çelebi, Evrim; Gündogdu, Cemal; Kizilkaya, Aysel

2017-01-01

Healthy lifestyle behaviors can be defined as all the behaviors believed and applied by individuals to be healthy, maintain health and be protected from diseases. This study aims to determine the healthy lifestyle behaviors of high school students studying at the high schools in the Province of Elazig, Turkey. The study population of this…

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

Exposing the Myths, Defining the Future

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Slavov, S.

2013-01-01

With this official statement, the WEC calls for policymakers and industry leaders to ''get real'' as the World Energy Council as a global energy body exposes the myths by informing the energy debate and defines a path to a more sustainable energy future. The World Energy Council urged stakeholders to take urgent and incisive actions, to develop and transform the global energy system. Failure to do so could put aspirations on the triple challenge of WEC Energy Trilemma defined by affordability, accessibility and environmental sustainability at serious risk. Through its multi-year in-depth global studies and issue-mapping the WEC has found that challenges that energy sector is facing today are much more crucial than previously envisaged. The WEC's analysis has exposed a number of myths which influence our understanding of important aspects of the global energy landscape. If not challenged, these misconceptions will lead us down a path of complacency and missed opportunities. Much has, and still is, being done to secure energy future, but the WEC' s studies reveal that current pathways fall short of delivering on global aspirations of energy access, energy security and environmental improvements. If we are to derive the full economic and social benefits from energy resources, then we must take incisive and urgent action to modify our steps to energy solutions. The usual business approaches are not effective, the business as usual is not longer a solution. The focus has moved from large universal solutions to an appreciation of regional and national contexts and sharply differentiated consumer expectations.(author)

Defining Future Directions for Endometriosis Research

Science.gov (United States)

D’Hooghe, Thomas M.; Fazleabas, Asgerally; Giudice, Linda C.; Montgomery, Grant W.; Petraglia, Felice; Taylor, Robert N.

2013-01-01

Endometriosis, defined as estrogen-dependent lesions containing endometrial glands and stroma outside the uterus, is a chronic and often painful gynecological condition that affects 6% to 10% of reproductive age women. Endometriosis has estimated annual costs of US $12 419 per woman (approximately €9579), comprising one-third of the direct health care costs with two-thirds attributed to loss of productivity. Decreased quality of life is the most important predictor of direct health care and total costs. It has been estimated that there is a mean delay of 6.7 years between onset of symptoms and a surgical diagnosis of endometriosis, and each affected woman loses on average 10.8 hours of work weekly, mainly owing to reduced effectiveness while working. To encourage and facilitate research into this debilitating disease, a consensus workshop to define future directions for endometriosis research was held as part of the 11th World Congress on Endometriosis in September 2011 in Montpellier, France. The objective of this workshop was to review and update the endometriosis research priorities consensus statement developed following the 10th World Congress on Endometriosis in 2008.1 A total of 56 recommendations for research have been developed, grouped under 6 subheadings: (1) diagnosis, (2) classification and prognosis, (3) clinical trials, treatment, and outcomes, (4) epidemiology, (5) pathophysiology, and (6) research policy. By producing this consensus international research priorities statement, it is the hope of the workshop participants that researchers will be encouraged to develop new interdisciplinary research proposals that will attract increased funding support for work on endometriosis. PMID:23427182

Defining, Developing, and Measuring "Proclivities for Teaching Mathematics"

Science.gov (United States)

Lewis, Jennifer M.; Fischman, Davida; Riggs, Matt

2015-01-01

This article presents a form of teacher reasoning that we call "proclivities for teaching mathematics." We define proclivities for teaching mathematics as the beliefs, knowledge, and dispositions that are actionable in the flow of instruction, and we argue that growth in this area contributes to positive change in mathematics…

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.

The use of infrared absorption to determine density of liquid hydrogen.

Science.gov (United States)

Unland, H. D.; Timmerhaus, K. D.; Kropschot, R. H.

1972-01-01

Experimental evaluation of the use of infrared absorption for determining the density of liquid hydrogen, and discussion of the feasibility of an airborne densitometer based on this concept. The results indicate that infrared absorption of liquid hydrogen is highly sensitive to the density of hydrogen, and, under the operating limitations of the equipment and experimental techniques used, the determined values proved to be repeatable to an accuracy of 2.7%. The desiderata and limitations of an in-flight density-determining device are outlined, and some of the feasibility problems are defined.

Capacity Extension of Software Defined Data Center Networks With Jellyfish Topology

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mehmeri, Victor; Vegas Olmos, Juan José; Tafur Monroy, Idelfonso

We present a performance analysis of Jellyfish topology with Software-Defined commodity switches for Data Center networks. Our results show up to a 2-fold performance gain when compared to a Spanning Tree Protocol implementation.......We present a performance analysis of Jellyfish topology with Software-Defined commodity switches for Data Center networks. Our results show up to a 2-fold performance gain when compared to a Spanning Tree Protocol implementation....

Coexistence of Named Data Networking (NDN) and Software-Defined Networking (SDN)

Science.gov (United States)

2017-09-01

COD) for deploying the data found by CL at optimal node, and c) Path Optimizer (PO) for balancing network traffic in both spatial and temporal...and software- defined networking with big data . Ithaca (NY): Cornell University Library; 2016 Nov 19. arXiv: 1611.06299v1 [cs.NI]. Approved for...ARL-TN-0845 ● SEP 2017 US Army Research Laboratory Coexistence of Named Data Networking (NDN) and Software-Defined Networking

Prolonged pregnancy: Methods, Causal Determinants and Outcome

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Olesen, Annette Wind

Summary Prolonged pregnancy, defined as a pregnancy with a gestational length of 294 days or more, is a frequent condition. It is associated with an increased risk of fetal and maternal complications. Little is known about the aetiology of prolonged pregnancy. The aims of the thesis were 1......) to study the incidence of prolonged pregnancy as a function of methods for determining gestational age; 2) to determine the risk of obstetrical and fetal complications in prolonged pregnancy; 3) to validate the self-reported gestational age in the National Birth Cohort; 4) to determine whether...... the risk of recurrence of prolonged pregnancy as a function of change in male partner and social conditions (IV). The National Birth Cohort provided data for the study on prenatal risk indicators of prolonged pregnancy in a follow-up design (V). The self-reported gestational ages from this database...

Healthcare Engineering Defined: A White Paper.

Science.gov (United States)

Chyu, Ming-Chien; Austin, Tony; Calisir, Fethi; Chanjaplammootil, Samuel; Davis, Mark J; Favela, Jesus; Gan, Heng; Gefen, Amit; Haddas, Ram; Hahn-Goldberg, Shoshana; Hornero, Roberto; Huang, Yu-Li; Jensen, Øystein; Jiang, Zhongwei; Katsanis, J S; Lee, Jeong-A; Lewis, Gladius; Lovell, Nigel H; Luebbers, Heinz-Theo; Morales, George G; Matis, Timothy; Matthews, Judith T; Mazur, Lukasz; Ng, Eddie Yin-Kwee; Oommen, K J; Ormand, Kevin; Rohde, Tarald; Sánchez-Morillo, Daniel; Sanz-Calcedo, Justo García; Sawan, Mohamad; Shen, Chwan-Li; Shieh, Jiann-Shing; Su, Chao-Ton; Sun, Lilly; Sun, Mingui; Sun, Yi; Tewolde, Senay N; Williams, Eric A; Yan, Chongjun; Zhang, Jiajie; Zhang, Yuan-Ting

2015-01-01

Engineering has been playing an important role in serving and advancing healthcare. The term "Healthcare Engineering" has been used by professional societies, universities, scientific authors, and the healthcare industry for decades. However, the definition of "Healthcare Engineering" remains ambiguous. The purpose of this position paper is to present a definition of Healthcare Engineering as an academic discipline, an area of research, a field of specialty, and a profession. Healthcare Engineering is defined in terms of what it is, who performs it, where it is performed, and how it is performed, including its purpose, scope, topics, synergy, education/training, contributions, and prospects.

Software defined networks a comprehensive approach

CERN Document Server

Goransson, Paul

2014-01-01

Software Defined Networks discusses the historical networking environment that gave rise to SDN, as well as the latest advances in SDN technology. The book gives you the state of the art knowledge needed for successful deployment of an SDN, including: How to explain to the non-technical business decision makers in your organization the potential benefits, as well as the risks, in shifting parts of a network to the SDN modelHow to make intelligent decisions about when to integrate SDN technologies in a networkHow to decide if your organization should be developing its own SDN applications or

Defining an Open Source Strategy for NASA

Science.gov (United States)

Mattmann, C. A.; Crichton, D. J.; Lindsay, F.; Berrick, S. W.; Marshall, J. J.; Downs, R. R.

2011-12-01

Over the course of the past year, we have worked to help frame a strategy for NASA and open source software. This includes defining information processes to understand open source licensing, attribution, commerciality, redistribution, communities, architectures, and interactions within the agency. Specifically we held a training session at the NASA Earth Science Data Systems Working Group meeting in Open Source software as it relates to the NASA Earth Science data systems enterprise, including EOSDIS, the Distributed Active Archive Centers (DAACs), ACCESS proposals, and the MEASURES communities, and efforts to understand how open source software can be both consumed and produced within that ecosystem. In addition, we presented at the 1st NASA Open Source Summit (OSS) and helped to define an agency-level strategy, a set of recommendations and paths forward for how to identify healthy open source communities, how to deal with issues such as contributions originating from other agencies, and how to search out talent with the right skills to develop software for NASA in the modern age. This talk will review our current recommendations for open source at NASA, and will cover the set of thirteen recommendations output from the NASA Open Source Summit and discuss some of their implications for the agency.

What Does "Apple" Mean? Learning To Define Words.

Science.gov (United States)

Marinellie, Sally A.

2001-01-01

This article discusses the importance of learning to define a word. It provides a brief background on the contribution of the definitional skills to communication and school success, information on children's development of definitions, and teacher and family strategies for enhancing young children's definitions in relation to other skills.…

Undergraduate Performance in Solving Ill-Defined Biochemistry Problems

Science.gov (United States)

Sensibaugh, Cheryl A.; Madrid, Nathaniel J.; Choi, Hye-Jeong; Anderson, William L.; Osgood, Marcy P.

2017-01-01

With growing interest in promoting skills related to the scientific process, we studied performance in solving ill-defined problems demonstrated by graduating biochemistry majors at a public, minority-serving university. As adoption of techniques for facilitating the attainment of higher-order learning objectives broadens, so too does the need to…

29 CFR 779.221 - “Common control” defined.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... organizational units.” The meaning of “common control” is discussed comprehensively in part 776 of this chapter. ... Or Common Control § 779.221 “Common control” defined. Under the definition the “enterprise” includes all related activities performed through “common control” for a common business purpose. The word...

Women's Leadership Development: A Study of Defining Moments

Science.gov (United States)

Dahlvig, Jolyn E.; Longman, Karen A.

2010-01-01

This article reports the findings of a grounded theory study of "defining moments" that were described as pivotal in the personal and professional journeys of women who had been identified as emerging leaders within Christian higher education. Analysis of transcripts from interviews with 16 participants in a Women's Leadership Development…

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.

Two genetic determinants acquired late in Mus evolution regulate the inclusion of exon 5, which alters mouse APOBEC3 translation efficiency.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jun Li

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Mouse apolipoprotein B mRNA-editing enzyme catalytic polypeptide-like editing complex 3 (mA3, an intracellular antiviral factor, has 2 allelic variations that are linked with different susceptibilities to beta- and gammaretrovirus infections among various mouse strains. In virus-resistant C57BL/6 (B6 mice, mA3 transcripts are more abundant than those in susceptible BALB/c mice both in the spleen and bone marrow. These strains of mice also express mA3 transcripts with different splicing patterns: B6 mice preferentially express exon 5-deficient (Δ5 mA3 mRNA, while BALB/c mice produce exon 5-containing full-length mA3 mRNA as the major transcript. Although the protein product of the Δ5 mRNA exerts stronger antiretroviral activities than the full-length protein, how exon 5 affects mA3 antiviral activity, as well as the genetic mechanisms regulating exon 5 inclusion into the mA3 transcripts, remains largely uncharacterized. Here we show that mA3 exon 5 is indeed a functional element that influences protein synthesis at a post-transcriptional level. We further employed in vitro splicing assays using genomic DNA clones to identify two critical polymorphisms affecting the inclusion of exon 5 into mA3 transcripts: the number of TCCT repeats upstream of exon 5 and the single nucleotide polymorphism within exon 5 located 12 bases upstream of the exon 5/intron 5 boundary. Distribution of the above polymorphisms among different Mus species indicates that the inclusion of exon 5 into mA3 mRNA is a relatively recent event in the evolution of mice. The widespread geographic distribution of this exon 5-including genetic variant suggests that in some Mus populations the cost of maintaining an effective but mutagenic enzyme may outweigh its antiviral function.

Well-defined EUV wave associated with a CME-driven shock

Science.gov (United States)

Cunha-Silva, R. D.; Selhorst, C. L.; Fernandes, F. C. R.; Oliveira e Silva, A. J.

2018-05-01

Aims: We report on a well-defined EUV wave observed by the Extreme Ultraviolet Imager (EUVI) on board the Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory (STEREO) and the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA) on board the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO). The event was accompanied by a shock wave driven by a halo CME observed by the Large Angle and Spectrometric Coronagraph (LASCO-C2/C3) on board the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO), as evidenced by the occurrence of type II bursts in the metric and dekameter-hectometric wavelength ranges. We investigated the kinematics of the EUV wave front and the radio source with the purpose of verifying the association between the EUV wave and the shock wave. Methods: The EUV wave fronts were determined from the SDO/AIA images by means of two appropriate directions (slices). The heights (radial propagation) of the EUV wave observed by STEREO/EUVI and of the radio source associated with the shock wave were compared considering the whole bandwidth of the harmonic lane of the radio emission, whereas the speed of the shock was estimated using the lowest frequencies of the harmonic lane associated with the undisturbed corona, using an appropriate multiple of the Newkirk (1961, ApJ, 133, 983) density model and taking into account the H/F frequency ratio fH/fF = 2. The speed of the radio source associated with the interplanetary shock was determined using the Mann et al. (1999, A&A, 348, 614) density model. Results: The EUV wave fronts determined from the SDO/AIA images revealed the coexistence of two types of EUV waves, a fast one with a speed of 560 km s-1, and a slower one with a speed of 250 km s-1, which corresponds approximately to one-third of the average speed of the radio source ( 680 km s-1). The radio signature of the interplanetary shock revealed an almost constant speed of 930 km s-1, consistent with the linear speed of the halo CME (950 km s-1) and with the values found for the accelerating coronal shock ( 535-823 km s-1

Stateless multicast switching in software defined networks

OpenAIRE

Reed, Martin J.; Al-Naday, Mays; Thomos, Nikolaos; Trossen, Dirk; Petropoulos, George; Spirou, Spiros

2016-01-01

Multicast data delivery can significantly reduce traffic in operators' networks, but has been limited in deployment due to concerns such as the scalability of state management. This paper shows how multicast can be implemented in contemporary software defined networking (SDN) switches, with less state than existing unicast switching strategies, by utilising a Bloom Filter (BF) based switching technique. Furthermore, the proposed mechanism uses only proactive rule insertion, and thus, is not l...

Defining and Distinguishing Traditional and Religious Terrorism

OpenAIRE

Gregg, Heather S.

2014-01-01

The article of record may be found at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/23296151.2016.1239978 thus offering few if any policy options for counterterrorism measures. This assumption about religious terrorism stems from two challenges in the literature: disproportionate attention to apocalyptic terrorism, and a lack of distinction between religious terrorism and its secular counterpart. This article, therefore, aims to do four things: define and differentiate religiously motivated terrorism from tr...

Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) induces human endogenous retrovirus (HERV) transcription.

Science.gov (United States)

Assinger, Alice; Yaiw, Koon-Chu; Göttesdorfer, Ingmar; Leib-Mösch, Christine; Söderberg-Nauclér, Cecilia

2013-11-12

Emerging evidence suggests that human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) is highly prevalent in tumours of different origin. This virus is implied to have oncogenic and oncomodulatory functions, through its ability to control host gene expression. Human endogenous retroviruses (HERV) are also frequently active in tumours of different origin, and are supposed to contribute as cofactors to cancer development. Due to the high prevalence of HCMV in several different tumours, and its ability to control host cell gene expression, we sought to define whether HCMV may affect HERV transcription. Infection of 3 established cancer cell lines, 2 primary glioblastoma cells, endothelial cells from 3 donors and monocytes from 4 donors with HCMV (strains VR 1814 or TB40/F) induced reverse transcriptase (RT) activity in all cells tested, but the response varied between donors. Both, gammaretrovirus-related class I elements HERV-T, HERV-W, HERV-F and ERV-9, and betaretrovirus-related class II elements HML-2 - 4 and HML-7 - 8, as well as spuma-virus related class III elements of the HERV-L group were up-regulated in response to HCMV infection in GliNS1 cells. Up-regulation of HERV activity was more pronounced in cells harbouring active HCMV infection, but was also induced by UV-inactivated virus. The effect was only slightly affected by ganciclovir treatment and was not controlled by the IE72 or IE86 HCMV genes. Within this brief report we show that HCMV infection induces HERV transcriptional activity in different cell types.

Pseudo-Hermitian description of PT-symmetric systems defined on a complex contour

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mostafazadeh, Ali

2005-01-01

We describe a method that allows for a practical application of the theory of pseudo-Hermitian operators to PT-symmetric systems defined on a complex contour. We apply this method to study the Hamiltonians H = p 2 + x 2 (ix) ν with ν ε (-2, ∞) that are defined along the corresponding anti-Stokes lines. In particular, we reveal the intrinsic non-Hermiticity of H for the cases that ν is an even integer, so that H p 2 ± x 2+ν , and give a proof of the discreteness of the spectrum of H for all ν ε (-2, ∞). Furthermore, we study the consequences of defining a square-well Hamiltonian on a wedge-shaped complex contour. This yields a PT-symmetric system with a finite number of real eigenvalues. We present a comprehensive analysis of this system within the framework of pseudo-Hermitian quantum mechanics. We also outline a direct pseudo-Hermitian treatment of PT-symmetric systems defined on a complex contour which clarifies the underlying mathematical structure of the formulation of PT-symmetric quantum mechanics based on the charge-conjugation operator. Our results provide conclusive evidence that pseudo-Hermitian quantum mechanics provides a complete description of general PT-symmetric systems regardless of whether they are defined along the real line or a complex contour

Software Defined Radio Datalink Implementation Using PC-Type Computers

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Zafeiropoulos, Georgios

2003-01-01

The objective of this thesis was to examine the feasibility of implementation and the performance of a Software Defined Radio datalink, using a common PC type host computer and a high level programming language...

Zeta functions and regularized determinants related to the Selberg trace formula

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Momeni, Arash; Venkov, Alexei

determinants of one dimensional Schroedinger operator for harmonic oscillator. We decompose the determinant of the automorphic Laplacian into a product of the determinants where each factor is a determinant representation of a zeta function related to Selberg's trace formula. Then we derive an identity...... connecting the determinants of the automorphic Laplacians on different Riemannian surfaces related to the arithmetical groups. Finally, by using the Jacquet-Langlands correspondence we connect the determinant of the automorphic Laplacian for the unit group of quaternions to the product of the determinants......For a general Fuchsian group of the first kind with an arbitrary unitary representation we define the zeta functions related to the contributions of the identity, hyperbolic, elliptic and parabolic conjugacy classes in Selberg's trace formula. We present Selberg's zeta function in terms...

Phylogenetic reconstruction of South American felids defined by protein electrophoresis.

Science.gov (United States)

Slattery, J P; Johnson, W E; Goldman, D; O'Brien, S J

1994-09-01

Phylogenetic associations among six closely related South American felid species were defined by changes in protein-encoding gene loci. We analyzed proteins isolated from skin fibroblasts using two-dimensional electrophoresis and allozymes extracted from blood cells. Genotypes were determined for multiple individuals of ocelot, margay, tigrina, Geoffroy's cat, kodkod, and pampas cat at 548 loci resolved by two-dimensional electrophoresis and 44 allozyme loci. Phenograms were constructed using the methods of Fitch-Margoliash and neighbor-joining on a matrix of Nei's unbiased genetic distances for all pairs of species. Results of a relative-rate test indicate changes in two-dimensional electrophoresis data are constant among all South American felids with respect to a hyena outgroup. Allelic frequencies were transformed to discrete character states for maximum parsimony analysis. Phylogenetic reconstruction indicates a major split occurred approximately 5-6 million years ago, leading to three groups within the ocelot lineage. The earliest divergence led to Leopardus tigrina, followed by a split between an ancestor of an unresolved trichotomy of three species (Oncifelis guigna, O. geoffroyi, and Lynchailuris colocolo) and a recent common ancestor of Leopardus pardalis and L. wiedii. The results suggest that modern South American felids are monophyletic and evolved rapidly after the formation of the Panama land bridge between North and South America.

Anger, hatred, or just heartlessness?: Defining gratuitous violence ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Violent crime in South Africa is sometimes said to be unusual, because it is perceived to frequently be gratuitous. This article engages with the question of how to define gratuitous violence. If the term gratuitous is understood to mean 'for nothing', gratuitous violence should be understood as violence that is 'low on ...

Critical defining characteristics for nursing diagnosis about ineffective breastfeeding

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sandra Cristina de Alvarenga

Full Text Available ABSTRACT Objective: To investigate the Nursing diagnostic accuracy measures and to propose a model to use defining characteristics in order to judge the nursing diagnosis of ineffective breastfeeding. Method: Cross-sectional study with a sample of 73 binomials mom-child hospitalized in a maternity ward of an University Hospital, from July to August of 2014. Results: The diagnostic predominance rate was 58.9%. The characteristics that best meet the needs of logistic regression model were: discontinuance of breast sucking; infant's inability of seizing the areola-nipple region correctly; infant's crying one hour after breastfeeding and inappropriate milk supply perceived. Conclusion: Breastfeeding process is dynamic; diagnostic judgement may suffer some changes according to the time data are collected; the defining characteristics are the best predictors if associated with models and rules of use.

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.

Listed waste determination report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1993-06-01

On September 23, 1988, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published a notice clarifying interim status requirements for the management of radioactive mixed waste thereby subjecting the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory (INEL) and other applicable Department of Energy (DOE) sites to regulation under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA). Therefore, the DOE was required to submit a Part A Permit application for each treatment, storage, and disposal (TSD) unit within the INEL, defining the waste codes and processes to be regulated under RCRA. The September 1990 revised Part A Permit application, that was approved by the State of Idaho identified 101 potential acute and toxic hazardous waste codes (F-, P-, and U- listed wastes according to 40 CFR 261.31 and 40 CFR 261.33) for some TSD units at the Idaho Chemical Processing Plant. Most of these waste were assumed to have been introduced into the High-level Liquid Waste TSD units via laboratory drains connected to the Process Equipment Waste (PEW) evaporator (PEW system). At that time, a detailed and systematic evaluation of hazardous chemical use and disposal practices had not been conducted to determine if F-, P-, or Unlisted waste had been disposed to the PEW system. The purpose of this investigation was to perform a systematic and detailed evaluation of the use and disposal of the 101 F-, P-, and Unlisted chemicals found in the approved September 1990 Part A Permit application. This investigation was aimed at determining which listed wastes, as defined in 40 CFR 261.31 (F-listed) and 261.33 (P ampersand Unlisted) were discharged to the PEW system. Results of this investigation will be used to support revisions to the RCRA Part A Permit application

Crouch gait patterns defined using k-means cluster analysis are related to underlying clinical pathology.

Science.gov (United States)

Rozumalski, Adam; Schwartz, Michael H

2009-08-01

In this study a gait classification method was developed and applied to subjects with Cerebral palsy who walk with excessive knee flexion at initial contact. Sagittal plane gait data, simplified using the gait features method, is used as input into a k-means cluster analysis to determine homogeneous groups. Several clinical domains were explored to determine if the clusters are related to underlying pathology. These domains included age, joint range-of-motion, strength, selective motor control, and spasticity. Principal component analysis is used to determine one overall score for each of the multi-joint domains (strength, selective motor control, and spasticity). The current study shows that there are five clusters among children with excessive knee flexion at initial contact. These clusters were labeled, in order of increasing gait pathology: (1) mild crouch with mild equinus, (2) moderate crouch, (3) moderate crouch with anterior pelvic tilt, (4) moderate crouch with equinus, and (5) severe crouch. Further analysis showed that age, range-of-motion, strength, selective motor control, and spasticity were significantly different between the clusters (p<0.001). The general tendency was for the clinical domains to worsen as gait pathology increased. This new classification tool can be used to define homogeneous groups of subjects in crouch gait, which can help guide treatment decisions and outcomes assessment.

Determination of Weight Suspension Rigidity in the Transport-Erector Aggregates

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

V. A. Zverev

2016-01-01

Full Text Available The aim is to determine weight suspension rigidity in aggregates designed to perform technological transport-erector operations at the miscellaneous launch complexes.We consider the weight suspension comprising the following distinctive structural components: the executive weight-lowering mechanism, polyspast mechanism, rope, traverse, and rods. A created structural dynamic model of suspension allowed us to define weight suspension rigidity. Within the framework of design analysis of a dynamic model we determined the rigidity of its structural units, i.e. traverse, rope, and polyspast.Known analytical relationships were used to calculate the rope rigidity. To determine rigidity of polyspast and traverse have been created special models based on the finite element method. For each model deformation in the specific points under the test load have been defined. Data obtained were used to determine trigidity of traverses and polyspast, and also rigidity of suspension in total. The rigidity models of polispast mechanism and traverse have been developed and calculated using the software complex "Zenit-95".As the research results, the paper presents a dynamic model of the weight suspension of the transport-erector aggregate, the finite element models of the polispast mechanism and traverse, an algorithm for determining the weight suspension rigidity and relevant analytical relationships.Independent calculation of weight suspension rigidity enables us to simplify further dynamic calculation of the aggregate-weight system because it allows attaining a simpler model of the aggregate-weight system that uses the weight suspension model as an element of equivalent rigidity. Despite this simplification the model allows us to determine correctly weight movement parameters and overloads in the aggregate-weight system in the process of technical operations.

Beyond Accreditation: What Defines a Quality Funeral Service Education Program? An Investigation of the Relationship between Educational Correlates and Program Quality in Funeral Service Education

Science.gov (United States)

Fritch, John Bradley

2011-01-01

This study sought to determine what defines a quality funeral service education program beyond accreditation. The study examined the opinions of funeral service education chairs (N = 45, representing 80% of the population) who are leaders of funeral service education programs accredited by the American Board of Funeral Service Education.…

Effects of Gainsharing Provisions on the Selection of a Discount Rate for a Defined Benefit Pension Plan

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Robert J. Rietz

2017-06-01

Full Text Available This paper examines the effect of gainsharing provisions on the selection of a discount rate for a defined benefit pension plan. The paper uses a traditional actuarial approach of discounting liabilities using the expected return of the associated pension fund. A stochastic Excel model was developed to simulate the effect of varying investment returns on a pension fund with four asset classes. Lognormal distributions were fitted to historical returns of two of the asset classes; large company stocks and long-term government bonds. A third lognormal distribution was designed to represent the investment returns of alternative investments, such as real estate and private equity. The fourth asset class represented short term cash investments and that return was held constant. The following variables were analyzed to determine their relative impact of gainsharing on the selection of a discount rate: hurdle rate, percentage of gainsharing, actuarial asset method smoothing period, and variations in asset allocation. A 50% gainsharing feature can reduce the discount rate for a defined benefit pension plan from 0.5% to more than 2.5%, depending on the gainsharing design and asset allocation.

Defining the Core Genome of Salmonella enterica Serovar Typhimurium for Genomic Surveillance and Epidemiological Typing

Science.gov (United States)

Fu, Songzhe; Octavia, Sophie; Tanaka, Mark M.; Sintchenko, Vitali

2015-01-01

Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium is the most common Salmonella serovar causing foodborne infections in Australia and many other countries. Twenty-one S. Typhimurium strains from Salmonella reference collection A (SARA) were analyzed using Illumina high-throughput genome sequencing. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in 21 SARA strains ranged from 46 to 11,916 SNPs, with an average of 1,577 SNPs per strain. Together with 47 strains selected from publicly available S. Typhimurium genomes, the S. Typhimurium core genes (STCG) were determined. The STCG consist of 3,846 genes, a set that is much larger than that of the 2,882 Salmonella core genes (SCG) found previously. The STCG together with 1,576 core intergenic regions (IGRs) were defined as the S. Typhimurium core genome. Using 93 S. Typhimurium genomes from 13 epidemiologically confirmed community outbreaks, we demonstrated that typing based on the S. Typhimurium core genome (STCG plus core IGRs) provides superior resolution and higher discriminatory power than that based on SCG for outbreak investigation and molecular epidemiology of S. Typhimurium. STCG and STCG plus core IGR typing achieved 100% separation of all outbreaks compared to that of SCG typing, which failed to separate isolates from two outbreaks from background isolates. Defining the S. Typhimurium core genome allows standardization of genes/regions to be used for high-resolution epidemiological typing and genomic surveillance of S. Typhimurium. PMID:26019201

Professional excellence : defining learning outcomes for honours higher education

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Fuller, Melissa; Robbe, Patricia; Wolfensberger, Marca

2016-01-01

Purpose Honours programs prepare talented students to become future excellent professionals . However, competences defining an excellent professional have not been elucidated yet. We investigated how professionals characterize an excellent communication professional, aiming to develop a competence

Multi-channel software defined radio experimental evaluation and analysis

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Van der Merwe, JR

2014-09-01

Full Text Available Multi-channel software-defined radios (SDRs) can be utilised as inexpensive prototyping platforms for transceiver arrays. The application for multi-channel prototyping is discussed and measured results of coherent channels for both receiver...

Defining 'plain language' in contemporary South Africa | Cornelius ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Defining the concept 'plain language' has been hugely problematic since the origins of the socalled Plain Language Movement in the 1970s in the United States and elsewhere in the world. Definitions of 'plain language' abound, yet James (2008: 6) warns, in relation to plain language practitioners, that “we can't yet call ...

A need to define characteristics to be used in the taxonomy of the expanding pestivirus genus.

Science.gov (United States)

Ridpath, Julia F

2013-01-01

The relatively high rate of genetic drift observed with pestiviruses results not only in the emergence of new species but also in heterogeneity within recognized species. The grouping of pestiviruses into species was first based on host and to a lesser extent on clinical presentation, then later by antigenic comparisons and more recently genetic comparisons. Subgrouping within species is a more recent taxonomic development and has been based primarily on genetic comparisons. While there are a number of publications proposing new species within the Pestivirus genus or new subgroups within recognized pestivirus species, there is no consensus on the criteria required to declare a new species and subgroup. Defining the criteria used for segregation of species and subgroups within a species is important because differentiating viral species and subspecies and determining the regions in which they are endemic has profound implications for eradication efforts, the design of vaccines and for regulation of trade in livestock and animal derived products, such as fetal bovine serum. This review outlines criteria used for differentiating species within the different genera of the Flaviviridae, compares criteria previously used for differentiating pestiviruses and discusses the need for the development of a unified system for defining species and subgroups within the Pestivirus genus.

Defining Ethical Placemaking for Place-Based Interventions.

Science.gov (United States)

Eckenwiler, Lisa A

2016-11-01

As place-based interventions expand and evolve, deeper reflection on the meaning of ethical placemaking is essential. I offer a summary account of ethical placemaking, which I propose and define as an ethical ideal and practice for health and for health justice, understood as the capability to be healthy. I point to selected wide-ranging examples-an urban pathway, two long-term care settings, innovations in refugee health services, and a McDonald's restaurant-to help illustrate these ideas.

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...

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.

Software-Defined Congestion Control Algorithm for IP Networks

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

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.

EXPERIMENTAL DETERMINATION OF LONGITUDINAL COMPONENT OF MAGNETIC FLUX IN FERROMAGNETIC WIRE OF SINGLE-CORE POWER CABLE ARMOUR

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

I.A. Kostiukov

2014-12-01

Full Text Available A problem of determination of effective longitudinal magnetic permeability of single core power cable armour is defined. A technique for experimental determination of longitudinal component of magnetic flux in armour spiral ferromagnetic wire is proposed.

Social determinants of workers' health in Central America.

Science.gov (United States)

Aragón, Aurora; Partanen, Timo; Felknor, Sarah; Corriols, Marianela

2011-01-01

This communication summarizes the available data on work-related determinants of health in Central America. The Central American working population is young and moving from agriculture toward industry and services. Ethnicity, gender, migration, subemployment and precarious work, informality, rural conditions, low-level educational, poverty, ubiquitous worksite health hazards, insufficient occupational health services, low labor inspection density, and weak unions define the constellation of social determinants of workers' health in Central America. Data are, however, scanty both for hazards and work-related illnesses and injuries. Governments and industries have the responsibility of opening decent work opportunities, especially for those facing multiple inequalities in social determinants of health. A first step would be the ratification and implementation of the ILO Convention (187) on occupational safety and health by the seven national governments of the region.

Defining Survivorship Trajectories Across Patients With Solid Tumors: An Evidence-Based Approach.

Science.gov (United States)

Dood, Robert L; Zhao, Yang; Armbruster, Shannon D; Coleman, Robert L; Tworoger, Shelley; Sood, Anil K; Baggerly, Keith A

2018-06-02

Survivorship involves a multidisciplinary approach to surveillance and management of comorbidities and secondary cancers, overseen by oncologists, surgeons, and primary care physicians. Optimal timing and coordination of care, however, is unclear and often based on arbitrary 5-year cutoffs. To determine high- and low-risk periods for all tumor types that could define when survivorship care might best be overseen by oncologists and when to transition to primary care physicians. In this pan-cancer, longitudinal, observational study, excess mortality hazard, calculated as an annualized mortality risk above a baseline population, was plotted over time. The time this hazard took to stabilize defined a high-risk period. The percent morality elevation above age- and sex-matched controls in the latter low-risk period was reported as a mortality gap. The US population-based Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database defined the cancer population, and the US Census life tables defined controls. Incident cases of patients with cancer were separated into tumor types based on International Classification of Diseases for Oncology definitions. Population-level data on incident cancer cases was compared with the general US population. Overall mortality and cause of death were reported on observed cancer cases. A total of 2 317 185 patients (median age, 63 years; 49.8% female) with 66 primary tumor types were evaluated. High-risk surveillance period durations ranged from less than 1 year (breast, prostate, lip, ocular, and parathyroid cancers) up to 19 years (unspecified gastrointestinal cancers). The annualized mortality gap, representing the excess mortality in the stable period, ranged from a median 0.26% to 9.33% excess annual mortality (thyroid and hypopharyngeal cancer populations, respectively). Cluster analysis produced 6 risk cluster groups: group 1, with median survival of 16.2 (5th to 95th percentile range [PR], 10.7-40.2) years and median high-risk period

Determinants of a traditional agricultural landscape

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Janina Borysiak

2018-03-01

Full Text Available The study aim was to define the landscape determinants as certificates of natural and cultural heritage which identify the young glacial landscape under traditional agricultural management. These studies were conducted in the upper Parsęta basin (Pomerania, Poland covered by the many annual environmental monitoring programs since 1994. The aim of this monitoring is to observe changes in geoecosystems of the temperate climate zone. The parameters of the abiotic landscape subsystem have been monitored in a wide range of terms, whereas biotic elements and cultural resources only in a very limited way. This was the reason for undertaking complementary studies. The paper presents the so-called “zero-state” for 2014, which will be a reference point from which to track the direction of landscape changes in the future. The abiotic, geobotanical, and cultural determinants of this state chosen have been characterized on the basis of field mapping data and the available literature. They were chosen based on the methodology of landscape audit to define the specificity of the traditional agricultural landscape. They were selected on the basis of assessment criteria for landscape structure: complexity (diversification of land use and cover, naturalness (syngenesis of plant communities, hydrochemical properties of surface waters, coherence of composition with natural conditions, stewardship (intensity of use, crop weeds, ecological succession, fallows, anthropogenic denudation, aesthetic and visual perception, historicity (continuity of natural landscape elements, continuation of traditional agricultural use, architectural objects, and disharmonious elements.

Defining recovery in adult bulimia nervosa.

Science.gov (United States)

Yu, Jessica; Agras, W Stewart; Bryson, Susan

2013-01-01

To examine how different definitions of recovery lead to varying rates of recovery, maintenance of recovery, and relapse in bulimia nervosa (BN), end-of-treatment (EOT) and follow-up data were obtained from 96 adults with BN. Combining behavioral, physical, and psychological criteria led to recovery rates between 15.5% and 34.4% at EOT, though relapse was approximately 50%. Combining these criteria and requiring abstinence from binge eating and purging when defining recovery may lead to lower recovery rates than those found in previous studies; however, a strength of this definition is that individuals who meet this criteria have no remaining disordered behaviors or symptoms.

Healthcare Engineering Defined: A White Paper

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ming-Chien Chyu

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Engineering has been playing an important role in serving and advancing healthcare. The term “Healthcare Engineering” has been used by professional societies, universities, scientific authors, and the healthcare industry for decades. However, the definition of “Healthcare Engineering” remains ambiguous. The purpose of this position paper is to present a definition of Healthcare Engineering as an academic discipline, an area of research, a field of specialty, and a profession. Healthcare Engineering is defined in terms of what it is, who performs it, where it is performed, and how it is performed, including its purpose, scope, topics, synergy, education/training, contributions, and prospects.

Defining the role of dietary intake in determining weight change in patients with cancer cachexia.

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Nasrah, R; Kanbalian, M; Van Der Borch, C; Swinton, N; Wing, S; Jagoe, R T

2018-02-01

Weight loss is a cardinal feature of cachexia and is frequently associated with reduced food intake and anorexia. It is still unclear how much reduced food intake contributes to cancer-related weight loss and how effective increasing dietary energy and protein is in combating this weight loss. The relationship between weight change and both diet and change in dietary intake, was examined in patients with advanced stage cancer referred to a multidisciplinary clinic for management of cancer cachexia. A retrospective study of data for each of the first three clinic visits for patients seen between 2009 and 2015. Data on weight change, dietary intake and change in dietary intake were compared. Regression analysis was used to determine independent explanatory factors for weight change, including the impact of appetite level and a marker of systemic inflammation. Of 405 eligible patients, 320 had data on dietary intake available. Dietary intake varied widely at baseline: 26.9% reported very poor diet and only 17% were consuming recommended levels of energy and protein. A highly significant positive correlation was found between dietary energy or protein intake and weight change, both before and after being seen in the clinic. Anorexia was also significantly correlated with weight loss at each clinic visit. However, there was no similar overall correlation between change in dietary intake and change in weight. Many patients with advanced cancer and weight loss are consuming diets that would likely be insufficient to maintain weight even in healthy individuals. Higher consumption of protein and energy correlates with greater weight gain, but it is impossible to predict the response to increased nutritional intake when patients are first assessed. There is a pressing need to improve understanding of factors that modulate metabolic responses to dietary intake in patients with cancer cachexia. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd and European Society for Clinical Nutrition and

Relationship between current level of immunodeficiency and non-acquired immunodeficiency syndrome-defining malignancies

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Reekie, Joanne; Kosa, Csaba; Engsig, Frederik

2010-01-01

In the combined antiretroviral therapy (cART) era, non-acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS)-defining malignancies account for more morbidity and mortality in human immunodeficiency virus-infected patients than AIDS-defining malignancies. However, conflicting data have been reported...

Market orientation at the value chain level: Concept and determinants

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Grunert, Klaus G.; Hansen, Kåre; Jeppesen, Lisbeth Fruensgaard

-institutional theory, transaction cost economics, network theory and the political-economic approach to the analysis of marketing channels, potential determinants of market orientation at value chain levels are identified. These determinants and their possible interaction may serve as guiding principles for empirical......The term market orientation, defined as sets of activities dealing with the generation and dissemination of market intelligence as well as with responding to it, is extended from the organisation level to the value chain level. By drawing on theories from industrial economics, neo...

Market orientation at the value chain level: Concept and determinants

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Grunert, Klaus G.; Hansen, Kåre; Jeppesen, Lisbeth Fruensgaard

The term market orientation, defined as sets of activities dealing with the generation and dissemination of market intelligence as well as with responding to it, is extended from the organisation level to the value chain level. By drawing on theories from industrial economics, neo......-institutional theory, transaction cost economics, network theory and the political-economic approach to the analysis of marketing channels, potential determinants of market orientation at value chain levels are identified. These determinants and their possible interaction may serve as guiding principles for empirical...

The signal of ill-defined CPT weakening entanglement in the B{sub d} system

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bernabeu, Jose; Botella, Francisco J. [Valencia Univ.-CSIC, Burjassot (Spain). Dept. de Fisica Teorica, IFIC; Mavromatos, Nick E. [Valencia Univ.-CSIC, Burjassot (Spain). Dept. de Fisica Teorica, IFIC; King' s College London (United Kingdom). Theoretical Particle Physics and Cosmology Group; Nebot, Miguel [Lisboa Univ. (Portugal). Centro de Fisica Teorica de Particulas (CFTP)

2017-12-15

In the presence of quantum-gravity fluctuations (space-time foam), the CPT operator may be ill-defined. Its perturbative treatment leads to a modification of the Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen correlation of the neutral meson system by adding an entanglement-weakening term of the wrong exchange symmetry, the ω-effect. In the current paper we identify how to probe the complex ω in the entangled B{sub d}-system using the flavour (f)-CP(g) eigenstate decay channels: the connection between the intensities for the two time-ordered decays (f, g) and (g, f) is lost. Appropriate observables are constructed allowing independent experimental determinations of Re(ω) and Im(ω), disentangled from CPT violation in the evolution Hamiltonian Re(θ) and Im(θ). 2σ tensions for both Re(θ) and Im(ω) are shown to be uncorrelated. (orig.)

Insights From the Defining Issues Test on Moral Reasoning Competencies Development in Community Pharmacists.

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Roche, Cicely; Thoma, Steve

2017-10-01

Objective. To investigate whether a profession-specific educational intervention affected the development of moral reasoning competencies in community pharmacists, as measured by the Defining Issues Test (DIT2). Methods. This research used a repeated measures pre-post educational intervention design as a quasi-randomized, controlled, crossover study to evaluate changes in the moral reasoning scores of 27 volunteer community pharmacists in Ireland. Results. Changes in pharmacists' moral reasoning competencies development, as reported by P-Scores and N2-Scores, were found to be significant. In addition, interaction effects were observed between developmental scores on the DIT2 and whether participants were determined to be consolidated in their reasoning pre- and post-engagement with the educational intervention. Conclusion. Short profession-specific educational interventions have the potential to positively affect the development of moral reasoning competencies of community pharmacists.

Defining the Ecological Coefficient of Performance for an Aircraft Propulsion System

Science.gov (United States)

Şöhret, Yasin

2018-05-01

The aircraft industry, along with other industries, is considered responsible these days regarding environmental issues. Therefore, the performance evaluation of aircraft propulsion systems should be conducted with respect to environmental and ecological considerations. The current paper aims to present the ecological coefficient of performance calculation methodology for aircraft propulsion systems. The ecological coefficient performance is a widely-preferred performance indicator of numerous energy conversion systems. On the basis of thermodynamic laws, the methodology used to determine the ecological coefficient of performance for an aircraft propulsion system is parametrically explained and illustrated in this paper for the first time. For a better understanding, to begin with, the exergy analysis of a turbojet engine is described in detail. Following this, the outputs of the analysis are employed to define the ecological coefficient of performance for a turbojet engine. At the end of the study, the ecological coefficient of performance is evaluated parametrically and discussed depending on selected engine design parameters and performance measures. The author asserts the ecological coefficient of performance to be a beneficial indicator for researchers interested in aircraft propulsion system design and related topics.

Protocol independent transmission method in software defined optical network

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Liu, Yuze; Li, Hui; Hou, Yanfang; Qiu, Yajun; Ji, Yuefeng

2016-10-01

With the development of big data and cloud computing technology, the traditional software-defined network is facing new challenges (e.i., ubiquitous accessibility, higher bandwidth, more flexible management and greater security). Using a proprietary protocol or encoding format is a way to improve information security. However, the flow, which carried by proprietary protocol or code, cannot go through the traditional IP network. In addition, ultra- high-definition video transmission service once again become a hot spot. Traditionally, in the IP network, the Serial Digital Interface (SDI) signal must be compressed. This approach offers additional advantages but also bring some disadvantages such as signal degradation and high latency. To some extent, HD-SDI can also be regard as a proprietary protocol, which need transparent transmission such as optical channel. However, traditional optical networks cannot support flexible traffics . In response to aforementioned challenges for future network, one immediate solution would be to use NFV technology to abstract the network infrastructure and provide an all-optical switching topology graph for the SDN control plane. This paper proposes a new service-based software defined optical network architecture, including an infrastructure layer, a virtualization layer, a service abstract layer and an application layer. We then dwell on the corresponding service providing method in order to implement the protocol-independent transport. Finally, we experimentally evaluate that proposed service providing method can be applied to transmit the HD-SDI signal in the software-defined optical network.

Defining Success in Action Learning: An International Comparison

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Bong, Hyeon-Cheol; Cho, Yonjoo

2017-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this paper was to explore how the two groups of action learning experts (Korean and non-Korean experts) define success of action learning to see whether there are any cultural differences. To this end, the authors conducted a total of 44 interviews with action learning experts around the world. Research questions guiding…

Frameworks for defining and managing the wilderness experience

Science.gov (United States)

Robert E. Manning

2012-01-01

A large and growing body of research on outdoor recreation and the wilderness experience has been conducted over the nearly 50 years since passage of the Wilderness Act of 1964. A number of conceptual and empirical frameworks have emerged from this body of knowledge that can be used to help define and manage the wilderness experience.

Defining a Progress Metric for CERT RMM Improvement

Science.gov (United States)

2017-09-14

REV-03.18.2016.0 Defining a Progress Metric for CERT-RMM Improvement Gregory Crabb Nader Mehravari David Tobar September 2017 TECHNICAL ...fendable resource allocation decisions. Technical metrics measure aspects of controls implemented through technology (systems, soft- ware, hardware...implementation metric would be the percentage of users who have received anti-phishing training . • Effectiveness/efficiency metrics measure whether

20 CFR 664.310 - When is dropout status determined, particularly for youth attending alternative schools?

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... 20 Employees' Benefits 3 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false When is dropout status determined... INVESTMENT ACT Out-of-School Youth § 664.310 When is dropout status determined, particularly for youth attending alternative schools? A school dropout is defined as an individual who is no longer attending any...

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...

DEFINING THE CHEMICAL SPACE OF PUBLIC GENOMIC ...

Science.gov (United States)

The current project aims to chemically index the genomics content of public genomic databases to make these data accessible in relation to other publicly available, chemically-indexed toxicological information. By defining the chemical space of public genomic data, it is possible to identify classes of chemicals on which to develop methodologies for the integration of chemogenomic data into predictive toxicology. The chemical space of public genomic data will be presented as well as the methodologies and tools developed to identify this chemical space.

Tracking Progress in Improving Diagnosis: A Framework for Defining Undesirable Diagnostic Events.

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Olson, Andrew P J; Graber, Mark L; Singh, Hardeep

2018-01-29

Diagnostic error is a prevalent, harmful, and costly phenomenon. Multiple national health care and governmental organizations have recently identified the need to improve diagnostic safety as a high priority. A major barrier, however, is the lack of standardized, reliable methods for measuring diagnostic safety. Given the absence of reliable and valid measures for diagnostic errors, we need methods to help establish some type of baseline diagnostic performance across health systems, as well as to enable researchers and health systems to determine the impact of interventions for improving the diagnostic process. Multiple approaches have been suggested but none widely adopted. We propose a new framework for identifying "undesirable diagnostic events" (UDEs) that health systems, professional organizations, and researchers could further define and develop to enable standardized measurement and reporting related to diagnostic safety. We propose an outline for UDEs that identifies both conditions prone to diagnostic error and the contexts of care in which these errors are likely to occur. Refinement and adoption of this framework across health systems can facilitate standardized measurement and reporting of diagnostic safety.

Towards an ontological model defining the social engineering domain

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Mouton, F

2014-08-01

Full Text Available -1 ICT and Society IFIP Advances in Information and Communication Technology Volume 431, 2014, pp 266- 279 Towards an Ontological Model Defining the Social Engineering Domain Francois Mouton 1 , Louise Leenen 1 , Mercia M. Malan 2 , and H...

A Systematic Review of the Prevalence and Pattern of Imaging Defined Post-TB Lung Disease.

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Jamilah Meghji

Full Text Available Tuberculosis is an important risk factor for chronic respiratory disease in resource poor settings. The persistence of abnormal spirometry and symptoms after treatment are well described, but the structural abnormalities underlying these changes remain poorly defined, limiting our ability to phenotype post-TB lung disease in to meaningful categories for clinical management, prognostication, and ongoing research. The relationship between post-TB lung damage and patient-centred outcomes including functional impairment, respiratory symptoms, and health related quality of life also remains unclear.We performed a systematic literature review to determine the prevalence and pattern of imaging-defined lung pathology in adults after medical treatment for pleural, miliary, or pulmonary TB disease. Data were collected on study characteristics, and the modality, timing, and findings of thoracic imaging. The proportion of studies relating imaging findings to spirometry results and patient morbidity was recorded. Study quality was assessed using a modified Newcastle-Ottowa score. (Prospero Registration number CRD42015027958.We identified 37 eligible studies. The principle features seen on CXR were cavitation (8.3-83.7%, bronchiectasis (4.3-11.2%, and fibrosis (25.0-70.4%, but prevalence was highly variable. CT imaging identified a wider range of residual abnormalities than CXR, including nodules (25.0-55.8%, consolidation (3.7-19.2%, and emphysema (15.0-45.0%. The prevalence of cavitation was generally lower (7.4-34.6% and bronchiectasis higher (35.0-86.0% on CT vs. CXR imaging. A paucity of prospective data, and data from HIV-infected adults and sub-Saharan Africa (sSA was noted. Few studies related structural damage to physiological impairment, respiratory symptoms, or patient morbidity.Post-TB structural lung pathology is common. Prospective data are required to determine the evolution of this lung damage and its associated morbidity over time. Further

Layout Determining Features, their Influence Zones and Respect Distances at the Olkiluoto Site

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pere, T.; Ahokas, H.; Vaittinen, T.; Wikstroem, L.

2012-12-01

Fault zones located at the site of an underground nuclear waste repository may pose a risk to the repository by acting as potential hosts for earthquakes during the present day or future stress fields and having the possibility to induce secondary displacements on nearby large fractures, which may damage the nuclear waste canisters, if being intersected by such fractures. The fault zones may additionally provide possible flow routes, important for the transport of radionuclides and the chemical stability of the repository. It is therefore important to identify such structures, defined as layout determining features (LDF), and to assess their influence on the surrounding host rock and to determine respect volumes to the structures, which are avoided in the layout planning in order to mitigate the possible harmful effects to the repository. Fault zones with a trace length of 3 km or more are considered as layout determining features as these can potentially host an earthquake of a magnitude of 5.5 or more and may thus induce secondary displacements larger than 5 cm on nearby fractures, which is held as the current canister damage threshold premise. Fault zones with a size less than 3 km are considered unlikely candidates to induce secondary displacements of 5 cm or larger. In addition to the earthquake potential, hydrogeological zones with high T -value (geometrical mean T ≤ 10 -6 m 2 /s) and large dimensions (at least several hundred metres) are also defined as layout determining features. For each layout determining feature an influence zone is defined, depicting a volume around a fault zone or a hydrogeological zone with increased fracture density and permeability, often also called as damage zones in the scientific literature. Influence zones are therefore considered as mechanically weak and/or transmissive parts of the host rock, which may cause harmful effects to the performance of the repository if intersecting deposition tunnels or deposition holes. In

Plasma Tissue Factor Pathway Inhibitor Levels in Angiographically Defined Coronary Artery Disease Among Saudis

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Syed Shahid Habib

2013-05-01

Full Text Available Objectives: This study was aimed to determine plasma levels of total (TFPI-T and free (TFPI-F tissue factor pathway inhibitor, plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1, and tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA in a cohort of Saudi patients with chronic stable angiographically defined coronary artery disease (CAD and to determine its correlation with its severity.Methods: This cross sectional study was conducted in the department of physiology and department of cardiology, College of Medicine, and King Khalid University Hospital and King Saud University, Riyadh. Sixty known cases of CAD who had undergone angiography (35 males and 25 females were selected. A control group included 39 (20 males and 19 females healthy subjects. Fasting venous blood samples were analyzed for total (TFPI-T and free (TFPI-F tissue factor pathway inhibitor, plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1, and tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA. Gensini scores and vessel scores were determined for assessing CAD severity.Results: There were non-significant differences between age, body mass index (BMI and Blood pressure between the controls and CAD subjects. A comparison of hemostatic markers between control and CAD patients showed significantly higher levels of Fibrinogen, PAI-1, TFPI-T and TFPI-F in CAD patients compared to control subjects. But there was no difference in plasma t-PA levels. TFPI-T had a significant positive correlation with severity of disease determined by Gensini Scores (r=0.344; p=0.006 and vessel scores (r=0.338; p=0.015.Conclusion: Plasma levels of total tissue factor pathway inhibitor are significantly related with the presence and severity of CAD. Elevated levels of TFPI-T may be considered as useful diagnostic and prognostic markers in patients with CAD.

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

Vertebrate sex-determining genes play musical chairs.

Science.gov (United States)

Pan, Qiaowei; Anderson, Jennifer; Bertho, Sylvain; Herpin, Amaury; Wilson, Catherine; Postlethwait, John H; Schartl, Manfred; Guiguen, Yann

2016-01-01

Sexual reproduction is one of the most highly conserved processes in evolution. However, the genetic and cellular mechanisms making the decision of whether the undifferentiated gonad of animal embryos develops either towards male or female are manifold and quite diverse. In vertebrates, sex-determining mechanisms range from environmental to simple or complex genetic mechanisms and different mechanisms have evolved repeatedly and independently. In species with simple genetic sex-determination, master sex-determining genes lying on sex chromosomes drive the gonadal differentiation process by switching on a developmental program, which ultimately leads to testicular or ovarian differentiation. So far, very few sex-determining genes have been identified in vertebrates and apart from mammals and birds, these genes are apparently not conserved over a larger number of related orders, families, genera, or even species. To fill this knowledge gap and to better explore genetic sex-determination, we propose a strategy (RAD-Sex) that makes use of next-generation sequencing technology to identify genetic markers that define sex-specific segments of the male or female genome. Copyright © 2016 Académie des sciences. All rights reserved.

Properties of dual codes defined by nondegenerate forms

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Steve Szabo

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Dual codes are defined with respect to non-degenerate sesquilinear or bilinear forms over a finite Frobenius ring. These dual codes have the properties one expects from a dual code: they satisfy a double-dual property, they have cardinality complementary to that of the primal code, and they satisfy the MacWilliams identities for the Hamming weight.

PREPARATION OF CHEMICALLY WELL-DEFINED CARBOHYDRATE DENDRIMER CONJUGATES

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

2004-01-01

A method for the synthesis of dendrimer conjugates having a well-defined chemical structure, comprising one or more carbohydrate moieties and one or more immunomodulating substances coupled to a dendrimer, is presented. First, the carbohydrate is bound to the dendrimer in a chemoselective manner...... conjugates and their use in vaccination, production of antibodies, high throughput screening, diagnostic assays and libraries....

Evidenced Based Approach for a Definition of Defined Daily Dosages of Antibiotics Used in German Pig Production

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Lothar Kreienbrock

2018-02-01

Full Text Available The use of antibiotics in veterinary medicine and a resulting development of antimicrobial resistance is a topic of major concern. Especially for primary care, evidence is needed to guarantee the efficacy of anti­biotic drugs in future. For this, the correct dosage is an essential measure to prevent antibiotic resistance. Because veterinarians used practice differs from the manufacturer’s recommendations, data is needed to describe evidence-based defined daily doses for animals (DDDA.In 2011 data was collected on the usage of antibiotics in farm animals in conjunction with the Vet­CAb-study (Veterinary consumption of antibiotics in Germany (see vetcab-s.de, van Rennings et al., 2015. Since then, data is continuously collected on the kind of antibiotics, the number of doses, number of animals treated and treatment frequencies. For this presentation the antibiotic usage in 2011 of 500 German pig farms totalling 18,150 treatment courses were recorded and analysed with regard to their dosage. The used daily dosage (UDD was calculated from the amount of the drug used and a defined standard weight for the four different age groups in pig production: sows (200kg, piglets (4kg, weaners (15kg and fattening pigs (50 kg.Apart from the UDD the expertise of pharmacologists was also taken into account to determine a DDDA for each antibiotic. This definition of DDDA is pinpointed by the recommendation of the EMA and has to be determined for each drug in combination with animal species and the form of application.The study showed that in pig production, the antibiotic groups tetracycline and ß-lactams are mainly used. More than 90% of all treatments are given orally. For tetracycline the manufacturers recommend a dose of approximately 80 mg / kg orally in pigs. The DDDAs determined from expert opinions are around 50mg/ kg. In the present study with 500 analysed pig farms the average UDD was 39.6 mg / kg. Previous stud­ies in Germany identified an

Defining collaborative business rules management solutions : framework and method

NARCIS (Netherlands)

dr. Martijn Zoet; Johan Versendaal

2014-01-01

From the publishers' website: The goal of this research is to define a method for configuring a collaborative business rules management solution from a value proposition perspective. In an earlier published study (Business rules management solutions: added value by means of business

Nurse leader resilience: career defining moments.

Science.gov (United States)

Cline, Susan

2015-01-01

Resilience is an essential component of effective nursing leadership. It is defined as the ability to survive and thrive in the face of adversity. Resilience can be developed and internalized as a measure to improve retention and reduce burnout. Nurse leaders at all levels should develop these competencies to survive and thrive in an increasingly complex health care environment. Building positive relationships, maintaining positivity, developing emotional insight, creating work-life balance, and reflecting on successes and challenges are effective strategies for resilience building. Nurse leaders have a professional obligation to develop resilience in themselves, the teams they supervise, and the organization as a whole. Additional benefits include reduced turnover, reduced cost, and improved quality outcomes through organizational mindfulness.

A Robust Search for Determinants of Price Convergence in European Union - Known "Suspects" or New "Villains"?

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Vaclav Zdarek

2015-10-01

Full Text Available The article sheds some light on the problem of determinants of comparative price levels in the EU. A thorough search for determinants is carried out with help of the Bayesian approach (Bayesian model averaging. This state-of-the-art econometric approach allows researchers to deal with problems such as model uncertainty and open-endedness. Consequently, these cause problems with empirical modelling when using ‘classical’ approaches (e.g. cross-sectional estimations. We utilize dataset consisting of a broad range of variables both already utilized in empirical studies and new ones associated with broadly defined institutional environment and covering the period 1997–2011 for EU-26. Our benchmark results confirm the importance of some ‘traditional’ determinants such as labour costs and output gap and broadly defined environment (institutional factors including a monetary regime. An extension of the basic model so that a potentially differentiated impact of determinants in old and new EU member states can be accommodated does not provide sufficient evidence for differentiated effects of individual price level determinants in new and old EU member states.

Analytic-numerical method of determining the freezing front location

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R. Grzymkowski

2011-07-01

Full Text Available Mathematical modeling of thermal processes combined with the reversible phase transitions of type: solid phase – liquid phase leads to formulation of the parabolic boundary problems with the moving boundary. Solution of such defined problem requires, most often, to use sophisticated numerical techniques and far advanced mathematical tools. Excellent illustration of the complexity of considered problems, as well as of the variety of approaches used for finding their solutions, gives the papers [1-4]. In the current paper, the authors present the, especially attractive from the engineer point of view, analytic-numerical method for finding the approximate solution of selected class of problems which can be reduced to the one-phase solidification problem of a plate with the unknown a priori, varying in time boundary of the region in which the solution is sought. Proposed method is based on the known formalism of initial expansion of the sought function describing the temperature field into the power series, some coefficients of which are determined with the aid of boundary conditions, and on the approximation of the function defining the location of freezing front with the broken line, parameters of which are numerically determined.

Software Defined Radio: Basic Principles and Applications

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José Raúl Machado-Fernández

2014-12-01

Full Text Available The author makes a review of the SDR (Software Defined Radio technology, including hardware schemes and application fields. A low performance device is presented and several tests are executed with it using free software. With the acquired experience, SDR employment opportunities are identified for low-cost solutions that can solve significant problems. In addition, a list of the most important frameworks related to the technology developed in the last years is offered, recommending the use of three of them.

Defining greed.

Science.gov (United States)

Seuntjens, Terri G; Zeelenberg, Marcel; Breugelmans, Seger M; van de Ven, Niels

2015-08-01

Although greed is both hailed as the motor of economic growth and blamed as the cause of economic crises, very little is known about its psychological underpinnings. Five studies explored lay conceptualizations of greed among U.S. and Dutch participants using a prototype analysis. Study 1 identified features related to greed. Study 2 determined the importance of these features; the most important features were classified as central (e.g., self-interested, never satisfied), whereas less important features were classified as peripheral (e.g., ambition, addiction). Subsequently, we found that, compared to peripheral features, participants recalled central features better (Study 3), faster (Study 4), and these central features were more present in real-life episodes of greed (Study 5). These findings provide a better understanding of the elements that make up the experience of greed and provide insights into how greed can be manipulated and measured in future research. © 2014 The British Psychological Society.

Analysis of Luminex-based algorithms to define unacceptable HLA antibodies in CDC-crossmatch negative kidney transplant recipients.

Science.gov (United States)

Zecher, Daniel; Bach, Christian; Preiss, Adrian; Staudner, Christoph; Utpatel, Kirsten; Evert, Matthias; Jung, Bettina; Bergler, Tobias; Böger, Carsten A; Spriewald, Bernd M; Banas, Bernhard

2018-02-20

HLA-specific antibodies detected by solid phase assays are increasingly used to define unacceptable HLA antigen mismatches (UAM) prior to renal transplantation. The accuracy of this approach is unclear. Day of transplant sera from 211 CDC-crossmatch-negative patients were retrospectively analyzed for donor-specific anti-HLA antibodies (DSA) using Luminex technology. HLA were defined as UAM if DSA had mean fluorescence intensity above (I) 3000 (patients retransplanted and those with DSA against HLA class I and II) or 5000 (all other patients), (II) 5000 for HLA A, B and DR and 10,000 for HLA DQ or (III) 10,000 (all HLA). We then studied the accuracy of these algorithms to identify patients with antibody-mediated rejection (AMR) and graft loss. UAM were also determined in 256 transplant candidates and virtual panel-reactive antibody (vPRA) levels calculated. At transplantation, 67/211 patients had DSA. Of these, 31 (algorithm I), 24 (II) and 17 (III) had UAM. 9 (I and II) and 8 (III) of 11 early AMR episodes and 7 (I), 6 (II) and 5 (III) of 9 graft losses occurred in UAM-positive patients during 4.9 years of follow-up. Algorithms (I) and (II) identified patients with persistently lower GFR even in the absence of overt AMR. 23-33% of waiting list patients had UAM with median vPRA of 69.2-79.1%. Algorithms (I) and (II) had comparable efficacy but were superior to (III) in identifying at-risk patients at an acceptable false positive rate. However, Luminex-defined UAM significantly restrict the donor pool of affected patients, which might prolong waiting time.

The efficiency of in vitro ovine embryo production using an undefined or a defined maturation medium is determined by the source of the oocyte.

Science.gov (United States)

Cocero, M J; Alabart, J L; Hammami, S; Martí, J I; Lahoz, B; Sánchez, P; Echegoyen, E; Beckers, J F; Folch, J

2011-06-01

In vitro oocyte maturation can be influenced by oocyte source and maturation media composition. The aim of the present study was to compare the efficiency of a defined in vitro maturation medium (TCM199 supplemented with cysteamine and epidermal growth factor; Cys + EGF) with an undefined medium (TCM199 supplemented with follicle-stimulating hormone and follicular fluid; FSH + FF) for in vitro production (IVP) of ovine embryos, using oocytes obtained by laparoscopic ovum pick-up from FSH-stimulated [n=11; 158 cumulus-oocyte complexes (COCs)] and non-stimulated (n=16; 120 COCs) live ewes, as well as abattoir-derived oocytes (170 COCs). The produced blastocysts were vitrified and some of them were transferred to synchronized recipients. The best and the worst final yields of embryo IVP observed in this study were obtained using oocytes from FSH-stimulated ewes matured in FSH + FF (41.3%; 33/80) and in Cys + EGF (19.2%; 15/78) medium, respectively (p<0.01). No significant differences between both media were attained in the blastocyst development rate or in the final yield of embryo IVP using oocytes from non-stimulated ewes or abattoir-derived oocytes. The overall in vivo survival rate of the transferred vitrified blastocysts was 13.1% (8/61), without significant differences between oocyte sources or maturation media. In conclusion, under the experimental conditions of the present study, TCM199 supplemented with cysteamine and EGF is a convenient defined maturation medium for IVP of embryos from oocytes of live non-stimulated ewes or from oocytes of abattoir-derived ovaries. However, the best final yield of embryo IVP observed in this study was attained when oocytes came from FSH-stimulated donors and TCM199 was supplemented with FSH and follicular fluid. © 2010 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.

Defining recovery in chronic fatigue syndrome: a critical review.

Science.gov (United States)

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.

Imaging defined risk factors in neuroblastoma -guidelines for optimising imaging interpretations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Valchev, G.; Balev, B.

2017-01-01

Neuroblastoma is the most frequent extracranial tumor in children, arising from the primitive sympathetic cells and the adrenal medulla. Two separate mutually complementing staging systems exist - INSS and INRGSS - one is based on post-operative findings, the other - on pre-treatment imaging. INRGSS consists of a list of 20 separate imaging defined risk factors (IDRF), the presence of which could alter the treatment plan. Radiologists need to be aware of certain intricacies in interpreting the individual IDRFs in order to optimise clinical decision-making. Key words: neuroblastoma. imaging defined risk factors (IDRF). interpretation guidelines [bg

Molecular basis of immunogenicity to botulinum neurotoxins and uses of the defined antigenic regions.

Science.gov (United States)

Atassi, M Z

2015-12-01

Intensive research in this laboratory over the last 19 years has aimed at understanding the molecular bases for immune recognition of botulinum neurotoxin, types A and B and the role of anti-toxin immune responses in defense against the toxin. Using 92 synthetic 19-residue peptides that overlapped by 5 residues and comprised an entire toxin (A or B) we determined the peptides' ability to bind anti-toxin Abs of human, mouse, horse and chicken. We also localized the epitopes recognized by Abs of cervical dystonia patients who developed immunoresistance to correlate toxin during treatment with BoNT/A or BoNT/B. For BoNT/A, patients' blocking Abs bound to 13 regions (5 on L and 8 on H subunit) on the surface and the response to each region was under separate MHC control. The responses were defined by the structure of the antigen and by the MHC of the host. The antigenic regions coincided or overlapped with synaptosomes (SNPS) binding regions. Antibody binding blocked the toxin's ability to bind to neuronal cells. In fact selected synthetic peptides were able to inhibit the toxin's action in vivo. A combination of three synthetic strong antigenic peptides detected blocking Abs in 88% of immunoresistant patients' sera. Administration of selected epitopes, pre-linked at their N(α) group to monomethoxyployethylene glycol, into mice with ongoing blocking anti-toxin Abs, reduced blocking Ab levels in the recipients. This may be suitable for clinical applications. Defined epitopes should also be valuable in synthetic vaccines design. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Perceived Security Determinants in E-Commerce among Turkish University Students

Science.gov (United States)

Yenisey, M.M.; Ozok, A.A.; Salvendy, G.

2005-01-01

Perceived security is defined as the level of security that users feel while they are shopping on e-commerce sites. The aims of this study were to determine items that positively influence this feeling of security by users during shopping, and to develop guidelines for perceived security in e-commerce. An experiment allowed users with different…

Mitigating the controller performance bottlenecks in Software Defined Networks

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Caba, Cosmin Marius; Soler, José

2016-01-01

The centralization of the control plane decision logic in Software Defined Networking (SDN) has raised concerns regarding the performance of the SDN Controller (SDNC) when the network scales up. A number of solutions have been proposed in the literature to address these concerns. This paper...

45 CFR 506.11 - “Prisoner of war” defined.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... OF THE WAR CLAIMS ACT OF 1948, AS AMENDED ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS FOR COMPENSATION Prisoners of War § 506.11 “Prisoner of war” defined. Prisoner of war means any regularly appointed, enrolled, enlisted or... States for any period of time during the Vietnam conflict. ...

Defining Leadership: Collegiate Women's Learning Circles: A Qualitative Approach

Science.gov (United States)

Preston-Cunningham, Tammie; Elbert, Chanda D.; Dooley, Kim E.

2017-01-01

The researchers employed qualitative methods to evaluate first-year female students' definition of "leadership" through involvement in the Women's Learning Circle. The findings revealed that students defined leadership in two dimensions: traits and behaviors. The qualitative findings explore a multidimensional approach to the voices of…

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...

Synthesis and Characterization of Well-Defined Regular Star Polyisoprenes with 3, 4, 6 and 8 Arms

KAUST Repository

Ratkanthwar, Kedar R.; Hadjichristidis, Nikolaos; Pudukulathan, Zubaidha

2013-01-01

Three series of regular well-defined star polyisoprenes (PIs) with 3, 4 and 6 arms (each series: same arm molecular weight) have been synthesized by anionic polymerization high vacuum techniques and chlorosilane chemistry. In addition, three linear PIs with practically the double arm molecular weight of the corresponding series (2-arm star PIs) have been synthesized, as well as one 8-arm star PI. All intermediate (arms) and final (stars) products have been characterized by size exclusion chromatography (SEC), SEC-multi-angle laser light scattering (SEC-MALLS) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. The Tg of the star PIs was determined by differential scanning calorimetry. These model polymeric materials are essential for polymer physics and polymer physical chemistry in order to establish the structure/property relationships.

Factors Defining Field Germination of Oilseed Radish Seeds

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

N.V. Dorofeev

2013-08-01

Full Text Available Influence of temperature, depth of crops and granulometric of soil structure on germination speed, laboratory and field germination of oilseed radish seeds were studied. It was established that the period of seed-germination is defined both by temperature and granulometric structure of soil. The highest field germination was marked on sandy loam at depth of crops' seeds at 3 cm and 20°С.

Self-Determination Theory: The Importance of Autonomy to Well-Being across Cultures

Science.gov (United States)

Wichmann, Sonia Secher

2011-01-01

According to proponents of self-determination theory, autonomous regulation is a universal psychological human need. Researchers have found autonomy (defined as acting in accordance with one's values) related to well-being across cultures. Encouraging client autonomy is therefore fundamental to the practice of humanistic counseling.

Optimal Switch Configuration in Software-Defined Networks

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Béla GENGE

2016-06-01

Full Text Available The emerging Software-Defined Networks (SDN paradigm facilitates innovative applications and enables the seamless provisioning of resilient communications. Nevertheless, the installation of communication flows in SDN requires careful planning in order to avoid configuration errors and to fulfill communication requirements. In this paper we propose an approach that installs automatically and optimally static flows in SDN switches. The approach aims to select high capacity links and shortest path routing, and enforces communication link and switch capacity limitations. Experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness and scalability of the developed methodology.

NATO Advanced Research Institute on Adaptive Control of Ill-Defined Systems

CERN Document Server

Rissland, Edwina; Arbib, Michael

1984-01-01

There are some types of complex systems that are built like clockwork, with well-defined parts that interact in well-defined ways, so that the action of the whole can be precisely analyzed and anticipated with accuracy and precision. Some systems are not themselves so well-defined, but they can be modeled in ways that are like trained pilots in well-built planes, or electrolyte balance in healthy humans. But there are many systems for which that is not true; and among them are many whose understanding and control we would value. For example, the model for the trained pilot above fails exactly where the pilot is being most human; that is, where he is exercising the highest levels of judgment, or where he is learning and adapting to new conditions. Again, sometimes the kinds of complexity do not lead to easily analyzable models at all; here we might include most economic systems, in all forms of societies. There are several factors that seem to contribute to systems being hard to model, understand, or control. ...

Defining Diagnostic Biomarkers Using Shotgun Proteomics and MALDI-TOF Mass Spectrometry.

Science.gov (United States)

Armengaud, Jean

2017-01-01

Whole-cell MALDI-TOF has become a robust and widely used tool to quickly identify any pathogen. In addition to being routinely used in hospitals, it is also useful for low cost dereplication in large scale screening procedures of new environmental isolates for environmental biotechnology or taxonomical applications. Here, I describe how specific biomarkers can be defined using shotgun proteomics and whole-cell MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry. Based on MALDI-TOF spectra recorded on a given set of pathogens with internal calibrants, m/z values of interest are extracted. The proteins which contribute to these peaks are deduced from label-free shotgun proteomics measurements carried out on the same sample. Quantitative information based on the spectral count approach allows ranking the most probable candidates. Proteogenomic approaches help to define whether these proteins give the same m/z values along the whole taxon under consideration or result in heterogeneous lists. These specific biomarkers nicely complement conventional profiling approaches and may help to better define groups of organisms, for example at the subspecies level.

The Devil Is in the Details: Defining Civic Engagement

Science.gov (United States)

Brabant, Margaret; Braid, Donald

2009-01-01

For "civic engagement" work to have meaningful and long-term impact upon students, partners, and postsecondary institutions, each institution must undertake the difficult work of defining civic engagement for itself such that the definition aligns with the institution's educational mission and local context. We argue that civic…

Techniques for rapid determination of effects of synergy between radionuclides and pollutants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Saas, A.; Grauby, A.

1975-01-01

The authors present a number of chromatographic techniques for rapid determination of synergy between radionuclides and various compounds in water. The first technique consists in studying how the chemical equilibrium of iodine varies in the presence of various organic and mineral compounds. The second makes it possible to define the effects of synergy within a given hydrographic basin. A third technique deals with the effects of synergy in ground water in the presence of various types of irrigation water. Finally, to complete this set of techniques, the authors define the mobility potential of a radionuclide in a given aqueous effluent

Older, wiser, and happier? Comparing older adults' and college students' self-defining memories.

Science.gov (United States)

Singer, Jefferson; Rexhaj, Blerim; Baddeley, Jenna

2007-11-01

The present study compared self-defining memories in adults 50 years of age and older to the self-defining memories of college students. Findings are largely congruent with previous memory and ageing research, but shed additional light on how personal memories are employed to achieve a sense of identity and continuity in older adults. Older adults' self-defining memories, compared to those of younger adults, were more positive in emotional tone, more summarised and less detailed, and more likely to contain integrative meaning. The implications of these findings for assessing normative personal memory in older adults are discussed along with more general observations about narrative identity in older adulthood.

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.

Volumetric flame synthesis of well-defined molybdenum oxide nanocrystals.

Science.gov (United States)

Merchan-Merchan, Wilson; Saveliev, Alexei V; Desai, Milind

2009-11-25

Well-defined faceted inorganic Mo oxide nanocrystals are synthesized in the gas phase using a solid-fed-precursor flame synthesis method. The solid crystals have rectangular cross-section with characteristic size of 10-20 nm and with lengths ranging from 50 nm to a few hundred nanometres. A 1 mm diameter high purity Mo probe introduced in the oxygen-rich part of the flame serves as the material source. A combination of the strong temperature gradient and varying chemical species concentrations within the flame volume provides the ideal conditions for the rapid and direct formation of these unique nanocrystals. Oxidation and evaporation of MoO3 in the oxygen-rich zone are followed by reduction to MoO2 in the lower temperature, more fuel-rich zone. The MoO3 vapours formed are pushed in the direction of the gas flow and transformed into mature well-defined convex polyhedron nanocrystals bounded with six faces resembling rectangular parallelepipeds.

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.

Heterogeneity of neuroblastoma cell identity defined by transcriptional circuitries.

Science.gov (United States)

Boeva, Valentina; Louis-Brennetot, Caroline; Peltier, Agathe; Durand, Simon; Pierre-Eugène, Cécile; Raynal, Virginie; Etchevers, Heather C; Thomas, Sophie; Lermine, Alban; Daudigeos-Dubus, Estelle; Geoerger, Birgit; Orth, Martin F; Grünewald, Thomas G P; Diaz, Elise; Ducos, Bertrand; Surdez, Didier; Carcaboso, Angel M; Medvedeva, Irina; Deller, Thomas; Combaret, Valérie; Lapouble, Eve; Pierron, Gaelle; Grossetête-Lalami, Sandrine; Baulande, Sylvain; Schleiermacher, Gudrun; Barillot, Emmanuel; Rohrer, Hermann; Delattre, Olivier; Janoueix-Lerosey, Isabelle

2017-09-01

Neuroblastoma is a tumor of the peripheral sympathetic nervous system, derived from multipotent neural crest cells (NCCs). To define core regulatory circuitries (CRCs) controlling the gene expression program of neuroblastoma, we established and analyzed the neuroblastoma super-enhancer landscape. We discovered three types of identity in neuroblastoma cell lines: a sympathetic noradrenergic identity, defined by a CRC module including the PHOX2B, HAND2 and GATA3 transcription factors (TFs); an NCC-like identity, driven by a CRC module containing AP-1 TFs; and a mixed type, further deconvoluted at the single-cell level. Treatment of the mixed type with chemotherapeutic agents resulted in enrichment of NCC-like cells. The noradrenergic module was validated by ChIP-seq. Functional studies demonstrated dependency of neuroblastoma with noradrenergic identity on PHOX2B, evocative of lineage addiction. Most neuroblastoma primary tumors express TFs from the noradrenergic and NCC-like modules. Our data demonstrate a previously unknown aspect of tumor heterogeneity relevant for neuroblastoma treatment strategies.

The clinical nurse specialist in New Zealand: how is the role defined?

Science.gov (United States)

Roberts, Jennifer; Floyd, Sue; Thompson, Shona

2011-07-01

New Zealand, like many countries, is developing new advanced nursing practice roles to meet emerging needs. While much has been written about the Nurse Practitioner (NP), the role of Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS) remains relatively unexplored and lacks national definition. This paper reports the findings from research designed to investigate the role of the CNS and how it is defined by New Zealand District Health Boards (DHBs). The study sought to identify the current requirements and expectations for the CNS role and how it is defined in practice. In 2008, 15 CNS job descriptions were collected from eight DHBs throughout the country generating data that were treated both quantitatively and qualitatively. Overall, few areas of consensus were found regarding the essential requirements for the CNS role and there were inconsistencies in how the roles were defined, most notably concerning requirements for postgraduate qualifications and Professional Development Recognition Programmes. Thematic analysis of the documents generated four key areas relevant to the CNS role. These described the CNS as a leader, a clinical expert, a co-ordinator and an educator. The findings indicate that the CNS role is inconsistently defined in New Zealand, particularly with respect to the postgraduate qualifications required and what is meant by 'expertise'.

Defining Determinants and Dynamics and Cellulose Microfibril Biosynthesis, Assembly and Degredation OSP Number: 63079/A001

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

None, None

2013-12-01

The central paradigm for converting plant biomass into soluble sugars for subsequent conversion to transportation fuels involves the enzymatic depolymerization of lignocellulosic plant cell walls by microbial enzymes. Despite decades of intensive research, this is still a relatively inefficient process, due largely to the recalcitrance and enormous complexity of the substrate. A major obstacle is still insufficient understanding of the detailed structure and biosynthesis of major wall components, including cellulose. For example, although cellulose is generally depicted as rigid, insoluble, uniformly crystalline microfibrils that are resistant to enzymatic degradation, the in vivo structures of plant cellulose microfibrils are surprisingly complex. Crystallinity is frequently disrupted, for example by dislocations and areas containing chain ends, resulting in “amorphous” disordered regions. Importantly, microfibril structure and the relative proportions of crystalline and non-crystalline disordered surface regions vary substantially and yet the molecular mechanisms by which plants regulate microfibril crystallinity, and other aspects of microfibril architecture, are still entirely unknown. This obviously has a profound effect on susceptibility to enzymatic hydrolysis and so this is a critical area of research in order to characterize and optimize cellulosic biomass degradation. The entire field of cell wall assembly, as distinct from polysaccharide biosynthesis, and the degree to which they are coupled, are relatively unexplored, despite the great potential for major advances in addressing the hurdle of biomass recalcitrance. Our overarching hypothesis was that identification of the molecular machinery that determine microfibril polymerization, deposition and structure will allow the design of more effective degradative systems, and the generation of cellulosic materials with enhanced and predictable bioconversion characteristics. Our experimental framework had

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

Science.gov (United States)

Guo, Xiufang; Das, Mainak; Rumsey, John; Gonzalez, Mercedes; Stancescu, Maria; Hickman, James

2010-12-01

To date, the coculture of motoneurons (MNs) and skeletal muscle in a defined in vitro system has only been described in one study and that was between rat MNs and rat skeletal muscle. No in vitro studies have demonstrated human MN to rat muscle synapse formation, although numerous studies have attempted to implant human stem cells into rat models to determine if they could be of therapeutic use in disease or spinal injury models, although with little evidence of neuromuscular junction (NMJ) formation. In this report, MNs differentiated from human spinal cord stem cells, together with rat skeletal myotubes, were used to build a coculture system to demonstrate that NMJ formation between human MNs and rat skeletal muscles is possible. The culture was characterized by morphology, immunocytochemistry, and electrophysiology, while NMJ formation was demonstrated by immunocytochemistry and videography. This defined system provides a highly controlled reproducible model for studying the formation, regulation, maintenance, and repair of NMJs. The in vitro coculture system developed here will be an important model system to study NMJ development, the physiological and functional mechanism of synaptic transmission, and NMJ- or synapse-related disorders such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, as well as for drug screening and therapy design.

A model to compare a defined benefit pension fund with a defined contribution provident fund

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

J.M. Nevin

2003-12-01

Full Text Available During 1994 universities and certain other institutions were given the option of setting up private retirement funds as an alternative to the AIPF. Because of the underfundedness of the AIPF only a substantially reduced Actuarial Reserve Value could be transferred to the new fund on behalf of each member. Employees at these institutions had to make the difficult decision of whether to remain a member of the AIPF or to join a new fund. Several institutions created defined contribution funds as an alternative to the AIPF. In such funds the member carries the investment risk and most institutions felt the need to provide some form of top-up of the Transfer Value. A simple mathematical model is formulated to aid in the comparison of expected retirement benefits under the AIPF and a private fund and to investigate the management problem of distributing additional top-up funds in a fair manner amongst the various age groups within the fund.

Distinct retroelement classes define evolutionary breakpoints demarcating sites of evolutionary novelty

Science.gov (United States)

Longo, Mark S; Carone, Dawn M; Green, Eric D; O'Neill, Michael J; O'Neill, Rachel J

2009-01-01

Background Large-scale genome rearrangements brought about by chromosome breaks underlie numerous inherited diseases, initiate or promote many cancers and are also associated with karyotype diversification during species evolution. Recent research has shown that these breakpoints are nonrandomly distributed throughout the mammalian genome and many, termed "evolutionary breakpoints" (EB), are specific genomic locations that are "reused" during karyotypic evolution. When the phylogenetic trajectory of orthologous chromosome segments is considered, many of these EB are coincident with ancient centromere activity as well as new centromere formation. While EB have been characterized as repeat-rich regions, it has not been determined whether specific sequences have been retained during evolution that would indicate previous centromere activity or a propensity for new centromere formation. Likewise, the conservation of specific sequence motifs or classes at EBs among divergent mammalian taxa has not been determined. Results To define conserved sequence features of EBs associated with centromere evolution, we performed comparative sequence analysis of more than 4.8 Mb within the tammar wallaby, Macropus eugenii, derived from centromeric regions (CEN), euchromatic regions (EU), and an evolutionary breakpoint (EB) that has undergone convergent breakpoint reuse and past centromere activity in marsupials. We found a dramatic enrichment for long interspersed nucleotide elements (LINE1s) and endogenous retroviruses (ERVs) and a depletion of short interspersed nucleotide elements (SINEs) shared between CEN and EBs. We analyzed the orthologous human EB (14q32.33), known to be associated with translocations in many cancers including multiple myelomas and plasma cell leukemias, and found a conserved distribution of similar repetitive elements. Conclusion Our data indicate that EBs tracked within the class Mammalia harbor sequence features retained since the divergence of marsupials

Distinct retroelement classes define evolutionary breakpoints demarcating sites of evolutionary novelty

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Green Eric D

2009-07-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Large-scale genome rearrangements brought about by chromosome breaks underlie numerous inherited diseases, initiate or promote many cancers and are also associated with karyotype diversification during species evolution. Recent research has shown that these breakpoints are nonrandomly distributed throughout the mammalian genome and many, termed "evolutionary breakpoints" (EB, are specific genomic locations that are "reused" during karyotypic evolution. When the phylogenetic trajectory of orthologous chromosome segments is considered, many of these EB are coincident with ancient centromere activity as well as new centromere formation. While EB have been characterized as repeat-rich regions, it has not been determined whether specific sequences have been retained during evolution that would indicate previous centromere activity or a propensity for new centromere formation. Likewise, the conservation of specific sequence motifs or classes at EBs among divergent mammalian taxa has not been determined. Results To define conserved sequence features of EBs associated with centromere evolution, we performed comparative sequence analysis of more than 4.8 Mb within the tammar wallaby, Macropus eugenii, derived from centromeric regions (CEN, euchromatic regions (EU, and an evolutionary breakpoint (EB that has undergone convergent breakpoint reuse and past centromere activity in marsupials. We found a dramatic enrichment for long interspersed nucleotide elements (LINE1s and endogenous retroviruses (ERVs and a depletion of short interspersed nucleotide elements (SINEs shared between CEN and EBs. We analyzed the orthologous human EB (14q32.33, known to be associated with translocations in many cancers including multiple myelomas and plasma cell leukemias, and found a conserved distribution of similar repetitive elements. Conclusion Our data indicate that EBs tracked within the class Mammalia harbor sequence features retained since the

The Lunar Environment: Determining the Health Effects of Exposure to Moon Dusts

Science.gov (United States)

Khan-Mayberry, Noreen

2007-01-01

The moon's surface is covered with a thin layer of fine, charged, reactive dust capable of layer of fine, charged, reactive dust capable of capable of entering habitats and vehicle compartments, where it can result in crewmember health problems. NASA formed the Lunar Airborne Dust Toxicity Advisory Group (LADTAG) to study the effects of exposure to Lunar Dust on human health. To date, no scientifically defensible toxicological studies have been performed on lunar dusts, specifically the determination of exposure limits and their affect on human health. The multi-center LADTAG (Lunar Airborne Dust Toxicology center LADTAG (Lunar Airborne Dust Toxicology Advisory Group) was formed in response to the Office of the Chief Health and Medical Office s (OCHMO) request to develop recommendations for defining risk (OCHMO) request to develop recommendations for defining risk defining risk criteria for human lunar dust exposure.

A Graphene-Based Electrochemical Sensor for Rapid Determination of Phenols in Water

OpenAIRE

Chen, Kun; Zhang, Zai-Li; Liang, Yong-Mei; Liu, Wei

2013-01-01

A glassy carbon electrode (GCE) coated with a graphene/polymer film was fabricated for rapid determination of phenols in aqueous solutions. The electrochemical behavior of different phenols at the graphene/polymer-coated GCE was also investigated. In PBS buffer solution with a pH of 6.5, hydroquinone exhibits a well-defined reduction peak at the modified GCE. Based on this, an electrochemical method for the direct determination of phenols is proposed. Investigating different parameters reveal...

Electrical failure analysis for root-cause determination

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Riddle, J.

1990-01-01

This paper outlines a practical failure analysis sequence. Several technical definitions are required. A failure is defined as a component that was operating in a system where the system malfunctioned and the replacement of the device restored system functionality. The failure mode is the malfunctioning behavior of the device. The failure mechanism is the underlying cause or source of the failure mode. The failure mechanism is the root cause of the failure mode. The failure analysis procedure needs to be adequately refined to result in the determination of the cause of failure to the degree that corrective action or design changes will prevent recurrence of the failure mode or mechanism. An example of a root-cause determination analysis performed for a nuclear power industry customer serves to illustrate the analysis methodology

Defining the Bobath concept using the Delphi technique.

Science.gov (United States)

Raine, Sue

2006-03-01

The Bobath concept, based on the work of Berta and Karel Bobath, offers therapists working in the field of neurological rehabilitation a framework for their clinical interventions. It is the most commonly used approach in the UK. Although they recognize that over the last half-century the concept has undergone considerable developments, proponents of the Bobath concept have been criticized for not publishing these changes. The aim of the present study was to use the Delphi technique to enable experts in the field to define the current Bobath concept. A four-round Delphi study design was used. The sample included all members of the British Bobath Tutor's Association, who are considered experts in the field. Initial statements were identified from the literature, with respondents generating additional statements during the study. The level of agreement was determined using a five-point Likert scale. The respondents were then provided with feedback on group opinions and given an opportunity to re-rate each statement. The level of group consensus was set at 80%. Fifteen experts took part. The response rate was 85% in the first round, and 93% in each subsequent round. Ten statements from the literature were rated with a further 12 generated by the experts. Thirteen statements achieved consensus for agreement and seven for disagreement. The Delphi study was an effective research tool, maintaining anonymity of responses and exploring expert opinions on the Bobath concept. The experts stated that Bobath's work has been misunderstood if it is considered as the inhibition of spasticity and the facilitation of normal movement, as described in some literature. They agreed that the Bobath concept was developed by the Bobaths as a living concept, understanding that as therapists' knowledge base grows their view of treatment broadens.

Defining Marketing Strategies For Vihreä Tekno Finland

OpenAIRE

Manzari, Mohammad

2016-01-01

The main objective of this thesis is to define marketing strategies for Vihreä Tekno, a company in Vantaa, Finland. The company runs several businesses such as providing IT services, website designing, business/loyalty cards, professional logo design, PC repairs and installations, mobile application development, translation services, cleaning services, advertising and distribution services, billing/invoicing systems and so forth. In this thesis, the author analyzed the company’s current s...

Definability and stability of multiscale decompositions for manifold-valued data

KAUST Repository

Grohs, Philipp; Wallner, Johannes

2012-01-01

are based on upscaling operators which are either interpolating or midpoint-interpolating. For definable multiscale decompositions we obtain a stability result. © 2012 The Franklin Institute. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Development of an automated desktop procedure for defining macro ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

methods (Von Neumann mean square error, CUSUM plots or unweighted values and the Worsley Likelihood Ratio Test (WLRT)) were used to define macro-reach breaks for four South African rivers (Crocodile, Olifants, Mhlathuze and Seekoei Rivers) and were compared to ... Water SA Vol.32 (3) 2006: pp.395-402 ...

Prevalence and Determinants of Diabetic Nephropathy in Korea: Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jae Hee Ahn

2014-04-01

Full Text Available BackgroundDiabetic nephropathy is a leading cause of end stage renal disease and is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular mortality. It manifests as albuminuria or impaired glomerular filtration rate (GFR, and the prevalence of diabetic nephropathy varies with ethnicity. The prevalence of diabetic nephropathy and its determinants in Korean adults have not previously been studied at the national level. This cross-sectional study was undertaken to ascertain the prevalence and determinants of albuminuria and chronic kidney disease (CKD in Korean patients with diabetes.MethodsThe Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES V, conducted in 2011, was used to define albuminuria (n=4,652, and the dataset of KNHANES IV-V (2008-2011 was used to define CKD (n=21,521. Selected samples were weighted to represent the entire civilian population in Korea. Albuminuria was defined as a spot urine albumin/creatinine ratio >30 mg/g. CKD was defined as a GFR <60 mL/min/1.73 m2.ResultsAmong subjects with diabetes, 26.7% had albuminuria, and 8.6% had CKD. Diabetes was associated with an approximate 2.5-fold increased risk of albuminuria, with virtually no difference between new-onset and previously diagnosed diabetes. Only systolic blood pressure was significantly associated with albuminuria, and old age, high serum triglyceride levels, and previous cardiovascular disease (CVD were related with CKD in subjects with diabetes.ConclusionKorean subjects with diabetes had a higher prevalence of albuminuria and CKD than those without diabetes. Blood pressure was associated with albuminuria, and age, triglyceride level, and previous CVD were independent determinants of CKD in subjects with diabetes.

Multipass optical device and process for gas and analyte determination

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bernacki, Bruce E [Kennewick, WA

2011-01-25

A torus multipass optical device and method are described that provide for trace level determination of gases and gas-phase analytes. The torus device includes an optical cavity defined by at least one ring mirror. The mirror delivers optical power in at least a radial and axial direction and propagates light in a multipass optical path of a predefined path length.

Software-Defined Ground Stations - Enhancing Multi-Mission Support, Phase I

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — This SBIR Phase 1 proposal to NASA requests $99,055.69 to enhance multiple mission support in ground stations through the use of software defined radios and virtual...

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.

Defining Extreme Events: A Cross-Disciplinary Review

Science.gov (United States)

McPhillips, Lauren E.; Chang, Heejun; Chester, Mikhail V.; Depietri, Yaella; Friedman, Erin; Grimm, Nancy B.; Kominoski, John S.; McPhearson, Timon; Méndez-Lázaro, Pablo; Rosi, Emma J.; Shafiei Shiva, Javad

2018-03-01

Extreme events are of interest worldwide given their potential for substantial impacts on social, ecological, and technical systems. Many climate-related extreme events are increasing in frequency and/or magnitude due to anthropogenic climate change, and there is increased potential for impacts due to the location of urbanization and the expansion of urban centers and infrastructures. Many disciplines are engaged in research and management of these events. However, a lack of coherence exists in what constitutes and defines an extreme event across these fields, which impedes our ability to holistically understand and manage these events. Here, we review 10 years of academic literature and use text analysis to elucidate how six major disciplines—climatology, earth sciences, ecology, engineering, hydrology, and social sciences—define and communicate extreme events. Our results highlight critical disciplinary differences in the language used to communicate extreme events. Additionally, we found a wide range in definitions and thresholds, with more than half of examined papers not providing an explicit definition, and disagreement over whether impacts are included in the definition. We urge distinction between extreme events and their impacts, so that we can better assess when responses to extreme events have actually enhanced resilience. Additionally, we suggest that all researchers and managers of extreme events be more explicit in their definition of such events as well as be more cognizant of how they are communicating extreme events. We believe clearer and more consistent definitions and communication can support transdisciplinary understanding and management of extreme events.

Radiotherapy for brain metastases: defining palliative response

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bezjak, Andrea; Adam, Janice; Panzarella, Tony; Levin, Wilfred; Barton, Rachael; Kirkbride, Peter; McLean, Michael; Mason, Warren; Wong, Chong Shun; Laperriere, Normand

2001-01-01

Background and purpose: Most patients with brain metastases are treated with palliative whole brain radiotherapy (WBRT). There is no established definition of palliative response. The aim of this study was to develop and test clinically useful criteria for response following palliative WBRT. Materials and methods: A prospective study was conducted of patients with symptomatic brain metastases treated with WBRT (20 Gy/5 fractions) and standardised steroid tapering. Assessments included observer rating of neurological symptoms, patient-completed symptom checklist and performance status (PS). Response criteria were operationally defined based on a combination of neurological symptoms, PS and steroid dose. Results: Seventy-five patients were accrued. At 1 month, presenting neurological symptoms were improved in 14 patients, stable in 17, and worse in 21; 23 patients were not assessed, mainly due to death or frailty. Using response criteria defined a priori, 15% (95% CI 7-23%) of patients were classified as having a response to RT, 25% no response, and 29% progression; 27% were deceased at or soon after 1 month. A revised set of criteria was tested, with less emphasis on complete tapering of steroids: they increased the proportion of patients responding to 39% (95% CI 27-50%) but didn't change the large proportion who did not benefit (44%). Conclusions: Clinical response to RT of patients with brain metastases is multifactorial, comprising symptoms, PS and other factors. Assessment of degree of palliation depend on the exact definition used. More research is needed in this important area, to help validate criteria for assessing palliation after WBRT

Endoscopic clipping for gastrointestinal tumors. A method to define the target volume more precisely

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Riepl, M.; Klautke, G.; Fehr, R.; Fietkau, R.; Pietsch, A.

2000-01-01

Background: In many cases it is not possible to exactly define the extension of carcinoma of the gastrointestinal tract with the help of computertomography scans made for 3-D-radiation treatment planning. Consequently, the planning of external beam radiotherapy is made more difficult for the gross tumor volume as well as, in some cases, also for the clinical target volume. Patients and Methods: Eleven patients with macrosocpic tumors (rectal cancer n = 5, cardiac cancer n = 6) were included. Just before 3-D planning, the oral and aboral border of the tumor was marked endoscopically with hemoclips. Subsequently, CT scans for radiotherapy planning were made and the clinical target volume was defined. Five to 6 weeks thereafter, new CT scans were done to define the gross tumor volume for boost planning. Two investigators independently assessed the influence of the hemoclips on the different planning volumes, and whether the number of clips was sufficient to define the gross tumor volume. Results: In all patients, the implantation of the clips was done without complications. Start of radiotherapy was not delayed. With the help of the clips it was possible to exactly define the position and the extension of the primary tumor. The clinical target volume was modified according to the position of the clips in 5/11 patients; the gross tumor volume was modified in 7/11 patients. The use of the clips made the documentation and verification of the treatment portals by the simulator easier. Moreover, the clips helped the surgeon to define the primary tumor region following marked regression after neoadjuvant therapy in 3 patients. Conclusions: Endoscopic clipping of gastrointestinal tumors helps to define the tumor volumes more precisely in radiation therapy. The clips are easily recognized on the portal films and, thus, contribute to quality control. (orig.) [de

Safety Leadership Defined within the Australian Construction Industry

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Luke Daniel

2015-11-01

Full Text Available This research explores the tenets of safety leadership within the Australian construction environment. The scope of this research aims to establish a universal definition of safety leadership and how it differs from other leadership disciplines. The literature review into this topic was governed by the parent disciplines of Safety and Leadership.  Gaps were identified in the literature that indicated safety leadership is not a well-defined concept and much of the work into safety leadership has been borrowed from other schools of leadership. An exploratory research methodology was utilised which rooted the research into the post-positivist methodology. There were twenty interviews conducted for this research, with participants coming from various leadership positions across multiple construction projects around Australia. Findings detailed a saturation of data that allowed for an empirical definition towards safety leadership to be established. As a person’s scope of responsibility increases, their view of safety leadership becomes synonymous with leadership; although differences do exist. These differences were attributed to the importance of demonstrating safety and working within the legal framework of Australian construction projects. It is proposed that this research offers a substantial contribution to knowledge, based upon a well-defined definition into safety leadership.

Defining Parents, Making Citizens: Nationality and Citizenship in Transnational Surrogacy.

Science.gov (United States)

Deomampo, Daisy

2015-01-01

Over the past decade, India has attracted would-be parents from around the globe, many seeking to build their families through gestational surrogacy. Through extensive ethnographic fieldwork in India, I found that issues of nationality and citizenship for babies born via gestational surrogacy were among the most pressing concerns for commissioning parents. In this article, I consider the ways in which states and institutions define parents and make citizens, as well as how families created through surrogacy in India challenge these processes in new ways. By closely interrogating the ways that families, states, and global and local institutions define parenthood and citizenship within the context of transnational surrogacy, I show that while transnational surrogacy may challenge conventional understandings of kinship and family, it simultaneously renaturalizes state definitions of citizenship and motherhood.

Translational Capacity of a Cell Is Determined during Transcription Elongation via the Ccr4-Not Complex

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ishaan Gupta

2016-05-01

Full Text Available The current understanding of gene expression considers transcription and translation to be independent processes. Challenging this notion, we found that translation efficiency is determined during transcription elongation through the imprinting of mRNAs with Not1, the central scaffold of the Ccr4-Not complex. We determined that another subunit of the complex, Not5, defines Not1 binding to specific mRNAs, particularly those produced from ribosomal protein genes. This imprinting mechanism specifically regulates ribosomal protein gene expression, which in turn determines the translational capacity of cells. We validate our model by SILAC and polysome profiling experiments. As a proof of concept, we demonstrate that enhanced translation compensates for transcriptional elongation stress. Taken together, our data indicate that in addition to defining mRNA stability, components of the Ccr4-Not imprinting complex regulate RNA translatability, thus ensuring global gene expression homeostasis.

Communication and Jamming BDA of OFDMA Communication Systems Using the Software Defined Radio Platform WARP

Science.gov (United States)

2015-03-01

COMMUNICATION AND JAMMING BDA OF OFDMA COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS USING THE SOFTWARE DEFINED RADIO PLATFORM WARP THESIS Kate J. Yaxley, FLTLT, Royal... BDA OF OFDMA COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS USING THE SOFTWARE DEFINED RADIO PLATFORM WARP THESIS Presented to the Faculty Department of Electrical and...COMMUNICATION AND JAMMING BDA OF OFDMA COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS USING THE SOFTWARE DEFINED RADIO PLATFORM WARP THESIS Kate J. Yaxley, B.E. (Elec) Hons Div II

Is bruxism a disorder or a behaviour? Rethinking the international consensus on defining and grading of bruxism.

Science.gov (United States)

Raphael, K G; Santiago, V; Lobbezoo, F

2016-10-01

Inspired by the international consensus on defining and grading of bruxism (Lobbezoo F, Ahlberg J, Glaros AG, Kato T, Koyano K, Lavigne GJ et al. J Oral Rehabil. 2013;40:2), this commentary examines its contribution and underlying assumptions for defining sleep bruxism (SB). The consensus' parsimonious redefinition of bruxism as a behaviour is an advance, but we explore an implied question: might SB be more than behaviour? Behaviours do not inherently require clinical treatment, making the consensus-proposed 'diagnostic grading system' inappropriate. However, diagnostic grading might be useful, if SB were considered a disorder. Therefore, to fully appreciate the contribution of the consensus statement, we first consider standards and evidence for determining whether SB is a disorder characterised by harmful dysfunction or a risk factor increasing probability of a disorder. Second, the strengths and weaknesses of the consensus statement's proposed 'diagnostic grading system' are examined. The strongest evidence-to-date does not support SB as disorder as implied by 'diagnosis'. Behaviour alone is not diagnosed; disorders are. Considered even as a grading system of behaviour, the proposed system is weakened by poor sensitivity of self-report for direct polysomnographic (PSG)-classified SB and poor associations between clinical judgments of SB and portable PSG; reliance on dichotomised reports; and failure to consider SB behaviour on a continuum, measurable and definable through valid behavioural observation. To date, evidence for validity of self-report or clinician report in placing SB behaviour on a continuum is lacking, raising concerns about their potential utility in any bruxism behavioural grading system, and handicapping future study of whether SB may be a useful risk factor for, or itself a disorder requiring treatment. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Transmission assessment surveys (TAS to define endpoints for lymphatic filariasis mass drug administration: a multicenter evaluation.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Brian K Chu

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Lymphatic filariasis (LF is targeted for global elimination through treatment of entire at-risk populations with repeated annual mass drug administration (MDA. Essential for program success is defining and confirming the appropriate endpoint for MDA when transmission is presumed to have reached a level low enough that it cannot be sustained even in the absence of drug intervention. Guidelines advanced by WHO call for a transmission assessment survey (TAS to determine if MDA can be stopped within an LF evaluation unit (EU after at least five effective rounds of annual treatment. To test the value and practicality of these guidelines, a multicenter operational research trial was undertaken in 11 countries covering various geographic and epidemiological settings. METHODOLOGY: The TAS was conducted twice in each EU with TAS-1 and TAS-2 approximately 24 months apart. Lot quality assurance sampling (LQAS formed the basis of the TAS survey design but specific EU characteristics defined the survey site (school or community, eligible population (6-7 year olds or 1(st-2(nd graders, survey type (systematic or cluster-sampling, target sample size, and critical cutoff (a statistically powered threshold below which transmission is expected to be no longer sustainable. The primary diagnostic tools were the immunochromatographic (ICT test for W. bancrofti EUs and the BmR1 test (Brugia Rapid or PanLF for Brugia spp. EUs. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS/CONCLUSIONS: In 10 of 11 EUs, the number of TAS-1 positive cases was below the critical cutoff, indicating that MDA could be stopped. The same results were found in the follow-up TAS-2, therefore, confirming the previous decision outcome. Sample sizes were highly sex and age-representative and closely matched the target value after factoring in estimates of non-participation. The TAS was determined to be a practical and effective evaluation tool for stopping MDA although its validity for longer-term post

Transmission assessment surveys (TAS) to define endpoints for lymphatic filariasis mass drug administration: a multicenter evaluation.

Science.gov (United States)

Chu, Brian K; Deming, Michael; Biritwum, Nana-Kwadwo; Bougma, Windtaré R; Dorkenoo, Améyo M; El-Setouhy, Maged; Fischer, Peter U; Gass, Katherine; Gonzalez de Peña, Manuel; Mercado-Hernandez, Leda; Kyelem, Dominique; Lammie, Patrick J; Flueckiger, Rebecca M; Mwingira, Upendo J; Noordin, Rahmah; Offei Owusu, Irene; Ottesen, Eric A; Pavluck, Alexandre; Pilotte, Nils; Rao, Ramakrishna U; Samarasekera, Dilhani; Schmaedick, Mark A; Settinayake, Sunil; Simonsen, Paul E; Supali, Taniawati; Taleo, Fasihah; Torres, Melissa; Weil, Gary J; Won, Kimberly Y

2013-01-01

Lymphatic filariasis (LF) is targeted for global elimination through treatment of entire at-risk populations with repeated annual mass drug administration (MDA). Essential for program success is defining and confirming the appropriate endpoint for MDA when transmission is presumed to have reached a level low enough that it cannot be sustained even in the absence of drug intervention. Guidelines advanced by WHO call for a transmission assessment survey (TAS) to determine if MDA can be stopped within an LF evaluation unit (EU) after at least five effective rounds of annual treatment. To test the value and practicality of these guidelines, a multicenter operational research trial was undertaken in 11 countries covering various geographic and epidemiological settings. The TAS was conducted twice in each EU with TAS-1 and TAS-2 approximately 24 months apart. Lot quality assurance sampling (LQAS) formed the basis of the TAS survey design but specific EU characteristics defined the survey site (school or community), eligible population (6-7 year olds or 1(st)-2(nd) graders), survey type (systematic or cluster-sampling), target sample size, and critical cutoff (a statistically powered threshold below which transmission is expected to be no longer sustainable). The primary diagnostic tools were the immunochromatographic (ICT) test for W. bancrofti EUs and the BmR1 test (Brugia Rapid or PanLF) for Brugia spp. EUs. In 10 of 11 EUs, the number of TAS-1 positive cases was below the critical cutoff, indicating that MDA could be stopped. The same results were found in the follow-up TAS-2, therefore, confirming the previous decision outcome. Sample sizes were highly sex and age-representative and closely matched the target value after factoring in estimates of non-participation. The TAS was determined to be a practical and effective evaluation tool for stopping MDA although its validity for longer-term post-MDA surveillance requires further investigation.

Animal bioavailability of defined xenobiotic lignin metabolites

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sandermann, H. Jr.; Arjmand, M.; Gennity, I.; Winkler, R.; Struble, C.B.; Aschbacher, P.W.

1990-01-01

Lignin has been recognized as a major component of bound pesticide residues in plants and is thought to be undigestible in animals. Two defined ring-U- 14 C-labeled chloroaniline/lignin metabolites have now been fed to rats, where a release of ∼66% of the bound xenobiotic occurred in the form of simple chloroaniline derivatives. The observed high degree of bioavailability indicates that bound pesticidal residues may possess ecotoxicological significance. In parallel studies, the white-rot fungus Phanerochaete chrysosporium was more efficient, and a soil system was much less efficient, in the degradation of the [ring-U- 14 C]chloroaniline/lignin metabolites

Defining Marriage: Classification, Interpretation, and Definitional Disputes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fabrizio Macagno

2016-09-01

Full Text Available The classification of a state of affairs under a legal category can be considered as a kind of con- densed decision that can be made explicit, analyzed, and assessed us- ing argumentation schemes. In this paper, the controversial conflict of opinions concerning the nature of “marriage” in Obergefell v. Hodges is analyzed pointing out the dialecti- cal strategies used for addressing the interpretive doubts. The dispute about the same-sex couples’ right to marry hides a much deeper disa- greement not only about what mar- riage is, but more importantly about the dialectical rules for defining it.

Software defined networking applications in distributed datacenters

CERN Document Server

Qi, Heng

2016-01-01

This SpringerBrief provides essential insights on the SDN application designing and deployment in distributed datacenters. In this book, three key problems are discussed: SDN application designing, SDN deployment and SDN management. This book demonstrates how to design the SDN-based request allocation application in distributed datacenters. It also presents solutions for SDN controller placement to deploy SDN in distributed datacenters. Finally, an SDN management system is proposed to guarantee the performance of datacenter networks which are covered and controlled by many heterogeneous controllers. Researchers and practitioners alike will find this book a valuable resource for further study on Software Defined Networking. .

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. ...

INTRODUCTION Dental care utilization can be defined as the ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

INTRODUCTION. Dental care utilization can be defined as the percentage of the population who access dental services over a specified period of time1. Measures of actual dental care utilization describe the percentage of the population who have seen a dentist at different time intervals. Dental disease is a serious public ...

A Generalized Approach to Defining Item Discrimination for DCMs

Science.gov (United States)

Henson, Robert; DiBello, Lou; Stout, Bill

2018-01-01

Diagnostic classification models (DCMs, also known as cognitive diagnosis models) hold the promise of providing detailed classroom information about the skills a student has or has not mastered. Specifically, DCMs are special cases of constrained latent class models where classes are defined based on mastery/nonmastery of a set of attributes (or…

Approach to defining de minimis, intermediate, and other classes of radioactive waste

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cohen, J.J.; Smith, C.F.

1986-01-01

This study has developed a framework within which the complete spectrum of radioactive wastes can be defined. An approach has been developed that reflects both concerns in the framework of a radioactive waste classification system. In this approach, the class of any radioactive waste stream is dependent on its degree of radioactivity and its persistence. To be consistent with conventional systems, four waste classes are defined. In increasing order of concern due to radioactivity and/or duration, these are: 1. De Minimis Wastes: This waste has such a low content of radioactive material that it can be considered essentially nonradioactive and managed according to its nonradiological characteristics. 2. Low-Level Waste (LLW): Maximum concentrations for wastes considered to be in this class are prescribed in 10CFR61 as wastes that can be disposed of by shallow land burial methods. 3. Intermediate Level Waste (ILW): This category defines a class of waste whose content exceeds class C (10CFR61) levels, yet does not pose a sufficient hazard to justify management as a high-level waste (i.e., permanent isolation by deep geologic disposal). 4. High-Level Waste: HLW poses the most serious management problem and requires the most restrictive disposal methods. It is defined in NWPA as waste derived from the reprocessing of nuclear fuel and/or as highly radioactive wastes that require permanent isolation

Raman spectroscopy of lithographically defined graphene nanoribbons - influence of size and defects

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kampmann, Felix; Scheuschner, Nils [Institut fuer Festkoerperphysik, Technical University Berlin (Germany); Terres, Bernat; Stampfer, Christoph [JARA-FIT and 2nd Institute of Physics, RWTH Aachen University (Germany); Peter Gruenberg Institute (PGI), Forschungszentrum Juelich (Germany); Joerger, Danny [JARA-FIT and 2nd Institute of Physics, RWTH Aachen University (Germany); Maultzsch, Janina [Institut fuer Festkoerperphysik, Technical University Berlin (Germany); Lehrstuhl fuer Experimentalphysik, Department Physik, Friedrich-Alexander-Universitaet Erlangen-Nuernberg, Erlangen (Germany)

2017-11-15

Graphene nanostructures are an important building block to make use of the properties of graphene for applications in integrated devices. It is important to study edge roughness and defects in such nanostructures for further device improvement as they become important when downscaling structures. Recent Raman studies focused mainly on the D mode to characterize the defects in graphene and graphene nanoribbons (GNR) whereas not much attention has been paid to the D' mode that is smaller in Raman intensity. In this work we show by comparison with AFM measurements of the GNR width that both defect-induced Raman modes have different scattering length scales. Furthermore the size and quality of lithographically defined GNRs can be estimated by a close analysis of the defect-induced Raman modes and the width of the well-studied 2D mode of graphene. The findings are explained by the different vibration pattern for both Raman modes and the differences in the matrix elements determining the Raman intensity, i.e. the electron-phonon coupling and the phonon density of states. (copyright 2017 by WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

Raman spectroscopy of lithographically defined graphene nanoribbons - influence of size and defects

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kampmann, Felix; Scheuschner, Nils; Terres, Bernat; Stampfer, Christoph; Joerger, Danny; Maultzsch, Janina

2017-01-01

Graphene nanostructures are an important building block to make use of the properties of graphene for applications in integrated devices. It is important to study edge roughness and defects in such nanostructures for further device improvement as they become important when downscaling structures. Recent Raman studies focused mainly on the D mode to characterize the defects in graphene and graphene nanoribbons (GNR) whereas not much attention has been paid to the D' mode that is smaller in Raman intensity. In this work we show by comparison with AFM measurements of the GNR width that both defect-induced Raman modes have different scattering length scales. Furthermore the size and quality of lithographically defined GNRs can be estimated by a close analysis of the defect-induced Raman modes and the width of the well-studied 2D mode of graphene. The findings are explained by the different vibration pattern for both Raman modes and the differences in the matrix elements determining the Raman intensity, i.e. the electron-phonon coupling and the phonon density of states. (copyright 2017 by WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

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.

End-to-end Information Flow Security Model for Software-Defined Networks

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

D. Ju. Chaly

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Software-defined networks (SDN are a novel paradigm of networking which became an enabler technology for many modern applications such as network virtualization, policy-based access control and many others. Software can provide flexibility and fast-paced innovations in the networking; however, it has a complex nature. In this connection there is an increasing necessity of means for assuring its correctness and security. Abstract models for SDN can tackle these challenges. This paper addresses to confidentiality and some integrity properties of SDNs. These are critical properties for multi-tenant SDN environments, since the network management software must ensure that no confidential data of one tenant are leaked to other tenants in spite of using the same physical infrastructure. We define a notion of end-to-end security in context of software-defined networks and propose a semantic model where the reasoning is possible about confidentiality, and we can check that confidential information flows do not interfere with non-confidential ones. We show that the model can be extended in order to reason about networks with secure and insecure links which can arise, for example, in wireless environments.The article is published in the authors’ wording.

Using archetypes for defining CDA templates.

Science.gov (United States)

Moner, David; Moreno, Alberto; Maldonado, José A; Robles, Montserrat; Parra, Carlos

2012-01-01

While HL7 CDA is a widely adopted standard for the documentation of clinical information, the archetype approach proposed by CEN/ISO 13606 and openEHR is gaining recognition as a means of describing domain models and medical knowledge. This paper describes our efforts in combining both standards. Using archetypes as an alternative for defining CDA templates permit new possibilities all based on the formal nature of archetypes and their ability to merge into the same artifact medical knowledge and technical requirements for semantic interoperability of electronic health records. We describe the process followed for the normalization of existing legacy data in a hospital environment, from the importation of the HL7 CDA model into an archetype editor, the definition of CDA archetypes and the application of those archetypes to obtain normalized CDA data instances.

Defining and Supporting Narrative-driven Recommendation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bogers, Toine; Koolen, Marijn

2017-01-01

Research into recommendation algorithms has made great strides in recent years. However, these algorithms are typically applied in relatively straightforward scenarios: given information about a user's past preferences, what will they like in the future? Recommendation is often more complex......: evaluating recommended items never takes place in a vacuum, and it is often a single step in the user's more complex background task. In this paper, we define a specific type of recommendation scenario called narrative-driven recommendation, where the recommendation process is driven by both a log...... of the user's past transactions as well as a narrative description of their current interest(s). Through an analysis of a set of real-world recommendation narratives from the LibraryThing forums, we demonstrate the uniqueness and richness of this scenario and highlight common patterns and properties...

Computing platforms for software-defined radio

CERN Document Server

Nurmi, Jari; Isoaho, Jouni; Garzia, Fabio

2017-01-01

This book addresses Software-Defined Radio (SDR) baseband processing from the computer architecture point of view, providing a detailed exploration of different computing platforms by classifying different approaches, highlighting the common features related to SDR requirements and by showing pros and cons of the proposed solutions. Coverage includes architectures exploiting parallelism by extending single-processor environment (such as VLIW, SIMD, TTA approaches), multi-core platforms distributing the computation to either a homogeneous array or a set of specialized heterogeneous processors, and architectures exploiting fine-grained, coarse-grained, or hybrid reconfigurability. Describes a computer engineering approach to SDR baseband processing hardware; Discusses implementation of numerous compute-intensive signal processing algorithms on single and multicore platforms; Enables deep understanding of optimization techniques related to power and energy consumption of multicore platforms using several basic a...