WorldWideScience

Sample records for impact identification analysis

  1. Organizational identification moderates the impact of organizational justice on job satisfaction.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yuan, Guo; Jia, Libin; Zhao, Jian

    2016-03-09

    Few studies concern the moderator effect of organizational identification between organizational justice and job satisfaction. This study aimed to examine the trilateral relationship among organizational identification, organizational justice and job satisfaction, especially focus on the moderator effect of organizational identification. 354 staffs completed the measures of organizational justice, organizational identification and job satisfaction. Hierarchical regression analysis showed that organizational identification moderated the association between organizational justice and job satisfaction. When staffs reported a low level of organizational identification, those with high organizational justice reported higher scores in job satisfaction than those with low organizational justice. However, the impact of organizational justice on job satisfaction was not significant in high organizational identification group. Organizational identification can significantly moderate the impact of organizational justice on job satisfaction. The significance and limitations of the results are discussed.

  2. On-Line Impact Load Identification

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Krzysztof Sekuła

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available The so-called Adaptive Impact Absorption (AIA is a research area of safety engineering devoted to problems of shock absorption in various unpredictable scenarios of collisions. It makes use of smart technologies (systems equipped with sensors, controllable dissipaters and specialised tools for signal processing. Examples of engineering applications for AIA systems are protective road barriers, automotive bumpers or adaptive landing gears. One of the most challenging problems for AIA systems is on-line identification of impact loads, which is crucial for introducing the optimum real-time strategy of adaptive impact absorption. This paper presents the concept of an impactometer and develops the methodology able to perform real-time impact load identification. Considered dynamic excitation is generated by a mass M1 impacting with initial velocity V0. An analytical formulation of the problem, supported with numerical simulations and experimental verifications is presented. Two identification algorithms based on measured response of the impacted structure are proposed and discussed. Finally, a concept of the AIA device utilizing the idea of impactometer is briefly presented.

  3. Spatial-Temporal Synchrophasor Data Characterization and Analytics in Smart Grid Fault Detection, Identification, and Impact Causal Analysis

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Jiang, Huaiguang; Dai, Xiaoxiao; Gao, David Wenzhong; Zhang, Jun Jason; Zhang, Yingchen; Muljadi, Eduard

    2016-09-01

    An approach of big data characterization for smart grids (SGs) and its applications in fault detection, identification, and causal impact analysis is proposed in this paper, which aims to provide substantial data volume reduction while keeping comprehensive information from synchrophasor measurements in spatial and temporal domains. Especially, based on secondary voltage control (SVC) and local SG observation algorithm, a two-layer dynamic optimal synchrophasor measurement devices selection algorithm (OSMDSA) is proposed to determine SVC zones, their corresponding pilot buses, and the optimal synchrophasor measurement devices. Combining the two-layer dynamic OSMDSA and matching pursuit decomposition, the synchrophasor data is completely characterized in the spatial-temporal domain. To demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed characterization approach, SG situational awareness is investigated based on hidden Markov model based fault detection and identification using the spatial-temporal characteristics generated from the reduced data. To identify the major impact buses, the weighted Granger causality for SGs is proposed to investigate the causal relationship of buses during system disturbance. The IEEE 39-bus system and IEEE 118-bus system are employed to validate and evaluate the proposed approach.

  4. Lifetime Impact Identification for Continuous Improvement of Wind Farm Performance

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Petersen, Kristian R.; Ruitenburg, Richard J.; Madsen, Erik Skov

    2015-01-01

    in the offshore wind industry. In order to identify where to focus CI efforts, we turn to the theory of Asset Life Cycle Management which shows that a shared multidisciplinary understanding of the complete lifetime of a windfarm is critical. Based on a case study at a leading offshore wind farm company......, it is concluded that the Lifetime Impact Identification Analysis delivers such a shared understanding by bringing employees from different backgrounds together. Based on this understanding, CI priorities can be set and management may become proactive instead of having to do ‘fire-fighting’....

  5. Dynamically coated capillaries improve the identification power of capillary zone electrophoresis for basic drugs in toxicological analysis

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Boone, C.M; Jonkers, E.Z; Franke, J.P.; de Zeeuw, R.A; Ensing, K

    2001-01-01

    In systematic toxicological analysis (STA), analytical methods should have a high identification power. This can be suitably expressed by parameters such as mean list length (MLL) or discriminating power (DP). The reproducibility of a method has a great impact on its identification power, and should

  6. Impact of identity theft on methods of identification.

    Science.gov (United States)

    McLemore, Jerri; Hodges, Walker; Wyman, Amy

    2011-06-01

    Responsibility for confirming a decedent's identity commonly falls on the shoulders of the coroner or medical examiner. Misidentification of bodies results in emotional turmoil for the next-of-kin and can negatively impact the coroner's or medical examiner's career. To avoid such mishaps, the use of scientific methods to establish a positive identification is advocated. The use of scientific methods of identification may not be reliable in cases where the decedent had assumed the identity of another person. Case studies of erroneously identified bodies due to identity theft from the state medical examiner offices in Iowa and New Mexico are presented. This article discusses the scope and major concepts of identity theft and how identity theft prevents the guarantee of a positive identification.

  7. Impact force identification for composite helicopter blades using minimal sensing

    Science.gov (United States)

    Budde, Carson N.

    In this research a method for online impact identification using minimal sensors is developed for rotor hubs with composite blades. Modal impact data and the corresponding responses are recorded at several locations to develop a frequency response function model for each composite blade on the rotor hub. The frequency response model for each blade is used to develop an impact identification algorithm which can be used to identify the location and magnitude of impacts. Impacts are applied in two experimental setups, including a four-blade spin test rig and a cantilevered full-sized composite blade. The impacts are estimated to have been applied at the correct location 92.3% of the time for static fiberglass blades, 97.4% of the time for static carbon fiber blades and 99.2% of the time for a full sized-static blade. The estimated location is assessed further and determined to have been estimated in the correct chord position 96.1% of the time for static fiberglass, 100% of the time for carbon fiber blades and 99.2% of the time for the full-sized blades. Projectile impacts are also applied statically and during rotation to the carbon fiber blades on the spin test rig at 57 and 83 RPM. The applied impacts can be located to the correct position 63.9%, 41.7% and 33.3% for the 0, 57 and 83 RPM speeds, respectively, while the correct chord location is estimated 100% of the time. The impact identification algorithm also estimates the force of an impact with an average percent difference of 4.64, 2.61 and 1.00 for static fiberglass, full sized, and carbon fiber blades, respectively. Using a load cell and work equations, the force of impact for a projectile fired from a dynamic firing setup is estimated at about 400 N. The average force measured for applied projectile impacts to the carbon fiber blades, rotating at 0, 57 and 83 RPM, is 368.8, 373.7 and 432.4 N, respectively.

  8. Eyewitness identification across the life span: A meta-analysis of age differences.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fitzgerald, Ryan J; Price, Heather L

    2015-11-01

    Lineup identifications are often a critical component of criminal investigations. Over the past 35 years, researchers have been conducting empirical studies to assess the impact of witness age on identification accuracy. A previous meta-analysis indicated that children are less likely than adults to correctly reject a lineup that does not contain the culprit, but children 5 years and older are as likely as adults to make a correct identification if the culprit is in the lineup (Pozzulo & Lindsay, 1998). We report an updated meta-analysis of age differences in eyewitness identification, summarizing data from 20,244 participants across 91 studies. Contrary to extant reviews, we adopt a life span approach and examine witnesses from early childhood to late adulthood. Children's increased tendency to erroneously select a culprit-absent lineup member was replicated. Children were also less likely than young adults to correctly identify the culprit. Group data from culprit-absent and culprit-present lineups were used to produce signal detection measures, which indicated young adults were better able than children to discriminate between guilty and innocent suspects. A strikingly similar pattern emerged for older adults, who had even stronger deficits in discriminability than children, relative to adults. Although identifications by young adults were the most reliable, identifications by all witnesses had probative value. (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved).

  9. The impact of employee communication and perceived external prestige on organizational identification

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Smidts, Ale; Pruyn, Adriaan T.H.; van Riel, Cees B.M.

    2001-01-01

    Employees' organizational identification was measured in three organizations. Results show that employee communication augments perceived external prestige and helps explain organizational identification. Communication climate plays a central role, mediating the impact on organizational

  10. Molecular DNA Analysis in Forensic Identification.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dumache, Raluca; Ciocan, Veronica; Muresan, Camelia; Enache, Alexandra

    2016-01-01

    Serological and biochemical identification methods used in forensics have several major disadvantages, such as: long time in processing biological sample and lack of sensitivity and specificity. In the last 30 years, DNA molecular analysis has become an important tool in forensic investigations. DNA profiling is based on the short tandem repeats (STR) and aids in human identification from biological samples. Forensic genetics, can provide information on the events which occurred at the crime scene or to supplement other methods of forensic identification. Currently, the methods used in identification are based on polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analyses. This method analyses the autosomal STRs, the Y-chromosome, and the mitochondrial DNA. Correlation of biological samples present at the crime scene with identification, selection, and the probative value factor is therefore the first aspect to be taken into consideration in the forensic genetic analysis. In the last decade, because of the advances in the field of molecular biology, new biomarkers such as: microRNAs (miR), messenger RNA (mRNA), and DNA methylation have been studied and proposed to be used in the forensic identifications of body fluids.

  11. Gender and leadership aspiration: the impact of organizational identification

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Fritz, C. (Claudia); D.L. van Knippenberg (Daan)

    2017-01-01

    textabstractPurpose: Although nowadays more women occupy leadership roles, they still are a minority. Because aspiration is a precursor of advancement, examining conditions fostering female leadership aspiration is important. A neglected perspective is the impact of organizational identification.

  12. Minimization of local impact of energy systems through exergy analysis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cassetti, Gabriele; Colombo, Emanuela

    2013-01-01

    Highlights: • The model proposed aims at minimizing local impact of energy systems. • The model is meant to minimize the impact starting from system thermodynamics. • The formulation combines exergy analysis and quantitative risk analysis. • The approach of the model is dual to Thermoeconomics. - Abstract: For the acceptability of energy systems, environmental impacts are becoming more and more important. One primary way for reducing impacts related to processes is by improving efficiency of plants. A key instrument currently used to verify such improvements is exergy analysis, extended to include also the environmental externalities generated by systems. Through exergy-based analyses, it is possible indeed to evaluate the overall amount of resources consumed along all the phases of the life cycle of a system, from construction to dismantling. However, resource consumption is a dimension of the impact of a system at global level, while it may not be considered a measure of its local impact. In the paper a complementary approach named Combined Risk and Exergy Analysis (CRExA) to assess impacts from major accidents in energy systems is proposed, based on the combination of classical exergy analysis and quantitative risk analysis (QRA). Impacts considered are focused on effects on human health. The approach leads to the identification of solutions to minimize damages of major accidents by acting on the energy system design

  13. Gait Correlation Analysis Based Human Identification

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jinyan Chen

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Human gait identification aims to identify people by a sequence of walking images. Comparing with fingerprint or iris based identification, the most important advantage of gait identification is that it can be done at a distance. In this paper, silhouette correlation analysis based human identification approach is proposed. By background subtracting algorithm, the moving silhouette figure can be extracted from the walking images sequence. Every pixel in the silhouette has three dimensions: horizontal axis (x, vertical axis (y, and temporal axis (t. By moving every pixel in the silhouette image along these three dimensions, we can get a new silhouette. The correlation result between the original silhouette and the new one can be used as the raw feature of human gait. Discrete Fourier transform is used to extract features from this correlation result. Then, these features are normalized to minimize the affection of noise. Primary component analysis method is used to reduce the features’ dimensions. Experiment based on CASIA database shows that this method has an encouraging recognition performance.

  14. Evaluating the Impact of Dyslexia Laws on the Identification of Specific Learning Disability and Dyslexia

    Science.gov (United States)

    Phillips, B. Anne Barber; Odegard, Timothy N.

    2017-01-01

    Dyslexia is a specific learning disability that impacts word reading accuracy and/or reading fluency. Over half of the states in the USA have passed legislation intended to promote better identification of individuals with dyslexia. To date, no study has been conducted to investigate the potential impact of state laws on the identification of…

  15. Identification of impact force acting on composite laminated plates using the radiated sound measured with microphones

    Science.gov (United States)

    Atobe, Satoshi; Nonami, Shunsuke; Hu, Ning; Fukunaga, Hisao

    2017-09-01

    Foreign object impact events are serious threats to composite laminates because impact damage leads to significant degradation of the mechanical properties of the structure. Identification of the location and force history of the impact that was applied to the structure can provide useful information for assessing the structural integrity. This study proposes a method for identifying impact forces acting on CFRP (carbon fiber reinforced plastic) laminated plates on the basis of the sound radiated from the impacted structure. Identification of the impact location and force history is performed using the sound pressure measured with microphones. To devise a method for identifying the impact location from the difference in the arrival times of the sound wave detected with the microphones, the propagation path of the sound wave from the impacted point to the sensor is examined. For the identification of the force history, an experimentally constructed transfer matrix is employed to relate the force history to the corresponding sound pressure. To verify the validity of the proposed method, impact tests are conducted by using a CFRP cross-ply laminate as the specimen, and an impulse hammer as the impactor. The experimental results confirm the validity of the present method for identifying the impact location from the arrival time of the sound wave detected with the microphones. Moreover, the results of force history identification show the feasibility of identifying the force history accurately from the measured sound pressure using the experimental transfer matrix.

  16. 43 CFR 46.425 - Identification of the preferred alternative in an environmental impact statement.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-01

    ... alternative in an environmental impact statement. 46.425 Section 46.425 Public Lands: Interior Office of the... Impact Statements § 46.425 Identification of the preferred alternative in an environmental impact statement. (a) Unless another law prohibits the expression of a preference, the draft environmental impact...

  17. [The impact of patient identification on an integrated program of palliative care in Basque Country].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Larrañaga, Igor; Millas, Jesús; Soto-Gordoa, Myriam; Arrospide, Arantzazu; San Vicente, Ricardo; Irizar, Marisa; Lanzeta, Itziar; Mar, Javier

    2017-12-05

    Evaluate the process and the economic impact of an integrated palliative care program. Comparative cross-sectional study. Integrated Healthcare Organizations of Alto Deba and Goierri Alto-Urola, Basque Country. Patients dead due to oncologic and non-oncologic causes in 2012 (control group) and 2015 (intervention group) liable to need palliative care according to McNamara criteria. Identification as palliative patients in primary care, use of common clinical pathways in primary and secondary care and arrange training courses for health professionals. Change in the resource use profile of patients in their last 3 months. Propensity score by genetic matching method was used to avoid non-randomization bias. The groups were compared by univariate analysis and the relationships between variables were analysed by logistic regressions and generalized linear models. One thousand and twenty-three patients were identified in 2012 and 1,142 patients in 2015. In 2015 doubled the probability of being identify as palliative patient in deaths due to oncologic (19-33%) and non-oncologic causes (7-16%). Prescriptions of opiates rise (25-68%) and deaths in hospital remained stable. Contacts per patient with primary care and home hospitalization increased, while contacts with hospital admissions decreased. Cost per patient rise 26%. The integrated palliative care model increased the identification of the target population. Relationships between variables showed that the identification had a positive impact on prescription of opiates, death outside the hospital and extension to non-oncologic diseases. Although the identification decreased admissions in hospital, costs per patient had a slight increase due to home hospitalizations. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

  18. Analysis of the environmental impact generated by nuclear activities

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lazar, Roxana Elena; Dumitrescu, Maria

    2000-01-01

    Assessment of environmental impact represents one of the most formalized examples of interdisciplinary approach. After more then a century from the introduction of the concept of environmental impact assessment, this undertaking still represents an amalgamation of mini-studies based on pre-determined approaches rather than a genuine integrated document. This work presents the most important and adequate techniques of analysis of environmental impact generated by nuclear activities starting from identification of the events causing negative effects upon environment (by using checking list, the matrices and the cause-effect diagram) and radiation dose determination up to the decision making process. To preserve environment integrity the human factor should be re-evaluated as well as its active participation in formation and settling of an real environmental culture

  19. Text de-identification for privacy protection: a study of its impact on clinical text information content.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Meystre, Stéphane M; Ferrández, Óscar; Friedlin, F Jeffrey; South, Brett R; Shen, Shuying; Samore, Matthew H

    2014-08-01

    As more and more electronic clinical information is becoming easier to access for secondary uses such as clinical research, approaches that enable faster and more collaborative research while protecting patient privacy and confidentiality are becoming more important. Clinical text de-identification offers such advantages but is typically a tedious manual process. Automated Natural Language Processing (NLP) methods can alleviate this process, but their impact on subsequent uses of the automatically de-identified clinical narratives has only barely been investigated. In the context of a larger project to develop and investigate automated text de-identification for Veterans Health Administration (VHA) clinical notes, we studied the impact of automated text de-identification on clinical information in a stepwise manner. Our approach started with a high-level assessment of clinical notes informativeness and formatting, and ended with a detailed study of the overlap of select clinical information types and Protected Health Information (PHI). To investigate the informativeness (i.e., document type information, select clinical data types, and interpretation or conclusion) of VHA clinical notes, we used five different existing text de-identification systems. The informativeness was only minimally altered by these systems while formatting was only modified by one system. To examine the impact of de-identification on clinical information extraction, we compared counts of SNOMED-CT concepts found by an open source information extraction application in the original (i.e., not de-identified) version of a corpus of VHA clinical notes, and in the same corpus after de-identification. Only about 1.2-3% less SNOMED-CT concepts were found in de-identified versions of our corpus, and many of these concepts were PHI that was erroneously identified as clinical information. To study this impact in more details and assess how generalizable our findings were, we examined the overlap between

  20. The impact of parameter identification methods on drug therapy control in an intensive care unit

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Hann, C.E.; Chase, J.G.; Ypma, M.F.; Elfring, J.; Nor, N.H.M.; Lawrence, P.; Shaw, G.M.

    2008-01-01

    This paper investigates the impact of fast parameter identification methods, which do not require any forward simulations, on model-based glucose control, using retrospective data in the Christchurch Hospital Intensive Care Unit. The integral-based identification method has been previously

  1. Content Analysis of Measures for Identification of Elder Abuse.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sengstock, Mary C.; And Others

    Measures designed to detect elder abuse lack uniformity as a result of having been designed in isolation. To develop and test a uniform index for the identification of elder abuse victims, an analysis of existing abuse identification instruments was conducted. Initially, seven elder abuse identification measures were content analyzed, resulting in…

  2. A Bayesian Approach for Sensor Optimisation in Impact Identification

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Vincenzo Mallardo

    2016-11-01

    Full Text Available This paper presents a Bayesian approach for optimizing the position of sensors aimed at impact identification in composite structures under operational conditions. The uncertainty in the sensor data has been represented by statistical distributions of the recorded signals. An optimisation strategy based on the genetic algorithm is proposed to find the best sensor combination aimed at locating impacts on composite structures. A Bayesian-based objective function is adopted in the optimisation procedure as an indicator of the performance of meta-models developed for different sensor combinations to locate various impact events. To represent a real structure under operational load and to increase the reliability of the Structural Health Monitoring (SHM system, the probability of malfunctioning sensors is included in the optimisation. The reliability and the robustness of the procedure is tested with experimental and numerical examples. Finally, the proposed optimisation algorithm is applied to a composite stiffened panel for both the uniform and non-uniform probability of impact occurrence.

  3. Identification and analysis of needs

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mendes de Magalhaes, E.

    1989-01-01

    Where the protection of human life is concerned, we consider that the identification and analysis of the requirements imposed by scientific developments must take into account their history, their applications and, clearly, their impact on biological environments. Now, scientific developments in the field of ionizing radiation have revealed that living beings are continuously subjected, from the moment of conception to death, to the influence of radiation with a wide range of stochastic and non-stochastic effects. However, cosmic radiation and the presence of radioactive elements in the soil, in the atmosphere and inside living beings constitute a group of factors considered to be in equilibrium with the biological environment, though they may be responsible for the spontaneous mutations that arise in any generation. The action of ionizing radiation of natural origin on the biological environment and heredity is a vast field of research, providing the basis from which the fundamental concepts of the science of radiation protection can be derived. However, we have to start from the above-mentioned assumption that the biological environment and the action or effect of natural radiation are in a state of equilibrium. This assumption underlies the philosophy of radiation protection, as illustrated by the ALARA principle

  4. Identification accuracy of children versus adults: a meta-analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pozzulo, J D; Lindsay, R C

    1998-10-01

    Identification accuracy of children and adults was examined in a meta-analysis. Preschoolers (M = 4 years) were less likely than adults to make correct identifications. Children over the age of 5 did not differ significantly from adults with regard to correct identification rate. Children of all ages examined were less likely than adults to correctly reject a target-absent lineup. Even adolescents (M = 12-13 years) did not reach an adult rate of correct rejection. Compared to simultaneous lineup presentation, sequential lineups increased the child-adult gap for correct rejections. Providing child witnesses with identification practice or training did not increase their correct rejection rates. Suggestions for children's inability to correctly reject target-absent lineups are discussed. Future directions for identification research are presented.

  5. Visual Analysis in Traffic & Re-identification

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Møgelmose, Andreas

    and analysis, and person re-identification. In traffic sign detection, the work comprises a thorough survey of the state of the art, assembly of the worlds largest public dataset with U.S. traffic signs, and work in machine learning based detection algorithms. It was shown that detection of U.S. traffic signs...

  6. Ontology-based specification, identification and analysis of perioperative risks.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Uciteli, Alexandr; Neumann, Juliane; Tahar, Kais; Saleh, Kutaiba; Stucke, Stephan; Faulbrück-Röhr, Sebastian; Kaeding, André; Specht, Martin; Schmidt, Tobias; Neumuth, Thomas; Besting, Andreas; Stegemann, Dominik; Portheine, Frank; Herre, Heinrich

    2017-09-06

    Medical personnel in hospitals often works under great physical and mental strain. In medical decision-making, errors can never be completely ruled out. Several studies have shown that between 50 and 60% of adverse events could have been avoided through better organization, more attention or more effective security procedures. Critical situations especially arise during interdisciplinary collaboration and the use of complex medical technology, for example during surgical interventions and in perioperative settings (the period of time before, during and after surgical intervention). In this paper, we present an ontology and an ontology-based software system, which can identify risks across medical processes and supports the avoidance of errors in particular in the perioperative setting. We developed a practicable definition of the risk notion, which is easily understandable by the medical staff and is usable for the software tools. Based on this definition, we developed a Risk Identification Ontology (RIO) and used it for the specification and the identification of perioperative risks. An agent system was developed, which gathers risk-relevant data during the whole perioperative treatment process from various sources and provides it for risk identification and analysis in a centralized fashion. The results of such an analysis are provided to the medical personnel in form of context-sensitive hints and alerts. For the identification of the ontologically specified risks, we developed an ontology-based software module, called Ontology-based Risk Detector (OntoRiDe). About 20 risks relating to cochlear implantation (CI) have already been implemented. Comprehensive testing has indicated the correctness of the data acquisition, risk identification and analysis components, as well as the web-based visualization of results.

  7. Information-theoretical analysis of private content identification

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Voloshynovskiy, S.; Koval, O.; Beekhof, F.; Farhadzadeh, F.; Holotyak, T.

    2010-01-01

    In recent years, content identification based on digital fingerprinting attracts a lot of attention in different emerging applications. At the same time, the theoretical analysis of digital fingerprinting systems for finite length case remains an open issue. Additionally, privacy leaks caused by

  8. The Clinical Impact of Rapid, Direct MALDI-ToF Identification of Bacteria from Positive Blood Cultures.

    Science.gov (United States)

    French, Kathryn; Evans, Jason; Tanner, Hannah; Gossain, Savita; Hussain, Abid

    2016-01-01

    Faster identification of bacterial isolates from blood cultures can enable earlier clinical intervention for patients with sepsis. We evaluated the clinical impact of direct identification of micro-organisms from positive blood cultures using MALDI-ToF. Positive blood cultures with organisms seen on Gram stain were included over a four week period. For each patient case, comparison was made between the clinical advice given on day one with only a Gram stain result, and the follow up advice given on day two with the benefit of organism identification. Culture results were then compared with direct MALDI-ToF identification. For 73 of 115 cases (63.5%), direct organism identification was obtained by MALDI-ToF. Of those 73, 70 (95.5%) had a result concordant with that of the plate culture. In 28 of the 115 cases (24.3%) direct MALDI-ToF identification on day one would have had a clear clinical benefit. In 11 cases it would have helped to identify the potential source of bacteraemia. In 11 cases it would have indicated a different antibiotic regimen on day one, with five patients receiving appropriate antibiotics 24 hours earlier. For 14 cases the blood culture isolate could have been designated as unlikely to be clinically significant. We have demonstrated that organism identification on day one of blood culture positivity can have a direct clinical impact. Faster identification using MALDI-ToF assists the clinician in assessing the significance of a blood culture isolate on day one. It can allow earlier appropriate choice of antimicrobial agent, even in the absence of susceptibility testing, and help narrow down the potential source of infection providing a focus for further investigation in a more timely way than conventional techniques alone.

  9. The Clinical Impact of Rapid, Direct MALDI-ToF Identification of Bacteria from Positive Blood Cultures.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kathryn French

    Full Text Available Faster identification of bacterial isolates from blood cultures can enable earlier clinical intervention for patients with sepsis. We evaluated the clinical impact of direct identification of micro-organisms from positive blood cultures using MALDI-ToF.Positive blood cultures with organisms seen on Gram stain were included over a four week period. For each patient case, comparison was made between the clinical advice given on day one with only a Gram stain result, and the follow up advice given on day two with the benefit of organism identification. Culture results were then compared with direct MALDI-ToF identification.For 73 of 115 cases (63.5%, direct organism identification was obtained by MALDI-ToF. Of those 73, 70 (95.5% had a result concordant with that of the plate culture. In 28 of the 115 cases (24.3% direct MALDI-ToF identification on day one would have had a clear clinical benefit. In 11 cases it would have helped to identify the potential source of bacteraemia. In 11 cases it would have indicated a different antibiotic regimen on day one, with five patients receiving appropriate antibiotics 24 hours earlier. For 14 cases the blood culture isolate could have been designated as unlikely to be clinically significant.We have demonstrated that organism identification on day one of blood culture positivity can have a direct clinical impact. Faster identification using MALDI-ToF assists the clinician in assessing the significance of a blood culture isolate on day one. It can allow earlier appropriate choice of antimicrobial agent, even in the absence of susceptibility testing, and help narrow down the potential source of infection providing a focus for further investigation in a more timely way than conventional techniques alone.

  10. Impact of axillary nodal metastases on lymphatic mapping and sentinel lymph node identification rate in patients with early stage breast cancer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pelosi, Ettore; Ala, Ada; Bussone, Riccardo; Bello, Marilena; Douroukas, Anastasios; Varetto, Teresio; Migliaretti, Giuseppe; Berardengo, Ester; Bisi, Gianni

    2005-01-01

    The aim of this study was to define the impact of the presence of axillary nodal metastases on lymphatic mapping and sentinel lymph node (SLN) identification rate in patients with early breast cancer. Two hundred and forty-six lymphatic mapping procedures were performed with both labelled nanocolloid and blue dye, followed by SLN biopsy and/or complete axillary dissection. The following parameters were recorded: patient's age, tumour laterality and location, tumour size, tumour histology, tumour stage, tumour grade, lymphovascular invasion, radiotracer injection site (subdermal-peritumoural/peri-areolar), SLN visualisation at lymphoscintigraphy, SLN metastases (presence/absence, size) and other axillary metastases (presence/absence, number). Discriminant analysis was used to analyse the data. SLNs were identified by labelled nanocolloid alone in 94.7% of tumours, by blue dye alone in 93.5% and by the combined technique in 99.2%. Discriminant analysis showed the gamma probe SLN identification rate to be significantly limited by the presence of axillary nodal metastases. In particular, the size of SLN metastases and the number of other axillary metastases were the most important variables in reducing the gamma probe SLN identification rate (p=0.004 and p=0.002, respectively). On the other hand, high tumour grade was the only parameter limiting the blue dye SLN identification rate. The accuracy of lymphatic mapping with labelled nanocolloid is limited by the presence of axillary nodal metastases, and particularly by the degree of SLN tumoural invasion and the presence and number of other axillary nodal metastases. Neither of these elements seems to interfere with the blue dye identification rate. The combination of the two tracers maximises the SLN identification rate. (orig.)

  11. Impact of axillary nodal metastases on lymphatic mapping and sentinel lymph node identification rate in patients with early stage breast cancer

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Pelosi, Ettore [Ospedale S. Giovanni Battista, S.C.D.U. Medicina Nucleare 2, Turin (Italy); Universita Torino, Dottorato di Ricerca Radioimmunolocalizzazione dei Tumori Umani, Turin (Italy); Ala, Ada; Bussone, Riccardo [Ospedale S. Giovanni Battista, Reparto di Chirurgia Oncologica 10, Turin (Italy); Bello, Marilena; Douroukas, Anastasios; Varetto, Teresio [Ospedale S. Giovanni Battista, S.C.D.U. Medicina Nucleare 2, Turin (Italy); Migliaretti, Giuseppe [Universita di Torino, Dipartimento di Sanita Pubblica e Microbiologia, Turin (Italy); Berardengo, Ester [Ospedale S. Giovanni Battista, Servizio di Anatomia Patologica 4, Turin (Italy); Bisi, Gianni [Ospedale S. Giovanni Battista, S.C.D.U. Medicina Nucleare 2, Turin (Italy); Universita di Torino, Dipartimento di Medicina Interna, SCDU Medicina Nucleare 2, Turin (Italy)

    2005-08-01

    The aim of this study was to define the impact of the presence of axillary nodal metastases on lymphatic mapping and sentinel lymph node (SLN) identification rate in patients with early breast cancer. Two hundred and forty-six lymphatic mapping procedures were performed with both labelled nanocolloid and blue dye, followed by SLN biopsy and/or complete axillary dissection. The following parameters were recorded: patient's age, tumour laterality and location, tumour size, tumour histology, tumour stage, tumour grade, lymphovascular invasion, radiotracer injection site (subdermal-peritumoural/peri-areolar), SLN visualisation at lymphoscintigraphy, SLN metastases (presence/absence, size) and other axillary metastases (presence/absence, number). Discriminant analysis was used to analyse the data. SLNs were identified by labelled nanocolloid alone in 94.7% of tumours, by blue dye alone in 93.5% and by the combined technique in 99.2%. Discriminant analysis showed the gamma probe SLN identification rate to be significantly limited by the presence of axillary nodal metastases. In particular, the size of SLN metastases and the number of other axillary metastases were the most important variables in reducing the gamma probe SLN identification rate (p=0.004 and p=0.002, respectively). On the other hand, high tumour grade was the only parameter limiting the blue dye SLN identification rate. The accuracy of lymphatic mapping with labelled nanocolloid is limited by the presence of axillary nodal metastases, and particularly by the degree of SLN tumoural invasion and the presence and number of other axillary nodal metastases. Neither of these elements seems to interfere with the blue dye identification rate. The combination of the two tracers maximises the SLN identification rate. (orig.)

  12. Individual identification via electrocardiogram analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fratini, Antonio; Sansone, Mario; Bifulco, Paolo; Cesarelli, Mario

    2015-08-14

    During last decade the use of ECG recordings in biometric recognition studies has increased. ECG characteristics made it suitable for subject identification: it is unique, present in all living individuals, and hard to forge. However, in spite of the great number of approaches found in literature, no agreement exists on the most appropriate methodology. This study aimed at providing a survey of the techniques used so far in ECG-based human identification. Specifically, a pattern recognition perspective is here proposed providing a unifying framework to appreciate previous studies and, hopefully, guide future research. We searched for papers on the subject from the earliest available date using relevant electronic databases (Medline, IEEEXplore, Scopus, and Web of Knowledge). The following terms were used in different combinations: electrocardiogram, ECG, human identification, biometric, authentication and individual variability. The electronic sources were last searched on 1st March 2015. In our selection we included published research on peer-reviewed journals, books chapters and conferences proceedings. The search was performed for English language documents. 100 pertinent papers were found. Number of subjects involved in the journal studies ranges from 10 to 502, age from 16 to 86, male and female subjects are generally present. Number of analysed leads varies as well as the recording conditions. Identification performance differs widely as well as verification rate. Many studies refer to publicly available databases (Physionet ECG databases repository) while others rely on proprietary recordings making difficult them to compare. As a measure of overall accuracy we computed a weighted average of the identification rate and equal error rate in authentication scenarios. Identification rate resulted equal to 94.95 % while the equal error rate equal to 0.92 %. Biometric recognition is a mature field of research. Nevertheless, the use of physiological signals

  13. Vibration impact acoustic emission technique for identification and analysis of defects in carbon steel tubes: Part B Cluster analysis

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Halim, Zakiah Abd [Universiti Teknikal Malaysia Melaka (Malaysia); Jamaludin, Nordin; Junaidi, Syarif [Faculty of Engineering and Built, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Bangi (Malaysia); Yahya, Syed Yusainee Syed [Universiti Teknologi MARA, Shah Alam (Malaysia)

    2015-04-15

    Current steel tubes inspection techniques are invasive, and the interpretation and evaluation of inspection results are manually done by skilled personnel. Part A of this work details the methodology involved in the newly developed non-invasive, non-destructive tube inspection technique based on the integration of vibration impact (VI) and acoustic emission (AE) systems known as the vibration impact acoustic emission (VIAE) technique. AE signals have been introduced into a series of ASTM A179 seamless steel tubes using the impact hammer. Specifically, a good steel tube as the reference tube and four steel tubes with through-hole artificial defect at different locations were used in this study. The AEs propagation was captured using a high frequency sensor of AE systems. The present study explores the cluster analysis approach based on autoregressive (AR) coefficients to automatically interpret the AE signals. The results from the cluster analysis were graphically illustrated using a dendrogram that demonstrated the arrangement of the natural clusters of AE signals. The AR algorithm appears to be the more effective method in classifying the AE signals into natural groups. This approach has successfully classified AE signals for quick and confident interpretation of defects in carbon steel tubes.

  14. Vibration impact acoustic emission technique for identification and analysis of defects in carbon steel tubes: Part B Cluster analysis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Halim, Zakiah Abd; Jamaludin, Nordin; Junaidi, Syarif; Yahya, Syed Yusainee Syed

    2015-01-01

    Current steel tubes inspection techniques are invasive, and the interpretation and evaluation of inspection results are manually done by skilled personnel. Part A of this work details the methodology involved in the newly developed non-invasive, non-destructive tube inspection technique based on the integration of vibration impact (VI) and acoustic emission (AE) systems known as the vibration impact acoustic emission (VIAE) technique. AE signals have been introduced into a series of ASTM A179 seamless steel tubes using the impact hammer. Specifically, a good steel tube as the reference tube and four steel tubes with through-hole artificial defect at different locations were used in this study. The AEs propagation was captured using a high frequency sensor of AE systems. The present study explores the cluster analysis approach based on autoregressive (AR) coefficients to automatically interpret the AE signals. The results from the cluster analysis were graphically illustrated using a dendrogram that demonstrated the arrangement of the natural clusters of AE signals. The AR algorithm appears to be the more effective method in classifying the AE signals into natural groups. This approach has successfully classified AE signals for quick and confident interpretation of defects in carbon steel tubes.

  15. Impact of error fields on plasma identification in ITER

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Martone, R., E-mail: Raffaele.Martone@unina2.it [Ass. EURATOM/ENEA/CREATE, Seconda Università di Napoli, Via Roma 29, Aversa (CE) (Italy); Appel, L. [EURATOM/CCFE Fusion Association, Culham Science Centre, Abingdon (United Kingdom); Chiariello, A.G.; Formisano, A.; Mattei, M. [Ass. EURATOM/ENEA/CREATE, Seconda Università di Napoli, Via Roma 29, Aversa (CE) (Italy); Pironti, A. [Ass. EURATOM/ENEA/CREATE, Università degli Studi di Napoli “Federico II”, Via Claudio 25, Napoli (Italy)

    2013-10-15

    Highlights: ► The paper deals with the effect on plasma identification of error fields generated by field coils manufacturing and assembly errors. ► EFIT++ is used to identify plasma gaps when poloidal field coils and central solenoid coils are deformed, and the gaps sensitivity with respect to such errors is analyzed. ► Some examples of reconstruction errors in the presence of deformations are reported. -- Abstract: The active control of plasma discharges in present Tokamak devices must be prompt and accurate to guarantee expected performance. As a consequence, the identification step, calculating plasma parameters from diagnostics, should provide in a very short time reliable estimates of the relevant quantities, such as plasma centroid position, plasma-wall distances at given points called gaps, and other geometrical parameters as elongation and triangularity. To achieve the desired response promptness, a number of simplifying assumptions are usually made in the identification algorithms. Among those clearly affecting the quality of the plasma parameters reconstruction, one of the most relevant is the precise knowledge of the magnetic field produced by active coils. Since uncertainties in their manufacturing and assembly process may cause misalignments between the actual and expected geometry and position of magnets, an analysis on the effect of possible wrong information about magnets on the plasma shape identification is documented in this paper.

  16. Stability Analysis of Neural Networks-Based System Identification

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Talel Korkobi

    2008-01-01

    Full Text Available This paper treats some problems related to nonlinear systems identification. A stability analysis neural network model for identifying nonlinear dynamic systems is presented. A constrained adaptive stable backpropagation updating law is presented and used in the proposed identification approach. The proposed backpropagation training algorithm is modified to obtain an adaptive learning rate guarantying convergence stability. The proposed learning rule is the backpropagation algorithm under the condition that the learning rate belongs to a specified range defining the stability domain. Satisfying such condition, unstable phenomena during the learning process are avoided. A Lyapunov analysis leads to the computation of the expression of a convenient adaptive learning rate verifying the convergence stability criteria. Finally, the elaborated training algorithm is applied in several simulations. The results confirm the effectiveness of the CSBP algorithm.

  17. The Impact of Entrepreneurship Education: A Study of Iranian Students' Entrepreneurial Intentions and Opportunity Identification

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Karimi, S.; Biemans, H.J.A.; Lans, T.; Chizari, M.; Mulder, M.

    2016-01-01

    Building on the theory of planned behavior, an ex ante and ex post survey was used to assess the impacts of elective and compulsory entrepreneurship education programs (EEPs) on students' entrepreneurial intention and identification of opportunities. Data were collected by questionnaire from a

  18. galaxie--CGI scripts for sequence identification through automated phylogenetic analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nilsson, R Henrik; Larsson, Karl-Henrik; Ursing, Björn M

    2004-06-12

    The prevalent use of similarity searches like BLAST to identify sequences and species implicitly assumes the reference database to be of extensive sequence sampling. This is often not the case, restraining the correctness of the outcome as a basis for sequence identification. Phylogenetic inference outperforms similarity searches in retrieving correct phylogenies and consequently sequence identities, and a project was initiated to design a freely available script package for sequence identification through automated Web-based phylogenetic analysis. Three CGI scripts were designed to facilitate qualified sequence identification from a Web interface. Query sequences are aligned to pre-made alignments or to alignments made by ClustalW with entries retrieved from a BLAST search. The subsequent phylogenetic analysis is based on the PHYLIP package for inferring neighbor-joining and parsimony trees. The scripts are highly configurable. A service installation and a version for local use are found at http://andromeda.botany.gu.se/galaxiewelcome.html and http://galaxie.cgb.ki.se

  19. Identification and Prioritization of Relationships between Environmental Stressors and Adverse Human Health Impacts.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bell, Shannon M; Edwards, Stephen W

    2015-11-01

    There are > 80,000 chemicals in commerce with few data available describing their impacts on human health. Biomonitoring surveys, such as the NHANES (National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey), offer one route to identifying possible relationships between environmental chemicals and health impacts, but sparse data and the complexity of traditional models make it difficult to leverage effectively. We describe a workflow to efficiently and comprehensively evaluate and prioritize chemical-health impact relationships from the NHANES biomonitoring survey studies. Using a frequent itemset mining (FIM) approach, we identified relationships between chemicals and health biomarkers and diseases. The FIM method identified 7,848 relationships between 219 chemicals and 93 health outcomes/biomarkers. Two case studies used to evaluate the FIM rankings demonstrate that the FIM approach is able to identify published relationships. Because the relationships are derived from the vast majority of the chemicals monitored by NHANES, the resulting list of associations is appropriate for evaluating results from targeted data mining or identifying novel candidate relationships for more detailed investigation. Because of the computational efficiency of the FIM method, all chemicals and health effects can be considered in a single analysis. The resulting list provides a comprehensive summary of the chemical/health co-occurrences from NHANES that are higher than expected by chance. This information enables ranking and prioritization on chemicals or health effects of interest for evaluation of published results and design of future studies. Bell SM, Edwards SW. 2015. Identification and prioritization of relationships between environmental stressors and adverse human health impacts. Environ Health Perspect 123:1193-1199; http://dx.doi.org/10.1289/ehp.1409138.

  20. A study on association and correlation of lip and finger print pattern analysis for gender identification

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Surapaneni Ratheesh Kumar Nandan

    2015-01-01

    Conclusion: Lip print analysis is a challenging area in the personal identification during forensic dentistry examination. The study revealed the weaker correlation and approachable significance of lip and finger print pattern in gender identification. Future studies should be encouraged in the direction of software based identification for lip and finger print analysis in gender identification. Such studies may benefit this study pattern in more accurate way.

  1. Direct identification of fungi using image analysis

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Dørge, Thorsten Carlheim; Carstensen, Jens Michael; Frisvad, Jens Christian

    1999-01-01

    Filamentous fungi have often been characterized, classified or identified with a major emphasis on macromorphological characters, i.e. the size, texture and color of fungal colonies grown on one or more identification media. This approach has been rejcted by several taxonomists because of the sub......Filamentous fungi have often been characterized, classified or identified with a major emphasis on macromorphological characters, i.e. the size, texture and color of fungal colonies grown on one or more identification media. This approach has been rejcted by several taxonomists because...... of the subjectivity in the visual evaluation and quantification (if any)of such characters and the apparent large variability of the features. We present an image analysis approach for objective identification and classification of fungi. The approach is exemplified by several isolates of nine different species...... of the genus Penicillium, known to be very difficult to identify correctly. The fungi were incubated on YES and CYA for one week at 25 C (3 point inoculation) in 9 cm Petri dishes. The cultures are placed under a camera where a digital image of the front of the colonies is acquired under optimal illumination...

  2. Drainage identification analysis and mapping, phase 2 : technical brief.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2017-01-01

    This research studied, tested and rectified the compatibility issue related to the recent upgrades of : NJDOT vendor inspection software, and uploaded all collected data to make Drainage Identification : Analysis and Mapping System (DIAMS) current an...

  3. A signal-detection analysis of eyewitness identification across the adult lifespan.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Colloff, Melissa F; Wade, Kimberley A; Wixted, John T; Maylor, Elizabeth A

    2017-05-01

    Middle-aged and older adults are frequently victims and witnesses of crime, but knowledge of how identification performance changes over the adult life span is sparse. The authors asked young (18-30 years), middle-aged (31-59 years), and older (60-95 years) adults (N = 2,670) to watch a video of a mock crime and to attempt to identify the culprit from a fair lineup (in which all of the lineup members matched the appearance of the suspect) or an unfair lineup (in which the suspect stood out). They also asked subjects to provide confidence ratings for their identification decisions. To examine identification performance, the authors used a standard response-type analysis, receiver operating characteristic analysis, and signal-detection process modeling. The results revealed that, in fair lineups, aging was associated with a genuine decline in recognition ability-discriminability-and not an increased willingness to choose. Perhaps most strikingly, middle-aged and older adults were generally effective at regulating their confidence judgments to reflect the likely accuracy of their suspect identification decisions. Model-fitting confirmed that the older adults spread their decision criteria such that identifications made with high confidence were likely to be highly accurate, despite the substantial decline in discriminability with age. In unfair lineups, ability to discriminate between innocent and guilty suspects was poor in all age groups. The research enhances theoretical understanding of the ways in which identification behavior changes with age, and has important practical implications for how legal decision-makers should interpret identifications made by middle-aged and older eyewitnesses. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

  4. Genomewide identification, classification and analysis of NAC type ...

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    Supplementary data: Genomewide identification, classification and analysis of NAC type gene family in maize. Xiaojian Peng, Yang Zhao, Xiaoming Li, Min Wu, Wenbo Chai, Lei Sheng, Yu Wang, Qing Dong,. Haiyang Jiang and Beijiu Cheng. J. Genet. 94, 377–390. Table 1. Detailed information of NAC proteins in maize.

  5. When do employees identify? An analysis of cross-sectional and longitudinal predictors of training group and organizational identification

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Eisenbeiss, Kerstin K.; Ottenz, Sabine

    Organizational research has shown the impact of organizational identification on employees' attitudes and behavior, and its relevance for economic success (Haslam, 2004). Furthermore, the necessity to differentiate levels of identification within organizations has been emphasized (van Knippenberg &

  6. Music-Elicited Emotion Identification Using Optical Flow Analysis of Human Face

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kniaz, V. V.; Smirnova, Z. N.

    2015-05-01

    Human emotion identification from image sequences is highly demanded nowadays. The range of possible applications can vary from an automatic smile shutter function of consumer grade digital cameras to Biofied Building technologies, which enables communication between building space and residents. The highly perceptual nature of human emotions leads to the complexity of their classification and identification. The main question arises from the subjective quality of emotional classification of events that elicit human emotions. A variety of methods for formal classification of emotions were developed in musical psychology. This work is focused on identification of human emotions evoked by musical pieces using human face tracking and optical flow analysis. Facial feature tracking algorithm used for facial feature speed and position estimation is presented. Facial features were extracted from each image sequence using human face tracking with local binary patterns (LBP) features. Accurate relative speeds of facial features were estimated using optical flow analysis. Obtained relative positions and speeds were used as the output facial emotion vector. The algorithm was tested using original software and recorded image sequences. The proposed technique proves to give a robust identification of human emotions elicited by musical pieces. The estimated models could be used for human emotion identification from image sequences in such fields as emotion based musical background or mood dependent radio.

  7. Structural identification of short/middle span bridges by rapid impact testing: theory and verification

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Jian; Zhang, Q. Q.; Guo, S. L.; Xu, D. W.; Wu, Z. S.

    2015-06-01

    A structural strain flexibility identification method by processing the multiple-reference impact testing data is proposed. First, a kind of novel long-gauge fiber optic sensor is developed for structural macro-strain monitoring. Second, the multiple-reference impact testing technology is employed, during which both the impacting force and structural strain responses are measured. The impact testing technology has unique merit because it is able to extract exact structural frequency response functions (FRFs), while other test methods, for instance ambient tests, can only output the FRFs with scaled magnitudes. Most importantly, the originality of the article is that a method of identifying the structural strain flexibility characteristic from the impact test data has been proposed, which is useful for structural static strain prediction and capacity evaluation. Examples of a six meter simple supported beam and a multiple-span continuous beam bridge have successfully verified the effectiveness of the proposed method.

  8. Structural identification of short/middle span bridges by rapid impact testing: theory and verification

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhang, Jian; Wu, Z S; Zhang, Q Q; Guo, S L; Xu, D W

    2015-01-01

    A structural strain flexibility identification method by processing the multiple-reference impact testing data is proposed. First, a kind of novel long-gauge fiber optic sensor is developed for structural macro-strain monitoring. Second, the multiple-reference impact testing technology is employed, during which both the impacting force and structural strain responses are measured. The impact testing technology has unique merit because it is able to extract exact structural frequency response functions (FRFs), while other test methods, for instance ambient tests, can only output the FRFs with scaled magnitudes. Most importantly, the originality of the article is that a method of identifying the structural strain flexibility characteristic from the impact test data has been proposed, which is useful for structural static strain prediction and capacity evaluation. Examples of a six meter simple supported beam and a multiple-span continuous beam bridge have successfully verified the effectiveness of the proposed method. (paper)

  9. Identification of five sea cucumber species through PCR-RFLP analysis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lv, Yingchun; Zheng, Rong; Zuo, Tao; Wang, Yuming; Li, Zhaojie; Xue, Yong; Xue, Changhu; Tang, Qingjuan

    2014-10-01

    Sea cucumbers are traditional marine food and Chinese medicine in Asia. The rapid expansion of sea cucumber market has resulted in various problems, such as commercial fraud and mislabeling. Conventionally, sea cucumber species could be distinguished by their morphological and anatomical characteristics; however, their identification becomes difficult when they are processed. The aim of this study was to develop a new convenient method of identifying and distinguishing sea cucumber species. Polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) analysis of mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase I gene ( COI) was used to identifing five sea cucumber species ( Apostichopus japonicus, Cucumaria frondosa, Thelenota ananas, Parastichopus californicus and Actinopyga lecanora). A 692 bp fragment of COI was searched for BamHI, KpnI, PstI, XbaI and Eco31I restriction sites with DNAMAN 6.0, which were then used to PCR-RFLP analysis. These five sea cucumber species can be discriminated from mixed sea cucumbers. The developed PCR-RFLP assay will facilitate the identification of sea cucumbers, making their source tracing and quality controlling feasible.

  10. Examining the effectiveness of discriminant function analysis and cluster analysis in species identification of male field crickets based on their calling songs.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ranjana Jaiswara

    Full Text Available Traditional taxonomy based on morphology has often failed in accurate species identification owing to the occurrence of cryptic species, which are reproductively isolated but morphologically identical. Molecular data have thus been used to complement morphology in species identification. The sexual advertisement calls in several groups of acoustically communicating animals are species-specific and can thus complement molecular data as non-invasive tools for identification. Several statistical tools and automated identifier algorithms have been used to investigate the efficiency of acoustic signals in species identification. Despite a plethora of such methods, there is a general lack of knowledge regarding the appropriate usage of these methods in specific taxa. In this study, we investigated the performance of two commonly used statistical methods, discriminant function analysis (DFA and cluster analysis, in identification and classification based on acoustic signals of field cricket species belonging to the subfamily Gryllinae. Using a comparative approach we evaluated the optimal number of species and calling song characteristics for both the methods that lead to most accurate classification and identification. The accuracy of classification using DFA was high and was not affected by the number of taxa used. However, a constraint in using discriminant function analysis is the need for a priori classification of songs. Accuracy of classification using cluster analysis, which does not require a priori knowledge, was maximum for 6-7 taxa and decreased significantly when more than ten taxa were analysed together. We also investigated the efficacy of two novel derived acoustic features in improving the accuracy of identification. Our results show that DFA is a reliable statistical tool for species identification using acoustic signals. Our results also show that cluster analysis of acoustic signals in crickets works effectively for species

  11. Cross-impacts analysis development and energy policy analysis applications

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Roop, J.M.; Scheer, R.M.; Stacey, G.S.

    1986-12-01

    Purpose of this report is to describe the cross-impact analysis process and microcomputer software developed for the Office of Policy, Planning, and Analysis (PPA) of DOE. First introduced in 1968, cross-impact analysis is a technique that produces scenarios of future conditions and possibilities. Cross-impact analysis has several unique attributes that make it a tool worth examining, especially in the current climate when the outlook for the economy and several of the key energy markets is uncertain. Cross-impact analysis complements the econometric, engineering, systems dynamics, or trend approaches already in use at DOE. Cross-impact analysis produces self-consistent scenarios in the broadest sense and can include interaction between the economy, technology, society and the environment. Energy policy analyses that couple broad scenarios of the future with detailed forecasting can produce more powerful results than scenario analysis or forecasts can produce alone.

  12. Mediating Role of Perceived Organizational Support on the Impact of Psychol ogical Capital on Organizational Identification

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Haluk Erdem

    2015-06-01

    Full Text Available Employees’ loyalty toward organizations is decreasing gradually recently. This phenomenon negatively affects the dimensions of organizational behavior directly or indirectly. In this study, the effect of psychological capital on organizational identification, and the mediating role of perceived org anizational support in this association are explored. Thereby, data based on the government employees in Bitlis Province (n=478 are analyzed (exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses, regression analysis and it is supported that psychological capital increases positively and significantly perceived organizational support and organizational identification. Besides, the mediating role of organizational support in the association between psychological capital and organizational identification is supporte d using tree step regression analysis and Sobel Test

  13. Chromatographic fingerprint similarity analysis for pollutant source identification

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Xie, Juan-Ping; Ni, Hong-Gang

    2015-01-01

    In the present study, a similarity analysis method was proposed to evaluate the source-sink relationships among environmental media for polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), which were taken as the representative contaminants. Chromatographic fingerprint analysis has been widely used in the fields of natural products chemistry and forensic chemistry, but its application to environmental science has been limited. We established a library of various sources of media containing contaminants (e.g., plastics), recognizing that the establishment of a more comprehensive library allows for a better understanding of the sources of contamination. We then compared an environmental complex mixture (e.g., sediment, soil) with the profiles in the library. These comparisons could be used as the first step in source tracking. The cosine similarities between plastic and soil or sediment ranged from 0.53 to 0.68, suggesting that plastic in electronic waste is an important source of PBDEs in the environment, but it is not the only source. A similarity analysis between soil and sediment indicated that they have a source-sink relationship. Generally, the similarity analysis method can encompass more relevant information of complex mixtures in the environment than a profile-based approach that only focuses on target pollutants. There is an inherent advantage to creating a data matrix containing all peaks and their relative levels after matching the peaks based on retention times and peak areas. This data matrix can be used for source identification via a similarity analysis without quantitative or qualitative analysis of all chemicals in a sample. - Highlights: • Chromatographic fingerprint analysis can be used as the first step in source tracking. • Similarity analysis method can encompass more relevant information of pollution. • The fingerprints strongly depend on the chromatographic conditions. • A more effective and robust method for identifying similarities is required

  14. Parameter identification for structural dynamics based on interval analysis algorithm

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, Chen; Lu, Zixing; Yang, Zhenyu; Liang, Ke

    2018-04-01

    A parameter identification method using interval analysis algorithm for structural dynamics is presented in this paper. The proposed uncertain identification method is investigated by using central difference method and ARMA system. With the help of the fixed memory least square method and matrix inverse lemma, a set-membership identification technology is applied to obtain the best estimation of the identified parameters in a tight and accurate region. To overcome the lack of insufficient statistical description of the uncertain parameters, this paper treats uncertainties as non-probabilistic intervals. As long as we know the bounds of uncertainties, this algorithm can obtain not only the center estimations of parameters, but also the bounds of errors. To improve the efficiency of the proposed method, a time-saving algorithm is presented by recursive formula. At last, to verify the accuracy of the proposed method, two numerical examples are applied and evaluated by three identification criteria respectively.

  15. A novel joint analysis framework improves identification of differentially expressed genes in cross disease transcriptomic analysis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Wenyi Qin

    2018-02-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Motivation Detecting differentially expressed (DE genes between disease and normal control group is one of the most common analyses in genome-wide transcriptomic data. Since most studies don’t have a lot of samples, researchers have used meta-analysis to group different datasets for the same disease. Even then, in many cases the statistical power is still not enough. Taking into account the fact that many diseases share the same disease genes, it is desirable to design a statistical framework that can identify diseases’ common and specific DE genes simultaneously to improve the identification power. Results We developed a novel empirical Bayes based mixture model to identify DE genes in specific study by leveraging the shared information across multiple different disease expression data sets. The effectiveness of joint analysis was demonstrated through comprehensive simulation studies and two real data applications. The simulation results showed that our method consistently outperformed single data set analysis and two other meta-analysis methods in identification power. In real data analysis, overall our method demonstrated better identification power in detecting DE genes and prioritized more disease related genes and disease related pathways than single data set analysis. Over 150% more disease related genes are identified by our method in application to Huntington’s disease. We expect that our method would provide researchers a new way of utilizing available data sets from different diseases when sample size of the focused disease is limited.

  16. A Method of Fire Scenarios Identification in a Consolidated Fire Risk Analysis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lim, Ho Gon; Han, Sang Hoon; Yang, Joon Eon

    2010-01-01

    Conventional fire PSA consider only two cases of fire scenarios, that is one for fire without propagation and the other for single propagation to neighboring compartment. Recently, a consolidated fire risk analysis using single fault tree (FT) was developed. However, the fire scenario identification in the new method is similar to conventional fire analysis method. The present study develops a new method of fire scenario identification in a consolidated fire risk analysis method. An equation for fire propagation is developed to identify fire scenario and a mapping method of fire scenarios into internal event risk model is discussed. Finally, an algorithm for automatic program is suggested

  17. Impact of disguise on identification decisions and confidence with simultaneous and sequential lineups.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mansour, Jamal K; Beaudry, Jennifer L; Bertrand, Michelle I; Kalmet, Natalie; Melsom, Elisabeth I; Lindsay, Roderick C L

    2012-12-01

    Prior research indicates that disguise negatively affects lineup identifications, but the mechanisms by which disguise works have not been explored, and different disguises have not been compared. In two experiments (Ns = 87 and 91) we manipulated degree of coverage by two different types of disguise: a stocking mask or sunglasses and toque (i.e., knitted hat). Participants viewed mock-crime videos followed by simultaneous or sequential lineups. Disguise and lineup type did not interact. In support of the view that disguise prevents encoding, identification accuracy generally decreased with degree of disguise. For the stocking disguise, however, full and 2/3 coverage led to approximately the same rate of correct identifications--which suggests that disrupting encoding of specific features may be as detrimental as disrupting a whole face. Accuracy was most affected by sunglasses and we discuss the role metacognitions may have played. Lineup selections decreased more slowly than accuracy as coverage by disguise increased, indicating witnesses are insensitive to the effect of encoding conditions on accuracy. We also explored the impact of disguise and lineup type on witnesses' confidence in their lineup decisions, though the results were not straightforward.

  18. ECONOMIC IMPACT OF CULTURAL TOURISM

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zrinka Zadel

    2013-12-01

    Full Text Available The subject of analysis in the paper is economic impact of cultural tourism and identification of the main factors which directly affect cultural tourism revenues. Most countries do not have a statistical system of monitoring and analysing individual factors of cultural tourism such as the number of arrivals of cultural tourists and consumption of cultural tourists. Therefore, it is hard to assess the economic impact of cultural tourism. In cultural tourism, cultural assets are prepared and placed on the tourist market, i.e. cultural resources are transformed into cultural tourism products. The main objective is fulfilling tourists' needs, and achieving positive effects which includes economic effects. Identification of the economic impact of cultural tourism is important because cultural resources have an inestimable value for the local community. Tourism valorisation should be used in order to achieve the necessary maximum effects with minimum negative impacts which tourism may leave on cultural resources. The objective of the paper is to identify the economic contribution of cultural tourism in the Republic of Croatia and to propose a model of identification of economic impact of cultural tourism.

  19. Impact source identification in finite isotropic plates using a time-reversal method: theoretical study

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chen, Chunlin; Yuan, Fuh-Gwo

    2010-01-01

    This paper aims to identify impact sources on plate-like structures based on the synthetic time-reversal (T-R) concept using an array of sensors. The impact source characteristics, namely, impact location and impact loading time history, are reconstructed using the invariance of time-reversal concept, reciprocal theory, and signal processing algorithms. Numerical verification for two finite isotropic plates under low and high velocity impacts is performed to demonstrate the versatility of the synthetic T-R method for impact source identification. The results show that the impact location and time history of the impact force with various shapes and frequency bands can be readily obtained with only four sensors distributed around the impact location. The effects of time duration and the inaccuracy in the estimated impact location on the accuracy of the time history of the impact force using the T-R method are investigated. Since the T-R technique retraces all the multi-paths of reflected waves from the geometrical boundaries back to the impact location, it is well suited for quantifying the impact characteristics for complex structures. In addition, this method is robust against noise and it is suggested that a small number of sensors is sufficient to quantify the impact source characteristics through simple computation; thus it holds promise for the development of passive structural health monitoring (SHM) systems for impact monitoring in near real-time

  20. Operational modal analysis and wavelet transformation for damage identification in wind turbine blades

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Ulriksen, Martin Dalgaard; Tcherniak, Dmitri; Kirkegaard, Poul Henning

    2014-01-01

    The presented study demonstrates an application of a previously proposed modal and wavelet analysis-based damage identification method to a wind turbine blade. A trailing edge debonding was introduced to a SSP 34m blade mounted on a test rig. Operational modal analysis (OMA) was conducted to obtain...... are captured in the CWT by significantly magnified transform coefficients, thus providing combined damage detection, localization, and size assessment. It was found that due to the nature of the proposed method, the value of the identification results highly depends on the number of employed measurement points....... Since only a limited number of measurement points were utilized in the experiments, valid damage identification can only be obtained when employing high-frequency modes....

  1. Value-impact analysis. Final report

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cohn, M.; Dracup, J.A.; Erdmann, R.C.; Hughes, E.; vonHerrmann, J.

    1979-11-01

    This document represents a first step in the process of developing comprehensive value-impact methodology for the nuclear industry. It describes the development of the methodology and includes a discussion of the uses of cost-benefit or value-impact by other industries. This background is provided as a guide to the development of the methodology for the specific problems confronted by the nuclear industry. The use of benefit-cost analysis, or value-impact analysis, within the nuclear power industry has grown in recent years and is relied upon by both the regulatory community and the regulated industry. This report summarizes the state of the art of value-impact analysis as it affects these users. Relevant past experience in such fields as water resource development, transportation, environmental concerns, and health and medicine is reviewed. A critique of the applicability of existing value-impact analysis methods to nuclear safety decision problems is presented

  2. Identification of facility constraints that impact transportation operations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Peterson, R.W.; Pope, R.B.

    1990-01-01

    As Federal waste Management Systems (FWMS) receiving facilities become available, the US Department of Energy (DOE) intends to begin accepting spent nuclear fuel from US utilities for eventual permanent disposal. Transporting the radioactive spent fuel to the repository will require development of a complex network of equipment, services, and operations personnel that will comprise the Transportation Operations System. This paper identifies and discusses, in a qualitative manner, the key reactor facility constraints that will eventually need to be assessed in detail on a site-specific basis to guide the development of the FWMS transportation cask fleet. This evaluation of constraints is needed to assess their impact on the size, composition, availability, and use of the cask fleet and to assist in the development of the transportation system support facilities such as a cask maintenance facility. Such assessment will also be needed to support decisions on modifying shipping facilities (i.e., reactors), identification and design of interface hardware, and on the designs of receiving facilities

  3. Direct identification of pure penicillium species using image analysis

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Dørge, Thorsten Carlheim; Carstensen, Jens Michael; Frisvad, Jens Christian

    2000-01-01

    This paper presents a method for direct identification of fungal species solely by means of digital image analysis of colonies as seen after growth on a standard medium. The method described is completely automated and hence objective once digital images of the reference fungi have been establish...

  4. China’s Air Defense Identification Zone: Concept, Issues at Stake and Regional Impact

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-12-23

    early Chinese legal culture ” Karen Turner “War, Punishment, and The Law of Nature in Early Chinese Concepts of The State”, Harvard Journal of Asiatic...lack of strategic direction, moral relativism , a failure to gauge the significance of what is at stake, and distraction with events in other regions of...WORKING PAPER 1 posted 23 December 2013 CHINA’S AIR DEFENSE IDENTIFICATION ZONE: CONCEPT , ISSUES AT STAKE AND REGIONAL IMPACT

  5. Probabilistic risk analysis and fault trees: Initial discussion of application to identification of risk at a wellhead

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rodak, C.; Silliman, S.

    2012-02-01

    Wellhead protection is of critical importance for managing groundwater resources. While a number of previous authors have addressed questions related to uncertainties in advective capture zones, methods for addressing wellhead protection in the presence of uncertainty in the chemistry of groundwater contaminants, the relationship between land-use and contaminant sources, and the impact on health of the receiving population are limited. It is herein suggested that probabilistic risk analysis (PRA) combined with fault trees (FT) provides a structure whereby chemical transport can be combined with uncertainties in source, chemistry, and health impact to assess the probability of negative health outcomes in the population. As such, PRA-FT provides a new strategy for the identification of areas of probabilistically high human health risk. Application of this approach is demonstrated through a simplified case study involving flow to a well in an unconfined aquifer with heterogeneity in aquifer properties and contaminant sources.

  6. Discriminant Analysis of Raman Spectra for Body Fluid Identification for Forensic Purposes

    OpenAIRE

    Sikirzhytski, Vitali; Virkler, Kelly; Lednev, Igor K.

    2010-01-01

    Detection and identification of blood, semen and saliva stains, the most common body fluids encountered at a crime scene, are very important aspects of forensic science today. This study targets the development of a nondestructive, confirmatory method for body fluid identification based on Raman spectroscopy coupled with advanced statistical analysis. Dry traces of blood, semen and saliva obtained from multiple donors were probed using a confocal Raman microscope with a 785-nm excitation wave...

  7. A study on identification of nonlinear structure by experimental modal analysis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sone, Akira; Suzuki, Kohei; Nakamura, Hajime.

    1990-01-01

    In this paper, identification techniques based on the experimental modal analysis for the equivalent modal parameters of nonlinear structures are examined from a practical viewpoint. First, using a simple cantilever model with gap or friction at the supported end, the gain characteristics of transfer function are evaluated through the sinusoidal sweep test and random wave test. Second, the equivalent modal parameters such as natural frequency and damping ratio are estimated by two types of identification techniques: ARMA (autoregressive/moving average) model fitting and curve fitting with iterative calculations. From the comparison of the response of the model obtained by the random excitation test and numerical calculation using the equivalent modal parameters, it has been clarified that the ARMA model fitting can be applied to linearized modal parameter identification for nonlinear structures. (author)

  8. Lost-in-Space Star Identification Using Planar Triangle Principal Component Analysis Algorithm

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Fuqiang Zhou

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available It is a challenging task for a star sensor to implement star identification and determine the attitude of a spacecraft in the lost-in-space mode. Several algorithms based on triangle method are proposed for star identification in this mode. However, these methods hold great time consumption and large guide star catalog memory size. The star identification performance of these methods requires improvements. To address these problems, a star identification algorithm using planar triangle principal component analysis is presented here. A star pattern is generated based on the planar triangle created by stars within the field of view of a star sensor and the projection of the triangle. Since a projection can determine an index for a unique triangle in the catalog, the adoption of the k-vector range search technique makes this algorithm very fast. In addition, a sharing star validation method is constructed to verify the identification results. Simulation results show that the proposed algorithm is more robust than the planar triangle and P-vector algorithms under the same conditions.

  9. Comparative analysis of different weight matrices in subspace system identification for structural health monitoring

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shokravi, H.; Bakhary, NH

    2017-11-01

    Subspace System Identification (SSI) is considered as one of the most reliable tools for identification of system parameters. Performance of a SSI scheme is considerably affected by the structure of the associated identification algorithm. Weight matrix is a variable in SSI that is used to reduce the dimensionality of the state-space equation. Generally one of the weight matrices of Principle Component (PC), Unweighted Principle Component (UPC) and Canonical Variate Analysis (CVA) are used in the structure of a SSI algorithm. An increasing number of studies in the field of structural health monitoring are using SSI for damage identification. However, studies that evaluate the performance of the weight matrices particularly in association with accuracy, noise resistance, and time complexity properties are very limited. In this study, the accuracy, noise-robustness, and time-efficiency of the weight matrices are compared using different qualitative and quantitative metrics. Three evaluation metrics of pole analysis, fit values and elapsed time are used in the assessment process. A numerical model of a mass-spring-dashpot and operational data is used in this research paper. It is observed that the principal components obtained using PC algorithms are more robust against noise uncertainty and give more stable results for the pole distribution. Furthermore, higher estimation accuracy is achieved using UPC algorithm. CVA had the worst performance for pole analysis and time efficiency analysis. The superior performance of the UPC algorithm in the elapsed time is attributed to using unit weight matrices. The obtained results demonstrated that the process of reducing dimensionality in CVA and PC has not enhanced the time efficiency but yield an improved modal identification in PC.

  10. Impact of a radio-frequency identification system and information interchange on clearance processes for cargo at border posts

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ernest Bhero

    2015-11-01

    Full Text Available Background: Improved operational efficiency is important to role players in cross-border logistics and trade corridors. Cargo owners and cargo forwarders have been particularly concerned about long delays in the processing and clearing of cargo at border posts. Field studies suggest that these delays are due to a combination of factors, such as a lack of optimum system configurations and non-optimised human-dependent operations, which make the operations prone to corruption and other malpractices. Objectives: This article presents possible strategies for improving some of the operations in this sector. The research hinges on two key questions: (1 what is the impact of information interchange between stakeholders on the cargo transit time and (2 how will cargo transit time be impacted upon by automatic identification of cargo and the status of cargo seals on arriving vehicles at the border? Method: The use of information communication systems enabled by automatic identification systems (incorporating radio-frequency identification technology is suggested. Results: Results obtained by the described simulation model indicate that improvements of up to 82% with regard to transit time are possible using these techniques. Conclusion: The findings therefore demonstrate how operations at border posts can be improved through the use of appropriate technology and configuration of the operations.

  11. The identification of functional motifs in temporal gene expression analysis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Michael G. Surette

    2005-01-01

    Full Text Available The identification of transcription factor binding sites is essential to the understanding of the regulation of gene expression and the reconstruction of genetic regulatory networks. The in silico identification of cis-regulatory motifs is challenging due to sequence variability and lack of sufficient data to generate consensus motifs that are of quantitative or even qualitative predictive value. To determine functional motifs in gene expression, we propose a strategy to adopt false discovery rate (FDR and estimate motif effects to evaluate combinatorial analysis of motif candidates and temporal gene expression data. The method decreases the number of predicted motifs, which can then be confirmed by genetic analysis. To assess the method we used simulated motif/expression data to evaluate parameters. We applied this approach to experimental data for a group of iron responsive genes in Salmonella typhimurium 14028S. The method identified known and potentially new ferric-uptake regulator (Fur binding sites. In addition, we identified uncharacterized functional motif candidates that correlated with specific patterns of expression. A SAS code for the simulation and analysis gene expression data is available from the first author upon request.

  12. Eyewitness identification: Bayesian information gain, base-rate effect equivalency curves, and reasonable suspicion.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wells, Gary L; Yang, Yueran; Smalarz, Laura

    2015-04-01

    We provide a novel Bayesian treatment of the eyewitness identification problem as it relates to various system variables, such as instruction effects, lineup presentation format, lineup-filler similarity, lineup administrator influence, and show-ups versus lineups. We describe why eyewitness identification is a natural Bayesian problem and how numerous important observations require careful consideration of base rates. Moreover, we argue that the base rate in eyewitness identification should be construed as a system variable (under the control of the justice system). We then use prior-by-posterior curves and information-gain curves to examine data obtained from a large number of published experiments. Next, we show how information-gain curves are moderated by system variables and by witness confidence and we note how information-gain curves reveal that lineups are consistently more proficient at incriminating the guilty than they are at exonerating the innocent. We then introduce a new type of analysis that we developed called base rate effect-equivalency (BREE) curves. BREE curves display how much change in the base rate is required to match the impact of any given system variable. The results indicate that even relatively modest changes to the base rate can have more impact on the reliability of eyewitness identification evidence than do the traditional system variables that have received so much attention in the literature. We note how this Bayesian analysis of eyewitness identification has implications for the question of whether there ought to be a reasonable-suspicion criterion for placing a person into the jeopardy of an identification procedure. (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved).

  13. Full second order chromatographic/spectrometric data matrices for automated sample identification and component analysis by non-data-reducing image analysis

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Nielsen, Niles-Peter Vest; Smedsgaard, Jørn; Frisvad, Jens Christian

    1999-01-01

    A data analysis method is proposed for identification and for confirmation of classification schemes, based on single- or multiple-wavelength chromatographic profiles. The proposed method works directly on the chromatographic data without data reduction procedures such as peak area or retention...... classes from the reference chromatograms, This feature is a valuable aid in selecting components for further analysis, The identification method is demonstrated on two data sets: 212 isolates from 41 food-borne Penicillium species and 61 isolates from 6 soil-borne Penicillium species. Both data sets...

  14. Identification problems with given material interfaces

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Haslinger, Jaroslav; Blaheta, Radim; Hrtus, Rostislav

    2017-01-01

    Roč. 310, January 2017 (2017), s. 129-142 ISSN 0377-0427 R&D Projects: GA MŠk ED1.1.00/02.0070; GA MŠk LQ1602 Institutional support: RVO:68145535 Keywords : identification of conductivity coefficients * control of systems by coefficients of PDE * algebraic sensitivity analysis * scalarization technique * pumping test Subject RIV: BA - General Mathematics OBOR OECD: Applied mathematics Impact factor: 1.357, year: 2016 http://www. science direct.com/ science /article/pii/S0377042716302953

  15. Identification problems with given material interfaces

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Haslinger, Jaroslav; Blaheta, Radim; Hrtus, Rostislav

    2017-01-01

    Roč. 310, January 2017 (2017), s. 129-142 ISSN 0377-0427 R&D Projects: GA MŠk ED1.1.00/02.0070; GA MŠk LQ1602 Institutional support: RVO:68145535 Keywords : identification of conductivity coefficients * control of systems by coefficients of PDE * algebraic sensitivity analysis * scalarization technique * pumping test Subject RIV: BA - General Mathematics OBOR OECD: Applied mathematics Impact factor: 1.357, year: 2016 http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0377042716302953

  16. Second generation CO2 FEP analysis: Cassifcarbon sequestration scenario identification framework

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Yavuz, F.T.; Tilburg, T. van; Pagnier, H.

    2008-01-01

    A novel scenario analysis framework has been created, called Carbon Sequestration Scenario Identification Framework (CASSIF). This framework addresses containment performance defined by the three major categories: well, fault and seal integrity. The relevant factors that influence the integrity are

  17. Vibration impact acoustic emission technique for identification and analysis of defects in carbon steel tubes: Part A Statistical analysis

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Halim, Zakiah Abd [Universiti Teknikal Malaysia Melaka (Malaysia); Jamaludin, Nordin; Junaidi, Syarif [Faculty of Engineering and Built, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Bangi (Malaysia); Yahya, Syed Yusainee Syed [Universiti Teknologi MARA, Shah Alam (Malaysia)

    2015-04-15

    Current steel tubes inspection techniques are invasive, and the interpretation and evaluation of inspection results are manually done by skilled personnel. This paper presents a statistical analysis of high frequency stress wave signals captured from a newly developed noninvasive, non-destructive tube inspection technique known as the vibration impact acoustic emission (VIAE) technique. Acoustic emission (AE) signals have been introduced into the ASTM A179 seamless steel tubes using an impact hammer, and the AE wave propagation was captured using an AE sensor. Specifically, a healthy steel tube as the reference tube and four steel tubes with through-hole artificial defect at different locations were used in this study. The AE features extracted from the captured signals are rise time, peak amplitude, duration and count. The VIAE technique also analysed the AE signals using statistical features such as root mean square (r.m.s.), energy, and crest factor. It was evident that duration, count, r.m.s., energy and crest factor could be used to automatically identify the presence of defect in carbon steel tubes using AE signals captured using the non-invasive VIAE technique.

  18. ToF-SIMS studies of Bacillus using multivariate analysis with possible identification and taxonomic applications

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Thompson, C.E.; Ellis, J.; Fletcher, J.S.; Goodacre, R.; Henderson, A.; Lockyer, N.P.; Vickerman, J.C.

    2006-01-01

    In this paper we discuss the application of ToF-SIMS with an Au 3 + primary ion beam, combined with principal components analysis (PCA) and discriminant function analysis (DFA) for the identification of individual strains of two Bacillus species. The ToF-SIMS PC-DFA methodology is capable of distinguishing bacteria at the strain level based on analysis of surface chemical species. By classifying the data using hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) we are able to show quantitative separation of species and of these strains. This has taxonomic implications in the areas of rapid identification of pathogenic microbes isolated from the clinic, food and environment

  19. Identification of Uvaria sp by barcoding coupled with high-resolution melting analysis (Bar-HRM).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Osathanunkul, M; Madesis, P; Ounjai, S; Pumiputavon, K; Somboonchai, R; Lithanatudom, P; Chaowasku, T; Wipasa, J; Suwannapoom, C

    2016-01-13

    DNA barcoding, which was developed about a decade ago, relies on short, standardized regions of the genome to identify plant and animal species. This method can be used to not only identify known species but also to discover novel ones. Numerous sequences are stored in online databases worldwide. One of the ways to save cost and time (by omitting the sequencing step) in species identification is to use available barcode data to design optimized primers for further analysis, such as high-resolution melting analysis (HRM). This study aimed to determine the effectiveness of the hybrid method Bar-HRM (DNA barcoding combined with HRM) to identify species that share similar external morphological features, rather than conduct traditional taxonomic identification that require major parts (leaf, flower, fruit) of the specimens. The specimens used for testing were those, which could not be identified at the species level and could either be Uvaria longipes or Uvaria wrayias, indicated by morphological identification. Primer pairs derived from chloroplast regions (matK, psbA-trnH, rbcL, and trnL) were used in the Bar-HRM. The results obtained from psbA-trnH primers were good enough to help in identifying the specimen while the rest were not. Bar-HRM analysis was proven to be a fast and cost-effective method for plant species identification.

  20. Systematic evaluation of the impact of ChIP-seq read designs on genome coverage, peak identification, and allele-specific binding detection.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Qi; Zeng, Xin; Younkin, Sam; Kawli, Trupti; Snyder, Michael P; Keleş, Sündüz

    2016-02-24

    Chromatin immunoprecipitation followed by sequencing (ChIP-seq) experiments revolutionized genome-wide profiling of transcription factors and histone modifications. Although maturing sequencing technologies allow these experiments to be carried out with short (36-50 bps), long (75-100 bps), single-end, or paired-end reads, the impact of these read parameters on the downstream data analysis are not well understood. In this paper, we evaluate the effects of different read parameters on genome sequence alignment, coverage of different classes of genomic features, peak identification, and allele-specific binding detection. We generated 101 bps paired-end ChIP-seq data for many transcription factors from human GM12878 and MCF7 cell lines. Systematic evaluations using in silico variations of these data as well as fully simulated data, revealed complex interplay between the sequencing parameters and analysis tools, and indicated clear advantages of paired-end designs in several aspects such as alignment accuracy, peak resolution, and most notably, allele-specific binding detection. Our work elucidates the effect of design on the downstream analysis and provides insights to investigators in deciding sequencing parameters in ChIP-seq experiments. We present the first systematic evaluation of the impact of ChIP-seq designs on allele-specific binding detection and highlights the power of pair-end designs in such studies.

  1. Development of an automatic identification algorithm for antibiogram analysis

    OpenAIRE

    Costa, LFR; Eduardo Silva; Noronha, VT; Ivone Vaz-Moreira; Olga C Nunes; de Andrade, MM

    2015-01-01

    Routinely, diagnostic and microbiology laboratories perform antibiogram analysis which can present some difficulties leading to misreadings and intra and inter-reader deviations. An Automatic Identification Algorithm (AIA) has been proposed as a solution to overcome some issues associated with the disc diffusion method, which is the main goal of this work. ALA allows automatic scanning of inhibition zones obtained by antibiograms. More than 60 environmental isolates were tested using suscepti...

  2. Global sensitivity analysis in the identification of cohesive models using full-field kinematic data

    KAUST Repository

    Alfano, Marco; Lubineau, Gilles; Paulino, Glá ucio Hermogenes

    2015-01-01

    Failure of adhesive bonded structures often occurs concurrent with the formation of a non-negligible fracture process zone in front of a macroscopic crack. For this reason, the analysis of damage and fracture is effectively carried out using the cohesive zone model (CZM). The crucial aspect of the CZM approach is the precise determination of the traction-separation relation. Yet it is usually determined empirically, by using calibration procedures combining experimental data, such as load-displacement or crack length data, with finite element simulation of fracture. Thanks to the recent progress in image processing, and the availability of low-cost CCD cameras, it is nowadays relatively easy to access surface displacements across the fracture process zone using for instance Digital Image Correlation (DIC). The rich information provided by correlation techniques prompted the development of versatile inverse parameter identification procedures combining finite element (FE) simulations and full field kinematic data. The focus of the present paper is to assess the effectiveness of these methods in the identification of cohesive zone models. In particular, the analysis is developed in the framework of the variance based global sensitivity analysis. The sensitivity of kinematic data to the sought cohesive properties is explored through the computation of the so-called Sobol sensitivity indexes. The results show that the global sensitivity analysis can help to ascertain the most influential cohesive parameters which need to be incorporated in the identification process. In addition, it is shown that suitable displacement sampling in time and space can lead to optimized measurements for identification purposes.

  3. Global sensitivity analysis in the identification of cohesive models using full-field kinematic data

    KAUST Repository

    Alfano, Marco

    2015-03-01

    Failure of adhesive bonded structures often occurs concurrent with the formation of a non-negligible fracture process zone in front of a macroscopic crack. For this reason, the analysis of damage and fracture is effectively carried out using the cohesive zone model (CZM). The crucial aspect of the CZM approach is the precise determination of the traction-separation relation. Yet it is usually determined empirically, by using calibration procedures combining experimental data, such as load-displacement or crack length data, with finite element simulation of fracture. Thanks to the recent progress in image processing, and the availability of low-cost CCD cameras, it is nowadays relatively easy to access surface displacements across the fracture process zone using for instance Digital Image Correlation (DIC). The rich information provided by correlation techniques prompted the development of versatile inverse parameter identification procedures combining finite element (FE) simulations and full field kinematic data. The focus of the present paper is to assess the effectiveness of these methods in the identification of cohesive zone models. In particular, the analysis is developed in the framework of the variance based global sensitivity analysis. The sensitivity of kinematic data to the sought cohesive properties is explored through the computation of the so-called Sobol sensitivity indexes. The results show that the global sensitivity analysis can help to ascertain the most influential cohesive parameters which need to be incorporated in the identification process. In addition, it is shown that suitable displacement sampling in time and space can lead to optimized measurements for identification purposes.

  4. Environmental impact assessment applied to planning activities

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Vismara, R.

    1994-01-01

    Object of EEC (European Economic Community) directive and italian law are certain public and private projects. However, more recent tendency are moving to an application on planning action too. There is no doubt that EIA (Environmental Impact Analysis) on project is very different than EIA on plans. Obviously EIA on a sectorial plan is not an addition of singular EIA on project. The new main objectives shall be: identification of critical areas; identification of interaction between different projects and between different factors; identification of critical project. A methodology to quantify these objectives in matricial form is presented

  5. Impact of the introduction of standardised packaging on smokers' brand awareness and identification in Australia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Balmford, James; Borland, Ron; Yong, Hua-Hie

    2016-01-01

    The introduction of standardised packaging (SP) in Australia in December 2012 has heightened interest in how image and branding might affect smoking. This paper tests the hypothesis that brand awareness and identification among smokers will decline after the introduction of SP. Longitudinal study of three waves of smokers in Australia, conducted between October 2011-February 2012 (pre-SP) (n = 1104), February-May 2013 (post-SP1) (n = 1093) and August-December 2014 (post-SP2) (n = 1090). We explored the extent of changes in two variables, brand awareness (noticing others with the brand of cigarettes you smoke) and brand identification (perceiving something in common among smokers of your brand), and examined change in a number of other measures of brand appeal, brand characteristics and determinants of brand choice. Brand awareness 'at least sometimes' reduced from 45.3% pre-SP to 26.9% at post-SP2 [odds ratio (OR) 0.35 (0.27-0.45)]. Brand identification also decreased from 18.2% to 12.7% [OR 0.62 (0.42-0.91)]. Significant decline was also found in measures of perceived brand prestige [OR 0.51 (0.39-0.66)] and choice of brand for health reasons [OR 0.45 (0.32-0.63)]. Liking the look of the pack was strongly associated with brand identification, but only post-SP (P = 0.02 for interaction across the three waves). The introduction of SP of tobacco products in Australia has been associated with reductions in brand awareness and identification, and changes in related measures. The findings support the notion that SP has reduced the capacity for smokers to use pack branding to create and communicate a desired identity. [Balmford J, Borland R, Yong H-H. Impact of the introduction of standardised packaging on smokers' brand awareness and identification in Australia. Drug Alcohol Rev 2015;00:000-000]. © 2015 Australasian Professional Society on Alcohol and other Drugs.

  6. Current injection phase thermography for low-velocity impact damage identification in composite laminates

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Grammatikos, S.A.; Kordatos, E.Z.; Matikas, T.E.; David, C.; Paipetis, A.S.

    2014-01-01

    Highlights: • A novel Current injection phase thermography NDE method has been developed. • Blind impact damage has been successfully detected in composite laminates. • Carbon nanotubes enhance detection by improving of through thickness conductivity. • Detection is feasible with considerably less energy than for IR excited thermography. - Abstract: An innovative non-destructive evaluation (NDE) technique is presented based on current stimulated thermography. Modulated electric current is injected to Carbon Fibre Reinforced Plastics (CFRP) laminates as an external source of thermal excitation. Pulsed Phase Thermography (PPT) is concurrently employed to identify low velocity impact induced (LVI) damage. The efficiency of the proposed method is demonstrated for both plain and with Carbon Nanotubes (CNTs) modified laminates, which are subjected to low-velocity impact damaged composite laminates at different energy levels. The presence of the nano reinforcing phase is important in achieving a uniform current flow along the laminate, as it improves the through thickness conductivity. The acquired thermographs are compared with optical PPT, C-scan images and Computer Tomography (CT) representations. The typical energy input for successful damage identification with current injection is three to four orders of magnitude less compared to the energy required for optical PPT

  7. Identification and assessment of potential water quality impact factors for drinking-water reservoirs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gu, Qing; Deng, Jinsong; Wang, Ke; Lin, Yi; Li, Jun; Gan, Muye; Ma, Ligang; Hong, Yang

    2014-06-10

    Various reservoirs have been serving as the most important drinking water sources in Zhejiang Province, China, due to the uneven distribution of precipitation and severe river pollution. Unfortunately, rapid urbanization and industrialization have been continuously challenging the water quality of the drinking-water reservoirs. The identification and assessment of potential impacts is indispensable in water resource management and protection. This study investigates the drinking water reservoirs in Zhejiang Province to better understand the potential impact on water quality. Altogether seventy-three typical drinking reservoirs in Zhejiang Province encompassing various water storage levels were selected and evaluated. Using fifty-two reservoirs as training samples, the classification and regression tree (CART) method and sixteen comprehensive variables, including six sub-sets (land use, population, socio-economy, geographical features, inherent characteristics, and climate), were adopted to establish a decision-making model for identifying and assessing their potential impacts on drinking-water quality. The water quality class of the remaining twenty-one reservoirs was then predicted and tested based on the decision-making model, resulting in a water quality class attribution accuracy of 81.0%. Based on the decision rules and quantitative importance of the independent variables, industrial emissions was identified as the most important factor influencing the water quality of reservoirs; land use and human habitation also had a substantial impact on water quality. The results of this study provide insights into the factors impacting the water quality of reservoirs as well as basic information for protecting reservoir water resources.

  8. Impact analysis of composite aircraft structures

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pifko, Allan B.; Kushner, Alan S.

    1993-01-01

    The impact analysis of composite aircraft structures is discussed. Topics discussed include: background remarks on aircraft crashworthiness; comments on modeling strategies for crashworthiness simulation; initial study of simulation of progressive failure of an aircraft component constructed of composite material; and research direction in composite characterization for impact analysis.

  9. Opening Perspectives from an Integrated Analysis: Language Attitudes, Place of Birth and Self-Identification

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lapresta-Rey, Cecilio; Huguet-Canalís, Ángel; Janés-Carulla, Judit

    2018-01-01

    There is a theoretical and empirical tradition demonstrating the influence of the place of birth and self-identification in the shaping of language attitudes. But very few works analyse their joint effects. The main aim of this study is to analyse both the disaggregated and joint impact of these variables on the shaping of attitudes towards…

  10. The impact of eyewitness identifications from simultaneous and sequential lineups.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wright, Daniel B

    2007-10-01

    Recent guidelines in the US allow either simultaneous or sequential lineups to be used for eyewitness identification. This paper investigates how potential jurors weight the probative value of the different outcomes from both of these types of lineups. Participants (n=340) were given a description of a case that included some exonerating and some incriminating evidence. There was either a simultaneous or a sequential lineup. Depending on the condition, an eyewitness chose the suspect, chose a filler, or made no identification. The participant had to judge the guilt of the suspect and decide whether to render a guilty verdict. For both simultaneous and sequential lineups an identification had a large effect,increasing the probability of a guilty verdict. There were no reliable effects detected between making no identification and identifying a filler. The effect sizes were similar for simultaneous and sequential lineups. These findings are important for judges and other legal professionals to know for trials involving lineup identifications.

  11. Negated bio-events: analysis and identification

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-01-01

    Background Negation occurs frequently in scientific literature, especially in biomedical literature. It has previously been reported that around 13% of sentences found in biomedical research articles contain negation. Historically, the main motivation for identifying negated events has been to ensure their exclusion from lists of extracted interactions. However, recently, there has been a growing interest in negative results, which has resulted in negation detection being identified as a key challenge in biomedical relation extraction. In this article, we focus on the problem of identifying negated bio-events, given gold standard event annotations. Results We have conducted a detailed analysis of three open access bio-event corpora containing negation information (i.e., GENIA Event, BioInfer and BioNLP’09 ST), and have identified the main types of negated bio-events. We have analysed the key aspects of a machine learning solution to the problem of detecting negated events, including selection of negation cues, feature engineering and the choice of learning algorithm. Combining the best solutions for each aspect of the problem, we propose a novel framework for the identification of negated bio-events. We have evaluated our system on each of the three open access corpora mentioned above. The performance of the system significantly surpasses the best results previously reported on the BioNLP’09 ST corpus, and achieves even better results on the GENIA Event and BioInfer corpora, both of which contain more varied and complex events. Conclusions Recently, in the field of biomedical text mining, the development and enhancement of event-based systems has received significant interest. The ability to identify negated events is a key performance element for these systems. We have conducted the first detailed study on the analysis and identification of negated bio-events. Our proposed framework can be integrated with state-of-the-art event extraction systems. The

  12. 10 CFR 503.13 - Environmental impact analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... 10 Energy 4 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Environmental impact analysis. 503.13 Section 503.13... Exemptions § 503.13 Environmental impact analysis. In order to enable OFE to comply with NEPA, a petitioner..., and land resources; (3) Direct and indirect environmental impacts of the proposed action including...

  13. Economic impact of cultural tourism

    OpenAIRE

    Zadel, Zrinka; Bogdan, Sinisa

    2013-01-01

    The subject of analysis in the paper is economic impact of cultural tourism and identification of the main factors which directly affect cultural tourism revenues. Most countries do not have a statistical system of monitoring and analysing individual factors of cultural tourism such as the number of arrivals of cultural tourists and consumption of cultural tourists. Therefore, it is hard to assess the economic impact of cultural tourism. In cultural tourism, cultural assets are prepared and p...

  14. Identification of Dynamic Flow Stress Curves Using the Virtual Fields Methods: Theoretical Feasibility Analysis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Leem, Dohyun; Kim, Jin-Hwan; Barlat, Frédéric; Song, Jung Han; Lee, Myoung-Gyu

    2018-03-01

    An inverse approach based on the virtual fields method (VFM) is presented to identify the material hardening parameters under dynamic deformation. This dynamic-VFM (D-VFM) method does not require load information for the parameter identification. Instead, it utilizes acceleration fields in a specimen's gage region. To investigate the feasibility of the proposed inverse approach for dynamic deformation, the virtual experiments using dynamic finite element simulations were conducted. The simulation could provide all the necessary data for the identification such as displacement, strain, and acceleration fields. The accuracy of the identification results was evaluated by changing several parameters such as specimen geometry, velocity, and traction boundary conditions. The analysis clearly shows that the D-VFM which utilizes acceleration fields can be a good alternative to the conventional identification procedure that uses load information. Also, it was found that proper deformation conditions are required for generating sufficient acceleration fields during dynamic deformation to enhance the identification accuracy with the D-VFM.

  15. Adaptive Kernel Canonical Correlation Analysis Algorithms for Nonparametric Identification of Wiener and Hammerstein Systems

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ignacio Santamaría

    2008-04-01

    Full Text Available This paper treats the identification of nonlinear systems that consist of a cascade of a linear channel and a nonlinearity, such as the well-known Wiener and Hammerstein systems. In particular, we follow a supervised identification approach that simultaneously identifies both parts of the nonlinear system. Given the correct restrictions on the identification problem, we show how kernel canonical correlation analysis (KCCA emerges as the logical solution to this problem. We then extend the proposed identification algorithm to an adaptive version allowing to deal with time-varying systems. In order to avoid overfitting problems, we discuss and compare three possible regularization techniques for both the batch and the adaptive versions of the proposed algorithm. Simulations are included to demonstrate the effectiveness of the presented algorithm.

  16. Biometric identification using local iterated function

    Science.gov (United States)

    Al-Saidi, N. M. G.; Said, M. R. M.

    2014-06-01

    Biometric identification protocol has been received an increasing interest recently. It is a process that determines person identity by making use of their biometric features. A new biometric identification method is presented in this paper based on partial self-similarity that used to identify features within fingerprint images. This approach is already used in Fractal Image Compression (FIC) due to their ability to represent the images by a limited number of affine transformations, and its variation of scale, translation or rotation. These features give the recognition process high impact and good performance. To process data in a fingerprint image, it first converted into digital format using Optical Fingerprint Reader (OFR). The verification process is done by comparing these data with the server data. The system analysis shows that the proposed method is efficient in terms of memory and time complexity.

  17. Goal-oriented failure analysis - a systems analysis approach to hazard identification

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Reeves, A.B.; Davies, J.; Foster, J.; Wells, G.L.

    1990-01-01

    Goal-Oriented Failure Analysis, GOFA, is a methodology which is being developed to identify and analyse the potential failure modes of a hazardous plant or process. The technique will adopt a structured top-down approach, with a particular failure goal being systematically analysed. A systems analysis approach is used, with the analysis being organised around a systems diagram of the plant or process under study. GOFA will also use checklists to supplement the analysis -these checklists will be prepared in advance of a group session and will help to guide the analysis and avoid unnecessary time being spent on identifying obvious failure modes or failing to identify certain hazards or failures. GOFA is being developed with the aim of providing a hazard identification methodology which is more efficient and stimulating than the conventional approach to HAZOP. The top-down approach should ensure that the analysis is more focused and the use of a systems diagram will help to pull the analysis together at an early stage whilst also helping to structure the sessions in a more stimulating way than the conventional techniques. GOFA will be, essentially, an extension of the HAZOP methodology. GOFA is currently being computerised using a knowledge-based systems approach for implementation. The Goldworks II expert systems development tool is being used. (author)

  18. Identification Of Protein Vaccine Candidates Using Comprehensive Proteomic Analysis Strategies

    Science.gov (United States)

    2007-12-01

    that fascinating fungus known as Coccidioides. I also want to thank the UA Mass Spectrometry Facility and the UA Proteomics Consortium, especially...W. & N. N. Kav. 2006. The proteome of the phytopathogenic fungus Sclerotinia sclerotiorum. Proteomics 6: 5995-6007. 127. de Godoy, L. M., J. V...IDENTIFICATION OF PROTEIN VACCINE CANDIDATES USING COMPREHENSIVE PROTEOMIC ANALYSIS STRATEGIES by James G. Rohrbough

  19. COMPUTER-AIDED IDENTIFICATION OF ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS OF BUSINESSES

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Halina Marczak

    2015-11-01

    Full Text Available Discussed elements of the computer databases used in “input-output” analysis method to identify enterprise impact on the environment. Presented “input-output” database parameters essential for a company performing road transport of finished products. Presented a method for determining parameters: energy consumption by means of road transport and the emissions amount with exhaust fumes from vehicles. Discussed parameters of the computer databases needed to calculate the amount of fees for use of the environment. These data and amount of fees for environment usage may be useful in assessing the scale of the impact on environment by businesses. Described a method for determining the fee for gases and dust emitted into the air from combustion of fuels in internal combustion engines.

  20. A gradient based algorithm to solve inverse plane bimodular problems of identification

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ran, Chunjiang; Yang, Haitian; Zhang, Guoqing

    2018-02-01

    This paper presents a gradient based algorithm to solve inverse plane bimodular problems of identifying constitutive parameters, including tensile/compressive moduli and tensile/compressive Poisson's ratios. For the forward bimodular problem, a FE tangent stiffness matrix is derived facilitating the implementation of gradient based algorithms, for the inverse bimodular problem of identification, a two-level sensitivity analysis based strategy is proposed. Numerical verification in term of accuracy and efficiency is provided, and the impacts of initial guess, number of measurement points, regional inhomogeneity, and noisy data on the identification are taken into accounts.

  1. Rapid Detection and Identification of Human Hookworm Infections through High Resolution Melting (HRM) Analysis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ngui, Romano; Lim, Yvonne A. L.; Chua, Kek Heng

    2012-01-01

    Background Hookworm infections are still endemic in low and middle income tropical countries with greater impact on the socioeconomic and public health of the bottom billion of the world's poorest people. In this study, a real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) coupled with high resolution melting-curve (HRM) analysis was evaluated for an accurate, rapid and sensitive tool for species identification focusing on the five human hookworm species. Methods Real-time PCR coupled with HRM analysis targeting the second internal transcribed spacer (ITS-2) of nuclear ribosomal DNA as the genetic marker was used to identify and distinguish hookworm species in human samples. Unique and distinct characteristics of HRM patterns were produced for each of the five hookworm species. The melting curves were characterized by peaks of 79.24±0.05°C and 83.00±0.04°C for Necator americanus, 79.12±0.10°C for Ancylostoma duodenale, 79.40±0.10°C for Ancylostoma ceylanicum, 79.63±0.05°C for Ancylostoma caninum and 79.70±0.14°C for Ancylostoma braziliense. An evaluation of the method's sensitivity and specificity revealed that this assay was able to detect as low as 0.01 ng/µl hookworm DNA and amplification was only recorded for hookworm positive samples. Conclusion The HRM assay developed in this study is a rapid and straightforward method for the diagnosis, identification and discrimination of five human hookworms. This assay is simple compared to other probe-based genotyping methods as it does not require multiplexing, DNA sequencing or post-PCR processing. Therefore, this method offers a new alternative for rapid detection of human hookworm species. PMID:22844538

  2. Rapid detection and identification of human hookworm infections through high resolution melting (HRM analysis.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Romano Ngui

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Hookworm infections are still endemic in low and middle income tropical countries with greater impact on the socioeconomic and public health of the bottom billion of the world's poorest people. In this study, a real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR coupled with high resolution melting-curve (HRM analysis was evaluated for an accurate, rapid and sensitive tool for species identification focusing on the five human hookworm species. METHODS: Real-time PCR coupled with HRM analysis targeting the second internal transcribed spacer (ITS-2 of nuclear ribosomal DNA as the genetic marker was used to identify and distinguish hookworm species in human samples. Unique and distinct characteristics of HRM patterns were produced for each of the five hookworm species. The melting curves were characterized by peaks of 79.24±0.05°C and 83.00±0.04°C for Necator americanus, 79.12±0.10°C for Ancylostoma duodenale, 79.40±0.10°C for Ancylostoma ceylanicum, 79.63±0.05°C for Ancylostoma caninum and 79.70±0.14°C for Ancylostoma braziliense. An evaluation of the method's sensitivity and specificity revealed that this assay was able to detect as low as 0.01 ng/µl hookworm DNA and amplification was only recorded for hookworm positive samples. CONCLUSION: The HRM assay developed in this study is a rapid and straightforward method for the diagnosis, identification and discrimination of five human hookworms. This assay is simple compared to other probe-based genotyping methods as it does not require multiplexing, DNA sequencing or post-PCR processing. Therefore, this method offers a new alternative for rapid detection of human hookworm species.

  3. Discriminant analysis of Raman spectra for body fluid identification for forensic purposes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sikirzhytski, Vitali; Virkler, Kelly; Lednev, Igor K

    2010-01-01

    Detection and identification of blood, semen and saliva stains, the most common body fluids encountered at a crime scene, are very important aspects of forensic science today. This study targets the development of a nondestructive, confirmatory method for body fluid identification based on Raman spectroscopy coupled with advanced statistical analysis. Dry traces of blood, semen and saliva obtained from multiple donors were probed using a confocal Raman microscope with a 785-nm excitation wavelength under controlled laboratory conditions. Results demonstrated the capability of Raman spectroscopy to identify an unknown substance to be semen, blood or saliva with high confidence.

  4. Discriminant Analysis of Raman Spectra for Body Fluid Identification for Forensic Purposes

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Vitali Sikirzhytski

    2010-03-01

    Full Text Available Detection and identification of blood, semen and saliva stains, the most common body fluids encountered at a crime scene, are very important aspects of forensic science today. This study targets the development of a nondestructive, confirmatory method for body fluid identification based on Raman spectroscopy coupled with advanced statistical analysis. Dry traces of blood, semen and saliva obtained from multiple donors were probed using a confocal Raman microscope with a 785-nm excitation wavelength under controlled laboratory conditions. Results demonstrated the capability of Raman spectroscopy to identify an unknown substance to be semen, blood or saliva with high confidence.

  5. Experimental system identification of the dynamics of a vibro-impact beam with a view towards structural health monitoring and damage detection

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Heng; Kurt, Mehmet; Lee, Young S.; McFarland, D. Michael; Bergman, Lawrence A.; Vakakis, Alexander F.

    2014-05-01

    We perform nonlinear system identification (NSI) on the acceleration signals that were experimentally measured at ten, almost evenly spaced positions along a cantilever beam undergoing vibro-impacts between two rigid stops with clearances. Our goal is to characterize the nonlinear dynamics due to vibro-impacts with a view toward structural health monitoring (SHM) and damage detection (DD). The NSI methodology is based on the correspondence between analytical and empirical slow-flow dynamics, with the first step requiring empirical mode decomposition (EMD) analysis of the measured time series leading to sets of intrinsic modal oscillators (IMOs) governing the vibro-impact dynamics at different time scales. By comparing the spatiotemporal variations of the nonlinear modal interactions (and hence the IMOs), we examine how vibro-impacts influence the low- and high-frequency modes in global and local senses. In applications of the NSI results to SHM/DD, we calculate typical measures such as the modal assurance criterion (MAC) and the coordinate modal assurance criterion (COMAC) by extracting information about the mode shape functions from the spatiotemporal IMO solutions. Whereas the MAC provides a global aspect of damage occurrence (i.e., which modes are more affected by induced defects), the COMAC can narrow down the damage locations (i.e., where in the structure defects exist that yield low correlation values in specific modes).

  6. Impact analysis of a water storage tank

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jhung, Myung Jo; Jo, Jong Chull; Jeong, Sang Jin

    2006-01-01

    This study investigates the dynamic response characteristics of a structure impacted by a high speed projectile. The impact of a 300 kg projectile on a water storage tank is simulated by the general purpose computer codes ANSYS and LS-DYNA. Several methods to simulate the impact are considered and their results are compared. Based upon this, an alternative impact analysis method that equivalent to an explicit dynamic analysis is proposed. The effect of fluid on the responses of the tank is also addressed

  7. Temporary disaster debris management site identification using binomial cluster analysis and GIS.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Grzeda, Stanislaw; Mazzuchi, Thomas A; Sarkani, Shahram

    2014-04-01

    An essential component of disaster planning and preparation is the identification and selection of temporary disaster debris management sites (DMS). However, since DMS identification is a complex process involving numerous variable constraints, many regional, county and municipal jurisdictions initiate this process during the post-disaster response and recovery phases, typically a period of severely stressed resources. Hence, a pre-disaster approach in identifying the most likely sites based on the number of locational constraints would significantly contribute to disaster debris management planning. As disasters vary in their nature, location and extent, an effective approach must facilitate scalability, flexibility and adaptability to variable local requirements, while also being generalisable to other regions and geographical extents. This study demonstrates the use of binomial cluster analysis in potential DMS identification in a case study conducted in Hamilton County, Indiana. © 2014 The Author(s). Disasters © Overseas Development Institute, 2014.

  8. Patient safety in the clinical laboratory: a longitudinal analysis of specimen identification errors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wagar, Elizabeth A; Tamashiro, Lorraine; Yasin, Bushra; Hilborne, Lee; Bruckner, David A

    2006-11-01

    Patient safety is an increasingly visible and important mission for clinical laboratories. Attention to improving processes related to patient identification and specimen labeling is being paid by accreditation and regulatory organizations because errors in these areas that jeopardize patient safety are common and avoidable through improvement in the total testing process. To assess patient identification and specimen labeling improvement after multiple implementation projects using longitudinal statistical tools. Specimen errors were categorized by a multidisciplinary health care team. Patient identification errors were grouped into 3 categories: (1) specimen/requisition mismatch, (2) unlabeled specimens, and (3) mislabeled specimens. Specimens with these types of identification errors were compared preimplementation and postimplementation for 3 patient safety projects: (1) reorganization of phlebotomy (4 months); (2) introduction of an electronic event reporting system (10 months); and (3) activation of an automated processing system (14 months) for a 24-month period, using trend analysis and Student t test statistics. Of 16,632 total specimen errors, mislabeled specimens, requisition mismatches, and unlabeled specimens represented 1.0%, 6.3%, and 4.6% of errors, respectively. Student t test showed a significant decrease in the most serious error, mislabeled specimens (P patient safety projects. Trend analysis demonstrated decreases in all 3 error types for 26 months. Applying performance-improvement strategies that focus longitudinally on specimen labeling errors can significantly reduce errors, therefore improving patient safety. This is an important area in which laboratory professionals, working in interdisciplinary teams, can improve safety and outcomes of care.

  9. Multielement analysis of reagents used in chemical identification of transuranic elements

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Montalvan Estrada, A.; Brigido Flores, O.; Maslov, O.D.; Dmitriev, S.N.

    2006-01-01

    For more than 40 years, chemical identification of transuranic elements has been used at the Laboratory of Nuclear Reactions of the Join Institute for Nuclear Research, Dubna, Russia, as a secondary method of identification. Chlorination of transuranic elements obtained by nuclear reactions is an important step of the procedure in order to obtain volatile compounds able to pass through a thermo chromatographic process. To access the quality of the reagents TiCl 4 and SOCl 2 multielement analysis was carried out using both X-rays fluorescence and gamma activation. It was followed the simplest procedure for reagents samples pretreatment, so further interferences from other chemical products were avoided. X-rays fluorescence analysis was performed in a spectrometer with Si(Li) detector with a resolution for Fe (K?) of 190 eV. Both Cd-109 and Am-241 were used as isotopic sources of excitation. Gamma activation analysis was carried out using the compact electron accelerator MT-25, where gamma rays are produced in a stopping target. Among the parameters of the MT-25 are the following: energy range-10-25 MeV, gamma-ray flux-10 14 photon/s, power consumption-20 kw. Measurements of the induced activity were performed with the help of a HPGe detector, thin and coaxial Ge(Li) detectors. There were identified two elements in SOCl 2 -Nickel (3*10 -6 g/g) and Antimony (2*10 -7 g/g), while there were identified three elements in TiCl 4 - Zirconium (8*10 -7 g/g), Arsenic (9*10 -7 g/g) and Antimony (5*10 -7 g/g). Only five elements were detected in trace concentrations in the two analyzed reagents, that is for more than 57 elements capable of being detected using gamma activation analysis with the MT-25 only 5 had concentrations above the detection limits of the method. Not being chemical analogs of the synthesized transuranic elements (Z-104 and 106) and not being able to alpha or fission disintegrations there is not expected any interference from them in the chemical

  10. Identification of exponent from load-deformation relation for soft materials from impact tests

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ciornei, F. C.; Alaci, S.; Romanu, I. C.; Ciornei, M. C.; Sopon, G.

    2018-01-01

    When two bodies are brought into contact, the magnitude of occurring reaction forces increase together with the amplitude of deformations. The load-deformation dependency of two contacting bodies is described by a function having the form F = Cxα . An accurate illustration of this relationship assumes finding the precise coefficient C and exponent α. This representation proved to be very useful in hardness tests, in dynamic systems modelling or in considerations upon the elastic-plastic ratio concerning a Hertzian contact. The classical method for identification of the exponent consists in finding it from quasi-static tests. The drawback of the method is the fact that the accurate estimation of the exponent supposes precise identification of the instant of contact initiation. To overcome this aspect, the following observation is exploited: during an impact process, the dissipated energy is converted into heat released by internal friction in the materials and energy for plastic deformations. The paper is based on the remark that for soft materials the hysteresis curves obtained for a static case are similar to the ones obtained for medium velocities. Furthermore, utilizing the fact that for the restitution phase the load-deformation dependency is elastic, a method for finding the α exponent for compression phase is proposed. The maximum depth of the plastic deformations obtained for a series of collisions, by launching, from different heights, a steel ball in free falling on an immobile prism made of soft material, is evaluated by laser profilometry method. The condition that the area of the hysteresis loop equals the variation of kinetical energy of the ball is imposed and two tests are required for finding the exponent. Five collisions from different launching heights of the ball were taken into account. For all the possible impact-pair cases, the values of the exponent were found and close values were obtained.

  11. Analysis of the Relation of Teachers' Organizational Identification and Organizational Communication

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yildiz, Kaya

    2013-01-01

    In this study the relationship between the organizational identification and organizational communication of primary school teachers is examined through path analysis. The study group in the study is formed by (n = 362) primary school teachers working at primary schools located in the center of Bolu in the 2011-2012 academic year. In the study,…

  12. Identification and removal of low-complexity sites in allele-specific analysis of ChIP-seq data.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Waszak, Sebastian M; Kilpinen, Helena; Gschwind, Andreas R; Orioli, Andrea; Raghav, Sunil K; Witwicki, Robert M; Migliavacca, Eugenia; Yurovsky, Alisa; Lappalainen, Tuuli; Hernandez, Nouria; Reymond, Alexandre; Dermitzakis, Emmanouil T; Deplancke, Bart

    2014-01-15

    High-throughput sequencing technologies enable the genome-wide analysis of the impact of genetic variation on molecular phenotypes at unprecedented resolution. However, although powerful, these technologies can also introduce unexpected artifacts. We investigated the impact of library amplification bias on the identification of allele-specific (AS) molecular events from high-throughput sequencing data derived from chromatin immunoprecipitation assays (ChIP-seq). Putative AS DNA binding activity for RNA polymerase II was determined using ChIP-seq data derived from lymphoblastoid cell lines of two parent-daughter trios. We found that, at high-sequencing depth, many significant AS binding sites suffered from an amplification bias, as evidenced by a larger number of clonal reads representing one of the two alleles. To alleviate this bias, we devised an amplification bias detection strategy, which filters out sites with low read complexity and sites featuring a significant excess of clonal reads. This method will be useful for AS analyses involving ChIP-seq and other functional sequencing assays. The R package abs filter for library clonality simulations and detection of amplification-biased sites is available from http://updepla1srv1.epfl.ch/waszaks/absfilter

  13. Development of Electronic Identification Measures in the Public Sector of Lithuania: Analysis of Alteration Possibilities

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rimantas Petrauskas

    2014-03-01

    Full Text Available Purpose – to analyze, assess and identify alteration possibilities of effective implementation of e-Identification technology solutions focusing on organization capabilities in the public sector of Lithuania.Design/methodology/approach – different methods were used in the research. Content analysis method was used for the issues related to application of e-Identification solutions, technology management and organizational capabilities. During the pilot research, information on specificities of organization capabilities to implement e-Identification solution in the public sector was gathered, analyzed and interlinked with content analysis via comparative and deductive methods.Findings – the research shows that the gap in the area of development of e-Identification solutions in the public sector in Lithuania is affected by the lack of organizational capabilities that need to be developed internally. The challenge is to foster organizational capabilities in the environment, influenced by rapidly emerging new technology solutions (use of smartphones and applications and limited legal regulation. Lifecycle of any technology solutions becomes shorter and jeopardizes its use and functionality in time; therefore, public sector institutions could benefit from holistic e-Identification solution diffusion strategy that incorporates aspects of organizational capabilities.Research limitations/implications – the research findings are limited by the nature of the pilot research (peer review, level of experience in their organizations and environment as well as the geographic scope of the research.Practical implications – the article portrays public sector environment of implementation of e-Identification solutions and particularities of organizational capabilities to manage its development.Originality/value – originality of the article is in the research and assessment of country specific future proof needs to alter and improve the existing

  14. The Convolutional Visual Network for Identification and Reconstruction of NOvA Events

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Psihas, Fernanda [Indiana U.

    2017-11-22

    In 2016 the NOvA experiment released results for the observation of oscillations in the vμ and ve channels as well as ve cross section measurements using neutrinos from Fermilab’s NuMI beam. These and other measurements in progress rely on the accurate identification and reconstruction of the neutrino flavor and energy recorded by our detectors. This presentation describes the first application of convolutional neural network technology for event identification and reconstruction in particle detectors like NOvA. The Convolutional Visual Network (CVN) Algorithm was developed for identification, categorization, and reconstruction of NOvA events. It increased the selection efficiency of the ve appearance signal by 40% and studies show potential impact to the vμ disappearance analysis.

  15. Identification of linkages between potential Environmental and Social Impacts of Surface Mining and Ecosystem Services in Thar Coal field, Pakistan

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hina, A.

    2017-12-01

    Although Thar coal is recognized to be one of the most abundant fossil fuel that could meet the need to combat energy crisis of Pakistan, but there still remains a challenge to tackle the associated environmental and socio-ecological changes and its linkage to the provision of ecosystem services of the region. The study highlights the importance of considering Ecosystem service assessment to be undertaken in all strategic Environmental and Social Assessments of Thar coal field projects. The three-step approach has been formulated to link the project impacts to the provision of important ecosystem services; 1) Identification of impact indicators and parameters by analyzing the environmental and social impacts of surface mining in Thar Coal field through field investigation, literature review and stakeholder consultations; 2) Ranking of parameters and criteria alternatives using Multi-criteria Decision Analysis(MCDA) tool: (AHP method); 3) Using ranked parameters as a proxy to prioritize important ecosystem services of the region; The ecosystem services that were prioritized because of both high significance of project impact and high project dependence are highlighted as: Water is a key ecosystem service to be addressed and valued due to its high dependency in the area for livestock, human wellbeing, agriculture and other purposes. Crop production related to agricultural services, in association with supply services such as soil quality, fertility, and nutrient recycling and water retention need to be valued. Cultural services affected in terms of land use change and resettlement and rehabilitation factors are recommended to be addressed. The results of the analysis outline a framework of identifying these linkages as key constraints to foster the emergence of green growth and development in Pakistan. The practicality of implementing these assessments requires policy instruments and strategies to support human well-being and social inclusion while minimizing

  16. Preliminary hazards analysis -- vitrification process

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Coordes, D.; Ruggieri, M.; Russell, J.; TenBrook, W.; Yimbo, P.

    1994-06-01

    This paper presents a Preliminary Hazards Analysis (PHA) for mixed waste vitrification by joule heating. The purpose of performing a PHA is to establish an initial hazard categorization for a DOE nuclear facility and to identify those processes and structures which may have an impact on or be important to safety. The PHA is typically performed during and provides input to project conceptual design. The PHA is then followed by a Preliminary Safety Analysis Report (PSAR) performed during Title 1 and 2 design. The PSAR then leads to performance of the Final Safety Analysis Report performed during the facility's construction and testing. It should be completed before routine operation of the facility commences. This PHA addresses the first four chapters of the safety analysis process, in accordance with the requirements of DOE Safety Guidelines in SG 830.110. The hazards associated with vitrification processes are evaluated using standard safety analysis methods which include: identification of credible potential hazardous energy sources; identification of preventative features of the facility or system; identification of mitigative features; and analyses of credible hazards. Maximal facility inventories of radioactive and hazardous materials are postulated to evaluate worst case accident consequences. These inventories were based on DOE-STD-1027-92 guidance and the surrogate waste streams defined by Mayberry, et al. Radiological assessments indicate that a facility, depending on the radioactive material inventory, may be an exempt, Category 3, or Category 2 facility. The calculated impacts would result in no significant impact to offsite personnel or the environment. Hazardous materials assessment indicates that a Mixed Waste Vitrification facility will be a Low Hazard facility having minimal impacts to offsite personnel and the environment

  17. Preliminary hazards analysis -- vitrification process

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Coordes, D.; Ruggieri, M.; Russell, J.; TenBrook, W.; Yimbo, P. [Science Applications International Corp., Pleasanton, CA (United States)

    1994-06-01

    This paper presents a Preliminary Hazards Analysis (PHA) for mixed waste vitrification by joule heating. The purpose of performing a PHA is to establish an initial hazard categorization for a DOE nuclear facility and to identify those processes and structures which may have an impact on or be important to safety. The PHA is typically performed during and provides input to project conceptual design. The PHA is then followed by a Preliminary Safety Analysis Report (PSAR) performed during Title 1 and 2 design. The PSAR then leads to performance of the Final Safety Analysis Report performed during the facility`s construction and testing. It should be completed before routine operation of the facility commences. This PHA addresses the first four chapters of the safety analysis process, in accordance with the requirements of DOE Safety Guidelines in SG 830.110. The hazards associated with vitrification processes are evaluated using standard safety analysis methods which include: identification of credible potential hazardous energy sources; identification of preventative features of the facility or system; identification of mitigative features; and analyses of credible hazards. Maximal facility inventories of radioactive and hazardous materials are postulated to evaluate worst case accident consequences. These inventories were based on DOE-STD-1027-92 guidance and the surrogate waste streams defined by Mayberry, et al. Radiological assessments indicate that a facility, depending on the radioactive material inventory, may be an exempt, Category 3, or Category 2 facility. The calculated impacts would result in no significant impact to offsite personnel or the environment. Hazardous materials assessment indicates that a Mixed Waste Vitrification facility will be a Low Hazard facility having minimal impacts to offsite personnel and the environment.

  18. DNA analysis in perpetrator identification of terrorism-related disaster: suicide bombing of the Australian Embassy in Jakarta 2004.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sudoyo, Herawati; Widodo, Putut T; Suryadi, Helena; Lie, Yuliana S; Safari, Dodi; Widjajanto, Agung; Kadarmo, D Aji; Hidayat, Soegeng; Marzuki, Sangkot

    2008-06-01

    We report the strategy that we employed to identify the perpetrator of a suicide car bombing in front of the Australian Embassy in Jakarta, Indonesia, on 9 September 2004. The bomb was so massive that only small tissue pieces of the perpetrator could be recovered, preventing conventional approach to the identification of the bomber, necessitating the introduction of DNA analysis as the primary means for perpetrator identification. Crime scene investigation revealed the trajectory of the bomb blast, which was used to guide the collection of charred tissue fragments of the perpetrator. Mitochondrial DNA analysis was first conducted on 17 tissue fragments, recovered over large areas of the trajectory to, (a) confirm that they are of a common source, i.e. the perpetrator, and thus (b) establish the mtDNA HV1 sequence profile of the perpetrator. The mtDNA of the perpetrator matches that of a maternally related family member of one of four suspects. Standard autosomal STR analysis confirmed the identification. This case is of interest as an illustration of a successful application of DNA analysis as the primary means of disaster perpetrator identification.

  19. Nurses' turnover intention: The impact of leader-member exchange, organizational identification and job embeddedness.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dechawatanapaisal, Decha

    2018-06-01

    The aim of this study was to examine the influence of three factors on turnover intention: leader-member exchange quality, organizational identification and job embeddedness. This area of inquiry has not been fully investigated in the literature. Employee turnover, particularly of professionals, becomes a very challenging issue. It continually affects organizations in terms of resourcing and developmental costs, manpower instability, day-to-day operations, perception of quality care and efficiency. Therefore, employees' working attitude and behaviour have drawn increasing attention for further research to determine which factors keep them with their employer. A cross-sectional survey was conducted with self-report questionnaires. Data were collected from 1,966 nurses from sixteen private general hospitals in Thailand during February-June 2016. Hypotheses were tested and analysed by means of a confirmatory factor analysis, structural equation modelling and a bootstrapping procedure. The results revealed the direct relationship between leader-member exchange quality and job embeddedness. Organizational identification played an intermediary role that partially mediated the relationship between leader-member exchange quality on job embeddedness. Analysis also provided support for the mediating effect of organizational identification and turnover intention through job embeddedness. This study extends the job embeddedness theory and gains understanding of the antecedent factors that directly and indirectly cause employees to become embedded and lead to predict turnover intention. The findings are pertinent, as few studies have investigated such relationships. The implications provide insights into how organizations can better retain their workforce. © 2018 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  20. DNA degradation and genetic analysis of empty puparia: genetic identification limits in forensic entomology.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mazzanti, Morena; Alessandrini, Federica; Tagliabracci, Adriano; Wells, Jeffrey D; Campobasso, Carlo P

    2010-02-25

    Puparial cases are common remnants of necrophagous flies in crime investigations. They usually represent the longest developmental time and, therefore, they can be very useful for the estimation of the post-mortem interval (PMI). However, before any PMI estimate, it is crucial to identify the species of fly eclosed from each puparium associated with the corpse. Morphological characteristics of the puparium are often distinctive enough to permit a species identification. But, even an accurate morphological analysis of empty puparia cannot discriminate among different species of closely related flies. Furthermore, morphological identification may be impossible if the fly puparia are poorly preserved or in fragments. This study explores the applicability of biomolecular techniques on empty puparia and their fragments for identification purposes. A total of 63 empty puparia of necrophagous Diptera resulting from forensic casework were examined. Samples were divided into three groups according to size, type and time of eclosion in order to verify whether the physical characteristics and puparia weathering can influence the amount of DNA extraction. The results suggest that a reliable genetic identification of forensically important flies may also be performed from empty puparia and/or their fragments. However, DNA degradation can deeply compromise the genetic analysis since the older the fly puparia, the smaller are the amplified fragments. 2009 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  1. Hit Identification and Optimization in Virtual Screening: Practical Recommendations Based Upon a Critical Literature Analysis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhu, Tian; Cao, Shuyi; Su, Pin-Chih; Patel, Ram; Shah, Darshan; Chokshi, Heta B.; Szukala, Richard; Johnson, Michael E.; Hevener, Kirk E.

    2013-01-01

    A critical analysis of virtual screening results published between 2007 and 2011 was performed. The activity of reported hit compounds from over 400 studies was compared to their hit identification criteria. Hit rates and ligand efficiencies were calculated to assist in these analyses and the results were compared with factors such as the size of the virtual library and the number of compounds tested. A series of promiscuity, drug-like, and ADMET filters were applied to the reported hits to assess the quality of compounds reported and a careful analysis of a subset of the studies which presented hit optimization was performed. This data allowed us to make several practical recommendations with respect to selection of compounds for experimental testing, defining hit identification criteria, and general virtual screening hit criteria to allow for realistic hit optimization. A key recommendation is the use of size-targeted ligand efficiency values as hit identification criteria. PMID:23688234

  2. Hit identification and optimization in virtual screening: practical recommendations based on a critical literature analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhu, Tian; Cao, Shuyi; Su, Pin-Chih; Patel, Ram; Shah, Darshan; Chokshi, Heta B; Szukala, Richard; Johnson, Michael E; Hevener, Kirk E

    2013-09-12

    A critical analysis of virtual screening results published between 2007 and 2011 was performed. The activity of reported hit compounds from over 400 studies was compared to their hit identification criteria. Hit rates and ligand efficiencies were calculated to assist in these analyses, and the results were compared with factors such as the size of the virtual library and the number of compounds tested. A series of promiscuity, druglike, and ADMET filters were applied to the reported hits to assess the quality of compounds reported, and a careful analysis of a subset of the studies that presented hit optimization was performed. These data allowed us to make several practical recommendations with respect to selection of compounds for experimental testing, definition of hit identification criteria, and general virtual screening hit criteria to allow for realistic hit optimization. A key recommendation is the use of size-targeted ligand efficiency values as hit identification criteria.

  3. National Identification, Endorsement of Acculturation Ideologies and Prejudice: The Impact of the Perceived Threat of Immigration

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Constantina Badea

    2018-05-01

    Full Text Available This paper examines how the perceived threat of immigration affects the links between national identification, endorsement of assimilation or multiculturalism, and prejudice against immigrants in France. One hundred thirty-five French undergraduates completed a questionnaire measuring these factors. Path analysis showed that higher national identification increased perception of immigrants as a threat, which in turn predicted increased endorsement of assimilation for immigrants. The link between endorsement of assimilation and prejudice was not significant. In contrast, lower national identification decreased perception of immigrants as a threat and, in turn, increased endorsement of multiculturalism and reduced levels of prejudice. An alternative model specifying perception of threat as an outcome of preferences for multiculturalism or assimilation did not fit the data well. Results suggest that perceived threat from immigration is the key factor that guides the preferences of the majority group for acculturation ideologies and, through these preferences, shapes intergroup attitudes.

  4. Face recognition for criminal identification: An implementation of principal component analysis for face recognition

    Science.gov (United States)

    Abdullah, Nurul Azma; Saidi, Md. Jamri; Rahman, Nurul Hidayah Ab; Wen, Chuah Chai; Hamid, Isredza Rahmi A.

    2017-10-01

    In practice, identification of criminal in Malaysia is done through thumbprint identification. However, this type of identification is constrained as most of criminal nowadays getting cleverer not to leave their thumbprint on the scene. With the advent of security technology, cameras especially CCTV have been installed in many public and private areas to provide surveillance activities. The footage of the CCTV can be used to identify suspects on scene. However, because of limited software developed to automatically detect the similarity between photo in the footage and recorded photo of criminals, the law enforce thumbprint identification. In this paper, an automated facial recognition system for criminal database was proposed using known Principal Component Analysis approach. This system will be able to detect face and recognize face automatically. This will help the law enforcements to detect or recognize suspect of the case if no thumbprint present on the scene. The results show that about 80% of input photo can be matched with the template data.

  5. Chemical detection, identification, and analysis system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Morel, R.S.; Gonzales, D.; Mniszewski, S.

    1990-01-01

    The chemical detection, identification, and analysis system (CDIAS) has three major goals. The first is to display safety information regarding chemical environment before personnel entry. The second is to archive personnel exposure to the environment. Third, the system assists users in identifying the stage of a chemical process in progress and suggests safety precautions associated with that process. In addition to these major goals, the system must be sufficiently compact to provide transportability, and it must be extremely simple to use in order to keep user interaction at a minimum. The system created to meet these goals includes several pieces of hardware and the integration of four software packages. The hardware consists of a low-oxygen, carbon monoxide, explosives, and hydrogen sulfide detector; an ion mobility spectrometer for airborne vapor detection; and a COMPAQ 386/20 portable computer. The software modules are a graphics kernel, an expert system shell, a data-base management system, and an interface management system. A supervisory module developed using the interface management system coordinates the interaction of the other software components. The system determines the safety of the environment using conventional data acquisition and analysis techniques. The low-oxygen, carbon monoxide, hydrogen sulfide, explosives, and vapor detectors are monitored for hazardous levels, and warnings are issued accordingly

  6. Optimizations for the EcoPod field identification tool

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yu YuanYuan

    2008-03-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background We sketch our species identification tool for palm sized computers that helps knowledgeable observers with census activities. An algorithm turns an identification matrix into a minimal length series of questions that guide the operator towards identification. Historic observation data from the census geographic area helps minimize question volume. We explore how much historic data is required to boost performance, and whether the use of history negatively impacts identification of rare species. We also explore how characteristics of the matrix interact with the algorithm, and how best to predict the probability of observing a previously unseen species. Results Point counts of birds taken at Stanford University's Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve between 2000 and 2005 were used to examine the algorithm. A computer identified species by correctly answering, and counting the algorithm's questions. We also explored how the character density of the key matrix and the theoretical minimum number of questions for each bird in the matrix influenced the algorithm. Our investigation of the required probability smoothing determined whether Laplace smoothing of observation probabilities was sufficient, or whether the more complex Good-Turing technique is required. Conclusion Historic data improved identification speed, but only impacted the top 25% most frequently observed birds. For rare birds the history based algorithms did not impose a noticeable penalty in the number of questions required for identification. For our dataset neither age of the historic data, nor the number of observation years impacted the algorithm. Density of characters for different taxa in the identification matrix did not impact the algorithms. Intrinsic differences in identifying different birds did affect the algorithm, but the differences affected the baseline method of not using historic data to exactly the same degree. We found that Laplace smoothing

  7. Fastidious Gram-Negatives: Identification by the Vitek 2 Neisseria-Haemophilus Card and by Partial 16S rRNA Gene Sequencing Analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sönksen, Ute Wolff; Christensen, Jens Jørgen; Nielsen, Lisbeth; Hesselbjerg, Annemarie; Hansen, Dennis Schrøder; Bruun, Brita

    2010-12-31

    Taxonomy and identification of fastidious Gram negatives are evolving and challenging. We compared identifications achieved with the Vitek 2 Neisseria-Haemophilus (NH) card and partial 16S rRNA gene sequence (526 bp stretch) analysis with identifications obtained with extensive phenotypic characterization using 100 fastidious Gram negative bacteria. Seventy-five strains represented 21 of the 26 taxa included in the Vitek 2 NH database and 25 strains represented related species not included in the database. Of the 100 strains, 31 were the type strains of the species. Vitek 2 NH identification results: 48 of 75 database strains were correctly identified, 11 strains gave `low discrimination´, seven strains were unidentified, and nine strains were misidentified. Identification of 25 non-database strains resulted in 14 strains incorrectly identified as belonging to species in the database. Partial 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis results: For 76 strains phenotypic and sequencing identifications were identical, for 23 strains the sequencing identifications were either probable or possible, and for one strain only the genus was confirmed. Thus, the Vitek 2 NH system identifies most of the commonly occurring species included in the database. Some strains of rarely occurring species and strains of non-database species closely related to database species cause problems. Partial 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis performs well, but does not always suffice, additional phenotypical characterization being useful for final identification.

  8. CEAI: CCM-based email authorship identification model

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sarwat Nizamani

    2013-11-01

    Full Text Available In this paper we present a model for email authorship identification (EAI by employing a Cluster-based Classification (CCM technique. Traditionally, stylometric features have been successfully employed in various authorship analysis tasks; we extend the traditional feature set to include some more interesting and effective features for email authorship identification (e.g., the last punctuation mark used in an email, the tendency of an author to use capitalization at the start of an email, or the punctuation after a greeting or farewell. We also included Info Gain feature selection based content features. It is observed that the use of such features in the authorship identification process has a positive impact on the accuracy of the authorship identification task. We performed experiments to justify our arguments and compared the results with other base line models. Experimental results reveal that the proposed CCM-based email authorship identification model, along with the proposed feature set, outperforms the state-of-the-art support vector machine (SVM-based models, as well as the models proposed by Iqbal et al. (2010, 2013 [1,2]. The proposed model attains an accuracy rate of 94% for 10 authors, 89% for 25 authors, and 81% for 50 authors, respectively on Enron dataset, while 89.5% accuracy has been achieved on authors’ constructed real email dataset. The results on Enron dataset have been achieved on quite a large number of authors as compared to the models proposed by Iqbal et al. [1,2].

  9. The Impact of Sex Differences on Odor Identification and Facial Affect Recognition in Patients with Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mossaheb, Nilufar; Kaufmann, Rainer M; Schlögelhofer, Monika; Aninilkumparambil, Thushara; Himmelbauer, Claudia; Gold, Anna; Zehetmayer, Sonja; Hoffmann, Holger; Traue, Harald C; Aschauer, Harald

    2018-01-01

    Social interactive functions such as facial emotion recognition and smell identification have been shown to differ between women and men. However, little is known about how these differences are mirrored in patients with schizophrenia and how these abilities interact with each other and with other clinical variables in patients vs. healthy controls. Standardized instruments were used to assess facial emotion recognition [Facially Expressed Emotion Labelling (FEEL)] and smell identification [University of Pennsylvania Smell Identification Test (UPSIT)] in 51 patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorders and 79 healthy controls; furthermore, working memory functions and clinical variables were assessed. In both the univariate and the multivariate results, illness showed a significant influence on UPSIT and FEEL. The inclusion of age and working memory in the MANOVA resulted in a differential effect with sex and working memory as remaining significant factors. Duration of illness was correlated with both emotion recognition and smell identification in men only, whereas immediate general psychopathology and negative symptoms were associated with emotion recognition only in women. Being affected by schizophrenia spectrum disorder impacts one's ability to correctly recognize facial affects and identify odors. Converging evidence suggests a link between the investigated basic and social cognitive abilities in patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorders with a strong contribution of working memory and differential effects of modulators in women vs. men.

  10. The Impact of Sex Differences on Odor Identification and Facial Affect Recognition in Patients with Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nilufar Mossaheb

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available BackgroundSocial interactive functions such as facial emotion recognition and smell identification have been shown to differ between women and men. However, little is known about how these differences are mirrored in patients with schizophrenia and how these abilities interact with each other and with other clinical variables in patients vs. healthy controls.MethodsStandardized instruments were used to assess facial emotion recognition [Facially Expressed Emotion Labelling (FEEL] and smell identification [University of Pennsylvania Smell Identification Test (UPSIT] in 51 patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorders and 79 healthy controls; furthermore, working memory functions and clinical variables were assessed.ResultsIn both the univariate and the multivariate results, illness showed a significant influence on UPSIT and FEEL. The inclusion of age and working memory in the MANOVA resulted in a differential effect with sex and working memory as remaining significant factors. Duration of illness was correlated with both emotion recognition and smell identification in men only, whereas immediate general psychopathology and negative symptoms were associated with emotion recognition only in women.ConclusionBeing affected by schizophrenia spectrum disorder impacts one’s ability to correctly recognize facial affects and identify odors. Converging evidence suggests a link between the investigated basic and social cognitive abilities in patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorders with a strong contribution of working memory and differential effects of modulators in women vs. men.

  11. Analysis of identification of digital images from a map of cosmic microwaves

    Science.gov (United States)

    Skeivalas, J.; Turla, V.; Jurevicius, M.; Viselga, G.

    2018-04-01

    This paper discusses identification of digital images from the cosmic microwave background radiation map formed according to the data of the European Space Agency "Planck" telescope by applying covariance functions and wavelet theory. The estimates of covariance functions of two digital images or single images are calculated according to the random functions formed of the digital images in the form of pixel vectors. The estimates of pixel vectors are formed on expansion of the pixel arrays of the digital images by a single vector. When the scale of a digital image is varied, the frequencies of single-pixel color waves remain constant and the procedure for calculation of covariance functions is not affected. For identification of the images, the RGB format spectrum has been applied. The impact of RGB spectrum components and the color tensor on the estimates of covariance functions was analyzed. The identity of digital images is assessed according to the changes in the values of the correlation coefficients in a certain range of values by applying the developed computer program.

  12. The Identification of Technology Platforms and Innovation Areas with High Regional Impact

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nataša Urbančíková

    2011-10-01

    Full Text Available The paper is focused on the process of identification of the technological platforms and innovation areas with high regional impact. The aim is to discover future fields of technological innovation which are having a high qualitative and quantitative demand of high potentials. The research has been undertaken within project Innovative Development of European Areas by fostering transnational Knowledge Development – IDEA/ 2CE1175P1 funded by Central Europe Programme. The aim of IDEA project is the development of an adequate strategy which enables the small and medium sized enterprises in the regions of Central Europe to face the increasing demand of high potentials with tested methods and instruments. The target group of IDEA project are so called “high potentials” in the engineering and scientific sector where future-oriented technologies are one of the main sources of innovation.

  13. Differential Identification of Females and Males with Reading Difficulties: A Meta-Analysis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Quinn, Jamie M.

    2018-01-01

    Males are more likely than females to be identified as having reading difficulties, but it is unclear if this is a result of sample ascertainment or identification bias. The purpose of this meta-analysis was to determine the magnitude of gender differences in reading difficulties using available studies in which researchers investigated this…

  14. Improving credibility and transparency of conservation impact evaluations through the partial identification approach.

    Science.gov (United States)

    McConnachie, Matthew M; Romero, Claudia; Ferraro, Paul J; van Wilgen, Brian W

    2016-04-01

    The fundamental challenge of evaluating the impact of conservation interventions is that researchers must estimate the difference between the outcome after an intervention occurred and what the outcome would have been without it (counterfactual). Because the counterfactual is unobservable, researchers must make an untestable assumption that some units (e.g., organisms or sites) that were not exposed to the intervention can be used as a surrogate for the counterfactual (control). The conventional approach is to make a point estimate (i.e., single number along with a confidence interval) of impact, using, for example, regression. Point estimates provide powerful conclusions, but in nonexperimental contexts they depend on strong assumptions about the counterfactual that often lack transparency and credibility. An alternative approach, called partial identification (PI), is to first estimate what the counterfactual bounds would be if the weakest possible assumptions were made. Then, one narrows the bounds by using stronger but credible assumptions based on an understanding of why units were selected for the intervention and how they might respond to it. We applied this approach and compared it with conventional approaches by estimating the impact of a conservation program that removed invasive trees in part of the Cape Floristic Region. Even when we used our largest PI impact estimate, the program's control costs were 1.4 times higher than previously estimated. PI holds promise for applications in conservation science because it encourages researchers to better understand and account for treatment selection biases; can offer insights into the plausibility of conventional point-estimate approaches; could reduce the problem of advocacy in science; might be easier for stakeholders to agree on a bounded estimate than a point estimate where impacts are contentious; and requires only basic arithmetic skills. © 2015 Society for Conservation Biology.

  15. High-throughput gender identification of penguin species using melting curve analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tseng, Chao-Neng; Chang, Yung-Ting; Chiu, Hui-Tzu; Chou, Yii-Cheng; Huang, Hurng-Wern; Cheng, Chien-Chung; Liao, Ming-Hui; Chang, Hsueh-Wei

    2014-04-03

    Most species of penguins are sexual monomorphic and therefore it is difficult to visually identify their genders for monitoring population stability in terms of sex ratio analysis. In this study, we evaluated the suitability using melting curve analysis (MCA) for high-throughput gender identification of penguins. Preliminary test indicated that the Griffiths's P2/P8 primers were not suitable for MCA analysis. Based on sequence alignment of Chromo-Helicase-DNA binding protein (CHD)-W and CHD-Z genes from four species of penguins (Pygoscelis papua, Aptenodytes patagonicus, Spheniscus magellanicus, and Eudyptes chrysocome), we redesigned forward primers for the CHD-W/CHD-Z-common region (PGU-ZW2) and the CHD-W-specific region (PGU-W2) to be used in combination with the reverse Griffiths's P2 primer. When tested with P. papua samples, PCR using P2/PGU-ZW2 and P2/PGU-W2 primer sets generated two amplicons of 148- and 356-bp, respectively, which were easily resolved in 1.5% agarose gels. MCA analysis indicated the melting temperature (Tm) values for P2/PGU-ZW2 and P2/PGU-W2 amplicons of P. papua samples were 79.75°C-80.5°C and 81.0°C-81.5°C, respectively. Females displayed both ZW-common and W-specific Tm peaks, whereas male was positive only for ZW-common peak. Taken together, our redesigned primers coupled with MCA analysis allows precise high throughput gender identification for P. papua, and potentially for other penguin species such as A. patagonicus, S. magellanicus, and E. chrysocome as well.

  16. Elastic analysis of beam support impact

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Salmon, M.A.; Verma, V.K.; Youtsos, T.G.

    1982-01-01

    The effect of gaps present in the seismic supports of nuclear piping systems has been studied with the use of such large general purpose analysis codes as ANSYS. Exact analytical solutions to two simple beam impact problems are obtained to serve as benchmarks for the evaluation of the ability of such codes to model impact between beam elements and their supports. Bernoulli-Euler beam theory and modal analysis are used to obtain analytical solutions for the motion of simply supported and fixed ended beams after impact with a spring support at midspan. The solutions are valid up to the time the beam loses contact with the spring support. Numerical results are obtained which show that convergence for both contact force and bending moment at the point of impact is slower as spring stiffness is increased. Finite element solutions obtained with ANSYS are compared to analytical results and good agreement is obtained

  17. Identification of sweet chesnut pollen in bee pollen pellet using using molecular analysis.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jana Žiarovská

    2015-10-01

    Full Text Available Castanea sativa posses many characteristics that are used by human for different purposes, not only as a part of the food. One of them is the utilization of the sweet chesnut pollen for its pharmacological benefits. Actually, no information about the DNA based identification of the sweet chesnut exist. Here, an identification of Castanea sativa based on the specific DNA fragment amplification is described for the first time. Sweet chesnut identification was performed in the very complex sample of bee pollen pellets that were identified as to contain sweet chesnut pollen grains by morphological analysis. First, bioinformatic analysis was performed to find a Castanea sativa conservative part of galactol synthase gene. BLAST alignment of the CDS of GolS1 gene was performed by BLASTtn against plants nucleotide sequences in the NCBI database to ensure for the specifity or existing nucleotide differences. Then, specific primers were subsequently designed and PCR amplification was performed. All the PCRs have run in duplicates for pollen pellet sample and two independent samples of Castanea sativa pure pollen. Restriction cleavage of the PCR amplified fragment was performed to confirm the specifity of the obtained PCR product with the positive confirmation as the predicted three restriction fragments were obtained that fully correspond by the length to those from virtual clevage. Restriction endonuclease Hpy166II was used in restriction cleavage analysis. Castanea sativa pollen grains were confirmed reliable in multifloral pollen pellet by PCR and this approach has the potential to be used effectively for the authentication purposes of sweet chesnut.

  18. MASS SPECTROMETRIC ANALYSIS FOR THE IDENTIFICATION OF THUNNUS GENUS FOUR SPECIES

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    T. Pepe

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available An accurate identification of similar fish species is necessary to prevent illegal substitution and is imposed by labeling regulations in UE countries (1. The genus Thunnus comprises many species of different quality and commercial value. The increasing trade of fish preparations of the species included in this genus and the consequent loss of the external anatomical and morphological features enables fraudulent substitutions. This study reports data relating to the proteomic analysis of four tuna species (T. thynnus, T. alalunga, T. albacares, T. obesus. Sarcoplasmic proteins were studied by mono and two dimensional electrophoresis. The most significant proteins for the characterization of the species were analyzed by mass spectrometric techniques. As reported in a previous study (2, an accurate identification of the species seems possible, owing to the polymorphism displayed by the species of the Thunnus genus.

  19. Identification of HNPCC by Molecular Analysis of Colorectal and Endometrial Tumors

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    H. F. A. Vasen

    2004-01-01

    Full Text Available Hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer (HNPCC, Lynch syndrome is a dominantly inherited syndrome characterized by the development of colorectal cancer, endometrial cancer and other cancers and the presence of microsatellite instability (MSI in tumors. The Bethesda guidelines have been proposed for the identification of families suspected of HNPCC that require further molecular analysis. We have evaluated the yield of MSI-analysis in a large series of Dutch families suspected of HNPCC. We also analysed whether the loss of mismatch repair (MMR protein detected by immunohistochemistry (IHC of colorectal cancer (CRC and endometrial cancer correlated with the presence of MSI and/or a MMR gene mutation. The results showed that the Bethesda criteria with a few modifications are appropriate to identify families eligible for genetic testing. In addition, we found that MSI and IHC-analysis of CRC using antibodies against MLH1, MSH2, MSH6 and PMS2 proteins are equally effective for identifying carriers of the known MMR gene defects. However, as long as the role of other putative MMR genes in hereditary CRC has not been elucidated, IHC-analysis cannot completely replace MSI. For this reason, we prefer MSI-analysis as first step in families suspected of HNPCC. On the other hand, in families fulfilling the revised Amsterdam criteria in which the probability of detecting a mutation is relatively high, we would recommend IHC as first diagnostic step because the result might predict the specific underlying MMR gene mutation. MSI or IHC-analysis of endometrial cancer alone was found to be less sensitive compared with these tests performed in colorectal cancer. Therefore, probably the best approach in the analysis of this cancer is to perform both techniques. The identification of HNPCC is important as it makes it possible to target effective preventative measures. Our studies showed that MSI and IHC analysis of colorectal and endometrial cancer, are reliable

  20. The Impact of School Climate and School Identification on Academic Achievement: Multilevel Modeling with Student and Teacher Data.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Maxwell, Sophie; Reynolds, Katherine J; Lee, Eunro; Subasic, Emina; Bromhead, David

    2017-01-01

    School climate is a leading factor in explaining student learning and achievement. Less work has explored the impact of both staff and student perceptions of school climate raising interesting questions about whether staff school climate experiences can add "value" to students' achievement. In the current research, multiple sources were integrated into a multilevel model, including staff self-reports, student self-reports, objective school records of academic achievement, and socio-economic demographics. Achievement was assessed using a national literacy and numeracy tests ( N = 760 staff and 2,257 students from 17 secondary schools). In addition, guided by the "social identity approach," school identification is investigated as a possible psychological mechanism to explain the relationship between school climate and achievement. In line with predictions, results show that students' perceptions of school climate significantly explain writing and numeracy achievement and this effect is mediated by students' psychological identification with the school. Furthermore, staff perceptions of school climate explain students' achievement on numeracy, writing and reading tests (while accounting for students' responses). However, staff's school identification did not play a significant role. Implications of these findings for organizational, social, and educational research are discussed.

  1. The Impact of School Climate and School Identification on Academic Achievement: Multilevel Modeling with Student and Teacher Data

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sophie Maxwell

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available School climate is a leading factor in explaining student learning and achievement. Less work has explored the impact of both staff and student perceptions of school climate raising interesting questions about whether staff school climate experiences can add “value” to students' achievement. In the current research, multiple sources were integrated into a multilevel model, including staff self-reports, student self-reports, objective school records of academic achievement, and socio-economic demographics. Achievement was assessed using a national literacy and numeracy tests (N = 760 staff and 2,257 students from 17 secondary schools. In addition, guided by the “social identity approach,” school identification is investigated as a possible psychological mechanism to explain the relationship between school climate and achievement. In line with predictions, results show that students' perceptions of school climate significantly explain writing and numeracy achievement and this effect is mediated by students' psychological identification with the school. Furthermore, staff perceptions of school climate explain students' achievement on numeracy, writing and reading tests (while accounting for students' responses. However, staff's school identification did not play a significant role. Implications of these findings for organizational, social, and educational research are discussed.

  2. Update of identification and estimation of socioeconomic impacts resulting from perceived risks and changing images: An annotated bibliography

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nieves, L.A.; Clark, D.E.; Wernette, D.

    1991-08-01

    This annotated bibliography reviews selected literature published through August 1991 on the identification of perceived risks and methods for estimating the economic impacts of risk perception. It updates the literature review found in Argonne National Laboratory report ANL/EAIS/TM-24 (February 1990). Included in this update are (1) a literature review of the risk perception process, of the relationship between risk perception and economic impacts, of economic methods and empirical applications, and interregional market interactions and adjustments; (2) a working bibliography (that includes the documents abstracted in the 1990 report); (3) a topical index to the abstracts found in both reports; and (4) abstracts of selected articles found in this update

  3. Update of identification and estimation of socioeconomic impacts resulting from perceived risks and changing images: An annotated bibliography

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Nieves, L.A.; Clark, D.E.; Wernette, D.

    1991-08-01

    This annotated bibliography reviews selected literature published through August 1991 on the identification of perceived risks and methods for estimating the economic impacts of risk perception. It updates the literature review found in Argonne National Laboratory report ANL/EAIS/TM-24 (February 1990). Included in this update are (1) a literature review of the risk perception process, of the relationship between risk perception and economic impacts, of economic methods and empirical applications, and interregional market interactions and adjustments; (2) a working bibliography (that includes the documents abstracted in the 1990 report); (3) a topical index to the abstracts found in both reports; and (4) abstracts of selected articles found in this update.

  4. Advances of operational modal identification

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhang, L.

    2001-01-01

    Operational modal analysis has shown many advantages compared to the traditional one. In this paper, the development of ambient modal identification in time domain is summarized. The mathematical models for modal identification have been presented as unified framework for time domain (TD) System realization algorithms, such as polyrefence (PRCE), extended Ibrahim time domain (EITD) and eigensystem realization algorithm (ERA), etc., and recently developed Stochastic subspace technique (SST). The latest technique named as frequency domain decomposition (FDD) is introduced for operational modal identification, which has many advantages as a frequency domain (FD) technique. Applications of the operational modal analysis in civil and mechanical engineering have shown the success and accuracy of the advanced operational modal identification algorithms- FDD and SST techniques. The major issues of TD and FD operational modal identification are also discussed. (author)

  5. 2D random walk representation of Begonia x tuberhybrida multiallelic loci used for germplasm identification

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Wiesner, Ivo; Wiesnerová, Dana

    2010-01-01

    Roč. 54, č. 2 (2010), s. 353-356 ISSN 0006-3134 R&D Projects: GA AV ČR 1QS500510566 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z50510513 Keywords : begonia germplasm identification * random walk * primary sequence analysis Subject RIV: EB - Genetics ; Molecular Biology Impact factor: 1.582, year: 2010

  6. Bifurcation analysis of the simplified models of boiling water reactor and identification of global stability boundary

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Pandey, Vikas; Singh, Suneet, E-mail: suneet.singh@iitb.ac.in

    2017-04-15

    Highlights: • Non-linear stability analysis of nuclear reactor is carried out. • Global and local stability boundaries are drawn in the parameter space. • Globally stable, bi-stable, and unstable regions have been demarcated. • The identification of the regions is verified by numerical simulations. - Abstract: Nonlinear stability study of the neutron coupled thermal hydraulics instability has been carried out by several researchers for boiling water reactors (BWRs). The focus of these studies has been to identify subcritical and supercritical Hopf bifurcations. Supercritical Hopf bifurcation are soft or safe due to the fact that stable limit cycles arise in linearly unstable region; linear and global stability boundaries are same for this bifurcation. It is well known that the subcritical bifurcations can be considered as hard or dangerous due to the fact that unstable limit cycles (nonlinear phenomena) exist in the (linearly) stable region. The linear stability leads to a stable equilibrium in such regions, only for infinitesimally small perturbations. However, finite perturbations lead to instability due to the presence of unstable limit cycles. Therefore, it is evident that the linear stability analysis is not sufficient to understand the exact stability characteristics of BWRs. However, the effect of these bifurcations on the stability boundaries has been rarely discussed. In the present work, the identification of global stability boundary is demonstrated using simplified models. Here, five different models with different thermal hydraulics feedback have been investigated. In comparison to the earlier works, current models also include the impact of adding the rate of change in temperature on void reactivity as well as effect of void reactivity on rate of change of temperature. Using the bifurcation analysis of these models the globally stable region in the parameter space has been identified. The globally stable region has only stable solutions and

  7. Bifurcation analysis of the simplified models of boiling water reactor and identification of global stability boundary

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pandey, Vikas; Singh, Suneet

    2017-01-01

    Highlights: • Non-linear stability analysis of nuclear reactor is carried out. • Global and local stability boundaries are drawn in the parameter space. • Globally stable, bi-stable, and unstable regions have been demarcated. • The identification of the regions is verified by numerical simulations. - Abstract: Nonlinear stability study of the neutron coupled thermal hydraulics instability has been carried out by several researchers for boiling water reactors (BWRs). The focus of these studies has been to identify subcritical and supercritical Hopf bifurcations. Supercritical Hopf bifurcation are soft or safe due to the fact that stable limit cycles arise in linearly unstable region; linear and global stability boundaries are same for this bifurcation. It is well known that the subcritical bifurcations can be considered as hard or dangerous due to the fact that unstable limit cycles (nonlinear phenomena) exist in the (linearly) stable region. The linear stability leads to a stable equilibrium in such regions, only for infinitesimally small perturbations. However, finite perturbations lead to instability due to the presence of unstable limit cycles. Therefore, it is evident that the linear stability analysis is not sufficient to understand the exact stability characteristics of BWRs. However, the effect of these bifurcations on the stability boundaries has been rarely discussed. In the present work, the identification of global stability boundary is demonstrated using simplified models. Here, five different models with different thermal hydraulics feedback have been investigated. In comparison to the earlier works, current models also include the impact of adding the rate of change in temperature on void reactivity as well as effect of void reactivity on rate of change of temperature. Using the bifurcation analysis of these models the globally stable region in the parameter space has been identified. The globally stable region has only stable solutions and

  8. Development of a multilocus-based approach for sponge (phylum Porifera) identification: refinement and limitations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, Qi; Franco, Christopher M M; Sorokin, Shirley J; Zhang, Wei

    2017-02-02

    For sponges (phylum Porifera), there is no reliable molecular protocol available for species identification. To address this gap, we developed a multilocus-based Sponge Identification Protocol (SIP) validated by a sample of 37 sponge species belonging to 10 orders from South Australia. The universal barcode COI mtDNA, 28S rRNA gene (D3-D5), and the nuclear ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 region were evaluated for their suitability and capacity for sponge identification. The highest Bit Score was applied to infer the identity. The reliability of SIP was validated by phylogenetic analysis. The 28S rRNA gene and COI mtDNA performed better than the ITS region in classifying sponges at various taxonomic levels. A major limitation is that the databases are not well populated and possess low diversity, making it difficult to conduct the molecular identification protocol. The identification is also impacted by the accuracy of the morphological classification of the sponges whose sequences have been submitted to the database. Re-examination of the morphological identification further demonstrated and improved the reliability of sponge identification by SIP. Integrated with morphological identification, the multilocus-based SIP offers an improved protocol for more reliable and effective sponge identification, by coupling the accuracy of different DNA markers.

  9. Impact of PECS tablet computer app on receptive identification of pictures given a verbal stimulus.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ganz, Jennifer B; Hong, Ee Rea; Goodwyn, Fara; Kite, Elizabeth; Gilliland, Whitney

    2015-04-01

    The purpose of this brief report was to determine the effect on receptive identification of photos of a tablet computer-based augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) system with voice output. A multiple baseline single-case experimental design across vocabulary words was implemented. One participant, a preschool-aged boy with autism and little intelligible verbal language, was included in the study. Although a functional relation between the intervention and the dependent variable was not established, the intervention did appear to result in mild improvement for two of the three vocabulary words selected. The authors recommend further investigations of the collateral impacts of AAC on skills other than expressive language.

  10. Methodologies for assessing socio-economic impacts of climate change

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Smit, B.

    1993-01-01

    Much of the studies on climate change impacts have focused on physical and biological impacts, yet a knowledge of the social and economic impacts of climate change is likely to have a greater impact on the public and on policymakers. A conventional assessment of the impacts of climate change begins with scenarios of future climate, commonly derived from global climate models translated to a regional scale. Estimates of biophysical conditions provided by such scenarios provide a basis for analyses of human impacts, usually considered sector by sector. The scenario approach, although having considerable merit and appeal, has some noteworthy limitations. It encourages consideration of only a small set of scenarios, requires bold assumptions to be made about adjustments in human systems, provides little direct analysis of sensitivities of human social and economic systems to climate perturbations, and usually invokes the assumption that all factors other than climate are stable and have no synergistic effects on human systems. Conventional studies concentrate on average climate, yet climate is inherently variable. A common response to this situation is to propose further development of climate models, but this is not a sufficient or necessary condition for good and useful assessments of impacts on human activities. Different approaches to socioeconomic impact analysis are needed, and approaches should be considered that include identification of sensitivities in a social or ecological system, identification of critical threshold levels or critical speeds of change in variables, and exploration of alternative methodologies such as process studies, spatial and temporal analogues, and socio-economic systems modelling. 5 refs., 3 figs

  11. Growth characteristics of liquid cultures increase the reliability of presumptive identification of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pinhata, Juliana Maira Watanabe; Felippe, Isis Moreira; Gallo, Juliana Failde; Chimara, Erica; Ferrazoli, Lucilaine; de Oliveira, Rosangela Siqueira

    2018-04-23

    We evaluated the microscopic and macroscopic characteristics of mycobacteria growth indicator tube (MGIT) cultures for the presumptive identification of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTBC) and assessed the reliability of this strategy for correctly directing isolates to drug susceptibility testing (DST) or species identification. A total of 1526 isolates of mycobacteria received at the Instituto Adolfo Lutz were prospectively subjected to presumptive identification by the observation of growth characteristics along with cord formation detection via microscopy. The presumptive identification showed a sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of 98.8, 92.5 and 97.9 %, respectively. Macroscopic analysis of MTBC isolates that would have been erroneously classified as non-tuberculous mycobacteria based solely on microscopic morphology enabled us to direct them rapidly to DST, representing a substantial gain to patients. In conclusion, the growth characteristics of mycobacteria in MGIT, when considered along with cord formation, increased the reliability of the presumptive identification, which has a great impact on the laboratory budget and turnaround times.

  12. Identification of suicidal tendencies in individuals using a quantitative analysis of their speech production

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zagorovskaya Olga Vladimirovna

    2016-04-01

    Full Text Available Suicide is one of the top factors contributing to deaths around the globe with individuals not making other people aware of their suicidal plans. Therefore it is of increasing importance to develop the methods of identification of these individuals. One of the directions of the ongoing research is identification of typological features of their speech patterns using the methods of mathematical linguistics and automatic text processing. Most studies addressing the problem use materials written in English. The article presents the analysis of the above studies and points out the ways of dealing with the issue employing materials written in Russian.

  13. Eyewitness identification in actual criminal cases: an archival analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Behrman, B W; Davey, S L

    2001-10-01

    This study analyzed 271 actual police cases in order to address several prevalent issues in the eyewitness literature. Suspect identification (SI) rates were obtained for 289 photographic lineups, 258 field showups, 58 live lineups, and 66 lineup identifications preceded by earlier identifications. SI rates were assessed for 3 levels of extrinsic evidence: no extrinsic evidence, evidence of minimal probative value, and evidence of substantial probative value. The SI rates for the photographic lineups were assessed as a function of delay, same vs. cross-race conditions, witness type, and weapon presence. SI rates declined significantly over time; SI rates were significantly greater for the same-race condition. SI rates were much greater for field showups than photographic lineups, 76% vs. 48%. The SI rates for the field showups did not vary as a function of eyewitness conditions. The relation between confidence and suspect/foil identifications for the live lineups was significant and moderately high. The utility of archival identification studies for eyewitness testimony research is discussed.

  14. Differential identification of Candida species and other yeasts by analysis of [35S]methionine-labeled polypeptide profiles

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shen, H.D.; Choo, K.B.; Tsai, W.C.; Jen, T.M.; Yeh, J.Y.; Han, S.H.

    1988-01-01

    This paper describes a scheme for differential identification of Candida species and other yeasts based on autoradiographic analysis of protein profiles of [ 35 S]methionine-labeled cellular proteins separated by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Using ATCC strains as references, protein profile analysis showed that different Candida and other yeast species produced distinctively different patterns. Good agreement in results obtained with this approach and with other conventional systems was observed. Being accurate and reproducible, this approach provides a basis for the development of an alternative method for the identification of yeasts isolated from clinical specimens

  15. Crumple zone design for pedestrian protection using impact analysis

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Moon, Hyung Il; Jeon, Young Eun; Kim, Dae Young; Kim, Heon Young [Kangwon National Univ., Chuncheon si (Korea, Republic of); Kim, Yong Soo [Product Development Team, Gyeongsan si (Korea, Republic of)

    2012-08-15

    This paper describes the design process for an automobile crumple zone for pedestrian protection. The impact load and bending moments predicted by impact analysis were used to design a plastic structure that may help reduce pedestrian injuries to the thigh area. The fracture effect was incorporated into the model by calculating the damage to the plastic material during impact, and the analysis was conducted under the European New Car Assessment Program (Euro NCAP) test conditions, using the upper legform developed by ESI Corporation. In addition, the values predicted by the analysis were validated by comparison with results of actual impact tests.

  16. Crumple zone design for pedestrian protection using impact analysis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Moon, Hyung Il; Jeon, Young Eun; Kim, Dae Young; Kim, Heon Young; Kim, Yong Soo

    2012-01-01

    This paper describes the design process for an automobile crumple zone for pedestrian protection. The impact load and bending moments predicted by impact analysis were used to design a plastic structure that may help reduce pedestrian injuries to the thigh area. The fracture effect was incorporated into the model by calculating the damage to the plastic material during impact, and the analysis was conducted under the European New Car Assessment Program (Euro NCAP) test conditions, using the upper legform developed by ESI Corporation. In addition, the values predicted by the analysis were validated by comparison with results of actual impact tests

  17. Forensic speaker identification through comparative analysis of the formant frequencies of the vowels in the Macedonian language

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pop-Dimitrijoska, V.; Apostolovska, G

    2012-01-01

    The main objective of this study is forensic speaker identification from an incriminated recording. The identification was made through a comparative analysis between first three formants F 1 , F 2 and F 3 of the voice samples from the questioned and suspects’ recordings. The measurements were made with the PRAAT software, for each of the five vowels in the Macedonian language: a, e, i, o and u, which were isolated from the recordings. Used methodology of recording examinations employed in this research showed positive identification of the questioned voice. The forensic audio analysis still doesn't have its place in legal and the crime fighting systems in Macedonia. This is a sufficient reason to put a bigger accent on the research of this issue in the future that will contribute in solving many criminal cases which until now, because of the type of generally accepted evidence, were not resolved. (Author)

  18. Identification of the breakdown and analysis of transformer 22/0.4 kV

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Martin Brandt

    2013-12-01

    Full Text Available The paper deals with the identification of the breakdown of the transformer withdrawn from operation because of repeated reaction of transformer protections. Successively the transformer was put of operation, removed from the distribution and put to diagnostic measurements. The analysis SFRA contributed to the interturn short circuit.

  19. System risk evolution analysis and risk critical event identification based on event sequence diagram

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Luo, Pengcheng; Hu, Yang

    2013-01-01

    During system operation, the environmental, operational and usage conditions are time-varying, which causes the fluctuations of the system state variables (SSVs). These fluctuations change the accidents’ probabilities and then result in the system risk evolution (SRE). This inherent relation makes it feasible to realize risk control by monitoring the SSVs in real time, herein, the quantitative analysis of SRE is essential. Besides, some events in the process of SRE are critical to system risk, because they act like the “demarcative points” of safety and accident, and this characteristic makes each of them a key point of risk control. Therefore, analysis of SRE and identification of risk critical events (RCEs) are remarkably meaningful to ensure the system to operate safely. In this context, an event sequence diagram (ESD) based method of SRE analysis and the related Monte Carlo solution are presented; RCE and risk sensitive variable (RSV) are defined, and the corresponding identification methods are also proposed. Finally, the proposed approaches are exemplified with an accident scenario of an aircraft getting into the icing region

  20. Nonlinear system identification of smart structures under high impact loads

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sarp Arsava, Kemal; Kim, Yeesock; El-Korchi, Tahar; Park, Hyo Seon

    2013-01-01

    The main purpose of this paper is to develop numerical models for the prediction and analysis of the highly nonlinear behavior of integrated structure control systems subjected to high impact loading. A time-delayed adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system (TANFIS) is proposed for modeling of the complex nonlinear behavior of smart structures equipped with magnetorheological (MR) dampers under high impact forces. Experimental studies are performed to generate sets of input and output data for training and validation of the TANFIS models. The high impact load and current signals are used as the input disturbance and control signals while the displacement and acceleration responses from the structure–MR damper system are used as the output signals. The benchmark adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) is used as a baseline. Comparisons of the trained TANFIS models with experimental results demonstrate that the TANFIS modeling framework is an effective way to capture nonlinear behavior of integrated structure–MR damper systems under high impact loading. In addition, the performance of the TANFIS model is much better than that of ANFIS in both the training and the validation processes. (paper)

  1. Nonlinear system identification of smart structures under high impact loads

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sarp Arsava, Kemal; Kim, Yeesock; El-Korchi, Tahar; Park, Hyo Seon

    2013-05-01

    The main purpose of this paper is to develop numerical models for the prediction and analysis of the highly nonlinear behavior of integrated structure control systems subjected to high impact loading. A time-delayed adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system (TANFIS) is proposed for modeling of the complex nonlinear behavior of smart structures equipped with magnetorheological (MR) dampers under high impact forces. Experimental studies are performed to generate sets of input and output data for training and validation of the TANFIS models. The high impact load and current signals are used as the input disturbance and control signals while the displacement and acceleration responses from the structure-MR damper system are used as the output signals. The benchmark adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) is used as a baseline. Comparisons of the trained TANFIS models with experimental results demonstrate that the TANFIS modeling framework is an effective way to capture nonlinear behavior of integrated structure-MR damper systems under high impact loading. In addition, the performance of the TANFIS model is much better than that of ANFIS in both the training and the validation processes.

  2. Social comparison processes and catastrophising in fibromyalgia: A path analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cabrera-Perona, V; Buunk, A P; Terol-Cantero, M C; Quiles-Marcos, Y; Martín-Aragón, M

    2017-06-01

    In addition to coping strategies, social comparison may play a role in illness adjustment. However, little is known about the role of contrast and identification in social comparison in adaptation to fibromyalgia. To evaluate through a path analysis in a sample of fibromyalgia patients, the association between identification and contrast in social comparison, catastrophising and specific health outcomes (fibromyalgia illness impact and psychological distress). 131 Spanish fibromyalgia outpatients (mean age: 50.15, SD = 11.1) filled out a questionnaire. We present a model that explained 33% of the variance in catastrophising by direct effects of more use of upward contrast and downward identification. In addition, 35% of fibromyalgia illness impact variance was explained by less upward identification, more upward contrast and more catastrophising and 42% of the variance in psychological distress by a direct effect of more use of upward contrast together with higher fibromyalgia illness impact. We suggest that intervention programmes with chronic pain and fibromyalgia patients should focus on enhancing the use of upward identification in social comparison, and on minimising the use of upward contrast and downward identification in social comparison.

  3. Identification of Brucella spp. isolated from human brucellosis in Malaysia using high-resolution melt (HRM) analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mohamed Zahidi, Jama'ayah; Bee Yong, Tay; Hashim, Rohaidah; Mohd Noor, Azura; Hamzah, Siti Hawa; Ahmad, Norazah

    2015-04-01

    Molecular approaches have been investigated to overcome difficulties in identification and differentiation of Brucella spp. using conventional phenotypic methods. In this study, high-resolution melt (HRM) analysis was used for rapid identification and differentiation of members of Brucella genus. A total of 41 Brucella spp. isolates from human brucellosis were subjected to HRM analysis using 4 sets of primers, which identified 40 isolates as Brucella melitensis and 1 as Brucella canis. The technique utilized low DNA concentration and was highly reproducible. The assay is shown to be a useful diagnostic tool, which can rapidly differentiate Brucella up to species level. Copyright © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  4. Systems integration of biodefense omics data for analysis of pathogen-host interactions and identification of potential targets.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Peter B McGarvey

    2009-09-01

    Full Text Available The NIAID (National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases Biodefense Proteomics program aims to identify targets for potential vaccines, therapeutics, and diagnostics for agents of concern in bioterrorism, including bacterial, parasitic, and viral pathogens. The program includes seven Proteomics Research Centers, generating diverse types of pathogen-host data, including mass spectrometry, microarray transcriptional profiles, protein interactions, protein structures and biological reagents. The Biodefense Resource Center (www.proteomicsresource.org has developed a bioinformatics framework, employing a protein-centric approach to integrate and support mining and analysis of the large and heterogeneous data. Underlying this approach is a data warehouse with comprehensive protein + gene identifier and name mappings and annotations extracted from over 100 molecular databases. Value-added annotations are provided for key proteins from experimental findings using controlled vocabulary. The availability of pathogen and host omics data in an integrated framework allows global analysis of the data and comparisons across different experiments and organisms, as illustrated in several case studies presented here. (1 The identification of a hypothetical protein with differential gene and protein expressions in two host systems (mouse macrophage and human HeLa cells infected by different bacterial (Bacillus anthracis and Salmonella typhimurium and viral (orthopox pathogens suggesting that this protein can be prioritized for additional analysis and functional characterization. (2 The analysis of a vaccinia-human protein interaction network supplemented with protein accumulation levels led to the identification of human Keratin, type II cytoskeletal 4 protein as a potential therapeutic target. (3 Comparison of complete genomes from pathogenic variants coupled with experimental information on complete proteomes allowed the identification and

  5. Geomorphological hazards and environmental impact: Assessment and mapping

    Science.gov (United States)

    Panizza, Mario

    In five sections the author develops the methods for the integration of geomorphological concepts into Environmental Impact and Mapping. The first section introduces the concepts of Impact and Risk through the relationships between Geomorphological Environment and Anthropical Element. The second section proposes a methodology for the determination of Geomorphological Hazard and the identification of Geomorphological Risk. The third section synthesizes the procedure for the compilation of a Geomorphological Hazards Map. The fourth section outlines the concepts of Geomorphological Resource Assessment for the analysis of the Environmental Impact. The fifth section considers the contribution of geomorphological studies and mapping in the procedure for Environmental Impact Assessment.

  6. Fingerprints identification of radiotherapy patients

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lartigau, E.F.; Forrest, M.; Audebaud, S.; Dewitte, A.; Giscard, S.; Leclercq, B.

    2012-01-01

    The identification of patient plays a key role in the quality and safety of radiotherapy. It does impact on all professional staff and on patients. After the regulatory authority approval (Cnil), a pilot study has been performed on 1901 patients. Acceptance has been very high (> 93%) with a low risk of mis-identification (< 0.1%). The next step will be to implement and test a bimodal system in order to improve registration capacity and sensitivity. (authors)

  7. The impact of musical training and tone language experience on talker identification.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xie, Xin; Myers, Emily

    2015-01-01

    Listeners can use pitch changes in speech to identify talkers. Individuals exhibit large variability in sensitivity to pitch and in accuracy perceiving talker identity. In particular, people who have musical training or long-term tone language use are found to have enhanced pitch perception. In the present study, the influence of pitch experience on talker identification was investigated as listeners identified talkers in native language as well as non-native languages. Experiment 1 was designed to explore the influence of pitch experience on talker identification in two groups of individuals with potential advantages for pitch processing: musicians and tone language speakers. Experiment 2 further investigated individual differences in pitch processing and the contribution to talker identification by testing a mediation model. Cumulatively, the results suggested that (a) musical training confers an advantage for talker identification, supporting a shared resources hypothesis regarding music and language and (b) linguistic use of lexical tones also increases accuracy in hearing talker identity. Importantly, these two types of hearing experience enhance talker identification by sharpening pitch perception skills in a domain-general manner.

  8. Structural damage identification using piezoelectric impedance measurement with sparse inverse analysis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cao, Pei; Qi, Shuai; Tang, J.

    2018-03-01

    The impedance/admittance measurements of a piezoelectric transducer bonded to or embedded in a host structure can be used as damage indicator. When a credible model of the healthy structure, such as the finite element model, is available, using the impedance/admittance change information as input, it is possible to identify both the location and severity of damage. The inverse analysis, however, may be under-determined as the number of unknowns in high-frequency analysis is usually large while available input information is limited. The fundamental challenge thus is how to find a small set of solutions that cover the true damage scenario. In this research we cast the damage identification problem into a multi-objective optimization framework to tackle this challenge. With damage locations and severities as unknown variables, one of the objective functions is the difference between impedance-based model prediction in the parametric space and the actual measurements. Considering that damage occurrence generally affects only a small number of elements, we choose the sparsity of the unknown variables as another objective function, deliberately, the l 0 norm. Subsequently, a multi-objective Dividing RECTangles (DIRECT) algorithm is developed to facilitate the inverse analysis where the sparsity is further emphasized by sigmoid transformation. As a deterministic technique, this approach yields results that are repeatable and conclusive. In addition, only one algorithmic parameter, the number of function evaluations, is needed. Numerical and experimental case studies demonstrate that the proposed framework is capable of obtaining high-quality damage identification solutions with limited measurement information.

  9. Identification of acoustic wave propagation in a duct line and its application to detection of impact source location based on signal processing

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shin, Yong Woo; Kim, Min Soo; Lee, Sang Kwon

    2010-01-01

    For the detection of the impact location in a pipeline system, the correlation method has been the conventional method. For the application of the correlation method, the diameter of a duct should be small so that the acoustic wave inside the duct can propagate with nondispersive characteristics, in the form of, for example, a plane wave. This correlation method calculates the cross-correlation between acoustic waves measured at two acceleration sensors attached to a buried duct. It also gives information about the arrival time delay of an acoustic wave between two sensors. These arrival time delays are used for the estimation of the impact location. However, when the diameter of the duct is large, the acoustic waves inside the duct propagate with dispersive characteristics owing to the reflection of the acoustic wave off of the wall of the duct. This dispersive characteristic is related to the acoustic modes inside a duct. Therefore, the correlation method does not work correctly for the detection of the impact location. This paper proposes new methods of accurately measuring the arrival time delay between two sensors attached to duct line system. This method is based on the time-frequency analyses of the short time Fourier transform (STFT) and continuous wavelet transform (CWT). These methods can discriminate direct waves (non-dispersive waves) and reflective waves (dispersive waves) from the measured wave signals through the time-frequency analysis. The direct wave or the reflective wave is used to estimate the arrival time delay. This delay is used for the identification of the impact location. This systematic method can predict the impact location due to the impact forces of construction equipment with more accuracy than the correlation method

  10. Modal Techniques for Remote Identification of Nonlinear Reactions at Gap-Supported Tubes Under Turbulent Excitation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Delaune, X.; Piteau, Ph.; Borsoi, L.; Antunes, J.; Debut, V.

    2010-01-01

    Predictive computation of the nonlinear dynamical responses of gap-supported tubes subjected to flow excitation has been the subject of very active research. Nevertheless, experimental results are still very important, for validation of the theoretical predictions as well as for asserting the integrity of field components. Because carefully instrumented test tubes and tube-supports are seldom possible, due to space limitations and to the severe environment conditions, there is a need for robust techniques capable of extracting, from the actual vibratory response data, information that is relevant for asserting the components integrity. The dynamical contact/impact (vibro-impact) forces are of paramount significance, as are the tube/support gaps. Following our previous studies in this area using wave-propagation techniques (De Araujo, Antunes, and Piteau, 1998, 'Remote Identification of Impact Forces on Loosely Supported Tubes: Part 1-Basic Theory and Experiments', J. Sound Vib., 215, pp. 1015-1041; Antunes, Paulino, and Piteau, 1998, 'Remote Identification of Impact Forces on Loosely Supported Tubes: Part 2-Complex Vibro-Impact Motions', J. Sound Vib., 215, pp. 1043-1064; Paulino, Antunes, and Izquierdo, 1999, 'Remote Identification of Impact Forces on Loosely Supported Tubes: Analysis of Multi-Supported Systems', ASME J. Pressure Vessel Technol., 121, pp. 61-70), we apply modal methods in the present paper for extracting such information. The dynamical support forces, as well as the vibratory responses at the support locations, are identified from one or several vibratory response measurements at remote transducers, from which the support gaps can be inferred. As for most inverse problems, the identification results may prove quite sensitive to noise and modeling errors. Therefore, topics discussed in the paper include regularization techniques to mitigate the effects of non-measured noise perturbations. In particular, a method is proposed to improve the

  11. An evaluation paradigm for cumulative impact analysis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stakhiv, Eugene Z.

    1988-09-01

    Cumulative impact analysis is examined from a conceptual decision-making perspective, focusing on its implicit and explicit purposes as suggested within the policy and procedures for environmental impact analysis of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) and its implementing regulations. In this article it is also linked to different evaluation and decision-making conventions, contrasting a regulatory context with a comprehensive planning framework. The specific problems that make the application of cumulative impact analysis a virtually intractable evaluation requirement are discussed in connection with the federal regulation of wetlands uses. The relatively familiar US Army Corps of Engineers' (the Corps) permit program, in conjunction with the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) responsibilities in managing its share of the Section 404 regulatory program requirements, is used throughout as the realistic context for highlighting certain pragmatic evaluation aspects of cumulative impact assessment. To understand the purposes of cumulative impact analysis (CIA), a key distinction must be made between the implied comprehensive and multiobjective evaluation purposes of CIA, promoted through the principles and policies contained in NEPA, and the more commonly conducted and limited assessment of cumulative effects (ACE), which focuses largely on the ecological effects of human actions. Based on current evaluation practices within the Corps' and EPA's permit programs, it is shown that the commonly used screening approach to regulating wetlands uses is not compatible with the purposes of CIA, nor is the environmental impact statement (EIS) an appropriate vehicle for evaluating the variety of objectives and trade-offs needed as part of CIA. A heuristic model that incorporates the basic elements of CIA is developed, including the idea of trade-offs among social, economic, and environmental protection goals carried out within the context of environmental

  12. Cost and performance analysis of physical protection systems - a case study

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hicks, M.J.; Snell, M.S.; Sandoval, J.S.; Potter, C.S.

    1998-01-01

    Design and analysis of physical protection systems requires (1) identification of mission critical assets; (2) identification of potential threats that might undermine mission capability; (3) identification of the consequences of loss of mission-critical assets (e.g., time and cost to recover required capability and impact on operational readiness); and (4) analysis of the effectiveness of physical protection elements. CPA -- Cost and Performance Analysis -- addresses the fourth of these four issues. CPA is a methodology that joins Activity Based Cost estimation with performance-based analysis of physical protection systems. CPA offers system managers an approach that supports both tactical decision making and strategic planning. Current exploratory applications of the CPA methodology address analysis of alternative conceptual designs. Hypothetical data is used to illustrate this process

  13. Independent component analysis-based algorithm for automatic identification of Raman spectra applied to artistic pigments and pigment mixtures.

    Science.gov (United States)

    González-Vidal, Juan José; Pérez-Pueyo, Rosanna; Soneira, María José; Ruiz-Moreno, Sergio

    2015-03-01

    A new method has been developed to automatically identify Raman spectra, whether they correspond to single- or multicomponent spectra. The method requires no user input or judgment. There are thus no parameters to be tweaked. Furthermore, it provides a reliability factor on the resulting identification, with the aim of becoming a useful support tool for the analyst in the decision-making process. The method relies on the multivariate techniques of principal component analysis (PCA) and independent component analysis (ICA), and on some metrics. It has been developed for the application of automated spectral analysis, where the analyzed spectrum is provided by a spectrometer that has no previous knowledge of the analyzed sample, meaning that the number of components in the sample is unknown. We describe the details of this method and demonstrate its efficiency by identifying both simulated spectra and real spectra. The method has been applied to artistic pigment identification. The reliable and consistent results that were obtained make the methodology a helpful tool suitable for the identification of pigments in artwork or in paint in general.

  14. Damage identification in composite panels using guided waves

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Loendersloot, R.; Moix-Bonet, M.

    2015-01-01

    A methodology for the identification of barely visible impact damage using guided waves on a typical aircraft composite structure is implemented. Delaminations and debondings have been introduced in two stiffened panels by means of impact loads.

  15. Ethnic Identification and School Language of Russian-Speaking Students in Estonia

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kemppainen, Raija P.; Hilton, Sterling C.; Rannut, Ülle

    2015-01-01

    Ethnic identification is closely tied to language. Society's appreciation of one's first language and the opportunity to use it may help strengthen ethnic identification. This research examined the relationship between ethnic identifications and school language and investigated other factors that potentially impact language-minority students'…

  16. Identification of hydrologic and geochemical pathways using high frequency sampling, REE aqueous sampling and soil characterization at Koiliaris Critical Zone Observatory, Crete

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Moraetis, Daniel, E-mail: moraetis@mred.tuc.gr [Department of Environmental Engineering, Technical University of Crete, 73100 Chania (Greece); Stamati, Fotini; Kotronakis, Manolis; Fragia, Tasoula; Paranychnianakis, Nikolaos; Nikolaidis, Nikolaos P. [Department of Environmental Engineering, Technical University of Crete, 73100 Chania (Greece)

    2011-06-15

    Highlights: > Identification of hydrological and geochemical pathways within a complex watershed. > Water increased N-NO{sub 3} concentration and E.C. values during flash flood events. > Soil degradation and impact on water infiltration within the Koiliaris watershed. > Analysis of Rare Earth Elements in water bodies for identification of karstic water. - Abstract: Koiliaris River watershed is a Critical Zone Observatory that represents severely degraded soils due to intensive agricultural activities and biophysical factors. It has typical Mediterranean soils under the imminent threat of desertification which is expected to intensify due to projected climate change. High frequency hydro-chemical monitoring with targeted sampling for Rare Earth Elements (REE) analysis of different water bodies and geochemical characterization of soils were used for the identification of hydrologic and geochemical pathways. The high frequency monitoring of water chemical data highlighted the chemical alterations of water in Koiliaris River during flash flood events. Soil physical and chemical characterization surveys were used to identify erodibility patterns within the watershed and the influence of soils on surface and ground water chemistry. The methodology presented can be used to identify the impacts of degraded soils to surface and ground water quality as well as in the design of methods to minimize the impacts of land use practices.

  17. A new paradigm for known metabolite identification in metabonomics/metabolomics: metabolite identification efficiency.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Everett, Jeremy R

    2015-01-01

    A new paradigm is proposed for assessing confidence in the identification of known metabolites in metabonomics studies using NMR spectroscopy approaches. This new paradigm is based upon the analysis of the amount of metabolite identification information retrieved from NMR spectra relative to the molecular size of the metabolite. Several new indices are proposed including: metabolite identification efficiency (MIE) and metabolite identification carbon efficiency (MICE), both of which can be easily calculated. These indices, together with some guidelines, can be used to provide a better indication of known metabolite identification confidence in metabonomics studies than existing methods. Since known metabolite identification in untargeted metabonomics studies is one of the key bottlenecks facing the science currently, it is hoped that these concepts based on molecular spectroscopic informatics, will find utility in the field.

  18. A New Paradigm for Known Metabolite Identification in Metabonomics/Metabolomics: Metabolite Identification Efficiency

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jeremy R. Everett

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available A new paradigm is proposed for assessing confidence in the identification of known metabolites in metabonomics studies using NMR spectroscopy approaches. This new paradigm is based upon the analysis of the amount of metabolite identification information retrieved from NMR spectra relative to the molecular size of the metabolite. Several new indices are proposed including: metabolite identification efficiency (MIE and metabolite identification carbon efficiency (MICE, both of which can be easily calculated. These indices, together with some guidelines, can be used to provide a better indication of known metabolite identification confidence in metabonomics studies than existing methods. Since known metabolite identification in untargeted metabonomics studies is one of the key bottlenecks facing the science currently, it is hoped that these concepts based on molecular spectroscopic informatics, will find utility in the field.

  19. Complex mixture analysis of peptides using LC/LC-MS/MS and data-dependent protein identification

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wasinger, V.; Corthals, G.

    2001-01-01

    The comprehensive identification of proteins within complex solutions by mass-spectrometry largely depends on the sensitivity, resolving power and sampling efficiency of the technology. An integrated orthogonal approach using Strong Cation Exchange-Reverse Phase-MS/MS (SCX-RP-MS/MS) was used to evaluate the data-dependent Collision Induced Dissociation (CID) of yeast peptides. Reverse phase gradient times of 4, 10. 30, 90, and 180 minutes allowed the identification of hundreds of proteins in a nearly automated fashion from nuclear, membrane, and cytosolic distributions. Many proteins from typically difficult to resolve regions of two-dimensional gels, such as >100kDa, > pI 9.0 and Codon Adaptation Index < 0.2, were also identified using this multi-dimensional separation technology. Few low mass proteins (<10kDa) were identified. The impact of scan-range and duty-cycle on CID of peptides will be discussed

  20. Impact of radioactivity on the environment: problems, state of current knowledge and approaches for identification of radioprotection criteria

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Brechignac, F.

    2001-01-01

    There is currently a revitalized concern about the potential impact of ionizing radiation on the environment that calls for the construction of a system ensuring an adequate radioprotection of the non-human biota and their associated biotopes. This paper first sets the context of the problem both, with respect to the general philosophy of environmental protection as a whole, but also with respect to the consideration of the environment achieved so far in the purpose of human radioprotection. The current accumulated knowledge on the effects of ionizing radiation to biota (fauna and flora) is then briefly reviewed, encompassing effects at individual and community/ecosystem level, situations of acute and chronic exposure to high and low doses, finally leading to the identification of the most critical gaps in scientific knowledge: effects of mixed low dose rates in chronic exposure to communities and ecosystems. The most significant current international efforts towards the identification of environmental radioprotection criteria and standards are finally presented along with some relevant national examples. (author)

  1. Identification of contaminants of concern Columbia River Comprehensive Impact Assessment

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Napier, B.A.; Batishko, N.C.; Heise-Craff, D.A.; Jarvis, M.F.; Snyder, S.F.

    1995-01-01

    The Columbia River Comprehensive Impact Assessment (CRCIA) Project at the Pacific Northwest Laboratory (PNL) is evaluating the current human and ecological risks from contaminants in the Columbia River. The risks to be studied are those attributable to past and present activities on the Hanford Site. The Hanford Site is located in southcentral Washington State near the town of Richland. Human risk from exposure to radioactive and hazardous materials will be addressed for a range of river use options. Ecological risk will be evaluated relative to the health of the current river ecosystem. The overall purpose of the project is to determine if enough contamination exists in the Columbia River to warrant cleanup actions under applicable environmental regulations. This report documents an initial review, from a risk perspective, of the wealth of historical data concerning current or potential contamination in the Columbia River. Sampling data were examined for over 600 contaminants. A screening analysis was performed to identify those substances present in such quantities that they may pose a significant human or ecological risk. These substances will require a more detailed analysis to assess their impact on humans or the river ecosystem

  2. SIMS analysis of extended impact features on LDEF experiment

    Science.gov (United States)

    Amari, S.; Foote, J.; Jessberger, E. K.; Simon, C.; Stadermann, F. J.; Swan, P.; Walker, R.; Zinner, E.

    1991-01-01

    Discussed here are the first Secondary Ion Mass Spectroscopy (SIMS) analysis of projectile material deposited in extended impact features on Ge wafers from the trailing edge. Although most capture cells lost their plastic film covers, they contain extended impact features that apparently were produced by high velocity impacts when the plastic foils were still intact. Detailed optical scanning of all bare capture cells from the trailing edge revealed more than 100 impacts. Fifty-eight were selected by scanning electron microscope (SEM) inspection as prime candidates for SIMS analysis. Preliminary SIMS measurements were made on 15 impacts. More than half showed substantial enhancements of Mg, Al, Si, Ca, and Fe in the impact region, indicating micrometeorites as the projectiles.

  3. COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF METHODS FOR IDENTIFICATION OF NONTUBERCULOUS MYCOBACTERIA ISOLATED FROM CLINICAL MATERIAL

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    A. V. Lyamin

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Recently there has been a significant increase in the incidence of mycobacteriosis, which is due to an increase in the proportion of immunosuppressed patients, the presence of these various comorbid conditions, as well as the improvement of diagnostic methods. Selecting the most accurate method of identification is extremely important in determining treatment strategy of patients. The aim of the study was to conduct a comparative analysis of modern methods of identification NTMB isolated from clinical specimens in 2015 in the Samara region. The work was carried out identification of 78 strains of microorganisms. Laboratory diagnosis was carried out using the DNA hybridization method and MALDI-ToF mass spectrometry. When microbial identification using MALDI-ToF mass spectrometry was isolated 16 strains (20.5% M. kansasii; 11 strains (14.1% M. avium and M. fortuitum; 9 strains (11.5% M. gordonae; strain 3 (3.8% M. peregrinum, M. szulgai, M. chimera intracellulare group, strain 2 (2.6% M. abscessus, M. septicum, M. paragordonae, M. senegalence, 1 strain (1.3% M. chelonae, M. frederiksbergense, M. monacense, M. lentiflavum. By using mass spectrometry, it was identified 15 types NTMB compared with 9 types — by DNA hybridization. Full match identification results was observed only in 45 (57.7% strains of divergent strains were found in 16 (20.5%. Most often when using the DNA hybridization method, discrepancy was detected in slow-growing cultures (9 strains with a predominance of microorganisms identified as M. gordonae. Among the representatives of fast-growing NTMB, seven investigations were identified in the identification, more often among representatives of the M. fortuitum and M. peregrinum groups. Particular attention should be paid to the identification of the M. kansasii strain by a molecular genetic method, which mass spectrometry was defined as M. bovis. Both cultures of M. tuberculosis complex, which were identified by MALDI

  4. Assessing the influence of Environmental Impact Assessments on science and policy: an analysis of the Three Gorges Project.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tullos, Desiree

    2009-07-01

    The need to understand and minimize negative environmental outcomes associated with large dams has both contributed to and benefited from the introduction and subsequent improvements in the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) process. However, several limitations in the EIA process remain, including those associated with the uncertainty and significance of impact projections. These limitations are directly related to the feedback between science and policy, with information gaps in scientific understanding discovered through the EIA process contributing valuable recommendations on critical focus areas for prioritizing and funding research within the fields of ecological conservation and river engineering. This paper presents an analysis of the EIA process for the Three Gorges Project (TGP) in China as a case study for evaluating this feedback between the EIA and science and policy. For one of the best-studied public development projects in the world, this paper presents an investigation into whether patterns exist between the scientific interest (via number of publications) in environmental impacts and (a) the identification of impacts as uncertain or priority by the EIA, (b) decisions or political events associated with the dam, and (c) impact type. This analysis includes the compilation of literature on TGP, characterization of ecosystem interactions and responses to TGP through a hierarchy of impacts, coding of EIA impacts as "uncertain" impacts that require additional study and "priority" impacts that have particularly high significance, mapping of an event chronology to relate policies, institutional changes, and decisions about TGP as "events" that could influence the focus and intensity of scientific investigation, and analysis of the number of publications by impact type and order within the impact hierarchy. From these analyses, it appears that the availability and consistency of scientific information limit the accuracy of environmental impact

  5. Radionuclide identification algorithm for organic scintillator-based radiation portal monitor

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Paff, Marc Gerrit, E-mail: mpaff@umich.edu; Di Fulvio, Angela; Clarke, Shaun D.; Pozzi, Sara A.

    2017-03-21

    We have developed an algorithm for on-the-fly radionuclide identification for radiation portal monitors using organic scintillation detectors. The algorithm was demonstrated on experimental data acquired with our pedestrian portal monitor on moving special nuclear material and industrial sources at a purpose-built radiation portal monitor testing facility. The experimental data also included common medical isotopes. The algorithm takes the power spectral density of the cumulative distribution function of the measured pulse height distributions and matches these to reference spectra using a spectral angle mapper. F-score analysis showed that the new algorithm exhibited significant performance improvements over previously implemented radionuclide identification algorithms for organic scintillators. Reliable on-the-fly radionuclide identification would help portal monitor operators more effectively screen out the hundreds of thousands of nuisance alarms they encounter annually due to recent nuclear-medicine patients and cargo containing naturally occurring radioactive material. Portal monitor operators could instead focus on the rare but potentially high impact incidents of nuclear and radiological material smuggling detection for which portal monitors are intended.

  6. Radionuclide identification algorithm for organic scintillator-based radiation portal monitor

    Science.gov (United States)

    Paff, Marc Gerrit; Di Fulvio, Angela; Clarke, Shaun D.; Pozzi, Sara A.

    2017-03-01

    We have developed an algorithm for on-the-fly radionuclide identification for radiation portal monitors using organic scintillation detectors. The algorithm was demonstrated on experimental data acquired with our pedestrian portal monitor on moving special nuclear material and industrial sources at a purpose-built radiation portal monitor testing facility. The experimental data also included common medical isotopes. The algorithm takes the power spectral density of the cumulative distribution function of the measured pulse height distributions and matches these to reference spectra using a spectral angle mapper. F-score analysis showed that the new algorithm exhibited significant performance improvements over previously implemented radionuclide identification algorithms for organic scintillators. Reliable on-the-fly radionuclide identification would help portal monitor operators more effectively screen out the hundreds of thousands of nuisance alarms they encounter annually due to recent nuclear-medicine patients and cargo containing naturally occurring radioactive material. Portal monitor operators could instead focus on the rare but potentially high impact incidents of nuclear and radiological material smuggling detection for which portal monitors are intended.

  7. Improved Palmprint Identification System

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Harshala C. Salave

    2015-03-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Generally private information is provided by using passwords or Personal Identification Numbers which is easy to implement but it is very easily stolen or forgotten or hack. In Biometrics for individuals identification uses human physiological which are constant throughout life like palm face DNA iris etc. or behavioral characteristicswhich is not constant in life like voice signature keystroke etc.. But mostly gain more attention to palmprint identification and is becoming more popular technique using for identification and promising alternatives to the traditional password or PIN based authentication techniques. In this paper propose palmprint identification using veins on the palm and fingers. Here use fusion of techniques such as Discrete Wavelet transformDWT Canny Edge Detector Gaussian Filter Principle Component AnalysisPCA.

  8. Risk analysis within environmental impact assessment of proposed construction activity

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zeleňáková, Martina; Zvijáková, Lenka

    2017-01-15

    Environmental impact assessment is an important process, prior to approval of the investment plan, providing a detailed examination of the likely and foreseeable impacts of proposed construction activity on the environment. The objective of this paper is to develop a specific methodology for the analysis and evaluation of environmental impacts of selected constructions – flood protection structures using risk analysis methods. The application of methodology designed for the process of environmental impact assessment will develop assumptions for further improvements or more effective implementation and performance of this process. The main objective of the paper is to improve the implementation of the environmental impact assessment process. Through the use of risk analysis methods in environmental impact assessment process, the set objective has been achieved. - Highlights: This paper is informed by an effort to develop research with the aim of: • Improving existing qualitative and quantitative methods for assessing the impacts • A better understanding of relations between probabilities and consequences • Methodology for the EIA of flood protection constructions based on risk analysis • Creative approaches in the search for environmentally friendly proposed activities.

  9. Risk analysis within environmental impact assessment of proposed construction activity

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zeleňáková, Martina; Zvijáková, Lenka

    2017-01-01

    Environmental impact assessment is an important process, prior to approval of the investment plan, providing a detailed examination of the likely and foreseeable impacts of proposed construction activity on the environment. The objective of this paper is to develop a specific methodology for the analysis and evaluation of environmental impacts of selected constructions – flood protection structures using risk analysis methods. The application of methodology designed for the process of environmental impact assessment will develop assumptions for further improvements or more effective implementation and performance of this process. The main objective of the paper is to improve the implementation of the environmental impact assessment process. Through the use of risk analysis methods in environmental impact assessment process, the set objective has been achieved. - Highlights: This paper is informed by an effort to develop research with the aim of: • Improving existing qualitative and quantitative methods for assessing the impacts • A better understanding of relations between probabilities and consequences • Methodology for the EIA of flood protection constructions based on risk analysis • Creative approaches in the search for environmentally friendly proposed activities.

  10. An Analysis of the Impact of RFID Technology on Inventory Systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rekik, Yacine

    Nowadays, most enterprises undertake large investments in order to implement information systems that support decision making for managing inventories. Nevertheless, if data collected from the physical processes used to feed these systems are not correct, there will be severe impacts on business performance. Inventory inaccuracy occurs when the inventory level in the Information System is not in agreement with the physically available inventory. In this chapter, we first describe the major factors generating inventory inaccuracy. Then, we provide situations permitting to manage an inventory system subject to errors. We provide a framework to model the inventory inaccuracy issue and focus on the impact of advanced identification systems, such as that provided by RFID technology, in improving the performance of a supply chain subject to inventory inaccuracies.

  11. Catching the tail: Empirical identification of the distribution of the value of travel time

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Börjesson, Maria; Fosgerau, Mogens; Algers, Staffan

    2012-01-01

    Recent methodological advances in discrete choice analysis in combination with certain stated choice experiments have allowed researchers to check empirically the identification of the distribution of latent variables such as the value of travel time (VTT). Lack of identification is likely...... to be common and the consequences are severe. E.g., the Danish value of time study found the 15% right tail of the VTT distribution to be unidentified, making it impossible to estimate the mean VTT without resorting to strong assumptions with equally strong impact on the resulting estimate. This paper analyses...... data generated from a similar choice experiment undertaken in Sweden during 2007–2008 in which the range of tradeoff values between time and money was significantly increased relative to the Danish experiment. The results show that this change allowed empirical identification of effectively the entire...

  12. Consonant and Vowel Identification in Cochlear Implant Users Measured by Nonsense Words: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rødvik, Arne Kirkhorn; von Koss Torkildsen, Janne; Wie, Ona Bø; Storaker, Marit Aarvaag; Silvola, Juha Tapio

    2018-04-17

    The purpose of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to establish a baseline of the vowel and consonant identification scores in prelingually and postlingually deaf users of multichannel cochlear implants (CIs) tested with consonant-vowel-consonant and vowel-consonant-vowel nonsense syllables. Six electronic databases were searched for peer-reviewed articles reporting consonant and vowel identification scores in CI users measured by nonsense words. Relevant studies were independently assessed and screened by 2 reviewers. Consonant and vowel identification scores were presented in forest plots and compared between studies in a meta-analysis. Forty-seven articles with 50 studies, including 647 participants, thereof 581 postlingually deaf and 66 prelingually deaf, met the inclusion criteria of this study. The mean performance on vowel identification tasks for the postlingually deaf CI users was 76.8% (N = 5), which was higher than the mean performance for the prelingually deaf CI users (67.7%; N = 1). The mean performance on consonant identification tasks for the postlingually deaf CI users was higher (58.4%; N = 44) than for the prelingually deaf CI users (46.7%; N = 6). The most common consonant confusions were found between those with same manner of articulation (/k/ as /t/, /m/ as /n/, and /p/ as /t/). The mean performance on consonant identification tasks for the prelingually and postlingually deaf CI users was found. There were no statistically significant differences between the scores for prelingually and postlingually deaf CI users. The consonants that were incorrectly identified were typically confused with other consonants with the same acoustic properties, namely, voicing, duration, nasality, and silent gaps. A univariate metaregression model, although not statistically significant, indicated that duration of implant use in postlingually deaf adults predict a substantial portion of their consonant identification ability. As there is no ceiling

  13. Analysis of aircraft impact to concrete structures

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Arros, Jorma; Doumbalski, Nikolay

    2007-01-01

    Analysis of aircraft impact to nuclear power plant structures is discussed utilizing a simplified model of a 'fictitious nuclear building' to perform analyses using LS-DYNA software, representing the loading: (i) by the Riera force history method and (ii) by modeling the crash by impacting a model of a plane similar to Boeing 747-400 to the structure (i.e., 'missile-target interaction method'). Points discussed include: (1) comparison of shock loading within the building as obtained from the Riera force history analysis versus from the missile-target interaction analysis, (2) sensitivity of the results on the assumed Riera force loading area, (3) linear versus nonlinear modeling and (4) on failure criteria

  14. A Meta-Analysis of Gifted and Talented Identification Practices

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hodges, Jaret; Tay, Juliana; Maeda, Yukiko; Gentry, Marcia

    2018-01-01

    Researchers consider the underrepresentation of Black, Hispanic, and Native American students is largely due to the use of traditional methods of identification (i.e., IQ and standardized achievement tests). To address this concern, researchers created novel nontraditional identification methods (e.g., nonverbal tests, student portfolios,…

  15. Fastidious Gram-Negatives: Identification by the Vitek 2 Neisseria-Haemophilus Card and by Partial 16S rRNA Gene Sequencing Analysis

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Wolff Sönksen, Ute; Christensen, Jens Jørgen; Nielsen, Lisbeth

    2010-01-01

    Taxonomy and identification of fastidious Gram negatives are evolving and challenging. We compared identifications achieved with the Vitek 2 Neisseria-Haemophilus (NH) card and partial 16S rRNA gene sequence (526 bp stretch) analysis with identifications obtained with extensive phenotypic...... characterization using 100 fastidious Gram negative bacteria. Seventy-five strains represented 21 of the 26 taxa included in the Vitek 2 NH database and 25 strains represented related species not included in the database. Of the 100 strains, 31 were the type strains of the species. Vitek 2 NH identification...

  16. The Development Of Mathematical Model For Automated Fingerprint Identification Systems Analysis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ardisasmita, M. Syamsa

    2001-01-01

    Fingerprint has a strong oriented and periodic structure composed of dark lines of raised skin (ridges) and clear lines of lowered skin (furrows)that twist to form a distinct pattern. Although the manner in which the ridges flow is distinctive, other characteristics of the fingerprint called m inutiae a re what are most unique to the individual. These features are particular patterns consisting of terminations or bifurcations of the ridges. To assert if two fingerprints are from the same finger or not, experts detect those minutiae. AFIS (Automated Fingerprint Identification Systems) extract and compare these features for determining a match. The classic methods of fingerprints recognition are not suitable for direct implementation in form of computer algorithms. The creation of a finger's model was however the necessity of development of new, better algorithms of analysis. This paper presents a new numerical methods of fingerprints' simulation based on mathematical model of arrangement of dermatoglyphics and creation of minutiae. This paper describes also the design and implementation of an automated fingerprint identification systems which operates in two stages: minutiae extraction and minutiae matching

  17. Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy-Based Identification of Yeast.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Himmelreich, Uwe; Sorrell, Tania C; Daniel, Heide-Marie

    2017-01-01

    Rapid and robust high-throughput identification of environmental, industrial, or clinical yeast isolates is important whenever relatively large numbers of samples need to be processed in a cost-efficient way. Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy generates complex data based on metabolite profiles, chemical composition and possibly on medium consumption, which can not only be used for the assessment of metabolic pathways but also for accurate identification of yeast down to the subspecies level. Initial results on NMR based yeast identification where comparable with conventional and DNA-based identification. Potential advantages of NMR spectroscopy in mycological laboratories include not only accurate identification but also the potential of automated sample delivery, automated analysis using computer-based methods, rapid turnaround time, high throughput, and low running costs.We describe here the sample preparation, data acquisition and analysis for NMR-based yeast identification. In addition, a roadmap for the development of classification strategies is given that will result in the acquisition of a database and analysis algorithms for yeast identification in different environments.

  18. Improved gravitational search algorithm for parameter identification of water turbine regulation system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chen, Zhihuan; Yuan, Xiaohui; Tian, Hao; Ji, Bin

    2014-01-01

    Highlights: • We propose an improved gravitational search algorithm (IGSA). • IGSA is applied to parameter identification of water turbine regulation system (WTRS). • WTRS is modeled by considering the impact of turbine speed on torque and water flow. • Weighted objective function strategy is applied to parameter identification of WTRS. - Abstract: Parameter identification of water turbine regulation system (WTRS) is crucial in precise modeling hydropower generating unit (HGU) and provides support for the adaptive control and stability analysis of power system. In this paper, an improved gravitational search algorithm (IGSA) is proposed and applied to solve the identification problem for WTRS system under load and no-load running conditions. This newly algorithm which is based on standard gravitational search algorithm (GSA) accelerates convergence speed with combination of the search strategy of particle swarm optimization and elastic-ball method. Chaotic mutation which is devised to stepping out the local optimal with a certain probability is also added into the algorithm to avoid premature. Furthermore, a new kind of model associated to the engineering practices is built and analyzed in the simulation tests. An illustrative example for parameter identification of WTRS is used to verify the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed IGSA, as compared with standard GSA and particle swarm optimization in terms of parameter identification accuracy and convergence speed. The simulation results show that IGSA performs best for all identification indicators

  19. A Roadmap of Risk Diagnostic Methods: Developing an Integrated View of Risk Identification and Analysis Techniques

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Williams, Ray; Ambrose, Kate; Bentrem, Laura

    2004-01-01

    ...), which is envisioned to be a comprehensive reference tool for risk identification and analysis (RI AND A) techniques. Program Managers (PMs) responsible for developing or acquiring software-intensive systems typically identify risks in different ways...

  20. Application in pesticide analysis: Liquid chromatography - A review of the state of science for biomarker discovery and identification

    Science.gov (United States)

    Book Chapter 18, titled Application in pesticide analysis: Liquid chromatography - A review of the state of science for biomarker discovery and identification, will be published in the book titled High Performance Liquid Chromatography in Pesticide Residue Analysis (Part of the C...

  1. The Impact of Measurement Error on Estimates of the Price Reaction to USDA Crop Reports

    OpenAIRE

    Aulerich, Nicole M.; Irwin, Scott H.; Nelson, Carl H.

    2007-01-01

    This paper investigates the impact of USDA crop production reports in corn and soybean futures markets. The analysis is based on all corn and soybean production reports released over 1970-2006. The empirical analysis compares the typical OLS event study approach to the new Identification by Censoring (ITC) technique. Corn and soybean production reports are analyzed both separately and together for impact in corn and soybean futures prices. ITC proves to be the more useful method because it av...

  2. Analysis of Traffic Crashes Involving Pedestrians Using Big Data: Investigation of Contributing Factors and Identification of Hotspots.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xie, Kun; Ozbay, Kaan; Kurkcu, Abdullah; Yang, Hong

    2017-08-01

    This study aims to explore the potential of using big data in advancing the pedestrian risk analysis including the investigation of contributing factors and the hotspot identification. Massive amounts of data of Manhattan from a variety of sources were collected, integrated, and processed, including taxi trips, subway turnstile counts, traffic volumes, road network, land use, sociodemographic, and social media data. The whole study area was uniformly split into grid cells as the basic geographical units of analysis. The cell-structured framework makes it easy to incorporate rich and diversified data into risk analysis. The cost of each crash, weighted by injury severity, was assigned to the cells based on the relative distance to the crash site using a kernel density function. A tobit model was developed to relate grid-cell-specific contributing factors to crash costs that are left-censored at zero. The potential for safety improvement (PSI) that could be obtained by using the actual crash cost minus the cost of "similar" sites estimated by the tobit model was used as a measure to identify and rank pedestrian crash hotspots. The proposed hotspot identification method takes into account two important factors that are generally ignored, i.e., injury severity and effects of exposure indicators. Big data, on the one hand, enable more precise estimation of the effects of risk factors by providing richer data for modeling, and on the other hand, enable large-scale hotspot identification with higher resolution than conventional methods based on census tracts or traffic analysis zones. © 2017 Society for Risk Analysis.

  3. New Methodology for Known Metabolite Identification in Metabonomics/Metabolomics: Topological Metabolite Identification Carbon Efficiency (tMICE).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sanchon-Lopez, Beatriz; Everett, Jeremy R

    2016-09-02

    A new, simple-to-implement and quantitative approach to assessing the confidence in NMR-based identification of known metabolites is introduced. The approach is based on a topological analysis of metabolite identification information available from NMR spectroscopy studies and is a development of the metabolite identification carbon efficiency (MICE) method. New topological metabolite identification indices are introduced, analyzed, and proposed for general use, including topological metabolite identification carbon efficiency (tMICE). Because known metabolite identification is one of the key bottlenecks in either NMR-spectroscopy- or mass spectrometry-based metabonomics/metabolomics studies, and given the fact that there is no current consensus on how to assess metabolite identification confidence, it is hoped that these new approaches and the topological indices will find utility.

  4. IMPACT_S: integrated multiprogram platform to analyze and combine tests of selection.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Emanuel Maldonado

    Full Text Available Among the major goals of research in evolutionary biology are the identification of genes targeted by natural selection and understanding how various regimes of evolution affect the fitness of an organism. In particular, adaptive evolution enables organisms to adapt to changing ecological factors such as diet, temperature, habitat, predatory pressures and prey abundance. An integrative approach is crucial for the identification of non-synonymous mutations that introduce radical changes in protein biochemistry and thus in turn influence the structure and function of proteins. Performing such analyses manually is often a time-consuming process, due to the large number of statistical files generated from multiple approaches, especially when assessing numerous taxa and/or large datasets. We present IMPACT_S, an easy-to-use Graphical User Interface (GUI software, which rapidly and effectively integrates, filters and combines results from three widely used programs for assessing the influence of selection: Codeml (PAML package, Datamonkey and TreeSAAP. It enables the identification and tabulation of sites detected by these programs as evolving under the influence of positive, neutral and/or negative selection in protein-coding genes. IMPACT_S further facilitates the automatic mapping of these sites onto the three-dimensional structures of proteins. Other useful tools incorporated in IMPACT_S include Jmol, Archaeopteryx, Gnuplot, PhyML, a built-in Swiss-Model interface and a PDB downloader. The relevance and functionality of IMPACT_S is shown through a case study on the toxicoferan-reptilian Cysteine-rich Secretory Proteins (CRiSPs. IMPACT_S is a platform-independent software released under GPLv3 license, freely available online from http://impact-s.sourceforge.net.

  5. IMPACT_S: integrated multiprogram platform to analyze and combine tests of selection.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Maldonado, Emanuel; Sunagar, Kartik; Almeida, Daniela; Vasconcelos, Vitor; Antunes, Agostinho

    2014-01-01

    Among the major goals of research in evolutionary biology are the identification of genes targeted by natural selection and understanding how various regimes of evolution affect the fitness of an organism. In particular, adaptive evolution enables organisms to adapt to changing ecological factors such as diet, temperature, habitat, predatory pressures and prey abundance. An integrative approach is crucial for the identification of non-synonymous mutations that introduce radical changes in protein biochemistry and thus in turn influence the structure and function of proteins. Performing such analyses manually is often a time-consuming process, due to the large number of statistical files generated from multiple approaches, especially when assessing numerous taxa and/or large datasets. We present IMPACT_S, an easy-to-use Graphical User Interface (GUI) software, which rapidly and effectively integrates, filters and combines results from three widely used programs for assessing the influence of selection: Codeml (PAML package), Datamonkey and TreeSAAP. It enables the identification and tabulation of sites detected by these programs as evolving under the influence of positive, neutral and/or negative selection in protein-coding genes. IMPACT_S further facilitates the automatic mapping of these sites onto the three-dimensional structures of proteins. Other useful tools incorporated in IMPACT_S include Jmol, Archaeopteryx, Gnuplot, PhyML, a built-in Swiss-Model interface and a PDB downloader. The relevance and functionality of IMPACT_S is shown through a case study on the toxicoferan-reptilian Cysteine-rich Secretory Proteins (CRiSPs). IMPACT_S is a platform-independent software released under GPLv3 license, freely available online from http://impact-s.sourceforge.net.

  6. Performance of wavelet analysis and neural networks for pathological voices identification

    Science.gov (United States)

    Salhi, Lotfi; Talbi, Mourad; Abid, Sabeur; Cherif, Adnane

    2011-09-01

    Within the medical environment, diverse techniques exist to assess the state of the voice of the patient. The inspection technique is inconvenient for a number of reasons, such as its high cost, the duration of the inspection, and above all, the fact that it is an invasive technique. This study focuses on a robust, rapid and accurate system for automatic identification of pathological voices. This system employs non-invasive, non-expensive and fully automated method based on hybrid approach: wavelet transform analysis and neural network classifier. First, we present the results obtained in our previous study while using classic feature parameters. These results allow visual identification of pathological voices. Second, quantified parameters drifting from the wavelet analysis are proposed to characterise the speech sample. On the other hand, a system of multilayer neural networks (MNNs) has been developed which carries out the automatic detection of pathological voices. The developed method was evaluated using voice database composed of recorded voice samples (continuous speech) from normophonic or dysphonic speakers. The dysphonic speakers were patients of a National Hospital 'RABTA' of Tunis Tunisia and a University Hospital in Brussels, Belgium. Experimental results indicate a success rate ranging between 75% and 98.61% for discrimination of normal and pathological voices using the proposed parameters and neural network classifier. We also compared the average classification rate based on the MNN, Gaussian mixture model and support vector machines.

  7. Identification and analcime quantification; Identification et dosage de l'analcime

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Chantret, F; Guillemaut, A; Pouget, R

    1962-07-01

    The authors are comparing thermal analysis and X-ray diffraction methods for the estimation of analcime in rocks. From application to the analcimolithes of Agades - Republic of Niger - it appears that X-ray diffractometry is better convenient, both for identification and estimation; nevertheless, thermal analysis combined with chemical analysis allows to detect variations in the composition of analcime inside a given series. [French] Les auteurs comparent les techniques d'analyse thermique et de diffraction X pour le dosage de l'analcime dans les roches. L'application aux analcimolites d'Agades - Republique du Niger - montre que la diffractometrie X est mieux adaptee a la fois dans l'identification et le dosage; neanmoins, l'analyse thermique, associee a l'analyse chimique, permet de suivre les fluctuations de composition de l'analcime a l'interieur d'une serie determinee. (auteurs)

  8. Social impacts of radioactive waste disposal

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1985-11-01

    In this report an approach is developed for the assessment of socio-economic impacts from radioactive waste disposal. The approach provides recommendations on procedures to be used in identification and prediction of impacts. Two decision-aiding methods are also included. The first provides for the identification of key issues and the illustration of the trade-offs involved in the decision. Multi-attribute scoring and weighting techniques are then proposed for the illustration of impacts using quantitative measures. (author)

  9. Identification and DNA fingerprinting of Legionella strains by randomly amplified polymorphic DNA analysis.

    OpenAIRE

    Bansal, N S; McDonell, F

    1997-01-01

    The randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) technique was used in the development of a fingerprinting (typing) and identification protocol for Legionella strains. Twenty decamer random oligonucleotide primers were screened for their discriminatory abilities. Two candidate primers were selected. By using a combination of these primers, RAPD analysis allowed for the differentiation between all different species, between the serogroups, and further differentiation between subtypes of the same ...

  10. Combined SERS and Raman analysis for the identification of red pigments in cross-sections from historic oil paintings.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Frano, Kristen A; Mayhew, Hannah E; Svoboda, Shelley A; Wustholz, Kristin L

    2014-12-21

    The analysis of paint cross-sections can reveal a remarkable amount of information about the layers and materials in a painting without visibly altering the artwork. Although a variety of analytical approaches are used to detect inorganic pigments as well as organic binders, proteins, and lipids in cross-sections, they do not provide for the unambiguous identification of natural, organic colorants. Here, we develop a novel combined surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS), light microscopy, and normal Raman scattering (NRS) approach for the identification of red organic and inorganic pigments in paint cross-sections obtained from historic 18th and 19th century oil paintings. In particular, Ag nanoparticles are directly applied to localized areas of paint cross-sections mounted in polyester resin for SERS analysis of the organic pigments. This combined extractionless non-hydrolysis SERS and NRS approach provides for the definitive identification of carmine lake, madder lake, and vermilion in multiple paint layers. To our knowledge, this study represents the first in situ identification of natural, organic pigments within paint cross-sections from oil paintings. Furthermore, the combination of SERS and normal Raman, with light microscopy provides conservators with a more comprehensive understanding of a painting from a single sample and without the need for sample pretreatment.

  11. Cephalometric Analysis for Gender Determination Using Maxillary Sinus Index: A Novel Dimension in Personal Identification

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tanya Khaitan

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Purpose. Radiography is important in forensic odontology for the identification of humans. The maxillary sinus is the largest of the paranasal sinuses and first to develop. Sinus radiography has been used for identification of skeletal remains and determination of gender. Hence, the aim and objectives of the present study were to establish a new method for gender determination using maxillary sinus index from lateral cephalometric radiographs and to establish the reliability of maxillary sinus for gender determination. Methods. A total of 50 adult digital lateral cephalometric radiographs (25 males and 25 females were included in the study. The maxillary sinus analysis was performed on these radiographs using the height and width measurement tools of Sidexis XG software. Maxillary sinus index was calculated, discriminant function analysis performed, and discriminant equation derived for determination of gender. Results. The mean maxillary sinus height and width were found to be higher in males, whereas the maxillary sinus index was greater in females. The discriminant function analysis derived in the study was able to differentiate the sex groups with sensitivity of 68% and specificity of 76%. Conclusions. From the results of the present study, it may be concluded that morphometric analysis of maxillary sinus can be used as a reliable tool in gender determination.

  12. Integrated communication, navigation, and identification avionics: Impact analysis. Executive summary

    Science.gov (United States)

    Veatch, M. H.; McManus, J. C.

    1985-10-01

    This paper summarizes the approach and findings of research into reliability, supportability, and survivability prediction techniques for fault-tolerant avionics systems. Since no technique existed to analyze the fault tolerance of reconfigurable systems, a new method was developed and implemented in the Mission Reliability Model (MIREM). The supportability analysis was completed by using the Simulation of Operational Availability/Readiness (SOAR) model. Both the Computation of Vulnerable Area and Repair Time (COVART) model and FASTGEN, a survivability model, proved valuable for the survivability research. Sample results are presented and several recommendations are also given for each of the three areas investigated under this study: reliability supportablility and survivability.

  13. Identification of low amount of irradiated spices (red pepper, garlic, ginger powder) with luminescence analysis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Byeong-Keun; Akram, Kashif; Kim, Cheong-Tae; Kang, Na-Roo; Lee, Jin-Won; Ryang, Jun-Hwan; Kwon, Joong-Ho

    2012-08-01

    For the identification of irradiated food, current analysis methods have limitations regarding presence and stability of radiation-induced markers. In this study, different spice blends with small quantity of different irradiated (0, 1 and 10 kGy) spice powders, such as red pepper, garlic or ginger, were investigated using PSL and TL techniques. In PSL-based screening analysis, the spice blends containing 10% of irradiated materials (1 or 10 kGy) were determined as intermediate or positive. In TL results, the blends containing 1% of 1 or 10 kGy-irradiated spices showed the typical TL glow curves that could be interpreted as positive. The blends with irradiated garlic powder provided more good results where identification was possible at 0.5% mixing of irradiated sample. However, the TL ratios of all spice blends were <0.1 and only TL glow curve shape and intensity may be used to discriminate the samples having irradiated component.

  14. Assumptions and Policy Decisions for Vital Area Identification Analysis

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kim, Myungsu; Bae, Yeon-Kyoung; Lee, Youngseung [KHNP CRI, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

    2016-10-15

    U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission and IAEA guidance indicate that certain assumptions and policy questions should be addressed to a Vital Area Identification (VAI) process. Korea Hydro and Nuclear Power conducted a VAI based on current Design Basis Threat and engineering judgement to identify APR1400 vital areas. Some of the assumptions were inherited from Probabilistic Safety Assessment (PSA) as a sabotage logic model was based on PSA logic tree and equipment location data. This paper illustrates some important assumptions and policy decisions for APR1400 VAI analysis. Assumptions and policy decisions could be overlooked at the beginning stage of VAI, however they should be carefully reviewed and discussed among engineers, plant operators, and regulators. Through APR1400 VAI process, some of the policy concerns and assumptions for analysis were applied based on document research and expert panel discussions. It was also found that there are more assumptions to define for further studies for other types of nuclear power plants. One of the assumptions is mission time, which was inherited from PSA.

  15. Towards large-scale FAME-based bacterial species identification using machine learning techniques.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Slabbinck, Bram; De Baets, Bernard; Dawyndt, Peter; De Vos, Paul

    2009-05-01

    In the last decade, bacterial taxonomy witnessed a huge expansion. The swift pace of bacterial species (re-)definitions has a serious impact on the accuracy and completeness of first-line identification methods. Consequently, back-end identification libraries need to be synchronized with the List of Prokaryotic names with Standing in Nomenclature. In this study, we focus on bacterial fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) profiling as a broadly used first-line identification method. From the BAME@LMG database, we have selected FAME profiles of individual strains belonging to the genera Bacillus, Paenibacillus and Pseudomonas. Only those profiles resulting from standard growth conditions have been retained. The corresponding data set covers 74, 44 and 95 validly published bacterial species, respectively, represented by 961, 378 and 1673 standard FAME profiles. Through the application of machine learning techniques in a supervised strategy, different computational models have been built for genus and species identification. Three techniques have been considered: artificial neural networks, random forests and support vector machines. Nearly perfect identification has been achieved at genus level. Notwithstanding the known limited discriminative power of FAME analysis for species identification, the computational models have resulted in good species identification results for the three genera. For Bacillus, Paenibacillus and Pseudomonas, random forests have resulted in sensitivity values, respectively, 0.847, 0.901 and 0.708. The random forests models outperform those of the other machine learning techniques. Moreover, our machine learning approach also outperformed the Sherlock MIS (MIDI Inc., Newark, DE, USA). These results show that machine learning proves very useful for FAME-based bacterial species identification. Besides good bacterial identification at species level, speed and ease of taxonomic synchronization are major advantages of this computational species

  16. Identification and Differentiation of Monilinia Species Causing Brown Rot of Pome and Stone Fruit using High-Resolution Melting (HRM) Analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Papavasileiou, Antonios; Madesis, Panagiotis B; Karaoglanidis, George S

    2016-09-01

    Brown rot is a devastating disease of stone fruit caused by Monilinia spp. Among these species, Monilinia fructicola is a quarantine pathogen in Europe but has recently been detected in several European countries. Identification of brown rot agents relies on morphological differences or use of molecular methods requiring fungal isolation. The current study was initiated to develop and validate a high-resolution melting (HRM) method for the identification of the Monilinia spp. and for the detection of M. fructicola among other brown rot pathogens. Based on the sequence of the cytb intron from M. laxa, M. fructicola, M. fructigena, M. mumecola, M. linhartiana, and M. yunnanensis isolates originating from several countries, a pair of universal primers for species identification and a pair of primers specific to M. fructicola were designed. The specificity of the primers was verified to ensure against cross-reaction with other fungal species. The melting curve analysis using the universal primers generated six different HRM curve profiles, each one specific for each species. Τhe HRM analysis primers specific to M. fructicola amplified a 120-bp region with a distinct melt profile corresponding to the presence of M. fructicola, regardless of the presence of other species. HRM analysis can be a useful tool for rapid identification and differentiation of the six Monilinia spp. using a single primer pair. This novel assay has the potential for simultaneous identification and differentiation of the closely related Monilinia spp. as well as for the differentiation of M. fructicola from other common pathogens or saprophytes that may occur on the diseased fruit.

  17. Review of advances in human reliability analysis of errors of commission, Part 1: EOC identification

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Reer, Bernhard

    2008-01-01

    In close connection with examples relevant to contemporary probabilistic safety assessment (PSA), a review of advances in human reliability analysis (HRA) of post-initiator errors of commission (EOCs), i.e. inappropriate actions under abnormal operating conditions, has been carried out. The review comprises both EOC identification (part 1) and quantification (part 2); part 1 is presented in this article. Emerging HRA methods addressing the problem of EOC identification are: A Technique for Human Event Analysis (ATHEANA), the EOC HRA method developed by Gesellschaft fuer Anlagen- und Reaktorsicherheit (GRS), the Misdiagnosis Tree Analysis (MDTA) method, and the Commission Errors Search and Assessment (CESA) method. Most of the EOCs referred to in predictive studies comprise the stop of running or the inhibition of anticipated functions; a few comprise the start of a function. The CESA search scheme-which proceeds from possible operator actions to the affected systems to scenarios and uses procedures and importance measures as key sources of input information-provides a formalized way for identifying relatively important scenarios with EOC opportunities. In the implementation however, attention should be paid regarding EOCs associated with familiar but non-procedural actions and EOCs leading to failures of manually initiated safety functions

  18. Systematic internal transcribed spacer sequence analysis for identification of clinical mold isolates in diagnostic mycology: a 5-year study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ciardo, Diana E; Lucke, Katja; Imhof, Alex; Bloemberg, Guido V; Böttger, Erik C

    2010-08-01

    The implementation of internal transcribed spacer (ITS) sequencing for routine identification of molds in the diagnostic mycology laboratory was analyzed in a 5-year study. All mold isolates (n = 6,900) recovered in our laboratory from 2005 to 2009 were included in this study. According to a defined work flow, which in addition to troublesome phenotypic identification takes clinical relevance into account, 233 isolates were subjected to ITS sequence analysis. Sequencing resulted in successful identification for 78.6% of the analyzed isolates (57.1% at species level, 21.5% at genus level). In comparison, extended in-depth phenotypic characterization of the isolates subjected to sequencing achieved taxonomic assignment for 47.6% of these, with a mere 13.3% at species level. Optimization of DNA extraction further improved the efficacy of molecular identification. This study is the first of its kind to testify to the systematic implementation of sequence-based identification procedures in the routine workup of mold isolates in the diagnostic mycology laboratory.

  19. Preliminary identification of unicellular algal genus by using combined confocal resonance Raman spectroscopy with PCA and DPLS analysis

    Science.gov (United States)

    He, Shixuan; Xie, Wanyi; Zhang, Ping; Fang, Shaoxi; Li, Zhe; Tang, Peng; Gao, Xia; Guo, Jinsong; Tlili, Chaker; Wang, Deqiang

    2018-02-01

    The analysis of algae and dominant alga plays important roles in ecological and environmental fields since it can be used to forecast water bloom and control its potential deleterious effects. Herein, we combine in vivo confocal resonance Raman spectroscopy with multivariate analysis methods to preliminary identify the three algal genera in water blooms at unicellular scale. Statistical analysis of characteristic Raman peaks demonstrates that certain shifts and different normalized intensities, resulting from composition of different carotenoids, exist in Raman spectra of three algal cells. Principal component analysis (PCA) scores and corresponding loading weights show some differences from Raman spectral characteristics which are caused by vibrations of carotenoids in unicellular algae. Then, discriminant partial least squares (DPLS) classification method is used to verify the effectiveness of algal identification with confocal resonance Raman spectroscopy. Our results show that confocal resonance Raman spectroscopy combined with PCA and DPLS could handle the preliminary identification of dominant alga for forecasting and controlling of water blooms.

  20. Regularities in eyewitness identification.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Clark, Steven E; Howell, Ryan T; Davey, Sherrie L

    2008-06-01

    What do eyewitness identification experiments typically show? We address this question through a meta-analysis of 94 comparisons between target-present and target-absent lineups. The analyses showed that: (a) correct identifications and correct-nonidentifications were uncorrelated, (b) suspect identifications were more diagnostic with respect to the suspect's guilt or innocence than any other response, (c) nonidentifications were diagnostic of the suspect's innocence, (d) the diagnosticity of foil identifications depended on lineup composition, and (e) don't know responses were nondiagnostic with respect to guilt or innocence. Results of diagnosticity analyses for simultaneous and sequential lineups varied for full-sample versus direct-comparison analyses. Diagnosticity patterns also varied as a function of lineup composition. Theoretical, forensic, and legal implications are discussed.

  1. Impact of hybrid GSI analysis using ETR ensembles

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    Impact of hybrid GSI analysis using ETR ensembles. V S Prasad∗ and C J .... In this study, impact of hybrid ..... of water between vapour, clouds and ice (Damrath et al. 2000). ... flooding – June 2013; Weather and Climate Extremes 4. 22–34.

  2. Parallel analysis and orthogonal identification of N-glycans with different capillary electrophoresis mechanisms

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Feng, Hua-tao [Department of Chemistry, National University of Singapore, 3 Science Drive 3, Singapore 117543 (Singapore); NUS Environmental Research Institute, 5A Engineering Drive 1, T-Lab Building, Singapore 117411 (Singapore); Su, Min; Rifai, Farida Nur [Department of Chemistry, National University of Singapore, 3 Science Drive 3, Singapore 117543 (Singapore); Li, Pingjing [NUS Environmental Research Institute, 5A Engineering Drive 1, T-Lab Building, Singapore 117411 (Singapore); Li, Sam F.Y., E-mail: chmlifys@nus.edu.sg [Department of Chemistry, National University of Singapore, 3 Science Drive 3, Singapore 117543 (Singapore); NUS Environmental Research Institute, 5A Engineering Drive 1, T-Lab Building, Singapore 117411 (Singapore)

    2017-02-08

    The deep involvement of glycans or carbohydrate moieties in biological processes makes glycan patterns an important direction for the clinical and medicine researches. A multiplexing CE mapping method for glycan analysis was developed in this study. By applying different CE separation mechanisms, the potential of combined parallel applications of capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE), micellar electrokinetic chromatography (MEKC) and capillary gel electrophoresis (CGE) for rapid and accurate identification of glycan was investigated. The combination of CZE and MEKC demonstrated enhancing chromatography separation capacity without the compromises of sample pre-treatment and glycan concentration. The separation mechanisms for multiplexing platform were selected based on the orthogonalities of the separation of glycan standards. MEKC method exhibited promising ability for the analysis of small GU value glycans and thus complementing the unavailability of CZE. The method established required only small amount of samples, simple instrument and single fluorescent labelling for sensitive detection. This integrated method can be used to search important glycan patterns appearing in biopharmaceutical products and other glycoproteins with clinical importance. - Highlights: • Cross-validation of analytes in complex samples was done with different CE separation mechanisms. • A simple strategy is used to confirm peak identification and extend capacity of CE separation. • The method uses small amount of sample, simple instrument and single fluorescent labeling. • Selection of mechanisms is based on orthogonalities of GU values of glycan standards. • Micellar electrokinetic chromatography was suitable for analysis of small or highly sialylated glycans.

  3. Parallel analysis and orthogonal identification of N-glycans with different capillary electrophoresis mechanisms

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Feng, Hua-tao; Su, Min; Rifai, Farida Nur; Li, Pingjing; Li, Sam F.Y.

    2017-01-01

    The deep involvement of glycans or carbohydrate moieties in biological processes makes glycan patterns an important direction for the clinical and medicine researches. A multiplexing CE mapping method for glycan analysis was developed in this study. By applying different CE separation mechanisms, the potential of combined parallel applications of capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE), micellar electrokinetic chromatography (MEKC) and capillary gel electrophoresis (CGE) for rapid and accurate identification of glycan was investigated. The combination of CZE and MEKC demonstrated enhancing chromatography separation capacity without the compromises of sample pre-treatment and glycan concentration. The separation mechanisms for multiplexing platform were selected based on the orthogonalities of the separation of glycan standards. MEKC method exhibited promising ability for the analysis of small GU value glycans and thus complementing the unavailability of CZE. The method established required only small amount of samples, simple instrument and single fluorescent labelling for sensitive detection. This integrated method can be used to search important glycan patterns appearing in biopharmaceutical products and other glycoproteins with clinical importance. - Highlights: • Cross-validation of analytes in complex samples was done with different CE separation mechanisms. • A simple strategy is used to confirm peak identification and extend capacity of CE separation. • The method uses small amount of sample, simple instrument and single fluorescent labeling. • Selection of mechanisms is based on orthogonalities of GU values of glycan standards. • Micellar electrokinetic chromatography was suitable for analysis of small or highly sialylated glycans.

  4. Reagent-free bacterial identification using multivariate analysis of transmission spectra

    Science.gov (United States)

    Smith, Jennifer M.; Huffman, Debra E.; Acosta, Dayanis; Serebrennikova, Yulia; García-Rubio, Luis; Leparc, German F.

    2012-10-01

    The identification of bacterial pathogens from culture is critical to the proper administration of antibiotics and patient treatment. Many of the tests currently used in the clinical microbiology laboratory for bacterial identification today can be highly sensitive and specific; however, they have the additional burdens of complexity, cost, and the need for specialized reagents. We present an innovative, reagent-free method for the identification of pathogens from culture. A clinical study has been initiated to evaluate the sensitivity and specificity of this approach. Multiwavelength transmission spectra were generated from a set of clinical isolates including Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Staphylococcus aureus. Spectra of an initial training set of these target organisms were used to create identification models representing the spectral variability of each species using multivariate statistical techniques. Next, the spectra of the blinded isolates of targeted species were identified using the model achieving >94% sensitivity and >98% specificity, with 100% accuracy for P. aeruginosa and S. aureus. The results from this on-going clinical study indicate this approach is a powerful and exciting technique for identification of pathogens. The menu of models is being expanded to include other bacterial genera and species of clinical significance.

  5. Antecedents and consequences of customer-company identification: expanding the role of relationship marketing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ahearne, Michael; Bhattacharya, C B; Gruen, Thomas

    2005-05-01

    This article presents an empirical test of organizational identification in the context of customer-company (C-C) relationships. It investigates whether customers identify with companies and what the antecedents and consequences of such identification are. The model posits that perceived company characteristics, construed external image, and the perception of the company's boundary-spanning agent lead to C-C identification. In turn, such identification is expected to impact both in-role behavior (i.e., product utilization) as well as extra-role behavior (i.e., citizenship). The model was tested in a consultative selling context of pharmaceutical sales reps calling on physicians. Results from the empirical test indicated that customers do indeed identify with organizations and that C-C identification positively impacts both product utilization behavior and extra-role behavior even when the effect of brand perception is accounted for. Second, the study found that the organization's characteristics as well as the salesperson's characteristics contributed to the development of C-C identification.

  6. Impact parameter analysis and soft QCD dynamics

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Carvalho, P.A.S.; Martini, A.F.; Menon, M.J.

    2002-01-01

    In a recent paper, based on the hypothesis of light-cone dipole representation for gluon Bremsstrahlung, Kopeliovich et al. developed a dynamical model for the elastic hadronic amplitude. The model has been applied to pp and p (bar) p scattering and the effects of unitarity and peripheral interactions have been investigated in the impact parameter representation. In this communication, making use of a model independent extraction of the scattering amplitude in the impact parameter space (early developed), we represent a comparative study between the predictions from the dynamical model and the impact parameter analysis. (author)

  7. Economic impact analysis for global warming: Sensitivity analysis for cost and benefit estimates

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ierland, E.C. van; Derksen, L.

    1994-01-01

    Proper policies for the prevention or mitigation of the effects of global warming require profound analysis of the costs and benefits of alternative policy strategies. Given the uncertainty about the scientific aspects of the process of global warming, in this paper a sensitivity analysis for the impact of various estimates of costs and benefits of greenhouse gas reduction strategies is carried out to analyze the potential social and economic impacts of climate change

  8. Identification of energy gain potential in industrial processes, through exergetic analysis; Identificacao de potenciais de ganho energetico em processos industriais via analise exergetica

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Soares, Lis Nunes; Silva, Ricardo Junqueira; Bernardes, Lucas Lanza; Filgueiras, Pedro Freire [V e M do Brasil S.A., Belo Horizonte, MG (Brazil)

    2011-12-21

    V and M Brazil is an integrated steel mill for the production of steel tubes. The manufacturing process includes various processes and thermal equipment, such as industrial furnaces, boilers, and others. Due to its importance, it is essential that these devices operate with the best possible efficiency. Thus, it becomes necessary to use tools and methods for performance analysis of energy processes that occurs on these devices. One tool that has been widely used in industrial environment is the exergy analysis. It is based on the Second Law of Thermodynamics, and therefore takes into account the entropy generation, indicating the maximum amount of useful energy (work) that can be drawn from a stream, with reference to environmental parameters. This paper aims to apply the exergetic methodology in industrial thermal processes that occurs at V and M Brazil, as a tool for identification of losses and potential performance improvement of energy systems to save on fuel and the reduction of environmental impacts and emissions of greenhouse gases. (author)

  9. Impact analysis of shipping casks

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pfeiffer, P.A.; Kennedy, J.M.

    1989-01-01

    Shipping casks are being used in the United States Department of Energy to transport irradiated experiments, reactor fuel, radioactive waste, etc. One of the critical requirements in shipping cask analysis is the necessity to withstand severe impact environments. It is still conventional to develop the design and to verify the design requirements by hand calculations. Full three dimensional computations of impact scenarios have been performed but they are too expensive and time consuming for design purposes. Typically, on the order of more than an hour of CRAY time is required for a detailed, three dimensional analysis. The paper describes how simpler two- and three-dimensional models can be used to provide an intermediate level of detail between full three dimensional finite element calculations and hand calculations. The regulation that is examined here is: 10 CFR-71.73 hypothetical accident conditions, free drop. Free drop for an accident condition of a Class I package (approximate weight of 22,000 lb) is defined as a 30 foot drop onto a flat, essentially unyielding, horizontal surface, striking the surface in a position for which maximum damage is expected. Three free drop scenarios are analyzed to assess the integrity of the cask when subjected to large bending and axial stresses. These three drop scenarios are: (1) a thirty foot axial drop on either end, (2) a thirty foot oblique angle drop with the cask having several different orientations from the vertical with impact on the top end cask corner, and (3) a thirty foot side drop with simultaneous impact on the strength of the various components that comprise the cask. The predicted levels of deformation and stresses in the cask will be used to assess the potential damage level. 5 refs., 5 figs., 1 tab

  10. Identification of Cronobacter species by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry with an optimized analysis method.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Qi; Zhao, Xiao-Juan; Wang, Zi-Wei; Liu, Li; Wei, Yong-Xin; Han, Xiao; Zeng, Jing; Liao, Wan-Jin

    2017-08-01

    Rapid and precise identification of Cronobacter species is important for foodborne pathogen detection, however, commercial biochemical methods can only identify Cronobacter strains to genus level in most cases. To evaluate the power of mass spectrometry based on matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight (MALDI-TOF MS) for Cronobacter species identification, 51 Cronobacter strains (eight reference and 43 wild strains) were identified by both MALDI-TOF MS and 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Biotyper RTC provided by Bruker identified all eight reference and 43 wild strains as Cronobacter species, which demonstrated the power of MALDI-TOF MS to identify Cronobacter strains to genus level. However, using the Bruker's database (6903 main spectra products) and Biotyper software, the MALDI-TOF MS analysis could not identify the investigated strains to species level. When MALDI-TOF MS analysis was performed using the combined in-house Cronobacter database and Bruker's database, bin setting, and unweighted pair group method with arithmetic mean (UPGMA) clustering, all the 51 strains were clearly identified into six Cronobacter species and the identification accuracy increased from 60% to 100%. We demonstrated that MALDI-TOF MS was reliable and easy-to-use for Cronobacter species identification and highlighted the importance of establishing a reliable database and improving the current data analysis methods by integrating the bin setting and UPGMA clustering. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  11. Coherence in Professional Education: Does It Foster Dedication and Identification?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Heggen, Kåre; Terum, Lars Inge

    2013-01-01

    This article examines the impact of professional education on students' dedication to and identification with a profession. The premise is that professional education is not only about knowledge acquisition and reasoning but also about attitudes and aspirations. In fostering dedication and identification, students' experiences of relevance seem to…

  12. Identification and Analysis of Multi-tasking Product Information Search Sessions with Query Logs

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Xiang Zhou

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available Purpose: This research aims to identify product search tasks in online shopping and analyze the characteristics of consumer multi-tasking search sessions. Design/methodology/approach: The experimental dataset contains 8,949 queries of 582 users from 3,483 search sessions. A sequential comparison of the Jaccard similarity coefficient between two adjacent search queries and hierarchical clustering of queries is used to identify search tasks. Findings: (1 Users issued a similar number of queries (1.43 to 1.47 with similar lengths (7.3-7.6 characters per task in mono-tasking and multi-tasking sessions, and (2 Users spent more time on average in sessions with more tasks, but spent less time for each task when the number of tasks increased in a session. Research limitations: The task identification method that relies only on query terms does not completely reflect the complex nature of consumer shopping behavior. Practical implications: These results provide an exploratory understanding of the relationships among multiple shopping tasks, and can be useful for product recommendation and shopping task prediction. Originality/value: The originality of this research is its use of query clustering with online shopping task identification and analysis, and the analysis of product search session characteristics.

  13. Dramatization and attraction: new identification tools

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    V I Panteleeva

    2009-12-01

    Full Text Available The article provides the analysis of identification mechanisms and its presentation patterns in the contemporary megapolis, the reasons for identification challenges emerging in the contemporary multicultural world where the contemporary urban community offers the opportunity for identity transformation, so that the citizens of metropolis are faced with the challenge of finding new identification tools. The notions of «dramatization» and «social attraction» offered in the article for the identity problem analysis in the context of diverse style and taste options of the contemporary urban community serve to form an estimate of the behaviour of an individual who keeps deciding on his own behavioral pattern.

  14. A Principal Component Analysis of 39 Scientific Impact Measures

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bollen, Johan; Van de Sompel, Herbert

    2009-01-01

    Background The impact of scientific publications has traditionally been expressed in terms of citation counts. However, scientific activity has moved online over the past decade. To better capture scientific impact in the digital era, a variety of new impact measures has been proposed on the basis of social network analysis and usage log data. Here we investigate how these new measures relate to each other, and how accurately and completely they express scientific impact. Methodology We performed a principal component analysis of the rankings produced by 39 existing and proposed measures of scholarly impact that were calculated on the basis of both citation and usage log data. Conclusions Our results indicate that the notion of scientific impact is a multi-dimensional construct that can not be adequately measured by any single indicator, although some measures are more suitable than others. The commonly used citation Impact Factor is not positioned at the core of this construct, but at its periphery, and should thus be used with caution. PMID:19562078

  15. A principal component analysis of 39 scientific impact measures.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Johan Bollen

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND: The impact of scientific publications has traditionally been expressed in terms of citation counts. However, scientific activity has moved online over the past decade. To better capture scientific impact in the digital era, a variety of new impact measures has been proposed on the basis of social network analysis and usage log data. Here we investigate how these new measures relate to each other, and how accurately and completely they express scientific impact. METHODOLOGY: We performed a principal component analysis of the rankings produced by 39 existing and proposed measures of scholarly impact that were calculated on the basis of both citation and usage log data. CONCLUSIONS: Our results indicate that the notion of scientific impact is a multi-dimensional construct that can not be adequately measured by any single indicator, although some measures are more suitable than others. The commonly used citation Impact Factor is not positioned at the core of this construct, but at its periphery, and should thus be used with caution.

  16. How can radio frequency identification technology impact nursing practice?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Billingsley, Luanne; Wyld, David

    2014-12-01

    Radio frequency identification (RFID) technology can save nurses time, improve quality of care, en hance patient and staff safety, and decrease costs. However, without a better understanding of these systems and their benefits to patients and hospitals, nurses may be slower to recommend, implement, or adopt RFID technology into practice.

  17. Analysis of impacting phenomena in a helically wound heat exchanger

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Whiston, G.S.; Jordan, R.W.

    1986-01-01

    During commissioning tests on a helically wound heat exchanger at Heysham Nuclear Power Station, evidence of impacting was observed on accelerometer responses. Impacting greatly enhances wear and methods have been developed to determine whether the operating lifetime of plant may be limited by tube failures. A theoretical frequency response function based on Timoshenko beam theory has been derived which relates an impact force to the acceleration field which propagates away from the impact site and is detected by remote accelerometers. The accuracy of this function has been verified experimentally and its suitability for the analysis of boiler responses has been demonstrated following investigations into the nature of impacting. Examples of the analysis of impact forces are given and methods of estimating wear are discussed. (author)

  18. Quantile driven identification of structural derivatives

    OpenAIRE

    Andrew Chesher

    2001-01-01

    Conditions are derived under which there is local nonparametric identification of derivatives of structural equations in nonlinear triangular simultaneous equations systems. The attack on this problem is via conditional quantile functions and exploits local quantile independence conditions. The identification conditions include local analogues of the order and rank conditions familiar in the analysis of linear simultaneous equations models. The objects whose identification is sought are deriv...

  19. ANALYSIS AND IDENTIFICATION SPIKING CHEMICAL COMPOUNDS RELATED TO CHEMICAL WEAPON CONVENTION IN UNKNOWN WATER SAMPLES USING GAS CHROMATOGRAPHY AND GAS CHROMATOGRAPHY ELECTRON IONIZATION MASS SPECTROMETRY

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Harry Budiman

    2010-06-01

    Full Text Available The identification and analysis of chemical warfare agents and their degradation products is one of important component for the implementation of the convention. Nowadays, the analytical method for determination chemical warfare agent and their degradation products has been developing and improving. In order to get the sufficient analytical data as recommended by OPCW especially in Proficiency Testing, the spiking chemical compounds related to Chemical Weapon Convention in unknown water sample were determined using two different techniques such as gas chromatography and gas chromatography electron-impact ionization mass spectrometry. Neutral organic extraction, pH 11 organic extraction, cation exchanged-methylation, triethylamine/methanol-silylation were performed to extract the chemical warfare agents from the sample, before analyzing with gas chromatography. The identification of chemical warfare agents was carried out by comparing the mass spectrum of chemicals with mass spectrum reference from the OPCW Central Analytical Database (OCAD library while the retention indices calculation obtained from gas chromatography analysis was used to get the confirmation and supported data of  the chemical warfare agents. Diisopropyl methylphosphonate, 2,2-diphenyl-2-hydroacetic acid and 3-quinuclidinol were found in unknown water sample. Those chemicals were classified in schedule 2 as precursor or reactant of chemical weapons compound in schedule list of Chemical Weapon Convention.   Keywords: gas chromatography, mass spectrometry, retention indices, OCAD library, chemical warfare agents

  20. Fastidious Gram-Negatives: Identification by the Vitek 2 Neisseria-Haemophilus Card and by Partial 16S rRNA Gene Sequencing Analysis

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Wolff Sönksen, Ute; Christensen, Jens Jørgen; Nielsen, Lisbeth

    2010-01-01

    Taxonomy and identification of fastidious Gram negatives are evolving and challenging. We compared identifications achieved with the Vitek 2 Neisseria-Haemophilus (NH) card and partial 16S rRNA gene sequence (526 bp stretch) analysis with identifications obtained with extensive phenotypic...... characterization using 100 fastidious Gram negative bacteria. Seventy-five strains represented 21 of the 26 taxa included in the Vitek 2 NH database and 25 strains represented related species not included in the database. Of the 100 strains, 31 were the type strains of the species. Vitek 2 NH identification...... results: 48 of 75 database strains were correctly identified, 11 strains gave `low discrimination´, seven strains were unidentified, and nine strains were misidentified. Identification of 25 non-database strains resulted in 14 strains incorrectly identified as belonging to species in the database. Partial...

  1. Rapid and inexpensive body fluid identification by RNA profiling-based multiplex High Resolution Melt (HRM) analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hanson, Erin K; Ballantyne, Jack

    2013-01-01

    Positive identification of the nature of biological material present on evidentiary items can be crucial for understanding the circumstances surrounding a crime. However, traditional protein-based methods do not permit the identification of all body fluids and tissues, and thus molecular based strategies for the conclusive identification of all forensically relevant biological fluids and tissues need to be developed. Messenger RNA (mRNA) profiling is an example of such a molecular-based approach. Current mRNA body fluid identification assays involve capillary electrophoresis (CE) or quantitative RT-PCR (qRT-PCR) platforms, each with its own limitations. Both platforms require the use of expensive fluorescently labeled primers or probes. CE-based assays require separate amplification and detection steps thus increasing the analysis time. For qRT-PCR assays, only 3-4 markers can be included in a single reaction since each requires a different fluorescent dye. To simplify mRNA profiling assays, and reduce the time and cost of analysis, we have developed single- and multiplex body fluid High Resolution Melt (HRM) assays for the identification of common forensically relevant biological fluids and tissues. The incorporated biomarkers include IL19 (vaginal secretions), IL1F7 (skin), ALAS2 (blood), MMP10 (menstrual blood), HTN3 (saliva) and TGM4 (semen).  The HRM assays require only unlabeled PCR primers and a single saturating intercalating fluorescent dye (Eva Green). Each body-fluid-specific marker can easily be identified by the presence of a distinct melt peak. Usually, HRM assays are used to detect variants or isoforms for a single gene target. However, we have uniquely developed duplex and triplex HRM assays to permit the simultaneous detection of multiple targets per reaction. Here we describe the development and initial performance evaluation of the developed HRM assays. The results demonstrate the potential use of HRM assays for rapid, and relatively inexpensive

  2. Bivariate empirical mode decomposition for ECG-based biometric identification with emotional data.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ferdinando, Hany; Seppanen, Tapio; Alasaarela, Esko

    2017-07-01

    Emotions modulate ECG signals such that they might affect ECG-based biometric identification in real life application. It motivated in finding good feature extraction methods where the emotional state of the subjects has minimum impacts. This paper evaluates feature extraction based on bivariate empirical mode decomposition (BEMD) for biometric identification when emotion is considered. Using the ECG signal from the Mahnob-HCI database for affect recognition, the features were statistical distributions of dominant frequency after applying BEMD analysis to ECG signals. The achieved accuracy was 99.5% with high consistency using kNN classifier in 10-fold cross validation to identify 26 subjects when the emotional states of the subjects were ignored. When the emotional states of the subject were considered, the proposed method also delivered high accuracy, around 99.4%. We concluded that the proposed method offers emotion-independent features for ECG-based biometric identification. The proposed method needs more evaluation related to testing with other classifier and variation in ECG signals, e.g. normal ECG vs. ECG with arrhythmias, ECG from various ages, and ECG from other affective databases.

  3. Molecular phylogeny analysis and species identification of Dendrobium (Orchidaceae) in China.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Feng, Shang-Guo; Lu, Jiang-Jie; Gao, Ling; Liu, Jun-Jun; Wang, Hui-Zhong

    2014-04-01

    Dendrobium plants are important commercial herbs in China, widely used in traditional medicine and ornamental horticulture. In this study, sequence-related amplified polymorphism (SRAP) markers were applied to molecular phylogeny analysis and species identification of 31 Chinese Dendrobium species. Fourteen SRAP primer pairs produced 727 loci, 97% of which (706) showed polymorphism. Average polymorphism information content of the SRAP pairs was 0.987 (0.982-0.991), showing that plenty of genetic diversity exists at the interspecies level of Chinese Dendrobium. The molecular phylogeny analysis (UPGMA) grouped the 31 Dendrobium species into six clusters. We obtained 18 species-specific markers, which can be used to identify 10 of the 31 species. Our results indicate the SRAP marker system is informative and would facilitate further application in germplasm appraisal, evolution, and genetic diversity studies in the genus Dendrobium.

  4. Isolation and identification of phytoestrogens and flavonoids in an Ayurvedic proprietary medicine using chromatographic and Mass Spectroscopic analysis

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    Sulaiman CT; Arun A; Anandan EM; Sandhya CR; Indira Balachandran

    2015-01-01

    Objective: To develop analytical methods for the isolation and structural identification of poly phenols including phytoestrogens in Mensokot tablet, a herbal proprietary medicine. Methods:Isolation consisted of an ultrasound-assisted extraction, followed by acid hydrolysis and a final liquid-liquid extraction step in diethyl ether. Identification and structural characterisation was done by liquid chromatography coupled with Q-TOF-ESI-MS/MS analysis. Results:Phytoestrogens such as Coumestrol, Genistein and Glycitein have been identified in Mensokot tablet along with several other flavonoids. Conclusion: In the present research, a rapid HPLC-MS/MS method has been developed for the identification of phytoestrogens and other flavonoids from an Ayurvedic proprietary medicine. Phytoestrogens are considered to play an important role in the prevention of cancers, heart disease, menopausal symptoms and osteoporosis.

  5. Impact analysis on a massively parallel computer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zacharia, T.; Aramayo, G.A.

    1994-01-01

    Advanced mathematical techniques and computer simulation play a major role in evaluating and enhancing the design of beverage cans, industrial, and transportation containers for improved performance. Numerical models are used to evaluate the impact requirements of containers used by the Department of Energy (DOE) for transporting radioactive materials. Many of these models are highly compute-intensive. An analysis may require several hours of computational time on current supercomputers despite the simplicity of the models being studied. As computer simulations and materials databases grow in complexity, massively parallel computers have become important tools. Massively parallel computational research at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and its application to the impact analysis of shipping containers is briefly described in this paper

  6. Structural analysis of aircraft impact on a nuclear powered ship

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dietrich, R.

    1976-01-01

    As part of a general safety analysis, the reliability against structural damage due to an aircraft crash on a nuclear powered ship is evaluated. This structural analysis is an aid in safety design. It is assumed that a Phantom military jet-fighter hits a nuclear powered ship. The total reaction force due to such an aircraft impact on a rigid barrier is specified in the guidelines of the Reaktor-Sicherheitskommission (German Safety Advisory Committee) for pressurized water reactors. This paper investigates the aircraft impact on the collision barrier at the side of the ship. The aircraft impact on top of the reactor hatchway is investigated by another analysis. It appears that the most unfavorable angle of impact is always normal to the surface of the collision barrier. Consequently, only normal impact will be considered here. For the specific case of an aircraft striking a nuclear powered ship, the following two effects are considered: Local penetration and dynamic response of the structure. (Auth.)

  7. Identification of high transverse momentum top quarks in pp collisions at √s = 8 TeV with the ATLAS detector

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Aad, G.; Abbott, B.; Abdallah, J.; Chudoba, Jiří; Havránek, Miroslav; Hejbal, Jiří; Jakoubek, Tomáš; Kepka, Oldřich; Kupčo, Alexander; Kůs, Vlastimil; Lokajíček, Miloš; Lysák, Roman; Marčišovský, Michal; Mikeštíková, Marcela; Němeček, Stanislav; Penc, Ondřej; Šícho, Petr; Staroba, Pavel; Svatoš, Michal; Taševský, Marek; Vrba, Václav

    2016-01-01

    Roč. 2016, č. 9 (2016), s. 1-77, č. článku 093. ISSN 1029-8479 Institutional support: RVO:68378271 Keywords : ATLAS * CERN LHC Coll * particle identification * track data analysis * experimental results * 8000 GeV-cms Subject RIV: BF - Elementary Particles and High Energy Physics Impact factor: 6.063, year: 2016

  8. Cooperation on Improved Isotopic Identification and Analysis Software for Portable, Electrically Cooled High-Resolution Gamma Spectrometry Systems Final Report

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Dreyer, Jonathan G. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Wang, Tzu-Fang [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Vo, Duc T. [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Funk, Pierre F. [Inst. for Radiological Protection and Nuclear Safety (IRSN), Fontenay-aux-Roses (France); Weber, Anne-Laure [Inst. for Radiological Protection and Nuclear Safety (IRSN), Fontenay-aux-Roses (France)

    2017-07-20

    Under a 2006 agreement between the Department of Energy (DOE) of the United States of America and the Institut de Radioprotection et de Sûreté Nucléaire (IRSN) of France, the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) within DOE and IRSN initiated a collaboration to improve isotopic identification and analysis of nuclear material [i.e., plutonium (Pu) and uranium (U)]. The specific aim of the collaborative project was to develop new versions of two types of isotopic identification and analysis software: (1) the fixed-energy response-function analysis for multiple energies (FRAM) codes and (2) multi-group analysis (MGA) codes. The project is entitled Action Sheet 4 – Cooperation on Improved Isotopic Identification and Analysis Software for Portable, Electrically Cooled, High-Resolution Gamma Spectrometry Systems (Action Sheet 4). FRAM and MGA/U235HI are software codes used to analyze isotopic ratios of U and Pu. FRAM is an application that uses parameter sets for the analysis of U or Pu. MGA and U235HI are two separate applications that analyze Pu or U, respectively. They have traditionally been used by safeguards practitioners to analyze gamma spectra acquired with high-resolution gamma spectrometry (HRGS) systems that are cooled by liquid nitrogen. However, it was discovered that these analysis programs were not as accurate when used on spectra acquired with a newer generation of more portable, electrically cooled HRGS (ECHRGS) systems. In response to this need, DOE/NNSA and IRSN collaborated to update the FRAM and U235HI codes to improve their performance with newer ECHRGS systems. Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) and Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) performed this work for DOE/NNSA.

  9. Impact Analysis for Risks in Informatics Systems

    OpenAIRE

    Baicu, Floarea; Baches, Maria Alexandra

    2013-01-01

    In this paper are presented methods of impact analysis on informatics system security accidents, qualitative and quantitative methods, starting with risk and informational system security definitions. It is presented the relationship between the risks of exploiting vulnerabilities of security system, security level of these informatics systems, probability of exploiting the weak points subject to financial losses of a company, respectively impact of a security accident on the company. Herewit...

  10. The economic impact of pilgrimage: An economic impact analysis of pilgrimage expenditures in Galicia

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Graave, Elisabeth J.E.; Klijs, J.; Heijman, W.J.M.

    2017-01-01

    In this article, we calculate the economic impact of pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela in the NUTS 2 region Galicia (Spain) in 2010. This economic impact is relevant to policymakers and other stakeholders dealing with religious tourism in Galicia. The analysis is based on the Input-Output model.

  11. An analytical platform for mass spectrometry-based identification and chemical analysis of RNA in ribonucleoprotein complexes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Taoka, Masato; Yamauchi, Yoshio; Nobe, Yuko; Masaki, Shunpei; Nakayama, Hiroshi; Ishikawa, Hideaki; Takahashi, Nobuhiro; Isobe, Toshiaki

    2009-11-01

    We describe here a mass spectrometry (MS)-based analytical platform of RNA, which combines direct nano-flow reversed-phase liquid chromatography (RPLC) on a spray tip column and a high-resolution LTQ-Orbitrap mass spectrometer. Operating RPLC under a very low flow rate with volatile solvents and MS in the negative mode, we could estimate highly accurate mass values sufficient to predict the nucleotide composition of a approximately 21-nucleotide small interfering RNA, detect post-transcriptional modifications in yeast tRNA, and perform collision-induced dissociation/tandem MS-based structural analysis of nucleolytic fragments of RNA at a sub-femtomole level. Importantly, the method allowed the identification and chemical analysis of small RNAs in ribonucleoprotein (RNP) complex, such as the pre-spliceosomal RNP complex, which was pulled down from cultured cells with a tagged protein cofactor as bait. We have recently developed a unique genome-oriented database search engine, Ariadne, which allows tandem MS-based identification of RNAs in biological samples. Thus, the method presented here has broad potential for automated analysis of RNA; it complements conventional molecular biology-based techniques and is particularly suited for simultaneous analysis of the composition, structure, interaction, and dynamics of RNA and protein components in various cellular RNP complexes.

  12. Mummified remains from the Archaeological Museum in Zagreb, Croatia - Reviewing peculiarities and limitations of human and non-human radiological identification and analysis in mummified remains.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Petaros, Anja; Janković, Ivor; Cavalli, Fabio; Ivanac, Gordana; Brkljačić, Boris; Čavka, Mislav

    2015-10-01

    Forensic protocols and medico-legal techniques are increasingly being employed in investigations of museological material. The final findings of such investigations may reveal interesting facts on historical figures, customs and habits, as well as provide meaningful data for forensic use. Herein we present a case review where forensic experts were requested to identify taxonomic affinities, stage of preservation and provide skeletal analysis of mummified non-human archaeological remains, and verify whether two mummified hands are human or not. The manuscript offers a short review on the process and particularities of radiological species identification, the impact of post-mortem changes in the analysis and imaging of mummified remains as well as the macroscopical interpretation of trauma, pathology and authenticity in mummified remains, which can all turn useful when dealing with forensic cases. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd and Faculty of Forensic and Legal Medicine. All rights reserved.

  13. Dynamic Parameter Identification of Subject-Specific Body Segment Parameters Using Robotics Formalism: Case Study Head Complex.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Díaz-Rodríguez, Miguel; Valera, Angel; Page, Alvaro; Besa, Antonio; Mata, Vicente

    2016-05-01

    Accurate knowledge of body segment inertia parameters (BSIP) improves the assessment of dynamic analysis based on biomechanical models, which is of paramount importance in fields such as sport activities or impact crash test. Early approaches for BSIP identification rely on the experiments conducted on cadavers or through imaging techniques conducted on living subjects. Recent approaches for BSIP identification rely on inverse dynamic modeling. However, most of the approaches are focused on the entire body, and verification of BSIP for dynamic analysis for distal segment or chain of segments, which has proven to be of significant importance in impact test studies, is rarely established. Previous studies have suggested that BSIP should be obtained by using subject-specific identification techniques. To this end, our paper develops a novel approach for estimating subject-specific BSIP based on static and dynamics identification models (SIM, DIM). We test the validity of SIM and DIM by comparing the results using parameters obtained from a regression model proposed by De Leva (1996, "Adjustments to Zatsiorsky-Seluyanov's Segment Inertia Parameters," J. Biomech., 29(9), pp. 1223-1230). Both SIM and DIM are developed considering robotics formalism. First, the static model allows the mass and center of gravity (COG) to be estimated. Second, the results from the static model are included in the dynamics equation allowing us to estimate the moment of inertia (MOI). As a case study, we applied the approach to evaluate the dynamics modeling of the head complex. Findings provide some insight into the validity not only of the proposed method but also of the application proposed by De Leva (1996, "Adjustments to Zatsiorsky-Seluyanov's Segment Inertia Parameters," J. Biomech., 29(9), pp. 1223-1230) for dynamic modeling of body segments.

  14. Identification of gamma-irradiated Chinese herbs by thermoluminescence analysis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yu Bai; Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun; Jilin Medical College, Jilin; WenYue Jiang; Zhongying Liu; He Lin; Changchun University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Changchun; Zhiqiang Liu

    2014-01-01

    The feasibility of thermoluminescence (TL) to differentiate irradiated Chinese medicinal herbs from non-irradiated was investigated. Thirty different dried Chinese herbs were tested, including root, flower, ramulus, rhizome, cortex, and whole plant samples. Irradiation of Chinese herbs was associated with strong TL peaks at ∼150-250 deg C, while TL curves of non-irradiated herbs had very low intensities above 250 deg C, which was also confirmed by the TL ratio (non-irradiated, TL 1 /TL 2 1 /TL 2 > 0.1) except for sterculia lychnophora, semen cassia, flos inulae, and anemone root. TL ratios of some herbs indicated irradiation (TL 1 /TL 2 > 0.1) even if the irradiated components were as low as 0.1 %. Thus we demonstrated that TL analysis had excellent sensitivity and reliability for the identification of irradiated Chinese herbs. (author)

  15. Systematic Internal Transcribed Spacer Sequence Analysis for Identification of Clinical Mold Isolates in Diagnostic Mycology: a 5-Year Study▿ †

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ciardo, Diana E.; Lucke, Katja; Imhof, Alex; Bloemberg, Guido V.; Böttger, Erik C.

    2010-01-01

    The implementation of internal transcribed spacer (ITS) sequencing for routine identification of molds in the diagnostic mycology laboratory was analyzed in a 5-year study. All mold isolates (n = 6,900) recovered in our laboratory from 2005 to 2009 were included in this study. According to a defined work flow, which in addition to troublesome phenotypic identification takes clinical relevance into account, 233 isolates were subjected to ITS sequence analysis. Sequencing resulted in successful identification for 78.6% of the analyzed isolates (57.1% at species level, 21.5% at genus level). In comparison, extended in-depth phenotypic characterization of the isolates subjected to sequencing achieved taxonomic assignment for 47.6% of these, with a mere 13.3% at species level. Optimization of DNA extraction further improved the efficacy of molecular identification. This study is the first of its kind to testify to the systematic implementation of sequence-based identification procedures in the routine workup of mold isolates in the diagnostic mycology laboratory. PMID:20573873

  16. Impact response analysis of cask for spent fuel by dimensional analysis and mode superposition method

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, Y. J.; Kim, W. T.; Lee, Y. S.

    2006-01-01

    Full text: Full text: Due to the potentiality of accidents, the transportation safety of radioactive material has become extremely important in these days. The most important means of accomplishing the safety in transportation for radioactive material is the integrity of cask. The cask for spent fuel consists of a cask body and two impact limiters generally. The impact limiters are attached at the upper and the lower of the cask body. The cask comprises general requirements and test requirements for normal transport conditions and hypothetical accident conditions in accordance with IAEA regulations. Among the test requirements for hypothetical accident conditions, the 9 m drop test of dropping the cask from 9 m height to unyielding surface to get maximum damage becomes very important requirement because it can affect the structural soundness of the cask. So far the impact response analysis for 9 m drop test has been obtained by finite element method with complex computational procedure. In this study, the empirical equations of the impact forces for 9 m drop test are formulated by dimensional analysis. And then using the empirical equations the characteristics of material used for impact limiters are analysed. Also the dynamic impact response of the cask body is analysed using the mode superposition method and the analysis method is proposed. The results are also validated by comparing with previous experimental results and finite element analysis results. The present method is simpler than finite element method and can be used to predict the impact response of the cask

  17. Reliability analysis of pipe whip impacts

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Alzbutas, R.; Dundulis, G.; Kulak, R.F.; Marchertas, P.V.

    2003-01-01

    A probabilistic analysis of a group distribution header (GDH) guillotine break and the damage resulting from the failed GDH impacting against a neighbouring wall was carried out for the Ignalita RBMK-1500 reactor. The NEPTUNE software system was used for the deterministic transient analysis of a GDH guillotine break. Many deterministic analyses were performed using different values of the random variables that were specified by ProFES software. All the deterministic results were transferred to the ProFES system, which then performed probabilistic analyses of piping failure and wall damage. The Monte Carlo Simulation (MCS) method was used to study the sensitivity of the response variables and the effect of uncertainties of material properties and geometry parameters to the probability of limit states. The First Order Reliability Method (FORM) was used to study the probability of failure of the impacted-wall and the support-wall. The Response Surface (RS/MCS) method was used in order to express failure probability as function and to investigate the dependence between impact load and failure probability. The results of the probability analyses for a whipping GDH impacting onto an adjacent wall show that: (i) there is a 0.982 probability that after a GDH guillotine break contact between GDH and wall will occur; (ii) there is a probability of 0.013 that the ultimate tensile strength of concrete at the impact location will be reached, and a through-crack may open; (iii) there is a probability of 0.0126 that the ultimate compressive strength of concrete at the GDH support location will be reached, and the concrete may fail; (iv) at the impact location in the adjacent wall, there is a probability of 0.327 that the ultimate tensile strength of the rebars in the first layer will be reached and the rebars will fail; (v) at the GDH support location, there is a probability of 0.11 that the ultimate stress of the rebars in the first layer will be reached and the rebars will fail

  18. Modeling and Analysis of Surgery Patient Identification Using RFID

    OpenAIRE

    Byungho Jeong; Chen-Yang Cheng; Vittal Prabhu

    2009-01-01

    This article proposes a workflow and reliability model for surgery patient identification using RFID (Radio Frequency Identification). Certain types of mistakes may be prevented by automatically identifying the patient before surgery. The proposed workflow is designed to ensure that both the correct site and patient are engaged in the surgical process. The reliability model can be used to assess improvements in patients’ safety during this process. A proof-of-concept system is developed to ...

  19. Reformulating Component Identification as Document Analysis Problem

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Gross, H.G.; Lormans, M.; Zhou, J.

    2007-01-01

    One of the first steps of component procurement is the identification of required component features in large repositories of existing components. On the highest level of abstraction, component requirements as well as component descriptions are usually written in natural language. Therefore, we can

  20. Technical support document: Energy conservation standards for consumer products: Dishwashers, clothes washers, and clothes dryers including: Environmental impacts; regulatory impact analysis

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    1990-12-01

    The Energy Policy and Conservation Act as amended (P.L. 94-163), establishes energy conservation standards for 12 of the 13 types of consumer products specifically covered by the Act. The legislation requires the Department of Energy (DOE) to consider new or amended standards for these and other types of products at specified times. This Technical Support Document presents the methodology, data and results from the analysis of the energy and economic impacts of standards on dishwashers, clothes washers, and clothes dryers. The economic impact analysis is performed in five major areas: An Engineering Analysis, which establishes technical feasibility and product attributes including costs of design options to improve appliance efficiency. A Consumer Analysis at two levels: national aggregate impacts, and impacts on individuals. The national aggregate impacts include forecasts of appliance sales, efficiencies, energy use, and consumer expenditures. The individual impacts are analyzed by Life-Cycle Cost (LCC), Payback Periods, and Cost of Conserved Energy (CCE), which evaluate the savings in operating expenses relative to increases in purchase price; A Manufacturer Analysis, which provides an estimate of manufacturers' response to the proposed standards. Their response is quantified by changes in several measures of financial performance for a firm. An Industry Impact Analysis shows financial and competitive impacts on the appliance industry. A Utility Analysis that measures the impacts of the altered energy-consumption patterns on electric utilities. A Environmental Effects analysis, which estimates changes in emissions of carbon dioxide, sulfur oxides, and nitrogen oxides, due to reduced energy consumption in the home and at the power plant. A Regulatory Impact Analysis collects the results of all the analyses into the net benefits and costs from a national perspective. 47 figs., 171 tabs. (JF)

  1. Comparison of identification methods for oral asaccharolytic Eubacterium species.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wade, W G; Slayne, M A; Aldred, M J

    1990-12-01

    Thirty one strains of oral, asaccharolytic Eubacterium spp. and the type strains of E. brachy, E. nodatum and E. timidum were subjected to three identification techniques--protein-profile analysis, determination of metabolic end-products, and the API ATB32A identification kit. Five clusters were obtained from numerical analysis of protein profiles and excellent correlations were seen with the other two methods. Protein profiles alone allowed unequivocal identification.

  2. The identification of credit card encoders by hierarchical cluster analysis of the jitters of magnetic stripes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Leung, S C; Fung, W K; Wong, K H

    1999-01-01

    The relative bit density variation graphs of 207 specimen credit cards processed by 12 encoding machines were examined first visually, and then classified by means of hierarchical cluster analysis. Twenty-nine credit cards being treated as 'questioned' samples were tested by way of cluster analysis against 'controls' derived from known encoders. It was found that hierarchical cluster analysis provided a high accuracy of identification with all 29 'questioned' samples classified correctly. On the other hand, although visual comparison of jitter graphs was less discriminating, it was nevertheless capable of giving a reasonably accurate result.

  3. How automated image analysis techniques help scientists in species identification and classification?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yousef Kalafi, Elham; Town, Christopher; Kaur Dhillon, Sarinder

    2017-09-04

    Identification of taxonomy at a specific level is time consuming and reliant upon expert ecologists. Hence the demand for automated species identification increased over the last two decades. Automation of data classification is primarily focussed on images, incorporating and analysing image data has recently become easier due to developments in computational technology. Research efforts in identification of species include specimens' image processing, extraction of identical features, followed by classifying them into correct categories. In this paper, we discuss recent automated species identification systems, categorizing and evaluating their methods. We reviewed and compared different methods in step by step scheme of automated identification and classification systems of species images. The selection of methods is influenced by many variables such as level of classification, number of training data and complexity of images. The aim of writing this paper is to provide researchers and scientists an extensive background study on work related to automated species identification, focusing on pattern recognition techniques in building such systems for biodiversity studies.

  4. Investigations on Driver Unique Identification from Smartphone’s GPS Data Alone

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Arijit Chowdhury

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available Driver identification is an emerging area of interest in vehicle telematics, automobile control, and insurance. Recent body of works indicates that it may be possible to uniquely identify a driver using multiple dedicated sensors. In this paper, we present an approach for driver identification using smartphone GPS data alone. For our experiments, we collected data from 38 drivers for two months. We quantified the driver’s natural style by extracting a set of 137 statistical features from data generated for each completed trip. The analysis shows that, for the “driver identification” problem, an average accuracy of 82.3% is achieved for driver groups of 4-5 drivers. This is comparable to the state of the arts where mostly a multisensor approach has been taken. Further, it is shown that certain behavioral attributes like high driving skill impact identification accuracy. We observe that Random Forest classifier offers the best results. These results have great implications for various stakeholders since the proposed method can identify a driver based on his/her naturalistic driving style which is quantified in terms of statistical parameters extracted from only GPS data.

  5. An automated procedure for identification of a person using gait analysis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alena Galajdová

    2016-10-01

    Full Text Available Different biometric methods are available for identification purpose of a person. The most commonly used are fingerprints, but there are also other biometric methods such as voice, morphology of ears, structure of iris and so on. In some cases, it is required to identify a person according to his/her biomechanical parameters or even his/her gait pattern. Gait is an outstanding biometric behavioural characteristic that is not widely used yet for identification purposes because efficient and proven automated processes are not yet available. Several systems and gait pattern databases have been developed for rapid evaluation and processing of gait. This article describes an original automated evaluation procedure of gait pattern and identification of unique gait parameters for automatic identification purposes.

  6. Impact testing and analysis for structural code benchmarking

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Glass, R.E.

    1989-01-01

    Sandia National Laboratories, in cooperation with industry and other national laboratories, has been benchmarking computer codes (''Structural Code Benchmarking for the Analysis of Impact Response of Nuclear Material Shipping Cask,'' R.E. Glass, Sandia National Laboratories, 1985; ''Sample Problem Manual for Benchmarking of Cask Analysis Codes,'' R.E. Glass, Sandia National Laboratories, 1988; ''Standard Thermal Problem Set for the Evaluation of Heat Transfer Codes Used in the Assessment of Transportation Packages, R.E. Glass, et al., Sandia National Laboratories, 1988) used to predict the structural, thermal, criticality, and shielding behavior of radioactive materials packages. The first step in the benchmarking of the codes was to develop standard problem sets and to compare the results from several codes and users. This step for structural analysis codes has been completed as described in ''Structural Code Benchmarking for the Analysis of Impact Response of Nuclear Material Shipping Casks,'' R.E. Glass, Sandia National Laboratories, 1985. The problem set is shown in Fig. 1. This problem set exercised the ability of the codes to predict the response to end (axisymmetric) and side (plane strain) impacts with both elastic and elastic/plastic materials. The results from these problems showed that there is good agreement in predicting elastic response. Significant differences occurred in predicting strains for the elastic/plastic models. An example of the variation in predicting plastic behavior is given, which shows the hoop strain as a function of time at the impacting end of Model B. These differences in predicting plastic strains demonstrated a need for benchmark data for a cask-like problem. 6 refs., 5 figs

  7. Finite element analysis of car hood for impact test by using ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Finite element analysis of car hood for impact test by using solidworks software ... high safety and at the same time can be built according to market demands. ... Keywords: finite element analysis; impact test; Solidworks; automation, car hood.

  8. Substructure identification for shear structures: cross-power spectral density method

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhang, Dongyu; Johnson, Erik A

    2012-01-01

    In this paper, a substructure identification method for shear structures is proposed. A shear structure is divided into many small substructures; utilizing the dynamic equilibrium of a one-floor substructure, an inductive identification problem is formulated, using the cross-power spectral densities between structural floor accelerations and a reference response, to estimate the parameters of that one story. Repeating this procedure, all story parameters of the shear structure are identified from top to bottom recursively. An identification error analysis is performed for the proposed substructure method, revealing how uncertain factors (e.g. measurement noise) in the identification process affect the identification accuracy. According to the error analysis, a smart reference selection rule is designed to choose the optimal reference response that further enhances the identification accuracy. Moreover, based on the identification error analysis, explicit formulae are developed to calculate the variances of the parameter identification errors. A ten-story shear structure is used to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed substructure method. The simulation results show that the method, combined with the reference selection rule, can very accurately identify structural parameters despite large measurement noise. Furthermore, the proposed formulae provide good predictions for the variances of the parameter identification errors, which are vital for providing accurate warnings of structural damage. (paper)

  9. The social impacts of dams: A new framework for scholarly analysis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kirchherr, Julian; Charles, Katrina J.

    2016-01-01

    No commonly used framework exists in the scholarly study of the social impacts of dams. This hinders comparisons of analyses and thus the accumulation of knowledge. The aim of this paper is to unify scholarly understanding of dams' social impacts via the analysis and aggregation of the various frameworks currently used in the scholarly literature. For this purpose, we have systematically analyzed and aggregated 27 frameworks employed by academics analyzing dams' social impacts (found in a set of 217 articles). A key finding of the analysis is that currently used frameworks are often not specific to dams and thus omit key impacts associated with them. The result of our analysis and aggregation is a new framework for scholarly analysis (which we call ‘matrix framework’) specifically on dams' social impacts, with space, time and value as its key dimensions as well as infrastructure, community and livelihood as its key components. Building on the scholarly understanding of this topic enables us to conceptualize the inherently complex and multidimensional issues of dams' social impacts in a holistic manner. If commonly employed in academia (and possibly in practice), this framework would enable more transparent assessment and comparison of projects.

  10. Modelling Framework for the Identification of Critical Variables and Parameters under Uncertainty in the Bioethanol Production from Lignocellulose

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Morales Rodriguez, Ricardo; Meyer, Anne S.; Gernaey, Krist

    2011-01-01

    This study presents the development of a systematic modelling framework for identification of the most critical variables and parameters under uncertainty, evaluated on a lignocellulosic ethanol production case study. The systematic framework starts with: (1) definition of the objectives; (2......, suitable for further analysis of the bioprocess. The uncertainty and sensitivity analysis identified the following most critical variables and parameters involved in the lignocellulosic ethanol production case study. For the operating cost, the enzyme loading showed the strongest impact, while reaction...

  11. A Machine Learning Based Intrusion Impact Analysis Scheme for Clouds

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Junaid Arshad

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available Clouds represent a major paradigm shift, inspiring the contemporary approach to computing. They present fascinating opportunities to address dynamic user requirements with the provision of on demand expandable computing infrastructures. However, Clouds introduce novel security challenges which need to be addressed to facilitate widespread adoption. This paper is focused on one such challenge - intrusion impact analysis. In particular, we highlight the significance of intrusion impact analysis for the overall security of Clouds. Additionally, we present a machine learning based scheme to address this challenge in accordance with the specific requirements of Clouds for intrusion impact analysis. We also present rigorous evaluation performed to assess the effectiveness and feasibility of the proposed method to address this challenge for Clouds. The evaluation results demonstrate high degree of effectiveness to correctly determine the impact of an intrusion along with significant reduction with respect to the intrusion response time.

  12. Identification and characterization of earthquake clusters: a comparative analysis for selected sequences in Italy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Peresan, Antonella; Gentili, Stefania

    2017-04-01

    Identification and statistical characterization of seismic clusters may provide useful insights about the features of seismic energy release and their relation to physical properties of the crust within a given region. Moreover, a number of studies based on spatio-temporal analysis of main-shocks occurrence require preliminary declustering of the earthquake catalogs. Since various methods, relying on different physical/statistical assumptions, may lead to diverse classifications of earthquakes into main events and related events, we aim to investigate the classification differences among different declustering techniques. Accordingly, a formal selection and comparative analysis of earthquake clusters is carried out for the most relevant earthquakes in North-Eastern Italy, as reported in the local OGS-CRS bulletins, compiled at the National Institute of Oceanography and Experimental Geophysics since 1977. The comparison is then extended to selected earthquake sequences associated with a different seismotectonic setting, namely to events that occurred in the region struck by the recent Central Italy destructive earthquakes, making use of INGV data. Various techniques, ranging from classical space-time windows methods to ad hoc manual identification of aftershocks, are applied for detection of earthquake clusters. In particular, a statistical method based on nearest-neighbor distances of events in space-time-energy domain, is considered. Results from clusters identification by the nearest-neighbor method turn out quite robust with respect to the time span of the input catalogue, as well as to minimum magnitude cutoff. The identified clusters for the largest events reported in North-Eastern Italy since 1977 are well consistent with those reported in earlier studies, which were aimed at detailed manual aftershocks identification. The study shows that the data-driven approach, based on the nearest-neighbor distances, can be satisfactorily applied to decompose the seismic

  13. A modular structure to accident identification using neural networks

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Duque Estrada, Cassius Rodrigo

    2005-01-01

    This work uses the accident identification method based on Artificial Neural Networks (ANN) as basic blocks of a modular structure, allowing the inclusion of new accidents to be identified without modifying the ANN already trained. This structure comprises several modules for accident identification and one module for analysis. Each identification module follows the structure of the basic block. The identification modules are responsible for the recognition of an accident belonging to the specific set of events for which it were trained. The analysis module processes the output from the identification module to determine the system response. In order to test this structure it was proposed a transient identification problem comprising fifty accidents distributed in five identification modules. The results have demonstrated that the accident identification method used as basic block of a modular structure allows the inclusion of new sets of accidents, or variations of a same accident, without modifying the ANN already trained. For this, it is enough to include into the system an specific module for this new set of accidents. (author)

  14. Multiple organizational identification levels and the impact of perceived external prestige and communication climate

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Bartels, J.; Pruyn, A.T.H.; Jong, de M.D.T.; Joustra, I.

    2007-01-01

    Earlier studies have shown that perceived external prestige and communication climate influence organizational identification. In this paper we present the results of a study of the influence of communication climate and perceived external prestige on organizational identification at various

  15. Identification of Rotating Machines

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    T. Kreuzinger-Janik

    2000-01-01

    Full Text Available In this paper a method is proposed for unbalance identification ofelastic rotors. The method is essentially based on the rotordynamic theory combined with experimental modal analysis and allows to identify the unbalance distribution on the complete rotor. A rotor test rig designed for rotordynamic experiments, modal analysis and especially for the unbalance identification has been developed. It allows an arbitrary excitation with a particularly developed noncontact magnetic exciter, as well as measuring vibrations in radial direction with non-contact laser sensors and eddy currents. Special effects of rotordynamic like anisotropic journal bearings and gyroscopic forces can be simulated. Experimental and theoretical results like mode shapes and unbalance parameters for the laboratory model are presented in detail.

  16. 32 CFR 989.12 - AF Form 813, Request for Environmental Impact Analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... 32 National Defense 6 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false AF Form 813, Request for Environmental Impact... FORCE ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ANALYSIS PROCESS (EIAP) § 989.12 AF Form 813, Request for Environmental Impact Analysis. The Air Force uses AF Form 813 to document the need for...

  17. The Effect of Dental Insurance on the Use of Dental Care For Older Adults: A Partial Identification Analysis*

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kreider, Brent; Moeller, John; Manski, Richard J.; Pepper, John

    2014-01-01

    We evaluate the impact of dental insurance on the use of dental services using a potential outcomes identification framework designed to handle uncertainty created by unknown counterfactuals – that is, the endogenous selection problem – as well as uncertainty about the reliability of self-reported insurance status. Using data from the Health and Retirement Study, we estimate that utilization rates of adults older than 50 would increase from 75% to around 80% under universal dental coverage. PMID:24890257

  18. Multiple organizational identification levels and the impact of perceived external prestige and communication climate

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Bartels, J.; Pruyn, Adriaan T.H.; de Jong, Menno D.T.; Joustra, Inge

    2007-01-01

    sEarlier studies have shown that perceived external prestige and communication climate influence organizational identification. In this paper we present the results of a study of the influence of communication climate and perceived external prestige on organizational identification at various

  19. Employee identification before and after an internal merger: a longitudinal analysis

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Bartels, J.; Pruyn, A.T.H.; Jong, de M.D.T.

    2009-01-01

    Earlier studies have shown that perceived external prestige (PEP) and communication climate influence employees' overall organizational identification. This paper presents the results of a longitudinal study into the determinants of organizational identification at two organizational levels during

  20. Suspect/foil identification in actual crimes and in the laboratory: a reality monitoring analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Behrman, Bruce W; Richards, Regina E

    2005-06-01

    Four reality monitoring variables were used to discriminate suspect from foil identifications in 183 actual criminal cases. Four hundred sixty-one identification attempts based on five and six-person lineups were analyzed. These identification attempts resulted in 238 suspect identifications and 68 foil identifications. Confidence, automatic processing, eliminative processing and feature use comprised the set of reality monitoring variables. Thirty-five verbal confidence phrases taken from police reports were assigned numerical values on a 10-point confidence scale. Automatic processing identifications were those that occurred "immediately" or "without hesitation." Eliminative processing identifications occurred when witnesses compared or eliminated persons in the lineups. Confidence, automatic processing and eliminative processing were significant predictors, but feature use was not. Confidence was the most effective discriminator. In cases that involved substantial evidence extrinsic to the identification 43% of the suspect identifications were made with high confidence, whereas only 10% of the foil identifications were made with high confidence. The results of a laboratory study using the same predictors generally paralleled the archival results. Forensic implications are discussed.

  1. Ultra high performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole-time of flight analysis for the identification and the determination of resveratrol and its metabolites in mouse plasma

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Menet, M.C.; Cottart, C.H.; Taghi, M.; Nivet-Antoine, V.; Dargère, D.

    2013-01-01

    Graphical abstract: Simultaneous identification and determination of new resveratrol metabolites in mice by UHPLC-Q-TOF in full scan mode. Highlights: ► Fast method to quantify resveratrol and its main metabolites in the mouse plasma. ► Isotope-labeled standards to build a linear calibration curve. ► Linear calibration curve on a wide range of concentrations. ► Simultaneous identification and quantification of metabolites by using full scan mode. ► Detection of uncommon metabolites not yet described in mice. - Abstract: Resveratrol is a polyphenol that has numerous interesting biological properties, but, per os, it is quickly metabolized. Some of its metabolites are more concentrated than resveratrol, may have greater biological activities, and may act as a kind of store for resveratrol. Thus, to understand the biological impact of resveratrol on a physiological system, it is crucial to simultaneously analyze resveratrol and its metabolites in plasma. This study presents an analytical method based on UHPLC-Q-TOF mass spectrometry for the quantification of resveratrol and of its most common hydrophilic metabolites. The use of 13 C- and D-labeled standards specific to each molecule led to a linear calibration curve on a larger concentration range than described previously. The use of high resolution mass spectrometry in the full scan mode enabled simultaneous identification and quantification of some hydrophilic metabolites not previously described in mice. In addition, UHPLC separation, allowing run times lower than 10 min, can be used in studies that requiring analysis of many samples.

  2. Ultra high performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole-time of flight analysis for the identification and the determination of resveratrol and its metabolites in mouse plasma

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Menet, M.C., E-mail: marie-claude.menet@parisdescartes.fr [Universite Paris Descartes, Sorbonne Paris cite, EA 4463, Faculte des Sciences Pharmaceutiques et Biologiques, 4 avenue de l' Observatoire, Paris 75270 (France); Cottart, C.H. [APHP, Groupe hospitalier Pitie-Salpetriere, Charles Foix, Service de Biochimie, 7 avenue de la Republique, Ivry sur Seine 94205 (France); Universite Paris Descartes, Sorbonne Paris cite, EA 4466, Faculte des Sciences Pharmaceutiques et Biologiques, 4 avenue de l' Observatoire, Paris 75270 (France); Taghi, M. [Universite Paris Descartes, Sorbonne Paris cite, EA 4463, Faculte des Sciences Pharmaceutiques et Biologiques, 4 avenue de l' Observatoire, Paris 75270 (France); Nivet-Antoine, V. [Universite Paris Descartes, Sorbonne Paris cite, EA 4466, Faculte des Sciences Pharmaceutiques et Biologiques, 4 avenue de l' Observatoire, Paris 75270 (France); APHP, Hopital Europeen Georges Pompidou, Service de Biochimie, 20 rue Leblanc, Paris 75015 (France); Dargere, D. [Universite Paris Descartes, Sorbonne Paris cite, EA 4463, Faculte des Sciences Pharmaceutiques et Biologiques, 4 avenue de l' Observatoire, Paris 75270 (France); and others

    2013-01-25

    Graphical abstract: Simultaneous identification and determination of new resveratrol metabolites in mice by UHPLC-Q-TOF in full scan mode. Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Fast method to quantify resveratrol and its main metabolites in the mouse plasma. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Isotope-labeled standards to build a linear calibration curve. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Linear calibration curve on a wide range of concentrations. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Simultaneous identification and quantification of metabolites by using full scan mode. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Detection of uncommon metabolites not yet described in mice. - Abstract: Resveratrol is a polyphenol that has numerous interesting biological properties, but, per os, it is quickly metabolized. Some of its metabolites are more concentrated than resveratrol, may have greater biological activities, and may act as a kind of store for resveratrol. Thus, to understand the biological impact of resveratrol on a physiological system, it is crucial to simultaneously analyze resveratrol and its metabolites in plasma. This study presents an analytical method based on UHPLC-Q-TOF mass spectrometry for the quantification of resveratrol and of its most common hydrophilic metabolites. The use of {sup 13}C- and D-labeled standards specific to each molecule led to a linear calibration curve on a larger concentration range than described previously. The use of high resolution mass spectrometry in the full scan mode enabled simultaneous identification and quantification of some hydrophilic metabolites not previously described in mice. In addition, UHPLC separation, allowing run times lower than 10 min, can be used in studies that requiring analysis of many samples.

  3. A Change Impact Analysis to Characterize Evolving Program Behaviors

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rungta, Neha Shyam; Person, Suzette; Branchaud, Joshua

    2012-01-01

    Change impact analysis techniques estimate the potential effects of changes made to software. Directed Incremental Symbolic Execution (DiSE) is an intraprocedural technique for characterizing the impact of software changes on program behaviors. DiSE first estimates the impact of the changes on the source code using program slicing techniques, and then uses the impact sets to guide symbolic execution to generate path conditions that characterize impacted program behaviors. DiSE, however, cannot reason about the flow of impact between methods and will fail to generate path conditions for certain impacted program behaviors. In this work, we present iDiSE, an extension to DiSE that performs an interprocedural analysis. iDiSE combines static and dynamic calling context information to efficiently generate impacted program behaviors across calling contexts. Information about impacted program behaviors is useful for testing, verification, and debugging of evolving programs. We present a case-study of our implementation of the iDiSE algorithm to demonstrate its efficiency at computing impacted program behaviors. Traditional notions of coverage are insufficient for characterizing the testing efforts used to validate evolving program behaviors because they do not take into account the impact of changes to the code. In this work we present novel definitions of impacted coverage metrics that are useful for evaluating the testing effort required to test evolving programs. We then describe how the notions of impacted coverage can be used to configure techniques such as DiSE and iDiSE in order to support regression testing related tasks. We also discuss how DiSE and iDiSE can be configured for debugging finding the root cause of errors introduced by changes made to the code. In our empirical evaluation we demonstrate that the configurations of DiSE and iDiSE can be used to support various software maintenance tasks

  4. Construction, implementation and testing of an image identification system using computer vision methods for fruit flies with economic importance (Diptera: Tephritidae).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Jiang-Ning; Chen, Xiao-Lin; Hou, Xin-Wen; Zhou, Li-Bing; Zhu, Chao-Dong; Ji, Li-Qiang

    2017-07-01

    Many species of Tephritidae are damaging to fruit, which might negatively impact international fruit trade. Automatic or semi-automatic identification of fruit flies are greatly needed for diagnosing causes of damage and quarantine protocols for economically relevant insects. A fruit fly image identification system named AFIS1.0 has been developed using 74 species belonging to six genera, which include the majority of pests in the Tephritidae. The system combines automated image identification and manual verification, balancing operability and accuracy. AFIS1.0 integrates image analysis and expert system into a content-based image retrieval framework. In the the automatic identification module, AFIS1.0 gives candidate identification results. Afterwards users can do manual selection based on comparing unidentified images with a subset of images corresponding to the automatic identification result. The system uses Gabor surface features in automated identification and yielded an overall classification success rate of 87% to the species level by Independent Multi-part Image Automatic Identification Test. The system is useful for users with or without specific expertise on Tephritidae in the task of rapid and effective identification of fruit flies. It makes the application of computer vision technology to fruit fly recognition much closer to production level. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry.

  5. Failure analysis of prestressed concrete beam under impact loading

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ishikawa, N.; Sonoda, Y.; Kobayashi, N.

    1993-01-01

    This paper presents a failure analysis of prestressed concrete (PC) beam under impact loading. At first, the failure analysis of PC beam section is performed by using the discrete section element method in order to obtain the dynamic bending moment-curvature relation. Secondary, the failure analysis of PC beam is performed by using the rigid panel-spring model. Finally, the numerical calculation is executed and is compared with the experimental results. It is found that this approach can simulate well the experiments at the local and overall failure of the PC beam as well as the impact load and the displacement-time relations. (author)

  6. Update of Part 61 impacts analysis methodology

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Oztunali, O.I.; Roles, G.W.

    1986-01-01

    The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission is expanding the impacts analysis methodology used during the development of the 10 CFR Part 61 rule to allow improved consideration of costs and impacts of disposal of waste that exceeds Class C concentrations. The project includes updating the computer codes that comprise the methodology, reviewing and updating data assumptions on waste streams and disposal technologies, and calculation of costs for small as well as large disposal facilities. This paper outlines work done to date on this project

  7. Update of Part 61 impacts analysis methodology

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Oztunali, O.I.; Roles, G.W.; US Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555)

    1985-01-01

    The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission is expanding the impacts analysis methodology used during the development of the 10 CFR Part 61 regulation to allow improved consideration of costs and impacts of disposal of waste that exceeds Class C concentrations. The project includes updating the computer codes that comprise the methodology, reviewing and updating data assumptions on waste streams and disposal technologies, and calculation of costs for small as well as large disposal facilities. This paper outlines work done to date on this project

  8. Co-expression analysis and identification of fecundity-related long non-coding RNAs in sheep ovaries.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Miao, Xiangyang; Luo, Qingmiao; Zhao, Huijing; Qin, Xiaoyu

    2016-12-16

    Small Tail Han sheep, including the FecB B FecB B (Han BB) and FecB + FecB + (Han++) genotypes, and Dorset sheep exhibit different fecundities. To identify novel long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) associated with sheep fecundity to better understand their molecular mechanisms, a genome-wide analysis of mRNAs and lncRNAs from Han BB, Han++ and Dorset sheep was performed. After the identification of differentially expressed mRNAs and lncRNAs, 16 significant modules were explored by using weighted gene coexpression network analysis (WGCNA) followed by functional enrichment analysis of the genes and lncRNAs in significant modules. Among these selected modules, the yellow and brown modules were significantly related to sheep fecundity. lncRNAs (e.g., NR0B1, XLOC_041882, and MYH15) in the yellow module were mainly involved in the TGF-β signalling pathway, and NYAP1 and BCORL1 were significantly associated with the oxytocin signalling pathway, which regulates several genes in the coexpression network of the brown module. Overall, we identified several gene modules associated with sheep fecundity, as well as networks consisting of hub genes and lncRNAs that may contribute to sheep prolificacy by regulating the target mRNAs related to the TGF-β and oxytocin signalling pathways. This study provides an alternative strategy for the identification of potential candidate regulatory lncRNAs.

  9. On the methods and examples of aircraft impact analysis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Arros, J.

    2012-01-01

    Conclusions: Aircraft impact analysis can be performed today within feasible run times using PCs and available advanced commercial finite element software tools. Adequate element and material model technologies exist. Explicit time integration enables analysis of very large deformation Missile/Target impacts. Meshless/particle based methods may be beneficial for large deformation concrete “punching shear” analysis – potentially solves the “element erosion” problem associated with FE, but are not generally implemented yet in major commercial software. Verification of the complicated modeling technologies continues to be a challenge. Not much work has been done yet on ACI shock loading – redundant and physically separated safety trains key to success. Analysis approach and detail should be “balanced” - commensurate with the significant uncertainties - do not “over-do” details of some parts of the model (e.g., the plane) and the analysis

  10. In silico identification and analysis of phytoene synthase genes in plants.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Han, Y; Zheng, Q S; Wei, Y P; Chen, J; Liu, R; Wan, H J

    2015-08-14

    In this study, we examined phytoene synthetase (PSY), the first key limiting enzyme in the synthesis of carotenoids and catalyzing the formation of geranylgeranyl pyrophosphate in terpenoid biosynthesis. We used known amino acid sequences of the PSY gene in tomato plants to conduct a genome-wide search and identify putative candidates in 34 sequenced plants. A total of 101 homologous genes were identified. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that PSY evolved independently in algae as well as monocotyledonous and dicotyledonous plants. Our results showed that the amino acid structures exhibited 5 motifs (motifs 1 to 5) in algae and those in higher plants were highly conserved. The PSY gene structures showed that the number of intron in algae varied widely, while the number of introns in higher plants was 4 to 5. Identification of PSY genes in plants and the analysis of the gene structure may provide a theoretical basis for studying evolutionary relationships in future analyses.

  11. PINS Spectrum Identification Guide

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    A.J. Caffrey

    2012-03-01

    The Portable Isotopic Neutron Spectroscopy—PINS, for short—system identifies the chemicals inside munitions and containers without opening them, a decided safety advantage if the fill chemical is a hazardous substance like a chemical warfare agent or an explosive. The PINS Spectrum Identification Guide is intended as a reference for technical professionals responsible for the interpretation of PINS gamma-ray spectra. The guide is divided into two parts. The three chapters that constitute Part I cover the science and technology of PINS. Neutron activation analysis is the focus of Chapter 1. Chapter 2 explores PINS hardware, software, and related operational issues. Gamma-ray spectral analysis basics are introduced in Chapter 3. The six chapters of Part II cover the identification of PINS spectra in detail. Like the PINS decision tree logic, these chapters are organized by chemical element: phosphorus-based chemicals, chlorine-based chemicals, etc. These descriptions of hazardous, toxic, and/or explosive chemicals conclude with a chapter on the identification of the inert chemicals, e.g. sand, used to fill practice munitions.

  12. The social impacts of dams: A new framework for scholarly analysis

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kirchherr, Julian, E-mail: julian.kirchherr@sant.ox.ac.uk; Charles, Katrina J., E-mail: katrina.charles@ouce.ox.ac.uk

    2016-09-15

    No commonly used framework exists in the scholarly study of the social impacts of dams. This hinders comparisons of analyses and thus the accumulation of knowledge. The aim of this paper is to unify scholarly understanding of dams' social impacts via the analysis and aggregation of the various frameworks currently used in the scholarly literature. For this purpose, we have systematically analyzed and aggregated 27 frameworks employed by academics analyzing dams' social impacts (found in a set of 217 articles). A key finding of the analysis is that currently used frameworks are often not specific to dams and thus omit key impacts associated with them. The result of our analysis and aggregation is a new framework for scholarly analysis (which we call ‘matrix framework’) specifically on dams' social impacts, with space, time and value as its key dimensions as well as infrastructure, community and livelihood as its key components. Building on the scholarly understanding of this topic enables us to conceptualize the inherently complex and multidimensional issues of dams' social impacts in a holistic manner. If commonly employed in academia (and possibly in practice), this framework would enable more transparent assessment and comparison of projects.

  13. Impact of biomass burning emission on total peroxy nitrates: fire plume identification during the BORTAS campaign

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    E. Aruffo

    2016-11-01

    Full Text Available Total peroxy nitrate ( ∑ PN concentrations have been measured using a thermal dissociation laser-induced fluorescence (TD-LIF instrument during the BORTAS campaign, which focused on the impact of boreal biomass burning (BB emissions on air quality in the Northern Hemisphere. The strong correlation observed between the  ∑ PN concentrations and those of carbon monoxide (CO, a well-known pyrogenic tracer, suggests the possible use of the  ∑ PN concentrations as marker of the BB plumes. Two methods for the identification of BB plumes have been applied: (1  ∑ PN concentrations higher than 6 times the standard deviation above the background and (2  ∑ PN concentrations higher than the 99th percentile of the  ∑ PNs measured during a background flight (B625; then we compared the percentage of BB plume selected using these methods with the percentage evaluated, applying the approaches usually used in literature. Moreover, adding the pressure threshold ( ∼  750 hPa as ancillary parameter to  ∑ PNs, hydrogen cyanide (HCN and CO, the BB plume identification is improved. A recurrent artificial neural network (ANN model was adapted to simulate the concentrations of  ∑ PNs and HCN, including nitrogen oxide (NO, acetonitrile (CH3CN, CO, ozone (O3 and atmospheric pressure as input parameters, to verify the specific role of these input data to better identify BB plumes.

  14. Story Perspective and Character Similarity as Drivers of Identification of Narrative Persuasion

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Hoeken, J.A.L.|info:eu-repo/dai/nl/111050359; Kolthoff, Matthijs; Sanders, José

    2016-01-01

    Identification with a character is an important mechanism of narrative persuasion. In 2 studies, the impact of character similarity on identification was pitted against that of story perspective. Participants read stories in which a lawyer (Study 1) and a general practitioner (GP; Study 2) had a

  15. Vortex identification: new requirements and limitations

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Kolář, Václav

    2007-01-01

    Roč. 28, č. 4 (2007), s. 638-652 ISSN 0142-727X R&D Projects: GA AV ČR IAA2060302 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z20600510 Keywords : vortex identification * vorticity decomposition * decomposition of motion Subject RIV: BK - Fluid Dynamics Impact factor: 1.283, year: 2007

  16. Economic impacts of climate change in Australia: framework and analysis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ford, Melanie

    2007-01-01

    Full text: There is growing interest in understanding the potential impacts of climate change in Australia, and especially the economic impacts of 'inaction'. In this study, a preliminary analysis of the possible economic impacts of future climate change in Australia is undertaken using ABARE's general equilibrium model of the global economy, GTEM. In order to understand the potential economy-wide economic impacts, the broad climatic trends that Australia is likely to experience over the next several decades are canvassed and the potential economic and non-economic impacts on key risk areas, such as water resources, agriculture and forests, health, industry and human settlements and the ecosystems, are identified. A more detailed analysis of the economic impacts of climate change are undertaken by developing two case studies. In the first case study, the economic impact of climate change and reduced water availability on the agricultural sector is assessed in the Murray-Darling Basin. In the second case study, the sectoral economic impacts on the Australian resources sector of a projected decline in global economic activity due to climate change is analysed. The key areas of required development to more fully understand the economy-wide and sectoral impacts of climate change are also discussed including issues associated with estimating both non-market and market impacts. Finally, an analytical framework for undertaking integrated assessment of climate change impacts domestically and globally is developed

  17. Deletion analysis of susy-sl promoter for the identification of optimal promoter sequence

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bacha, S.; Khatoon, A.; Asif, M.; Bshir, A.

    2015-01-01

    The promoter region of sucrose synthase (susy-Sl) was identified and isolated from tomato. The 5? deletion analysis was carried out for the identification of minimum optimal promoter. Transgenic lines of Arabidopsis thaliana were developed by floral dip method incorporating various promoter deletion cassettes controlling GUS reporter gene. GUS assay of transgenic tissues indicated that full length susy-Sl promoter and its deletion mutants were constitutively expressed in vegetative and floral tissues of A. thaliana. The expression was observed in roots, shoots and flowers of A. thaliana. Analysis of 5? deletion series of susy-Sl promoter showed that a minimum of 679 bp fragment of the promoter was sufficient to drive expression of GUS reporter gene in the major tissues of transgenic A. thaliana. (author)

  18. Corotational and Compressibility aspects leading to a modification of the vortex-identification Q-criterion

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Kolář, Václav; Šístek, Jakub

    2015-01-01

    Roč. 53, č. 8 (2015), s. 2406-2410 ISSN 0001-1452 R&D Projects: GA ČR GA14-02067S Institutional support: RVO:67985874 ; RVO:67985840 Keywords : vortex * vortex identification * vortex-identification criterion * vortex-identification method * vortical structures Subject RIV: BK - Fluid Dynamics; BA - General Mathematics (MU-W) Impact factor: 1.326, year: 2015

  19. Identification of bacteria using mass spectrometry techniques

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Krásný, Lukáš; Hynek, R.; Hochel, I.

    2013-01-01

    Roč. 353, NOV 2013 (2013), s. 67-79 ISSN 1387-3806 R&D Projects: GA ČR GAP503/10/0664 Institutional support: RVO:61388971 Keywords : Mass spectrometry * Bacteria * Identification Subject RIV: EE - Microbiology, Virology Impact factor: 2.227, year: 2013

  20. Identification of new serum markers of pathological states by bioinformatic tools for the analysis of serum proteomics expression profiles

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Malorni, A.; Facchiano, A.

    2009-01-01

    We have developed new bioinformatic tools and strategies, aimed to the identification and characterization of proteins as markers of pathological states, for the analysis of data derived from protein expression profiles obtained by mass spectrometry techniques, for the study of structural and functional properties of the proteins, and for the analysis of data from omics approaches

  1. Impact of radio-frequency identification (RFID) technologies on the hospital supply chain: a literature review.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Coustasse, Alberto; Tomblin, Shane; Slack, Chelsea

    2013-01-01

    Supply costs account for more than one-third of the average operating budget and constitute the second largest expenditure in hospitals. As hospitals have sought to reduce these costs, radio-frequency identification (RFID) technology has emerged as a solution. This study reviews existing literature to gauge the recent and potential impact and direction of the implementation of RFID in the hospital supply chain to determine current benefits and barriers of adoption. Findings show that the application of RFID to medical equipment and supplies tracking has resulted in efficiency increases in hospitals with lower costs and increased service quality. RFID technology can reduce costs, improve patient safety, and improve supply chain management effectiveness by increasing the ability to track and locate equipment, as well as monitoring theft prevention, distribution management, and patient billing. Despite ongoing RFID implementation in the hospital supply chain, barriers to widespread and rapid adoption include significant total expenditures, unclear return on investment, and competition with other strategic imperatives.

  2. Impact of Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID) Technologies on the Hospital Supply Chain: A Literature Review

    Science.gov (United States)

    Coustasse, Alberto; Tomblin, Shane; Slack, Chelsea

    2013-01-01

    Supply costs account for more than one-third of the average operating budget and constitute the second largest expenditure in hospitals. As hospitals have sought to reduce these costs, radio-frequency identification (RFID) technology has emerged as a solution. This study reviews existing literature to gauge the recent and potential impact and direction of the implementation of RFID in the hospital supply chain to determine current benefits and barriers of adoption. Findings show that the application of RFID to medical equipment and supplies tracking has resulted in efficiency increases in hospitals with lower costs and increased service quality. RFID technology can reduce costs, improve patient safety, and improve supply chain management effectiveness by increasing the ability to track and locate equipment, as well as monitoring theft prevention, distribution management, and patient billing. Despite ongoing RFID implementation in the hospital supply chain, barriers to widespread and rapid adoption include significant total expenditures, unclear return on investment, and competition with other strategic imperatives. PMID:24159272

  3. Impact of the timing of hepatitis B virus identification and anti-hepatitis B virus therapy initiation on the risk of adverse liver outcomes for patients receiving cancer therapy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hwang, Jessica P; Suarez-Almazor, Maria E; Cantor, Scott B; Barbo, Andrea; Lin, Heather Y; Ahmed, Sairah; Chavez-MacGregor, Mariana; Donato-Santana, Christian; Eng, Cathy; Ferrajoli, Alessandra; Fisch, Michael J; McLaughlin, Peter; Simon, George R; Rondon, Gabriela; Shpall, Elizabeth J; Lok, Anna S

    2017-09-01

    Data on the incidence of adverse liver outcomes are limited for cancer patients with chronic (hepatitis B surface antigen [HBsAg]-positive/hepatitis B core antibody [anti-HBc]-positive) or past (HBsAg-negative/anti-HBc-positive) hepatitis B virus (HBV) after chemotherapy. This study was aimed at determining the impact of test timing and anti-HBV therapy on adverse liver outcomes in these patients. Patients with solid or hematologic malignancies who received chemotherapy between 2004 and 2011 were retrospectively studied. HBV testing and anti-HBV therapy were defined as early at the initiation of cancer therapy and as late after initiation. Outcomes included hepatitis flares, hepatic impairment, liver failure, and death. Time-to-event analysis was used to determine incidence, and multivariate hazard models were used to determine predictors of outcomes. There were 18,688 study patients (80.4% with solid tumors). The prevalence of chronic HBV was 1.1% (52 of 4905), and the prevalence of past HBV was 7.1% (350 of 4905). Among patients with solid tumors, late identification of chronic HBV was associated with a higher risk of hepatitis flare (hazard ratio [HR], 4.02; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.26-12.86), hepatic impairment (HR, 8.48; 95% CI, 1.86-38.66), liver failure (HR, 9.38; 95% CI, 1.50-58.86), and death (HR, 3.90; 95% CI, 1.19-12.83) in comparison with early identification. Among patients with hematologic malignancies and chronic HBV, the risk of death was 7.8 (95% CI, 1.73-35.27) times higher for persons with late initiation of anti-HBV therapy versus early initiation. Patients with late identification of chronic HBV had late or no anti-HBV therapy. Chronic HBV predicted liver failure in patients with solid or hematologic malignancies, whereas male sex and late identification were predictors for patients with solid tumors. Early identification correlates with early anti-HBV therapy and reduces the risk of liver failure and death in chronic HBV patients

  4. Maori Identification, Alcohol Behaviour and Mental Health: A Review

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ebbett, Erin; Clarke, Dave

    2010-01-01

    The impact of Maori identification on alcohol behaviour and mental health and has been neglected in the psychological literature. This paper consists of a review of literature on the history of alcohol use in New Zealand and its impact on indigenous Maori, on their cultural identity and on their mental health. Previous research has been primarily…

  5. Disorder Identification in Hysteresis Data: Recognition Analysis of the Random-Bond-Random-Field Ising Model

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ovchinnikov, O. S.; Jesse, S.; Kalinin, S. V.; Bintacchit, P.; Trolier-McKinstry, S.

    2009-01-01

    An approach for the direct identification of disorder type and strength in physical systems based on recognition analysis of hysteresis loop shape is developed. A large number of theoretical examples uniformly distributed in the parameter space of the system is generated and is decorrelated using principal component analysis (PCA). The PCA components are used to train a feed-forward neural network using the model parameters as targets. The trained network is used to analyze hysteresis loops for the investigated system. The approach is demonstrated using a 2D random-bond-random-field Ising model, and polarization switching in polycrystalline ferroelectric capacitors.

  6. Sparse regularization for force identification using dictionaries

    Science.gov (United States)

    Qiao, Baijie; Zhang, Xingwu; Wang, Chenxi; Zhang, Hang; Chen, Xuefeng

    2016-04-01

    The classical function expansion method based on minimizing l2-norm of the response residual employs various basis functions to represent the unknown force. Its difficulty lies in determining the optimum number of basis functions. Considering the sparsity of force in the time domain or in other basis space, we develop a general sparse regularization method based on minimizing l1-norm of the coefficient vector of basis functions. The number of basis functions is adaptively determined by minimizing the number of nonzero components in the coefficient vector during the sparse regularization process. First, according to the profile of the unknown force, the dictionary composed of basis functions is determined. Second, a sparsity convex optimization model for force identification is constructed. Third, given the transfer function and the operational response, Sparse reconstruction by separable approximation (SpaRSA) is developed to solve the sparse regularization problem of force identification. Finally, experiments including identification of impact and harmonic forces are conducted on a cantilever thin plate structure to illustrate the effectiveness and applicability of SpaRSA. Besides the Dirac dictionary, other three sparse dictionaries including Db6 wavelets, Sym4 wavelets and cubic B-spline functions can also accurately identify both the single and double impact forces from highly noisy responses in a sparse representation frame. The discrete cosine functions can also successfully reconstruct the harmonic forces including the sinusoidal, square and triangular forces. Conversely, the traditional Tikhonov regularization method with the L-curve criterion fails to identify both the impact and harmonic forces in these cases.

  7. Optimization of mass spectrometric parameters improve the identification performance of capillary zone electrophoresis for single-shot bottom-up proteomics analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Zhenbin; Dovichi, Norman J

    2018-02-25

    The effects of MS1 injection time, MS2 injection time, dynamic exclusion time, intensity threshold, and isolation width were investigated on the numbers of peptide and protein identifications for single-shot bottom-up proteomics analysis using CZE-MS/MS analysis of a Xenopus laevis tryptic digest. An electrokinetically pumped nanospray interface was used to couple a linear-polyacrylamide coated capillary to a Q Exactive HF mass spectrometer. A sensitive method that used a 1.4 Th isolation width, 60,000 MS2 resolution, 110 ms MS2 injection time, and a top 7 fragmentation produced the largest number of identifications when the CZE loading amount was less than 100 ng. A programmable autogain control method (pAGC) that used a 1.4 Th isolation width, 15,000 MS2 resolution, 110 ms MS2 injection time, and top 10 fragmentation produced the largest number of identifications for CZE loading amounts greater than 100 ng; 7218 unique peptides and 1653 protein groups were identified from 200 ng by using the pAGC method. The effect of mass spectrometer conditions on the performance of UPLC-MS/MS was also investigated. A fast method that used a 1.4 Th isolation width, 30,000 MS2 resolution, 45 ms MS2 injection time, and top 12 fragmentation produced the largest number of identifications for 200 ng UPLC loading amount (6025 unique peptides and 1501 protein groups). This is the first report where the identification number for CZE surpasses that of the UPLC at the 200 ng loading level. However, more peptides (11476) and protein groups (2378) were identified by using UPLC-MS/MS when the sample loading amount was increased to 2 μg with the fast method. To exploit the fast scan speed of the Q-Exactive HF mass spectrometer, higher sample loading amounts are required for single-shot bottom-up proteomics analysis using CZE-MS/MS. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  8. A study on the environmental impacts analysis with life cycle analysis of NPPs

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jeong, H. S.; Moon, K. H.; Youn, S. W.

    2003-01-01

    This Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) work was accomplished based on the ISO-14040 framework goal and scope definition, including life cycle inventory analysis, and life cycle impact assessment. For the selection of impact categories, resource use, global affairs, local affairs, and nuclear specific affair were considered. It was unexpected that environmental burdens are generally heavier in an electricity generation process than in upper stream and fabrication processes, except ODP and ETPs. It has been normally thought that environmental burden in upper steam would be heavier than those in other processes. This misconception could have originated from the ambiguous thought for end-of-pipe emissions and life cycle inventories

  9. Noninvasive identification of left main and triple vessel coronary artery disease: improved accuracy using quantitative analysis of regional myocardial stress distribution and washout of thallium-201

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Maddahi, J.; Abdulla, A.; Garcia, E.V.; Swan, H.J.; Berman, D.S.

    1986-01-01

    The capabilities of visual and quantitative analysis of stress redistribution thallium-201 scintigrams, exercise electrocardiography and exercise blood pressure response were compared for correct identification of extensive coronary disease, defined as left main or triple vessel coronary artery disease, or both (50% or more luminal diameter coronary narrowing), in 105 consecutive patients with suspected coronary artery disease. Extensive disease was present in 56 patients and the remaining 49 had either less extensive coronary artery disease (n = 34) or normal coronary arteriograms (n = 15). Although exercise blood pressure response, exercise electrocardiography and visual thallium-201 analysis were highly specific (98, 88 and 96%, respectively), they were insensitive for identification of patients with extensive disease (14, 45 and 16%, respectively). Quantitative thallium-201 analysis significantly improved the sensitivity of visual thallium-201 analysis for identification of patients with extensive disease (from 16 to 63%, p less than 0.001) without a significant loss of specificity (96 versus 86%, p = NS). Eighteen (64%) of the 28 patients who were misclassified by visual analysis as having less extensive disease were correctly classified as having extensive disease by virtue of quantitative analysis of regional myocardial thallium-201 washout. When the results of quantitative thallium-201 analysis were combined with those of blood pressure and electrocardiographic response to exercise, the sensitivity and specificity for identification of patients with extensive disease was 86 and 76%, respectively, and the highest overall accuracy (0.82) was obtained

  10. On System Identification of Wind Turbines

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kirkegaard, Poul Henning; Perisic, Nevena; Pedersen, B.J.

    Recently several methods have been proposed for the system identification of wind turbines which can be considered as a linear time-varying system due to the operating conditions. For the identification of linear wind turbine models, either black-box or grey-box identification can be used....... The operational model analysis (OMA) methodology can provide accurate estimates of the natural frequencies, damping ratios and mode shapes of the systems as long as the measurements have a low noise to signal ratio. However, in order to take information about the wind turbine into account a grey...

  11. Multiscale global identification of porous structures

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hatłas, Marcin; Beluch, Witold

    2018-01-01

    The paper is devoted to the evolutionary identification of the material constants of porous structures based on measurements conducted on a macro scale. Numerical homogenization with the RVE concept is used to determine the equivalent properties of a macroscopically homogeneous material. Finite element method software is applied to solve the boundary-value problem in both scales. Global optimization methods in form of evolutionary algorithm are employed to solve the identification task. Modal analysis is performed to collect the data necessary for the identification. A numerical example presenting the effectiveness of proposed attitude is attached.

  12. Pre-test analysis for identification of natural circulation instabilities in TALL-3D facility

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kööp, Kaspar, E-mail: kaspar@safety.sci.kth.se; Jeltsov, Marti, E-mail: marti@safety.sci.kth.se; Grishchenko, Dmitry, E-mail: dmitry@safety.sci.kth.se; Kudinov, Pavel, E-mail: pavel@safety.sci.kth.se

    2017-04-01

    Highlights: • Global optimum search method was used to identify a region of instability. • Parametric study was used for detailed investigation of system behavior modes. • The results include identification of sustained mass flow rate oscillations. • Recommendations are made for selection of optimal experimental conditions. - Abstract: TALL-3D facility is a lead-bismuth eutectic (LBE) thermal-hydraulic loop designed to provide experimental data on thermal-hydraulics phenomena for validation of stand-alone and coupled System Thermal Hydraulics (STH) and Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) codes. Pre-test analysis is crucial for proper choice of experimental conditions at which the experimental data would be most useful for code validation and benchmarking. The goal of this work is to identify these conditions at which the experiment is challenging for the STH codes yet minimizes the 3D-effects from the test section on the loop dynamics. The analysis is focused on the identification of limit cycle flow oscillations in the TALL-3D facility main heater leg using a global optimum search tool GA-NPO to find a general region in the parameter space where oscillatory behavior is expected. As a second step a grid study is conducted outlining the boundaries between different stability modes. Phenomena, simulation results and methodology for selection of the test parameters are discussed in detail and recommendations for experiments are provided.

  13. Computer codes for the analysis of flask impact problems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Neilson, A.J.

    1984-09-01

    This review identifies typical features of the design of transportation flasks and considers some of the analytical tools required for the analysis of impact events. Because of the complexity of the physical problem, it is unlikely that a single code will adequately deal with all the aspects of the impact incident. Candidate codes are identified on the basis of current understanding of their strengths and limitations. It is concluded that the HONDO-II, DYNA3D AND ABAQUS codes which ar already mounted on UKAEA computers will be suitable tools for use in the analysis of experiments conducted in the proposed AEEW programme and of general flask impact problems. Initial attention should be directed at the DYNA3D and ABAQUS codes with HONDO-II being reserved for situations where the three-dimensional elements of DYNA3D may provide uneconomic simulations in planar or axisymmetric geometries. Attention is drawn to the importance of access to suitable mesh generators to create the nodal coordinate and element topology data required by these structural analysis codes. (author)

  14. Impact factor analysis: combining prediction with parameter ranking to reveal the impact of behavior on health outcome

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Doryab, Afsaneh; Frost, Mads; Faurholt-Jepsen, Maria

    2015-01-01

    An increasing number of healthcare systems allow people to monitor behavior and provide feedback on health and wellness. Most applications, however, only offer feedback on behavior in form of visualization and data summaries. This paper presents a different approach—called impact factor analysis—...... in monitoring and control of mental illness, and we argue that the impact factor analysis can be useful in the design of other health and wellness systems....... ten bipolar patients, in which we were able to estimate mood values with an average mean absolute error of 0.5. This was used to rank the behavior parameters whose variations indicate changes in the mental state. The rankings acquired from our algorithms correspond to the patients’ rankings......, identifying physical activity and sleep as the highest impact parameters. These results revealed the feasibility of identifying behavioral impact factors. This data analysis motivated us to design an impact factor inference engine as part of the MONARCA system. To our knowledge, this is a novel approach...

  15. [Data fusion and multi-components quantitative analysis for identification and quality evaluation of Gentiana rigescens from different geographical origins].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Qin-Qin; Shen, Tao; Zuo, Zhi-Tian; Huang, Heng-Yu; Wang, Yuan-Zhong

    2018-03-01

    The accumulation of secondary metabolites of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is closely related to its origins. The identification of origins and multi-components quantitative evaluation are of great significance to ensure the quality of medicinal materials. In this study, the identification of Gentiana rigescens from different geographical origins was conducted by data fusion of Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) in combination of partial least squares discriminant analysis; meanwhile quantitative analysis of index components was conducted to provide an accurate and comprehensive identification and quality evaluation strategy for selecting the best production areas of G. rigescens. In this study, the FTIR and HPLC information of 169 G. rigescens samples from Yunnan, Sichuan, Guangxi and Guizhou Provinces were collected. The raw infrared spectra were pre-treated by multiplicative scatter correction, standard normal variate (SNV) and Savitzky-Golay (SG) derivative. Then the performances of FTIR, HPLC, and low-level data fusion and mid-level data fusion for identification were compared, and the contents of gentiopicroside, swertiamarin, loganic acid and sweroside were determined by HPLC. The results showed that the FTIR spectra of G. rigescens from different geographical origins were different, and the best pre-treatment method was SNV+SG-derivative (second derivative, 15 as the window parameter, and 2 as the polynomial order). The results showed that the accuracy rate of low- and mid-level data fusion (96.43%) in prediction set was higher than that of FTIR and HPLC (94.64%) in prediction set. In addition, the accuracy of low-level data fusion (100%) in the training set was higher than that of mid-level data fusion (99.12%) in training set. The contents of the iridoid glycosides in Yunnan were the highest among different provinces. The average content of gentiopicroside, as a bioactive marker in Chinese

  16. Identification of influence within the social media

    OpenAIRE

    Vollenbroek, Wouter Bernardus; de Vries, Sjoerd A.; Constantinides, Efthymios; Gonçalves, Gisela; Somerville, Ian; Melo, Ana

    2013-01-01

    Social media is expected to have a growing impact on the corporate reputation of organizations. Various social media actors referred to as social media influencers can have a particular impact on corporate reputation. It is important for organizations to identify these actors and understand how to interact with them in order to safeguard the organizational reputation. In this study, based on extensive literature review and a Delphi study, we constructed a model for the identification of the s...

  17. A genome-wide analysis of the flax (Linum usitatissimum L.) dirigent protein family: from gene identification and evolution to differential regulation.

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Corbin, Cyrielle; Drouet, Samantha; Markulin, Lucija; Auguin, Daniel; Laine, Eric; Davin, Laurence B.; Cort, John R.; Lewis, Norman G.; Hano, Christophe

    2018-04-30

    Identification of DIR encoding genes in flax genome. Analysis of phylogeny, gene/protein structures and evolution. Identification of new conserved motifs linked to biochemical functions. Investigation of spatio-temporal gene expression and response to stress. Dirigent proteins (DIRs) were discovered during 8-8' lignan biosynthesis studies, through identification of stereoselective coupling to afford either (+)- or (-)-pinoresinols from E-coniferyl alcohol. DIRs are also involved or potentially involved in terpenoid, allyl/propenyl phenol lignan, pterocarpan and lignin biosynthesis. DIRs have very large multigene families in different vascular plants including flax, with most still of unknown function. DIR studies typically focus on a small subset of genes and identification of biochemical/physiological functions. Herein, a genome-wide analysis and characterization of the predicted flax DIR 44-membered multigene family was performed, this species being a rich natural grain source of 8-8' linked secoisolariciresinol-derived lignan oligomers. All predicted DIR sequences, including their promoters, were analyzed together with their public gene expression datasets. Expression patterns of selected DIRs were examined using qPCR, as well as through clustering analysis of DIR gene expression. These analyses further implicated roles for specific DIRs in (-)-pinoresinol formation in seed-coats, as well as (+)-pinoresinol in vegetative organs and/or specific responses to stress. Phylogeny and gene expression analysis segregated flax DIRs into six distinct clusters with new cluster-specific motifs identified. We propose that these findings can serve as a foundation to further systematically determine functions of DIRs, i.e. other than those already known in lignan biosynthesis in flax and other species. Given the differential expression profiles and inducibility of the flax DIR family, we provisionally propose that some DIR genes of unknown function could be involved

  18. A genome-wide analysis of the flax (Linum usitatissimum L.) dirigent protein family: from gene identification and evolution to differential regulation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Corbin, Cyrielle; Drouet, Samantha; Markulin, Lucija; Auguin, Daniel; Lainé, Éric; Davin, Laurence B; Cort, John R; Lewis, Norman G; Hano, Christophe

    2018-05-01

    Identification of DIR encoding genes in flax genome. Analysis of phylogeny, gene/protein structures and evolution. Identification of new conserved motifs linked to biochemical functions. Investigation of spatio-temporal gene expression and response to stress. Dirigent proteins (DIRs) were discovered during 8-8' lignan biosynthesis studies, through identification of stereoselective coupling to afford either (+)- or (-)-pinoresinols from E-coniferyl alcohol. DIRs are also involved or potentially involved in terpenoid, allyl/propenyl phenol lignan, pterocarpan and lignin biosynthesis. DIRs have very large multigene families in different vascular plants including flax, with most still of unknown function. DIR studies typically focus on a small subset of genes and identification of biochemical/physiological functions. Herein, a genome-wide analysis and characterization of the predicted flax DIR 44-membered multigene family was performed, this species being a rich natural grain source of 8-8' linked secoisolariciresinol-derived lignan oligomers. All predicted DIR sequences, including their promoters, were analyzed together with their public gene expression datasets. Expression patterns of selected DIRs were examined using qPCR, as well as through clustering analysis of DIR gene expression. These analyses further implicated roles for specific DIRs in (-)-pinoresinol formation in seed-coats, as well as (+)-pinoresinol in vegetative organs and/or specific responses to stress. Phylogeny and gene expression analysis segregated flax DIRs into six distinct clusters with new cluster-specific motifs identified. We propose that these findings can serve as a foundation to further systematically determine functions of DIRs, i.e. other than those already known in lignan biosynthesis in flax and other species. Given the differential expression profiles and inducibility of the flax DIR family, we provisionally propose that some DIR genes of unknown function could be involved in

  19. Dynamic Parameter Identification of Tool-Spindle Interface Based on RCSA and Particle Swarm Optimization

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Erhua Wang

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available In order to ensure the stability of machining processes, the tool point frequency response functions (FRFs should be obtained initially. By the receptance coupling substructure analysis (RCSA, the tool point FRFs can be generated quickly for any combination of holder and tool without the need of repeated measurements. A major difficulty in the sub-structuring analysis is to determine the connection parameters at the tool-holder interface. This study proposed an identification method to recognize the connection parameters at the tool-holder interface by using RCSA and particle swarm optimization (PSO. In this paper, the XHK machining center is divided into two components, which are the tool and the spindle assembly firstly. After that, the end point FRFs of the tool are achieved by mode superposition method. The end receptances of the spindle assembly with complicated structure are obtained by impacting test method. Through translational and rotational springs and dampers, the tool point FRF of the machining center is obtained by coupling the two components. Finally, PSO is adopted to identify the connection parameters at the tool-holder interface by minimizing the difference between the predicted and the measured tool point FRFs. Comparison results between the predicted and measured tool point FRFs show a good agreement and demonstrate that the identification method is valid in the identification of connection parameters at the tool-holder interface.

  20. Three-dimensional finite element impact analysis of a nuclear waste truck cask

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Miller, J.D.

    1985-01-01

    This paper presents a three-dimensional finite element impact analysis of a hypothetical accident event for the preliminary design of a shipping cask which is used to transport radioactive waste by standard tractor-semitrailer truck. The nonlinear dynamic structural analysis code DYNA3D run on Sandia's Cray-1 computer was used to calculate the effects of the cask's closure-end impacting a rigid frictionless surface on an edge of its external impact limiter after a 30-foot fall. The center of gravity of the cask (made of 304 stainless steel and depleted uranium) was assumed to be directly above the impact point. An elastic-plastic material constitutive model was used to calculate the nonlinear response of the cask components to the transient loading. Interactive color graphics (PATRAN and MOVIE BYU) were used throughout the analysis, proving to be extremely helpful for generation and verification of the geometry and boundary conditions of the finite element model and for interpretation of the analysis results. Results from the calculations show the cask sustained large localized deformations. However, these were almost entirely confined to the impact limiters built into the cask. The closure sections were determined to remain intact, and leakage would not be expected after the event. As an example of a large three-dimensional finite element dynamic impact calculation, this analysis can serve as an excellent benchmark for computer aided design procedures

  1. Biomarker Identification and Pathway Analysis by Serum Metabolomics of Lung Cancer

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yingrong Chen

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Lung cancer is one of the most common causes of cancer death, for which no validated tumor biomarker is sufficiently accurate to be useful for diagnosis. Additionally, the metabolic alterations associated with the disease are unclear. In this study, we investigated the construction, interaction, and pathways of potential lung cancer biomarkers using metabolomics pathway analysis based on the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes database and the Human Metabolome Database to identify the top altered pathways for analysis and visualization. We constructed a diagnostic model using potential serum biomarkers from patients with lung cancer. We assessed their specificity and sensitivity according to the area under the curve of the receiver operator characteristic (ROC curves, which could be used to distinguish patients with lung cancer from normal subjects. The pathway analysis indicated that sphingolipid metabolism was the top altered pathway in lung cancer. ROC curve analysis indicated that glycerophospho-N-arachidonoyl ethanolamine (GpAEA and sphingosine were potential sensitive and specific biomarkers for lung cancer diagnosis and prognosis. Compared with the traditional lung cancer diagnostic biomarkers carcinoembryonic antigen and cytokeratin 19 fragment, GpAEA and sphingosine were as good or more appropriate for detecting lung cancer. We report our identification of potential metabolic diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers of lung cancer and clarify the metabolic alterations in lung cancer.

  2. The impact of gender images in commercials on the self-consciousness of adolescents.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lopukhova O.G.

    2015-03-01

    Full Text Available Television has a strong impact on gender-identity development. Theoretical analysis shows that the direct perception of different gender characteristics in advertising images has a specific impact on gender self-consciousness, primarily at the unconscious level. The purpose of our study was to uncover features of this impact. In this study, the effects of advertising images on the gender self-consciousness of teenagers were investigated. Two hypotheses were examined: (1 Perception of gender images in TV commercials has individual variability and is connected with gender features of self-consciousness (gender type of personality, gender differentiation of consciousness, the specifics of gender identification. (2 Direct perception of gender images in TV commercials has a differential influence on the transformation of verbal (cognitive and nonverbal (emotive levels of selfconsciousness. The commercials, which were for chocolate, contained different gender types of male and female images (masculine female images, androgynous images, and feminine male images; they used as stimulus materials in an experimental situation involving 61 teenagers. The contents and dynamics of gender self-consciousness in adolescents were investigated using the psychosemantic method of “multiple identifications.” We discovered that the girls’ preferences for gender images were more varied than those of the boys. Despite different variants in the gender characteristics in the advertising images, their impact on the gender self-consciousness of the adolescents consisted mostly of gender differentiation and identification with the images of their own gender. In general, in regard to the direct impact in the experimental situation, at the cognitive level, the girls revealed changes in the enhancement of gender identification with images of their gender, and the boys were characterized by the enhancement of gender differentiation. At the level of emotive evaluation, in

  3. Inverse Analysis of Cavitation Impact Phenomena on Structures

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Lambrakos, S. G; Tran, N. E

    2007-01-01

    A general methodology is presented for in situ detection of cavitation impact phenomena on structures based on inverse analysis of luminescent emissions resulting from the collapsing of bubbles onto surfaces...

  4. Identification of low amount of irradiated spices (red pepper, garlic, ginger powder) with luminescence analysis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, Byeong-Keun; Akram, Kashif; Kim, Cheong-Tae; Kang, Na-Roo; Lee, Jin-Won; Ryang, Jun-Hwan; Kwon, Joong-Ho

    2012-01-01

    For the identification of irradiated food, current analysis methods have limitations regarding presence and stability of radiation-induced markers. In this study, different spice blends with small quantity of different irradiated (0, 1 and 10 kGy) spice powders, such as red pepper, garlic or ginger, were investigated using PSL and TL techniques. In PSL-based screening analysis, the spice blends containing 10% of irradiated materials (1 or 10 kGy) were determined as intermediate or positive. In TL results, the blends containing 1% of 1 or 10 kGy-irradiated spices showed the typical TL glow curves that could be interpreted as positive. The blends with irradiated garlic powder provided more good results where identification was possible at 0.5% mixing of irradiated sample. However, the TL ratios of all spice blends were <0.1 and only TL glow curve shape and intensity may be used to discriminate the samples having irradiated component. - Highlights: ► Sample blends with small quantities of irradiated spices were evaluated. ► The PSL was inappropriate to detect irradiated ingredient in small quantity. ► TL glow curve shape and intensity could be used as conclusive evidence of irradiation. ► TL ratios of all irradiated and nonirradiated samples were <0.1.

  5. [HAS budget impact analysis guidelines: A new decision-making tool].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ghabri, Salah; Poullié, Anne-Isabelle; Autin, Erwan; Josselin, Jean-Michel

    2017-10-02

    Budget impact analysis (BIA) provides short and medium-term estimates on changes in budgets and resources resulting from the adoption of new health interventions. The objective of this article is to present the main messages of the newly developed French National Authority for Health (HAS) guidelines on budget impact analysis : issues, recommendations and perspectives. The HAS guidelines development process was based on data derived from a literature review on BIA (search dates : January 2000 to June 2016), an HAS retrospective investigation, a public consultation, international expert advice, and approval from the HAS Board and the Economic and Public Health Evaluation Committee. Based on its research findings, HAS developed its first BIA guidelines, which include recommendations on the following topics : BIA definition, perspective, populations, time horizon, compared scenarios, budget impact models, costing, discounting, choice of clinical data, reporting of results and uncertainty analysis. The HAS BIA guidelines are expected to enhance the usefulness of BIA as an essential part of a comprehensive economic assessment of healthcare interventions, which itself includes cost-effectiveness analysis and equity of access to healthcare.

  6. Family identification: A beneficial process for young adults who grow up in homes affected by parental intimate partner violence

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Catherine Mary Naughton

    2015-08-01

    Full Text Available Exposure to parental intimate partner violence (parental IPV is a complex trauma. Research within social psychology establishes that identification with social groups impacts positively on how we appraise, respond to and recover from traumatic events. Intimate partner violence (IPV is also a highly stigmatized social phenomenon and social isolation is a major factor for families affected by IPV, yet strong identification with the family group may act as a beneficial psychological resource to young people who grew up in homes affected by IPV. The current study, an online survey of 355 students (M age = 20, 70% female, investigated if a psychosocial process, specifically identification with the family, may influence the relationship between the predictor, exposure to parental IPV, and outcomes, global self-esteem and state anxiety. Mediation analysis suggests that identification with the family has a positive influence on the relationship between exposure to parental IPV and psychological outcomes; exposure to parental IPV results in reduced family identification, but when family identification is strong it results in both reduced anxiety and increased self-esteem for young people. The findings highlight the importance of having a strong sense of belonging to the extended family for young people who were exposed to parental IPV, thus has implications for prevention, intervention and social policy.

  7. Extending Impact Analysis in Government Social Media Research

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Medaglia, Rony; Zheng, Lei

    2017-01-01

    of this phenomenon, and falls short of investigating the impacts that these dimensions have on each other. Drawing on a revised framework for classifying existing social media research foci in the categories of management, context, user behavior, user characteristics, platform properties, and effects, we present......The use of social media by governments is a complex phenomenon that touches upon multiple dimensions, and that involves a wide array of relationships between these dimensions. Existing empirical research on government social media, however, is still mostly focusing on describing isolated aspects...... five empirical cases to illustrate impacts between dimensions of government social media. The empirical findings from the cases extend impact analysis beyond the existing foci, and enable us to propose a research agenda for future research on impacts in government social media....

  8. Key Concept Identification: A Comprehensive Analysis of Frequency and Topical Graph-Based Approaches

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Muhammad Aman

    2018-05-01

    Full Text Available Automatic key concept extraction from text is the main challenging task in information extraction, information retrieval and digital libraries, ontology learning, and text analysis. The statistical frequency and topical graph-based ranking are the two kinds of potentially powerful and leading unsupervised approaches in this area, devised to address the problem. To utilize the potential of these approaches and improve key concept identification, a comprehensive performance analysis of these approaches on datasets from different domains is needed. The objective of the study presented in this paper is to perform a comprehensive empirical analysis of selected frequency and topical graph-based algorithms for key concept extraction on three different datasets, to identify the major sources of error in these approaches. For experimental analysis, we have selected TF-IDF, KP-Miner and TopicRank. Three major sources of error, i.e., frequency errors, syntactical errors and semantical errors, and the factors that contribute to these errors are identified. Analysis of the results reveals that performance of the selected approaches is significantly degraded by these errors. These findings can help us develop an intelligent solution for key concept extraction in the future.

  9. Fault identification in crystalline silicon PV modules by complementary analysis of the light and dark current-voltage characteristics

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Spataru, Sergiu; Sera, Dezso; Hacke, Peter

    2016-01-01

    This article proposes a fault identification method, based on the complementary analysis of the light and dark current-voltage (I-V) characteristics of the photovoltaic (PV) module, to distinguish between four important degradation modes that lead to power loss in PV modules: (a) degradation of t...

  10. Quasidynamic emergency analysis, identification and control of power system frequency perturbations

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Jovanovic, S M [Nikola Tesla Institute, Belgrade (YU)

    1990-07-01

    There are several possible operating states of a power system. These are the normal operating state (both secure and insecure), the emergency state, the extreme emergency state and the restorative state. The system enters the emergency operating state if any of the operating constraints are violated. Emergency analysis attempts to compute in real time the violations of these constraints and the new (successive) disturbances which arise from the initial ones. The paper presents a quasidynamic approach to emergency state analysis, identification and control of power system frequency perturbations. A quasidynamic model is derived by simplifying the conventional long-term dynamics model of power systems in the time interval 0-5 s. The quasidynamic model is algebraic in nature, but the time variable t is incorporated into the model and is used to describe the part of the system dynamics that is of interest in the specified time interval. The paper proposes an on-line computer emergency control strategy based on the above quasidynamic model. Finally, a numerical example is given for the Yugoslav power system. (author).

  11. Genome-wide identification, characterization and evolutionary analysis of long intergenic noncoding RNAs in cucumber.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zhiqiang Hao

    Full Text Available Long intergenic noncoding RNAs (lincRNAs are intergenic transcripts with a length of at least 200 nt that lack coding potential. Emerging evidence suggests that lincRNAs from animals participate in many fundamental biological processes. However, the systemic identification of lincRNAs has been undertaken in only a few plants. We chose to use cucumber (Cucumis sativus as a model to analyze lincRNAs due to its importance as a model plant for studying sex differentiation and fruit development and the rich genomic and transcriptome data available. The application of a bioinformatics pipeline to multiple types of gene expression data resulted in the identification and characterization of 3,274 lincRNAs. Next, 10 lincRNAs targeted by 17 miRNAs were also explored. Based on co-expression analysis between lincRNAs and mRNAs, 94 lincRNAs were annotated, which may be involved in response to stimuli, multi-organism processes, reproduction, reproductive processes, and growth. Finally, examination of the evolution of lincRNAs showed that most lincRNAs are under purifying selection, while 16 lincRNAs are under natural selection. Our results provide a rich resource for further validation of cucumber lincRNAs and their function. The identification of lincRNAs targeted by miRNAs offers new clues for investigations into the role of lincRNAs in regulating gene expression. Finally, evaluation of the lincRNAs suggested that some lincRNAs are under positive and balancing selection.

  12. Genome-wide identification of the regulatory targets of a transcription factor using biochemical characterization and computational genomic analysis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jolly Emmitt R

    2005-11-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background A major challenge in computational genomics is the development of methodologies that allow accurate genome-wide prediction of the regulatory targets of a transcription factor. We present a method for target identification that combines experimental characterization of binding requirements with computational genomic analysis. Results Our method identified potential target genes of the transcription factor Ndt80, a key transcriptional regulator involved in yeast sporulation, using the combined information of binding affinity, positional distribution, and conservation of the binding sites across multiple species. We have also developed a mathematical approach to compute the false positive rate and the total number of targets in the genome based on the multiple selection criteria. Conclusion We have shown that combining biochemical characterization and computational genomic analysis leads to accurate identification of the genome-wide targets of a transcription factor. The method can be extended to other transcription factors and can complement other genomic approaches to transcriptional regulation.

  13. Identification of cave minerals by Raman spectroscopy: new technology for non-destructive analysis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    White William B.

    2006-07-01

    Full Text Available The usual tools are X-ray powder diffraction, the optical microscope, and the scanning electron microscope. X-ray diffraction gives a definitive fingerprint by which the mineral can be identified by comparison with a catalog of reference patterns. However, samples must be ground to powder and unstable hydrated minerals may decompose before analysis is complete. Raman spectroscopy also provides a fingerprint useful for mineral identification but with the additional advantage that some a-priori interpretation of the spectra is possible (distinguishing carbonates from sulfates, for example. Because excitation of the spectra is by means of a laser beam, it is possible to measure the spectra of samples in sealed glass containers, thus preserving unstable samples. Because laser beams can be focused, spectra can be obtained from individual grains. New technology has reduced the size of the instrument and also the sensitivity of the optical system to vibration and transport so that a portable instrument has become possible. The sampling probe is linked to the spectrometer by optical fibers so that large specimens can be examined without damage. Comparative spectra of common cave minerals demonstrate the value of Raman spectra as an identification technique.

  14. Identification of Cell Surface Targets through Meta-analysis of Microarray Data

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Henry Haeberle

    2012-07-01

    Full Text Available High-resolution image guidance for resection of residual tumor cells would enable more precise and complete excision for more effective treatment of cancers, such as medulloblastoma, the most common pediatric brain cancer. Numerous studies have shown that brain tumor patient outcomes correlate with the precision of resection. To enable guided resection with molecular specificity and cellular resolution, molecular probes that effectively delineate brain tumor boundaries are essential. Therefore, we developed a bioinformatics approach to analyze micro-array datasets for the identification of transcripts that encode candidate cell surface biomarkers that are highly enriched in medulloblastoma. The results identified 380 genes with greater than a two-fold increase in the expression in the medulloblastoma compared with that in the normal cerebellum. To enrich for targets with accessibility for extracellular molecular probes, we further refined this list by filtering it with gene ontology to identify genes with protein localization on, or within, the plasma membrane. To validate this meta-analysis, the top 10 candidates were evaluated with immunohistochemistry. We identified two targets, fibrillin 2 and EphA3, which specifically stain medulloblastoma. These results demonstrate a novel bioinformatics approach that successfully identified cell surface and extracellular candidate markers enriched in medulloblastoma versus adjacent cerebellum. These two proteins are high-value targets for the development of tumor-specific probes in medulloblastoma. This bioinformatics method has broad utility for the identification of accessible molecular targets in a variety of cancers and will enable probe development for guided resection.

  15. Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment of Health and Safety Approach JSA (Job Safety Analysis) in Plantation Company

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sugarindra, Muchamad; Ragil Suryoputro, Muhammad; Tiya Novitasari, Adi

    2017-06-01

    Plantation company needed to identify hazard and perform risk assessment as an Identification of Hazard and Risk Assessment Crime and Safety which was approached by using JSA (Job Safety Analysis). The identification was aimed to identify the potential hazards that might be the risk of workplace accidents so that preventive action could be taken to minimize the accidents. The data was collected by direct observation to the workers concerned and the results were recorded on a Job Safety Analysis form. The data were as forklift operator, macerator worker, worker’s creeper, shredder worker, workers’ workshop, mechanical line worker, trolley cleaning workers and workers’ crepe decline. The result showed that shredder worker value was 30 and had the working level with extreme risk with the risk value range was above 20. So to minimize the accidents could provide Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) which were appropriate, information about health and safety, the company should have watched the activities of workers, and rewards for the workers who obey the rules that applied in the plantation.

  16. Identification of potential impacts of climate change and anthropogenic activities on streamflow alterations in the Tarim River Basin, China.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xue, Lianqing; Yang, Fan; Yang, Changbing; Chen, Xinfang; Zhang, Luochen; Chi, Yixia; Yang, Guang

    2017-08-15

    Understanding contributions of climate change and human activities to changes in streamflow is important for sustainable management of water resources in an arid area. This study presents quantitative analysis of climatic and anthropogenic factors to streamflow alteration in the Tarim River Basin (TRB) using the double mass curve method (DMC) and the Budyko methods. The time series (1960~2015) are divided into three periods: the prior impacted period (1960~1972) and the two post impacted periods, 1973~1986 and 1987~2015 with trend analysis. Our results suggest that human activities played a dominant role in deduction in the streamflow in TRB with contribution of 144.6% to 120.68% during the post impacted period I and 228.68% to 140.38% during the post impacted period II. Climatic variables accounted for 20.68%~44.6% of the decrease during the post impacted period I and 40.38% ~128.68% during the post impacted period II. Sensitivity analysis indicates that the streamflow alteration was most sensitive to changes in landscape parameters. The aridity index and all the elasticities showed an obvious increasing trend from the upstream to the downstream in the TRB. Our study suggests that it is important to take effective measures for sustainable development of eco-hydrological and socio-economic systems in the TRB.

  17. Identification and phylogenetic analysis of a novel starch synthase in maize

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hanmei eLiu

    2015-11-01

    Full Text Available Starch is an important reserve of carbon and energy in plants, providing the majority of calories in the human diet and animal feed. Its synthesis is orchestrated by several key enzymes, and the amount and structure of starch, affecting crop yield and quality, are determined mainly by starch synthase (SS activity. To date, five SS isoforms, including SSI-IV and Granule Bound Starch Synthase (GBSS have been identified and their physiological functions have been well characterized. Here, we report the identification of a new SS isoform in maize, designated SSV. By searching sequenced genomes, SSV has been found in all green plants with conserved sequences and gene structures. Our phylogenetic analysis based on 780 base pairs has suggested that SSIV and SSV resulted from a gene duplication event, which may have occurred before the algae formation. An expression profile analysis of SSV in maize has indicated that ZmSSV is mainly transcribed in the kernel and ear leaf during the grain filling stage, which is partly similar to other SS isoforms. Therefore, it is likely that SSV may play an important role in starch biosynthesis. Subsequent analysis of SSV function may facilitate understanding the mechanism of starch granules formation, number and structure.

  18. Methodological Proposal for Identification and Evaluation of Environmental Aspects and Impacts of IPEN Nuclear Facilities: A Case Study Applied to the Nuclear Fuel Center

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mattos, Luis A. Terribile de; Filho, Tufic Madi; Meldonian, Nelson Leon

    2013-06-01

    This work presents an application of Failure Mode Effect Analysis (FMEA) to the process of identification of environmental aspects and impacts as a part of implementation and maintenance of an Environmental Management System (EMS) in accordance with the ISO 14001 standard. Also, it can contribute, as a complement, to the evaluation and improvement of safety of the installation focused. The study was applied to the Nuclear Fuel Center (CCN) of Nuclear and Energy Research Institute (IPEN), situated at the Campus of University of Sao Paulo, Brazil. The CCN facility has the objective of promoting scientific research and of producing nuclear fuel elements for the IEA-R1 Research Reactor. To identify the environmental aspects of the facility activities, products, and services, a systematic data collection was carried out by means of personal interviews, documents, reports and operation data records consulting. Furthermore, the processes and their interactions, failure modes, besides their causes and effects to the environment, were identified. As a result of a careful evaluation of these causes it was possible to identify and to classify the major potential environmental impacts, in order to set up and put in practice an Environmental Control Plan for the installation under study. The results have demonstrated the validity of the FMEA application to nuclear facility processes, identifying environmental aspects and impacts, whose controls are critical to achieve compliance with the environmental requirements of the Integrated Management System of IPEN. It was demonstrated that the methodology used in this work is a powerful management tool for resolving issues related to the conformity with applicable regulatory and legal requirements of the Brazilian Nuclear Energy Commission (CNEN) and the Brazilian Institute of Environment (IBAMA). (authors)

  19. Implementation of a neural network for digital pulse shape analysis on a FPGA for on-line identification of heavy ions

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Jimenez, R., E-mail: naharro@uhu.es [Departamento de Ingenieria Eletronica, Sistemas Informaticos y Automatica, Universidad de Huelva, 21071 Huelva (Spain); Sanchez-Raya, M.; Gomez-Galan, J.A. [Departamento de Ingenieria Eletronica, Sistemas Informaticos y Automatica, Universidad de Huelva, 21071 Huelva (Spain); Flores, J.L. [Departamento Ingenieria Electrica y Termica, Universidad de Huelva, 21071 Huelva (Spain); Duenas, J.A.; Martel, I. [Departamento de Fisica Aplicada, Universidad de Huelva, 21071 Huelva (Spain)

    2012-05-11

    Pulse shape analysis techniques for the identification of heavy ions produced in nuclear reactions have been recently proposed as an alternative to energy loss and time of flight methods. However this technique requires a large amount of memory for storing the shapes of charge and current signals. We have implemented a hardware solution for fast on-line processing of the signals producing the relevant information needed for particle identification. Since the pulse shape analysis can be formulated in terms of a pattern recognition problem, a neural network has been implemented in a FPGA device. The design concept has been tested using {sup 12,13}C ions produced in heavy ion reactions. The actual latency of the system is about 20 {mu}s when using a clock frequency of 50 MHz.

  20. Identification of the material properties of Al 2024 alloy by means of inverse analysis and indentation tests

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Moy, Charles K.S. [School of Civil Engineering, University of Sydney, Sydney NSW 2006 (Australia); Australian Centre for Microscopy and Microanalysis, University of Sydney, Sydney NSW 2006 (Australia); ARC Centre of Excellence for Design in Light Metals, University of Sydney, Sydney NSW 2006 (Australia); Bocciarelli, Massimiliano, E-mail: massimiliano.bocciarelli@polimi.it [Department of Structural Engineering, Technical University of Milan (Politecnico di Milano), 20133 Milan (Italy); Ringer, Simon P. [Australian Centre for Microscopy and Microanalysis, University of Sydney, Sydney NSW 2006 (Australia); ARC Centre of Excellence for Design in Light Metals, University of Sydney, Sydney NSW 2006 (Australia); Ranzi, Gianluca [School of Civil Engineering, University of Sydney, Sydney NSW 2006 (Australia); Australian Centre for Microscopy and Microanalysis, University of Sydney, Sydney NSW 2006 (Australia); ARC Centre of Excellence for Design in Light Metals, University of Sydney, Sydney NSW 2006 (Australia)

    2011-11-25

    Highlights: {yields} Identification of mechanical properties by indentation test and inverse analysis. {yields} Pile-up height is also considered as experimental information. {yields} Inverse problem results to be well posed also in the case of mystical materials. {yields} 2024 Al alloy samples prepared using different age-hardening treatments are studied. - Abstract: This paper outlines an inverse analysis approach aimed at the identification of the mechanical properties of metallic materials based on the experimental results obtained from indentation tests. Previous work has shown the ill-posed nature of the inverse problem based on the load-penetration curve when dealing with mystical materials, which exhibit identical indentation curves even if possessing different yield and strain-hardening properties. For this reason, an additional measurement is used in the present study as input for the inverse analysis which consists of the maximum pile-up height measured after the indentation test. This approach lends itself for practical applications as the load-penetration curve can be easily obtained from commonly available micro-indenters while the pile-up present at the end of the test can be measured by different instruments depending on the size of the indented area, for example by means of an atomic force microscope or a laser profilometer. The inverse analysis procedure consists of a batch deterministic approach, and conventional optimization algorithms are employed for the minimization of the discrepancy norm. The first part of the paper outlines how the inclusion of both the maximum height of the pile-up and the indentation curve in the input data of the inverse analysis leads to a well-defined inverse problem using parameters of mystical materials. The approach is then applied to real experimental data obtained from three sets of 2024 Al alloy samples prepared using different age-hardening treatments. The accuracy of the identification process is validated

  1. Identification of the material properties of Al 2024 alloy by means of inverse analysis and indentation tests

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Moy, Charles K.S.; Bocciarelli, Massimiliano; Ringer, Simon P.; Ranzi, Gianluca

    2011-01-01

    Highlights: → Identification of mechanical properties by indentation test and inverse analysis. → Pile-up height is also considered as experimental information. → Inverse problem results to be well posed also in the case of mystical materials. → 2024 Al alloy samples prepared using different age-hardening treatments are studied. - Abstract: This paper outlines an inverse analysis approach aimed at the identification of the mechanical properties of metallic materials based on the experimental results obtained from indentation tests. Previous work has shown the ill-posed nature of the inverse problem based on the load-penetration curve when dealing with mystical materials, which exhibit identical indentation curves even if possessing different yield and strain-hardening properties. For this reason, an additional measurement is used in the present study as input for the inverse analysis which consists of the maximum pile-up height measured after the indentation test. This approach lends itself for practical applications as the load-penetration curve can be easily obtained from commonly available micro-indenters while the pile-up present at the end of the test can be measured by different instruments depending on the size of the indented area, for example by means of an atomic force microscope or a laser profilometer. The inverse analysis procedure consists of a batch deterministic approach, and conventional optimization algorithms are employed for the minimization of the discrepancy norm. The first part of the paper outlines how the inclusion of both the maximum height of the pile-up and the indentation curve in the input data of the inverse analysis leads to a well-defined inverse problem using parameters of mystical materials. The approach is then applied to real experimental data obtained from three sets of 2024 Al alloy samples prepared using different age-hardening treatments. The accuracy of the identification process is validated against the mechanical

  2. Distance Based Root Cause Analysis and Change Impact Analysis of Performance Regressions

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Junzan Zhou

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Performance regression testing is applied to uncover both performance and functional problems of software releases. A performance problem revealed by performance testing can be high response time, low throughput, or even being out of service. Mature performance testing process helps systematically detect software performance problems. However, it is difficult to identify the root cause and evaluate the potential change impact. In this paper, we present an approach leveraging server side logs for identifying root causes of performance problems. Firstly, server side logs are used to recover call tree of each business transaction. We define a novel distance based metric computed from call trees for root cause analysis and apply inverted index from methods to business transactions for change impact analysis. Empirical studies show that our approach can effectively and efficiently help developers diagnose root cause of performance problems.

  3. Response to Intervention for Specific Learning Disabilities Identification: The Impact of Graduate Preparation and Experience on Identification Consistency

    Science.gov (United States)

    Maki, Kathrin E.

    2018-01-01

    Response to intervention (RTI) is increasingly being implemented in schools as a means to identify students with specific learning disabilities (SLD). Despite its wide use, there is limited research regarding school psychologists' graduate preparation in and familiarity with RTI for SLD identification. This study examined how school psychologists'…

  4. Extraction Of Electronic Evidence From VoIP: Identification & Analysis Of Digital Speech

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    David Irwin

    2012-09-01

    Full Text Available The Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP is increasing in popularity as a cost effective and efficient means of making telephone calls via the Internet. However, VoIP may also be an attractive method of communication to criminals as their true identity may be hidden and voice and video communications are encrypted as they are deployed across the Internet. This produces in a new set of challenges for forensic analysts compared with traditional wire-tapping of the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN infrastructure, which is not applicable to VoIP. Therefore, other methods of recovering electronic evidence from VoIP are required.  This research investigates the analysis and recovery of digitised human, which persists in computer memory after a VoIP call.This paper proposes a proof of concept how remnants of digitised human speech from a VoIP call may be identified within a forensic memory capture based on how the human voice is detected via a microphone and encoded to a digital format using the sound card of your personal computer. This digital format is unencrypted whist processed in Random Access Memory (RAM before it is passed to the VoIP application for encryption and  transmission over the Internet. Similarly, an incoming encrypted VoIP call is decrypted by the VoIP application and passes through RAM unencrypted in order to be played via the speaker output.A series of controlled tests were undertaken whereby RAM captures were analysed for remnants of digital speech after a VoIP audio call with known conversation. The identification and analysis of digital speech from RAM attempts to construct an automatic process for the identification and subsequent reconstruction of the audio content of a VoIP call.

  5. De novo analysis of electron impact mass spectra using fragmentation trees

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hufsky, Franziska; Rempt, Martin; Rasche, Florian; Pohnert, Georg; Böcker, Sebastian

    2012-01-01

    Highlights: ► We present a method for de novo analysis of accurate mass EI mass spectra of small molecules. ► This method identifies the molecular ion and thus the molecular formula where the molecular ion is present in the spectrum. ► Fragmentation trees are constructed by automated signal extraction and evaluation. ► These trees explain relevant fragmentation reactions. ► This method will be very helpful in the automated analysis of unknown metabolites. - Abstract: The automated fragmentation analysis of high resolution EI mass spectra based on a fragmentation tree algorithm is introduced. Fragmentation trees are constructed from EI spectra by automated signal extraction and evaluation. These trees explain relevant fragmentation reactions and assign molecular formulas to fragments. The method enables the identification of the molecular ion and the molecular formula of a metabolite if the molecular ion is present in the spectrum. These identifications are independent of existing library knowledge and, thus, support assignment and structural elucidation of unknown compounds. The method works even if the molecular ion is of very low abundance or hidden under contaminants with higher masses. We apply the algorithm to a selection of 50 derivatized and underivatized metabolites and demonstrate that in 78% of cases the molecular ion can be correctly assigned. The automatically constructed fragmentation trees correspond very well to published mechanisms and allow the assignment of specific relevant fragments and fragmentation pathways even in the most complex EI-spectra in our dataset. This method will be very helpful in the automated analysis of metabolites that are not included in common libraries and it thus has the potential to support the explorative character of metabolomics studies.

  6. ROC curve analyses of eyewitness identification decisions: An analysis of the recent debate.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rotello, Caren M; Chen, Tina

    2016-01-01

    How should the accuracy of eyewitness identification decisions be measured, so that best practices for identification can be determined? This fundamental question is under intense debate. One side advocates for continued use of a traditional measure of identification accuracy, known as the diagnosticity ratio , whereas the other side argues that receiver operating characteristic curves (ROCs) should be used instead because diagnosticity is confounded with response bias. Diagnosticity proponents have offered several criticisms of ROCs, which we show are either false or irrelevant to the assessment of eyewitness accuracy. We also show that, like diagnosticity, Bayesian measures of identification accuracy confound response bias with witnesses' ability to discriminate guilty from innocent suspects. ROCs are an essential tool for distinguishing memory-based processes from decisional aspects of a response; simulations of different possible identification tasks and response strategies show that they offer important constraints on theory development.

  7. The effects of authentic leadership, organizational identification, and occupational coping self-efficacy on new graduate nurses' job turnover intentions in Canada.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fallatah, Fatmah; Laschinger, Heather K S; Read, Emily A

    Nurses' turnover has a costly impact on organizations, patients, and nurses. Numerous studies have highlighted the critical role of nursing leadership in enhancing new nurses' retention. To examine the influence of authentic leadership on new nurses' job turnover intentions through their personal identification with the leader, organizational identification, and occupational coping self-efficacy. Secondary data analysis of a cross-sectional national study of Canadian new graduate nurses was conducted using structural equation modeling. Authentic leadership had a significant positive effect on nurses' personal identification with their leader and their organization. Personal identification mediated the relationship between authentic leadership and organizational identification. Organizational identification had a significant positive effect on occupational coping self-efficacy, which, in turn, had a negative effect on new graduate nurses' job turnover intentions. The findings demonstrate the vital role authentic leadership plays in retaining new graduate nurses. Authentic leaders foster personal and organizational identification among new graduate nurses, leading to increase in the confidence in their ability to manage work-related challenges, which subsequently results in positive outcomes in both new graduate nurses and the organization. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  8. Probabilistic structural damage identification based on vibration data

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hao, H.; Xia, Y.

    2001-01-01

    Vibration-based methods are being rapidly developed and applied to detect structural damage in civil, mechanical and aerospace engineering communities in the last two decades. But uncertainties existing in the structural model and measured vibration data might lead to unreliable results. This paper will present some recent research results to tackle the above mentioned uncertainty problems. By assuming each of the FE model parameters and measured vibration data as a normally distributed random variable, a probabilistic damage detection procedure is developed based on perturbation method and validated by Monte Carlo simulation technique. With this technique, the damage probability of each structural element can be determined. The method developed has been verified by applying it to identify the damages of laboratory tested structures. It was proven that, as compared to the deterministic damage identification method, the present method can not only reduce the possibility of false identification, but also give the identification results in terms of probability. which is deemed more realistic and practical in detecting possible damages in a structure. It has also been found that the modal data included in damage identification analysis have a great influence on the identification results. With a sensitivity study, an optimal measurement set for damage detection is determined. This set includes the optimal measurement locations and the most appropriate modes that should be used in the damage identification analysis. Numerical results indicated that if the optimal set determined in a pre-analysis is used in the damage detection better results will be achieved. (author)

  9. Identification of a phytotoxic photo-transformation product of diclofenac using effect-directed analysis

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Schulze, Tobias, E-mail: tobias.schulze@ufz.d [UFZ Helmholtz-Centre for Environmental Research, Department of Effect-Directed Analysis, Permoserstrasse 15, 04318 Leipzig (Germany); Weiss, Sara [UFZ Helmholtz-Centre for Environmental Research, Department of Effect-Directed Analysis, Permoserstrasse 15, 04318 Leipzig (Germany); Fraunhofer Institute of Toxicology and Experimental Medicine, Department of Chemical Risk Assessment, Nikolai-Fuchs-Strasse 1, 30625 Hannover (Germany); Schymanski, Emma; Ohe, Peter Carsten von der [UFZ Helmholtz-Centre for Environmental Research, Department of Effect-Directed Analysis, Permoserstrasse 15, 04318 Leipzig (Germany); Schmitt-Jansen, Mechthild; Altenburger, Rolf [UFZ Helmholtz-Centre for Environmental Research, Department of Bioanalytical Ecotoxicology, Permoserstrasse 15, 04318 Leipzig (Germany); Streck, Georg; Brack, Werner [UFZ Helmholtz-Centre for Environmental Research, Department of Effect-Directed Analysis, Permoserstrasse 15, 04318 Leipzig (Germany)

    2010-05-15

    The pharmaceutical diclofenac (DCF) is released in considerably high amounts to the aquatic environment. Photo-transformation of DCF was reported as the main degradation pathway in surface waters and was found to produce metabolites with enhanced toxicity to the green algae Scenedesmus vacuolatus. We identified and subsequently confirmed 2-[2-(chlorophenyl)amino]benzaldehyde (CPAB) as a transformation product with enhanced toxicity using effect-directed analysis. The EC{sub 50} of CPAB (4.8 mg/L) was a factor of 10 lower than that for DCF (48.1 mg/L), due to the higher hydrophobicity of CPAB (log K{sub ow} = 3.62) compared with DCF (log D{sub ow} = 2.04) at pH 7.0. - Effect-directed analysis of irradiated diclofenac results in the identification of one photo-transformation product responsible for the enhanced toxicity to Scenedesmus vacuolatus.

  10. Development of evaluation method for software hazard identification techniques

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Huang, H. W.; Chen, M. H.; Shih, C.; Yih, S.; Kuo, C. T.; Wang, L. H.; Yu, Y. C.; Chen, C. W.

    2006-01-01

    This research evaluated the applicable software hazard identification techniques nowadays, such as, Preliminary Hazard Analysis (PHA), Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA), Fault Tree Analysis (FTA), Markov chain modeling, Dynamic Flow-graph Methodology (DFM), and simulation-based model analysis; and then determined indexes in view of their characteristics, which include dynamic capability, completeness, achievability, detail, signal/noise ratio, complexity, and implementation cost. By this proposed method, the analysts can evaluate various software hazard identification combinations for specific purpose. According to the case study results, the traditional PHA + FMEA + FTA (with failure rate) + Markov chain modeling (with transfer rate) combination is not competitive due to the dilemma for obtaining acceptable software failure rates. However, the systematic architecture of FTA and Markov chain modeling is still valuable for realizing the software fault structure. The system centric techniques, such as DFM and simulation-based model-analysis, show the advantage on dynamic capability, achievability, detail, signal/noise ratio. However, their disadvantages are the completeness complexity and implementation cost. This evaluation method can be a platform to reach common consensus for the stakeholders. Following the evolution of software hazard identification techniques, the evaluation results could be changed. However, the insight of software hazard identification techniques is much more important than the numbers obtained by the evaluation. (authors)

  11. Video Analysis Verification of Head Impact Events Measured by Wearable Sensors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cortes, Nelson; Lincoln, Andrew E; Myer, Gregory D; Hepburn, Lisa; Higgins, Michael; Putukian, Margot; Caswell, Shane V

    2017-08-01

    Wearable sensors are increasingly used to quantify the frequency and magnitude of head impact events in multiple sports. There is a paucity of evidence that verifies head impact events recorded by wearable sensors. To utilize video analysis to verify head impact events recorded by wearable sensors and describe the respective frequency and magnitude. Cohort study (diagnosis); Level of evidence, 2. Thirty male (mean age, 16.6 ± 1.2 years; mean height, 1.77 ± 0.06 m; mean weight, 73.4 ± 12.2 kg) and 35 female (mean age, 16.2 ± 1.3 years; mean height, 1.66 ± 0.05 m; mean weight, 61.2 ± 6.4 kg) players volunteered to participate in this study during the 2014 and 2015 lacrosse seasons. Participants were instrumented with GForceTracker (GFT; boys) and X-Patch sensors (girls). Simultaneous game video was recorded by a trained videographer using a single camera located at the highest midfield location. One-third of the field was framed and panned to follow the ball during games. Videographic and accelerometer data were time synchronized. Head impact counts were compared with video recordings and were deemed valid if (1) the linear acceleration was ≥20 g, (2) the player was identified on the field, (3) the player was in camera view, and (4) the head impact mechanism could be clearly identified. Descriptive statistics of peak linear acceleration (PLA) and peak rotational velocity (PRV) for all verified head impacts ≥20 g were calculated. For the boys, a total recorded 1063 impacts (2014: n = 545; 2015: n = 518) were logged by the GFT between game start and end times (mean PLA, 46 ± 31 g; mean PRV, 1093 ± 661 deg/s) during 368 player-games. Of these impacts, 690 were verified via video analysis (65%; mean PLA, 48 ± 34 g; mean PRV, 1242 ± 617 deg/s). The X-Patch sensors, worn by the girls, recorded a total 180 impacts during the course of the games, and 58 (2014: n = 33; 2015: n = 25) were verified via video analysis (32%; mean PLA, 39 ± 21 g; mean PRV, 1664

  12. [Research on identification of species of fruit trees by spectral analysis].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xing, Dong-Xing; Chang, Qing-Rui

    2009-07-01

    Using the spectral reflectance data (R2) of canopies, the present paper identifies seven species of fruit trees bearing fruit in the fruit mature period. Firstly, it compares the fruit tree species identification capability of six kinds of satellite sensors and four kinds of vegetation index through re-sampling the spectral data with six kinds of pre-defined filter function and the related data processing of calculating vegetation indexes. Then, it structures a BP neural network model for identifying seven species of fruit trees on the basis of choosing the best transformation of R(lambda) and optimizing the model parameters. The main conclusions are: (1) the order of the identification capability of the six kinds of satellite sensors from strong to weak is: MODIS, ASTER, ETM+, HRG, QUICKBIRD and IKONOS; (2) among the four kinds of vegetation indexes, the identification capability of RVI is the most powerful, the next is NDVI, while the identification capability of SAVI or DVI is relatively weak; (3) The identification capability of RVI and NDVI calculated with the reflectance of near-infrared and red channels of ETM+ or MODIS sensor is relatively powerful; (4) Among R(lambda) and its 22 kinds of transformation data, d1 [log(1/R(lambda))](derivative gap is set 9 nm) is the best transformation for structuring BP neural network model; (5) The paper structures a 3-layer BP neural network model for identifying seven species of fruit trees using the best transformation of R(lambda) which is d1 [log(1/R(lambda))](derivative gap is set 9 nm).

  13. Identification and characterization of historical pigments with x-ray diffraction analysis (XRD), x-ray fluorescence analysis (XRA) and Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy (FTIR)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hochleitner, B.

    2002-11-01

    This thesis presents a systematic characterization of historical inorganic pigments with respect to their crystallographic structure, main components, and trade elements, utilizing three complementary methods. The results are compiled in a computer-database containing the experimentally obtained information. The specimens examined in this study originate from a collection of 19th and 20th century pigments, dyes and binders with a wide variety of colors and materials at the Institute of Natural Sciences and Technologies in Art of the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna. Approximately 400 different inorganic pigments were analysed for this first study of its kind by combining the experimental techniques explained in the next paragraph. For analyzing the inorganic pigments three different methods were applied: x-ray diffraction (XRD), x-ray fluorescence (XRF) and fourier-transformed infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) proved to be suitable techniques to identify and characterize the composition of the materials. The experimental work was focused on x-ray diffraction to detect the main components and to perform phase analysis for the identification of the crystallographic structure. To facilitate the analysis of the diffractograms and investigate differences in the elemental composition, XRF-measurements were carried out and complemented by FTIR-spectroscopy. The latter technique supports the identification of organic components of the samples and both ease phase analysis. In some cases, the obtained results show remarkable differences in composition for pigments having the same trade name. These differences consist either with respect to the identified elements or added components, such as pure white pigments. However, in most cases the chemical structure of the phase determining the color of the relevant pigment group was similar. Knowledge of the composition of the originally used pigments is of great importance for the restoration and conservation of art objects. In order to

  14. Conceptualising the effectiveness of impact assessment processes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chanchitpricha, Chaunjit; Bond, Alan

    2013-01-01

    This paper aims at conceptualising the effectiveness of impact assessment processes through the development of a literature-based framework of criteria to measure impact assessment effectiveness. Four categories of effectiveness were established: procedural, substantive, transactive and normative, each containing a number of criteria; no studies have previously brought together all four of these categories into such a comprehensive, criteria-based framework and undertaken systematic evaluation of practice. The criteria can be mapped within a cycle/or cycles of evaluation, based on the ‘logic model’, at the stages of input, process, output and outcome to enable the identification of connections between the criteria across the categories of effectiveness. This framework is considered to have potential application in measuring the effectiveness of many impact assessment processes, including strategic environmental assessment (SEA), environmental impact assessment (EIA), social impact assessment (SIA) and health impact assessment (HIA). -- Highlights: • Conceptualising effectiveness of impact assessment processes. • Identification of factors influencing effectiveness of impact assessment processes. • Development of criteria within a framework for evaluating IA effectiveness. • Applying the logic model to examine connections between effectiveness criteria

  15. Conceptualising the effectiveness of impact assessment processes

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Chanchitpricha, Chaunjit, E-mail: chaunjit@g.sut.ac.th [School of Environmental Health, Suranaree University of Technology, 111 University Avenue, Maung District, Nakhon Ratchasima 30000 (Thailand); Bond, Alan, E-mail: alan.bond@uea.ac.uk [School of Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich NR4 7TJ (United Kingdom); Unit for Environmental Sciences and Management School of Geo and Spatial Sciences, Internal Box 375, North West University (Potchefstroom campus) (South Africa)

    2013-11-15

    This paper aims at conceptualising the effectiveness of impact assessment processes through the development of a literature-based framework of criteria to measure impact assessment effectiveness. Four categories of effectiveness were established: procedural, substantive, transactive and normative, each containing a number of criteria; no studies have previously brought together all four of these categories into such a comprehensive, criteria-based framework and undertaken systematic evaluation of practice. The criteria can be mapped within a cycle/or cycles of evaluation, based on the ‘logic model’, at the stages of input, process, output and outcome to enable the identification of connections between the criteria across the categories of effectiveness. This framework is considered to have potential application in measuring the effectiveness of many impact assessment processes, including strategic environmental assessment (SEA), environmental impact assessment (EIA), social impact assessment (SIA) and health impact assessment (HIA). -- Highlights: • Conceptualising effectiveness of impact assessment processes. • Identification of factors influencing effectiveness of impact assessment processes. • Development of criteria within a framework for evaluating IA effectiveness. • Applying the logic model to examine connections between effectiveness criteria.

  16. Impact of a new mandatory reporting law on reporting and identification of child sexual abuse: A seven year time trend analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mathews, Ben; Lee, Xing Ju; Norman, Rosana E

    2016-06-01

    Child sexual abuse is widespread and difficult to detect. To enhance case identification, many societies have enacted mandatory reporting laws requiring designated professionals, most often police, teachers, doctors and nurses, to report suspected cases to government child welfare agencies. Little research has explored the effects of introducing a reporting law on the number of reports made, and the outcomes of those reports. This study explored the impact of a new legislative mandatory reporting duty for child sexual abuse in the State of Western Australia over seven years. We analyzed data about numbers and outcomes of reports by mandated reporters, for periods before the law (2006-2008) and after the law (2009-2012). Results indicate that the number of reports by mandated reporters of suspected child sexual abuse increased by a factor of 3.7, from an annual mean of 662 in the three year pre-law period to 2448 in the four year post-law period. The increase in the first two post-law years was contextually and statistically significant. Report numbers stabilized in 2010-2012, at one report per 210 children. The number of investigated reports increased threefold, from an annual mean of 451 in the pre-law period to 1363 in the post-law period. Significant decline in the proportion of mandated reports that were investigated in the first two post-law years suggested the new level of reporting and investigative need exceeded what was anticipated. However, a subsequent significant increase restored the pre-law proportion, suggesting systemic adaptive capacity. The number of substantiated investigations doubled, from an annual mean of 160 in the pre-law period to 327 in the post-law period, indicating twice as many sexually abused children were being identified. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  17. IDENTIFICATION OF LANDSLIDES SUSCEPTIBILITY IN THE DOBRIC CATCHMENT AREA USING THE FREQUENCY RATE MODEL

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    ROXANA VĂIDEAN

    2013-11-01

    Full Text Available The landslides susceptibility of the Dobric catchment area (Ilişua river. The territorial geomorfological investigation focuses mainly on the analysis of the present situation, as context of future events occurrence. The previous evolutionary context is secondary in place due also to the particular attention it has received so far. The significance of the knowledge regarding the present events and their evolution is explicit in the attempt to mitigate their impact on the built area and on the resources. The identification of areas characterized by maximum susceptibility in the landslides occurrence is absolutely necessary. The method which makes the identification of these areas possible is none other than the method considering the conditional factors, as well as the spatial distribution of the events that have already occurred. In this regard, the use of the frequency rate model is considered to be ideal.

  18. Low-Dimensional Feature Representation for Instrument Identification

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ihara, Mizuki; Maeda, Shin-Ichi; Ikeda, Kazushi; Ishii, Shin

    For monophonic music instrument identification, various feature extraction and selection methods have been proposed. One of the issues toward instrument identification is that the same spectrum is not always observed even in the same instrument due to the difference of the recording condition. Therefore, it is important to find non-redundant instrument-specific features that maintain information essential for high-quality instrument identification to apply them to various instrumental music analyses. For such a dimensionality reduction method, the authors propose the utilization of linear projection methods: local Fisher discriminant analysis (LFDA) and LFDA combined with principal component analysis (PCA). After experimentally clarifying that raw power spectra are actually good for instrument classification, the authors reduced the feature dimensionality by LFDA or by PCA followed by LFDA (PCA-LFDA). The reduced features achieved reasonably high identification performance that was comparable or higher than those by the power spectra and those achieved by other existing studies. These results demonstrated that our LFDA and PCA-LFDA can successfully extract low-dimensional instrument features that maintain the characteristic information of the instruments.

  19. Weather Impacts on Natural, Social and Economic Systems (WISE). Part I. Sectoral Analysis of Climate Impacts in Italy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Galeotti, M.; Goria, A.; Spantidaki, E.; Mombrini, P.

    2004-02-01

    This paper focuses on the results of the research work carried out by Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei (FEEM) within the WISE project. This project aims at investigating the effects and the impacts of extreme weather events, particularly very warm summers, mild winters and storms, on the socio-economic systems of European countries. The output consists of a series of empirical studies, both of quantitative and qualitative descriptive nature. The work of FEEM in the WISE project covers the quantitative analysis of the impacts of climate extremes on the socio-economic system in Italy and the analysis of individuals' perception of climate extremes based on results from individuals' surveys. In this paper is presented the statistical modelling of the impact of weather, through quantitative analysis of activity time series. In particular, the core sectors analysed include fires, health, energy use, tourism and agriculture

  20. The impact of service quality and sport-team identification on the repurchase intention

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Branimir Oman

    2016-06-01

    Full Text Available During the last few decades, the role of the service sector in the overall economic activities has become more significant in many countries, particularly the most developed ones. This has provoked increased scholars' interest so they have begun researching many service markets more extensively. Their interest has been further stimulated by growing competition, development of new technologies and changes in consumer behaviour. These market changes have forced sport clubs' management to focus on providing higher service quality and strengthening team identification among consumers. The research presented in this paper was conducted on the fans of the Croatian football club Hajduk Split and it examines the relationship between service quality and team identification on the one hand and service quality and repurchase intention on the other as well as the intermediary role of word-of-mouth communication in the relationship between service quality and repurchase intentions. The results show that there is an indirect positive influence of service quality on repurchase intention through word-of-mouth communication, as well as a direct positive link between team identification and repurchase intention.

  1. Impact Safety Control Strategy for the Battery System of an Example Electric Bus

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zhen-po Wang

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available This paper proposes a side impact safety control strategy for the battery system, aiming at defusing the hazards of unacceptable behaviors of the battery system such as high-voltage hazards. Based on some collision identification metrics, a side impact discrimination algorithm and a side impact severity algorithm are developed for electric buses. Based on the study on the time to break for power battery, the side impact discrimination algorithm response time is about 20 ms posing a great challenge to the side impact discrimination algorithm. At the same time, the reliability of the impact safety control strategy developed in this paper is evaluated for other plausible side impact signals generated by finite element analysis. The results verify that the impact safety control strategy exhibits robust performance and is able to trigger a breaking signal for power battery system promptly and accurately.

  2. Rasch analysis of the Multiple Sclerosis Impact Scale (MSIS-29

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Misajon Rose

    2009-06-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Multiple Sclerosis (MS is a degenerative neurological disease that causes impairments, including spasticity, pain, fatigue, and bladder dysfunction, which negatively impact on quality of life. The Multiple Sclerosis Impact Scale (MSIS-29 is a disease-specific health-related quality of life (HRQoL instrument, developed using the patient's perspective on disease impact. It consists of two subscales assessing the physical (MSIS-29-PHYS and psychological (MSIS-29-PSYCH impact of MS. Although previous studies have found support for the psychometric properties of the MSIS-29 using traditional methods of scale evaluation, the scale has not been subjected to a detailed Rasch analysis. Therefore, the objective of this study was to use Rasch analysis to assess the internal validity of the scale, and its response format, item fit, targeting, internal consistency and dimensionality. Methods Ninety-two persons with definite MS residing in the community were recruited from a tertiary hospital database. Patients completed the MSIS-29 as part of a larger study. Rasch analysis was undertaken to assess the psychometric properties of the MSIS-29. Results Rasch analysis showed overall support for the psychometric properties of the two MSIS-29 subscales, however it was necessary to reduce the response format of the MSIS-29-PHYS to a 3-point response scale. Both subscales were unidimensional, had good internal consistency, and were free from item bias for sex and age. Dimensionality testing indicated it was not appropriate to combine the two subscales to form a total MSIS score. Conclusion In this first study to use Rasch analysis to fully assess the psychometric properties of the MSIS-29 support was found for the two subscales but not for the use of the total scale. Further use of Rasch analysis on the MSIS-29 in larger and broader samples is recommended to confirm these findings.

  3. Rasch analysis of the Multiple Sclerosis Impact Scale (MSIS-29)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ramp, Melina; Khan, Fary; Misajon, Rose Anne; Pallant, Julie F

    2009-01-01

    Background Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a degenerative neurological disease that causes impairments, including spasticity, pain, fatigue, and bladder dysfunction, which negatively impact on quality of life. The Multiple Sclerosis Impact Scale (MSIS-29) is a disease-specific health-related quality of life (HRQoL) instrument, developed using the patient's perspective on disease impact. It consists of two subscales assessing the physical (MSIS-29-PHYS) and psychological (MSIS-29-PSYCH) impact of MS. Although previous studies have found support for the psychometric properties of the MSIS-29 using traditional methods of scale evaluation, the scale has not been subjected to a detailed Rasch analysis. Therefore, the objective of this study was to use Rasch analysis to assess the internal validity of the scale, and its response format, item fit, targeting, internal consistency and dimensionality. Methods Ninety-two persons with definite MS residing in the community were recruited from a tertiary hospital database. Patients completed the MSIS-29 as part of a larger study. Rasch analysis was undertaken to assess the psychometric properties of the MSIS-29. Results Rasch analysis showed overall support for the psychometric properties of the two MSIS-29 subscales, however it was necessary to reduce the response format of the MSIS-29-PHYS to a 3-point response scale. Both subscales were unidimensional, had good internal consistency, and were free from item bias for sex and age. Dimensionality testing indicated it was not appropriate to combine the two subscales to form a total MSIS score. Conclusion In this first study to use Rasch analysis to fully assess the psychometric properties of the MSIS-29 support was found for the two subscales but not for the use of the total scale. Further use of Rasch analysis on the MSIS-29 in larger and broader samples is recommended to confirm these findings. PMID:19545445

  4. Current practices in the identification of critical habitat for threatened species.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Camaclang, Abbey E; Maron, Martine; Martin, Tara G; Possingham, Hugh P

    2015-04-01

    The term critical habitat is used to describe the subset of habitat that is essential to the survival and recovery of species. Some countries legally require that critical habitat of listed threatened and endangered species be identified and protected. However, there is little evidence to suggest that the identification of critical habitat has had much impact on species recovery. We hypothesized that this may be due at least partly to a mismatch between the intent of critical habitat identification, which is to protect sufficient habitat for species persistence and recovery, and its practice. We used content analysis to systematically review critical habitat documents from the United States, Canada, and Australia. In particular, we identified the major trends in type of information used to identify critical habitat and in occupancy of habitat identified as critical. Information about population viability was used to identify critical habitat for only 1% of the species reviewed, and for most species, designated critical habitat did not include unoccupied habitat. Without reference to population viability, it is difficult to determine how much of a species' occupied and unoccupied habitat will be required for persistence. We therefore conclude that the identification of critical habitat remains inconsistent with the goal of protecting sufficient habitat to support persistence and recovery of the species. Ensuring that critical habitat identification aligns more closely with its intent will improve the accuracy of the designations and may therefore help improve the benefits to species recovery when combined with adequate implementation and enforcement of legal protections. © 2014 Society for Conservation Biology.

  5. 30 CFR 250.227 - What environmental impact analysis (EIA) information must accompany the EP?

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... 30 Mineral Resources 2 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false What environmental impact analysis (EIA... and Information Contents of Exploration Plans (ep) § 250.227 What environmental impact analysis (EIA... requirements. Your EIA must: (1) Assess the potential environmental impacts of your proposed exploration...

  6. Impact testing and analysis for structural code benchmarking

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Glass, R.E.

    1989-01-01

    Sandia National Laboratories, in cooperation with industry and other national laboratories, has been benchmarking computer codes used to predict the structural, thermal, criticality, and shielding behavior of radioactive materials packages. The first step in the benchmarking of the codes was to develop standard problem sets and to compare the results from several codes and users. This step for structural analysis codes has been completed as described in Structural Code Benchmarking for the Analysis of Impact Response of Nuclear Material Shipping Casks, R.E. Glass, Sandia National Laboratories, 1985. The problem set is shown in Fig. 1. This problem set exercised the ability of the codes to predict the response to end (axisymmetric) and side (plane strain) impacts with both elastic and elastic/plastic materials. The results from these problems showed that there is good agreement in predicting elastic response. Significant differences occurred in predicting strains for the elastic/plastic models. An example of the variation in predicting plastic behavior is given, which shows the hoop strain as a function of time at the impacting end of Model B. These differences in predicting plastic strains demonstrated a need for benchmark data for a cask-like problem

  7. Analysis of High Plains Resource Risk and Economic Impacts

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Tidwell, Vincent C. [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Vargas, Vanessa N [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Jones, Shannon M [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Dealy, Bern Caudill [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Shaneyfelt, Calvin [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Smith, Braeton James [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Moreland, Barbara Denise [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)

    2016-04-01

    The importance of the High Plains Aquifer is broadly recognized as is its vulnerability to continued overuse. T his study e xplore s how continued depletions of the High Plains Aquifer might impact both critical infrastructure and the economy at the local, r egional , and national scale. This analysis is conducted at the county level over a broad geographic region within the states of Kansas and Nebraska. In total , 140 counties that overlie the High Plains Aquifer in these two states are analyzed. The analysis utilizes future climate projections to estimate crop production. Current water use and management practices are projected into the future to explore their related impact on the High Plains Aquifer , barring any changes in water management practices, regulat ion, or policy. Finally, the impact of declining water levels and even exhaustion of groundwater resources are projected for specific sectors of the economy as well as particular elements of the region's critical infrastructure.

  8. FISH-BOL and seafood identification: geographically dispersed case studies reveal systemic market substitution across Canada.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hanner, Robert; Becker, Sven; Ivanova, Natalia V; Steinke, Dirk

    2011-10-01

    The Fish Barcode of Life campaign involves a broad international collaboration among scientists working to advance the identification of fishes using DNA barcodes. With over 25% of the world's known ichthyofauna currently profiled, forensic identification of seafood products is now feasible and is becoming routine. Driven by growing consumer interest in the food supply, investigative reporters from five different media establishments procured seafood samples (n = 254) from numerous retail establishments located among five Canadian metropolitan areas between 2008 and 2010. The specimens were sent to the Canadian Centre for DNA Barcoding for analysis. By integrating the results from these individual case studies in a summary analysis, we provide a broad perspective on seafood substitution across Canada. Barcodes were recovered from 93% of the samples (n = 236), and identified using the Barcode of Life Data Systems "species identification" engine ( www.barcodinglife.org ). A 99% sequence similarity threshold was employed as a conservative matching criterion for specimen identification to the species level. Comparing these results against the Canadian Food Inspection Agency's "Fish List" a guideline to interpreting "false, misleading or deceptive" names (as per s 27 of the Fish Inspection regulations) demonstrated that 41% of the samples were mislabeled. Most samples were readily identified; however, this was not true in all cases because some samples had no close match. Others were ambiguous due to limited barcode resolution (or imperfect taxonomy) observed within a few closely related species complexes. The latter cases did not significantly impact the results because even the partial resolution achieved was sufficient to demonstrate mislabeling. This work highlights the functional utility of barcoding for the identification of diverse market samples. It also demonstrates how barcoding serves as a bridge linking scientific nomenclature with approved market names

  9. A system boundary identification method for life cycle assessment

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Li, Tao; Zhang, Hongchao; Liu, Zhichao

    2014-01-01

    , technical, geographical and temporal dimensions are presented to limit the boundaries of LCA. An algorithm is developed to identify an appropriate boundary by searching the process tree and evaluating the environmental impact contribution of each process while it is added into the studied system...... as processes are added. The two threshold rules and identification methods presented can be used to identify system boundary of LCA. The case study demonstrated that the methodology presented in this paper is an effective tool for the boundary identification....

  10. Numerical Signal Analysis of Thermo-Cyclically Operated MOG Gas Sensor Arrays for Early Identification of Emissions from Overloaded Electric Cables

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rolf Seifert

    2015-10-01

    Full Text Available A thermo-cyclically operated multi metal oxide gas sensor (MOG array is introduced together with a novel signal analysis approach (SimSens for identifying the emissions from overheated isolation cable materials thereby detecting the fires originated in electrical cabinets at early stages. The MOG array can yield specific conductance signatures appropriate to specifically identify gases. The obtained results bear good capability for detection and identification of pyrolysis gas emissions at relatively low sample heating temperatures even before a visible color-change of the polyvinyl chloride (PVC-isolation material. The dynamic conductance signals were evaluated using SimSens, a numerical analysis tool designed for simultaneous evaluation of conductance profiles. The results show promising pyrolysis gas identification and concentration determination capabilities in relation to the conductance profile shapes of model gases like carbon monoxide (CO and propene.

  11. Sub-word based Arabic handwriting analysis for writer identification

    Science.gov (United States)

    Maliki, Makki; Al-Jawad, Naseer; Jassim, Sabah

    2013-05-01

    Analysing a text or part of it is key to handwriting identification. Generally, handwriting is learnt over time and people develop habits in the style of writing. These habits are embedded in special parts of handwritten text. In Arabic each word consists of one or more sub-word(s). The end of each sub-word is considered to be a connect stroke. The main hypothesis in this paper is that sub-words are essential reflection of Arabic writer's habits that could be exploited for writer identification. Testing this hypothesis will be based on experiments that evaluate writer's identification, mainly using K nearest neighbor from group of sub-words extracted from longer text. The experimental results show that using a group of sub-words could be used to identify the writer with a successful rate between 52.94 % to 82.35% when top1 is used, and it can go up to 100% when top5 is used based on K nearest neighbor. The results show that majority of writers are identified using 7 sub-words with a reliability confident of about 90% (i.e. 90% of the rejected templates have significantly larger distances to the tested example than the distance from the correctly identified template). However previous work, using a complete word, shows successful rate of at most 90% in top 10.

  12. Rapid and accurate identification of isolates of Candida species by melting peak and melting curve analysis of the internally transcribed spacer region 2 fragment (ITS2-MCA)

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Decat, E.; van Mechelen, E.; Saerens, B.; Vermeulen, S.J.T.; Boekhout, T.; de Blaiser, S.; Vaneechoutte, M.; Deschaght, P.

    2013-01-01

    Rapid identification of clinically important yeasts can facilitate the initiation of anti-fungal therapy, since susceptibility is largely species-dependent. We evaluated melting peak and melting curve analysis of the internally transcribed spacer region 2 fragment (ITS2-MCA) as an identification

  13. Identification of mineral compositions in some renal calculi by FT Raman and IR spectral analysis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tonannavar, J.; Deshpande, Gouri; Yenagi, Jayashree; Patil, Siddanagouda B.; Patil, Nikhil A.; Mulimani, B. G.

    2016-02-01

    We present in this paper accurate and reliable Raman and IR spectral identification of mineral constituents in nine samples of renal calculi (kidney stones) removed from patients suffering from nephrolithiasis. The identified mineral components include Calcium Oxalate Monohydrate (COM, whewellite), Calcium Oxalate Dihydrate (COD, weddellite), Magnesium Ammonium Phosphate Hexahydrate (MAPH, struvite), Calcium Hydrogen Phosphate Dihydrate (CHPD, brushite), Pentacalcium Hydroxy Triphosphate (PCHT, hydroxyapatite) and Uric Acid (UA). The identification is based on a satisfactory assignment of all the observed IR and Raman bands (3500-400 cm- 1) to chemical functional groups of mineral components in the samples, aided by spectral analysis of pure materials of COM, MAPH, CHPD and UA. It is found that the eight samples are composed of COM as the common component, the other mineral species as common components are: MAPH in five samples, PCHT in three samples, COD in three samples, UA in three samples and CHPD in two samples. One sample is wholly composed of UA as a single component; this inference is supported by the good agreement between ab initio density functional theoretical spectra and experimental spectral measurements of both sample and pure material. A combined application of Raman and IR techniques has shown that, where the IR is ambiguous, the Raman analysis can differentiate COD from COM and PCHT from MAPH.

  14. Identification of mineral compositions in some renal calculi by FT Raman and IR spectral analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tonannavar, J; Deshpande, Gouri; Yenagi, Jayashree; Patil, Siddanagouda B; Patil, Nikhil A; Mulimani, B G

    2016-02-05

    We present in this paper accurate and reliable Raman and IR spectral identification of mineral constituents in nine samples of renal calculi (kidney stones) removed from patients suffering from nephrolithiasis. The identified mineral components include Calcium Oxalate Monohydrate (COM, whewellite), Calcium Oxalate Dihydrate (COD, weddellite), Magnesium Ammonium Phosphate Hexahydrate (MAPH, struvite), Calcium Hydrogen Phosphate Dihydrate (CHPD, brushite), Pentacalcium Hydroxy Triphosphate (PCHT, hydroxyapatite) and Uric Acid (UA). The identification is based on a satisfactory assignment of all the observed IR and Raman bands (3500-400c m(-1)) to chemical functional groups of mineral components in the samples, aided by spectral analysis of pure materials of COM, MAPH, CHPD and UA. It is found that the eight samples are composed of COM as the common component, the other mineral species as common components are: MAPH in five samples, PCHT in three samples, COD in three samples, UA in three samples and CHPD in two samples. One sample is wholly composed of UA as a single component; this inference is supported by the good agreement between ab initio density functional theoretical spectra and experimental spectral measurements of both sample and pure material. A combined application of Raman and IR techniques has shown that, where the IR is ambiguous, the Raman analysis can differentiate COD from COM and PCHT from MAPH. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  15. Identification case of evidence in timber tracing of Pinus radiate, using high-resolution melting (HRM) analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Solano, Jaime; Anabalón, Leonardo; Encina, Francisco

    2016-03-01

    Fast, accurate detection of plant species and their hybrids using molecular tools will facilitate assessment and monitoring of timber tracing evidence. In this study the origin of unknown pine samples is determined for a case of timber theft in the region of Araucania southern Chile. We evaluate the utility of the trnL marker region for species identification applied to pine wood based on High Resolution Melting. This efficient tracing methods can be incorporated into forestry applications such as certification of origin. The object of this work was genotype identification using high-resolution melting (HRM) and trnL approaches for Pinus radiata (Don) in timber tracing evidence. Our results indicate that trnL is a very sensitive marker for delimiting species and HRM analysis was used successfully for genotyping Pinus samples for timber tracing purposes. Genotyping samples by HRM analysis with the trnL1 approach allowed us to differentiate two wood samples from the Pinaceae family: Pinus radiata (Don) and Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.) Franco. The same approach with Pinus trnL wood was not able to discriminate between samples of Pinus radiata, indicating that the samples were genetically indistinguishable, possibly because they have the same genotype at this locus. Timber tracing with HRM analysis is expected to contribute to future forest certification schemes, control of illegal trading, and molecular traceability of Pinus spp. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  16. Genome-wide identification, characterization and phylogenetic analysis of 50 catfish ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporter genes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Shikai; Li, Qi; Liu, Zhanjiang

    2013-01-01

    Although a large set of full-length transcripts was recently assembled in catfish, annotation of large gene families, especially those with duplications, is still a great challenge. Most often, complexities in annotation cause mis-identification and thereby much confusion in the scientific literature. As such, detailed phylogenetic analysis and/or orthology analysis are required for annotation of genes involved in gene families. The ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporter gene superfamily is a large gene family that encodes membrane proteins that transport a diverse set of substrates across membranes, playing important roles in protecting organisms from diverse environment. In this work, we identified a set of 50 ABC transporters in catfish genome. Phylogenetic analysis allowed their identification and annotation into seven subfamilies, including 9 ABCA genes, 12 ABCB genes, 12 ABCC genes, 5 ABCD genes, 2 ABCE genes, 4 ABCF genes and 6 ABCG genes. Most ABC transporters are conserved among vertebrates, though cases of recent gene duplications and gene losses do exist. Gene duplications in catfish were found for ABCA1, ABCB3, ABCB6, ABCC5, ABCD3, ABCE1, ABCF2 and ABCG2. The whole set of catfish ABC transporters provide the essential genomic resources for future biochemical, toxicological and physiological studies of ABC drug efflux transporters. The establishment of orthologies should allow functional inferences with the information from model species, though the function of lineage-specific genes can be distinct because of specific living environment with different selection pressure.

  17. A dynamic wheel-rail impact analysis of railway track under wheel flat by finite element analysis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bian, Jian; Gu, Yuantong; Murray, Martin Howard

    2013-06-01

    Wheel-rail interaction is one of the most important research topics in railway engineering. It involves track impact response, track vibration and track safety. Track structure failures caused by wheel-rail impact forces can lead to significant economic loss for track owners through damage to rails and to the sleepers beneath. Wheel-rail impact forces occur because of imperfections in the wheels or rails such as wheel flats, irregular wheel profiles, rail corrugations and differences in the heights of rails connected at a welded joint. A wheel flat can cause a large dynamic impact force as well as a forced vibration with a high frequency, which can cause damage to the track structure. In the present work, a three-dimensional finite element (FE) model for the impact analysis induced by the wheel flat is developed by the use of the FE analysis (FEA) software package ANSYS and validated by another validated simulation. The effect of wheel flats on impact forces is thoroughly investigated. It is found that the presence of a wheel flat will significantly increase the dynamic impact force on both rail and sleeper. The impact force will monotonically increase with the size of wheel flats. The relationships between the impact force and the wheel flat size are explored from this FEA and they are important for track engineers to improve their understanding of the design and maintenance of the track system.

  18. A comparative analysis of machine learning approaches for plant disease identification

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hidayat ur Rahman

    2017-08-01

    Full Text Available Background: The problems to leaf in plants are very severe and they usually shorten the lifespan of plants. Leaf diseases are mainly caused due to three types of attacks including viral, bacterial or fungal. Diseased leaves reduce the crop production and affect the agricultural economy. Since agriculture plays a vital role in the economy, thus effective mechanism is required to detect the problem in early stages. Methods: Traditional approaches used for the identification of diseased plants are based on field visits which is time consuming and tedious. In this paper a comparative analysis of machine learning approaches has been presented for the identification of healthy and non-healthy plant leaves. For experimental purpose three different types of plant leaves have been selected namely, cabbage, citrus and sorghum. In order to classify healthy and non-healthy plant leaves color based features such as pixels, statistical features such as mean, standard deviation, min, max and descriptors such as Histogram of Oriented Gradients (HOG have been used. Results: 382 images of cabbage, 539 images of citrus and 262 images of sorghum were used as the primary dataset. The 40% data was utilized for testing and 60% were used for training which consisted of both healthy and damaged leaves. The results showed that random forest classifier is the best machine method for classification of healthy and diseased plant leaves. Conclusion: From the extensive experimentation it is concluded that features such as color information, statistical distribution and histogram of gradients provides sufficient clue for the classification of healthy and non-healthy plants.

  19. Framework for the impact analysis and implementation of Clinical Prediction Rules (CPRs)

    LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

    Wallace, Emma

    2011-10-14

    Abstract Clinical Prediction Rules (CPRs) are tools that quantify the contribution of symptoms, clinical signs and available diagnostic tests, and in doing so stratify patients according to the probability of having a target outcome or need for a specified treatment. Most focus on the derivation stage with only a minority progressing to validation and very few undergoing impact analysis. Impact analysis studies remain the most efficient way of assessing whether incorporating CPRs into a decision making process improves patient care. However there is a lack of clear methodology for the design of high quality impact analysis studies. We have developed a sequential four-phased framework based on the literature and the collective experience of our international working group to help researchers identify and overcome the specific challenges in designing and conducting an impact analysis of a CPR. There is a need to shift emphasis from deriving new CPRs to validating and implementing existing CPRs. The proposed framework provides a structured approach to this topical and complex area of research.

  20. Identification and functional analysis of secreted effectors from phytoparasitic nematodes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rehman, Sajid; Gupta, Vijai K; Goyal, Aakash K

    2016-03-21

    Plant parasitic nematodes develop an intimate and long-term feeding relationship with their host plants. They induce a multi-nucleate feeding site close to the vascular bundle in the roots of their host plant and remain sessile for the rest of their life. Nematode secretions, produced in the oesophageal glands and secreted through a hollow stylet into the host plant cytoplasm, are believed to play key role in pathogenesis. To combat these persistent pathogens, the identity and functional analysis of secreted effectors can serve as a key to devise durable control measures. In this review, we will recapitulate the knowledge over the identification and functional characterization of secreted nematode effector repertoire from phytoparasitic nematodes. Despite considerable efforts, the identity of genes encoding nematode secreted proteins has long been severely hampered because of their microscopic size, long generation time and obligate biotrophic nature. The methodologies such as bioinformatics, protein structure modeling, in situ hybridization microscopy, and protein-protein interaction have been used to identify and to attribute functions to the effectors. In addition, RNA interference (RNAi) has been instrumental to decipher the role of the genes encoding secreted effectors necessary for parasitism and genes attributed to normal development. Recent comparative and functional genomic approaches have accelerated the identification of effectors from phytoparasitic nematodes and offers opportunities to control these pathogens. Plant parasitic nematodes pose a serious threat to global food security of various economically important crops. There is a wealth of genomic and transcriptomic information available on plant parasitic nematodes and comparative genomics has identified many effectors. Bioengineering crops with dsRNA of phytonematode genes can disrupt the life cycle of parasitic nematodes and therefore holds great promise to develop resistant crops against plant

  1. Modeling of Biometric Identification System Using the Colored Petri Nets

    Science.gov (United States)

    Petrosyan, G. R.; Ter-Vardanyan, L. A.; Gaboutchian, A. V.

    2015-05-01

    In this paper we present a model of biometric identification system transformed into Petri Nets. Petri Nets, as a graphical and mathematical tool, provide a uniform environment for modelling, formal analysis, and design of discrete event systems. The main objective of this paper is to introduce the fundamental concepts of Petri Nets to the researchers and practitioners, both from identification systems, who are involved in the work in the areas of modelling and analysis of biometric identification types of systems, as well as those who may potentially be involved in these areas. In addition, the paper introduces high-level Petri Nets, as Colored Petri Nets (CPN). In this paper the model of Colored Petri Net describes the identification process much simpler.

  2. Rapid identification of red-flesh loquat cultivars using EST-SSR markers based on manual cultivar identification diagram strategy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, X Y; Xu, H X; Chen, J W

    2014-04-29

    Manual cultivar identification diagram is a new strategy for plant cultivar identification based on DNA markers, providing information to efficiently separate cultivars. We tested 25 pairs of apple EST-SSR primers for amplification of PCR products from loquat cultivars. These EST-SSR primers provided clear amplification products from the loquat cultivars, with a relatively high transferability rate of 84% to loquat; 11 pairs of primers amplified polymorphic products. After analysis of 24 red-fleshed loquat accessions, we found that only 7 pairs of primers could clearly separate all of them. A cultivar identification diagram of the 24 cultivars was constructed using polymorphic bands from the DNA fingerprints and EST-SSR primers. Any two of the 24 cultivars could be rapidly separated from each other, according to the polymorphic bands from the cultivars; the corresponding primers were marked in the correct position on the cultivar identification diagram. This red-flesh loquat cultivar identification diagram can separate the 24 red-flesh loquat cultivars, which is of benefit for loquat cultivar identification for germplasm management and breeding programs.

  3. Identification of Forested Landslides Using LiDar Data, Object-based Image Analysis, and Machine Learning Algorithms

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Xianju Li

    2015-07-01

    Full Text Available For identification of forested landslides, most studies focus on knowledge-based and pixel-based analysis (PBA of LiDar data, while few studies have examined (semi- automated methods and object-based image analysis (OBIA. Moreover, most of them are focused on soil-covered areas with gentle hillslopes. In bedrock-covered mountains with steep and rugged terrain, it is so difficult to identify landslides that there is currently no research on whether combining semi-automated methods and OBIA with only LiDar derivatives could be more effective. In this study, a semi-automatic object-based landslide identification approach was developed and implemented in a forested area, the Three Gorges of China. Comparisons of OBIA and PBA, two different machine learning algorithms and their respective sensitivity to feature selection (FS, were first investigated. Based on the classification result, the landslide inventory was finally obtained according to (1 inclusion of holes encircled by the landslide body; (2 removal of isolated segments, and (3 delineation of closed envelope curves for landslide objects by manual digitizing operation. The proposed method achieved the following: (1 the filter features of surface roughness were first applied for calculating object features, and proved useful; (2 FS improved classification accuracy and reduced features; (3 the random forest algorithm achieved higher accuracy and was less sensitive to FS than a support vector machine; (4 compared to PBA, OBIA was more sensitive to FS, remarkably reduced computing time, and depicted more contiguous terrain segments; (5 based on the classification result with an overall accuracy of 89.11% ± 0.03%, the obtained inventory map was consistent with the referenced landslide inventory map, with a position mismatch value of 9%. The outlined approach would be helpful for forested landslide identification in steep and rugged terrain.

  4. Identification of important phenomena under sodium fire accidents based on PIRT process with factor analysis in sodium-cooled fast reactor

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Aoyagi, Mitsuhiro; Uchibori, Akihiro; Kikuchi, Shin; Takata, Takashi; Ohno, Shuji; Ohshima, Hiroyuki

    2016-01-01

    The PIRT (Phenomena Identification and Ranking Table) process is an effective method to identify key phenomena involved in safety issues in nuclear power plants. The present PIRT process is aimed to validate sodium fire analysis codes. Because a sodium fire accident in sodium-cooled fast reactor (SFR) involves complex phenomena, various figures of merit (FOMs) could exist in this PIRT process. In addition, importance evaluation of phenomena for each FOM should be implemented in an objective manner under the PIRT process. This paper describes the methodology for specification of FOMs, identification of associated phenomena and importance evaluation of each associated phenomenon in order to complete a ranking table of important phenomena involved in a sodium fire accident in an SFR. The FOMs were specified through factor analysis in this PIRT process. Physical parameters to be quantified by a sodium fire analysis code were identified by considering concerns resulting from sodium fire in the factor analysis. Associated phenomena were identified through the element- and sequence-based phenomena analyses as is often conducted in PIRT processes. Importance of each associated phenomenon was evaluated by considering the sequence-based analysis of associated phenomena correlated with the FOMs. Then, we complete the ranking table through the factor and phenomenon analyses. (author)

  5. Smoothing identification of systems with small non-linearities

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Kozánek, Jan; Piranda, J.

    2003-01-01

    Roč. 38, č. 1 (2003), s. 71-84 ISSN 0025-6455 R&D Projects: GA ČR GA101/00/1471 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z2076919 Keywords : identification * small non-linearities * smoothing methods Subject RIV: BI - Acoustics Impact factor: 0.237, year: 2003

  6. Molecular identification and cluster analysis of homofermentative thermophilic lactobacilli isolated from dairy products.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Andrighetto, C; De Dea, P; Lombardi, A; Neviani, E; Rossetti, L; Giraffa, G

    1998-10-01

    Twenty-five strains of thermophilic lactobacilli isolated from yoghurt and from semi-hard and hard cheeses (in parallel with nine type or reference strains) were identified and grouped according to their genetic relatedness. Strains were identified by sugar fermentation patterns using the "API 50 CHL" galleries, by species-specific DNA probes in dot-blot hybridization experiments, by amplification and restriction analysis of the 16S rRNA gene (ARDRA) and by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using species-specific oligonucleotide primers. Strains were classified as Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. lactis and subsp. bulgaricus, L. helveticus, and L. acidophilus. Strains which were atypical by sugar fermentation patterns were also identified. Most of the strains could not be grouped using carbohydrate fermentation profiles. PCR fingerprinting was used to identify DNA profiles for the 25 lactobacilli. Experimentally obtained PCR profiles enabled discrimination of all strains, which were grouped according to the similarities in their combined patterns. In general, the clustering of the strains corresponded well with species delineation obtained by molecular identification. The dendrogram of genetic relatedness enabled the unambiguous identification of most of the strains which were shown to be atypical by the sugar fermentation profile, except for a discrepancy in one L. delbrueckii subsp. lactis strain and one atypical Lactobacillus sp. strain.

  7. 78 FR 56869 - Nuclear Infrastructure Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement Supplement Analysis...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-09-16

    ... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Nuclear Infrastructure Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement Supplement... of Energy (DOE) has completed the Supplement Analysis (SA) of the Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement for Accomplishing Expanded Civilian Nuclear Energy Research and Development and Isotope Production...

  8. Numerical analysis of impact-penetration problems for nuclear reactor safety

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dubois, J.J.; Chedmail, J.F.; Bianchini, J.C.

    1977-01-01

    This paper discusses the finite element and finite difference analysis of two impact penetration problems, namely a fuel cask drop on a foundation slab and a missile penetration into a reinforced concrete structure. For a realistic detailed analysis, advanced techniques were required in the following areas: reinforced concrete simulation; remeshing algorithms for penetration induced distortions; boundary condition. The fuel cask drop on a concrete slab generates complex elasto plastic waves which propagate towards the pool where tensile cracks might appear. The problem is analysed in two steps: calculation of the energy absorbed locally around the impacted area; calculation of the three dimensional wave propagation towards the pool. For the analysis of missile penetration problems, two examples are shown: a 3000 kg missile with a velocity of 132 m/s penetrates a 1.2 m thick concrete wall (PAM-GDYNS) and a 3600 kg missile with a velocity of 90 m/s (F.D. Program HEMP-ESI) penetrates a wall at a floor level. For the second case, the computed impact-penetration mechanism is

  9. Identification of linear error-models with projected dynamical systems

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Krejčí, Pavel; Kuhnen, K.

    2004-01-01

    Roč. 10, č. 1 (2004), s. 59-91 ISSN 1387-3954 Keywords : identification * error models * projected dynamical systems Subject RIV: BA - General Mathematics Impact factor: 0.292, year: 2004 http://www.informaworld.com/smpp/content~db=all~content=a713682517

  10. Identification of Fungi by Machine Vision

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Dørge, Thorsten Carlheim; Carstensen, Jens Michael

    1999-01-01

    This paper presents some methods for identification and classification of fungal colonies into species solely by means of digital image analysis without any additinal chemical analysis needed. The methods described are completly automated hence objective once a digital image of the fungus has bee...

  11. Momentary emotion identification in female adolescents with and without anorexia nervosa.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kolar, David R; Huss, Michael; Preuss, Hanna M; Jenetzky, Ekkehart; Haynos, Ann F; Bürger, Arne; Hammerle, Florian

    2017-09-01

    Individuals with anorexia nervosa (AN) often report difficulties in identifying emotions, which have been mostly studied as an alexithymia trait. In a controlled two-day ecological momentary assessment, we studied the influence of time of day and aversive tension on self-reported momentary emotion identification. Analysis on an aggregated level revealed a significant lower mean emotion identification in the AN group. In a mixed model analysis, the AN group showed lower emotion identification than the control group (HC). Both a general and a group effect of time of day were found, indicating that emotion identification improved during the day in HC, whereas a negligible decrease of the emotion identification over time was observed in the AN group. Age was associated positively with emotion identification in general, but no specific effect on a group level was found. No effect of aversive tension was found. Our results indicate that an improvement during the day might be a natural process of emotion identification, which is hindered in AN. Future research should focus on temporal relations between emotion identification and disordered eating behavior to further evaluate the clinical relevance of emotion identification difficulties in AN. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  12. The emergence of radiofrequency identification tags: applications in surgery.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schwaitzberg, S D

    2006-08-01

    Radiofrequency identification (RFID) is a wireless method of automatic identification. Currently, RFID tags are emerging into our environment in many aspects of our lives. Applications are being developed in a variety of fields, including health care. Aspects of surgical care will lend themselves to this approach. This technology could provide large amounts of data that not only carry the promise of improving health care, but also may have an impact on personal aspects of our daily lives. Each of us must become familiar with the risks and benefits of RFID use.

  13. Exploring the self-directed anger of the stigmatized : The interplay between perceived legitimacy and social identification

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Hansen, Nina; Sassenberg, Kai

    2011-01-01

    Does social identification protect or harm targets of discrimination? Two studies (N = 52, N = 94) tested the prediction that perceived legitimacy moderates the impact of social identification on negative responses to discrimination. Results confirm that when discrimination is perceived as

  14. Lineup identification by children: effects of clothing bias.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Freire, Alejo; Lee, Kang; Williamson, Karen S; Stuart, Sarah J E; Lindsay, R C L

    2004-06-01

    This study examined effects of clothing cues on children's identification accuracy from lineups. Four- to 14-year-olds (n = 228) saw 12 video clips of individuals, each wearing a distinctly colored shirt. After watching each clip children were presented with a target-present or target-absent photo lineup. Three clothing conditions were included. In 2 conditions all lineup members wore the same colored shirt; in the third, biased condition, the shirt color of only one individual matched that seen in the preceding clip (the target in target-present trials and the replacement in target-absent trials). Correct identifications of the target in target-present trials were most frequent in the biased condition, whereas in target-absent trials the biased condition led to more false identifications of the target replacement. Older children were more accurate than younger children, both in choosing the target from target-present lineups and rejecting target-absent lineups. These findings suggest that a simple clothing cue such as shirt color can have a significant impact on children's lineup identification accuracy.

  15. Distribution of siderophile and other trace elements in melt rock at the Chicxulub impact structure

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schuraytz, B. C.; Lindstrom, D. J.; Martinez, R. R.; Sharpton, V. L.; Marin, L. E.

    1994-01-01

    Recent isotopic and mineralogical studies have demonstrated a temporal and chemical link between the Chicxulub multiring impact basin and ejecta at the Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary. A fundamental problem yet to be resolved, however, is identification of the projectile responsible for this cataclysmic event. Drill core samples of impact melt rock from the Chichxulub structure contain Ir and Os abundances and Re-Os isotopic ratios indicating the presence of up to approx. 3 percent meteoritic material. We have used a technique involving microdrilling and high sensitivity instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA) in conjunction with electron microprobe analysis to characterize further the distribution of siderophile and other trace elements among phases within the C1-N10 melt rock.

  16. The Impact of Action Learning on Analysis of Occupation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fain, Elizabeth

    2011-01-01

    Technology and millennials have created a shift in the world and how it operates. This impact has been experienced in the field of occupational therapy education. As a result of this paradigm shift, an analysis of effective teaching methodologies was carried out to assess the most effective way to engage the millennials in an analysis of…

  17. Business model elements impacting cloud computing adoption

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bogataj, Kristina; Pucihar, Andreja; Sudzina, Frantisek

    The paper presents a proposed research framework for identification of business model elements impacting Cloud Computing Adoption. We provide a definition of main Cloud Computing characteristics, discuss previous findings on factors impacting Cloud Computing Adoption, and investigate technology a...

  18. Structural analysis of aircraft impact on a nuclear powered ship

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dietrich, R.

    1976-01-01

    The paper investigates the aircraft impact on the collision barrier at the side of the ship. The aircraft impact on top of the reactor hatchway is investigated by another analysis. It appears that the most unfavorable angle of impact is always normal to the surface of the collision barrier. Consequently, only normal impact will be considered here. For the specific case of an aircraft striking a nuclear powered ship, the following two effects are considered: Local penetration and dynamic response of the structuure. The local penetration occurs at points where the engines or other rigid objects hit the structure. It is assumed that the aircraft engine is a rigid body projectile and the side wall of the ship is the target. The applied steel penetration formulae for projectiles were empirically derived for military applications, where both the projectile and the target are unlike those of an impact of an aircraft engine. For this reason it is expedient to calculate the upper and the lower limit values of the penetration depths. The results show that the highest penetration depth is less than the sum of all wall thicknesses of the collision barrier. The solution of the dynamic analysis is obtained by using the finite element method. The results are the eigenmodes, the eigenfrequencies, the displacements of the nodes, and the stresses in the applied plane stress elements. It is shown that the maximum stress which only appears in one element is on the same level as the yield stress of the St. 42 steel. The structural analysis shows that the collision barrier is a sufficient safeguard against the perforation of the engine and against the cracking of the structure as a result of the dynamic response to an aircraft impact. (orig./HP) [de

  19. On the identification of gravitation with the massless spin 2 field

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Meszaros, A.

    1984-05-01

    The identification of gravitation with the massless spin 2 gauge field (the gauge group is the group of translations) requires to restrict the solutions of Einstein's equations to the class of topologically trivial manifolds. It is shown that the validity of this restriction in nature is supported by the present-day empirical facts. The identification has a drastic impact on cosmology, because the fulfilment of the cosmological principle seems to be improbable. (author)

  20. Analysis of energy flow during playground surface impacts.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Davidson, Peter L; Wilson, Suzanne J; Chalmers, David J; Wilson, Barry D; Eager, David; McIntosh, Andrew S

    2013-10-01

    The amount of energy dissipated away from or returned to a child falling onto a surface will influence fracture risk but is not considered in current standards for playground impact-attenuating surfaces. A two-mass rheological computer simulation was used to model energy flow within the wrist and surface during hand impact with playground surfaces, and the potential of this approach to provide insights into such impacts and predict injury risk examined. Acceleration data collected on-site from typical playground surfaces and previously obtained data from children performing an exercise involving freefalling with a fully extended arm provided input. The model identified differences in energy flow properties between playground surfaces and two potentially harmful surface characteristics: more energy was absorbed by (work done on) the wrist during both impact and rebound on rubber surfaces than on bark, and rubber surfaces started to rebound (return energy to the wrist) while the upper limb was still moving downward. Energy flow analysis thus provides information on playground surface characteristics and the impact process, and has the potential to identify fracture risks, inform the development of safer impact-attenuating surfaces, and contribute to development of new energy-based arm fracture injury criteria and tests for use in conjunction with current methods.

  1. Identification of clinically relevant nonhemolytic Streptococci on the basis of sequence analysis of 16S-23S intergenic spacer region and partial gdh gene

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Nielsen, Xiaohui Chen; Justesen, Ulrik Stenz; Dargis, Rimtas

    2009-01-01

    Nonhemolytic streptococci (NHS) cause serious infections, such as endocarditis and septicemia. Many conventional phenotypic methods are insufficient for the identification of bacteria in this group to the species level. Genetic analysis has revealed that single-gene analysis is insufficient...

  2. Social impact assessment: A review and proposed approach: Final report

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bradbury, J.A.

    1986-12-01

    The objective of the report is to identify the essential components of a comprehensive plan to assess the potential social impacts of the proposed construction and operation of a high level radioactive waste repository by the Nevada Nuclear Waste Storage Investigations (NNWSI) Project. The tasks taken to achieve this objective are: examination of the literature on Social Impact Assessment (SIA); identification of different conceptual frameworks that have been proposed or used in SIA; examination of specific aspects of the frameworks; assessment of strengths and weaknesses of the frameworks; synthesis of common elements in these frameworks; and examination and evaluation of methods of data collection and analysis. 150 refs., 6 figs., 7 tabs

  3. Social impact assessment: A review and proposed approach: Final report

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bradbury, J A

    1986-12-01

    The objective of the report is to identify the essential components of a comprehensive plan to assess the potential social impacts of the proposed construction and operation of a high level radioactive waste repository by the Nevada Nuclear Waste Storage Investigations (NNWSI) Project. The tasks taken to achieve this objective are: examination of the literature on Social Impact Assessment (SIA); identification of different conceptual frameworks that have been proposed or used in SIA; examination of specific aspects of the frameworks; assessment of strengths and weaknesses of the frameworks; synthesis of common elements in these frameworks; and examination and evaluation of methods of data collection and analysis. 150 refs., 6 figs., 7 tabs.

  4. Environmental impact of high voltage aerial transmission lines

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Silva, R.P.; Mouallen, M.C.; Quintella, S.E.A.

    1989-01-01

    The identification of environmental impacts caused by the aerial transmission lines and the measures for reducing these impacts are discussed, considering the impact over the soil in different areas, biological effects caused by delayed exposure and visual impacts due to the line structures. A methodology for the impact evaluation and the aspects of the Environmental Impact Studies and Environmental Impact Report are also studied. (C.G.C.). 2 refs, 1 fig

  5. Identification of Bifidobacterium strains from faeces of lambs

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Bunešová, V.; Vlková, E.; Killer, Jiří; Rada, V.; Ročková, Š.

    2012-01-01

    Roč. 105, 1-3 (2012), 355-360 ISSN 0921-4488 R&D Projects: GA ČR GA523/08/1091; GA ČR GD525/08/H060 Institutional support: RVO:67985904 Keywords : bifidobacterium * identification * lambs Subject RIV: GH - Livestock Nutrition Impact factor: 1.124, year: 2012

  6. A meta-analysis of the impacts of genetically modified crops.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Wilhelm Klümper

    Full Text Available Despite the rapid adoption of genetically modified (GM crops by farmers in many countries, controversies about this technology continue. Uncertainty about GM crop impacts is one reason for widespread public suspicion.We carry out a meta-analysis of the agronomic and economic impacts of GM crops to consolidate the evidence.Original studies for inclusion were identified through keyword searches in ISI Web of Knowledge, Google Scholar, EconLit, and AgEcon Search.Studies were included when they build on primary data from farm surveys or field trials anywhere in the world, and when they report impacts of GM soybean, maize, or cotton on crop yields, pesticide use, and/or farmer profits. In total, 147 original studies were included.Analysis of mean impacts and meta-regressions to examine factors that influence outcomes.On average, GM technology adoption has reduced chemical pesticide use by 37%, increased crop yields by 22%, and increased farmer profits by 68%. Yield gains and pesticide reductions are larger for insect-resistant crops than for herbicide-tolerant crops. Yield and profit gains are higher in developing countries than in developed countries.Several of the original studies did not report sample sizes and measures of variance.The meta-analysis reveals robust evidence of GM crop benefits for farmers in developed and developing countries. Such evidence may help to gradually increase public trust in this technology.

  7. The Impact of Merger Status and Relative Representation on Identification with a Merger Group

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Filip Boen

    2005-12-01

    Full Text Available This experiment tested to what extent identification with a new merger group is determined by the status of that merger group and by the relative representation of the pre-merger ingroup. One hundred university students were assigned to a team of 'inductive' thinkers, and were later merged with a team of 'deductive' thinkers to form a team of 'analyst' thinkers. The status of the merger group (low, high and the relative representation of the ingroup into the novel merger group (low, high were manipulated. Participants identified more with the merger group in the high than in the low status condition, and they identified more in the high than in the low representation condition. The predicted interaction between relative representation and merger status was not significant. However, relative representation did interact with participants' pre-merger identification: Pre- and post-merger identification were positively related when the ingroup was highly represented, but 'negatively' when the ingroup was lowly represented.

  8. Global identification, xenophobia and globalisation: A cross-national exploration.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ariely, Gal

    2017-12-01

    This paper explores the ways in which globalisation influences social identity. Combining a psychological social-identity framework with sociological considerations regarding the contextual impact of globalisation, it tests whether global identification-that is, people's identification as global citizens-constitutes an inclusive category, negatively linked to xenophobic attitudes towards immigrants across countries and whether the actual country level of globalisation moderates the relationship between global identification and xenophobia. Unlike most psychological studies of globalisation, it draws its data from 124 national samples across 86 countries, with 154,760 respondents overall, using three different cross-national surveys. Study 1 (International Social Survey Program National Identity Module III 2013; N = 39,426, countries = 32) evinces that while global identification is in fact negatively linked to xenophobia, the correlation is moderated by the country level of globalisation, countries marked by higher levels of globalisation exhibiting a stronger negative relation between global identification and xenophobia than those characterised by a lower level of globalisation. Study 2 (European Values Study 2008; N = 53,083, countries = 44) and Study 3 (World Values Survey 6; N = 65,251, countries = 48) replicated these results across other countries employing dissimilar scales for global identification and xenophobia. © 2016 International Union of Psychological Science.

  9. A state-impact-state methodology for assessing environmental impact in land use planning

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chen, Longgao; Yang, Xiaoyan; Chen, Longqian; Potter, Rebecca; Li, Yingkui

    2014-01-01

    The implementation of land use planning (LUP) has a large impact on environmental quality. There lacks a widely accepted and consolidated approach to assess the LUP environmental impact using Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA). In this paper, we developed a state-impact-state (SIS) model employed in the LUP environmental impact assessment (LUPEA). With the usage of Matter-element (ME) and Extenics method, the methodology based on the SIS model was established and applied in the LUPEA of Zoucheng County, China. The results show that: (1) this methodology provides an intuitive and easy understanding logical model for both the theoretical analysis and application of LUPEA; (2) the spatial multi-temporal assessment from base year, near-future year to planning target year suggests the positive impact on the environmental quality in the whole County despite certain environmental degradation in some towns; (3) besides the spatial assessment, other achievements including the environmental elements influenced by land use and their weights, the identification of key indicators in LUPEA, and the appropriate environmental mitigation measures were obtained; and (4) this methodology can be used to achieve multi-temporal assessment of LUP environmental impact of County or Town level in other areas. - Highlights: • A State-Impact-State model for Land Use Planning Environmental Assessment (LUPEA). • Matter-element (ME) and Extenics methods were embedded in the LUPEA. • The model was applied to the LUPEA of Zoucheng County. • The assessment shows improving environment quality since 2000 in Zoucheng County. • The method provides a useful tool for the LUPEA in the county level

  10. A state-impact-state methodology for assessing environmental impact in land use planning

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Chen, Longgao [Institute of land resources, Jiangsu Normal University, Xuzhou 221116 (China); Yang, Xiaoyan [Institute of land resources, Jiangsu Normal University, Xuzhou 221116 (China); School of Environmental Science and Spatial Informatics, China University of Mining and Technology, Xuzhou 221116 (China); Chen, Longqian, E-mail: cumt_chenlongqian@163.com [School of Environmental Science and Spatial Informatics, China University of Mining and Technology, Xuzhou 221116 (China); Potter, Rebecca; Li, Yingkui [Department of Geography, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996 (United States)

    2014-04-01

    The implementation of land use planning (LUP) has a large impact on environmental quality. There lacks a widely accepted and consolidated approach to assess the LUP environmental impact using Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA). In this paper, we developed a state-impact-state (SIS) model employed in the LUP environmental impact assessment (LUPEA). With the usage of Matter-element (ME) and Extenics method, the methodology based on the SIS model was established and applied in the LUPEA of Zoucheng County, China. The results show that: (1) this methodology provides an intuitive and easy understanding logical model for both the theoretical analysis and application of LUPEA; (2) the spatial multi-temporal assessment from base year, near-future year to planning target year suggests the positive impact on the environmental quality in the whole County despite certain environmental degradation in some towns; (3) besides the spatial assessment, other achievements including the environmental elements influenced by land use and their weights, the identification of key indicators in LUPEA, and the appropriate environmental mitigation measures were obtained; and (4) this methodology can be used to achieve multi-temporal assessment of LUP environmental impact of County or Town level in other areas. - Highlights: • A State-Impact-State model for Land Use Planning Environmental Assessment (LUPEA). • Matter-element (ME) and Extenics methods were embedded in the LUPEA. • The model was applied to the LUPEA of Zoucheng County. • The assessment shows improving environment quality since 2000 in Zoucheng County. • The method provides a useful tool for the LUPEA in the county level.

  11. Aftershock identification problem via the nearest-neighbor analysis for marked point processes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gabrielov, A.; Zaliapin, I.; Wong, H.; Keilis-Borok, V.

    2007-12-01

    The centennial observations on the world seismicity have revealed a wide variety of clustering phenomena that unfold in the space-time-energy domain and provide most reliable information about the earthquake dynamics. However, there is neither a unifying theory nor a convenient statistical apparatus that would naturally account for the different types of seismic clustering. In this talk we present a theoretical framework for nearest-neighbor analysis of marked processes and obtain new results on hierarchical approach to studying seismic clustering introduced by Baiesi and Paczuski (2004). Recall that under this approach one defines an asymmetric distance D in space-time-energy domain such that the nearest-neighbor spanning graph with respect to D becomes a time- oriented tree. We demonstrate how this approach can be used to detect earthquake clustering. We apply our analysis to the observed seismicity of California and synthetic catalogs from ETAS model and show that the earthquake clustering part is statistically different from the homogeneous part. This finding may serve as a basis for an objective aftershock identification procedure.

  12. Genome-wide identification, functional and evolutionary analysis of terpene synthases in pineapple.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Xiaoe; Yang, Wei; Zhang, Liqin; Wu, Xianmiao; Cheng, Tian; Li, Guanglin

    2017-10-01

    Terpene synthases (TPSs) are vital for the biosynthesis of active terpenoids, which have important physiological, ecological and medicinal value. Although terpenoids have been reported in pineapple (Ananas comosus), genome-wide investigations of the TPS genes responsible for pineapple terpenoid synthesis are still lacking. By integrating pineapple genome and proteome data, twenty-one putative terpene synthase genes were found in pineapple and divided into five subfamilies. Tandem duplication is the cause of TPS gene family duplication. Furthermore, functional differentiation between each TPS subfamily may have occurred for several reasons. Sixty-two key amino acid sites were identified as being type-II functionally divergence between TPS-a and TPS-c subfamily. Finally, coevolution analysis indicated that multiple amino acid residues are involved in coevolutionary processes. In addition, the enzyme activity of two TPSs were tested. This genome-wide identification, functional and evolutionary analysis of pineapple TPS genes provide a new insight into understanding the roles of TPS family and lay the basis for further characterizing the function and evolution of TPS gene family. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  13. Molecular identification and genotyping of Microsporidia in selected hosts

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Valenčáková, A.; Balent, P.; Ravaszová, P.; Horák, Aleš; Oborník, Miroslav; Halanová, M.; Malčeková, B.; Novotný, F.; Goldová, M.

    2012-01-01

    Roč. 110, č. 2 (2012), s. 689-693 ISSN 0932-0113 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z60220518 Keywords : ENCEPHALITOZOON-CUNICULI * RIBOSOMAL-RNA * SPECIES IDENTIFICATION * AIDS PATIENTS * PET RABBITS Subject RIV: EB - Genetics ; Molecular Biology Impact factor: 2.852, year: 2012

  14. The impact of employee communication and perceived external prestige on organizational identification

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    A. Smidts (Ale); C.B.M. van Riel (Cees); A.Th.H. Pruyn

    2000-01-01

    textabstractEmployees' Organizational Identification (OI) is measured in a customer service organization. Particularly the effects of employee communication and perceived external prestige (PEP) on OI were evaluated. Results show that employee communication affects OI more strongly than PEP. One

  15. Transferability of Object-Oriented Image Analysis Methods for Slum Identification

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alfred Stein

    2013-08-01

    Full Text Available Updated spatial information on the dynamics of slums can be helpful to measure and evaluate progress of policies. Earlier studies have shown that semi-automatic detection of slums using remote sensing can be challenging considering the large variability in definition and appearance. In this study, we explored the potential of an object-oriented image analysis (OOA method to detect slums, using very high resolution (VHR imagery. This method integrated expert knowledge in the form of a local slum ontology. A set of image-based parameters was identified that was used for differentiating slums from non-slum areas in an OOA environment. The method was implemented on three subsets of the city of Ahmedabad, India. Results show that textural features such as entropy and contrast derived from a grey level co-occurrence matrix (GLCM and the size of image segments are stable parameters for classification of built-up areas and the identification of slums. Relation with classified slum objects, in terms of enclosed by slums and relative border with slums was used to refine classification. The analysis on three different subsets showed final accuracies ranging from 47% to 68%. We conclude that our method produces useful results as it allows including location specific adaptation, whereas generically applicable rulesets for slums are still to be developed.

  16. Identification of pleasant, neutral, and unpleasant odors in schizophrenia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kamath, Vidyulata; Turetsky, Bruce I; Moberg, Paul J

    2011-05-15

    Recent work on odor hedonics in schizophrenia has indicated that patients display abnormalities in hedonic judgments of odors in comparison to healthy comparison participants. In the current study, identification accuracy for pleasant, neutral, and unpleasant odors in individuals with schizophrenia and healthy controls was examined. Thirty-three schizophrenia patients (63% male) and thirty-one healthy volunteers (65% male) were recruited. The groups were well matched on age, sex, and smoking status. Participants were administered the University of Pennsylvania Smell Identification Test, which was subsequently divided into 16 pleasant, 15 neutral, and 9 unpleasant items. Analysis of identification z-scores for pleasant, neutral, and unpleasant odors revealed a significant diagnosis by valence interaction. Post-hoc analysis revealed that schizophrenia participants made more identification errors on pleasant and neutral odors compared to healthy controls, with no differences observed for unpleasant odors. No effect was seen for sex. The findings from the current investigation suggest that odor identification accuracy in patients is influenced by odor valence. This pattern of results parallels a growing body of literature indicating that patients display aberrant pleasantness ratings for pleasant odors and highlights the need for additional research on the influence of odor valence on olfactory identification performance in individuals with schizophrenia. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  17. The recognition and interpretation of micro-particle impacts on space craft surfaces

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kearsley, Anton

    Modern analysis instruments now allow the rapid examination of returned spacecraft surfaces, enabling the location and identification of impact features, and the attribution of their impactor origins. This paper describes application of novel electron, ion and micro-X-ray Fluorescence techniques to impacts on diverse compositions of substrate, including solar cell glass, poly-sulfone and fluoro-polymer-impregnated glass fibre composites, multilayer insulation foils, aluminium and titanium alloys. Examples will include two generations of solar cells and stiffener materials from the Hubble Space Telescope (HST), Beta-cloth from the NASA Mir-Trek cover blanket, aluminised Kapton foils from the Japanese Space Flyer Unit (SFU) and the European Retrievable Carrier (EuReCa), Al-alloy plates from the Long Duration Exposure Facility (LDEF), Al foils from the NASA Stardust mission, Al-alloy and Zinc orthotitanate (ZOT) painted alloy plate from HST, and titanium alloys from a re-entered titanium pressure tank. Each type of spacecraft surface poses unique problems of analysis, especially in the recognition of extraneous signatures from the impacting particle, especially if a complex chemical composition is already present in the target. For example, solar cells provide an excellent capture and analysis medium for monitoring fluxes of micrometre-scale orbital debris from solid rocket motor firings in low Earth orbit. However, they provide a hard and dense capture medium upon which substantial modification of the impactor may occur, making the precise identification of micrometeoroid components difficult. Unfortunately, extensive spallation by larger (> 100 micrometre) particle impacts on the thin and brittle structure of solar cells also usually results in complete loss of impactor signature. Although thick alloy surfaces may prevent complete impact penetration, the analysis of particle residues within their deep concavity has proven difficult, until the recent introduction of

  18. Sovereign Default Analysis through Extreme Events Identification

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Vasile George MARICA

    2015-06-01

    Full Text Available This paper investigates contagion in international credit markets through the use of a novel jump detection technique proposed by Chan and Maheuin (2002. This econometrical methodology is preferred because it is non-linear by definition and not a subject to volatility bias. Also, the identified jumps in CDS premiums are considered as outliers positioned beyond any stochastic movement that can and is already modelled through well-known linear analysis. Though contagion is hard to define, we show that extreme discrete movements in default probabilities inferred from CDS premiums can lead to sound economic conclusions about the risk profile of sovereign nations in international bond markets. We find evidence of investor sentiment clustering for countries with unstable political regimes or that are engaged in armed conflict. Countries that have in their recent history faced currency or financial crises are less vulnerable to external unexpected shocks. First we present a brief history of sovereign defaults with an emphasis on their increased frequency and geographical reach, as financial markets become more and more integrated. We then pass to a literature review of the most important definitions for contagion, and discuss what quantitative methods are available to detect the presence of contagion. The paper continues with the details for the methodology of jump detection through non-linear modelling and its use in the field of contagion identification. In the last sections we present the estimation results for simultaneous jumps between emerging markets CDS and draw conclusions on the difference of behavior in times of extreme movement versus tranquil periods.

  19. Fully-automated identification of fish species based on otolith contour: using short-time Fourier transform and discriminant analysis (STFT-DA).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Salimi, Nima; Loh, Kar Hoe; Kaur Dhillon, Sarinder; Chong, Ving Ching

    2016-01-01

    Background. Fish species may be identified based on their unique otolith shape or contour. Several pattern recognition methods have been proposed to classify fish species through morphological features of the otolith contours. However, there has been no fully-automated species identification model with the accuracy higher than 80%. The purpose of the current study is to develop a fully-automated model, based on the otolith contours, to identify the fish species with the high classification accuracy. Methods. Images of the right sagittal otoliths of 14 fish species from three families namely Sciaenidae, Ariidae, and Engraulidae were used to develop the proposed identification model. Short-time Fourier transform (STFT) was used, for the first time in the area of otolith shape analysis, to extract important features of the otolith contours. Discriminant Analysis (DA), as a classification technique, was used to train and test the model based on the extracted features. Results. Performance of the model was demonstrated using species from three families separately, as well as all species combined. Overall classification accuracy of the model was greater than 90% for all cases. In addition, effects of STFT variables on the performance of the identification model were explored in this study. Conclusions. Short-time Fourier transform could determine important features of the otolith outlines. The fully-automated model proposed in this study (STFT-DA) could predict species of an unknown specimen with acceptable identification accuracy. The model codes can be accessed at http://mybiodiversityontologies.um.edu.my/Otolith/ and https://peerj.com/preprints/1517/. The current model has flexibility to be used for more species and families in future studies.

  20. Closed loop identification of a piezoelectrically controlled radial gas bearing: Theory and experiment

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Sekunda, André Krabdrup; Niemann, Hans Henrik; Poulsen, Niels Kjølstad

    2018-01-01

    Gas bearing systems have extremely small damping properties. Feedback control is thus employed to increase the damping of gas bearings. Such a feedback loop correlates the input with the measurement noise which in turn makes the assumptions for direct identification invalid. The originality...... of this article lies in the investigation of the impact of using different identification methods to identify a rotor-bearing systems’ dynamic model when a feedback loop is active. Two different identification methods are employed. The first method is open loop Prediction Error Method, while the other method...

  1. Identification of homemade inorganic explosives by ion chromatographic analysis of post-blast residues.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Johns, Cameron; Shellie, Robert A; Potter, Oscar G; O'Reilly, John W; Hutchinson, Joseph P; Guijt, Rosanne M; Breadmore, Michael C; Hilder, Emily F; Dicinoski, Greg W; Haddad, Paul R

    2008-02-29

    Anions and cations of interest for the post-blast identification of homemade inorganic explosives were separated and detected by ion chromatographic (IC) methods. The ionic analytes used for identification of explosives in this study comprised 18 anions (acetate, benzoate, bromate, carbonate, chlorate, chloride, chlorite, chromate, cyanate, fluoride, formate, nitrate, nitrite, perchlorate, phosphate, sulfate, thiocyanate and thiosulfate) and 12 cations (ammonium, barium(II), calcium(II), chromium(III), ethylammonium, magnesium(II), manganese(II), methylammonium, potassium(I), sodium(I), strontium(II), and zinc(II)). Two IC separations are presented, using suppressed IC on a Dionex AS20 column with potassium hydroxide as eluent for anions, and non-suppressed IC for cations using a Dionex SCS 1 column with oxalic acid/acetonitrile as eluent. Conductivity detection was used in both cases. Detection limits for anions were in the range 2-27.4ppb, and for cations were in the range 13-115ppb. These methods allowed the explosive residue ions to be identified and separated from background ions likely to be present in the environment. Linearity (over a calibration range of 0.05-50ppm) was evaluated for both methods, with r(2) values ranging from 0.9889 to 1.000. Reproducibility over 10 consecutive injections of a 5ppm standard ranged from 0.01 to 0.22% relative standard deviation (RSD) for retention time and 0.29 to 2.16%RSD for peak area. The anion and cation separations were performed simultaneously by using two Dionex ICS-2000 chromatographs served by a single autoinjector. The efficacy of the developed methods was demonstrated by analysis of residue samples taken from witness plates and soils collected following the controlled detonation of a series of different inorganic homemade explosives. The results obtained were also confirmed by parallel analysis of the same samples by capillary electrophoresis (CE) with excellent agreement being obtained.

  2. Parameter Identification with the Random Perturbation Particle Swarm Optimization Method and Sensitivity Analysis of an Advanced Pressurized Water Reactor Nuclear Power Plant Model for Power Systems

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Li Wang

    2017-02-01

    Full Text Available The ability to obtain appropriate parameters for an advanced pressurized water reactor (PWR unit model is of great significance for power system analysis. The attributes of that ability include the following: nonlinear relationships, long transition time, intercoupled parameters and difficult obtainment from practical test, posed complexity and difficult parameter identification. In this paper, a model and a parameter identification method for the PWR primary loop system were investigated. A parameter identification process was proposed, using a particle swarm optimization (PSO algorithm that is based on random perturbation (RP-PSO. The identification process included model variable initialization based on the differential equations of each sub-module and program setting method, parameter obtainment through sub-module identification in the Matlab/Simulink Software (Math Works Inc., Natick, MA, USA as well as adaptation analysis for an integrated model. A lot of parameter identification work was carried out, the results of which verified the effectiveness of the method. It was found that the change of some parameters, like the fuel temperature and coolant temperature feedback coefficients, changed the model gain, of which the trajectory sensitivities were not zero. Thus, obtaining their appropriate values had significant effects on the simulation results. The trajectory sensitivities of some parameters in the core neutron dynamic module were interrelated, causing the parameters to be difficult to identify. The model parameter sensitivity could be different, which would be influenced by the model input conditions, reflecting the parameter identifiability difficulty degree for various input conditions.

  3. Systematic identification and integrative analysis of novel genes expressed specifically or predominantly in mouse epididymis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lee Hoyong

    2006-12-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Maturation of spermatozoa, including development of motility and the ability to fertilize the oocyte, occurs during transit through the microenvironment of the epididymis. Comprehensive understanding of sperm maturation requires identification and characterization of unique genes expressed in the epididymis. Results We systematically identified 32 novel genes with epididymis-specific or -predominant expression in the mouse epididymis UniGene library, containing 1505 gene-oriented transcript clusters, by in silico and in vitro analyses. The Northern blot analysis revealed various characteristics of the genes at the transcript level, such as expression level, size and the presence of isoform. We found that expression of the half of the genes is regulated by androgens. Further expression analyses demonstrated that the novel genes are region-specific and developmentally regulated. Computational analysis showed that 15 of the genes lack human orthologues, suggesting their implication in male reproduction unique to the mouse. A number of the novel genes are putative epididymal protease inhibitors or β-defensins. We also found that six of the genes have secretory activity, indicating that they may interact with sperm and have functional roles in sperm maturation. Conclusion We identified and characterized 32 novel epididymis-specific or -predominant genes by an integrative approach. Our study is unique in the aspect of systematic identification of novel epididymal genes and should be a firm basis for future investigation into molecular mechanisms underlying sperm maturation in the epididymis.

  4. Identification of Significant Impact of Silicon Foundry Sands Mining on LCIA

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jozef Mitterpach

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available This paper presents a case study based on a LCA (Life Cycle Assessment research program of the silicon foundry sand (SFS due to the large quantity of produced waste foundry sand (WFS. The foundry waste is a high priority sector within the growing European foundry industry. It is necessary to understand the full life cycle of the foundry waste in order to correctly identify magnitude and types of impacts it has on the environment. System boundary includes the processes: mining, modification, packing, storage and transport to foundry. Inventory analysis data were analyzed and finally converted to the functional unit, which has been defined as one ton of SFS. The resulting environmental impact of SFS production in endpoint is: consumption of natural resources 70.9%, ecosystem quality 18.2% and human health 10.9%. The following portions, with respective percentages, have the greatest overall effect on these results: diesel fuel consumption 32.4% and natural gas consumption 28.7%, electricity usage 17.2%, transport 12.2%, devastation caused by the SFS 5.35% and oil (engine, gear and hydraulic consumption 4.14%. The highest contributor to the diesel fuel consumption is the SFS exploitation. The overall effect of desiccation was 35.8% and was caused by high consumption of resources and electricity.

  5. Medical impact analysis for the space station.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nelson, B D; Gardner, R M; Ostler, D V; Schulz, J M; Logan, J S

    1990-02-01

    Since the Space Station Health Maintenance Facility can house only a relatively limited quantity of supplies and equipment, the decisions about what should be included must be based on documented research. In this study, Space Station medical care priorities were determined by a medical impact analysis of two analog populations, U.S. Army and U.S. Navy personnel. Diseases and injuries in the International Classification of Disease, 9th Revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-9-CM) were ranked, using a Medical Impact Score (MIS) combining modified incidence rate and a function of disease outcome. The validity of the analysis method was tested by measuring rank order correlation between the two analog populations. Despite virtually identical age and sex distributions, Army and Navy incidence rates differed significantly for half of the ICD-9-CM categories, p less than 0.05. Disability rates differed for 76%, p less than 0.05. Nevertheless, Army and Navy MIS rank orders for categories and sections were not significantly different, p less than 0.001. In critical ways, the Space Station will be a safer environment than Earth. Cardiac events, musculoskeletal injuries, affective psychoses, and renal calculi were among the highest scoring categories.

  6. Aspergillus niger membrane-associated proteome analysis for the identification of glucose transporters.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sloothaak, J; Odoni, D I; de Graaff, L H; Martins Dos Santos, V A P; Schaap, P J; Tamayo-Ramos, J A

    2015-01-01

    The development of biological processes that replace the existing petrochemical-based industry is one of the biggest challenges in biotechnology. Aspergillus niger is one of the main industrial producers of lignocellulolytic enzymes, which are used in the conversion of lignocellulosic feedstocks into fermentable sugars. Both the hydrolytic enzymes responsible for lignocellulose depolymerisation and the molecular mechanisms controlling their expression have been well described, but little is known about the transport systems for sugar uptake in A. niger. Understanding the transportome of A. niger is essential to achieve further improvements at strain and process design level. Therefore, this study aims to identify and classify A. niger sugar transporters, using newly developed tools for in silico and in vivo analysis of its membrane-associated proteome. In the present research work, a hidden Markov model (HMM), that shows a good performance in the identification and segmentation of functionally validated glucose transporters, was constructed. The model (HMMgluT) was used to analyse the A. niger membrane-associated proteome response to high and low glucose concentrations at a low pH. By combining the abundance patterns of the proteins found in the A. niger plasmalemma proteome with their HMMgluT scores, two new putative high-affinity glucose transporters, denoted MstG and MstH, were identified. MstG and MstH were functionally validated and biochemically characterised by heterologous expression in a S. cerevisiae glucose transport null mutant. They were shown to be a high-affinity glucose transporter (K m = 0.5 ± 0.04 mM) and a very high-affinity glucose transporter (K m = 0.06 ± 0.005 mM), respectively. This study, focusing for the first time on the membrane-associated proteome of the industrially relevant organism A. niger, shows the global response of the transportome to the availability of different glucose concentrations. Analysis of the A. niger

  7. Gene Module Identification from Microarray Data Using Nonnegative Independent Component Analysis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ting Gong

    2007-01-01

    Full Text Available Genes mostly interact with each other to form transcriptional modules for performing single or multiple functions. It is important to unravel such transcriptional modules and to determine how disturbances in them may lead to disease. Here, we propose a non-negative independent component analysis (nICA approach for transcriptional module discovery. nICA method utilizes the non-negativity constraint to enforce the independence of biological processes within the participated genes. In such, nICA decomposes the observed gene expression into positive independent components, which fi ts better to the reality of corresponding putative biological processes. In conjunction with nICA modeling, visual statistical data analyzer (VISDA is applied to group genes into modules in latent variable space. We demonstrate the usefulness of the approach through the identification of composite modules from yeast data and the discovery of pathway modules in muscle regeneration.

  8. Genetic Analysis Aimed at the Identification of Appropriated Children: Political and Scientific Construction of “Nature” and Kinship

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sabina Amantze Regueiro

    2010-01-01

    Full Text Available This article deals with the genetic analysis aimed at the identification of children appropriated during the last Argentine military dictatorship. For this purpose, the discussions on the nature-culture dichotomy are considered, with an approach to kinship as a political construction from the searching action of Abuelas de Plaza de Mayo (Grandmothers, promoting scientific techniques for the “discovery” of the biological bond. In this sense, the forms of legal construction of families connected to the identification; the subsequent constitution of family relationships, as well as certain social effects that transcend them are also studied. In this way, it will be argued that even in cases in which kinship seems to come to an end in the blood bond, the biological aspect does not exist beyond the social and symbolic practices.

  9. IDENTIFIKASI CHARACTER IMPACT ODORANTS BUAH KAWISTA (Feronia Limonia [Identification of Character Impact Odorants of Wood Apple Fruit (Feronia Limonia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Anton Apriyantono1

    2004-04-01

    Full Text Available The volatiles of the kawista fruit (wood apple were analyzed by gas chromatography (GC and a combined gas chromatography-mass spectrometer (GC-MS. Character impact odorants of the fruits were systematically characterized by aroma extract dilution analysis (AEDA with GC-Olfactometry (GC-O. A total of 75 compounds were identified, including 28 esters, 11 alcohols, 10 aldehydes, 1 acetal, 10 ketones, 4 lactones, 1 heterocyclic, 4 aliphatic hydrocarbons, 1 furan and 5 acids. However, only 44 volatiles were detected by GC-O. Among these, compounds with the most impact were ethyl butyrate (fruity, sweet, banan-likeand methyl butyrate (fruit, sour with a flavor dilution factor of 256 and 64, respectively. Based on AEDA results, butyric acid, 3-mathyl valeric acid, 1-octen-3-ol, pentyl isobutyrate, 2-ethyl hexanoic acid, ethyl octanoate, gamma-decalactone, 2,3-pentanedione, 3-octanone, 5-methyl-3-heptanone, 9-methyl-5-undecene and (E-2-hexenyl butyrate seem to contribute to kawista fruit flavor

  10. Fingerprint and Face Identification for Large User Population

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Teddy Ko

    2003-06-01

    Full Text Available The main objective of this paper is to present the state-of-the-art of the current biometric (fingerprint and face technology, lessons learned during the investigative analysis performed to ascertain the benefits of using combined fingerprint and facial technologies, and recommendations for the use of current available fingerprint and face identification technologies for optimum identification performance for applications using large user population. Prior fingerprint and face identification test study results have shown that their identification accuracies are strongly dependent on the image quality of the biometric inputs. Recommended methodologies for ensuring the capture of acceptable quality fingerprint and facial images of subjects are also presented in this paper.

  11. Identification of cotton properties to improve yarn count quality by using regression analysis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Amin, M.; Ullah, M.; Akbar, A.

    2014-01-01

    Identification of raw material characteristics towards yarn count variation was studied by using statistical techniques. Regression analysis is used to meet the objective. Stepwise regression is used for mode) selection, and coefficient of determination and mean squared error (MSE) criteria are used to identify the contributing factors of cotton properties for yam count. Statistical assumptions of normality, autocorrelation and multicollinearity are evaluated by using probability plot, Durbin Watson test, variance inflation factor (VIF), and then model fitting is carried out. It is found that, invisible (INV), nepness (Nep), grayness (RD), cotton trash (TR) and uniformity index (VI) are the main contributing cotton properties for yarn count variation. The results are also verified by Pareto chart. (author)

  12. Comparative analysis of Gram's stain, PNA-FISH and Sepsityper with MALDI-TOF MS for the identification of yeast direct from positive blood cultures.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gorton, Rebecca L; Ramnarain, P; Barker, K; Stone, N; Rattenbury, S; McHugh, T D; Kibbler, C C

    2014-10-01

    Fungaemia diagnosis could be improved by reducing the time to identification of yeast from blood cultures. This study aimed to evaluate three rapid methods for the identification of yeast direct from blood cultures; Gram's stain analysis, the AdvanDX Peptide Nucleic Acid in Situ Hybridisation Yeast Traffic Light system (PNA-FISH YTL) and Bruker Sepsityper alongside matrix-assisted laser desorption ionisation time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS). Fifty blood cultures spiked with a known single yeast strain were analysed by blinded operators experienced in each method. Identifications were compared with MALDI-TOF MS CHROMagar Candida culture and ITS rRNA sequence-based identifications. On first attempt, success rates of 96% (48/50) and 76% (36/50) were achieved using PNA-FISH YTL and Gram's stain respectively. MALDI-TOF MS demonstrated a success rate of 56% (28/50) when applying manufacturer's species log score thresholds and 76% (38/50) using in-house parameters, including lowering the species log score threshold to >1.5. In conclusion, PNA-FISH YTL demonstrated a high success rate successfully identifying yeast commonly encountered in fungaemia. Sepsityper(™) with MALDI-TOF MS was accurate but increased sensitivity is required. Due to the misidentification of commonly encountered yeast Gram's stain analysis demonstrated limited utility in this setting. © 2014 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.

  13. Use of Multispectral Imaging in Varietal Identification of Tomato

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Shrestha, Santosh; Deleuran, Lise Christina; Olesen, Merete Halkjær

    2015-01-01

    Abstract: Multispectral imaging is an emerging non-destructive technology. In this work its potential for varietal discrimination and identification of tomato cultivars of Nepal was investigated. Two sample sets were used for the study, one with two parents and their crosses and other with eleven...... obtained provide an opportunity of using multispectral imaging technology as a primary tool in a scientific community for identification/discrimination of plant varieties in regard to genetic purity and plant variety protection/registration.......Abstract: Multispectral imaging is an emerging non-destructive technology. In this work its potential for varietal discrimination and identification of tomato cultivars of Nepal was investigated. Two sample sets were used for the study, one with two parents and their crosses and other with eleven...... cultivars to study parents and offspring relationship and varietal identification respectively. Normalized canonical discriminant analysis (nCDA) and principal component analysis (PCA) were used to analyze and compare the results for parents and offspring study. Both the results showed clear discrimination...

  14. A Patient Flow Analysis: Identification of Process Inefficiencies and Workflow Metrics at an Ambulatory Endoscopy Unit

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rowena Almeida

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Background. The increasing demand for endoscopic procedures coincides with the paradigm shift in health care delivery that emphasizes efficient use of existing resources. However, there is limited literature on the range of endoscopy unit efficiencies. Methods. A time and motion analysis of patient flow through the Hotel-Dieu Hospital (Kingston, Ontario endoscopy unit was followed by qualitative interviews. Procedures were directly observed in three segments: individual endoscopy room use, preprocedure/recovery room, and overall endoscopy unit utilization. Results. Data were collected for 137 procedures in the endoscopy room, 139 procedures in the preprocedure room, and 143 procedures for overall room utilization. The mean duration spent in the endoscopy room was 31.47 min for an esophagogastroduodenoscopy, 52.93 min for a colonoscopy, 30.47 min for a flexible sigmoidoscopy, and 66.88 min for a double procedure. The procedure itself accounted for 8.11 min, 34.24 min, 9.02 min, and 39.13 min for the above procedures, respectively. The focused interviews identified the scheduling template as a major area of operational inefficiency. Conclusions. Despite reasonable procedure times for all except colonoscopies, the endoscopy room durations exceed the allocated times, reflecting the impact of non-procedure-related factors and the need for a revised scheduling template. Endoscopy units have unique operational characteristics and identification of process inefficiencies can lead to targeted quality improvement initiatives.

  15. A Patient Flow Analysis: Identification of Process Inefficiencies and Workflow Metrics at an Ambulatory Endoscopy Unit.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Almeida, Rowena; Paterson, William G; Craig, Nancy; Hookey, Lawrence

    2016-01-01

    Background. The increasing demand for endoscopic procedures coincides with the paradigm shift in health care delivery that emphasizes efficient use of existing resources. However, there is limited literature on the range of endoscopy unit efficiencies. Methods. A time and motion analysis of patient flow through the Hotel-Dieu Hospital (Kingston, Ontario) endoscopy unit was followed by qualitative interviews. Procedures were directly observed in three segments: individual endoscopy room use, preprocedure/recovery room, and overall endoscopy unit utilization. Results. Data were collected for 137 procedures in the endoscopy room, 139 procedures in the preprocedure room, and 143 procedures for overall room utilization. The mean duration spent in the endoscopy room was 31.47 min for an esophagogastroduodenoscopy, 52.93 min for a colonoscopy, 30.47 min for a flexible sigmoidoscopy, and 66.88 min for a double procedure. The procedure itself accounted for 8.11 min, 34.24 min, 9.02 min, and 39.13 min for the above procedures, respectively. The focused interviews identified the scheduling template as a major area of operational inefficiency. Conclusions. Despite reasonable procedure times for all except colonoscopies, the endoscopy room durations exceed the allocated times, reflecting the impact of non-procedure-related factors and the need for a revised scheduling template. Endoscopy units have unique operational characteristics and identification of process inefficiencies can lead to targeted quality improvement initiatives.

  16. STUDY OF IDENTIFICATION OF TWO-PHASE FLOW PARAMETERS BY PRESSURE FLUCTUATION ANALYSIS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ondrej Burian

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available This paper deals with identification of parameters of simple pool boiling in a vertical rectangular channel by analysis of pressure fluctuation. In this work is introduced a small experimental facility about 9 kW power, which was used for simulation of pool boiling phenomena and creation of steam-water volume. Several pressure fluctuations measurements and differential pressure fluctuations measurements at warious were carried out. Main changed parameters were power of heaters and hydraulics resistance of channel internals. Measured pressure data was statistically analysed and compared with goal to find dependencies between parameters of two-phase flow and statistical properties of pressure fluctuation. At the end of this paper are summarized final results and applicability of this method for parameters determination of two phase flow for pool boiling conditions at ambient pressure.

  17. Identification and analysis of local and regional impacts from the introduction of biodiesel production in the state of Piaui

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Benedetti Santos, Omar Inacio; Rathmann, Regis

    2009-01-01

    The recent moves towards the insertion of biofuels in the energy matrix of a number of countries are opening new prospects for agricultural production and for agroindustrial chains. The emergence of this new productive base raises new research issues: in what circumstances are the structuring, organization and implementation of these biodiesel productive chains taking place in Brazil? What are the effects of biodiesel production on local economies? Hence, the central objective of this study is identifying their economic and social impacts at the regions where they are installed. The analytical structure was constructed based on theories of regional and spatial economy: location coefficient, shift-share, theories of industrial location. A preliminary analysis identified that a biodiesel productive arrangement is emerging in the State of Piaui, Northeastern Brazil, with the purpose of stimulating regional development using alternative oil-bearing crops. However, the agricultural project in the town of Canto do Buriti/PI has faced problems of both a cultural and productive nature. Preliminary findings reveal productive, organizational, managerial and governance related difficulties and challenges that need to be faced when establishing a new productive base in a location that up to that point lacks a productive tradition.

  18. Identification of Low- and High-Impact Hemagglutinin Amino Acid Substitutions That Drive Antigenic Drift of Influenza A(H1N1 Viruses.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    William T Harvey

    2016-04-01

    Full Text Available Determining phenotype from genetic data is a fundamental challenge. Identification of emerging antigenic variants among circulating influenza viruses is critical to the vaccine virus selection process, with vaccine effectiveness maximized when constituents are antigenically similar to circulating viruses. Hemagglutination inhibition (HI assay data are commonly used to assess influenza antigenicity. Here, sequence and 3-D structural information of hemagglutinin (HA glycoproteins were analyzed together with corresponding HI assay data for former seasonal influenza A(H1N1 virus isolates (1997-2009 and reference viruses. The models developed identify and quantify the impact of eighteen amino acid substitutions on the antigenicity of HA, two of which were responsible for major transitions in antigenic phenotype. We used reverse genetics to demonstrate the causal effect on antigenicity for a subset of these substitutions. Information on the impact of substitutions allowed us to predict antigenic phenotypes of emerging viruses directly from HA gene sequence data and accuracy was doubled by including all substitutions causing antigenic changes over a model incorporating only the substitutions with the largest impact. The ability to quantify the phenotypic impact of specific amino acid substitutions should help refine emerging techniques that predict the evolution of virus populations from one year to the next, leading to stronger theoretical foundations for selection of candidate vaccine viruses. These techniques have great potential to be extended to other antigenically variable pathogens.

  19. Identification of Low- and High-Impact Hemagglutinin Amino Acid Substitutions That Drive Antigenic Drift of Influenza A(H1N1) Viruses

    Science.gov (United States)

    Harvey, William T.; Benton, Donald J.; Gregory, Victoria; Hall, James P. J.; Daniels, Rodney S.; Bedford, Trevor; Haydon, Daniel T.; Hay, Alan J.; McCauley, John W.; Reeve, Richard

    2016-01-01

    Determining phenotype from genetic data is a fundamental challenge. Identification of emerging antigenic variants among circulating influenza viruses is critical to the vaccine virus selection process, with vaccine effectiveness maximized when constituents are antigenically similar to circulating viruses. Hemagglutination inhibition (HI) assay data are commonly used to assess influenza antigenicity. Here, sequence and 3-D structural information of hemagglutinin (HA) glycoproteins were analyzed together with corresponding HI assay data for former seasonal influenza A(H1N1) virus isolates (1997–2009) and reference viruses. The models developed identify and quantify the impact of eighteen amino acid substitutions on the antigenicity of HA, two of which were responsible for major transitions in antigenic phenotype. We used reverse genetics to demonstrate the causal effect on antigenicity for a subset of these substitutions. Information on the impact of substitutions allowed us to predict antigenic phenotypes of emerging viruses directly from HA gene sequence data and accuracy was doubled by including all substitutions causing antigenic changes over a model incorporating only the substitutions with the largest impact. The ability to quantify the phenotypic impact of specific amino acid substitutions should help refine emerging techniques that predict the evolution of virus populations from one year to the next, leading to stronger theoretical foundations for selection of candidate vaccine viruses. These techniques have great potential to be extended to other antigenically variable pathogens. PMID:27057693

  20. Advanced forensic validation for human spermatozoa identification using SPERM HY-LITER™ Express with quantitative image analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Takamura, Ayari; Watanabe, Ken; Akutsu, Tomoko

    2017-07-01

    Identification of human semen is indispensable for the investigation of sexual assaults. Fluorescence staining methods using commercial kits, such as the series of SPERM HY-LITER™ kits, have been useful to detect human sperm via strong fluorescence. These kits have been examined from various forensic aspects. However, because of a lack of evaluation methods, these studies did not provide objective, or quantitative, descriptions of the results nor clear criteria for the decisions reached. In addition, the variety of validations was considerably limited. In this study, we conducted more advanced validations of SPERM HY-LITER™ Express using our established image analysis method. Use of this method enabled objective and specific identification of fluorescent sperm's spots and quantitative comparisons of the sperm detection performance under complex experimental conditions. For body fluid mixtures, we examined interference with the fluorescence staining from other body fluid components. Effects of sample decomposition were simulated in high humidity and high temperature conditions. Semen with quite low sperm concentrations, such as azoospermia and oligospermia samples, represented the most challenging cases in application of the kit. Finally, the tolerance of the kit against various acidic and basic environments was analyzed. The validations herein provide useful information for the practical applications of the SPERM HY-LITER™ Express kit, which were previously unobtainable. Moreover, the versatility of our image analysis method toward various complex cases was demonstrated.

  1. Electron identification with the ATLAS detector

    CERN Document Server

    Tarna, Grigore; The ATLAS collaboration

    2017-01-01

    Electron identification is a crucial input to many ATLAS physics analysis. The electron identification used in ATLAS for run 2 is based on a likelihood discrimination to separate isolated electron candidates from candidates originating from photon conversions, hadron misidentification and heavy flavor decays. In addition, isolation variables are used as further handles to separate signal and background. The measurement of the efficiencies of the electron identification and isolationcuts are performed with the data using tag and probe techniques with large statistics sample of Z->ee and J/psi->ee decays. These measurements performed with pp collisions data at sqrt(s)=13 TeV in 2016 (2015) corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 33.9 (3.2) fb-1 of sqrt(s)=13 TeV pp are presented.

  2. Electron identification with the ATLAS detector

    CERN Document Server

    Tarna, Grigore; The ATLAS collaboration

    2017-01-01

    Electron identification is a crucial input to many ATLAS physics analysis. The electron identification used in ATLAS for run 2 is based on a likelihood discrimination to separate isolated electron candidates from candidates originating from photon conversions, hadron misidentification and heavy flavor decays. In addition, isolation variables are used as further handles to separate signal and background. The measurement of the efficiencies of the electron identification and isolationcuts are performed with the data using tag and probe techniques with large statistics sample of Z->ee and J/psi->ee decays. These measurements performed with pp collisions data at sqrt(s)=13 TeV in 2016 (2015) corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 33.9 (3.1)fb-1 of sqrt(s)=13 TeV pp are presented.

  3. Cost Optimal System Identification Experiment Design

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kirkegaard, Poul Henning

    A structural system identification experiment design method is formulated in the light of decision theory, structural reliability theory and optimization theory. The experiment design is based on a preposterior analysis, well-known from the classical decision theory. I.e. the decisions concerning...... reflecting the cost of the experiment and the value of obtained additional information. An example concerning design of an experiment for parametric identification of a single degree of freedom structural system shows the applicability of the experiment design method....... the experiment design are not based on obtained experimental data. Instead the decisions are based on the expected experimental data assumed to be obtained from the measurements, estimated based on prior information and engineering judgement. The design method provides a system identification experiment design...

  4. Impact parameter determination in experimental analysis using neural network

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Haddad, F.; David, C.; Freslier, M.; Aichelin, J.; Haddad, F.; Hagel, K.; Li, J.; Mdeiwayeh, N.; Natowitz, J.B.; Wada, R.; Xiao, B.

    1997-01-01

    A neural network is used to determine the impact parameter in 40 Ca + 40 Ca reactions. The effect of the detection efficiency as well as the model dependence of the training procedure have been studied carefully. An overall improvement of the impact parameter determination of 25 % is obtained using this technique. The analysis of Amphora 40 Ca+ 40 Ca data at 35 MeV per nucleon using a neural network shows two well separated classes of events among the selected 'complete' events. (authors)

  5. Conjugate heat transfer analysis of an energy conversion device with an updated numerical model obtained through inverse identification

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hey, Jonathan; Malloy, Adam C.; Martinez-Botas, Ricardo; Lamperth, Michael

    2015-01-01

    Highlights: • Conjugate heat transfer analysis of an electric machine. • Inverse identification method for estimating the model parameters. • Experimentally determined thermal properties and electromagnetic losses. • Coupling of inverse identification method with a numerical model. • Improved modeling accuracy through introduction of interface material. - Abstract: Energy conversion devices undergo thermal loading during their operation as a result of inefficiencies in the energy conversion process. This will eventually lead to degradation and possible failure of the device if the heat generated is not properly managed. The ability to accurately predict the thermal behavior of such a device during the initial developmental stage is an important requirement. However, accurate predictions of critical temperature is challenging due to the variation of heat transfer parameters from one device to another. The ability to determine the model parameters is key to accurately representing the heat transfer in such a device. This paper presents the use of an inverse identification technique to estimate the model parameters of an energy conversion device designed for vehicular applications. To simulate the imperfect contact and the presence of insulating materials in the permanent magnet electric machine, thin material are introduced at the component interface of the numerical model. The proposed inverse identification method is used to estimate the equivalent thermal conductance of the thin material. In addition, the electromagnetic losses generated in the permanent magnet is also derived indirectly from the temperature measurement using the same method. With the thermal properties and input parameters of the numerical model obtained from the inverse identification method, the critical temperature of the device can be predicted more accurately. The deviation between the maximum measured and predicted winding temperature is less than 2.4%

  6. A coupled stochastic rainfall-evapotranspiration model for hydrological impact analysis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pham, Minh Tu; Vernieuwe, Hilde; De Baets, Bernard; Verhoest, Niko E. C.

    2018-02-01

    A hydrological impact analysis concerns the study of the consequences of certain scenarios on one or more variables or fluxes in the hydrological cycle. In such an exercise, discharge is often considered, as floods originating from extremely high discharges often cause damage. Investigating the impact of extreme discharges generally requires long time series of precipitation and evapotranspiration to be used to force a rainfall-runoff model. However, such kinds of data may not be available and one should resort to stochastically generated time series, even though the impact of using such data on the overall discharge, and especially on the extreme discharge events, is not well studied. In this paper, stochastically generated rainfall and corresponding evapotranspiration time series, generated by means of vine copulas, are used to force a simple conceptual hydrological model. The results obtained are comparable to the modelled discharge using observed forcing data. Yet, uncertainties in the modelled discharge increase with an increasing number of stochastically generated time series used. Notwithstanding this finding, it can be concluded that using a coupled stochastic rainfall-evapotranspiration model has great potential for hydrological impact analysis.

  7. Evaluating the impact of climate on forest vulnerability to fires

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Živanović Stanimir

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available The assessment of the threat of forest fires usually includes identification of factors and quantification of risk levels. This work presents an approach to modeling the risk of forest fires caused by climate impacts. Climate Impact Assessment is based on the significance of air temperature, rainfall and relative air humidity. The analysis is based on the meteorological data obtained from 26 meteorological stations in Serbia for the period from 1981 to 2010. The analysis is used to predict the areas where the expected rate of fire is high. The method is simple; it describes the key variables for the risk under climate impacts and the spatial pattern of risk. It is suitable for operational use by authorized services. The risk of forest fire is classified as negligible, small, medium and large. The database and analysis results were used to build the matrix of risk assessment of forest fires in Serbia. A great part of the territory of Serbia is relatively highly sensitive to forest fires. The lowest consequences of climate impacts are visible in the areas of Kopaonik and Zlatibor. In Serbia, there is no place where there is a negligible risk of fire. Further research, especially in terms of the relationship between climate change and the adaptive capacity of existing forest ecosystems, species and existing genotypes, is urgently needed in Serbia.

  8. Regime identification in ASDEX Upgrade

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Giannone, L; Sips, A C C; Kardaun, O; Spreitler, F; Suttrop, W

    2004-01-01

    The ability to recognize the transition from the L-mode to the H-mode or from the H-mode to the improved H-mode reliably from a conveniently small number of measurements in real time is of increasing importance for machine control. Discriminant analysis has been applied to regime identification of plasma discharges in the ASDEX Upgrade tokamak. An observation consists of a set of plasma parameters averaged over a time slice in a discharge. The data set consists of all observations over different discharges and time slices. Discriminant analysis yields coefficients allowing the classification of a new observation. The results of a frequentist and a formal Bayesian approach to discriminant analysis are compared. With five plasma variables, a failure rate of 1.3% for predicting the L-mode and the H-mode confinement regime was achieved. With five plasma variables, a failure rate of 5.3% for predicting the H-mode and the improved H-mode confinement regime was achieved. The coefficients derived by discriminant analysis have been applied subsequently to discharges to illustrate the operation of regime identification in a real time control system

  9. Identification of Tunisian Leishmania spp. by PCR amplification of cysteine proteinase B (cpb) genes and phylogenetic analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chaouch, Melek; Fathallah-Mili, Akila; Driss, Mehdi; Lahmadi, Ramzi; Ayari, Chiraz; Guizani, Ikram; Ben Said, Moncef; Benabderrazak, Souha

    2013-03-01

    Discrimination of the Old World Leishmania parasites is important for diagnosis and epidemiological studies of leishmaniasis. We have developed PCR assays that allow the discrimination between Leishmania major, Leishmania tropica and Leishmania infantum Tunisian species. The identification was performed by a simple PCR targeting cysteine protease B (cpb) gene copies. These PCR can be a routine molecular biology tools for discrimination of Leishmania spp. from different geographical origins and different clinical forms. Our assays can be an informative source for cpb gene studying concerning drug, diagnostics and vaccine research. The PCR products of the cpb gene and the N-acetylglucosamine-1-phosphate transferase (nagt) Leishmania gene were sequenced and aligned. Phylogenetic trees of Leishmania based cpb and nagt sequences are close in topology and present the classic distribution of Leishmania in the Old World. The phylogenetic analysis has enabled the characterization and identification of different strains, using both multicopy (cpb) and single copy (nagt) genes. Indeed, the cpb phylogenetic analysis allowed us to identify the Tunisian Leishmania killicki species, and a group which gathers the least evolved isolates of the Leishmania donovani complex, that was originated from East Africa. This clustering confirms the African origin for the visceralizing species of the L. donovani complex. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  10. Comparison of secondary ion emission yields for poly-tyrosine between cluster and heavy ion impacts

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hirata, K.; Saitoh, Y.; Chiba, A.; Yamada, K.; Takahashi, Y.; Narumi, K.

    2010-01-01

    Emission yields of secondary ions necessary for the identification of poly-tyrosine were compared for incident ion impacts of energetic cluster ions (0.8 MeV C 8 + , 2.4 MeV C 8 + , and 4.0 MeV C 8 + ) and swift heavy monoatomic molybdenum ions (4.0 MeV Mo + and 14 MeV Mo 4+ ) with similar mass to that of the cluster by time-of-flight secondary ion mass analysis combined with secondary ion electric current measurements. The comparison revealed that (1) secondary ion emission yields per C 8 + impact increase with increasing incident energy within the energy range examined, (2) the 4.0 MeV C 8 + impact provides higher emission yields than the impact of the monoatomic Mo ion with the same incident energy (4.0 MeV Mo + ), and (3) the 2.4 MeV C 8 + impact exhibits comparable emission yields to that for the Mo ion impact with higher incident energy (14 MeV Mo 4+ ). Energetic cluster ion impacts effectively produce the characteristic secondary ions for poly-tyrosine, which is advantageous for highly sensitive amino acid detection in proteins using time-of-flight secondary ion mass analysis.

  11. Environmental impact analysis of the Nuclear Merchant Ship Program-addendum. Special study

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1977-06-01

    This study represents a qualitative extension of an earlier Environmental Impact Analysis of the Nuclear Merchant Ship Program (MarAd, 1975) using an Ultra Large Crude Carrier (ULCC) as the reference ship, to other types of ships including a containership, dry-bulk cargo vessel, and an icebreaking oil tanker. This qualitative analysis shows that, for ships operating into coastal ports (containerships and possibly dry-bulk carriers), both ecological and radiological impacts would be somewhat greater than for the reference ULCC docking at an offshore terminal. These impacts can be kept within the guidelines established for land based nuclear power plants by implementation of appropriate operating procedures

  12. Value/impact analysis for evaluating alternative mitigation systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kastenberg, W.E.; Catton, I.; Castle, J.N.; Dooley, J.L.; Hammond, R.P.

    1988-01-01

    Methods are developed for assessing the cost effectiveness of proposed systems and strategies for mitigating the consequences of severe nuclear accidents. Such mitigation systems consist mostly of devices for improving the ability of a reactor containment to survive such an accident and retain all radioactive materials. Value/impact analysis is applied to the system with and without mitigation, using the population dose averted by mitigation as the value of benefit, and the dollar cost of the containment improvements as the impact. Other considerations affecting such analyses include ways of monetizing public health risk, economic discounting, and the effect of interdiction policy and other post-accident recovery costs

  13. Children's metacognitive judgments in an eyewitness identification task.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Keast, Amber; Brewer, Neil; Wells, Gary L

    2007-08-01

    Two experiments examined children's metacognitive monitoring of recognition judgments within an eyewitness identification paradigm. A confidence-accuracy (CA) calibration approach was used to examine patterns of calibration, over-/underconfidence, and resolution. In Experiment 1, children (n=619, mean age=11 years 10 months) and adults (n=600) viewed a simulated crime and attempted two separate identifications from 8-person target-present or target-absent lineups given lineup instructions that manipulated witnesses choosing patterns by varying the degree of social pressure. For choosers, but not nonchoosers, meaningful CA relations were observed for adults but not for children. Experiment 2 tested a guided hypothesis disconfirmation manipulation designed to improve the realism of children's metacognitive judgments. Children (N=796, mean age=11 years 11 months) in experimental and control conditions viewed a crime and attempted two separate identifications. The manipulation had minimal impact on the CA relation for choosers and nonchoosers. In contrast to adults, children's identification confidence provides no useful guide for investigators about the likely guilt or innocence of a suspect. These experiments revealed limitations in children's metacognitive monitoring processes that have not been apparent in previous research on recall and recognition with younger children.

  14. Retrospective Analysis of the Benefits and Impacts of U.S. Renewable Portfolio Standards

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wiser, Ryan [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Barbose, Galen [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Heeter, Jenny [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Mai, Trieu [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Bird, Lori [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Bolinger, Mark [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Carpenter, Alberta [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Heath, Garvin [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Keyser, David [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Macknick, Jordan [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Mills, Andrew [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Millstein, Dev [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)

    2016-01-06

    This analysis is the first-ever comprehensive assessment of the benefits and impacts of state renewable portfolio standards (RPSs). This joint National Renewable Energy Laboratory-Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory project provides a retrospective analysis of RPS program benefits and impacts, including greenhouse gas emissions reductions, air pollution emission reductions, water use reductions, gross jobs and economic development impacts, wholesale electricity price reduction impacts, and natural gas price reduction impacts. Wherever possible, benefits and impacts are quantified in monetary terms. The paper will inform state policymakers, RPS program administrators, industry, and others about the costs and benefits of state RPS programs. In particular, the work seeks to inform decision-making surrounding ongoing legislative proposals to scale back, freeze, or expand existing RPS programs, as well as future discussions about increasing RPS targets or otherwise increasing renewable energy associated with Clean Power Plan compliance or other emission-reduction goals.

  15. Molecular identification of broomrape species from a single seed by High Resolution Melting analysis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mathieu Rolland

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available Broomrapes are holoparasitic plants spreading through seeds. Each plant produces hundreds of thousands of seeds which remain viable in the soils for decades. To limit their spread, drastic measures are being taken and the contamination of a commercial seed lot by a single broomrape seed can lead to its rejection. Considering that broomrapes species identification from a single seed is extremely difficult even for trained botanists and that among all the described species, only a few are really noxious for the crops, numerous seed lots are rejected because of the contamination by seeds of non-noxious broomrape species. The aim of this study was to develop and evaluate a High Resolution Melting assay identifying the eight most noxious and common broomrape species (P. aegyptiaca, O. cernua, O. crenata, O. cumana, O. foetida, O. hederae, O. minor, and P. ramosa from a single seed. Based on trnL and rbcL plastidial genes amplification, the designed assay successfully identifies O. cumana, O. cernua, O. crenata, O. minor, O. hederae, and O. foetida; P. ramosa and P. aegyptiaca can be differentiated from other species but not from each other. Tested on 50 seed lots, obtained results perfectly matched identifications performed by sequencing. Through the analysis of common seed lots by different analysts, the reproducibility of the assay was evaluated at 90 %. Despite an original sample preparation process it was not possible to extract enough DNA from some seeds (10% of the samples. The described assay fulfils its objectives and allows an accurate identification of the targeted broomrape species. It can be used to identify contaminants in commercial seed lots or for any other purpose. The assay might be extended to vegetative material.

  16. Relating the environmental impact of consumption to household expenditures. An input-output analysis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kerkhof, Annemarie C.; Nonhebel, Sanderine; Moll, Henri C.

    2009-01-01

    In this paper we evaluate the relationships between household expenditures and the environmental impact categories climate change, acidification, eutrophication and smog formation, by combining household expenditures with environmentally extended input-output analysis. Expenditure elasticities are examined with regression analysis, and are compared and interpreted on the basis of insight at the product level. With data from the Netherlands in the year 2000, we find that environmental impact increases with increasing household expenditures, although the degree to which the environmental impact increases differs per impact category. Climate change and eutrophication increase less than proportionally with increasing expenditures. Acidification increases nearly proportionally with increasing expenditures, whereas smog formation increases more than proportionally. It appears that the mix of necessities and luxuries to which an environmental impact is related is essential in explaining the relationship. (author)

  17. Analysis of blind identification methods for estimation of kinetic parameters in dynamic medical imaging

    Science.gov (United States)

    Riabkov, Dmitri

    Compartment modeling of dynamic medical image data implies that the concentration of the tracer over time in a particular region of the organ of interest is well-modeled as a convolution of the tissue response with the tracer concentration in the blood stream. The tissue response is different for different tissues while the blood input is assumed to be the same for different tissues. The kinetic parameters characterizing the tissue responses can be estimated by blind identification methods. These algorithms use the simultaneous measurements of concentration in separate regions of the organ; if the regions have different responses, the measurement of the blood input function may not be required. In this work it is shown that the blind identification problem has a unique solution for two-compartment model tissue response. For two-compartment model tissue responses in dynamic cardiac MRI imaging conditions with gadolinium-DTPA contrast agent, three blind identification algorithms are analyzed here to assess their utility: Eigenvector-based Algorithm for Multichannel Blind Deconvolution (EVAM), Cross Relations (CR), and Iterative Quadratic Maximum Likelihood (IQML). Comparisons of accuracy with conventional (not blind) identification techniques where the blood input is known are made as well. The statistical accuracies of estimation for the three methods are evaluated and compared for multiple parameter sets. The results show that the IQML method gives more accurate estimates than the other two blind identification methods. A proof is presented here that three-compartment model blind identification is not unique in the case of only two regions. It is shown that it is likely unique for the case of more than two regions, but this has not been proved analytically. For the three-compartment model the tissue responses in dynamic FDG PET imaging conditions are analyzed with the blind identification algorithms EVAM and Separable variables Least Squares (SLS). A method of

  18. A nonlinear 3D containment analysis for airplane impact

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Buchhardt, F.; Magiera, G.; Matthees, W.; Weber, M.

    1983-01-01

    In the Federal Republic of Germany, it is pertinent safety philosophy to design nuclear facilities against airplane impact, despite its very unlikely probability of occurrence. For safety reasons, the following conditions have to be met: 1) In the close impact area of the projectile, the structure can be stressed up to its ultimate load capacity, so that impact energy is dissipated partly. Hereby, it must be strictly clarified that local structural failure within the impact zone is avoided. 2) Residual impact energy is transferred to the 'non-disturbed' containment structure and to the interior structure. The subject of reinforced concrete structures under impact loads shows still clear gaps between the findings of experimental and analytical analyses. To clarify this highly nonlinear phenomena comprehensive tests have recently been performed in Germany. It is the aim of this paper to carry out a three-dimensional analysis of a nuclear facility. To perform the calculations, the finite element ADINA code is applied. In order to obtain optimum results, a very fine mesh leading to several thousand DOF is used. To model the impact area of the concrete structure realistically, its linear and mostly nonlinear material behaviour as well as its failure criteria must be taken into account. Herewith the structural response is reduced due to increased energy dissipation. This reduction rate is valued by variation of the assumed size of impact zone, the load impact location and the assumed load-time function. (orig./RW)

  19. Secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) analysis of hypervelocity microparticle impact sites on LDEF surfaces

    Science.gov (United States)

    Simon, C. G.; Buonaquisti, A. J.; Batchelor, D. A.; Hunter, J. L.; Griffis, D. P.; Misra, V.; Ricks, D. R.; Wortman, J. J.; Brownlee, D. E.; Best, S. R.

    1995-01-01

    Two dimensional elemental ion maps have been recorded for hundreds of microparticle impact sites and contamination features on LDEF surfaces. Since the majority of the analyzed surfaces were metal-oxide-silicon (MOS) impact detectors from the Interplanetary Dust Experiment, a series of 'standard' and 'blank' analyses of these surfaces are included. Hypervelocity impacts of forsterite olivine microparticles on activated flight sensors served as standards while stylus and pulsed laser simulated 'impacts' served as analytical blanks. Results showed that despite serious contamination issues, impactor residues can be identified in greater than 1/3 of the impact sites. While aluminum oxide particles could not be detected on aluminum surfaces, they were detected on germanium surfaces from row 12. Remnants of manmade debris impactors consisting of paint chips and bits of metal were identified on surfaces from LDEF Rows 3 (west or trailing side), 6 (south), 9 (ram or leading side), 12 (north) and the space end. Higher than expected ratios of manmade microparticle impacts to total microparticle impacts were found on the space end and the trailing side. These results were consistent with time-tagged and time-segregated microparticle impact data from the IDE and other LDEF experiments. A myriad of contamination interferences were identified and their effects on impactor debris identification mitigated during the course of this study. These interferences include pre-, post and inflight deposited surface contaminants as well as indigenous heterogeneous material contaminants. Non-flight contaminations traced to human origins, including spittle and skin oils, contributed significant levels of alkali-rich carbonaceous interferences. A ubiquitous layer of in-flight deposited silicaceous contamination varied in thickness with location on LDEF, even on a micro scale. In-flight deposited (low velocity) contaminants include urine droplets and bits of metal film from eroded thermal

  20. Direct bacterial identification from positive blood cultures using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometry: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ruiz-Aragón, Jesús; Ballestero-Téllez, Mónica; Gutiérrez-Gutiérrez, Belén; de Cueto, Marina; Rodríguez-Baño, Jesús; Pascual, Álvaro

    2017-10-27

    The rapid identification of bacteraemia-causing pathogens could assist clinicians in the timely prescription of targeted therapy, thereby reducing the morbidity and mortality of this infection. In recent years, numerous techniques that rapidly and directly identify positive blood cultures have been marketed, with matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) being one of the most commonly used. The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to evaluate the accuracy of MALDI-TOF (Bruker ® ) for the direct identification of positive blood culture bottles. A meta-analysis was performed to summarize the results of the 32 studies evaluated. The overall quality of the studies was moderate. For Gram-positive bacteria, overall rates of correct identification of the species ranged from 0.17 to 0.98, with a cumulative rate (random-effects model) of 0.72 (95% CI: 0.64-0.80). For Gram-negative bacteria, correct identification rates ranged from 0.66 to 1.00, with a cumulative effect of 0.92 (95% CI: 0.88-0.95). For Enterobacteriaceae, the rate was 0.96 (95% CI: 0.94-0.97). MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry shows high accuracy for the correct identification of Gram-negative bacteria, particularly Enterobacteriaceae, directly from positive blood culture bottles, and moderate accuracy for the identification of Gram-positive bacteria (low for some species). Copyright © 2017 Elsevier España, S.L.U. and Sociedad Española de Enfermedades Infecciosas y Microbiología Clínica. All rights reserved.

  1. Analysis of the degradation mechanisms in an impacted ceramic

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Denoual, C.; Cottenot, C. E.; Hild, F.

    1998-01-01

    To analyze the degradation mechanisms in a natural sintered SiC (SSiC) ceramic during impact, three edge-on impact configurations are considered. First, the ceramic is confined by aluminum to allow a post-mortem analysis. In the second configuration, a polished surface of the ceramic is observed each micro-second by a high-speed camera to follow the damage generation and evolution. The third configuration uses a high-speed Moire photography system to measure dynamic 2-D strain fields. Sequences of fringe patterns are analyzed

  2. Screening Technologies for Target Identification in Pancreatic Cancer

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Michl, Patrick, E-mail: michlp@med.uni-marburg.de; Ripka, Stefanie; Gress, Thomas; Buchholz, Malte [Department of Gastroenterology and Endocrinology, University Hospital, Philipps-University Marburg, Baldinger Strasse, D-35043 Marburg (Germany)

    2010-12-29

    Pancreatic cancer exhibits an extraordinarily high level of resistance to almost any kind of systemic therapy evaluated in clinical trials so far. Therefore, the identification of novel therapeutic targets is urgently required. High-throughput screens have emerged as an important tool to identify putative targets for diagnosis and therapy in an unbiased manner. More than a decade ago, microarray technology was introduced to identify differentially expressed genes in pancreatic cancer as compared to normal pancreas, chronic pancreatitis and other cancer types located in close proximity to the pancreas. In addition, proteomic screens have facilitated the identification of differentially secreted proteins in body fluids of pancreatic cancer patients, serving as possible biomarkers. Recently, RNA interference-based loss-of-function screens have been used to identify functionally relevant genes, whose knock-down has impact on pancreatic cancer cell viability, thereby representing potential new targets for therapeutic intervention. This review summarizes recent results of transcriptional, proteomic and functional screens in pancreatic cancer and discusses potentials and limitations of the respective technologies as well as their impact on future therapeutic developments.

  3. Screening Technologies for Target Identification in Pancreatic Cancer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Michl, Patrick; Ripka, Stefanie; Gress, Thomas; Buchholz, Malte

    2010-01-01

    Pancreatic cancer exhibits an extraordinarily high level of resistance to almost any kind of systemic therapy evaluated in clinical trials so far. Therefore, the identification of novel therapeutic targets is urgently required. High-throughput screens have emerged as an important tool to identify putative targets for diagnosis and therapy in an unbiased manner. More than a decade ago, microarray technology was introduced to identify differentially expressed genes in pancreatic cancer as compared to normal pancreas, chronic pancreatitis and other cancer types located in close proximity to the pancreas. In addition, proteomic screens have facilitated the identification of differentially secreted proteins in body fluids of pancreatic cancer patients, serving as possible biomarkers. Recently, RNA interference-based loss-of-function screens have been used to identify functionally relevant genes, whose knock-down has impact on pancreatic cancer cell viability, thereby representing potential new targets for therapeutic intervention. This review summarizes recent results of transcriptional, proteomic and functional screens in pancreatic cancer and discusses potentials and limitations of the respective technologies as well as their impact on future therapeutic developments

  4. Identification of conserved regulatory elements by comparative genome analysis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jareborg Niclas

    2003-05-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background For genes that have been successfully delineated within the human genome sequence, most regulatory sequences remain to be elucidated. The annotation and interpretation process requires additional data resources and significant improvements in computational methods for the detection of regulatory regions. One approach of growing popularity is based on the preferential conservation of functional sequences over the course of evolution by selective pressure, termed 'phylogenetic footprinting'. Mutations are more likely to be disruptive if they appear in functional sites, resulting in a measurable difference in evolution rates between functional and non-functional genomic segments. Results We have devised a flexible suite of methods for the identification and visualization of conserved transcription-factor-binding sites. The system reports those putative transcription-factor-binding sites that are both situated in conserved regions and located as pairs of sites in equivalent positions in alignments between two orthologous sequences. An underlying collection of metazoan transcription-factor-binding profiles was assembled to facilitate the study. This approach results in a significant improvement in the detection of transcription-factor-binding sites because of an increased signal-to-noise ratio, as demonstrated with two sets of promoter sequences. The method is implemented as a graphical web application, ConSite, which is at the disposal of the scientific community at http://www.phylofoot.org/. Conclusions Phylogenetic footprinting dramatically improves the predictive selectivity of bioinformatic approaches to the analysis of promoter sequences. ConSite delivers unparalleled performance using a novel database of high-quality binding models for metazoan transcription factors. With a dynamic interface, this bioinformatics tool provides broad access to promoter analysis with phylogenetic footprinting.

  5. Budget impact analysis of trastuzumab in early breast cancer: a hospital district perspective.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Purmonen, Timo T; Auvinen, Päivi K; Martikainen, Janne A

    2010-04-01

    Adjuvant trastuzumab is widely used in HER2-positive (HER2+) early breast cancer, and despite its cost-effectiveness, it causes substantial costs for health care. The purpose of the study was to develop a tool for estimating the budget impact of new cancer treatments. With this tool, we were able to estimate the budget impact of adjuvant trastuzumab, as well as the probability of staying within a given budget constraint. The created model-based evaluation tool was used to explore the budget impact of trastuzumab in early breast cancer in a single Finnish hospital district with 250,000 inhabitants. The used model took into account the number of patients, HER2+ prevalence, length and cost of treatment, and the effectiveness of the therapy. Probabilistic sensitivity analysis and alternative case scenarios were performed to ensure the robustness of the results. Introduction of adjuvant trastuzumab caused substantial costs for a relatively small hospital district. In base-case analysis the 4-year net budget impact was 1.3 million euro. The trastuzumab acquisition costs were partially offset by the reduction in costs associated with the treatment of cancer recurrence and metastatic disease. Budget impact analyses provide important information about the overall economic impact of new treatments, and thus offer complementary information to cost-effectiveness analyses. Inclusion of treatment outcomes and probabilistic sensitivity analysis provides more realistic estimates of the net budget impact. The length of trastuzumab treatment has a strong effect on the budget impact.

  6. Evaluation of the Capacity of PCR and High-Resolution Melt Curve Analysis for Identification of Mixed Infection with Mycoplasma gallisepticum Strains.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Seyed A Ghorashi

    Full Text Available Pathogenicity and presentation of Mycoplasma gallisepticum (MG infection may differ from one strain to another and this may have implications on control measures. Infection of individual birds with more than one MG strain has been reported. A PCR followed by high resolution melt (HRM curve analysis has been developed in our laboratory and routinely used for detection and differentiation of MG strains. However the potential of this test for identification of MG strains in a mixed specimen has not been evaluated. In the present study, the capability of PCR-HRM curve analysis technique, targeting vlhA and pvpA genes was assessed for identification of individual MG strains in a mixed population. Different DNA ratios of two MG strains from 1 to 10(-4 ng were tested with some generated conventional and normalized curves distinct from those of individual strains alone. Using genotype confidence percentages (GCP generated from HRM curve analysis, it was found that vlhA PCR-HRM was more consistent than pvpA PCR-HRM for the detection of MG ts-11 vaccine strain mixed with any of the MG strains 6/85, F, S6 or a field isolate. The potential of vlhA PCR-HRM to detect mixed MG strains in a specimen was found to be primarily dependent on quantity and proportion of the target DNAs in the mixture. This is the first study examining the capacity of PCR-HRM technique for identification of individual MG strains in a mixed strain population.

  7. Probability of identification: a statistical model for the validation of qualitative botanical identification methods.

    Science.gov (United States)

    LaBudde, Robert A; Harnly, James M

    2012-01-01

    A qualitative botanical identification method (BIM) is an analytical procedure that returns a binary result (1 = Identified, 0 = Not Identified). A BIM may be used by a buyer, manufacturer, or regulator to determine whether a botanical material being tested is the same as the target (desired) material, or whether it contains excessive nontarget (undesirable) material. The report describes the development and validation of studies for a BIM based on the proportion of replicates identified, or probability of identification (POI), as the basic observed statistic. The statistical procedures proposed for data analysis follow closely those of the probability of detection, and harmonize the statistical concepts and parameters between quantitative and qualitative method validation. Use of POI statistics also harmonizes statistical concepts for botanical, microbiological, toxin, and other analyte identification methods that produce binary results. The POI statistical model provides a tool for graphical representation of response curves for qualitative methods, reporting of descriptive statistics, and application of performance requirements. Single collaborator and multicollaborative study examples are given.

  8. Distinctive Innovation Capabilities of Argentine Software Companies with High Innovation Results and Impacts

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    María Isabel Camio

    2018-04-01

    Full Text Available The software sector is of growing importance and, due to its degree of dynamism, the identification of capabilities for innovation is vital. This study identifies capabilities variables that distinguish Argentine software companies with high innovation results and high innovation impacts from those with lesser results and impacts. It is applied to a sample of 103 companies, a measurement model and the component variables of an innovation degree index for software companies (INIs formulated in previous studies. A Principal Component Analysis and a biplot are conducted. In the analysis of results and impacts, 100% of the variability within the first two components is explained, which shows the high correlation between variables. From the biplots, it appears that companies with high results have higher degrees in the variables of motivation, strategy, leadership and internal determinants; and those with high impacts present higher degrees of structure, strategy, leadership, free software and innovation activities. The findings add elements to the theory of capabilities for innovation in the software sector and allow us to consider the relative importance of different capabilities variables in the generation of innovation results and impacts.

  9. Impact of the introduction of standardised packaging on smokers’ brand awareness and identification in Australia

    Science.gov (United States)

    Balmford, James; Borland, Ron; Yong, Hua-Hie

    2015-01-01

    Introduction and aims The introduction of standardised packaging (SP) in Australia in December 2012 has heightened interest in how image and branding might affect smoking. This paper tests the hypothesis that brand awareness and identification among smokers will decline after the introduction of SP. Design and methods Longitudinal study of three waves of smokers in Australia, conducted between October 2011–February 2012 (pre-SP) (n=1104), February-May 2013 (post-SP1) (n=1093), and August-December 2014 (post-SP2) (n=1090). We explored the extent of changes in two variables, brand awareness (noticing others with the brand of cigarettes you smoke) and brand identification (perceiving something in common among smokers of your brand), and examined change in a number of other measures of brand appeal, brand characteristics and determinants of brand choice. Results Brand awareness ‘at least sometimes’ reduced from 45.3% pre-SP to 26.9% at post-SP2 (odds ratio [OR] 0.35 (0.27–0.45)). Brand identification also decreased from 18.2% to 12.7% (OR 0.62 (0.42–0.91)). Significant decline was also found in measures of perceived brand prestige (OR 0.51 (0.39–0.66), and choice of brand for health reasons (OR 0.45 (0.32–0.63). Liking the look of the pack was strongly associated with brand identification, but only post-SP (P=0.02 for interaction across the 3 waves). Discussion The introduction of SP of tobacco products in Australia has been associated with reductions in brand awareness and identification, and changes in related measures. Conclusions The findings support the notion that SP has reduced the capacity for smokers to use pack branding to create and communicate a desired identity. PMID:26369651

  10. Search-based model identification of smart-structure damage

    Science.gov (United States)

    Glass, B. J.; Macalou, A.

    1991-01-01

    This paper describes the use of a combined model and parameter identification approach, based on modal analysis and artificial intelligence (AI) techniques, for identifying damage or flaws in a rotating truss structure incorporating embedded piezoceramic sensors. This smart structure example is representative of a class of structures commonly found in aerospace systems and next generation space structures. Artificial intelligence techniques of classification, heuristic search, and an object-oriented knowledge base are used in an AI-based model identification approach. A finite model space is classified into a search tree, over which a variant of best-first search is used to identify the model whose stored response most closely matches that of the input. Newly-encountered models can be incorporated into the model space. This adaptativeness demonstrates the potential for learning control. Following this output-error model identification, numerical parameter identification is used to further refine the identified model. Given the rotating truss example in this paper, noisy data corresponding to various damage configurations are input to both this approach and a conventional parameter identification method. The combination of the AI-based model identification with parameter identification is shown to lead to smaller parameter corrections than required by the use of parameter identification alone.

  11. Wide-scope analysis of pesticide and veterinary drug residues in meat matrices by high resolution MS: detection and identification using Exactive-Orbitrap.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gómez-Pérez, María Luz; Romero-González, Roberto; Plaza-Bolaños, Patricia; Génin, Eric; Martínez Vidal, José Luis; Garrido Frenich, Antonia

    2014-01-01

    A multiresidue and multiclass method for the simultaneous determination of more than 350 compounds including pesticides, biopesticides and veterinary drugs in different meat matrices (beef, pork and chicken) by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography coupled to Orbitrap MS has been developed. In the present study, the determination of fragments was accomplished as an essential tool for a reliable identification of compounds using high resolution MS. To obtain these fragments, different strategies have been carried out in order to ensure an appropriate fragment assignment and identification. The analytical method is suitable for qualitative analysis, and it was also evaluated for quantitative analysis. Generic extraction conditions were optimized, obtaining adequate recovery and precision values for most of the studied analytes (>290). The limits of detection ranged from 2 to 16 µg kg(-1). Limits of quantification were 10 µg kg(-1) with the exception of few compounds with a higher value (50 or 100 µg kg(-1)). Limits of identification were also established, and they ranged from 2 to 150 µg kg(-1). This method was applied to the analysis of 18 meat samples and some veterinary drugs as enrofloxacin and sulfadiazine were detected and further identified/quantified (with triple quadrupole) in two different samples at 33 µg kg(-1) and trace levels, respectively. No pesticides were detected in the analyzed samples. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  12. Sobol’ sensitivity analysis for stressor impacts on honeybee colonies

    Science.gov (United States)

    We employ Monte Carlo simulation and nonlinear sensitivity analysis techniques to describe the dynamics of a bee exposure model, VarroaPop. Daily simulations are performed of hive population trajectories, taking into account queen strength, foraging success, mite impacts, weather...

  13. Methodologies of environmental impact assessment

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Schroll, H.

    1994-01-01

    This article gives a brief introduction covering the objectives of environmental impact assessment (EIA) and sustainable development, before going on to describe the screening procedure to define the environmental and socio-economic impacts of projects. The EIA procedure outlined encompasses a description of the project, examination of all environmental effects (scoping), identification of existing and predicted environmental conditions and impacts, alternative measures and mitigating measures, co-ordination, with environmental regulations, public participation, and monitoring and approval of the EIA. (UK)

  14. Hazard identification based on plant functional modelling

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rasmussen, B.; Whetton, C.

    1993-10-01

    A major objective of the present work is to provide means for representing a process plant as a socio-technical system, so as to allow hazard identification at a high level. The method includes technical, human and organisational aspects and is intended to be used for plant level hazard identification so as to identify critical areas and the need for further analysis using existing methods. The first part of the method is the preparation of a plant functional model where a set of plant functions link together hardware, software, operations, work organisation and other safety related aspects of the plant. The basic principle of the functional modelling is that any aspect of the plant can be represented by an object (in the sense that this term is used in computer science) based upon an Intent (or goal); associated with each Intent are Methods, by which the Intent is realized, and Constraints, which limit the Intent. The Methods and Constraints can themselves be treated as objects and decomposed into lower-level Intents (hence the procedure is known as functional decomposition) so giving rise to a hierarchical, object-oriented structure. The plant level hazard identification is carried out on the plant functional model using the Concept Hazard Analysis method. In this, the user will be supported by checklists and keywords and the analysis is structured by pre-defined worksheets. The preparation of the plant functional model and the performance of the hazard identification can be carried out manually or with computer support. (au) (4 tabs., 10 ills., 7 refs.)

  15. Two-dimensional PCA-based human gait identification

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Jinyan; Wu, Rongteng

    2012-11-01

    It is very necessary to recognize person through visual surveillance automatically for public security reason. Human gait based identification focus on recognizing human by his walking video automatically using computer vision and image processing approaches. As a potential biometric measure, human gait identification has attracted more and more researchers. Current human gait identification methods can be divided into two categories: model-based methods and motion-based methods. In this paper a two-Dimensional Principal Component Analysis and temporal-space analysis based human gait identification method is proposed. Using background estimation and image subtraction we can get a binary images sequence from the surveillance video. By comparing the difference of two adjacent images in the gait images sequence, we can get a difference binary images sequence. Every binary difference image indicates the body moving mode during a person walking. We use the following steps to extract the temporal-space features from the difference binary images sequence: Projecting one difference image to Y axis or X axis we can get two vectors. Project every difference image in the difference binary images sequence to Y axis or X axis difference binary images sequence we can get two matrixes. These two matrixes indicate the styles of one walking. Then Two-Dimensional Principal Component Analysis(2DPCA) is used to transform these two matrixes to two vectors while at the same time keep the maximum separability. Finally the similarity of two human gait images is calculated by the Euclidean distance of the two vectors. The performance of our methods is illustrated using the CASIA Gait Database.

  16. System Identification of Mistuned Bladed Disks from Traveling Wave Response Measurements

    Science.gov (United States)

    Feiner, D. M.; Griffin, J. H.; Jones, K. W.; Kenyon, J. A.; Mehmed, O.; Kurkov, A. P.

    2003-01-01

    A new approach to modal analysis is presented. By applying this technique to bladed disk system identification methods, one can determine the mistuning in a rotor based on its response to a traveling wave excitation. This allows system identification to be performed under rotating conditions, and thus expands the applicability of existing mistuning identification techniques from integrally bladed rotors to conventional bladed disks.

  17. MEASURE: An integrated data-analysis and model identification facility

    Science.gov (United States)

    Singh, Jaidip; Iyer, Ravi K.

    1990-01-01

    The first phase of the development of MEASURE, an integrated data analysis and model identification facility is described. The facility takes system activity data as input and produces as output representative behavioral models of the system in near real time. In addition a wide range of statistical characteristics of the measured system are also available. The usage of the system is illustrated on data collected via software instrumentation of a network of SUN workstations at the University of Illinois. Initially, statistical clustering is used to identify high density regions of resource-usage in a given environment. The identified regions form the states for building a state-transition model to evaluate system and program performance in real time. The model is then solved to obtain useful parameters such as the response-time distribution and the mean waiting time in each state. A graphical interface which displays the identified models and their characteristics (with real time updates) was also developed. The results provide an understanding of the resource-usage in the system under various workload conditions. This work is targeted for a testbed of UNIX workstations with the initial phase ported to SUN workstations on the NASA, Ames Research Center Advanced Automation Testbed.

  18. Women in nursing teams: organizational identification and experiences of pleasure and suffering

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Adriane Vieira

    2013-09-01

    Full Text Available OBJECTIVE: to analyze the degree of influence of the organizational identification on the experiences of pleasure and suffering of women who are members of the nursing staff of two general hospitals in Belo Horizonte. METHOD: a quantitative study was conducted with 97 nurses and 414 nursing technicians chosen by convenience in their workplaces. We used a self-administered questionnaire containing four Likert-type scales: self and hetero-perceptions; identification with the organization; and experiences of pleasure and pain at work. RESULTS: the structural relations explained a small percentage of the variability of organizational identification, showing that the self and hetero-perception are presented as relevant factors in professional identification with the organization. When considering how much the self and the hetero-perception and organizational identification all together impact in the experiences of pleasure and pain, a higher explanatory power is observed for: professional exhaustion, lack of recognition, freedom of expression and professional achievement.

  19. Prototype of an expert system to help nuclide identification in gamma spectrum analysis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jayanthi, Kasi Annapurna; Corcuera, Raquel Paviotti; Oliveira, Gina Maira B.

    1995-01-01

    This report describes the development and use of IDENT, prototype of an expert system that helps the researcher to identify radionuclides in gamma-ray spectroscopy. Normally the method adopted by the researcher is iterative, time consuming and becomes complicated in the analysis of large and complex gamma-ray spectra. The present expert system is based on the knowledge transmitted by expert and specialists in this area and the results show that it is helpful for researches who perform nuclide identification through gamma-ray spectroscopy. The gamma-ray spectrum of a material sample with about 140 peaks would take about a week or two be analysed by a specialist. The same task can be done in a few minutes using this expert system. (author). 14 refs., 2 figs

  20. Identification of Genetic Susceptibility to Childhood Cancer through Analysis of Genes in Parallel

    Science.gov (United States)

    Plon, Sharon E.; Wheeler, David A.; Strong, Louise C.; Tomlinson, Gail E.; Pirics, Michael; Meng, Qingchang; Cheung, Hannah C.; Begin, Phyllis R.; Muzny, Donna M.; Lewis, Lora; Biegel, Jaclyn A.; Gibbs, Richard A.

    2011-01-01

    Clinical cancer genetic susceptibility analysis typically proceeds sequentially beginning with the most likely causative gene. The process is time consuming and the yield is low particularly for families with unusual patterns of cancer. We determined the results of in parallel mutation analysis of a large cancer-associated gene panel. We performed deletion analysis and sequenced the coding regions of 45 genes (8 oncogenes and 37 tumor suppressor or DNA repair genes) in 48 childhood cancer patients who also (1) were diagnosed with a second malignancy under age 30, (2) have a sibling diagnosed with cancer under age 30 and/or (3) have a major congenital anomaly or developmental delay. Deleterious mutations were identified in 6 of 48 (13%) families, 4 of which met the sibling criteria. Mutations were identified in genes previously implicated in both dominant and recessive childhood syndromes including SMARCB1, PMS2, and TP53. No pathogenic deletions were identified. This approach has provided efficient identification of childhood cancer susceptibility mutations and will have greater utility as additional cancer susceptibility genes are identified. Integrating parallel analysis of large gene panels into clinical testing will speed results and increase diagnostic yield. The failure to detect mutations in 87% of families highlights that a number of childhood cancer susceptibility genes remain to be discovered. PMID:21356188

  1. Biometric identification using knee X-rays.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shamir, Lior; Ling, Shari; Rahimi, Salim; Ferrucci, Luigi; Goldberg, Ilya G

    2009-01-01

    Identification of people often makes use of unique features of the face, fingerprints and retina. Beyond this, a similar identifying process can be applied to internal parts of the body that are not visible to the unaided eye. Here we show that knee X-rays can be used for the identification of individual persons. The image analysis method is based on the wnd-charm algorithm, which has been found effective for the diagnosis of clinical conditions of knee joints. Experimental results show that the rank-10 identification accuracy using a dataset of 425 individuals is ~56%, and the rank-1 accuracy is ~34%. The dataset contained knee X-rays taken several years apart from each other, showing that the identifiable features correspond to specific persons, rather than the present clinical condition of the joint.

  2. Impact of collateral circulation status on favorable outcomes in thrombolysis treatment: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wufuer, Alimu; Wubuli, Atikaimu; Mijiti, Peierdun; Zhou, Jun; Tuerxun, Shabier; Cai, Jian; Ma, Jianhua; Zhang, Xiaoning

    2018-01-01

    Collateral circulation affects the prognosis of patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS) treated by thrombolysis. The present study performed a systematic assessment of the impact of the collateral circulation status on the outcomes of patients receiving thrombolysis treatment. Relevant full-text articles from the Cochrane Library, Ovid, Medline, Embase and PubMed databases published from January 1, 2000 to November 1, 2016 were retrieved. The quality of the studies was assessed and data were extracted by 2 independent investigators. The random-effects model was used to estimate the impact of good vs. poor collateral circulation, as well as baseline characteristics, on the outcome within the series presented as risk ratios. Subgroup analyses explored the potential factors that may interfere with the effects of the collateral circulation status on the outcome. A total of 29 studies comprising 4,053 patients were included in the present meta-analysis. A good collateral circulation status was revealed to have a beneficial effect on favorable functional outcome (modified Rankin scale, 0-3 at 3-6 months; Pcollateral circulation. Good collateral circulation was also associated with a lower rate of symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage (Pcollateral circulation was demonstrated to have a favorable prognostic value regarding the outcome for patients with AIS receiving thrombolysis treatment. Assessment of collateral circulation and penumbra area during pre-treatment imaging within an appropriate time-window prior to thrombolytic therapy will therefore improve the identification of AIS patients who may benefit from thrombolysis treatment.

  3. Structural system identification: Structural dynamics model validation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Red-Horse, J.R.

    1997-04-01

    Structural system identification is concerned with the development of systematic procedures and tools for developing predictive analytical models based on a physical structure`s dynamic response characteristics. It is a multidisciplinary process that involves the ability (1) to define high fidelity physics-based analysis models, (2) to acquire accurate test-derived information for physical specimens using diagnostic experiments, (3) to validate the numerical simulation model by reconciling differences that inevitably exist between the analysis model and the experimental data, and (4) to quantify uncertainties in the final system models and subsequent numerical simulations. The goal of this project was to develop structural system identification techniques and software suitable for both research and production applications in code and model validation.

  4. Environmental impact assessment including indirect effects--a case study using input-output analysis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lenzen, Manfred; Murray, Shauna A.; Korte, Britta; Dey, Christopher J.

    2003-01-01

    Environmental impact assessment (EIA) is a process covered by several international standards, dictating that as many environmental aspects as possible should be identified in a project appraisal. While the ISO 14011 standard stipulates a broad-ranging study, off-site, indirect impacts are not specifically required for an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). The reasons for this may relate to the perceived difficulty of measuring off-site impacts, or the assumption that these are a relatively insignificant component of the total impact. In this work, we describe a method that uses input-output analysis to calculate the indirect effects of a development proposal in terms of several indicator variables. The results of our case study of a Second Sydney Airport show that the total impacts are considerably higher than the on-site impacts for the indicators land disturbance, greenhouse gas emissions, water use, emissions of NO x and SO 2 , and employment. We conclude that employing input-output analysis enhances conventional EIA, as it allows for national and international effects to be taken into account in the decision-making process

  5. Statistical analysis of texture in trunk images for biometric identification of tree species.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bressane, Adriano; Roveda, José A F; Martins, Antônio C G

    2015-04-01

    The identification of tree species is a key step for sustainable management plans of forest resources, as well as for several other applications that are based on such surveys. However, the present available techniques are dependent on the presence of tree structures, such as flowers, fruits, and leaves, limiting the identification process to certain periods of the year. Therefore, this article introduces a study on the application of statistical parameters for texture classification of tree trunk images. For that, 540 samples from five Brazilian native deciduous species were acquired and measures of entropy, uniformity, smoothness, asymmetry (third moment), mean, and standard deviation were obtained from the presented textures. Using a decision tree, a biometric species identification system was constructed and resulted to a 0.84 average precision rate for species classification with 0.83accuracy and 0.79 agreement. Thus, it can be considered that the use of texture presented in trunk images can represent an important advance in tree identification, since the limitations of the current techniques can be overcome.

  6. Microarrays for Universal Detection and Identification of Phytoplasmas

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Nicolaisen, Mogens; Nyskjold, Henriette; Bertaccini, Assunta

    2013-01-01

    Detection and identification of phytoplasmas is a laborious process often involving nested PCR followed by restriction enzyme analysis and fine-resolution gel electrophoresis. To improve throughput, other methods are needed. Microarray technology offers a generic assay that can potentially detect...... and differentiate all types of phytoplasmas in one assay. The present protocol describes a microarray-based method for identification of phytoplasmas to 16Sr group level....

  7. IDENTIFICATION ASPECT OF METHODOLOGY DESIGN OF CONTROL SYSTEM TIME-VARIANT PROCESS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M. M. Blagoveshchenskaia

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Summary. Specificity of a food manufacture demands perfection of automatic control systems of processes in devices, units and installations. Creation of an adaptive control system by technological process of a food on the basis of model of control object it is necessary to carry out the additional analysis for choice algorithm of identification on real enough to representative sample of input data and output signal/data. In article on the basis of simulation it is analyzed over 53 algorithms of recurrent identification plus the basic modifications of these algorithms by 47 criteria for time-varying multivariable linear dynamic objects. On the basis of this analysis for engineering practice for a considered class of objects some algorithms are recommended. Possibilities of the software suite having for today the fullest set of parametrical identification algorithms are discussed. For given specific conditions of comparison in the package identification algorithms for identification of stationary coefficients in the equation object of the most effective were: Yzerman-1, Kaczmarz, Nagumo-Noda, Rastrigin, Kalman filter, the forgetting factor, Zipkin. When pointwise object - Kaczmarz, Nagumo-Noda, Kalman filter; showed the best result identification algorithm-Nagumo Noda.

  8. Comparison of Fatty Acid Methyl Ester Analysis with the Use of API 20E and NFT Strips for Identification of Aquatic Bacteria

    OpenAIRE

    Brown, B. J.; Leff, L. G.

    1996-01-01

    Aquatic bacteria grown on MacConkey agar and modified nutrient agar were identified by using API 20E and NFT strips and fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) analysis. Identifications agreed at the species level 35.7% of the time when API 20E strips and FAME analysis were used and in 4.3% of the cases when API NFT strips and FAME analysis were used. These techniques require further development before extended use in ecological studies.

  9. Scenario analysis in environmental impact assessment: Improving explorations of the future

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Duinker, Peter N.; Greig, Lorne A.

    2007-01-01

    Scenarios and scenario analysis have become popular approaches in organizational planning and participatory exercises in pursuit of sustainable development. However, they are little used, at least in any formal way, in environmental impact assessment (EIA). This is puzzling because EIA is a process specifically dedicated to exploring options for more-sustainable (i.e., less environmentally damaging) futures. In this paper, we review the state of the art associated with scenarios and scenario analysis, and describe two areas where scenario analysis could be particularly helpful in EIA: (a) in defining future developments for cumulative effects assessment; and (b) in considering the influence of contextual change - e.g. climate change - on impact forecasts for specific projects. We conclude by encouraging EIA practitioners to learn about the promise of scenario-based analysis and implement scenario-based methods so that EIA can become more effective in fostering sustainable development

  10. Electrons identification in the forward region of the ATLAS electromagnetic calorimeter at the LHC and first data analysis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chareyre, E.

    2010-09-01

    The start up of the ATLAS experiment at the CERN LHC has been done during the autumn 2009. During the construction and integration of the detector, combined beam tests grouping several subsystems have been carried out. In the forward region of the detector (η > 2.5), a combined beam test with electromagnetic and hadronic calorimeters has been done, whose data (pions and electrons) has been analyzed. Identification of electrons in this region can be used to study decays of Z and W bosons and also to develop some tools to understand the background noises. A method to estimate rejection of pions and electrons identification efficiency is presented using a discriminant analysis based on the methods of Fisher discriminant and on Boosted Decision Trees. It is shown that a pion rejection higher than 200 with an efficiency of electron identification of 50% can be obtained. Moreover the tools and methods developed during the beam tests have been applied on the first data of the LHC with collisions at 7 TeV. Since the present luminosity of the LHC is not yet sufficient to study precisely production of Z and W bosons by using data, a study using the Pythia generator has been done on electrons physics in the forward region. (author)

  11. Change Impact Analysis of Crosscutting in Software Architectural Design

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    van den Berg, Klaas

    2006-01-01

    Software architectures should be amenable to changes in user requirements and implementation technology. The analysis of the impact of these changes can be based on traceability of architectural design elements. Design elements have dependencies with other software artifacts but also evolve in time.

  12. Transport Energy Impact Analysis; NREL (National Renewable Energy Laboratory)

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Gonder, J.

    2015-05-13

    Presented at the Sustainable Transportation Energy Pathways Spring 2015 Symposium on May 13, 2015, this presentation by Jeff Gonder of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) provides information about NREL's transportation energy impact analysis of connected and automated vehicles.

  13. Impact of Instructional Decisions on the Effectiveness of Cooperative Learning in Chemistry through Meta-Analysis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Apugliese, Andrew; Lewis, Scott E.

    2017-01-01

    Meta-analysis can provide a robust description of the impact of educational reforms and also offer an opportunity to explore the conditions where such reforms are more or less effective. This article describes a meta-analysis on the impact of cooperative learning on students' chemistry understanding. Modifiers in the meta-analysis are purposefully…

  14. Identification of Blood Culture Isolates Directly from Positive Blood Cultures by Use of Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption Ionization–Time of Flight Mass Spectrometry and a Commercial Extraction System: Analysis of Performance, Cost, and Turnaround Time

    OpenAIRE

    Lagacé-Wiens, Philippe R. S.; Adam, Heather J.; Karlowsky, James A.; Nichol, Kimberly A.; Pang, Paulette F.; Guenther, Jodi; Webb, Amanda A.; Miller, Crystal; Alfa, Michelle J.

    2012-01-01

    Matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization–time of flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometry represents a revolution in the rapid identification of bacterial and fungal pathogens in the clinical microbiology laboratory. Recently, MALDI-TOF has been applied directly to positive blood culture bottles for the rapid identification of pathogens, leading to reductions in turnaround time and potentially beneficial patient impacts. The development of a commercially available extraction kit (Bruker Sepsit...

  15. The Performance of Structure-Controller Coupled Systems Analysis Using Probabilistic Evaluation and Identification Model Approach

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mosbeh R. Kaloop

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available This study evaluates the performance of passively controlled steel frame building under dynamic loads using time series analysis. A novel application is utilized for the time and frequency domains evaluation to analyze the behavior of controlling systems. In addition, the autoregressive moving average (ARMA neural networks are employed to identify the performance of the controller system. Three passive vibration control devices are utilized in this study, namely, tuned mass damper (TMD, tuned liquid damper (TLD, and tuned liquid column damper (TLCD. The results show that the TMD control system is a more reliable controller than TLD and TLCD systems in terms of vibration mitigation. The probabilistic evaluation and identification model showed that the probability analysis and ARMA neural network model are suitable to evaluate and predict the response of coupled building-controller systems.

  16. Source identification of underground fuel spills in a petroleum refinery using fingerprinting techniques and chemo-metric analysis. A Case Study

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kanellopoulou, G.; Gidarakos, E.; Pasadakis, N.

    2005-01-01

    Crude oil and its refining products are the most frequent contaminants, found in the environment due to spills. The aim of this work was the identification of spill source(s) in the subsurface of a petroleum refinery. Free phase samples were analyzed with gas chromatography and the analytical results were interpreted using Principal Component Analysis (PCA) method. The chemical analysis of groundwater samples from the refinery subsurface was also employed to obtain a comprehensive picture of the spill distribution and origin. (authors)

  17. Identification of Key Pathways and Genes in Advanced Coronary Atherosclerosis Using Bioinformatics Analysis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Xiaowen Tan

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Background. Coronary artery atherosclerosis is a chronic inflammatory disease. This study aimed to identify the key changes of gene expression between early and advanced carotid atherosclerotic plaque in human. Methods. Gene expression dataset GSE28829 was downloaded from Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO, including 16 advanced and 13 early stage atherosclerotic plaque samples from human carotid. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs were analyzed. Results. 42,450 genes were obtained from the dataset. Top 100 up- and downregulated DEGs were listed. Functional enrichment analysis and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG identification were performed. The result of functional and pathway enrichment analysis indicted that the immune system process played a critical role in the progression of carotid atherosclerotic plaque. Protein-protein interaction (PPI networks were performed either. Top 10 hub genes were identified from PPI network and top 6 modules were inferred. These genes were mainly involved in chemokine signaling pathway, cell cycle, B cell receptor signaling pathway, focal adhesion, and regulation of actin cytoskeleton. Conclusion. The present study indicated that analysis of DEGs would make a deeper understanding of the molecular mechanisms of atherosclerosis development and they might be used as molecular targets and diagnostic biomarkers for the treatment of atherosclerosis.

  18. Application of Metamodels to Identification of Metallic Materials Models

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Maciej Pietrzyk

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Improvement of the efficiency of the inverse analysis (IA for various material tests was the objective of the paper. Flow stress models and microstructure evolution models of various complexity of mathematical formulation were considered. Different types of experiments were performed and the results were used for the identification of models. Sensitivity analysis was performed for all the models and the importance of parameters in these models was evaluated. Metamodels based on artificial neural network were proposed to simulate experiments in the inverse solution. Performed analysis has shown that significant decrease of the computing times could be achieved when metamodels substitute finite element model in the inverse analysis, which is the case in the identification of flow stress models. Application of metamodels gave good results for flow stress models based on closed form equations accounting for an influence of temperature, strain, and strain rate (4 coefficients and additionally for softening due to recrystallization (5 coefficients and for softening and saturation (7 coefficients. Good accuracy and high efficiency of the IA were confirmed. On the contrary, identification of microstructure evolution models, including phase transformation models, did not give noticeable reduction of the computing time.

  19. Analysis of impact resistance of composite fan blade. Fukugozai fan blade no taishogekisei no kaiseki

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Miyachi, T; Okumura, H; Otake, K; Sofue, Y [Japan Society for Aeronautical and Space Sciences, Tokyo (Japan)

    1992-01-05

    Numerical analysis of impact response was carried out when a bird strike was simulated to study the applicability of fiber reinforced composite material to fan blades for turbo-fan engines. The validity of the numerical analysis was verified by comparing the analyzed results with impact tested results of a fan-blade model of Ti-alloy. The impact resistance was studied by applying this method to fan blades of composite materials such as carbon fiber, epoxy resin and carbon-silicate fiber reinforced Ti-alloy. The finite element method was used for the analysis by dividing the model into triangular flat elements. The relation between the impact load, the deformation of blade and the strain, the natural frequency characteristics, the elastic modulus and hetrogeneity of blade were considered to analyze the impact response. The impact load by the strike of 1.5 lbs bird is very severe to the fan blades for turbo-fan engines having the thrust of 5 ton class. 23 refs., 23 figs., 3 tabs.

  20. Computational Model for Impact-Resisting Critical Thickness of High-Speed Machine Outer Protective Plate

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wu, Huaying; Wang, Li Zhong; Wang, Yantao; Yuan, Xiaolei

    2018-05-01

    The blade or surface grinding blade of the hypervelocity grinding wheel may be damaged due to too high rotation rate of the spindle of the machine and then fly out. Its speed as a projectile may severely endanger the field persons. Critical thickness model of the protective plate of the high-speed machine is studied in this paper. For easy analysis, the shapes of the possible impact objects flying from the high-speed machine are simplified as sharp-nose model, ball-nose model and flat-nose model. Whose front ending shape to represent point, line and surface contacting. Impact analysis based on J-C model is performed for the low-carbon steel plate with different thicknesses in this paper. One critical thickness computational model for the protective plate of high-speed machine is established according to the damage characteristics of the thin plate to get relation among plate thickness and mass, shape and size and impact speed of impact object. The air cannon is used for impact test. The model accuracy is validated. This model can guide identification of the thickness of single-layer outer protective plate of a high-speed machine.