PROBABILISTIC MODEL FOR AIRPORT RUNWAY SAFETY AREAS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Stanislav SZABO

2017-06-01

Full Text Available The Laboratory of Aviation Safety and Security at CTU in Prague has recently started a project aimed at runway protection zones. The probability of exceeding by a certain distance from the runway in common incident/accident scenarios (take-off/landing overrun/veer-off, landing undershoot is being identified relative to the runway for any airport. As a result, the size and position of safety areas around runways are defined for the chosen probability. The basis for probability calculation is a probabilistic model using statistics from more than 1400 real-world cases where jet airplanes have been involved over the last few decades. Other scientific studies have contributed to understanding the issue and supported the model’s application to different conditions.

Research on effect of China’s energy saving policy of phase-out incandescent lamps

Science.gov (United States)

Ding, Qing; Zhao, Yuejin; Liang, Xiuying; Lin, Ling

2017-11-01

China’s energy saving policy of phase-out of incandescent lamps have been introduced and a comprehensive evaluation framework has been put forward. The impact of the implementation of the policy on manufacturing enterprises and places of sale, lighting industry and domestic and foreign markets, as well as the effect of energy conservation and emission reduction have been analyzed from micro, meso and macro layers. The research results show that, under the guidance of the policy, the orderly product mix transformation has been seen in incandescent lamp manufacturing enterprises, incandescent lamps gradually exit the Chinese mainstream lighting product market, and the energy conservation and emission reduction effect is remarkable.

Laser-induced incandescence applied to dusty plasmas

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van de Wetering, F.M.J.H.; Oosterbeek, W.; Beckers, J.; Nijdam, S.; Kovacevic, E.; Berndt, J.

2016-01-01

This paper reports on the laser heating of nanoparticles (diameters ≤1 μm) confined in a reactive plasma by short (150 ps) and intense (~63 mJ) UV (355 nm) laser pulses (laser-induced incandescence, LII). Important parameters such as the particle temperature and radius follow from analysis of the

Current status of Joint FAA/NASA Runway Friction Program

Science.gov (United States)

Yager, Thomas J.; Vogler, William A.

1989-01-01

Tests with specially instrumented NASA B-737 and FAA B-727 aircraft together with several different ground friction measuring devices have been conducted for a variety of runway surface types and wetness conditions. This effort is part of the Joint FAA/NASA Aircraft Ground Vehicle Runway Friction Program aimed at obaining a better understanding of aircraft ground handling performance under adverse weather conditions and defining relationships between aircraft and ground vehicle tire friction measurements. Aircraft braking performance on dry, wet, snow-, and ice-covered runway conditions is discussed together with ground vehicle friction data obtained under similar runway conditions. For the wet, compacted snow- and ice-covered runway conditions, the relationship between ground vehicles and aircraft friction data is identified. The influence of major test parameters on friction measurements such as speed, test tire characteristics, and surface contaminant type are discussed. The test results indicate that use of properly maintained and calibrated ground vehicles for monitoring runway friction conditions should be encouraged particularly under adverse weather conditions. The current status of the runway friction program is summarized and future test plans are identified.

Radiation doses from radioactivity in incandescent mantles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1985-01-01

Thorium nitrate is used in the production of incandescent mantles for gas lanterns. In this report dose estimates are given for internal and external exposure that result from the use of the incandescent mantles for gas lanterns. The collective, effective dose equivalent for all users of gas mantles is estimated to be about 100 Sv per annum in the Netherlands. For the population involved (ca. 700,000 persons) this is roughly equivalent to 5% to 10% of the collective dose equivalent associated with exposure to radiation from natural sources. The major contribution to dose estimates comes from inhalation of radium during burning of the mantles. A pessimistic approach results in individual dose estimates for inhalation of up to 0.2 mSv. Consideration of dose consequences in case of a fire in a storage department learns that it is necessary for emergency personnel to wear respirators. It is concluded that the uncontrolled removal of used gas mantles to the environment (soil) does not result in a significant contribution to environmental radiation exposure. (Auth.)

Immobilization of trypsin on miniature incandescent bulbs for infrared-assisted proteolysis

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ge, Huimin; Bao, Huimin; Zhang, Luyan; Chen, Gang, E-mail: gangchen@fudan.edu.cn

2014-10-03

Highlights: • Trypsin was immobilized on miniature incandescent bulbs via chitosan coating. • The bulbs acted as enzymatic reactors and the generators of infrared radiation. • The bulb bioreactors were successfully employed in infrared-assisted proteolysis. • The proteolysis could accomplish within 5 min with high sequence coverages. - Abstract: A novel efficient proteolysis approach was developed based on trypsin-immobilized miniature incandescent bulbs and infrared (IR) radiation. Trypsin was covalently immobilized in the chitosan coating on the outer surface of miniature incandescent bulbs with the aid of glutaraldehyde. When an illuminated enzyme-immobilized bulb was immersed in protein solution, the emitted IR radiation could trigger and accelerate heterogeneous protein digestion. The feasibility and performance of the novel proteolysis approach were demonstrated by the digestion of hemoglobin (HEM), cytochrome c (Cyt-c), lysozyme (LYS), and ovalbumin (OVA) and the digestion time was significantly reduced to 5 min. The obtained digests were identified by MALDI-TOF-MS with the sequence coverages of 91%, 77%, 80%, and 52% for HEM, Cyt-c, LYS, and OVA (200 ng μL{sup −1} each), respectively. The suitability of the prepared bulb bioreactors to complex proteins was demonstrated by digesting human serum.

Economic utilization of general aviation airport runways

Science.gov (United States)

Piper, R. R.

1971-01-01

The urban general aviation airport economics is studied in detail. The demand for airport services is discussed, and the different types of users are identified. The direct cost characteristics of the airport are summarized; costs to the airport owner are largely fixed, and, except at certain large airports, weight is not a significant factor in airport costs. The efficient use of an existing airport facility is explored, with the focus on the social cost of runway congestion as traffic density at the airport build up and queues form. The tradeoff between aircraft operating costs and airport costs is analyzed in terms of runway length. The transition from theory to practice is treated, and the policy of charging prices only on aircraft storage and fuel is felt likely to continue. Implications of the study from the standpoint of public policy include pricing that spreads traffic peaks to improve runway utilization, and pricing that discriminates against aircraft requiring long runways and causes owners to adopt V/STOL equipment.

System-Oriented Runway Management Concept of Operations

Science.gov (United States)

Lohr, Gary W.; Atkins, Stephen

2015-01-01

This document describes a concept for runway management that maximizes the overall efficiency of arrival and departure operations at an airport or group of airports. Specifically, by planning airport runway configurations/usage, it focuses on the efficiency with which arrival flights reach their parking gates from their arrival fixes and departure flights exit the terminal airspace from their parking gates. In the future, the concept could be expanded to include the management of other limited airport resources. While most easily described in the context of a single airport, the concept applies equally well to a group of airports that comprise a metroplex (i.e., airports in close proximity that share resources such that operations at the airports are at least partially dependent) by including the coordination of runway usage decisions between the airports. In fact, the potential benefit of the concept is expected to be larger in future metroplex environments due to the increasing need to coordinate the operations at proximate airports to more efficiently share limited airspace resources. This concept, called System-Oriented Runway Management (SORM), is further broken down into a set of airport traffic management functions that share the principle that operational performance must be measured over the complete surface and airborne trajectories of the airport's arrivals and departures. The "system-oriented" term derives from the belief that the traffic management objective must consider the efficiency of operations over a wide range of aircraft movements and National Airspace System (NAS) dynamics. The SORM concept is comprised of three primary elements: strategic airport capacity planning, airport configuration management, and combined arrival/departure runway planning. Some aspects of the SORM concept, such as using airport configuration management1 as a mechanism for improving aircraft efficiency, are novel. Other elements (e.g., runway scheduling, which is a part

Phase out of incandescent lamps

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2010-07-01

Since early 2007 almost all OECD and many non-OECD governments have announced policies aimed at phasing-out incandescent lighting within their jurisdictions. This study considers the implications of these policy developments in terms of demand for regulatory compliant lamps and the capacity and motivation of the lamp industry to produce efficient lighting products in sufficient volume to meet future demand. To assess these issues, it reviews the historic international screw-based lamp market, describes the status of international phase-out policies and presents projections of anticipated market responses to regulatory requirements to determine future demand for CFLs.

NASA tire/runway friction projects

Science.gov (United States)

Yager, Thomas J.

1995-01-01

The paper reviews several aspects of NASA Langley Research Center's tire/runway friction evaluations directed towards improving the safety and economy of aircraft ground operations. The facilities and test equipment used in implementing different aircraft tire friction studies and other related aircraft ground performance investigations are described together with recent workshop activities at NASA Wallops Flight Facility. An overview of the pending Joint NASA/Transport Canada/FM Winter Runway Friction Program is given. Other NASA ongoing studies and on-site field tests are discussed including tire wear performance and new surface treatments. The paper concludes with a description of future research plans.

Capacity Analysis for Parallel Runway through Agent-Based Simulation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yang Peng

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Parallel runway is the mainstream structure of China hub airport, runway is often the bottleneck of an airport, and the evaluation of its capacity is of great importance to airport management. This study outlines a model, multiagent architecture, implementation approach, and software prototype of a simulation system for evaluating runway capacity. Agent Unified Modeling Language (AUML is applied to illustrate the inbound and departing procedure of planes and design the agent-based model. The model is evaluated experimentally, and the quality is studied in comparison with models, created by SIMMOD and Arena. The results seem to be highly efficient, so the method can be applied to parallel runway capacity evaluation and the model propose favorable flexibility and extensibility.

Runway drainage characteristics related to tire friction performance

Science.gov (United States)

Yager, Thomas J.

1991-01-01

The capability of a runway pavement to rapidly drain water buildup during periods of precipitation is crucial to minimize tire hydroplaning potential and maintain adequate aircraft ground operational safety. Test results from instrumented aircraft, ground friction measuring vehicles, and NASA Langley's Aircraft Landing Dynamics Facility (ALDF) track have been summarized to indicate the adverse effects of pavement wetness conditions on tire friction performance. Water drainage measurements under a range of rainfall rates have been evaluated for several different runway surface treatments including the transversely grooved and longitudinally grinded concrete surfaces at the Space Shuttle Landing Facility (SLF) runway at NASA Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The major parameters influencing drainage rates and extent of flooding/drying conditions are identified. Existing drainage test data are compared to a previously derived empirical relationship and the need for some modification is indicated. The scope of future NASA Langley research directed toward improving empirical relationships to properly define runway drainage capability and consequently, enhance aircraft ground operational safety, is given.

Aircraft and ground vehicle friction measurements obtained under winter runway conditions

Science.gov (United States)

Yager, Thomas J.

1989-01-01

Tests with specially instrumented NASA B-737 and B-727 aircraft together with several different ground friction measuring devices have been conducted for a variety of runway surface types and wetness conditions. This effort is part of the Joint FAA/NASA Aircraft/Ground Vehicle Runway Friction Program aimed at obtaining a better understanding of aircraft ground handling performance under adverse weather conditions, and defining relationships between aircraft and ground vehicle tire friction measurements. Aircraft braking performance on dry, wet, snow-, and ice-covered runway conditions is discussed together with ground vehicle friction data obtained under similar runway conditions. For the wet, compacted snow- and ice-covered runway conditions, the relationship between ground vehicles and aircraft friction data is identified. The influence of major test parameters on friction measurements such as speed, test tire characteristics, and surface contaminant-type are discussed. The test results indicate that use of properly maintained and calibrated ground vehicles for monitoring runway friction conditions should be encouraged particularly under adverse weather conditions.

Shuttle landing runway modification to improve tire spin-up wear performance

Science.gov (United States)

Daugherty, Robert H.; Yager, Thomas J.; Stubbs, Sandy M.

1988-01-01

This paper presents the results of a series of tire spin-up wear tests on a simulated Kennedy Space Center (KSC) runway that were carried out to investigate the tire wear problem for Space Shuttle landings on the KSC runway and to test several modifications of the runway surface designed to alleviate the problem. It was found that the runway surface produced by a concrete smoothing machine using cutters spaced one and three-quarters blades per centimeter provided adequate wet cornering while limiting spin-up wear. Based on the test results, the KSC runway was smoothed for about 1066 m at each end, leaving the original high friction surface, for better wet steering and braking, in the 2438-m central section.

Evaluation of high pressure water blast with rotating spray bar for removing paint and rubber deposits from airport runways, and review of runway slipperiness problems created by rubber contamination

Science.gov (United States)

Horne, W. B.; Griswold, G. D.

1975-01-01

A high pressure water blast with rotating spray bar treatment for removing paint and rubber deposits from airport runways is studied. The results of the evaluation suggest that the treatment is very effective in removing above surface paint and rubber deposits to the point that pavement skid resistance is restored to trafficked but uncontaminated runway surface skid resistance levels. Aircraft operating problems created by runway slipperiness are reviewed along with an assessment of the contributions that pavement surface treatments, surface weathering, traffic polishing, and rubber deposits make in creating or alleviating runway slipperiness. The results suggest that conventional surface treatments for both portland cement and asphaltic concrete runways are extremely vulnerable to rubber deposit accretions which can produce runway slipperiness conditions for aircraft operations as or more slippery than many snow and ice-covered runway conditions. Pavement grooving surface treatments are shown to be the least vulnerable to rubber deposits accretion and traffic polishing of the surface treatments examined.

Development and Execution of the RUNSAFE Runway Safety Bayesian Belief Network Model

Science.gov (United States)

Green, Lawrence L.

2015-01-01

One focus area of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is to improve aviation safety. Runway safety is one such thrust of investigation and research. The two primary components of this runway safety research are in runway incursion (RI) and runway excursion (RE) events. These are adverse ground-based aviation incidents that endanger crew, passengers, aircraft and perhaps other nearby people or property. A runway incursion is the incorrect presence of an aircraft, vehicle or person on the protected area of a surface designated for the landing and take-off of aircraft; one class of RI events simultaneously involves two aircraft, such as one aircraft incorrectly landing on a runway while another aircraft is taking off from the same runway. A runway excursion is an incident involving only a single aircraft defined as a veer-off or overrun off the runway surface. Within the scope of this effort at NASA Langley Research Center (LaRC), generic RI, RE and combined (RI plus RE, or RUNSAFE) event models have each been developed and implemented as a Bayesian Belief Network (BBN). Descriptions of runway safety issues from the literature searches have been used to develop the BBN models. Numerous considerations surrounding the process of developing the event models have been documented in this report. The event models were then thoroughly reviewed by a Subject Matter Expert (SME) panel through multiple knowledge elicitation sessions. Numerous improvements to the model structure (definitions, node names, node states and the connecting link topology) were made by the SME panel. Sample executions of the final RUNSAFE model have been presented herein for baseline and worst-case scenarios. Finally, a parameter sensitivity analysis for a given scenario was performed to show the risk drivers. The NASA and LaRC research in runway safety event modeling through the use of BBN technology is important for several reasons. These include: 1) providing a means to clearly

Runway Safety: It's Everybody's Business. We Want You to Put the Brakes on Runway Incursions

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Cardosi, Kim

2001-01-01

This booklet tell pilots and controllers what they can do to help prevent runway incursions by helping them to avoid situations that induce errors and alerting them to them to situations as extra vigilance is required...

Benefits Assessment for Single-Airport Tactical Runway Configuration Management Tool (TRCM)

Science.gov (United States)

Oseguera-Lohr, Rosa; Phojanamonogkolkij, Nipa; Lohr, Gary W.

2015-01-01

The System-Oriented Runway Management (SORM) concept was developed as part of the Airspace Systems Program (ASP) Concepts and Technology Development (CTD) Project, and is composed of two basic capabilities: Runway Configuration Management (RCM), and Combined Arrival/Departure Runway Scheduling (CADRS). RCM is the process of designating active runways, monitoring the active runway configuration for suitability given existing factors, and predicting future configuration changes; CADRS is the process of distributing arrivals and departures across active runways based on local airport and National Airspace System (NAS) goals. The central component in the SORM concept is a tool for taking into account all the various factors and producing a recommendation for what would be the optimal runway configuration, runway use strategy, and aircraft sequence, considering as many of the relevant factors required in making this type of decision, and user preferences, if feasible. Three separate tools were initially envisioned for this research area, corresponding to the time scale in which they would operate: Strategic RCM (SRCM), with a planning horizon on the order of several hours, Tactical RCM (TRCM), with a planning horizon on the order of 90 minutes, and CADRS, with a planning horizon on the order of 15-30 minutes[1]. Algorithm development was initiated in all three of these areas, but the most fully developed to date is the TRCM algorithm. Earlier studies took a high-level approach to benefits, estimating aggregate benefits across most of the major airports in the National Airspace Systems (NAS), for both RCM and CADRS [2]. Other studies estimated the benefit of RCM and CADRS using various methods of re-sequencing arrivals to reduce delays3,4, or better balancing of arrival fixes5,6. Additional studies looked at different methods for performing the optimization involved in selecting the best Runway Configuration Plan (RCP) to use7-10. Most of these previous studies were high

Airports and Airfields, Airports within Johnson County as well as runway depicted with attribute information of both airport and runway., Published in Not Provided, Johnson County Government.

Data.gov (United States)

NSGIC Local Govt | GIS Inventory — Airports and Airfields dataset current as of unknown. Airports within Johnson County as well as runway depicted with attribute information of both airport and runway..

Weather and forecasting at Wilkins ice runway, Antarctica

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Carpentier, Scott

2010-01-01

Aviation forecasts for Wilkins ice runway in East Antarctica are developed within the conceptual framework of flow against a single dome shaped hill. Forecast challenges include the sudden onset of blizzards associated with the formation of an internal gravity wave; frontal weather; transient wake vortices and mesoscale lows; temperature limitations on runway use; and snow and fog events. These key weather aspects are presented within the context of synoptic to local scale climatologies and numerical weather prediction models.

Investigation of innovative steel runway beam in industrial building

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

The design of a runway beam for overhead cranes is of great importance ... The weight of the crane bridge and wheel spacing for the specific crane .... Name of model h (mm) b (mm) t (mm) s (mm) L (mm). Simple. 500. 300. 12. 6 ... load is 10.59 kN, crane runway beam span is 6,160 mm, and crane wheel base is 1,200 mm.

A Runway Surface Monitor using Internet of Things

Science.gov (United States)

Troiano, Amedeo; Pasero, Eros

2014-05-01

The monitoring of runway surfaces, for the detection of ice formation or presence of water, is an important issue for reducing maintenance costs and improving traffic safety. An innovative sensor was developed to detect the presence of ice or water on its surface, and its repeatability, stability and reliability were assessed in different simulations and experiments, performed both in laboratory and in the field. Three sensors were embedded in the runway of the Turin-Caselle airport, in the north-west of Italy, to check the state of its surface. Each sensor was connected to a GPRS modem to send the collected data to a common database. The entire system was installed about three years ago, and up to now it shows correct work and automatic reactivation after malfunctions without any external help. The state of the runway surface is virtual represented in an internet website, using the Internet of Things features and opening new scenarios.

Spot and Runway Departure Advisor

Science.gov (United States)

Jung, Yoon Chul

2013-01-01

The Spot and Runway Departure Advisor (SARDA) is a research prototype of a decision support tool for ATC tower controllers to assist in manging and controlling traffic on the surface of an airport. SARDA employs a scheduler to generate an optimal runway schedule and gate push-back - spot release sequence and schedule that improves efficiency of surface operations. The advisories for ATC tower controllers are displayed on an Electronic Flight Strip (EFS) system. The human-in-the-loop simulation of the SARDA tool was conducted for east operations of Dallas-Ft. Worth International Airport (DFW) to evaluate performance of the SARDA tool and human factors, such as situational awareness and workload. The results indicates noticeable taxi delay reduction and fuel savings by using the SARDA tool. Reduction in controller workload were also observed throughout the scenario runs. The future plan includes modeling and simulation of the ramp operations of the Charlotte International Airport, and develop a decision support tool for the ramp controllers.

Environmental Assessment for Repair of Airfield Pavement and Lighting, Runway 03R/21L Travis Air Force Base, Fairfield, California. Revision

Science.gov (United States)

2009-12-01

substandard: 211450 SM PROJECT: Repair Runway 03R-21L pavements, airfield lighting, fiber optic communication lines , markers, and drainage systems...bottomed swales, or basalt flow depression pools in unplowed grasslands. The fairy shrimp has been collected from early December to early May. It can...pool types where the species has been found include Northern Hardpan, Northern Claypan, Northern Volcanic Mud Flow, and Northern Basalt Flow vernal

An assessment of predominant causal factors of pilot deviations that contribute to runway incursions

Science.gov (United States)

Campbell, Denado M.

The aim of this study was to identify predominant causal factors of pilot deviations in runway incursions over a two-year period. Runway incursion reports were obtained from NASA's Aviation Safety Reporting System (ASRS), and a qualitative method was used by classifying and coding each report to a specific causal factor(s). The causal factors that were used were substantiated by research from the Aircraft Owner's and Pilot's Association that found that these causal factors were the most common in runway incursion incidents and accidents. An additional causal factor was also utilized to determine the significance of pilot training in relation to runway incursions. From the reports examined, it was found that miscommunication and situational awareness have the greatest impact on pilots and are most often the major causes of runway incursions. This data can be used to assist airports, airlines, and the FAA to understand trends in pilot deviations, and to find solutions for specific problem areas in runway incursion incidents.

Strengthening air traffic safety management by moving from outcome-based towards risk-based evaluation of runway incursions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stroeve, Sybert H.; Som, Pradip; Doorn, Bas A. van; Bakker, G.J.

2016-01-01

Current safety management of aerodrome operations uses judgements of severity categories to evaluate runway incursions. Incident data show a small minority of severe incursions and a large majority of less severe incursions. We show that these severity judgements are mainly based upon the outcomes of runway incursions, in particular on the closest distances attained. As such, the severity-based evaluation leads to coincidental safety management feedback, wherein causes and risk implications of runway incursions are not well considered. In this paper we present a new framework for the evaluation of runway incursions, which effectively uses all runway incursions, which judges same types of causes similarly, and which structures causes and risk implications. The framework is based on risks of scenarios associated with the initiation of runway incursions. As a basis an inventory of scenarios is provided, which can represent almost all runway incursions involving a conflict with an aircraft. A main step in the framework is the assessment of the conditional probability of a collision given a runway incursion scenario. This can be effectively achieved for large sets of scenarios by agent-based dynamic risk modelling. The results provide detailed feedback on risks of runway incursion scenarios, thus enabling effective safety management. - Highlights: • Current evaluation of runway incursions is primarily based on their outcomes. • A new framework assesses collision risk given initiation of runway incursions. • Agent-based dynamic risk modelling can evaluate the risks of many scenarios. • A developed scenario inventory can represent almost all runway incursions. • The framework provides detailed feedback to safety management.

Exploration of the Theoretical Physical Capacity of the John F. Kennedy International Airport Runway System

Science.gov (United States)

Neitzke, Kurt W.; Guerreiro, Nelson M.

2014-01-01

A design study was completed to explore the theoretical physical capacity (TPC) of the John F. Kennedy International Airport (KJFK) runway system for a northflow configuration assuming impedance-free (to throughput) air traffic control functionality. Individual runways were modeled using an agent-based, airspace simulation tool, the Airspace Concept Evaluation System (ACES), with all runways conducting both departures and arrivals on a first-come first-served (FCFS) scheduling basis. A realistic future flight schedule was expanded to 3.5 times the traffic level of a selected baseline day, September 26, 2006, to provide a steady overdemand state for KJFK runways. Rules constraining departure and arrival operations were defined to reflect physical limits beyond which safe operations could no longer be assumed. Safety buffers to account for all sources of operational variability were not included in the TPC estimate. Visual approaches were assumed for all arrivals to minimize inter-arrival spacing. Parallel runway operations were assumed to be independent based on lateral spacing distances. Resulting time intervals between successive airport operations were primarily constrained by same-runway and then by intersecting-runway spacing requirements. The resulting physical runway capacity approximates a theoretical limit that cannot be exceeded without modifying runway interaction assumptions. Comparison with current KJFK operational limits for a north-flow runway configuration indicates a substantial throughput gap of approximately 48%. This gap may be further analyzed to determine which part may be feasibly bridged through the deployment of advanced systems and procedures, and which part cannot, because it is either impossible or not cost-effective to control. Advanced systems for bridging the throughput gap may be conceptualized and simulated using this same experimental setup to estimate the level of gap closure achieved.

Evaluation of two transport aircraft and several ground test vehicle friction measurements obtained for various runway surface types and conditions. A summary of test results from joint FAA/NASA Runway Friction Program

Science.gov (United States)

Yager, Thomas J.; Vogler, William A.; Baldasare, Paul

1990-01-01

Tests with specially instrumented NASA Boeing 737 and 727 aircraft together with several different ground friction measuring devices were conducted for a variety of runway surface types and conditions. These tests are part of joint FAA/NASA Aircraft/Ground Vehicle Runway Friction Program aimed at obtaining a better understanding of aircraft ground handling performance under adverse weather conditions and defining relationships between aircraft and ground vehicle tire friction measurements. Aircraft braking performance on dry, wet, snow and ice-covered runway conditions is discussed as well as ground vehicle friction data obtained under similar runway conditions. For a given contaminated runway surface condition, the correlation between ground vehicles and aircraft friction data is identified. The influence of major test parameters on friction measurements such as speed, test tire characteristics, type and amount of surface contaminant, and ambient temperature are discussed. The effect of surface type on wet friction levels is also evaluated from comparative data collected on grooved and ungrooved concrete and asphalt surfaces.

A Robust Vision-based Runway Detection and Tracking Algorithm for Automatic UAV Landing

KAUST Repository

Abu Jbara, Khaled F.

2015-05-01

This work presents a novel real-time algorithm for runway detection and tracking applied to the automatic takeoff and landing of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs). The algorithm is based on a combination of segmentation based region competition and the minimization of a specific energy function to detect and identify the runway edges from streaming video data. The resulting video-based runway position estimates are updated using a Kalman Filter, which can integrate other sensory information such as position and attitude angle estimates to allow a more robust tracking of the runway under turbulence. We illustrate the performance of the proposed lane detection and tracking scheme on various experimental UAV flights conducted by the Saudi Aerospace Research Center. Results show an accurate tracking of the runway edges during the landing phase under various lighting conditions. Also, it suggests that such positional estimates would greatly improve the positional accuracy of the UAV during takeoff and landing phases. The robustness of the proposed algorithm is further validated using Hardware in the Loop simulations with diverse takeoff and landing videos generated using a commercial flight simulator.

Kalman filter approach for uncertainty quantification in time-resolved laser-induced incandescence.

Science.gov (United States)

Hadwin, Paul J; Sipkens, Timothy A; Thomson, Kevin A; Liu, Fengshan; Daun, Kyle J

2018-03-01

Time-resolved laser-induced incandescence (TiRe-LII) data can be used to infer spatially and temporally resolved volume fractions and primary particle size distributions of soot-laden aerosols, but these estimates are corrupted by measurement noise as well as uncertainties in the spectroscopic and heat transfer submodels used to interpret the data. Estimates of the temperature, concentration, and size distribution of soot primary particles within a sample aerosol are typically made by nonlinear regression of modeled spectral incandescence decay, or effective temperature decay, to experimental data. In this work, we employ nonstationary Bayesian estimation techniques to infer aerosol properties from simulated and experimental LII signals, specifically the extended Kalman filter and Schmidt-Kalman filter. These techniques exploit the time-varying nature of both the measurements and the models, and they reveal how uncertainty in the estimates computed from TiRe-LII data evolves over time. Both techniques perform better when compared with standard deterministic estimates; however, we demonstrate that the Schmidt-Kalman filter produces more realistic uncertainty estimates.

Runway Wake Vortex, Crosswind, and Visibility Detection with a Scintillometer at Schiphol Airport

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Dinther, van D.; Hartogensis, O.K.; Holtslag, A.A.M.

2015-01-01

We evaluate the performance and investigate the capability of a scintillometer to detect wake vortices, crosswind and visibility near an airport runway. An experiment is carried out at Schiphol airport (Amsterdam, The Netherlands), where an optical scintillometer is positioned alongside a runway. An

Predictor of Airport Runway Capacity (PARC), Phase I

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — Estimates of arrival and departure capacities of individual airport runways are used to predict occurrences of demand-capacity imbalance, and to meter arrivals and...

Laser-induced incandescence (LII) diagnostic for in situ monitoring of nanoparticle synthesis in a high-pressure arc discharge

Science.gov (United States)

Yatom, Shurik; Vekselman, Vladislav; Mitrani, James; Stratton, Brentley; Raitses, Yevgeny; LaboratoryPlasma Nanosynthesis Team

2016-10-01

A DC arc discharge is commonly used for synthesis of carbon nanoparticles, including buckyballs, carbon nanotubes, and graphene flakes. In this work we show the first results of nanoparticles monitored during the arc discharge. The graphite electrode is vaporized by high current (60 A) in a buffer Helium gas leading to nanoparticle synthesis in a low temperature plasma. The arc was shown to oscillate, which can possibly influence the nano-synthesis. To visualize the nanoparticles in-situ we employ the LII technique. The nanoparticles with radii >50 nm, emerging from the arc area are heated with a short laser pulse and incandesce. The resulting radiation is captured with an ICCD camera, showing the location of the generated nanoparticles. The images of incandescence are studied together with temporally synchronized fast-framing imaging of C2 emission, to connect the dynamics of arc instabilities, C2 molecules concentration and nanoparticles. The time-resolved incandescence signal is analyzed with combination of ex-situ measurements of the synthesized nanoparticles and LII modeling, to provide the size distribution of produced nanoparticles. This work was supported by US Department of Energy, Office of Science, Basic Energy Sciences, Materials Sciences and Engineering Division.

Graphical User Interface Development and Design to Support Airport Runway Configuration Management

Science.gov (United States)

Jones, Debra G.; Lenox, Michelle; Onal, Emrah; Latorella, Kara A.; Lohr, Gary W.; Le Vie, Lisa

2015-01-01

The objective of this effort was to develop a graphical user interface (GUI) for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) System Oriented Runway Management (SORM) decision support tool to support runway management. This tool is expected to be used by traffic flow managers and supervisors in the Airport Traffic Control Tower (ATCT) and Terminal Radar Approach Control (TRACON) facilities.

Runway exit designs for capacity improvement demonstrations. Phase 2: Computer model development

Science.gov (United States)

Trani, A. A.; Hobeika, A. G.; Kim, B. J.; Nunna, V.; Zhong, C.

1992-01-01

The development is described of a computer simulation/optimization model to: (1) estimate the optimal locations of existing and proposed runway turnoffs; and (2) estimate the geometric design requirements associated with newly developed high speed turnoffs. The model described, named REDIM 2.0, represents a stand alone application to be used by airport planners, designers, and researchers alike to estimate optimal turnoff locations. The main procedures are described in detail which are implemented in the software package and possible applications are illustrated when using 6 major runway scenarios. The main output of the computer program is the estimation of the weighted average runway occupancy time for a user defined aircraft population. Also, the location and geometric characteristics of each turnoff are provided to the user.

Comprehensive Laser-induced Incandescence (LII) modeling for soot particle sizing

KAUST Repository

Lisanti, Joel

2015-03-30

To evaluate the current state of the art in LII particle sizing, a comprehensive model for predicting the temporal incandescent response of combustion-generated soot to absorption of a pulsed laser is presented. The model incorporates particle heating through laser absorption, thermal annealing, and oxidation at the surface as well as cooling through sublimation and photodesorption, radiation, conduction and thermionic emission. Thermodynamic properties and the thermal accommodation coefficient utilized in the model are temperature dependent. In addition, where appropriate properties are also phase dependent, thereby accounting for annealing effects during laser heating and particle cooling.

Benefits Assessment for Tactical Runway Configuration Management Tool

Science.gov (United States)

Oseguera-Lohr, Rosa; Phojanamongkolkij, Nipa; Lohr, Gary; Fenbert, James W.

2013-01-01

The Tactical Runway Configuration Management (TRCM) software tool was developed to provide air traffic flow managers and supervisors with recommendations for airport configuration changes and runway usage. The objective for this study is to conduct a benefits assessment at Memphis (MEM), Dallas Fort-Worth (DFW) and New York's John F. Kennedy (JFK) airports using the TRCM tool. Results from simulations using the TRCM-generated runway configuration schedule are compared with results using historical schedules. For the 12 days of data used in this analysis, the transit time (arrival fix to spot on airport movement area for arrivals, or spot to departure fix for departures) for MEM departures is greater (7%) than for arrivals (3%); for JFK, there is a benefit for arrivals (9%) but not for departures (-2%); for DFW, arrivals show a slight benefit (1%), but this is offset by departures (-2%). Departure queue length benefits show fewer aircraft in queue for JFK (29%) and MEM (11%), but not for DFW (-13%). Fuel savings for surface operations at MEM are seen for both arrivals and departures. At JFK there are fuel savings for arrivals, but these are offset by increased fuel use for departures. In this study, no surface fuel benefits resulted for DFW. Results suggest that the TRCM algorithm requires modifications for complex surface traffic operations that can cause taxi delays. For all three airports, the average number of changes in flow direction (runway configuration) recommended by TRCM was many times greater than the historical data; TRCM would need to be adapted to a particular airport's needs, to limit the number of changes to acceptable levels. The results from this analysis indicate the TRCM tool can provide benefits at some high-capacity airports. The magnitude of these benefits depends on many airport-specific factors and would require adaptation of the TRCM tool; a detailed assessment is needed prior to determining suitability for a particular airport.

Mitigation of low-frequency groundnoise from runways

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Eerden, F.J.M. van der; Salomons, E.M.; Beeks, A.A.F.M.

2007-01-01

With the extra runway at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport, introduced in 2003, the noise nuisance for local residents increased due to increased groundnoise. In a case study the effect of enhanced ground absorption on the propagation of low-frequency noise from aircraft ground operations, e.g. departing

Burrowing Owl and Other Migratory Bird Mitigation for a Runway Construction Project at Edwards AFB

OpenAIRE

Hoehn, Amber L.; Hagan, Mark; Bratton, Mark

2009-01-01

Edwards Air Force Base (AFB) scheduled the construction of a runway in the spring of 2007. The runway would be in an area that contained migratory birds and their habitat. The construction project would be near Edwards AFB main runway and had the potential not only to impact species protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA), including the burrowing owl (Athene cunicularia), but also to increase bird and wildlife–aircraft strike hazards in the active flightline areas. To discourage ...

Ignition of a Combustible Atmosphere by Incandescent Carbon Wear Particles

Science.gov (United States)

Buckley, Donald H.; Swikert, Max A.; Johnson, Robert L.

1960-01-01

A study was made to determine whether carbon wear particles from carbon elements in sliding contact with a metal surface were sufficiently hot to cause ignition of a combustible atmosphere. In some machinery, electric potential differences and currents may appear at the carbon-metal interface. For this reason the effect of these voltages and currents on the ability of carbon wear particles to cause ignition was evaluated. The test specimens used in the investigation were carbon vanes taken from a fuel pump and flat 21-inch-diameter 2 metal disks (440-C stainless steel) representing the pump housing. During each experiment a vane was loaded against a disk with a 0.5-pound force, and the disk was rotated to give a surface speed of 3140 feet per minute. The chamber of the apparatus that housed the vane and the disk was filled with a combustible mixture of air and propane. Various voltages and amperages were applied across the vane-disk interface. Experiments were conducted at temperatures of 75, 350, 400, and 450 F. Fires were produced by incandescent carbon wear particles obtained at conditions of electric potential as low as 106 volts and 0.3 ampere at 400 F. Ignitions were obtained only with carbon wear particles produced with an electric potential across the carbon-vane-disk interface. No ignitions were obtained with carbon wear particles produced in the absence of this potential; also, the potential difference produced no ignitions in the absence of carbon wear particles. A film supplement showing ignition by incandescent wear particles is available.

Process of producing fuels from slates or bituminous shales. [distillation at incandescent heat

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Huppenbauer, M

1902-07-31

A process of producing a fuel from slates or bituminous shales by saturating or impregnating them after preliminary distillation with the vapors of tars, resins, oils, etc., is given. The process is characterized by the bituminous shale being submitted in the form of fragments to distillation at incandescent heat to make the shale porous and able to absorb the vapors of the substances already mentioned.

76 FR 67018 - Notice to Manufacturers of Airport In-Pavement Stationary Runway Weather Information Systems

Science.gov (United States)

2011-10-28

...-Pavement Stationary Runway Weather Information Systems AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), U.S. DOT. ACTION: Notice to Manufacturers of In-Pavement Stationary Runway Weather Information Systems... Operations. This notice requests information from manufacturers of systems meeting the technical requirements...

Comprehensive and Highly Accurate Measurements of Crane Runways, Profiles and Fastenings.

Science.gov (United States)

Dennig, Dirk; Bureick, Johannes; Link, Johannes; Diener, Dmitri; Hesse, Christian; Neumann, Ingo

2017-05-13

The process of surveying crane runways has been continually refined due to the competitive situation, modern surveying instruments, additional sensors, accessories and evaluation procedures. Guidelines, such as the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 12488-1, define target values that must be determined by survey. For a crane runway these are for example the span, the position and height of the rails. The process has to be objective and reproducible. However, common processes of surveying crane runways do not meet these requirements sufficiently. The evaluation of the protocols, ideally by an expert, requires many years of experience. Additionally, the recording of crucial parameters, e.g., the wear of the rail, or the condition of the rail fastening and rail joints, is not regulated and for that reason are often not considered during the measurement. To solve this deficit the Advanced Rail Track Inspection System (ARTIS) was developed. ARTIS is used to measure the 3D position of crane rails, the cross-section of the crane rails, joints and, for the first time, the (crane-rail) fastenings. The system consists of a monitoring vehicle and an external tracking sensor. It makes kinematic observations with the tracking sensor from outside the rail run, e.g., the floor of an overhead crane runway, possible. In this paper we present stages of the development process of ARTIS, new target values, calibration of sensors and results of a test measurement.

Computer-aided system for detecting runway incursions

Science.gov (United States)

Sridhar, Banavar; Chatterji, Gano B.

1994-07-01

A synthetic vision system for enhancing the pilot's ability to navigate and control the aircraft on the ground is described. The system uses the onboard airport database and images acquired by external sensors. Additional navigation information needed by the system is provided by the Inertial Navigation System and the Global Positioning System. The various functions of the system, such as image enhancement, map generation, obstacle detection, collision avoidance, guidance, etc., are identified. The available technologies, some of which were developed at NASA, that are applicable to the aircraft ground navigation problem are noted. Example images of a truck crossing the runway while the aircraft flies close to the runway centerline are described. These images are from a sequence of images acquired during one of the several flight experiments conducted by NASA to acquire data to be used for the development and verification of the synthetic vision concepts. These experiments provide a realistic database including video and infrared images, motion states from the Inertial Navigation System and the Global Positioning System, and camera parameters.

Time-resolved laser-induced incandescence from multiwalled carbon nanotubes in air

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mitrani, J. M. [Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, Princeton, New Jersey 08540, USA; Shneider, M. N. [Department of Mechanical Engineering, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey 08544, USA

2015-01-26

We observed temporal laser-induced incandescence (LII) signals from multiwalled carbon nanotubes(MWCNTs) suspended in ambient air. Unlike previous LII experiments with soot particles, which showed that primary particles with larger diameters cool at slower timescales relative to smaller particles, we observed that thicker MWCNTs with larger outer diameters (ODs) cool at faster timescales relative to thinner MWCNTs with smaller ODs. We suggested a simple explanation of this effect, based on the solution of one-dimensional nonstationary heat conduction equation for the initial non-uniform heating of MWCNTs with ODs greater than the skin depth.

Runway Incursion Prevention System: Demonstration and Testing at the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport

Science.gov (United States)

Jones, Denise R.; Quach, Cuong C.; Young, Steven D.

2007-01-01

A Runway Incursion Prevention System (RIPS) was tested at the Dallas-Ft. Worth International Airport (DFW) in October 2000. The system integrated airborne and ground components to provide both pilots and controllers with enhanced situational awareness, supplemental guidance cues, a real-time display of traffic information, and warning of runway incursions in order to prevent runway incidents while also improving operational capability. A series of test runs was conducted using NASA s Boeing 757 research aircraft and a test van equipped to emulate an incurring aircraft. The system was also demonstrated to over 100 visitors from the aviation community. This paper gives an overview of the RIPS, DFW flight test activities, and quantitative and qualitative results of the testing.

Study on residential appliances energy efficiency standards Refrigerators, air-conditioners, incandescent lamps, fluorescent lamps, color TVs

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lee, S.G.; Cho, S.K.; Choi, S.H.; Jung, B.M.; Han, S.B.; Kim, K.D. [Korea Inst. of Energy Research, Taejon (Korea, Republic of)

1995-12-01

The energy efficiency standards and rating act, as amended by the rational energy utilization act, provides energy efficiency standards and ratings for 6 types of consumer products(refrigerators, air-conditioners, fluorescent lamps, incandescent lamps, ballasts and cars) authorizes the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy(MOTIE) to prescribe amended or new energy efficiency standards and rating standards. This study was initiated by the KIER in 1992. KIER`s assessment of the standards is designed to evaluate their statistical and engineering analysis according to Korean(Industrial) Standards(KS). And to make distinction between the poor efficiency and good efficiency models, 5 grades are classified depending on their tested energy efficiency. This year, based on our analysis, MOTIE mandated updated standards for refrigerators, air-conditioners, incandescent lamps, and fluorescent lamps. Also the objective of this study is to set the energy efficiency standards and to grade for color TV sets. (author). 37 refs., 89 figs., 85 tabs.

77 FR 76959 - Energy Conservation Program: Request for Exclusion of 100 Watt R20 Short Incandescent Reflector...

Science.gov (United States)

2012-12-31

... subject to energy conservation standards, the manufacturers removed the product from the market... Conservation Program: Request for Exclusion of 100 Watt R20 Short Incandescent Reflector Lamp From Energy Conservation Standards AGENCY: Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Department of Energy. ACTION...

Quantifying uncertainty in soot volume fraction estimates using Bayesian inference of auto-correlated laser-induced incandescence measurements

Science.gov (United States)

Hadwin, Paul J.; Sipkens, T. A.; Thomson, K. A.; Liu, F.; Daun, K. J.

2016-01-01

Auto-correlated laser-induced incandescence (AC-LII) infers the soot volume fraction (SVF) of soot particles by comparing the spectral incandescence from laser-energized particles to the pyrometrically inferred peak soot temperature. This calculation requires detailed knowledge of model parameters such as the absorption function of soot, which may vary with combustion chemistry, soot age, and the internal structure of the soot. This work presents a Bayesian methodology to quantify such uncertainties. This technique treats the additional "nuisance" model parameters, including the soot absorption function, as stochastic variables and incorporates the current state of knowledge of these parameters into the inference process through maximum entropy priors. While standard AC-LII analysis provides a point estimate of the SVF, Bayesian techniques infer the posterior probability density, which will allow scientists and engineers to better assess the reliability of AC-LII inferred SVFs in the context of environmental regulations and competing diagnostics.

Electrical Connections: Letters to Thomas Edison in Response to His Claim of Solving Incandescent Lighting, 1878.

Science.gov (United States)

Bazerman, Charles

1994-01-01

Discusses the way in which letters sent to Thomas Edison following the report that he had solved the problem of incandescent lighting reveal the many discursive worlds that Edison's work touched. Claims these letters indicate how a technological accomplishment is also a multiple, complex social, and communicative accomplishment, creating place and…

Models for estimating runway landing capacity with Microwave Landing System (MLS)

Science.gov (United States)

Tosic, V.; Horonjeff, R.

1975-01-01

A model is developed which is capable of computing the ultimate landing runway capacity, under ILS and MLS conditions, when aircraft population characteristics and air traffic control separation rules are given. This model can be applied in situations when only a horizontal separation between aircraft approaching a runway is allowed, as well as when both vertical and horizontal separations are possible. It is assumed that the system is free of errors, that is that aircraft arrive at specified points along the prescribed flight path precisely when the controllers intend for them to arrive at these points. Although in the real world there is no such thing as an error-free system, the assumption is adequate for a qualitative comparison of MLS with ILS. Results suggest that an increase in runway landing capacity, caused by introducing the MLS multiple approach paths, is to be expected only when an aircraft population consists of aircraft with significantly differing approach speeds and particularly in situations when vertical separation can be applied. Vertical separation can only be applied if one of the types of aircraft in the mix has a very steep descent angle.

Characterization and impact of incandescent particles in the ventilation networks during dismantling operations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Marchal, Pierre

2014-01-01

Fire hazards while metal cutting on dismantling operations led IRSN to focus a study on incandescent particles emitted by these cutting tools and their impact on air filter. If micronic particles (≤ 10 μm) have been studied for their negative impact on human health, few studies are dealing with incandescent particles, despite their strong thermal energy. These particles are mainly made of iron, coming from the metal cutting, and the exothermic oxidation reaction coupled to a high temperature emission causes them to molt. An experimental system was designed, representative of dismantling operations with instrumentations adapted for in-flight particles measurement, such as size, velocity and temperature. The particles are characterized from the emission source (automated cut-off grinder) and all along their path into the ventilation duct to their impact on a filter. An analytical approach of the impact of these particles on the filter shows that the temperature of the particles, greater than 430 C damages the filter medium, and may reduce the filter thickness or perforate it, which leads to a decrease of its filtration efficiency determined according to the French standard. Comparison between the characteristics of the particles and the filtration efficiency has permitted to establish empirical correlations in order to predict the loss of filtration efficiency versus the cutting parameters and some good practices have been proposed to protect the filter. (author)

Application of Artificial Neural Network to Predict the use of Runway at Juanda International Airport

Science.gov (United States)

Putra, J. C. P.; Safrilah

2017-06-01

Artificial neural network approaches are useful to solve many complicated problems. It solves a number of problems in various areas such as engineering, medicine, business, manufacturing, etc. This paper presents an application of artificial neural network to predict a runway capacity at Juanda International Airport. An artificial neural network model of backpropagation and multi-layer perceptron is adopted to this research to learning process of runway capacity at Juanda International Airport. The results indicate that the training data is successfully recognizing the certain pattern of runway use at Juanda International Airport. Whereas, testing data indicate vice versa. Finally, it can be concluded that the approach of uniformity data and network architecture is the critical part to determine the accuracy of prediction results.

Analysis of Runway Incursion Data

Science.gov (United States)

Green, Lawrence L.

2013-01-01

A statistical analysis of runway incursion (RI) events was conducted to ascertain relevance to the top ten challenges of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Aviation Safety Program (AvSP). The information contained in the RI database was found to contain data that may be relevant to several of the AvSP top ten challenges. When combined with other data from the FAA documenting air traffic volume from calendar year 2000 through 2011, the structure of a predictive model emerges that can be used to forecast the frequency of RI events at various airports for various classes of aircraft and under various environmental conditions.

Aircraft performance in slippery runway conditions : a simulation study of the accuracy and limitations of real-time runway friction estimation based on airplane onboard data.

Science.gov (United States)

2015-04-01

Runway overrun accidents occurring during landings in slippery conditions continue to occur frequently worldwide. After a : number of specific landing overrun accidents in the U.S., the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) issued a safety : re...

Functional Analysis for an Integrated Capability of Arrival/Departure/Surface Management with Tactical Runway Management

Science.gov (United States)

Phojanamongkolkij, Nipa; Okuniek, Nikolai; Lohr, Gary W.; Schaper, Meilin; Christoffels, Lothar; Latorella, Kara A.

2014-01-01

The runway is a critical resource of any air transport system. It is used for arrivals, departures, and for taxiing aircraft and is universally acknowledged as a constraining factor to capacity for both surface and airspace operations. It follows that investigation of the effective use of runways, both in terms of selection and assignment as well as the timing and sequencing of the traffic is paramount to the efficient traffic flows. Both the German Aerospace Center (DLR) and NASA have developed concepts and tools to improve atomic aspects of coordinated arrival/departure/surface management operations and runway configuration management. In December 2012, NASA entered into a Collaborative Agreement with DLR. Four collaborative work areas were identified, one of which is called "Runway Management." As part of collaborative research in the "Runway Management" area, which is conducted with the DLR Institute of Flight Guidance, located in Braunschweig, the goal is to develop an integrated system comprised of the three DLR tools - arrival, departure, and surface management (collectively referred to as A/D/S-MAN) - and NASA's tactical runway configuration management (TRCM) tool. To achieve this goal, it is critical to prepare a concept of operations (ConOps) detailing how the NASA runway management and DLR arrival, departure, and surface management tools will function together to the benefit of each. To assist with the preparation of the ConOps, the integrated NASA and DLR tools are assessed through a functional analysis method described in this report. The report first provides the highlevel operational environments for air traffic management (ATM) in Germany and in the U.S., and the descriptions of the DLR's A/D/S-MAN and NASA's TRCM tools at the level of details necessary to compliment the purpose of the study. Functional analyses of each tool and a completed functional analysis of an integrated system design are presented next in the report. Future efforts to fully

Soot particulate size characterisation in a heavy-duty diesel engine for different engine loads by laser-induced incandescence

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bougie, B.; Ganippa, L.C.; Vliet, van A.P.; Meerts, W.L.; Dam, N.J.; Meulen, ter J.J.

2007-01-01

Time-resolved laser-induced incandescence was used to estimate primary particle size distributions inside the combustion chamber of a heavy-duty diesel engine as a function of the crank angle, for two different engine loads at two different probe locations. Assuming a log-normal particle size

Statistical Decision Support Tools for System-Oriented Runway Management, Phase II

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — The feasibility of developing a statistical decision support system for traffic flow management in the terminal area and runway load balancing was demonstrated in...

Evaluasi Kekuatan Perkerasan Sisi Udara (Runway,Taxiway,Apron Bandara Juanda Dengan Metode Perbandingan ACN-PCN

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

R. Haryo Triharso Seno

2015-03-01

Full Text Available Fasilitas sisi udara merupakan fasilitas pergerakan pesawat. Fasilitas ini harus memenuhi kekuatan struktur untuk melayani pergerakan pesawat-pesawat yang beroperasi sesuai dengan perencanaan. Tujuan dari penyusunan makalah ini adalah untuk menganalisis apakah perkerasan fasilitas sisi udara di Bandar Udara Juanda saat ini sudah memenuhi batas PCN yang dipersyaratkan atau belum. Analisis dilakukan dengan cara mengevaluasi kekuatan perkerasan runway, taxiway, dan apron eksisting menggunakan metode perbandingan PCN–ACN yang didapat dari pabrik pembuat pesawat, perhitungan dengan software COMFAA dan perhitungan dari Canadian Department of Transportation. Data yang digunakan adalah data pergerakan pesawat termasuk jumlah pergerakan tahunan dan tipe pesawat. Data kekuatan perkerasan sisi udara diperlukan untuk proses analisis. Hasil dari evaluasi menunjukkan B773 memiliki nilai ACN yang melebihi nilai PCN sebesar 50% untuk apron dan 25% untuk runway/taxiway. Besar kelebihan nilai ACN ini tidak mempengaruhi kekuatan struktural karena frekuensi pergerakan yang hanya 45 pergerakan per tahun. Dampak lain adalah pada fungsional perkerasan yang menunjukkan berkurangnya kekesatan runway dari hasil sand patch test.

Long term performance of the reef runway at Honolulu International Airport

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Magoon, OT

2007-07-01

Full Text Available Completed in 1977, the Reef Runway embankment at Honolulu International Airport was created by placing and compacting millions of cubic meters of dredged coral fill material over an existing coral reef. The wave protection structure on the deeper...

Runway Detection From Map, Video and Aircraft Navigational Data

Science.gov (United States)

2016-03-01

3 Figure 4. Pinhole Camera Model to Project 3D Coordinates onto 2D...xii THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK xiii LIST OF ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS 2D Two-dimensional 3D Three-dimensional HFOV Horizontal field of...algorithm [2], which selects runway-useful features, such as image intensity and gradient or Zernike Moments, and extracts them on a set of 57

An overview of the joint FAA/NASA aircraft/ground runway friction program

Science.gov (United States)

Yager, Thomas J.

1989-01-01

There is a need for information on runways which may become slippery due to various forms and types of contaminants. Experience has shown that since the beginning of all weather aircraft operations, there have been landing and aborted takeoff incidents and/or accidents each year where aircraft have either run off the end or veered off the shoulder of low friction runways. NASA Langley's Landing and Impact Dynamics Branch is involved in several research programs directed towards obtaining a better understanding of how different tire properties interact with varying pavement surface characteristics to produce acceptable performance for aircraft ground handling requirements. One such effort, which was jointly supported by not only NASA and the FAA but by several aviation industry groups including the Flight Safety Foundation, is described.

Experiment Description and Results for Arrival Operations Using Interval Management with Spacing to Parallel Dependent Runways (IMSPiDR)

Science.gov (United States)

Baxley, Brian T.; Murdoch, Jennifer L.; Swieringa, Kurt A.; Barmore, Bryan E.; Capron, William R.; Hubbs, Clay E.; Shay, Richard F.; Abbott, Terence S.

2013-01-01

The predicted increase in the number of commercial aircraft operations creates a need for improved operational efficiency. Two areas believed to offer increases in aircraft efficiency are optimized profile descents and dependent parallel runway operations. Using Flight deck Interval Management (FIM) software and procedures during these operations, flight crews can achieve by the runway threshold an interval assigned by air traffic control (ATC) behind the preceding aircraft that maximizes runway throughput while minimizing additional fuel consumption and pilot workload. This document describes an experiment where 24 pilots flew arrivals into the Dallas Fort-Worth terminal environment using one of three simulators at NASA?s Langley Research Center. Results indicate that pilots delivered their aircraft to the runway threshold within +/- 3.5 seconds of their assigned time interval, and reported low workload levels. In general, pilots found the FIM concept, procedures, speeds, and interface acceptable. Analysis of the time error and FIM speed changes as a function of arrival stream position suggest the spacing algorithm generates stable behavior while in the presence of continuous (wind) or impulse (offset) error. Concerns reported included multiple speed changes within a short time period, and an airspeed increase followed shortly by an airspeed decrease.

Experimental Investigation of Concrete Runway Snow Melting Utilizing Heat Pipe Technology

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fengchen Chen

2018-01-01

Full Text Available A full scale snow melting system with heat pipe technology is built in this work, which avoids the negative effects on concrete structure and environment caused by traditional deicing chemicals. The snow melting, ice-freezing performance and temperature distribution characteristics of heat pipe concrete runway were discussed by the outdoor experiments. The results show that the temperature of the concrete pavement is greatly improved with the heat pipe system. The environment temperature and embedded depth of heat pipe play a dominant role among the decision variables of the snow melting system. Heat pipe snow melting pavement melts the snow completely and avoids freezing at any time when the environment temperature is below freezing point, which is secure enough for planes take-off and landing. Besides, the exportation and recovery of geothermal energy indicate that this system can run for a long time. This paper will be useful for the design and application of the heat pipe used in the runway snow melting.

Experimental Investigation of Concrete Runway Snow Melting Utilizing Heat Pipe Technology.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Fengchen; Su, Xin; Ye, Qing; Fu, Jianfeng

2018-01-01

A full scale snow melting system with heat pipe technology is built in this work, which avoids the negative effects on concrete structure and environment caused by traditional deicing chemicals. The snow melting, ice-freezing performance and temperature distribution characteristics of heat pipe concrete runway were discussed by the outdoor experiments. The results show that the temperature of the concrete pavement is greatly improved with the heat pipe system. The environment temperature and embedded depth of heat pipe play a dominant role among the decision variables of the snow melting system. Heat pipe snow melting pavement melts the snow completely and avoids freezing at any time when the environment temperature is below freezing point, which is secure enough for planes take-off and landing. Besides, the exportation and recovery of geothermal energy indicate that this system can run for a long time. This paper will be useful for the design and application of the heat pipe used in the runway snow melting.

Laboratory and On-Site Tests for Rapid Runway Repair

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Federico Leonelli

2017-11-01

Full Text Available The attention to rapid pavement repair has grown fast in recent decades: this topic is strategic for the airport management process for civil purposes and peacekeeping missions. This work presents the results of laboratory and on-site tests for rapid runway repair, in order to analyse and compare technical and mechanical performances of 12 different materials currently used in airport. The study focuses on site repairs, a technique adopted most frequently than repairs with modular elements. After describing mechanical and physical properties of the examined materials (2 bituminous emulsions, 5 cement mortars, 4 cold bituminous mixtures and 1 expanding resin, the study presents the results of carried out mechanical tests. The results demonstrate that the best performing material is a one-component fast setting and hardening cement mortar with graded aggregates. This material allows the runway reopening 6 h after the work. A cold bituminous mixture (bicomponent premixed cold asphalt with water as catalyst and the ordinary cement concrete allow the reopening to traffic after 18 h, but both ensure a lower service life (1000 coverages than the cement mortar (10,000 coverages. The obtained results include important information both laboratory level and field, and they could be used by airport management bodies and road agencies when scheduling and evaluating pavement repairs.

NASA diagonal-braked test vehicle evaluation of traction characteristics of grooved and ungrooved runway surfaces at Miami International Airport, Miami, Florida, 8-9 May 1973

Science.gov (United States)

Horne, W. B.

1977-01-01

Two runways were evaluated under artificially wetted conditions with the NASA diagonal-braked vehicle (DBV). Results of the evaluation which included a pavement drainage analysis, a pavement skid resistance analysis, and a DBV wet/dry stopping distance ratio analysis indicated that the ungrooved runway surfaces had poor water drainage characteristics and poor skid resistance under wet conditions at high speeds especially in rubbercoated areas of the runways. Grooving runways to a transverse 1-1/4 x 1/4 x 1/4 inch pattern greatly improved both the water drainage and pavement skid resistance capability of these asphaltic concrete surfaces.

Vertical Temperature Simulation of Pegasus Runway, McMurdo Station, Antarctica

Science.gov (United States)

2015-01-01

Polar Programs PSP Precision Spectral Pyranometer SPAWAR Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command ERDC/CRREL TR-15-2 ix Unit Conversion Factors...site was measured (M. Knuth*, pers. comm.) in 15-minute intervals from 29 October 2010 until 5 February 2011. Two broadband pyranometers (Eppley...Precision Spectral Pyranometer ) were mounted on a mast immediately adjacent to the runway. One measured downwelling radiation and the other upwelling

Laser-induced incandescence of suspended particles as a source of excitation of dye luminescence

CERN Document Server

Zelensky, S

2003-01-01

The interaction of pulsed YAG-Nd sup 3 sup + laser radiation with submicron light-absorbing particles suspended in an aqueous solution of Rhodamine 6G is investigated experimentally. The experiments demonstrate that the laser-induced incandescence of suspended particles excites the luminescence of the dissolved dye molecules. The mechanism of the luminescence excitation consists in the reabsorption of the thermal radiation within the volume of the sample cell. On the ground of this mechanism of excitation, a method of measurement of the luminescence quantum yield is proposed and realized. The method requires the knowledge of the geometrical parameters of the cell and does not require the use of reference samples.

Uncertainty Analysis for the Evaluation of a Passive Runway Arresting System

Science.gov (United States)

Deloach, Richard; Marlowe, Jill M.; Yager, Thomas J.

2009-01-01

This paper considers the stopping distance of an aircraft involved in a runway overrun incident when the runway has been provided with an extension comprised of a material engineered to induce high levels of rolling friction and drag. A formula for stopping distance is derived that is shown to be the product of a known formula for the case of friction without drag, and a dimensionless constant between 0 and 1 that quantifies the further reduction in stopping distance when drag is introduced. This additional quantity, identified as the Drag Reduction Factor, D, is shown to depend on the ratio of drag force to friction force experienced by the aircraft as it enters the overrun area. The specific functional form of D is shown to depend on how drag varies with speed. A detailed uncertainty analysis is presented which reveals how the uncertainty in estimates of stopping distance are influenced by experimental error in the force measurements that are acquired in a typical evaluation experiment conducted to assess candidate overrun materials.

Los Angeles International Airport Runway Incursion Studies: Phase III--Center-Taxiway Simulation

Science.gov (United States)

Madson, Michael D.

2004-01-01

Phase III of the Los Angeles International Airport Runway Incursion Studies was conducted, under an agreement with HNTB Corporation, at the NASA Ames FutureFlight Central (FFC) facility in June 2003. The objective of the study was the evaluation of a new center-taxiway concept at LAX. This study is an extension of the Phase I and Phase II studies previously conducted at FFC. This report presents results from Phase III of the study, in which a center-taxiway concept between runways 25L and 25R was simulated and evaluated. Phase III data were compared objectively against the Baseline data. Subjective evaluations by participating LAX controllers were obtained with regard to workload, efficiency, and safety criteria. To facilitate a valid comparison between Baseline and Phase III data, the same scenarios were used for Phase III that were tested during Phases I and II. This required briefing participating controllers on differences in airport and airline operations between 2001 and today.

A Robust Vision-based Runway Detection and Tracking Algorithm for Automatic UAV Landing

KAUST Repository

Abu Jbara, Khaled F.

2015-01-01

and attitude angle estimates to allow a more robust tracking of the runway under turbulence. We illustrate the performance of the proposed lane detection and tracking scheme on various experimental UAV flights conducted by the Saudi Aerospace Research Center

Real-time terminal area trajectory planning for runway independent aircraft

Science.gov (United States)

Xue, Min

The increasing demand for commercial air transportation results in delays due to traffic queues that form bottlenecks along final approach and departure corridors. In urban areas, it is often infeasible to build new runways, and regardless of automation upgrades traffic must remain separated to avoid the wakes of previous aircraft. Vertical or short takeoff and landing aircraft as Runway Independent Aircraft (RIA) can increase passenger throughput at major urban airports via the use of vertiports or stub runways. The concept of simultaneous non-interfering (SNI) operations has been proposed to reduce traffic delays by creating approach and departure corridors that do not intersect existing fixed-wing routes. However, SNI trajectories open new routes that may overfly noise-sensitive areas, and RIA may generate more noise than traditional jet aircraft, particularly on approach. In this dissertation, we develop efficient SNI noise abatement procedures applicable to RIA. First, we introduce a methodology based on modified approximated cell-decomposition and Dijkstra's search algorithm to optimize longitudinal plane (2-D) RIA trajectories over a cost function that minimizes noise, time, and fuel use. Then, we extend the trajectory optimization model to 3-D with a k-ary tree as the discrete search space. We incorporate geography information system (GIS) data, specifically population, into our objective function, and focus on a practical case study: the design of SNI RIA approach procedures to Baltimore-Washington International airport. Because solutions were represented as trim state sequences, we incorporated smooth transition between segments to enable more realistic cost estimates. Due to the significant computational complexity, we investigated alternative more efficient optimization techniques applicable to our nonlinear, non-convex, heavily constrained, and discontinuous objective function. Comparing genetic algorithm (GA) and adaptive simulated annealing (ASA

Behavior of aircraft antiskid braking systems on dry and wet runway surfaces - A velocity-rate-controlled, pressure-bias-modulated system

Science.gov (United States)

Stubbs, S. M.; Tanner, J. A.

1976-01-01

During maximum braking the average ratio of drag-force friction coefficient developed by the antiskid system to maximum drag-force friction coefficient available at the tire/runway interface was higher on dry surfaces than on wet surfaces. The gross stopping power generated by the brake system on the dry surface was more than twice that obtained on the wet surfaces. With maximum braking applied, the average ratio of side-force friction coefficient developed by the tire under antiskid control to maximum side-force friction available at the tire/runway interface of a free-rolling yawed tire was shown to decrease with increasing yaw angle. Braking reduced the side-force friction coefficient on a dry surface by 75 percent as the wheel slip ratio was increased to 0.3; on a flooded surface the coefficient dropped to near zero for the same slip ratio. Locked wheel skids were observed when the tire encountered a runway surface transition from dry to flooded, due in part to the response time required for the system to sense abrupt changes in the runway friction; however, the antiskid system quickly responded by reducing brake pressure and cycling normally during the remainder of the run on the flooded surface.

A novel machine learning model to predict abnormal Runway Occupancy Times and observe related precursors

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Herrema, Herrema Floris; Treve, V; Desart, B; Curran, R.; Visser, H.G.

2017-01-01

Accidents on the runway triggered the development and implementation of mitigation strategies. Therefore, the airline industry is moving toward proactive risk management, which aims to identify and predict risk percursors and to mitigate risks before accidents occur. For certain predictions Machine

Final Environmental Assessment for the Runway Extension and New Parking Apron at Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

2004-01-01

The Air Force prepared an Environmental Assessment (EA) of the potential environmental consequences of constructing a new heavy parking apron and runway extension at Tyndall Air Force Base (AFB), Florida...

MATLAB tools for improved characterization and quantification of volcanic incandescence in Webcam imagery; applications at Kilauea Volcano, Hawai'i

Science.gov (United States)

Patrick, Matthew R.; Kauahikaua, James P.; Antolik, Loren

2010-01-01

Webcams are now standard tools for volcano monitoring and are used at observatories in Alaska, the Cascades, Kamchatka, Hawai'i, Italy, and Japan, among other locations. Webcam images allow invaluable documentation of activity and provide a powerful comparative tool for interpreting other monitoring datastreams, such as seismicity and deformation. Automated image processing can improve the time efficiency and rigor of Webcam image interpretation, and potentially extract more information on eruptive activity. For instance, Lovick and others (2008) provided a suite of processing tools that performed such tasks as noise reduction, eliminating uninteresting images from an image collection, and detecting incandescence, with an application to dome activity at Mount St. Helens during 2007. In this paper, we present two very simple automated approaches for improved characterization and quantification of volcanic incandescence in Webcam images at Kilauea Volcano, Hawai`i. The techniques are implemented in MATLAB (version 2009b, Copyright: The Mathworks, Inc.) to take advantage of the ease of matrix operations. Incandescence is a useful indictor of the location and extent of active lava flows and also a potentially powerful proxy for activity levels at open vents. We apply our techniques to a period covering both summit and east rift zone activity at Kilauea during 2008?2009 and compare the results to complementary datasets (seismicity, tilt) to demonstrate their integrative potential. A great strength of this study is the demonstrated success of these tools in an operational setting at the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) over the course of more than a year. Although applied only to Webcam images here, the techniques could be applied to any type of sequential images, such as time-lapse photography. We expect that these tools are applicable to many other volcano monitoring scenarios, and the two MATLAB scripts, as they are implemented at HVO, are included in the appendixes

Decommissioning of a Facility that Produced Incandescent Mantles in Berlin, Germany

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2011-01-01

The facility which manufactured incandescent mantles was operating from about the 1960s up to 2005. Production was stopped because there was no longer a market for incandescent mantles as they had been superseded by electrical street lighting. The facility was licensed by the radiation protection regulator in the end of the 1970s. Prior to this time, no license was needed and the facility was registered as a chemical manufacturer. After the legislation changed and the radiation protection legislation was issued, the company had to obtain a license and establish radiation protection rules. Thorium was not used for its radioactive properties in the production of incandescent mantles. The production of gas mantles included their impregnation with naturally occurring thorium, which contains 232 Th as the radioactive isotope of interest. The thorium impregnation was essential to prevent the gas mantles from burning out too soon and to increase their light efficiency. This solution as Th (NO 3 ) 4 was delivered by a company which dealt with several minerals and chemicals. This solution was stored in plastic tanks and contained a high specific radioactivity in Bq/g and dose rates up to several hundreds of μSv/hr. Before seeking bids for the decommissioning of the facility (the company must obtain three bids from different decommissioning companies) it was decided to characterize the site to get a detailed overview about the used equipment, the secondary equipment like exhaust fumes and the radiological inventory. The characterization of the site was estimated to require five workers over two days, including one external specialist knowledgeable in free release of material. Boundary conditions and requirements for characterization are described in the following: (1) The owner of the facility planned to sell most of the equipment for reuse at an Indian facility. This necessitated thorough decontamination. Production of secondary radioactive waste was a problem. Equipment

76 FR 21938 - Potential Environmental Impacts of the Proposed Runway 13 Extension and Associated Actions for...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-04-19

... DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION Federal Aviation Administration Potential Environmental Impacts of the Proposed Runway 13 Extension and Associated Actions for the Devils Lake Regional Airport in Devils Lake, ND AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Department of Transportation (DOT). ACTION...

Factors that Determine Depth Perception of Trapezoids, Windsurfers, Runways

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chia-Huei eTseng

2015-04-01

Full Text Available We report here a windsurfer1 illusion, a naturally occurring trapezoidal illusion in which the small endof the sail viewed at a distance appears to be pointed away from the observer even when it is closer.This naturally occurring illusion is so compelling that observers are unaware of their gross perceptualmisinterpretation of the scene. Four laboratory experiment of this kind of trapezoidal illusion investigatedthe joint effects of retinal orientation, head position, relative motion, and the relative direction ofgravity on automatic depth perception. Observers viewed two adjacent white trapezoids outlined on ablack background rotating back and forth +/- 20 deg on a vertical axis much like the sails of two adjacentwindsurfers. Observers reported which side of the trapezoids (long or short appeared to becloser to them (i.e., in front. The longer edge of the trapezoid was reported in front 76+/-2% of trials(windsurfer effect whether it was on the left or on the right. When the display was rotated 90 deg toproduce a runway configuration, there was a striking asymmetry: the long edge was perceived to bein front 97% when it was on the bottom but only 43% when it was on top (runway effect. The runwayeffect persisted when the head was tilted 90 deg or when displays on the ceiling were viewedfrom the floor. 95% of the variance of the variance in the strikingly different 3D perceptions producedby the same 2D trapezoid image was quantitatively explained by a model that assumes there are justthree additive bias factors that account for perceiving an edge as closer: Implicit linear perspective,lower position on the retina (based on an automatic assumption of viewing from above, and beinglower in world coordinates.

Prioritizing risks via several expert perspectives with application to runway safety

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rogerson, Ellen C.; Lambert, James H.

2012-01-01

Factor hierarchies have been widely used in the literature to represent the view of an expert of what factors most contribute to reliability or safety. The methods for rating and aggregating the influences across a set of expert-elicited factors to risk or reliability are well known as multiple criteria decision analysis. This paper describes a method for distinguishing levels of risk across a set of locations via the use of multiple factor hierarchies. The method avoids averaging across experts and is thus useful for situations where experts disagree and where an absence of expert consensus on the causative or contributing factors is important information for risk management. A case study demonstrates using seven expert perspectives on the airport-specific factors that can contribute to runway incursions. The results are described for eighty towered airports in the US. The expert perspectives include differing relative emphases across the following set of factors: airport geometry, operations, weather, geography, and days since last safety review. Future work is suggested to include human factors issues as pilot-and-controller communications styles at airports. - Highlights: ► We examine influential factors in seven expert perspectives on the problem domain. ► We assess eighty US airports with qualitative measurement scales for each risk factor. ► Results show robustness and sensitivity of the risk index to expert perspective. ► We examine factors of several types including runway geometry, operations, weather, and geography.

Changes in the Albedo of the Pegasus and Phoenix Runways, 2000-2017

Science.gov (United States)

2017-07-18

by the net heat transfer into the runway surface during the brief but intense peak of austral summer. The flux of downwelling shortwave solar energy...snow; and as ERDC/CRREL TR-17-10 2 mentioned above, the presence of melt water in the snow further reduces albedo and increases heating of the snow...interpolating over all possible angles, end member albedo cases (“white sky” and “black sky”) can be modeled . The actual albedo or “blue sky” albedo falls

The incandescent lamps in Mexico; are they really a beneficial technology?; Las lamparas incandescentes en Mexico: son realmente una tecnologia benefica?

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ramirez Rivero, A. G. [Genertek, S.A. de C.V., Mexico, D. F. (Mexico)

1995-12-31

The versatility of the incandescent lamps has originated a sustained increment of its population all over the world. Because of its characteristics they continue being irreplaceable in numberless applications, that go from the movies up to the medicine. Nevertheless the greatest population are represented by the incandescent lamps A-19 with the well-known negative effects to the environment and the economy caused by the electric power generation by conventional methods. No doubt about it, the best option to substitute them are the compact fluorescent lamps (CFL), but the economical barriers, the market and the performance do not permit its massive application in Mexico. In this paper a proposal is set forth that might bring high benefits with a minimum investment and rapid implementation. [Espanol] La versatilidad de las lamparas incandescentes ha causado un incremento sostenido de su poblacion en todo el mundo. Dadas sus caracteristicas continua siendo insustituible en un sinnumero de aplicaciones, que van desde el cine hasta la medicina. Sin embargo, la mayor poblacion la representan las ineficientes lamparas incandescentes A19 con los consabidos efectos negativos en el medio ambiente y la economia, causados por la generacion de energia electrica por medios convencionales. Sin duda, la mejor opcion para sustituirlas son las lamparas compacto fluorescentes (LCF), pero las barreras economicas, de mercado y de desempeno no permiten su aplicacion masiva en Mexico. En este trabajo se hace una propuesta que puede permitir grandes beneficios con minima inversion y rapida implementacion.

The incandescent lamps in Mexico; are they really a beneficial technology?; Las lamparas incandescentes en Mexico: son realmente una tecnologia benefica?

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ramirez Rivero, A G [Genertek, S.A. de C.V., Mexico, D. F. (Mexico)

1996-12-31

The versatility of the incandescent lamps has originated a sustained increment of its population all over the world. Because of its characteristics they continue being irreplaceable in numberless applications, that go from the movies up to the medicine. Nevertheless the greatest population are represented by the incandescent lamps A-19 with the well-known negative effects to the environment and the economy caused by the electric power generation by conventional methods. No doubt about it, the best option to substitute them are the compact fluorescent lamps (CFL), but the economical barriers, the market and the performance do not permit its massive application in Mexico. In this paper a proposal is set forth that might bring high benefits with a minimum investment and rapid implementation. [Espanol] La versatilidad de las lamparas incandescentes ha causado un incremento sostenido de su poblacion en todo el mundo. Dadas sus caracteristicas continua siendo insustituible en un sinnumero de aplicaciones, que van desde el cine hasta la medicina. Sin embargo, la mayor poblacion la representan las ineficientes lamparas incandescentes A19 con los consabidos efectos negativos en el medio ambiente y la economia, causados por la generacion de energia electrica por medios convencionales. Sin duda, la mejor opcion para sustituirlas son las lamparas compacto fluorescentes (LCF), pero las barreras economicas, de mercado y de desempeno no permiten su aplicacion masiva en Mexico. En este trabajo se hace una propuesta que puede permitir grandes beneficios con minima inversion y rapida implementacion.

Behavior of aircraft antiskid braking systems on dry and wet runway surfaces. A slip-velocity-controlled, pressure-bias-modulated system

Science.gov (United States)

Stubbs, S. M.; Tanner, J. A.; Smith, E. G.

1979-01-01

The braking and cornering response of a slip velocity controlled, pressure bias modulated aircraft antiskid braking system is investigated. The investigation, conducted on dry and wet runway surfaces, utilized one main gear wheel, brake, and tire assembly of a McDonnell Douglas DC 9 series 10 airplane. The landing gear strut was replaced by a dynamometer. The parameters, which were varied, included the carriage speed, tire loading, yaw angle, tire tread condition, brake system operating pressure, and runway wetness conditions. The effects of each of these parameters on the behavior of the skid control system is presented. Comparisons between data obtained with the skid control system and data obtained from single cycle braking tests without antiskid protection are examined.

Exact and Heuristic Algorithms for Runway Scheduling

Science.gov (United States)

Malik, Waqar A.; Jung, Yoon C.

2016-01-01

This paper explores the Single Runway Scheduling (SRS) problem with arrivals, departures, and crossing aircraft on the airport surface. Constraints for wake vortex separations, departure area navigation separations and departure time window restrictions are explicitly considered. The main objective of this research is to develop exact and heuristic based algorithms that can be used in real-time decision support tools for Air Traffic Control Tower (ATCT) controllers. The paper provides a multi-objective dynamic programming (DP) based algorithm that finds the exact solution to the SRS problem, but may prove unusable for application in real-time environment due to large computation times for moderate sized problems. We next propose a second algorithm that uses heuristics to restrict the search space for the DP based algorithm. A third algorithm based on a combination of insertion and local search (ILS) heuristics is then presented. Simulation conducted for the east side of Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport allows comparison of the three proposed algorithms and indicates that the ILS algorithm performs favorably in its ability to find efficient solutions and its computation times.

Productive urbanisms : From Runways to Greenways

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

White, M [Toronto Univ., ON (Canada). Faculty of Architecture Landscape and Design; Sheppard, L [Waterloo Univ., Cambridge, ON (Canada). School of Architecture

2009-07-01

This paper reported on an international competition for urban development in Reykjavik, Iceland in 2007. Known as the Runways to Greenways proposal, the prototype depends on a strategy that considers energy use, ecology and land use when integrating public amenities. While Iceland is advanced in terms of its vast geothermal reserves, it is a country that uses the most energy per capita. There are 5 major geothermal power plants in Iceland which produce about 26 per cent of the country's electricity. Geothermal heating also meets the heating and hot water needs for nearly 87 per cent of the nation's buildings. However, Reykjavik continues to rely heavily on imported fossil fuel primarily for fishing, transport and heavy industries. A recent masterplan for the expansion of Reykjavik calls for the densification of the city. The objective was to propose a city that is self-sufficient in terms of energy, agriculture and water while addressing the development potentials of biotechnology and ecotechnology enterprises in Reykjavik. The integrated infrastructure calls for a symbiotic relationship between urbanism and nature, and between energy consumption and production in an effort to pair infrastructure, landscape, public infrastructure and architecture in a culturally, economically and environmentally productive urban realm. 9 refs., 12 figs.

Productive urbanisms : From Runways to Greenways

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

White, M. [Toronto Univ., ON (Canada). Faculty of Architecture Landscape and Design; Sheppard, L. [Waterloo Univ., Cambridge, ON (Canada). School of Architecture

2009-07-01

This paper reported on an international competition for urban development in Reykjavik, Iceland in 2007. Known as the Runways to Greenways proposal, the prototype depends on a strategy that considers energy use, ecology and land use when integrating public amenities. While Iceland is advanced in terms of its vast geothermal reserves, it is a country that uses the most energy per capita. There are 5 major geothermal power plants in Iceland which produce about 26 per cent of the country's electricity. Geothermal heating also meets the heating and hot water needs for nearly 87 per cent of the nation's buildings. However, Reykjavik continues to rely heavily on imported fossil fuel primarily for fishing, transport and heavy industries. A recent masterplan for the expansion of Reykjavik calls for the densification of the city. The objective was to propose a city that is self-sufficient in terms of energy, agriculture and water while addressing the development potentials of biotechnology and ecotechnology enterprises in Reykjavik. The integrated infrastructure calls for a symbiotic relationship between urbanism and nature, and between energy consumption and production in an effort to pair infrastructure, landscape, public infrastructure and architecture in a culturally, economically and environmentally productive urban realm. 9 refs., 12 figs.

Predicting capacities of runways serving new large aircraft

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

K. Gopalakrishnan

2008-03-01

Full Text Available This paper presents a simplified approach for predicting the allowable load repetitions of New Large Aircraft (NLA loading for airfield runways based on Non-Destructive Test (NDT data. Full-scale traffic test results from the Federal Aviation Administration’s National Airport Pavement Test Facility (NAPTF were used to develop the NDT-based evaluation methodology. Four flexible test pavement sections with variable (unbound layer thicknesses were trafficked using six-wheel and four-wheel NLA test gears until the test pavements were deemed failed. Non-destructive tests using a Heavy Weight Deflectometer (HWD were conducted prior to the initiation of traffic testing to measure the pavement surface deflections. In the past, pavement surface deflections have been successfully used as an indicator of airport pavement life. In this study, the HWD surface deflections and the derived Deflection Basin Parameters (DBPs were related to functional performance of NAPTF flexible pavements through simple regression analysis. The results demonstrated the usefulness of NDT data for predicting the performance of airport flexible pavements serving the next generation of aircrafts.

Predicting the heat of vaporization of iron at high temperatures using time-resolved laser-induced incandescence and Bayesian model selection

Science.gov (United States)

Sipkens, Timothy A.; Hadwin, Paul J.; Grauer, Samuel J.; Daun, Kyle J.

2018-03-01

Competing theories have been proposed to account for how the latent heat of vaporization of liquid iron varies with temperature, but experimental confirmation remains elusive, particularly at high temperatures. We propose time-resolved laser-induced incandescence measurements on iron nanoparticles combined with Bayesian model plausibility, as a novel method for evaluating these relationships. Our approach scores the explanatory power of candidate models, accounting for parameter uncertainty, model complexity, measurement noise, and goodness-of-fit. The approach is first validated with simulated data and then applied to experimental data for iron nanoparticles in argon. Our results justify the use of Román's equation to account for the temperature dependence of the latent heat of vaporization of liquid iron.

Soil settlement analysis in soft soil by using preloading system and prefabricated vertical draining runway of Kualanamu Airport

Science.gov (United States)

Roesyanto; Iskandar, R.; Silalahi, S. A.; Fadliansyah

2018-02-01

The method of soil improvement, using the combination of prefabricated vertical drain (PVD) and preloading, was used to accelerate the process of consolidation and the consolidation settlement in the runway of Kualanamu International Airport, which was constructed on the soft soil sediment like silty clay. In this research, the investigated area was the runway of Kualanamu International Airport zone I which had 11 meter-thickness of soft soil. Geotechnic instruments surveyed was settlement plate. Monitoring was done toward the behavior of landfill such as basic soil settlement. The result were compared with the analysis of finite element method of full scale in Mohr-Coulomb model by verifying the vertical drain of asymmetric unit cell and equivalent plane strain unit cell condition. The results of the research showed that there were an interesting behavior between the data in field observation and finite element of Mohr-Coulomb model. It was also found that the result of soil settlement of finite element method of Mohr-Coulomb model was closed to the result of settlement plate monitoring.

Aircraft Accident Report. Runway Overrun During Landing American Airlines Flight 1420 McDonnell Douglas MD-82, N215AA Little Rock, Arkansas

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

1999-01-01

This report explains the accident involving American Airlines flight 1420, a McDonnell Douglas MD-82, which crashed after it overran the end of runway 4R during landing at Little Rock National Airport...

Comparison study on flexible pavement design using FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) and LCN (Load Classification Number) code in Ahmad Yani international airport’s runway

Science.gov (United States)

Santoso, S. E.; Sulistiono, D.; Mawardi, A. F.

2017-11-01

FAA code for airport design has been broadly used by Indonesian Ministry of Aviation since decades ago. However, there is not much comprehensive study about its relevance and efficiency towards current situation in Indonesia. Therefore, a further comparison study on flexible pavement design for airport runway using comparable method has become essential. The main focus of this study is to compare which method between FAA and LCN that offer the most efficient and effective way in runway pavement planning. The comparative methods in this study mainly use the variety of variable approach. FAA code for instance, will use the approach on the aircraft’s maximum take-off weight and annual departure. Whilst LCN code use the variable of equivalent single wheel load and tire pressure. Based on the variables mentioned above, a further classification and rated method will be used to determine which code is best implemented. According to the analysis, it is clear that FAA method is the most effective way to plan runway design in Indonesia with consecutively total pavement thickness of 127cm and LCN method total pavement thickness of 70cm. Although, FAA total pavement is thicker that LCN its relevance towards sustainable and pristine condition in the future has become an essential aspect to consider in design and planning.

Abundance and Night Hourly Dispersal of the Vesicating Beetles of the Genus Paederus (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae) Attracted to Fluorescent, Incandescent, and Black Light Sources in the Brazilian Savanna.

Science.gov (United States)

Lima, D C B; Costa, A A V; Silva, F S

2015-01-01

Paederus beetles are cosmopolitan medically important insects that cause dermatitis linearis to humans. In Brazil, despite the medical importance of these beetles, no studies focusing directly on the abundance and ecological features of harmful species exist. Therefore, this study aims at determining the abundance and the nocturnal hourly dispersal of Paederus species attracted to fluorescent, incandescent, and black light sources in the Brazilian savanna. Paederus species were captured from May to September for three consecutive years, between 2011 and 2013. The specimens were caught hourly, from 1800 to 0600 hours. Paederus beetles were attracted to incandescent, fluorescent, and black light lamps as light sources. A total of 959 individuals of five species were collected. The collected species were Paederus protensus Sharp (59.85%), Paederus columbinus Laporte de Castelnau (29.20%), Paederus mutans Sharp (7.09%), Paederus brasiliensis Erichson (3.34%), and Paederus ferus Erichson (0.52%). The black light was the most attractive source, and the darkest collecting point was the most representative for the number of individuals. The lowest catches were captured at full moon, and the highest catches were between 2200 and 0100 hours. Future investigations are needed to better understand the role of night temperature and soil humidity affecting the seasonal growth of Paederus beetle populations of northeastern Brazil. © The Authors 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Entomological Society of America. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Disparity in Cutaneous Pigmentary Response to LED vs Halogen Incandescent Visible Light: Results from a Single Center, Investigational Clinical Trial Determining a Minimal Pigmentary Visible Light Dose.

Science.gov (United States)

Soleymani, Teo; Cohen, David E; Folan, Lorcan M; Okereke, Uchenna R; Elbuluk, Nada; Soter, Nicholas A

2017-11-01

Background: While most of the attention regarding skin pigmentation has focused on the effects of ultraviolet radiation, the cutaneous effects of visible light (400 to 700nm) are rarely reported. The purpose of this study was to investigate the cutaneous pigmentary response to pure visible light irradiation, examine the difference in response to different sources of visible light irradiation, and determine a minimal pigmentary dose of visible light irradiation in melanocompetent subjects with Fitzpatrick skin type III - VI. The study was designed as a single arm, non-blinded, split-side dual intervention study in which subjects underwent visible light irradiation using LED and halogen incandescent light sources delivered at a fluence of 0.14 Watts/cm2 with incremental dose progression from 20 J/cm2 to 320 J/cm2. Pigmentation was assessed by clinical examination, cross-polarized digital photography, and analytic colorimetry. Immediate, dose-responsive pigment darkening was seen with LED light exposure in 80% of subjects, beginning at 60 Joules. No pigmentary changes were seen with halogen incandescent light exposure at any dose in any subject. This study is the first to report a distinct difference in cutaneous pigmentary response to different sources of visible light, and the first to demonstrate cutaneous pigment darkening from visible LED light exposure. Our findings raise the concern that our increasing daily artificial light surroundings may have clandestine effects on skin biology. J Drugs Dermatol. 2017;16(11):1105-1110..

Laser-induced incandescence measurements in a fired diesel engine at 3 kHz

Science.gov (United States)

Boxx, I. G.; Heinold, O.; Geigle, K. P.

2015-01-01

Laser-induced incandescence (LII) was performed at 3 kHz in an optically accessible cylinder of a fired diesel engine using a commercially available diode-pumped solid-state laser and an intensified CMOS camera. The resulting images, acquired every 3° of crank angle, enabled the spatiotemporal tracking of soot structures during the expansion/exhaust stroke of the engine cycle. The image sequences demonstrate that soot tends to form in thin sheets that propagate and interact with the in-cylinder flow. These sheets tend to align parallel to the central axis of the cylinder and are frequently wrapped into conical spirals by aerodynamic swirl. Most of the soot is observed well away from the cylinder walls. Quantitative soot measurements were beyond the scope of this study but the results demonstrate the practical utility of using kHz-rate LII to acquire ensemble-averaged statistical data with high crank angle resolution over a complete engine cycle. Based on semi-quantitative measures of soot distribution, it was possible to identify soot dynamics related to incomplete charge exchange. This study shows that long-duration, multi-kHz acquisition rate LII measurements are viable in a fired diesel engine with currently available laser and camera technology, albeit only in the expansion and exhaust phase of the cycle at present. Furthermore, such measurements yield useful insight into soot dynamics and therefore constitute an important new tool for the development and optimization of diesel engine technology.

Hydroelastic response of a floating runway to cnoidal waves

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ertekin, R. C.; Xia, Dingwu

2014-01-01

The hydroelastic response of mat-type Very Large Floating Structures (VLFSs) to severe sea conditions, such as tsunamis and hurricanes, must be assessed for safety and survivability. An efficient and robust nonlinear hydroelastic model is required to predict accurately the motion of and the dynamic loads on a VLFS due to such large waves. We develop a nonlinear theory to predict the hydroelastic response of a VLFS in the presence of cnoidal waves and compare the predictions with the linear theory that is also developed here. This hydroelastic problem is formulated by directly coupling the structure with the fluid, by use of the Level I Green-Naghdi theory for the fluid motion and the Kirchhoff thin plate theory for the runway. The coupled fluid structure system, together with the appropriate jump conditions are solved in two-dimensions by the finite-difference method. The numerical model is used to study the nonlinear response of a VLFS to storm waves which are modeled by use of the cnoidal-wave theory. Parametric studies show that the nonlinearity of the waves is very important in accurately predicting the dynamic bending moment and wave run-up on a VLFS in high seas

Hydroelastic response of a floating runway to cnoidal waves

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ertekin, R. C., E-mail: ertekin@hawaii.edu [Department of Ocean and Resources Engineering, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu, Hawaii 96822 (United States); Xia, Dingwu [Engineering Services, British Petroleum GoM, Houston, Texas 77079 (United States)

2014-02-15

The hydroelastic response of mat-type Very Large Floating Structures (VLFSs) to severe sea conditions, such as tsunamis and hurricanes, must be assessed for safety and survivability. An efficient and robust nonlinear hydroelastic model is required to predict accurately the motion of and the dynamic loads on a VLFS due to such large waves. We develop a nonlinear theory to predict the hydroelastic response of a VLFS in the presence of cnoidal waves and compare the predictions with the linear theory that is also developed here. This hydroelastic problem is formulated by directly coupling the structure with the fluid, by use of the Level I Green-Naghdi theory for the fluid motion and the Kirchhoff thin plate theory for the runway. The coupled fluid structure system, together with the appropriate jump conditions are solved in two-dimensions by the finite-difference method. The numerical model is used to study the nonlinear response of a VLFS to storm waves which are modeled by use of the cnoidal-wave theory. Parametric studies show that the nonlinearity of the waves is very important in accurately predicting the dynamic bending moment and wave run-up on a VLFS in high seas.

A Difference in Cutaneous Pigmentary Response to LED Versus Halogen Incandescent Visible Light: A Case Report from a Single Center, Investigational Clinical Trial Determining a Minimal Pigmentary Visible Light Dose.

Science.gov (United States)

Soleymani, Teo; Soter, Nicholas A; Folan, Lorcan M; Elbuluk, Nada; Okereke, Uchenna R; Cohen, David E

2017-04-01

BACKGROUND: While most of the attention regarding skin pigmentation has focused on the effects on ultraviolet radiation, the cutaneous effects of visible light (400 to 700nm) are rarely reported. In this report, we describe a case of painful erythema and induration that resulted from direct irradiation of UV-naïve skin with visible LED light in a patient with Fitzpatrick type II skin. METHODS AND RESULTS: A 24-year-old healthy woman with Fitzpatrick type II skin presented to our department to participate in a clinical study. As part of the study, the subject underwent visible light irradiation with an LED and halogen incandescent visible light source. After 5 minutes of exposure, the patient complained of appreciable pain at the LED exposed site. Evaluation demonstrated erythema and mild induration. There were no subjective or objective findings at the halogen incandescent irradiated site, which received equivalent fluence (0.55 Watts / cm2). The study was halted as the subject was unable to tolerate the full duration of visible light irradiation. CONCLUSION: This case illustrates the importance of recognizing the effects of visible light on skin. While the vast majority of investigational research has focused on ultraviolet light, the effects of visible light have been largely overlooked and must be taken into consideration, in all Fitzpatrick skin types. J Drugs Dermatol. 2017;16(4):388-392..

Contrasting safety assessments of a runway incursion scenario: Event sequence analysis versus multi-agent dynamic risk modelling

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stroeve, Sybert H.; Blom, Henk A.P.; Bakker, G.J.

2013-01-01

In the safety literature it has been argued, that in a complex socio-technical system safety cannot be well analysed by event sequence based approaches, but requires to capture the complex interactions and performance variability of the socio-technical system. In order to evaluate the quantitative and practical consequences of these arguments, this study compares two approaches to assess accident risk of an example safety critical sociotechnical system. It contrasts an event sequence based assessment with a multi-agent dynamic risk model (MA-DRM) based assessment, both of which are performed for a particular runway incursion scenario. The event sequence analysis uses the well-known event tree modelling formalism and the MA-DRM based approach combines agent based modelling, hybrid Petri nets and rare event Monte Carlo simulation. The comparison addresses qualitative and quantitative differences in the methods, attained risk levels, and in the prime factors influencing the safety of the operation. The assessments show considerable differences in the accident risk implications of the performance of human operators and technical systems in the runway incursion scenario. In contrast with the event sequence based results, the MA-DRM based results show that the accident risk is not manifest from the performance of and relations between individual human operators and technical systems. Instead, the safety risk emerges from the totality of the performance and interactions in the agent based model of the safety critical operation considered, which coincides very well with the argumentation in the safety literature.

Monitoring of Level of Radiation Hazards to the Community in the Settlement Around the Incandescent Gas Mantle Factory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Suryawati

2000-01-01

The analyze of radiation internal hazards level of thoron (Rn-220) and its daughter to the community settlement around the incandescent gas mantle factory. The radiation hazard level can be indicated in the form of working level (WL) and sffsctive dose lungs received by the community. The working level and effective dose lungs is got from the measurement of radioactivity level of thoron (Rn-220) and its daugther and by using the mathematical formula calculation. The measurement of thoron radioactive concentration and its daughter. The value of woking level obtained, performance level for community range from 0,001-0,013 WL, equivalent with dose range from 0,014- 0,467 mSv. From the research result, it can be identified that the radiation hazard, because exceed the mean value of threshold thorium radioactive nuclide and its daughter product of natural radiation in back ground per year for word mean i.e. 0,336 mSv, but the value of this research result is far below the allowed value limit for the community is 0,12 WL and 1 mSv/year

SEM investigation of incandescent lamp mantle structure on durability

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gerneke, D.; Lang, C.

2002-01-01

Full text: The incandescent mantle as used on pressure and non-pressure liquid fuel lamps has been in use for over 100 years. What remains unexplained is the way in which the resistance to mechanical shock and the decline in tensile strength with usage is experienced. It has been suggested that to improve durability it is necessary to continuously burn a new mantle for the first two to three hours. The known factors in mantle durability and mechanical strength are chemical composition and fabric weave. This study was undertaken to investigate the effects of burning time and temperature on thorium oxide mantles. The operating temperature of mantles on a range of kerosene pressure lamps was measured and found to be between 800 and 1100 deg C. Heat treatments of thorium based Coleman mantles were carried out in a laboratory furnace within these ranges of temperatures for periods ranging from 2 minutes to 2 hours. The mantles were then viewed in a LEO S440 analytical SEM. Results at 800 deg C show a distinct change in surface morphology with increasing exposure time. At the shorter times (2-5 minutes) the surface was relatively smooth. With increased time periods (15 - 120 minutes) the surface was observed to have a large lumpy structure. At 1100 deg C the difference in surface morphology was not apparent between the shortest and longest times. The surface appears much smoother and no lumpy structure was observed. This suggests that when a mantle is operated at the higher temperature of 1100 deg C the structure of the Thorium oxide is quickly transformed into the known stronger amorphous form. This is taken as the observed smooth structure seen in the SEM images of the 1100 deg C samples. Thus the mantle is expected to be more resistant to mechanical shock and have increased durability. Practical field test results confirm these observations. The mantle on a lamp that is operating efficiently, burns brightly, will far outlast a mantle on an inefficient lamp which bums

Final Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Runway 17-35 Closure at Albuquerque International Sunport, Albuquerque, New Mexico

Science.gov (United States)

2011-10-01

34’ ------------------- .... ___ -------------·····-------- --·-----------·---- D-28 U.S. SIEVE OPENING IN INCHES I U.S. SIEVE NUMBERS I HYDROMETER 6 4 3 2 1.5 1 3/4 112...Runway 17-35 Closure Location: Albuquerque International Sunport Number: 1-90703 D-29 U.S. SIEVE OPENING IN INCHES I U.S. SIEVE NUMBERS I HYDROMETER 6...Location: Albuquerque International Sunport ~ (!) Number: 1-90703 ~ D-30 U.S. SIEVE OPENING IN INCHES I U.S. SIEVE NUMBERS I HYDROMETER 6 4 3 2 1.5 1

Banning the bulb: Institutional evolution and the phased ban of incandescent lighting in Germany

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Howarth, Nicholas A.A.; Rosenow, Jan

2014-01-01

Much academic attention has been directed at analysing energy efficiency investments through the lens of ‘behavioural failure’. These studies have challenged the neoclassical framing of regulation which emphasises the efficiency benefits of price based policy, underpinned by the notion of rational individual self-mastery. The increasing use of a regulatory ban on electric lamps in many countries is one of the most recent and high profile flash points in this dialectic of ‘freedom-versus-the-state’ in the public policy discourse. This paper interrogates this debate through a study of electric lamp diffusion in Germany. It is argued that neoclassical theory and equilibrium analysis is inadequate as a tool for policy analysis as it takes the formation of market institutions, such as existing regulations, for granted. Further still, it may be prone to encourage idealistic debates around such grand narratives which may in practice simply serve those who benefit most from the status quo. Instead we argue for an evolutionary approach which we suggest offers a more pragmatic framing tool which focuses on the formation of market institutions in light of shifting social norms and political goals—in our case, progress towards energy efficiency and environmental goals. - Highlights: • Empirical data on the ban of incandescent lamps in Germany is presented. • The political debate on the ban is positioned within key bodies of theory. • Discourse was found to have positively influenced diffusion of efficient lighting. • Tools for the reframing of political debate are proposed for policy makers

Use of Data Comm by Flight Crew to Conduct Interval Management Operations to Parallel Dependent Runways

Science.gov (United States)

Baxley, Brian T.; Hubbs, Clay; Shay, Rick; Karanian, James

2011-01-01

The Interval Management (IM) concept is being developed as a method to maintain or increase high traffic density airport arrival throughput while allowing aircraft to conduct near idle thrust descents. The Interval Management with Spacing to Parallel Dependent Runways (IMSPiDR1) experiment at NASA Langley Research Center used 24 commercial pilots to examine IM procedures to conduct parallel dependent runway arrival operations while maintaining safe but efficient intervals behind the preceding aircraft. The use of IM procedures during these operations requires a lengthy and complex clearance from Air Traffic Control (ATC) to the participating aircraft, thereby making the use of Controller Pilot Data Link Communications (CPDLC) highly desirable as the communication method. The use of CPDLC reduces the need for voice transmissions between controllers and flight crew, and enables automated transfer of IM clearance elements into flight management systems or other aircraft avionics. The result is reduced crew workload and an increase in the efficiency of crew procedures. This paper focuses on the subset of data collected related to the use of CPDLC for IM operations into a busy airport. Overall, the experiment and results were very successful, with the mean time under 43 seconds for the flight crew to load the clearance into the IM spacing tool, review the calculated speed, and respond to ATC. An overall mean rating of Moderately Agree was given when the crews were asked if the use of CPDLC was operationally acceptable as simulated in this experiment. Approximately half of the flight crew reported the use of CPDLC below 10,000 for IM operations was unacceptable, with 83% reporting below 5000 was unacceptable. Also described are proposed modifications to the IM operations that may reduce CPDLC Respond time to less than 30 seconds and should significantly reduce the complexity of crew procedures, as well as follow-on research issues for operational use of CPDLC during IM

Impact of various lighting source (incandescent, fluorescent, metal halide and high pressure sodium) on the production performance of chicken broilers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Guffar, A.; Rahman, K.U.; Siddique, M.; Ahmad, F.

2009-01-01

Light is an important aspect of an animal's environment. Avian as well as mammalian species respond to light energy in a variety of ways. Recent research has indicated that light source may affect body weight, immune response, livability and health status. Broiler behavior is strongly affected by light sources. So the present project was designed to study the effect of light sources on the production performance of broilers. For this purpose, 500 day-old broilers purchased from the local market were reared for three days (adaptation period) in one group. Then these were randomly divided into five experimental groups each comprising of 100 birds. Group A was given 25 incandescent light (INC), Group B was given fluorescent light (FC), Group C was given metal halide light (MH), Group D was given high pressure sodium light (HPS) and Group E was given no light source (control). Performance trial in terms of measurement of weekly body weight, weekly feed consumption, feed conversion ratio (FCR), daily water consumption and mortality were checked. Among various lighting sources, MH proved the best light source regarding main parameters of production performance. (author)

STANDARD METHODS FOR THE DETERMINATION OF THE RUNWAY AND SEAKEEPING CHARACTERISTICS OF A SEAPLANE ON THE WATERS DURING FULL-SCALE TESTS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. A. Khokhlov

2015-01-01

Full Text Available One of the main stages of the creation of seaplanes and amphibious aircraft are flight certification tests, including tests to determine their landing and sailing characteristics on the water. In accordance with aviation regulations (part 21 certification work is carried out according to the methods of determination of compliance (MOC, which are the main organizational and methodological document for testing. The paper discusses the main provisions of the standard methods for the determination of the runway and sea keeping characteristics of seaplanes and amphibians on water areas with full-scale tests.

Doping chloro boron subnaphthalocyanines and chloro boron subphthalocyanine in simple OLED architectures yields warm white incandescent-like emissions

Science.gov (United States)

Plint, Trevor G.; Lessard, Benoît H.; Bender, Timothy P.

2018-01-01

We have incorporated chloro boron subphthalocyanine (Cl-BsubPc) and chloro boron subnapthalocyanines (Cl-ClnBsubNcs) into organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs) that enabled an overall warm white emission with CIE coordinates close to that of a 60 W incandescent lightbulb. More specifically, we have shown that Cl-BsubPc and Cl-ClnBsubNcs can be used as dopant emitters in a simple host-dopant architecture, and we have compared the use of NPB and Alq3 as potential hosts for these materials. When doped into Alq3, Cl-BsubPc shows a strong orange emission, and Cl-ClnBsubNcs shows a moderately strong red emission. We have further demonstrated that Cl-BsubPc and Cl-ClnBsubNcs can be co-doped into the same layer giving combined orange and red emission peaks. A "cascade" energy transfer mechanism of sequential absorption and re-emission is proposed. Device performance characteristics such as luminance, current efficiency, photoluminescence efficiency, and external quantum efficiency are tabulated. Additionally, in view of ongoing research into white emitting OLEDs for indoor lighting purposes, the Colour Rendering Index (CRI), R9 values, and CIE co-ordinates for these devices are also discussed. We conclude from this study that the BsubNc chromophore has potential application as a red dopant in OLEDs including for indoor lighting. Additionally, given the scope for axial and peripheral derivatization of the BsubNc motif, we believe that this chromophore has many unexplored molecular design handles that will affect its ultimate performance and application in OLEDs and other opto-electronic devices.

NABIC marker database: A molecular markers information network of agricultural crops.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Chang-Kug; Seol, Young-Joo; Lee, Dong-Jun; Jeong, In-Seon; Yoon, Ung-Han; Lee, Gang-Seob; Hahn, Jang-Ho; Park, Dong-Suk

2013-01-01

In 2013, National Agricultural Biotechnology Information Center (NABIC) reconstructs a molecular marker database for useful genetic resources. The web-based marker database consists of three major functional categories: map viewer, RSN marker and gene annotation. It provides 7250 marker locations, 3301 RSN marker property, 3280 molecular marker annotation information in agricultural plants. The individual molecular marker provides information such as marker name, expressed sequence tag number, gene definition and general marker information. This updated marker-based database provides useful information through a user-friendly web interface that assisted in tracing any new structures of the chromosomes and gene positional functions using specific molecular markers. The database is available for free at http://nabic.rda.go.kr/gere/rice/molecularMarkers/

From Runway to Orbit: Reflections of a NASA Engineer

Science.gov (United States)

Iliff, Kenneth W.; Peebles, Curtis L.

2004-01-01

In his remarkable memoir Runway to Orbit, Dr. Kenneth W. Iliff - the recently retired Chief Scientist of the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center- tells a highly personal, yet a highly persuasive account of the last forty years of American aeronautical research. His interpretation of events commands respect, because over these years he has played pivotal roles in many of the most important American aeronautics and spaceflight endeavors. Moreover, his narrative covers much of the second half of the first 100 years of flight, a centennial anniversary being celebrated this year. aerospace knowledge. He arrived at the then NASA Flight Research Center in 1962 as a young aeronautical engineer and quickly became involved in two of the seminal projects of modern flight, the X-15 and the lifting bodies. In the process, he pioneered (with Lawrence Taylor) the application of digital computing to the reduction of flight data, arriving at a method known as parameter estimation, now applied the world over. Parameter estimation not only enabled researchers to acquire stability and control derivatives from limited flight data, but in time allowed them to obtain a wide range of aerodynamic effects. Although subsequently involved in dozens of important projects, Dr. Iliff devoted much of his time and energy to hypersonic flight, embodied in the Shuttle orbiter (or as he refers to it, the world s fastest airplane). To him, each Shuttle flight, instrumented to obtain a variety of data, represents a research treasure trove, one that he has mined for years. This book, then, represents the story of Dr. Ken Iliff s passion for flight, his work, and his long and astoundingly productive career. It can be read with profit not just by scientists and engineers, but equally by policy makers, historians, and journalists wishing to better comprehend advancements in flight during the second half of the twentieth century. Dr. Iliff's story is one of immense contributions to the nation s repository of

A mobile system for a comprehensive online-characterization of nanoparticle aggregates based on wide-angle light scattering and laser-induced incandescence

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Huber, Franz J. T.; Will, Stefan, E-mail: stefan.will@fau.de [Lehrstuhl für Technische Thermodynamik (LTT), Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), Erlangen 91058 (Germany); Erlangen Graduate School in Advanced Optical Technologies (SAOT), Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), Erlangen 91052 (Germany); Cluster of Excellence Engineering of Advanced Materials (EAM), Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), Erlangen 91052 (Germany); Altenhoff, Michael [Lehrstuhl für Technische Thermodynamik (LTT), Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), Erlangen 91058 (Germany); Erlangen Graduate School in Advanced Optical Technologies (SAOT), Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), Erlangen 91052 (Germany)

2016-05-15

A mobile demonstrator for the comprehensive online-characterization of gas-borne nanoparticle aggregates is presented. Two optical measurement techniques are combined, both utilizing a pulsed Nd:YAG laser as light source. Aggregate size and fractal dimension are measured by Wide-Angle Light Scattering (WALS). An ellipsoidal mirror images elastically scattered light from scattering angles between 10° and 165° onto a CCD-camera chip resulting in an almost complete scattering diagram with high angular resolution. Primary particle size and volume fraction are measured by time-resolved Laser-Induced Incandescence (TiRe-LII). Here, particles are heated up to about 3000 K by the short laser pulse, the enhanced thermal radiation signal is detected with gated photomultiplier tubes. Analysis of the signal decay time and maximum LII-signal allows for the determination of primary particle diameter and volume fraction. The performance of the system is demonstrated by combined measurements on soot nanoparticle aggregates from a soot aerosol generator. Particle and aggregate sizes are varied by using different equivalence ratios of the combustion in the generator. Soot volume fraction can be adjusted by different levels of dilution with air. Online-measurements were carried out demonstrating the favorable performance of the system and the potential for industrial applications such as process control and product development. The particle properties obtained are confirmed through transmission electron microscopy analysis on representative samples.

A mobile system for a comprehensive online-characterization of nanoparticle aggregates based on wide-angle light scattering and laser-induced incandescence

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Huber, Franz J. T.; Will, Stefan; Altenhoff, Michael

2016-01-01

A mobile demonstrator for the comprehensive online-characterization of gas-borne nanoparticle aggregates is presented. Two optical measurement techniques are combined, both utilizing a pulsed Nd:YAG laser as light source. Aggregate size and fractal dimension are measured by Wide-Angle Light Scattering (WALS). An ellipsoidal mirror images elastically scattered light from scattering angles between 10° and 165° onto a CCD-camera chip resulting in an almost complete scattering diagram with high angular resolution. Primary particle size and volume fraction are measured by time-resolved Laser-Induced Incandescence (TiRe-LII). Here, particles are heated up to about 3000 K by the short laser pulse, the enhanced thermal radiation signal is detected with gated photomultiplier tubes. Analysis of the signal decay time and maximum LII-signal allows for the determination of primary particle diameter and volume fraction. The performance of the system is demonstrated by combined measurements on soot nanoparticle aggregates from a soot aerosol generator. Particle and aggregate sizes are varied by using different equivalence ratios of the combustion in the generator. Soot volume fraction can be adjusted by different levels of dilution with air. Online-measurements were carried out demonstrating the favorable performance of the system and the potential for industrial applications such as process control and product development. The particle properties obtained are confirmed through transmission electron microscopy analysis on representative samples.

Usability Evaluation of Spot and Runway Departure Advisor (SARDA) Concept in Dallas/Fort Worth Airport Tower Simulation

Science.gov (United States)

Hayashi, Miwa; Hoang, Ty; Jung, Yoon C.; Gupta, Gautam; Malik, Waqar; Dulchinos, Victoria

2013-01-01

Spot and Runway Departure Advisor (SARDA) is a proposed decision-support tool for air traffic control tower controllers for reducing taxi delay and optimizing the departure sequence. In the present study, the tool's usability was evaluated to ensure that its claimed performance benefits are not being realized at the cost of increasing the work burden on controllers. For the evaluation, workload ratings and questionnaire responses collected during a human-in-the-loop simulation experiment were analyzed to assess the SARDA advisories' effects on the controllers' ratings on cognitive resources (e.g., workload, spare attention) and satisfaction. The results showed that SARDA reduced the controllers' workload and increased their spare attention. It also made workload and attention levels less susceptible to the effects of increases in the traffic load. The questionnaire responses suggested that the controllers generally were satisfied with the ease of use of the tool and the objectives of the SARDA concept, but with some caution. To gain more trust from controllers, the the reasoning behind advisories may need to be made more transparent to them.

Markers

Science.gov (United States)

Healthy Schools Network, Inc., 2011

2011-01-01

Dry erase whiteboards come with toxic dry erase markers and toxic cleaning products. Dry erase markers labeled "nontoxic" are not free of toxic chemicals and can cause health problems. Children are especially vulnerable to environmental health hazards; moreover, schools commonly have problems with indoor air pollution, as they are more densely…

Markers for nutrition studies: review of criteria for the evaluation of markers.

Science.gov (United States)

de Vries, Jan; Antoine, Jean-Michel; Burzykowski, Tomasz; Chiodini, Alessandro; Gibney, Mike; Kuhnle, Gunter; Méheust, Agnès; Pijls, Loek; Rowland, Ian

2013-10-01

Markers are important tools to assess the nutrition status and effects of nutrition interventions. There is currently insufficient consensus in nutrition sciences on how to evaluate markers, despite the need for properly evaluating them. To identify the criteria for the evaluation of markers related to nutrition, health and disease and to propose generic criteria for evaluation. The report on "Evaluation of Biomarker and Surrogate Endpoints in Chronic Disease" from the Institute of Medicine was the starting point for the literature search. Additionally, specific search strategies were developed for Pubmed. In nutrition, no set of criteria or systematic approach to evaluate markers is currently available. There is a reliance on the medical area where statistical methods have been developed to quantify the evaluation of markers. Even here, a systematic approach is lacking-markers are still evaluated on a case-by-case basis. The review of publications from the literature search resulted in a database with definitions, criteria for validity and the rationale behind the criteria. It was recognized that, in nutrition, a number of methodological aspects differ from medical research. The following criteria were identified as essential elements in the evaluation of markers: (1) the marker has a causal biological link with the endpoint, (2) there is a significant association between marker and endpoint in the target population, (3) marker changes consistently with the endpoint, e.g., in response to an intervention, and (4) change in the marker explains a substantial proportion of the change in the endpoint in response to the intervention.

A worker attaches covers for the nose pitot boom before removing the unpiloted X-40 from the runway

Science.gov (United States)

2001-01-01

A worker attaches covers for the nose pitot boom before removing the unpiloted X-40 from the runway at Edwards Air Force Base, California, following its successful free-flight on March 14, 2001. The unpiloted X-40 is a risk-reduction vehicle for the X-37, which is intended to be a reusable space vehicle. NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala, manages the X-37 project. At Dryden, the X-40A underwent a series of ground and air tests to reduce possible risks to the larger X-37, including drop tests from a helicopter to check guidance and navigation systems planned for use in the X-37. The X-37 is designed to demonstrate technologies in the orbital and reentry environments for next-generation reusable launch vehicles that will increase both safety and reliability, while reducing launch costs from $10,000 per pound to $1,000 per pound. The X-37, carried into orbit by the Space Shuttle, is planned to fly two orbital missions to test reusable launch vehicle technologies.

Genomic markers for decision making: what is preventing us from using markers?

Science.gov (United States)

Coyle, Vicky M; Johnston, Patrick G

2010-02-01

The advent of novel genomic technologies that enable the evaluation of genomic alterations on a genome-wide scale has significantly altered the field of genomic marker research in solid tumors. Researchers have moved away from the traditional model of identifying a particular genomic alteration and evaluating the association between this finding and a clinical outcome measure to a new approach involving the identification and measurement of multiple genomic markers simultaneously within clinical studies. This in turn has presented additional challenges in considering the use of genomic markers in oncology, such as clinical study design, reproducibility and interpretation and reporting of results. This Review will explore these challenges, focusing on microarray-based gene-expression profiling, and highlights some common failings in study design that have impacted on the use of putative genomic markers in the clinic. Despite these rapid technological advances there is still a paucity of genomic markers in routine clinical use at present. A rational and focused approach to the evaluation and validation of genomic markers is needed, whereby analytically validated markers are investigated in clinical studies that are adequately powered and have pre-defined patient populations and study endpoints. Furthermore, novel adaptive clinical trial designs, incorporating putative genomic markers into prospective clinical trials, will enable the evaluation of these markers in a rigorous and timely fashion. Such approaches have the potential to facilitate the implementation of such markers into routine clinical practice and consequently enable the rational and tailored use of cancer therapies for individual patients.

Elimination of ghost markers during dual sensor-based infrared tracking of multiple individual reflective markers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stroian, G.; Falco, T.; Seuntjens, J.P.

2004-01-01

The accuracy of dose delivery in radiotherapy is affected by the uncertainty in tumor localization. Motion of internal anatomy due to physiological processes such as respiration may lead to significant displacements which compromise tumor coverage and generate irradiation of healthy tissue. Real-time tracking with infrared-based systems is often used for tracking thoracic motion in radiation therapy. We studied the origin of ghost markers ('crosstalk') which may appear during dual sensor-based infrared tracking of independent reflective markers. Ghost markers occur when two or more reflective markers are coplanar with each other and with the sensors of the two camera-based infrared tracking system. Analysis shows that sensors are not points but they have a finite extent and this extent determines for each marker a 'ghost volume'. If one reflective marker enters the ghost volume of another marker, ghost markers will be reported by the tracking system; if the reflective markers belong to a surface their 'ghost volume' is reduced to a 'ghost surface' (ghost zone). Appearance of ghost markers is predicted for markers taped on the torso of an anthropomorphic phantom. This study illustrates the dependence of the shape, extent, and location of the ghost zones on the shape of the anthropomorphic phantom, the angle of view of the tracking system, and the distance between the tracking system and the anthropomorphic phantom. It is concluded that the appearance of ghost markers can be avoided by positioning the markers outside the ghost zones of the other markers. However, if this is not possible and the initial marker configuration is ghost marker-free, ghost markers can be eliminated during real-time tracking by virtue of the fact that they appear in the coordinate data sequence only temporarily

Tantalum markers in radiography

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aronson, A.S.; Jonsson, N.; Alberius, P.

1985-01-01

The biocompatibility of two types of radiopaque tantalum markers was evaluated histologically. Reactions to pin markers (99.9% purity) and spherical markers (95.2% purity) were investigated after 3-6 weeks in rabbits and 5-48 weeks in children with abnormal growth. Both marker types were firmly attached to bone trabeculae; this was most pronounced in rabbit bone, and no adverse macroscopic reactions were observed. Microscopically, no reactions or only slight fibrosis of bone tissue were detected, while soft tissues only demonstrated a minor inflammatory reaction. Nevertheless, the need for careful preparation and execution of marker implantations is stressed, and particularly avoidance iof the use of emery in sharpening of cannulae. The bioinertness of tantalum was reconfirmed as was its suitability for use as skeletal and soft tissue radiographic markers. (orig.)

Bladder tumor markers beyond cytology: International Consensus Panel on bladder tumor markers.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Lokeshwar, V.B.; Habuchi, T.; Grossman, H.B.; Murphy, W.M.; Hautmann, S.H.; Hemstreet, G.P.; Bono, A.V.; Getzenberg, R.H.; Goebell, P.; Schmitz-Drager, B.J.; Schalken, J.A.; Fradet, Y.; Marberger, M.; Messing, E.; Droller, M.J.

2005-01-01

This is the first of 2 articles that summarize the findings of the International Consensus Panel on cytology and bladder tumor markers. The objectives of our panel were to reach a consensus on the areas where markers are needed, to define the attributes of an ideal tumor marker, and to identify

Tumor markers in clinical oncology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Novakovic, S.

2004-01-01

The subtle differences between normal and tumor cells are exploited in the detection and treatment of cancer. These differences are designated as tumor markers and can be either qualitative or quantitative in their nature. That means that both the structures that are produced by tumor cells as well as the structures that are produced in excessive amounts by host tissues under the influence of tumor cells can function as tumor markers. Speaking in general, the tumor markers are the specific molecules appearing in the blood or tissues and the occurrence of which is associated with cancer. According to their application, tumor markers can be roughly divided as markers in clinical oncology and markers in pathology. In this review, only tumor markers in clinical oncology are going to be discussed. Current tumor markers in clinical oncology include (i) oncofetal antigens, (ii) placental proteins, (iii) hormones, (iv) enzymes, (v) tumor-associated antigens, (vi) special serum proteins, (vii) catecholamine metabolites, and (viii) miscellaneous markers. As to the literature, an ideal tumor marker should fulfil certain criteria - when using it as a test for detection of cancer disease: (1) positive results should occur in the early stages of the disease, (2) positive results should occur only in the patients with a specific type of malignancy, (3) positive results should occur in all patients with the same malignancy, (4) the measured values should correlate with the stage of the disease, (5) the measured values should correlate to the response to treatment, (6) the marker should be easy to measure. Most tumor markers available today meet several, but not all criteria. As a consequence of that, some criteria were chosen for the validation and proper selection of the most appropriate marker in a particular malignancy, and these are: (1) markers' sensitivity, (2) specificity, and (3) predictive values. Sensitivity expresses the mean probability of determining an elevated tumor

Stereotactic core needle breast biopsy marker migration: An analysis of factors contributing to immediate marker migration.

Science.gov (United States)

Jain, Ashali; Khalid, Maria; Qureshi, Muhammad M; Georgian-Smith, Dianne; Kaplan, Jonah A; Buch, Karen; Grinstaff, Mark W; Hirsch, Ariel E; Hines, Neely L; Anderson, Stephan W; Gallagher, Katherine M; Bates, David D B; Bloch, B Nicolas

2017-11-01

To evaluate breast biopsy marker migration in stereotactic core needle biopsy procedures and identify contributing factors. This retrospective study analyzed 268 stereotactic biopsy markers placed in 263 consecutive patients undergoing stereotactic biopsies using 9G vacuum-assisted devices from August 2010-July 2013. Mammograms were reviewed and factors contributing to marker migration were evaluated. Basic descriptive statistics were calculated and comparisons were performed based on radiographically-confirmed marker migration. Of the 268 placed stereotactic biopsy markers, 35 (13.1%) migrated ≥1 cm from their biopsy cavity. Range: 1-6 cm; mean (± SD): 2.35 ± 1.22 cm. Of the 35 migrated biopsy markers, 9 (25.7%) migrated ≥3.5 cm. Patient age, biopsy pathology, number of cores, and left versus right breast were not associated with migration status (P> 0.10). Global fatty breast density (P= 0.025) and biopsy in the inner region of breast (P = 0.031) were associated with marker migration. Superior biopsy approach (P= 0.025), locally heterogeneous breast density, and t-shaped biopsy markers (P= 0.035) were significant for no marker migration. Multiple factors were found to influence marker migration. An overall migration rate of 13% supports endeavors of research groups actively developing new biopsy marker designs for improved resistance to migration. • Breast biopsy marker migration is documented in 13% of 268 procedures. • Marker migration is affected by physical, biological, and pathological factors. • Breast density, marker shape, needle approach etc. affect migration. • Study demonstrates marker migration prevalence; marker design improvements are needed.

Enzyme markers in inbred rat strains: genetics of new markers and strain profiles.

Science.gov (United States)

Adams, M; Baverstock, P R; Watts, C H; Gutman, G A

1984-08-01

Twenty-six inbred strains of the laboratory rat (Rattus norvegicus) were examined for electrophoretic variation at an estimated 97 genetic loci. In addition to previously documented markers, variation was observed for the enzymes aconitase, aldehyde dehydrogenase, and alkaline phosphatase. The genetic basis of these markers (Acon-1, Ahd-2, and Akp-1) was confirmed. Linkage analysis between 35 pairwise comparisons revealed that the markers Fh-1 and Pep-3 are linked. The strain profiles of the 25 inbred strains at 11 electrophoretic markers are given.

Marker Registration Technique for Handwritten Text Marker in Augmented Reality Applications

Science.gov (United States)

Thanaborvornwiwat, N.; Patanukhom, K.

2018-04-01

Marker registration is a fundamental process to estimate camera poses in marker-based Augmented Reality (AR) systems. We developed AR system that creates correspondence virtual objects on handwritten text markers. This paper presents a new method for registration that is robust for low-content text markers, variation of camera poses, and variation of handwritten styles. The proposed method uses Maximally Stable Extremal Regions (MSER) and polygon simplification for a feature point extraction. The experiment shows that we need to extract only five feature points per image which can provide the best registration results. An exhaustive search is used to find the best matching pattern of the feature points in two images. We also compared performance of the proposed method to some existing registration methods and found that the proposed method can provide better accuracy and time efficiency.

Ghost marker detection and elimination in marker-based optical tracking systems for real-time tracking in stereotactic body radiotherapy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yan, Guanghua; Li, Jonathan; Huang, Yin; Mittauer, Kathryn; Lu, Bo; Liu, Chihray

2014-01-01

Purpose: To propose a simple model to explain the origin of ghost markers in marker-based optical tracking systems (OTS) and to develop retrospective strategies to detect and eliminate ghost markers. Methods: In marker-based OTS, ghost markers are virtual markers created due to the cross-talk between the two camera sensors, which can lead to system execution failure or inaccuracy in patient tracking. As a result, the users have to limit the number of markers and avoid certain marker configurations to reduce the chances of ghost markers. In this work, the authors propose retrospective strategies to detect and eliminate ghost markers. The two camera sensors were treated as mathematical points in space. The authors identified the coplanar within limit (CWL) condition as the necessary condition for ghost marker occurrence. A simple ghost marker detection method was proposed based on the model. Ghost marker elimination was achieved through pattern matching: a ghost marker-free reference set was matched with the optical marker set observed by the OTS; unmatched optical markers were eliminated as either ghost markers or misplaced markers. The pattern matching problem was formulated as a constraint satisfaction problem (using pairwise distances as constraints) and solved with an iterative backtracking algorithm. Wildcard markers were introduced to address missing or misplaced markers. An experiment was designed to measure the sensor positions and the limit for the CWL condition. The ghost marker detection and elimination algorithms were verified with samples collected from a five-marker jig and a nine-marker anthropomorphic phantom, rotated with the treatment couch from −60° to +60°. The accuracy of the pattern matching algorithm was further validated with marker patterns from 40 patients who underwent stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT). For this purpose, a synthetic optical marker pattern was created for each patient by introducing ghost markers, marker position

Ghost marker detection and elimination in marker-based optical tracking systems for real-time tracking in stereotactic body radiotherapy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yan, Guanghua, E-mail: yan@ufl.edu; Li, Jonathan; Huang, Yin; Mittauer, Kathryn; Lu, Bo; Liu, Chihray [Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 32610 (United States)

2014-10-15

Purpose: To propose a simple model to explain the origin of ghost markers in marker-based optical tracking systems (OTS) and to develop retrospective strategies to detect and eliminate ghost markers. Methods: In marker-based OTS, ghost markers are virtual markers created due to the cross-talk between the two camera sensors, which can lead to system execution failure or inaccuracy in patient tracking. As a result, the users have to limit the number of markers and avoid certain marker configurations to reduce the chances of ghost markers. In this work, the authors propose retrospective strategies to detect and eliminate ghost markers. The two camera sensors were treated as mathematical points in space. The authors identified the coplanar within limit (CWL) condition as the necessary condition for ghost marker occurrence. A simple ghost marker detection method was proposed based on the model. Ghost marker elimination was achieved through pattern matching: a ghost marker-free reference set was matched with the optical marker set observed by the OTS; unmatched optical markers were eliminated as either ghost markers or misplaced markers. The pattern matching problem was formulated as a constraint satisfaction problem (using pairwise distances as constraints) and solved with an iterative backtracking algorithm. Wildcard markers were introduced to address missing or misplaced markers. An experiment was designed to measure the sensor positions and the limit for the CWL condition. The ghost marker detection and elimination algorithms were verified with samples collected from a five-marker jig and a nine-marker anthropomorphic phantom, rotated with the treatment couch from −60° to +60°. The accuracy of the pattern matching algorithm was further validated with marker patterns from 40 patients who underwent stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT). For this purpose, a synthetic optical marker pattern was created for each patient by introducing ghost markers, marker position

Biochemical markers of bone turnover

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Deog Yoon

1999-01-01

Biochemical markers of bone turnover has received increasing attention over the past few years, because of the need for sensitivity and specific tool in the clinical investigation of osteoporosis. Bone markers should be unique to bone, reflect changes of bone less, and should be correlated with radiocalcium kinetics, histomorphometry, or changes in bone mass. The markers also should be useful in monitoring treatment efficacy. Although no bone marker has been established to meet all these criteria, currently osteocalcin and pyridinium crosslinks are the most efficient markers to assess the level of bone turnover in the menopausal and senile osteoporosis. Recently, N-terminal telopeptide (NTX), C-terminal telopeptide (CTX) and bone specific alkaline phosphatase are considered as new valid markers of bone turnover. Recent data suggest that CTX and free deoxypyridinoline could predict the subsequent risk of hip fracture of elderly women. Treatment of postmenopausal women with estrogen, calcitonin and bisphosphonates demonstrated rapid decrease of the levels of bone markers that correlated with the long-term increase of bone mass. Factors such as circadian rhythms, diet, age, sex, bone mass and renal function affect the results of biochemical markers and should be appropriately adjusted whenever possible. Each biochemical markers of bone turnover may have its own specific advantages and limitations. Recent advances in research will provide more sensitive and specific assays

Marker Detection in Aerial Images

KAUST Repository

Alharbi, Yazeed

2017-04-09

The problem that the thesis is trying to solve is the detection of small markers in high-resolution aerial images. Given a high-resolution image, the goal is to return the pixel coordinates corresponding to the center of the marker in the image. The marker has the shape of two triangles sharing a vertex in the middle, and it occupies no more than 0.01% of the image size. An improvement on the Histogram of Oriented Gradients (HOG) is proposed, eliminating the majority of baseline HOG false positives for marker detection. The improvement is guided by the observation that standard HOG description struggles to separate markers from negatives patches containing an X shape. The proposed method alters intensities with the aim of altering gradients. The intensity-dependent gradient alteration leads to more separation between filled and unfilled shapes. The improvement is used in a two-stage algorithm to achieve high recall and high precision in detection of markers in aerial images. In the first stage, two classifiers are used: one to quickly eliminate most of the uninteresting parts of the image, and one to carefully select the marker among the remaining interesting regions. Interesting regions are selected by scanning the image with a fast classifier trained on the HOG features of markers in all rotations and scales. The next classifier is more precise and uses our method to eliminate the majority of the false positives of standard HOG. In the second stage, detected markers are tracked forward and backward in time. Tracking is needed to detect extremely blurred or distorted markers that are missed by the previous stage. The algorithm achieves 94% recall with minimal user guidance. An average of 30 guesses are given per image; the user verifies for each whether it is a marker or not. The brute force approach would return 100,000 guesses per image.

Incorporation of conventional genetic markers and RAPD markers into an RFLP based map in maize

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Coe, E.H. Jr.; McMullen, M.D.; Polacco, M.; Davis, G.L.; Chao, S.

1998-01-01

Integration of classical genetic markers, in particular mutants, onto the maize Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism (RFLP) map will provide the tools necessary to further our understanding of plant development and of complex traits. Initially integration was accomplished by visual alignment of common markers and sometimes involved the use of information from several different molecular maps to determine the relative placement of a single mutant. The maize core marker set was designed to provide a common set of markers which could be used for integration of map data. We have completed the mapping, of 56 mutants on chromosome one relative to the core marker set. Phenotypes included whole plant, seedling, and kernel effects and represented a variety of biological processes. Since these mutants were previously located to chromosome arm, mapping required the use of only seven markers per mutant to define the correct bin location. Two mistakes in marker order relative to the classical map were identified, as well as, six groups of mutants which require allelism testing. Placement of mutants and cDNAs into bins using, the core markers provides a necessary resource for identification of gene function in maize. (author)

The application of the light emitting diode in MR room lighting

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cao Jun; Wang Chunhong

2009-01-01

Objective: To investigate the application of white light emitting diode (LED) in magnetic resonance room, in order to resolve the damageable problem of incandescent lights under the high magnetic field. Methods: The white LEDs and the incandescent lights were installed in MR room, the number of damaged lights was compared after 300 hours. Chi-square test was used for the statistical analysis. And the illuminance and 50 000 hours electricity consumption between LED and incandescent lights were calculated. Results: The number of damaged LED and incandescent lights was 2 and 32, respectively and there was a significant difference (χ 2 =48.813, P=0.000). The illuminance of the LED and incandescent lights was 155 lx and 100 lx at the 0.75 m horizontal level and the 50 000 hour's electricity consumption was 200 kW and 5000 kW, respectively. Conclusion: It is feasible and a great advantage to use the white LEDs in MR room lighting. (authors)

Intersection tests for single marker QTL analysis can be more powerful than two marker QTL analysis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Doerge RW

2003-06-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background It has been reported in the quantitative trait locus (QTL literature that when testing for QTL location and effect, the statistical power supporting methodologies based on two markers and their estimated genetic map is higher than for the genetic map independent methodologies known as single marker analyses. Close examination of these reports reveals that the two marker approaches are more powerful than single marker analyses only in certain cases. Simulation studies are a commonly used tool to determine the behavior of test statistics under known conditions. We conducted a simulation study to assess the general behavior of an intersection test and a two marker test under a variety of conditions. The study was designed to reveal whether two marker tests are always more powerful than intersection tests, or whether there are cases when an intersection test may outperform the two marker approach. We present a reanalysis of a data set from a QTL study of ovariole number in Drosophila melanogaster. Results Our simulation study results show that there are situations where the single marker intersection test equals or outperforms the two marker test. The intersection test and the two marker test identify overlapping regions in the reanalysis of the Drosophila melanogaster data. The region identified is consistent with a regression based interval mapping analysis. Conclusion We find that the intersection test is appropriate for analysis of QTL data. This approach has the advantage of simplicity and for certain situations supplies equivalent or more powerful results than a comparable two marker test.

Utility of MRI versus tumor markers for post-treatment surveillance of marker-positive CNS germ cell tumors.

Science.gov (United States)

Cheung, Victoria; Segal, Devorah; Gardner, Sharon L; Zagzag, David; Wisoff, Jeffrey H; Allen, Jeffrey C; Karajannis, Matthias A

2016-09-01

Patients with marker-positive central nervous system (CNS) germ cell tumors are typically monitored for tumor recurrence with both tumor markers (AFP and b-hCG) and MRI. We hypothesize that the recurrence of these tumors will always be accompanied by an elevation in tumor markers, and that surveillance MRI may not be necessary. We retrospectively identified 28 patients with CNS germ cell tumors treated at our institution that presented with an elevated serum or cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) tumor marker at the time of diagnosis. We then identified those who had a tumor recurrence after having been in remission and whether each recurrence was detected via MRI changes, elevated tumor markers, or both. Four patients suffered a tumor recurrence. Only one patient had simultaneously elevated tumor markers and MRI evidence of recurrence. Two patients had evidence of recurrence on MRI without corresponding elevations in serum or CSF tumor markers. One patient had abnormal tumor markers with no evidence of recurrence on MRI until 6 months later. We conclude that in patients with marker-positive CNS germ cell tumors who achieve complete remission, continued surveillance imaging in addition to measurement of tumor markers is indicated to detect recurrences.

Development of cost-effective Hordeum chilense DNA markers: molecular aids for marker-assisted cereal breeding.

Science.gov (United States)

Hernández, P; Dorado, G; Ramírez, M C; Laurie, D A; Snape, J W; Martín, A

2003-01-01

Hordeum chilense is a potential source of useful genes for wheat breeding. The use of this wild species to increase genetic variation in wheat will be greatly facilitated by marker-assisted introgression. In recent years, the search for the most suitable DNA marker system for tagging H. chilense genomic regions in a wheat background has lead to the development of RAPD and SCAR markers for this species. RAPDs represent an easy way of quickly generating suitable introgression markers, but their use is limited in heterogeneous wheat genetic backgrounds. SCARs are more specific assays, suitable for automatation or multiplexing. Direct sequencing of RAPD products is a cost-effective approach that reduces labour and costs for SCAR development. The use of SSR and STS primers originally developed for wheat and barley are additional sources of genetic markers. Practical applications of the different marker approaches for obtaining derived introgression products are described.

Fiducial marker guided stereotactic liver radiotherapy: Is a time delay between marker implantation and planning CT needed?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Worm, Esben S; Bertholet, Jenny; Høyer, Morten

2016-01-01

To minimize the risk of marker migration in fiducial marker guided liver SBRT it is common to add a delay of a week between marker implantation and planning CT. This study found that such a delay is unnecessary and could be avoided to minimize the treatment preparation time.......To minimize the risk of marker migration in fiducial marker guided liver SBRT it is common to add a delay of a week between marker implantation and planning CT. This study found that such a delay is unnecessary and could be avoided to minimize the treatment preparation time....

Radiopaque anastomosis marker

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Elliott, D.P.; Halseth, W.L.

1977-01-01

This invention relates to split ring markers fabricated in whole or in part from a radiopaque material, usually metal, having the terminal ends thereof and a medial portion formed to define eyelets by means of which said marker can be sutured to the tissue at the site of an anastomosis to provide a visual indication of its location when examined fluoroscopically

Frameworking memory and serotonergic markers.

Science.gov (United States)

Meneses, Alfredo

2017-07-26

The evidence for neural markers and memory is continuously being revised, and as evidence continues to accumulate, herein, we frame earlier and new evidence. Hence, in this work, the aim is to provide an appropriate conceptual framework of serotonergic markers associated with neural activity and memory. Serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine [5-HT]) has multiple pharmacological tools, well-characterized downstream signaling in mammals' species, and established 5-HT neural markers showing new insights about memory functions and dysfunctions, including receptors (5-HT1A/1B/1D, 5-HT2A/2B/2C, and 5-HT3-7), transporter (serotonin transporter [SERT]) and volume transmission present in brain areas involved in memory. Bidirectional influence occurs between 5-HT markers and memory/amnesia. A growing number of researchers report that memory, amnesia, or forgetting modifies neural markers. Diverse approaches support the translatability of using neural markers and cerebral functions/dysfunctions, including memory formation and amnesia. At least, 5-HT1A, 5-HT4, 5-HT6, and 5-HT7 receptors and SERT seem to be useful neural markers and therapeutic targets. Hence, several mechanisms cooperate to achieve synaptic plasticity or memory, including changes in the expression of neurotransmitter receptors and transporters.

Early bichemical markers of effects: Enzyme induction, oncogene activation and markers of oxidative damage

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Poulsen, Henrik E.; Loft, Steffen

1995-01-01

Early bichemical marker, enzyme induction, oncogene activation, oxidative damage, low-density lipoprotein......Early bichemical marker, enzyme induction, oncogene activation, oxidative damage, low-density lipoprotein...

Possibility of adjusting the photoluminescence spectrum of Ca scheelites to the emission spectrum of incandescent lamps: [ nCaWO4-(1- n)CaMoO4]: Eu3+ solid solutions

Science.gov (United States)

Bakovets, V. V.; Zolotova, E. S.; Antonova, O. V.; Korol'kov, I. V.; Yushina, I. V.

2016-12-01

The specific features of the photoluminescence of [ nCaWO4-(1- n)CaMoO4]:Eu3+ solid solutions with the scheelite structure are examined using X-ray phase analysis and photoluminescence, Raman scattering, and diffuse reflectance spectroscopy. The studied features are associated with a change in the long- and short-range orders of the crystal lattice upon variations in the composition of solutions in the range n = 0-1.0 (with a pitch of 0.2) at a concentration of red photoluminescence activator Eu3+ of 2 mol %. The mechanism of the modification of photoluminescence of solid solutions upon variations in their composition has been discussed. Anomalies in the variations in parameters of the crystal lattice, its short-range order, and luminescence spectra have been observed in the transition from pure compounds CaMoO4:Eu3+ and CaWO4:Eu3+ to solutions; the concentration of Eu3+ ions in the centrosymmetric localization increases (decreases) in the transition from the molybdate (tungstate). It has been demonstrated that the spectral radiant emittance of solid solution [0.4CaWO4-0.6CaMoO4]:Eu3+ (2 mol %) is the closest to that of an incandescent lamp.

Validation of candidate gene markers for marker-assisted selection of potato cultivars with improved tuber quality.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Li; Tacke, Eckhard; Hofferbert, Hans-Reinhardt; Lübeck, Jens; Strahwald, Josef; Draffehn, Astrid M; Walkemeier, Birgit; Gebhardt, Christiane

2013-04-01

Tuber yield, starch content, starch yield and chip color are complex traits that are important for industrial uses and food processing of potato. Chip color depends on the quantity of reducing sugars glucose and fructose in the tubers, which are generated by starch degradation. Reducing sugars accumulate when tubers are stored at low temperatures. Early and efficient selection of cultivars with superior yield, starch yield and chip color is hampered by the fact that reliable phenotypic selection requires multiple year and location trials. Application of DNA-based markers early in the breeding cycle, which are diagnostic for superior alleles of genes that control natural variation of tuber quality, will reduce the number of clones to be evaluated in field trials. Association mapping using genes functional in carbohydrate metabolism as markers has discovered alleles of invertases and starch phosphorylases that are associated with tuber quality traits. Here, we report on new DNA variants at loci encoding ADP-glucose pyrophosphorylase and the invertase Pain-1, which are associated with positive or negative effect with chip color, tuber starch content and starch yield. Marker-assisted selection (MAS) and marker validation were performed in tetraploid breeding populations, using various combinations of 11 allele-specific markers associated with tuber quality traits. To facilitate MAS, user-friendly PCR assays were developed for specific candidate gene alleles. In a multi-parental population of advanced breeding clones, genotypes were selected for having different combinations of five positive and the corresponding negative marker alleles. Genotypes combining five positive marker alleles performed on average better than genotypes with four negative alleles and one positive allele. When tested individually, seven of eight markers showed an effect on at least one quality trait. The direction of effect was as expected. Combinations of two to three marker alleles were

Radiographic markers - A reservoir for bacteria?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tugwell, Jenna; Maddison, Adele

2011-01-01

Introduction: Amongst the most frequently handled objects in the radiology department are radiographic markers. They are personal accessories used with every patient, and are kept in the radiographers pockets when not utilised. Upon enquiry it was discovered that many radiographers disregarded the potential of these accessories to become a vector for cross-contamination thus never or rarely clean them. The aims of this study were therefore to identify if radiographic markers are a reservoir for bacteria and to establish an effective cleaning method for decontaminating them. Methodology: 25 radiographers/student radiographers were selected for this study. Swabbing of their markers prior and post cleaning took place. The microbiology laboratory subsequently analyzed the results by quantifying and identifying the bacteria present. The participants also completed a closed questionnaire regarding their markers (e.g. frequency of cleaning and type of marker) to help specify the results gained from the swabbing procedure. Results: From the sample swabbed, 92% were contaminated with various organisms including Staphylococcus and Bacillus species, the amount of bacteria present ranged from 0 to >50 CFU. There were no significant differences between disinfectant wipes and alcohol gel in decontaminating the markers. Both successfully reduced their bacterial load, with 80% of the markers post cleaning having 0 CFU. Conclusion: The results indicated that radiographic markers can become highly contaminated with various organisms thus serve as a reservoir for bacteria. In addition, the markers need to be cleaned on a regular basis, with either disinfectant wipes or alcohol gel to reduce their bacterial load.

Tumor markers in colorectal cancer

OpenAIRE

Fernandes, Luís César [UNIFESP; Matos, Delcio [UNIFESP

2002-01-01

Colorectal cancer is a clinical entity of a persistent relevance in clinical practice and its early diagnosis is a determinant factor to obtain better therapeutic results. Tumor markers are helpful means for a better approach to individuals with such neoplasm. In the present review, the authors analyze the phases in which surgical-clinical treatment markers must be used: diagnosis, determination of tumor stage, establishment of prognosis and detection of recurrence. Current and future markers...

Tumour markers in urology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schmid, L.; Fornara, P.; Fabricius, P.G.

1988-01-01

The same applies essentially also for the bladder carcinomas: There is no reliable marker for these cancers which would be useful for clinical purposes. TPA has proven to be too non-specific in malignoma-detection and therefore hardly facilitates clinical decision-making in individual cases. The CEA is not sensitive enough to be recommendable for routine application. However, in advanced stages a CEA examination may be useful if applied within the scope of therapeutic efforts made to evaluate efficacy. In cases of carcinomas of the prostate the sour prostate-specific phosphatase (SPP) and, more recently, especially the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) have proven in follow-up and therapy monitoring, whereby the PSA is superior to the SPP. Nevertheless, both these markers should be employed in therapy monitoring because differences in behaviour will be observed when the desired treatment effect is only achieved in one of the two markers producing tumour cell clonuses. Both markers, but especially the PSA, are quite reliably in agreement with the result of the introduced chemo-/hormone therapy, whereby an increase may be a sure indicator of relapse several months previous to clinical symptoms, imaging procedures, so-called routine laboratory results and subjective complaints. However, none of the 2 markers is appropriate for the purposes of screening or early diagnosis of carcinomas of the prostate. (orig.) [de

Markers and residual time to AIDS

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Geskus, R. B.

2002-01-01

The value of immunological and virological markers as predictors of progression to AIDS, or death by AIDS, is a topic of much current interest. Mostly, the influence of markers is investigated in a time-dependent or a baseline proportional hazard model, relating time-varying or baseline marker

Predicting Missing Marker Trajectories in Human Motion Data Using Marker Intercorrelations.

Science.gov (United States)

Gløersen, Øyvind; Federolf, Peter

2016-01-01

Missing information in motion capture data caused by occlusion or detachment of markers is a common problem that is difficult to avoid entirely. The aim of this study was to develop and test an algorithm for reconstruction of corrupted marker trajectories in datasets representing human gait. The reconstruction was facilitated using information of marker inter-correlations obtained from a principal component analysis, combined with a novel weighting procedure. The method was completely data-driven, and did not require any training data. We tested the algorithm on datasets with movement patterns that can be considered both well suited (healthy subject walking on a treadmill) and less suited (transitioning from walking to running and the gait of a subject with cerebral palsy) to reconstruct. Specifically, we created 50 copies of each dataset, and corrupted them with gaps in multiple markers at random temporal and spatial positions. Reconstruction errors, quantified by the average Euclidian distance between predicted and measured marker positions, was ≤ 3 mm for the well suited dataset, even when there were gaps in up to 70% of all time frames. For the less suited datasets, median reconstruction errors were in the range 5-6 mm. However, a few reconstructions had substantially larger errors (up to 29 mm). Our results suggest that the proposed algorithm is a viable alternative both to conventional gap-filling algorithms and state-of-the-art reconstruction algorithms developed for motion capture systems. The strengths of the proposed algorithm are that it can fill gaps anywhere in the dataset, and that the gaps can be considerably longer than when using conventional interpolation techniques. Limitations are that it does not enforce musculoskeletal constraints, and that the reconstruction accuracy declines if applied to datasets with less predictable movement patterns.

Serum markers of liver fibrosis

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Veidal, Sanne Skovgård; Bay-Jensen, Anne-Christine; Tougas, Gervais

2010-01-01

-epitopes, may be targeted for novel biochemical marker development in fibrosis. We used the recently proposed BIPED system (Burden of disease, Investigative, Prognostic, Efficacy and Diagnostic) to characterise present serological markers. METHODS: Pubmed was search for keywords; Liver fibrosis, neo......, a systematic use of the neo-epitope approach, i.e. the quantification of peptide epitopes generated from enzymatic cleavage of proteins during extracellular remodeling, may prove productive in the quest to find new markers of liver fibrosis....

Identification of molecular markers associated with fruit traits in olive and assessment of olive core collection with AFLP markers and fruit traits.

Science.gov (United States)

Ipek, M; Seker, M; Ipek, A; Gul, M K

2015-03-31

The purpose of this study was to characterize olive core collection with amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) markers and fruit traits and to determine AFLP markers significantly associated with these fruit characters in olive. A total of 168 polymorphic AFLP markers generated by five primer combinations and nine fruit traits were used to characterize relationships between 18 olive cultivars. Although all olive cultivars were discriminated from each other by either AFLP markers (markers and fruit traits was not significantly correlated (r = 0.13). Partial clustering of olive cultivars by AFLP markers according to their geographical origin was observed. Associations of AFLP markers with fruits were determined using a multiple-regression analysis with stepwise addition of AFLP markers. Significant associations between eight AFLP markers and fruit traits were identified. While five AFLP markers demonstrated significant negative correlation with fruit and stone weight, width and length and total polyphenols (P markers displayed significant positive correlation with α-tocopherol and γ-tocopherol (P molecular markers with fruit traits in olive. Molecular markers associated with morphological and agronomic traits could be utilized for the breeding of olive cultivars. However, the association power of these markers needs to be confirmed in larger populations, and highly correlated markers should then be converted to PCR-based DNA markers such as sequence-characterized amplified region markers for better utilization.

The role of molecular markers and marker assisted selection in breeding for organic agriculture

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lammerts van Bueren, E.T.; Backes, G.; de Vriend, H.

2010-01-01

markers is not self-evident and is often debated. Organic and low-input farming conditions require breeding for robust and flexible varieties, which may be hampered by too much focus on the molecular level. Pros and contras for application of molecular markers in breeding for organic agriculture...... was the topic of a recent European plant breeding workshop. The participants evaluated strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats of the use of molecular markers and we formalized their inputs into breeder’s perspectives and perspectives seen from the organic sector’s standpoint. Clear strengths were...

Ideal, nonideal, and no-marker variables: The confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) marker technique works when it matters.

Science.gov (United States)

Williams, Larry J; O'Boyle, Ernest H

2015-09-01

A persistent concern in the management and applied psychology literature is the effect of common method variance on observed relations among variables. Recent work (i.e., Richardson, Simmering, & Sturman, 2009) evaluated 3 analytical approaches to controlling for common method variance, including the confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) marker technique. Their findings indicated significant problems with this technique, especially with nonideal marker variables (those with theoretical relations with substantive variables). Based on their simulation results, Richardson et al. concluded that not correcting for method variance provides more accurate estimates than using the CFA marker technique. We reexamined the effects of using marker variables in a simulation study and found the degree of error in estimates of a substantive factor correlation was relatively small in most cases, and much smaller than error associated with making no correction. Further, in instances in which the error was large, the correlations between the marker and substantive scales were higher than that found in organizational research with marker variables. We conclude that in most practical settings, the CFA marker technique yields parameter estimates close to their true values, and the criticisms made by Richardson et al. are overstated. (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved).

Paleoreconstruction by biological markers

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Seifert, W K; Moldowan, J M

1981-06-01

During diagenesis and conversion of the original lipid fraction of biological systems to petroleum hydrocarbons, the following four basic events needed for paleoreconstruction may be monitored by biological markers: (1) sourcing, (2) maturation, (3) migration and (4) biodegradation. Actual cases of applying biological markers to petroleum exploration problems in different parts of the world are demonstrated. Cretaceous- and Phosphoria-sourced oils in the Wyoming Thrust Belt can be distinguished from one another by high quality source fingerprinting of biomarker terpanes using gas chromatography mass spectrometry. Identification of recently discovered biological markers, head-to-head isoprenoids, allows source differentiation between some oils from Sumatra. The degree of crude oil maturation in basins from California, Alaska, Russia, Wyoming and Louisiana can be assessed by specific biomarker ratios (20S/20R sterane epimers). Field evidence from such interpretation is augmented by laboratory pyrolysis of the rock. Extensive migration is documented by biomarkers in several oils. Biological marker results are consistent with the geological setting and add a dimension in assisting the petroleum explorationist towar paleoreconstruction.

Improving selection of markers in nutrition research: evaluation of the criteria proposed by the ILSI Europe Marker Validation Initiative.

Science.gov (United States)

Calder, Philip C; Boobis, Alan; Braun, Deborah; Champ, Claire L; Dye, Louise; Einöther, Suzanne; Greyling, Arno; Matthys, Christophe; Putz, Peter; Wopereis, Suzan; Woodside, Jayne V; Antoine, Jean-Michel

2017-06-01

The conduct of high-quality nutrition research requires the selection of appropriate markers as outcomes, for example as indicators of food or nutrient intake, nutritional status, health status or disease risk. Such selection requires detailed knowledge of the markers, and consideration of the factors that may influence their measurement, other than the effects of nutritional change. A framework to guide selection of markers within nutrition research studies would be a valuable tool for researchers. A multidisciplinary Expert Group set out to test criteria designed to aid the evaluation of candidate markers for their usefulness in nutrition research and subsequently to develop a scoring system for markers. The proposed criteria were tested using thirteen markers selected from a broad range of nutrition research fields. The result of this testing was a modified list of criteria and a template for evaluating a potential marker against the criteria. Subsequently, a semi-quantitative system for scoring a marker and an associated template were developed. This system will enable the evaluation and comparison of different candidate markers within the same field of nutrition research in order to identify their relative usefulness. The ranking criteria of proven, strong, medium or low are likely to vary according to research setting, research field and the type of tool used to assess the marker and therefore the considerations for scoring need to be determined in a setting-, field- and tool-specific manner. A database of such markers, their interpretation and range of possible values would be valuable to nutrition researchers.

40 CFR 426.125 - Standards of performance for new sources.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

...) EFFLUENT GUIDELINES AND STANDARDS GLASS MANUFACTURING POINT SOURCE CATEGORY Incandescent Lamp Envelope... manufacturing plant which produces incandescent lamp envelopes shall meet the following limitations with regard to the forming operations. Effluent characteristic Effluent limitations Maximum for any 1 day Average...

Tumor markers in pancreatic cancer: a European Group on Tumor Markers (EGTM) status report.

LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

Duffy, M J

2012-02-01

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma is one of the most difficult malignancies to diagnose and treat. The aim of this article is to review how tumor markers can aid the diagnosis and management of patients with this malignancy. The most widely used and best validated marker for pancreatic cancer is CA 19-9. Inadequate sensitivity and specificity limit the use of CA 19-9 in the early diagnosis of pancreatic cancer. In non-jaundiced patients, however, CA 19-9 may complement other diagnostic procedures. In patients with resectable pancreatic cancer, presurgical and postresection CA 19-9 levels correlate with overall survival. In advanced disease, elevated pretreatment levels of CA 19-9 are associated with adverse patient outcome and thus may be combined with other factors for risk stratification. Most, but not all, reports indicate that serial levels of CA 19-9 correlate with response to systemic therapy. Use of CA 19-9 kinetics in conjunction with imaging is therefore recommended in monitoring therapy. Although several potential serum and tissue markers for pancreatic cancer are currently undergoing evaluation, none are sufficiently validated for routine clinical use. CA 19-9 thus remains the serum pancreatic cancer marker against which new markers for this malignancy should be judged.

Tagging of blast resistance gene(s) to DNA markers and marker-assisted selection (MAS) in rice improvement

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhuang, J.Y.; Lu, J.; Qian, H.R.; Lin, H.X.; Zheng, K.L.

1998-01-01

This paper reports progress made on the tagging of blast resistance gene(s) to DNA markers and on the initiation of marker-assisted selection (MAS) for blast resistance in rice improvement. A pair of near isogenic lines, K8OR and K79S, were developed using a Chinese landrace Hong-jiao-zhan as the resistance donor. Ten putatively positive markers were identified by screening 177 mapped DNA markers. Using the F 2 population of 143 plants and the derived F 3 lines, three Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism (RFLP) markers (RG81, RG869 and RZ397) on chromosome 12 of rice were identified to be closely linked to the blast resistance gene Pi-12(t). The genetic distance between Pi-12(t) and the closest marker RG869 was 5.1 cM. By employing the bulk segregant analysis (BSA) procedure, six of 199 arbitrary primers were found to produce positive Randomly Amplified Polymorphic DNA (RAPD) bands. Tight linkage between Pi-12(t) and three RAPD bands, each from a different primer, was confirmed after amplification of DNA of all F 2 individuals. Two fragments were cloned and sequenced, and two sequence characterised amplified re-ion (SCAR) markers were established. In two other F 3 populations, Xian-feng I/Tetep and Xian-feng, 1/Hong-jiao-zhan, the blast resistance was found to be controlled by interactions of two or more genes. One resistance gene was located in the vicinity of RG81 in both populations. Work to identify other gene(s) is currently under way. Marker assisted selection for blast resistance was initiated. Crosses were made between elite varieties and blast resistance donors to develop populations for DNA marker-assisted selection of blast resistance. In addition, 48 varieties widely used in current rice breeding programs were provided by rice breeders. DNA marker-based polymorphism among, these varieties and resistance donors were analysed to produce a database for future MAS program. (author)

Stemness-related markers in cancer

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wenxiu Zhao

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Cancer stem cells (CSCs, with their self-renewal ability and multilineage differentiation potential, are a critical subpopulation of tumor cells that can drive tumor initiation, growth, and resistance to therapy. Like embryonic and adult stem cells, CSCs express markers that are not expressed in normal somatic cells and are thus thought to contribute toward a “stemness” phenotype. This review summarizes the current knowledge of stemness-related markers in human cancers, with a particular focus on important transcription factors, protein surface markers, and signaling pathways.

40 CFR 426.123 - Effluent limitations guidelines representing the degree of effluent reduction attainable by the...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... (CONTINUED) EFFLUENT GUIDELINES AND STANDARDS GLASS MANUFACTURING POINT SOURCE CATEGORY Incandescent Lamp... technology economically achievable: (a) [Reserved] (b) Any manufacturing plant which frosts incandescent lamp... characteristic Effluent limitations Maximum for any 1 day Average of daily values for 30 consecutive days shall...

Molecular markers in glioma.

Science.gov (United States)

Ludwig, Kirsten; Kornblum, Harley I

2017-09-01

Gliomas are the most malignant and aggressive form of brain tumors, and account for the majority of brain cancer related deaths. Malignant gliomas, including glioblastoma are treated with radiation and temozolomide, with only a minor benefit in survival time. A number of advances have been made in understanding glioma biology, including the discovery of cancer stem cells, termed glioma stem cells (GSC). Some of these advances include the delineation of molecular heterogeneity both between tumors from different patients as well as within tumors from the same patient. Such research highlights the importance of identifying and validating molecular markers in glioma. This review, intended as a practical resource for both clinical and basic investigators, summarizes some of the more well-known molecular markers (MGMT, 1p/19q, IDH, EGFR, p53, PI3K, Rb, and RAF), discusses how they are identified, and what, if any, clinical relevance they may have, in addition to discussing some of the specific biology for these markers. Additionally, we discuss identification methods for studying putative GSC's (CD133, CD15, A2B5, nestin, ALDH1, proteasome activity, ABC transporters, and label-retention). While much research has been done on these markers, there is still a significant amount that we do not yet understand, which may account for some conflicting reports in the literature. Furthermore, it is unlikely that the investigator will be able to utilize one single marker to prospectively identify and isolate GSC from all, or possibly, any gliomas.

Use of DNA markers in forest tree improvement research

Science.gov (United States)

D.B. Neale; M.E. Devey; K.D. Jermstad; M.R. Ahuja; M.C. Alosi; K.A. Marshall

1992-01-01

DNA markers are rapidly being developed for forest trees. The most important markers are restriction fragment length polymorphisms (RFLPs), polymerase chain reaction- (PCR) based markers such as random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD), and fingerprinting markers. DNA markers can supplement isozyme markers for monitoring tree improvement activities such as; estimating...

Endoscopy/EUS-guided fiducial marker placement in patients with esophageal cancer: a comparative analysis of 3 types of markers.

Science.gov (United States)

Machiels, Melanie; van Hooft, Jeanin; Jin, Peng; van Berge Henegouwen, Mark I; van Laarhoven, Hanneke M; Alderliesten, Tanja; Hulshof, Maarten C

2015-10-01

Markers placed at the borders of esophageal tumors are potentially useful to facilitate radiotherapy (RT) target delineation, which offers the possibility of image-guided RT. To evaluate and compare the feasibility and technical benefit of endoscopy/EUS-guided marker placement of 3 different types of markers in patients with esophageal cancer referred for RT. Prospective, single-center, feasibility and comparative study. Tertiary-care medical center. Thirty patients with esophageal cancer who were referred for RT. Patients underwent endoscopy/EUS-guided implantation of 1 type of marker. A solid gold marker (SM) with fixed dimensions, a flexible coil-shaped gold marker (FM) with hand-cut length (2-10 mm), and a radiopaque hydrogel marker (HG) were used. Technical feasibility and adverse events were registered. CT scans and cone-beam CT scans (CBCT) acquired during RT were analyzed to determine and compare the visibility and continuous clear visibility of the implanted markers. Technical feasibility, technical benefit, and adverse events of 3 types of markers. A total of 101 markers were placed in 30 patients. Implantation was technically feasible in all patients without grade 3 to 4 adverse events. Two patients with asymptomatic mediastinitis and one with asymptomatic pneumothorax were seen. Visibility on CT scan of all 3 types of implanted markers was adequate for target delineation. Eighty percent of FMs remained continuously visible over the treatment period on CBCT, significantly better than SMs (63%) and HGs (11%) (P = .015). When we selected FMs ≥5 mm, 90.5% remained visible on CBCT between implantation and the end of RT. Single-center, nonrandomized design. Endoscopy/EUS-guided fiducial marker placement for esophageal cancer is both safe and feasible and can be used for target volume delineation purposes on CT. Our results imply a significant advantage of FMs over SMs and HGs, regarding visibility and continuous clear visibility over the treatment period

Prenatal Screening Using Maternal Markers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Howard Cuckle

2014-05-01

Full Text Available Maternal markers are widely used to screen for fetal neural tube defects (NTDs, chromosomal abnormalities and cardiac defects. Some are beginning to broaden prenatal screening to include pregnancy complications such as pre-eclampsia. The methods initially developed for NTDs using a single marker have since been built upon to develop high performance multi-maker tests for chromosomal abnormalities. Although cell-free DNA testing is still too expensive to be considered for routine application in public health settings, it can be cost-effective when used in combination with existing multi-maker marker tests. The established screening methods can be readily applied in the first trimester to identify pregnancies at high risk of pre-eclampsia and offer prevention though aspirin treatment. Prenatal screening for fragile X syndrome might be adopted more widely if the test was to be framed as a form of maternal marker screening.

Elevated tumour marker: an indication for imaging?

LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

McMahon, Colm J

2012-02-01

INTRODUCTION: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the utility of imaging examinations in patients with elevated tumour markers when (a) the tumour marker is not validated for as a primary diagnostic test; (b) the patient had no personal history of cancer and (c) the patient had no other imaging indication. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Patients without known cancer who had abnormal carcinoembryonic antigen, CA19-9, CA125 and\\/or CA15-3 serology over a one-year period were included. A retrospective medical record review was performed to assess the number of these cases who underwent imaging because of \\'elevated tumour marker\\' in the absence of a clinical indication for imaging. The number and result of these imaging studies were evaluated. RESULTS: Eight hundred and nineteen patients were included. Of those, 25 patients (mean age: 67.8 [range 41-91] y), were imaged to evaluate: \\'elevated tumour marker\\'. They underwent 29 imaging studies (mean [+\\/-standard deviation (SD)] per patient = 1.2 [+\\/-0.4]), and had 42 elevated tumour marker serology tests (mean [+\\/-SD] per patient = 1.7 [+\\/-0.7]). Four patients had >1 imaging test. No patient had an imaging study which diagnosed a malignancy or explained the elevated tumour marker. CONCLUSION: The non-judicious use of tumour markers can prompt further unnecessary investigations including imaging. In this study, there was no positive diagnostic yield for imaging performed for investigation of \\'elevated tumour marker\\'. \\'Elevated tumour marker\\

40 CFR 426.122 - Effluent limitations guidelines representing the degree of effluent reduction attainable by the...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... Incandescent Lamp Envelope Manufacturing Subcategory § 426.122 Effluent limitations guidelines representing the...): (a) Any manufacturing plant which produces incandescent lamp envelopes shall meet the following... any 1 day Average of daily values for 30 consecutive days shall not exceed— Metric units (g/kkg of...

Quantifying the Value of Markers in Screening Programmes

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Østergaard, Søren Dinesen; Dinesen, Peter Thisted; Foldager, Leslie

2010-01-01

Existing methods used to rank the value of individual screening markers in screening programmes are inadequate. We have developed a simple Screening Marker Index: (Screening Marker Index = Positive Predictive Value x Sensitivity). The Screening Marker Index proved to be superior to existing indices...

New approach for isolation of VNTR markers.

OpenAIRE

Nakamura, Y; Carlson, M; Krapcho, K; Kanamori, M; White, R

1988-01-01

Elsewhere we have reported an efficient method for isolating VNTR (Variable Number of Tandem Repeats) markers. Several of the VNTR markers isolated in those experiments were sequenced, and a DNA sequence of 9 bp (GNNGTGGG) emerged as an apparent consensus sequence for VNTR markers. To confirm this result and to develop more VNTR markers, we synthesized nine different 18-base-long oligonucleotides whose sequences each included GNNGTGGG. When 102 cosmid clones selected by these oligonucleotides...

Light scattering and extinction measurements combined with laser-induced incandescence for the real-time determination of soot mass absorption cross section.

Science.gov (United States)

Wei, Yiyi; Ma, Lulu; Cao, Tingting; Zhang, Qing; Wu, Jun; Buseck, Peter R; Thompson, J E

2013-10-01

An aerosol albedometer was combined with laser-induced incandescence (LII) to achieve simultaneous measurements of aerosol scattering, extinction coefficient, and soot mass concentration. Frequency doubling of a Nd:YAG laser line resulted in a colinear beam of both λ = 532 and 1064 nm. The green beam was used to perform cavity ring-down spectroscopy (CRDS), with simultaneous measurements of scattering coefficient made through use of a reciprocal sphere nephelometer. The 1064 nm beam was selected and directed into a second integrating sphere and used for LII of light-absorbing kerosene lamp soot. Thermal denuder experiments showed the LII signals were not affected by the particle mixing state when laser peak power was 1.5-2.5 MW. The combined measurements of optical properties and soot mass concentration allowed determination of mass absorption cross section (M.A.C., m(2)/g) with 1 min time resolution when soot concentrations were in the low microgram per cubic meter range. Fresh kerosene nanosphere soot (ns-soot) exhibited a mean M.A.C and standard deviation of 9.3 ± 2.7 m(2)/g while limited measurements on dry ambient aerosol yielded an average of 8.2 ± 5.9 m(2)/g when soot was >0.25 μg/m(3). The method also detected increases in M.A.C. values associated with enhanced light absorption when polydisperse, laboratory-generated ns-soot particles were embedded within or coated with ammonium nitrate, ammonium sulfate, and glycerol. Glycerol coatings produced the largest fractional increase in M.A.C. (1.41-fold increase), while solid coatings of ammonium sulfate and ammonium nitrate produced increases of 1.10 and 1.06, respectively. Fresh, ns-soot did not exhibit increased M.A.C. at high relative humidity (RH); however, lab-generated soot coated with ammonium nitrate and held at 85% RH exhibited M.A.C. values nearly double the low-humidity case. The hybrid instrument for simultaneously tracking soot mass concentration and aerosol optical properties in real time is a

75 FR 44047 - Notice of Passenger Facility Charge (PFC) Approvals and Disapprovals

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-27

... Collection and Use: Relocate runway 3 localizer. Pavement management program--rehabilitate taxiway F. Runway... share. Runway 21 extension--phase 2, pave construct runway only. Pavement management program--mill...

Marker-Free Human Motion Capture

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Grest, Daniel

Human Motion Capture is a widely used technique to obtain motion data for animation of virtual characters. Commercial optical motion capture systems are marker-based. This book is about marker-free motion capture and its possibilities to acquire motion from a single viewing direction. The focus...

Tumors markers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yamaguchi-Mizumoto, N.H.

1989-01-01

In order to study blood and cell components alterations (named tumor markers) that may indicate the presence of a tumor, several methods are presented. Aspects as diagnostic, prognostic, therapeutic value and clinical evaluation are discussed. (M.A.C.)

Estimation of real-time runway surface contamination using flight data recorder parameters

Science.gov (United States)

Curry, Donovan

Within this research effort, the development of an analytic process for friction coefficient estimation is presented. Under static equilibrium, the sum of forces and moments acting on the aircraft, in the aircraft body coordinate system, while on the ground at any instant is equal to zero. Under this premise the longitudinal, lateral and normal forces due to landing are calculated along with the individual deceleration components existent when an aircraft comes to a rest during ground roll. In order to validate this hypothesis a six degree of freedom aircraft model had to be created and landing tests had to be simulated on different surfaces. The simulated aircraft model includes a high fidelity aerodynamic model, thrust model, landing gear model, friction model and antiskid model. Three main surfaces were defined in the friction model; dry, wet and snow/ice. Only the parameters recorded by an FDR are used directly from the aircraft model all others are estimated or known a priori. The estimation of unknown parameters is also presented in the research effort. With all needed parameters a comparison and validation with simulated and estimated data, under different runway conditions, is performed. Finally, this report presents results of a sensitivity analysis in order to provide a measure of reliability of the analytic estimation process. Linear and non-linear sensitivity analysis has been performed in order to quantify the level of uncertainty implicit in modeling estimated parameters and how they can affect the calculation of the instantaneous coefficient of friction. Using the approach of force and moment equilibrium about the CG at landing to reconstruct the instantaneous coefficient of friction appears to be a reasonably accurate estimate when compared to the simulated friction coefficient. This is also true when the FDR and estimated parameters are introduced to white noise and when crosswind is introduced to the simulation. After the linear analysis the

Coatings of black carbon in Tijuana, Mexico, during the CalMex Campaign

Science.gov (United States)

Takahama, S.; Russell, L. M.; Duran, R.; Subramanian, R.; Kok, G.

2010-12-01

Black carbon number and mass concentrations were measured by a single-particle soot photometer (SP2; by Droplet Measurement Technologies) in Tijuana, Mexico between May 15, 2010, and June 30, 2010, for the CalMex campaign. The measurement site, Parque Morelos, is a recreational area located in the Southeast region of Tijuana. The SP2 was equipped with 8-channels of signal detection that spans a wider range of sensitivity for incandescing and scattering measurements than traditional configurations. The campaign-average number concentration of incandescing particles was 280 #/cc, peaking during traffic activity in the mornings. Incandescing particles made up 50% of all particles (incandescing and purely scattering) detected by the SP2. The mode of the number size distribution estimated for black carbon, according to estimated mass-equivalent diameters, was approximately 100 nm or smaller. Temporal variations in estimated coating thicknesses for these black carbon particles are discussed together with co-located measurements of organic aerosol and inorganic salts.

The Infinitive Marker across Scandinavian

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Christensen, Ken Ramshøj

2007-01-01

In this paper I argue that the base-position of the infinitive marker in the Scandinavian languages and English share a common origin site. It is inserted as the top-most head in the VP-domain. The cross-linguistic variation in the syntactic distribution of the infinitive marker can be accounted...

Molecular markers. Amplified fragment length polymorphism

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pržulj Novo

2005-01-01

Full Text Available Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphism molecular markers (AFLPs has been developed combining procedures of RFLPs and RAPDs molekular markers, i.e. the first step is restriction digestion of the genomic DNA that is followed by selective amplification of the restricted fragments. The advantage of the AFLP technique is that it allows rapid generation of a large number of reproducible markers. The reproducibility of AFLPs markers is assured by the use of restriction site-specific adapters and adapter-specific primers for PCR reaction. Only fragments containing the restriction site sequence plus the additional nucleotides will be amplified and the more selected nucleotides added on the primer sequence the fewer the number of fragments amplified by PCR. The amplified products are normally separated on a sequencing gel and visualized after exposure to X-ray film or by using fluorescent labeled primers. AFLP shave proven to be extremely proficient in revealing diversity at below the species level. A disadvantage of AFLP technique is that AFLPs are essentially a dominant marker system and not able to identify heterozygotes.

Ultraviolet light and heat source selection in captive spiny-tailed iguanas (Oplurus cuvieri)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dickinson, H.C.; Fa, J.E.

1997-01-01

Three experimental manipulations were conducted to assess the influence of heat source selection and active thermoregulation on ultraviolet (UV) light exposure in captive spiny-tailed iguanas (Oplurus cuvieri) at the Jersey Wildlife Preservation Trust. Four replicates per manipulation were conducted on six individual lizards. All animals were tested in a separate enclosure to which they were acclimated before observations. Data on choice of thermal sources were collected during the first 2 hr of light, when lizards were actively thermoregulating. Animals were allowed to choose between incandescent light, UV light and a non-light heat source (thermotube) in different combinations. Recorded temperatures close to the incandescent light (37°C) were always significantly higher than at the thermotube (33°C) and at the UV light (29°C). Manipulation 1 offered the animals a choice of an UV light and an incandescent light as thermal sources. Manipulation 2 presented animals with the thermal choices in Manipulation 1, but substrates under each source in Manipulation 1 were switched. In Manipulation 3, animals could choose between an incandescent light and the thermotube. All studied lizards were significantly more attracted to the incandescent light than to the UV light or thermotube. Incandescent light elicited a significantly higher proportion of basking behaviors in all individuals than the other sources. A high proportion of time basking was also spent in front of the thermotube but fewer individuals and less time were spent basking under the UV light. Heat source selection was generally found to be independent of substrate. Management applications of this preference are suggested for juvenile diurnal heliothermic iguanids. (author)

Smart markers for watershed-based cell segmentation.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Can Fahrettin Koyuncu

Full Text Available Automated cell imaging systems facilitate fast and reliable analysis of biological events at the cellular level. In these systems, the first step is usually cell segmentation that greatly affects the success of the subsequent system steps. On the other hand, similar to other image segmentation problems, cell segmentation is an ill-posed problem that typically necessitates the use of domain-specific knowledge to obtain successful segmentations even by human subjects. The approaches that can incorporate this knowledge into their segmentation algorithms have potential to greatly improve segmentation results. In this work, we propose a new approach for the effective segmentation of live cells from phase contrast microscopy. This approach introduces a new set of "smart markers" for a marker-controlled watershed algorithm, for which the identification of its markers is critical. The proposed approach relies on using domain-specific knowledge, in the form of visual characteristics of the cells, to define the markers. We evaluate our approach on a total of 1,954 cells. The experimental results demonstrate that this approach, which uses the proposed definition of smart markers, is quite effective in identifying better markers compared to its counterparts. This will, in turn, be effective in improving the segmentation performance of a marker-controlled watershed algorithm.

Smart markers for watershed-based cell segmentation.

Science.gov (United States)

Koyuncu, Can Fahrettin; Arslan, Salim; Durmaz, Irem; Cetin-Atalay, Rengul; Gunduz-Demir, Cigdem

2012-01-01

Automated cell imaging systems facilitate fast and reliable analysis of biological events at the cellular level. In these systems, the first step is usually cell segmentation that greatly affects the success of the subsequent system steps. On the other hand, similar to other image segmentation problems, cell segmentation is an ill-posed problem that typically necessitates the use of domain-specific knowledge to obtain successful segmentations even by human subjects. The approaches that can incorporate this knowledge into their segmentation algorithms have potential to greatly improve segmentation results. In this work, we propose a new approach for the effective segmentation of live cells from phase contrast microscopy. This approach introduces a new set of "smart markers" for a marker-controlled watershed algorithm, for which the identification of its markers is critical. The proposed approach relies on using domain-specific knowledge, in the form of visual characteristics of the cells, to define the markers. We evaluate our approach on a total of 1,954 cells. The experimental results demonstrate that this approach, which uses the proposed definition of smart markers, is quite effective in identifying better markers compared to its counterparts. This will, in turn, be effective in improving the segmentation performance of a marker-controlled watershed algorithm.

C-reactive protein in patients with acute coronary syndrome: association with coronary markers, lipid profile and markers of coagulation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Munir, T.A.; Afzal, M.N.

2010-01-01

To determine levels of C-reactive protein (CRP) and its association with coronary markers, lipid profile and markers of coagulation in patients of acute coronary syndrome (ACS). The study was conducted at Shifa college of Medicine and Shifa international hospital for a period of one year (November 2005-December 2006). Patients and Methods: Sixty nine age matched controls and 133 consecutive patients of ACS were included in the study. CRP were measured by immunoturbidometric method, MB fraction of creatine kinase (CK-MB) and Troponin-1 by micro-particle enzyme immunoassay, lipid levels by Colorimetric Enzymatic methods, platelets by celldyn and coagulation markers were measured by CA-50 Sysmax. At admission mean CRP levels, cardiac biomarkers, lipid profile and coagulation markers were significantly increased in patients of ACS versus controls. Within the patients of ACS the mean levels of CRP, CK-MB, Trop I, prothrombin time (PT) and activated partial thromboplastin time (Am) were significantly raised in patients with ST - elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) and non STEMI (NSTEMI) versus patients of unstable angina (VA). Association between CRP levels and coronary markers, coagulation markers and lipid profile was found to be non significant. The CRP levels were increased in patients with ACS as compared to controls. The CRP levels were insignificantly correlated with coronary markers (CK-MB, Trop I), coagulation markers (platelet count, PT, Am), and lipid profile (cholesterol, triglyceride, HDL and LDL cholesterol) in patients with ACS. (author)

Light quality and elongation growth. 1: Effect of duration and time of far red irradiation on stem elongation of Argyranthemum frutescens cv. Silver Leaf

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jatzkowski, M.; Zimmer, K.

1994-01-01

The phenomenon of stem elongation by far red irradiation was shown with Argyranthemum frutescens 'Silver Leaf'. Stem elongation was promoted by incandescent lighting (mainly far red) during the day and night period. More intense reactions were observed with the isolated application during the nighttime. Reaction was strongly modified by the point of time the application took place. No effect could be shown by lighting with incandescent lamps for two hours during the daytime given within the first six hours of the main light period. During the nighttime two hours of lighting (incandescent lamps) promoted stem elongation atany point of time, especially in the middle of the dark period

The role of Molecular Markers in Improvement of Fruit Crops

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zahoor Ahmad BHAT

2010-06-01

Full Text Available Markers have been used over the years for the classification of plants. Markers are any trait of an organism that can be identified with confidence and relative easy, and can be followed in a mapping population on another hand markers be defined as heritable entities associated with the economically important trait under the control of polygenes. Morphological markers can be detected with naked eye (naked eye polymorphism or as difference in physical or chemical properties of the macromolecules. In other words, there are two types of genetic markers viz. morphological markers or naked eye polymorphism and non-morphological markers or molecular markers. Morphological markers include traits such as plant height, disease response, photoperiod, sensitivity, shape or colour of flowers, fruits or seeds etc. Molecular markers include biochemical constituents. Morphological markers have many limitations for being used as markers particularly in fruit crops because of long generation time and large size of fruit trees besides being influenced by environment. Consequently, molecular markers could be appropriate choice to study and preserve the diversity in any germplasm. Molecular markers have diverse applications in fruit crop improvement, particularly in the areas of genetic diversity and varietal identification studies, gene tagging, disease diagnostics, pedigree analysis, hybrid detection, sex differentiation and marker assisted selection.

Diagnostic value of different tumor markers, our experience

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pervez, T.; Anwar, S.

2000-01-01

Variety of tumor markers with varying sensitivity and specificity are used for diagnosis of different malignancies. This study was done to determine the diagnostic value of different tumor markers in our patients with various malignancies. Out of 235 patients studied, 162 were suffering from malignant and 73 from benign diseases. Among these 84 were positive for tumor markers. Out of these positive tumor markers, 75 were suffering from malignancy. Tumor marker analyzed were ca-15-3, ca-125, BETA-HCG, CEA, PSA and alpha-FP depending upon the type of the disease these cases presented. Analysis of the results revealed that different tumor markers had sensitivity varying from 76.9-95.8% and specificity varying form 75-90.9%. CA-125 was observed to be the most specific and sensitive tumor marker for ovarian tumors followed by alpha-FP for hepatocellular tumors and CEA for gastrointestinal tumors. Similarly, PSA for prostate cancers, beta-HCG for choriocarcinoma and CA-15-3 for breast cancer. It is concluded that all the tumor markers have a variable diagnostic value, which cannot be relied upon independently, without other tests added to increase diagnostic value. (author)

Epigenetic Markers of Renal Function in African Americans

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Samantha M. Bomotti

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Chronic kidney disease (CKD is an increasing concern in the United States due to its rapidly rising prevalence, particularly among African Americans. Epigenetic DNA methylation markers are becoming important biomarkers of chronic diseases such as CKD. To better understand how these methylation markers play a role in kidney function, we measured 26,428 DNA methylation sites in 972 African Americans from the Genetic Epidemiology Network of Arteriopathy (GENOA study. We then evaluated (1 whether epigenetic markers are associated with estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR, (2 whether the significantly associated markers are also associated with traditional risk factors and/or novel biomarkers for eGFR, and (3 how much additional variation in eGFR is explained by epigenetic markers beyond established risk factors and biomarkers. The majority of methylation markers most significantly associated with eGFR (24 out of the top 30 appeared to function, at least in part, through pathways related to aging, inflammation, or cholesterol. However, six epigenetic markers were still able to significantly predict eGFR after adjustment for other risk factors. This work shows that epigenetic markers may offer valuable new insight into the complex pathophysiology of CKD in African Americans.

Evaluation of Accessory Lacrimal Gland in Muller's Muscle Conjunctival Resection Specimens for Precursor Cell Markers and Biological Markers of Dry Eye Disease.

Science.gov (United States)

Ali, Marwan; Shah, Dhara; Pasha, Zeeshan; Jassim, Sarmad H; Jassim Jaboori, Assraa; Setabutr, Pete; Aakalu, Vinay K

2017-04-01

The accessory lacrimal glands (ALGs) are an understudied component of the tear functional unit, even though they are important in the development of dry eye syndrome (DES). To advance our understanding of aging changes, regenerative potential, and histologic correlates to human characteristics, we investigated human ALG tissue from surgical samples to determine the presence or absence of progenitor cell markers and lacrimal epithelial markers and to correlate marker expression to relevant patient characteristics. ALG tissues obtained from Muller's muscle conjunctival resection (MMCR) specimens were created using tissue microarrays (TMAs). Immunofluorescence staining of MMCR sections was performed using primary antibodies specific to cell protein markers. Cell marker localization in TMAs was then assessed by two blinded observers using a standardized scoring system. Patient characteristics including age, race, and status of ocular surface health were then compared against expression of stem cell markers. Human ALG expressed a number of epithelial markers, and in particular, histatin-1 was well correlated with the expression of epithelial markers and was present in most acini. In addition, we noted the presence of precursor cell markers nestin, ABCG2, and CD90 in ALG tissue. There was a decrease in precursor cell marker expression with increasing age. Finally, we noted that a negative association was present between histatin-1 expression and DES. Thus, we report for the first time that human ALG tissues contain precursor marker-positive cells and that this marker expression may decrease with increasing age. Moreover, histatin-1 expression may be decreased in DES. Future studies will be performed to use these cell markers to isolate and culture lacrimal epithelial cells from heterogeneous tissues, determine the relevance of histatin-1 expression to DES, and isolate candidate precursor cells from ALG tissue.

Molecular characterization and identification of markers for toxic and non-toxic varieties of Jatropha curcas L. using RAPD, AFLP and SSR markers.

Science.gov (United States)

Sudheer Pamidimarri, D V N; Singh, Sweta; Mastan, Shaik G; Patel, Jalpa; Reddy, Muppala P

2009-07-01

Jatropha curcas L., a multipurpose shrub has acquired significant economic importance for its seed oil which can be converted to biodiesel, is emerging as an alternative to petro-diesel. The deoiled seed cake remains after oil extraction is toxic and cannot be used as a feed despite having best nutritional contents. No quantitative and qualitative differences were observed between toxic and non-toxic varieties of J. curcas except for phorbol esters content. Development of molecular marker will enable to differentiate non-toxic from toxic variety in a mixed population and also help in improvement of the species through marker assisted breeding programs. The present investigation was undertaken to characterize the toxic and non-toxic varieties at molecular level and to develop PCR based molecular markers for distinguishing non-toxic from toxic or vice versa. The polymorphic markers were successfully identified specific to non-toxic and toxic variety using RAPD and AFLP techniques. Totally 371 RAPD, 1,442 AFLP markers were analyzed and 56 (15.09%) RAPD, 238 (16.49%) AFLP markers were found specific to either of the varieties. Genetic similarity between non-toxic and toxic verity was found to be 0.92 by RAPD and 0.90 by AFLP fingerprinting. In the present study out of 12 microsatellite markers analyzed, seven markers were found polymorphic. Among these seven, jcms21 showed homozygous allele in the toxic variety. The study demonstrated that both RAPD and AFLP techniques were equally competitive in identifying polymorphic markers and differentiating both the varieties of J. curcas. Polymorphism of SSR markers prevailed between the varieties of J. curcas. These RAPD and AFLP identified markers will help in selective cultivation of specific variety and along with SSRs these markers can be exploited for further improvement of the species through breeding and Marker Assisted Selection (MAS).

[Immunological Markers in Organ Transplantation].

Science.gov (United States)

Beckmann, J H; Heits, N; Braun, F; Becker, T

2017-04-01

The immunological monitoring in organ transplantation is based mainly on the determination of laboratory parameters as surrogate markers of organ dysfunction. Structural damage, caused by alloreactivity, can only be detected by invasive biopsy of the graft, which is why inevitably rejection episodes are diagnosed at a rather progressive stage. New non-invasive specific markers that enable transplant clinicians to identify rejection episodes at an earlier stage, on the molecular level, are needed. The accurate identification of rejection episodes and the establishment of operational tolerance permit early treatment or, respectively, a controlled cessation of immunosuppression. In addition, new prognostic biological markers are expected to allow a pre-transplant risk stratification thus having an impact on organ allocation and immunosuppressive regimen. New high-throughput screening methods allow simultaneous examination of hundreds of characteristics and the generation of specific biological signatures, which might give concrete information about acute rejection, chronic dysfunction as well as operational tolerance. Even though multiple studies and a variety of publications report about important advances on this subject, almost no new biological marker has been implemented in clinical practice as yet. Nevertheless, new technologies, in particular analysis of the genome, transcriptome, proteome and metabolome will make personalised transplantation medicine possible and will further improve the long-term results and graft survival rates. This article gives a survey of the limitations and possibilities of new immunological markers in organ transplantation. Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

Immunocytochemistry of the olfactory marker protein.

Science.gov (United States)

Monti-Graziadei, G A; Margolis, F L; Harding, J W; Graziadei, P P

1977-12-01

The olfactory marker protein has been localized, by means of immunohistochemical techniques in the primary olfactory neurons of mice. The olfactory marker protein is not present in the staminal cells of the olfactory neuroepithelium, and the protein may be regarded as indicative of the functional stage of the neurons. Our data indicate that the olfactory marker protein is present in the synaptic terminals of the olfactory neurons at the level of the olfactory bulb glomeruli. The postsynaptic profiles of both mitral and periglomerular cells are negative.

Generation and application of SSR markers in avocado

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sharon, D.; Lavi, U.; Cregan, P.B.; Hillel, J.

1998-01-01

Simple Sequence Repeat (SSR) DNA markers were generated and applied to avocado. An SSR marker is based on a pair of primers which are synthesized on the basis of DNA sequences flanking a micro satellite. These markers are PCR based, quite polymorphic and abundant in several species. These are the markers, of choice in the human genome. The number of SSR markers in the avocado genome was calculated to be about 45,000, with the A/T micro satellite being the most frequent (1 in 40 kb). SSR markers are quite expensive to generate due to the required multi-step procedure; Screening a genomic library, about 66% of the positive clones turned out after sequencing to be SSR containing clones. In only about 55% of these, was it possible to synthesize primers and, of this group, only about 50% of the markers were useful for typing a specific family. Typing of five avocado cultivars using 59 SSR markers results in one to eight alleles per locus, mean heterozygosity ranging between 0.51 and 0.66 and gene diversity ranging between 0.42 and 0.66. The SSR markers were used to estimate the genetic relationships between various Persea species. The number of alleles in these species ranged between five and twelve with heterozygosity levels between 0.11-0.78 and gene diversity between 0.69-0.89. A preliminary genetic map, based on these SSR markers together with some DNA fingerprints (DFP) and randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers, was drawn. The map consists of 12 linkage group having two to five markers each. Linkage analysis with several quantitative trait loci (QTLs) was performed by genetic typing and phenotypic assessment of the progeny of a controlled cross. The results of the interval mapping suggest that the gene(s) coding for the existence of fibers in the flesh, are probably linked to linkage group 3. (author)

Generation and application of SSR markers in avocado

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sharon, D; Lavi, U [Institute of Horticulture, ARO Volcani Center, Bet-Dagan (Israel); Cregan, P B [United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Beltsville, Maryland (United States); Hillel, J [Faculty of Agriculture, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovot (Israel)

1998-10-01

Simple Sequence Repeat (SSR) DNA markers were generated and applied to avocado. An SSR marker is based on a pair of primers which are synthesized on the basis of DNA sequences flanking a micro satellite. These markers are PCR based, quite polymorphic and abundant in several species. These are the markers, of choice in the human genome. The number of SSR markers in the avocado genome was calculated to be about 45,000, with the A/T micro satellite being the most frequent (1 in 40 kb). SSR markers are quite expensive to generate due to the required multi-step procedure; Screening a genomic library, about 66% of the positive clones turned out after sequencing to be SSR containing clones. In only about 55% of these, was it possible to synthesize primers and, of this group, only about 50% of the markers were useful for typing a specific family. Typing of five avocado cultivars using 59 SSR markers results in one to eight alleles per locus, mean heterozygosity ranging between 0.51 and 0.66 and gene diversity ranging between 0.42 and 0.66. The SSR markers were used to estimate the genetic relationships between various Persea species. The number of alleles in these species ranged between five and twelve with heterozygosity levels between 0.11-0.78 and gene diversity between 0.69-0.89. A preliminary genetic map, based on these SSR markers together with some DNA fingerprints (DFP) and randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers, was drawn. The map consists of 12 linkage group having two to five markers each. Linkage analysis with several quantitative trait loci (QTLs) was performed by genetic typing and phenotypic assessment of the progeny of a controlled cross. The results of the interval mapping suggest that the gene(s) coding for the existence of fibers in the flesh, are probably linked to linkage group 3. (author) 20 refs, 3 figs, 8 tabs

(SSR) markers

African Journals Online (AJOL)

acer

2013-06-26

Jun 26, 2013 ... analysis was in general agreement with PCoA in discrimi- nating the cultivars. Conclusions. Estimation of morphological diversity may provide addi- tional information on the present finding. Nonetheless, the 29 SSR markers provided considerable genetic reso- lution and this genetic diversity analysis ...

(SSR) markers

African Journals Online (AJOL)

SAM

2014-07-30

Jul 30, 2014 ... India and the country is currently the leading producer, consumer and exporter of ... registration with the competent authority for plant variety protection. Conventionally ... detection of duplicates, parental verification in crosses, gene tagging in .... allelic patterns as revealed by the current set of SSR markers.

Rice genetic marker database: An identification of single nucleotide ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

based genetic marker system to provide information about SNP and QTL markers in rice. The SNP marker database provides 7,227 SNP markers including location information on chromosomes by using genetic map. It allows users to access a ...

Comparison of postoperative surgical site infection after preoperative marking done with non-sterile stationary grade markers versus sterile surgical markers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mir, Z.A.

2015-01-01

Objectives: To compare the frequencies of post- operative surgical site infection after preoperative marking done with non-sterile stationary. grade markers versus sterile surgical markers in the same patient. Design: Randomized control trial. Place and Duration of Study: The department of Plastic surgery, Mayo hospital, Lahore from August 2013 to August 2014. Methods: This study was conducted after taking approval from the departmental ethical committee. Forty consecutive patients were included. A sterile surgical marker was used to mark one incision site while an alcohol based stationary grade marker was used to mark another incision site on the same patient. A standard preoperative, intraoperative and postoperative protocol was followed. Cultures were performed on swabs taken from the incision sites and surgical site infection was assessed for 30 days. Results: The study included 40 patients; 17 males and 23 females. The mean age of subjects was 25.32 ± 19.69 years with the minimum age being 2 years and the maximum being 63 years. No growth was seen in cultures taken from all the incision sites after skin preparation in the non sterile stationary grade marker group as well as the sterile surgical grade marker group. Also no surgical site infection appeared during the 30 day postoperative observation period in the non sterile stationary grade marker group as well as the sterile surgical grade marker group. (author)

Biological Markers and Salivary Cortisol

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hansen, Åse Marie; Gunnarsson, Lars-Gunnar; Harris, Anette

2011-01-01

This chapter focuses on salivary cortisol in relation to biological markers. Specifically, associations with conventional cardiovascular risk factors and metabolic abnormalities (body mass index, waist circumference, waist/hip ratio, lipid status, glucose, blood pressure, heart rate and heart rate...... variations and pharmacological interventions were also excluded. After meeting all exclusion criteria, 42 papers remained. In total, 273 associations between salivary cortisol and any of the markers mentioned were studied, comprising 241 associations on metabolic abnormalities, 30 on inflammation, and 2...... on stress hormones. Of the salivary cortisol measures reported for evaluations of all markers tested were 136 (49%) single time points, 100 (37%) deviations, 36 (13%) AUC, and 1 (1%) dexamethasone test. Of these, 72 (26%) were statistically significant, and 201 (74%) indicated non-significant findings...

Tumor markers: applications and recommendations. New IZOTOPE products

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gyenes, Ana Rosa

2016-01-01

At work aspects are discussed: Tumor markers; New products IZOTOP; Measuring principle of IRMA kits for tumor markers; Guidelines and Recommendations for the use of tumor markers. pre-analytical, post-analytical and Quality control recommendations are given

14 CFR 171.269 - Marker beacon performance requirements.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 3 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Marker beacon performance requirements. 171.269 Section 171.269 Aeronautics and Space FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF... Landing System (ISMLS) § 171.269 Marker beacon performance requirements. ISMLS marker beacon equipment...

Evaluation of Accessory Lacrimal Gland in Muller’s Muscle Conjunctival Resection Specimens for Precursor Cell Markers and Biological Markers of Dry Eye Disease

Science.gov (United States)

Ali, Marwan; Shah, Dhara; Pasha, Zeeshan; Jassim, Sarmad H.; Jaboori, Assraa Jassim; Setabutr, Pete; Aakalu, Vinay K.

2017-01-01

Purpose The accessory lacrimal glands (ALG) are an understudied component of the tear functional unit, even though they are important in the development of dry eye syndrome (DES). To advance our understanding of aging changes, regenerative potential and histologic correlates to human characteristics, we investigated human ALG tissue from surgical samples to determine the presence or absence of progenitor cell markers and lacrimal epithelial markers and to correlate marker expression to relevant patient characteristics. Materials and Methods ALG tissues obtained from Muller’s Muscle Conjunctival Resection (MMCR) specimens were created using tissue microarrays (TMAs). Immunofluorescence staining of MMCR sections was performed using primary antibodies specific to cell protein markers. Cell marker localization in TMAs was then assessed by two blinded observers using a standardized scoring system. Patient characteristics including age, race, and status of ocular surface health were then compared against expression of stem cell markers. Results Human ALG expressed a number of epithelial markers, and in particular, histatin-1 was well correlated with the expression of epithelial markers and was present in most acini. In addition, we noted the presence of precursor cell markers nestin, ABCG2 and CD90 in ALG tissue. There was a decrease in precursor cell marker expression with increasing age. Finally, we noted that a negative association was present between histatin-1 expression and DES. Conclusions Thus, we report for the first time that human ALG tissues contain precursor marker positive cells and that this marker expression may decrease with increasing age. Moreover, histatin-1 expression may be decreased in DES. Future studies will be performed to use these cell markers to isolate and culture lacrimal epithelial cells from heterogeneous tissues, determine the relevance of histatin-1 expression to DES and isolate candidate precursor cells from ALG tissue. PMID:27612554

Identify super quality markers from prototype-based pharmacokinetic markers of Tangzhiqing tablet (TZQ) based on in vitro dissolution/ permeation and in vivo absorption correlations.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Ziqiang; Liu, Jia; Li, Yazhuo; Du, Xi; Li, Yanfen; Wang, Ruihua; Lv, Chunxiao; He, Xin; Wang, Baohe; Huang, Yuhong; Zhang, Deqin

2018-06-01

A quality marker (Q-marker) is defined as an inherent chemical compound that is used for the quality control of a drug. Its biological activities are closely related to safety and therapeutic effects. Generally, a multiple-component herbal medicine may have many Q-markers. We therefore proposed a concept of "super Q-marker" satisfying both the criterion of Q-markers and PK-markers to be used in more effective quality control of herbal medicine. The first aim was to find suitable prototype-based PK-markers from Tangzhiqing tablets (TZQ), a Chinese patent medicine. Then super Q-markers were expected to be identified from the prototype-based PK-markers based on an in vitro-in vivo correlation study. Potentially eligible prototype-based PK-markers were identified in a single- and multiple-dose pharmacokinetic study on TZQ in 30 healthy volunteers. The in vitro dissolution and permeation profiles of the prototype-based PK-markers of TZQ were evaluated by the physiologically-based drug dissolution/absorption simulating system (DDASS). An in vitro-in vivo correlation analysis was conducted between the dissolution/permeation behaviors in DDASS and the actual absorption profiles in human to test the transferability and traceability of the promising super Q-markers for TZQ. In human, plasma paeoniflorin and nuciferine as prototype-based PK-markers exhibited the appropriate pharmacokinetic properties, including dose-dependent systemic exposure (AUC, C max ) and a proper elimination half-life (1∼3h). In DDASS, it was predicted that paeoniflorin and nuciferine are highly permeable but the absorption rates are primarily limited by the dissolution rates. Moreover, the established in vitro-in vivo correlations of paeoniflorin and nuciferine were in support of the super Q-markers features. Paeoniflorin and nuciferine are identified as the super Q-markers from the prototype-based PK-markers of TZQ based on findings from a combination of in vitro, in vivo, and in vitro-in vivo

Marker-assisted selection in forestry species

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Butcher, P.; Southerton, S.

2007-01-01

The primary goal of tree breeding is to increase the quantity and quality of wood products from plantations. Major gains have been achieved using recurrent selection in genetically diverse breeding populations to capture additive variation. However, the long generation times of trees, together with poor juvenile-mature trait correlations, have promoted interest in marker-assisted selection (MAS) to accelerate breeding through early selection. MAS relies on identifying DNA markers, which explain a high proportion of variation in phenotypic traits. Genetic linkage maps have been developed for most commercial tree species and these can be used to locate chromosomal regions where DNA markers co-segregate with quantitative traits (quantitative trait loci, QTL). MAS based on QTL is most likely to be used for within-family selection in a limited number of elite families that can be clonally propagated. Limitations of the approach include the low resolution of marker-trait associations, the small proportion of phenotypic variation explained by QTL and the low success rate in validating QTL in different genetic backgrounds and environments. This has led to a change in research focus towards association mapping to identify variation in the DNA sequence of genes directly controlling phenotypic variation (gene-assisted selection, GAS). The main advantages of GAS are the high resolution of marker-trait associations and the ability to transfer markers across families and even species. Association studies are being used to examine the adaptive significance of variation in genes controlling wood formation and quality, pathogen resistance, cold tolerance and drought tolerance. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in these gene sequences that are significantly associated with trait variation can then be used for early selection. Markers for SNPs can be transferred among individuals regardless of pedigree or family relationship, increasing opportunities for their application in

Molecular markers linked to apomixis in Panicum maximum Jacq.

African Journals Online (AJOL)

SAM

2014-05-28

May 28, 2014 ... The objective of this work was to identify molecular markers linked to apomixis in ... Four RAPD markers linked to apomixis were identified and mapped in this .... Data analysis. The amplification of the potential markers was analyzed as binary, with 1 for presence and 0 for absence of the marker. The binary.

An Efficiency Analysis of Augmented Reality Marker Recognition Algorithm

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kurpytė Dovilė

2014-05-01

Full Text Available The article reports on the investigation of augmented reality system which is designed for identification and augmentation of 100 different square markers. Marker recognition efficiency was investigated by rotating markers along x and y axis directions in range from −90° to 90°. Virtual simulations of four environments were developed: a an intense source of light, b an intense source of light falling from the left side, c the non-intensive light source falling from the left side, d equally falling shadows. The graphics were created using the OpenGL graphics computer hardware interface; image processing was programmed in C++ language using OpenCV, while augmented reality was developed in Java programming language using NyARToolKit. The obtained results demonstrate that augmented reality marker recognition algorithm is accurate and reliable in the case of changing lighting conditions and rotational angles - only 4 % markers were unidentified. Assessment of marker recognition efficiency let to propose marker classification strategy in order to use it for grouping various markers into distinct markers’ groups possessing similar recognition properties.

40 CFR 92.111 - Smoke measurement system.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... were the exhaust is not circular at its discharge, the path of the light beam through the plume shall.... (ii) The light source shall be an incandescent lamp with a color temperature range of 2800K to 3250K... incandescent lamp, the detector shall have a spectral response similar to the photopic curve of the human eye...

Plant breeding with marker-assisted selection in Brazil

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ney Sussumu Sakiyama

2014-03-01

Full Text Available Over the past three decades, molecular marker studies reached extraordinary advances, especially for sequencing and bioinformatics techniques. Marker-assisted selection became part of the breeding program routines of important seed companies, in order to accelerate and optimize the cultivar developing processes. Private seed companies increasingly use marker-assisted selection, especially for the species of great importance to the seed market, e.g. corn, soybean, cotton, and sunflower. In the Brazilian public institutions few breeding programs use it efficiently. The possible reasons are: lack of know-how, lack of appropriate laboratories, few validated markers, high cost, and lack of urgency in obtaining cultivars. In this article we analyze the use and the constraints of marker-assisted selection in plant breeding programs of Brazilian public institutes

Pea Marker Database (PMD) - A new online database combining known pea (Pisum sativum L.) gene-based markers.

Science.gov (United States)

Kulaeva, Olga A; Zhernakov, Aleksandr I; Afonin, Alexey M; Boikov, Sergei S; Sulima, Anton S; Tikhonovich, Igor A; Zhukov, Vladimir A

2017-01-01

Pea (Pisum sativum L.) is the oldest model object of plant genetics and one of the most agriculturally important legumes in the world. Since the pea genome has not been sequenced yet, identification of genes responsible for mutant phenotypes or desirable agricultural traits is usually performed via genetic mapping followed by candidate gene search. Such mapping is best carried out using gene-based molecular markers, as it opens the possibility for exploiting genome synteny between pea and its close relative Medicago truncatula Gaertn., possessing sequenced and annotated genome. In the last 5 years, a large number of pea gene-based molecular markers have been designed and mapped owing to the rapid evolution of "next-generation sequencing" technologies. However, the access to the complete set of markers designed worldwide is limited because the data are not uniformed and therefore hard to use. The Pea Marker Database was designed to combine the information about pea markers in a form of user-friendly and practical online tool. Version 1 (PMD1) comprises information about 2484 genic markers, including their locations in linkage groups, the sequences of corresponding pea transcripts and the names of related genes in M. truncatula. Version 2 (PMD2) is an updated version comprising 15944 pea markers in the same format with several advanced features. To test the performance of the PMD, fine mapping of pea symbiotic genes Sym13 and Sym27 in linkage groups VII and V, respectively, was carried out. The results of mapping allowed us to propose the Sen1 gene (a homologue of SEN1 gene of Lotus japonicus (Regel) K. Larsen) as the best candidate gene for Sym13, and to narrow the list of possible candidate genes for Sym27 to ten, thus proving PMD to be useful for pea gene mapping and cloning. All information contained in PMD1 and PMD2 is available at www.peamarker.arriam.ru.

MOLECULAR MARKERS FOR METASTATIC PROSTATE ADENOCARCINOMA

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

I. S. Kunin

2012-01-01

Full Text Available The search of molecular markers of metastasing and prognosis in prostate cancer remains an urgent task. In this study, we investigated the relationship of gene expression heparanase-1 (HPSE1 and D-glucuronil C5-epimerase (GLCE with early disease relapse and metastasis of a 2,5−3 years after diagnosis. It was shown that the ratio of the expression levels of genes HPSE1/GLCE > 1 may serve as a prognostic relapse marker and trends of the tumour to metastasis. The data obtained suggest to use this option as a molecular marker for the diagnostics of metastatic process and the disease prognosis.

A molecular marker map for roses

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Debener, T.; Mattiesch, L.; Vosman, B.

2001-01-01

n addition to an existing core map for diploid roses which comprised 305 molecular markers 60 additional markers were mapped to extend the map. As a first application of the information contained in the map, the map position of a resistance gene from roses, Rdr1, was determined by identifying

Invisible marker based augmented reality system

Science.gov (United States)

Park, Hanhoon; Park, Jong-Il

2005-07-01

Augmented reality (AR) has recently gained significant attention. The previous AR techniques usually need a fiducial marker with known geometry or objects of which the structure can be easily estimated such as cube. Placing a marker in the workspace of the user can be intrusive. To overcome this limitation, we present an AR system using invisible markers which are created/drawn with an infrared (IR) fluorescent pen. Two cameras are used: an IR camera and a visible camera, which are positioned in each side of a cold mirror so that their optical centers coincide with each other. We track the invisible markers using IR camera and visualize AR in the view of visible camera. Additional algorithms are employed for the system to have a reliable performance in the cluttered background. Experimental results are given to demonstrate the viability of the proposed system. As an application of the proposed system, the invisible marker can act as a Vision-Based Identity and Geometry (VBIG) tag, which can significantly extend the functionality of RFID. The invisible tag is the same as RFID in that it is not perceivable while more powerful in that the tag information can be presented to the user by direct projection using a mobile projector or by visualizing AR on the screen of mobile PDA.

Prognostic molecular markers in early breast cancer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Esteva, Francisco J; Hortobagyi, Gabriel N

2004-01-01

A multitude of molecules involved in breast cancer biology have been studied as potential prognostic markers. In the present review we discuss the role of established molecular markers, as well as potential applications of emerging new technologies. Those molecules used routinely to make treatment decisions in patients with early-stage breast cancer include markers of proliferation (e.g. Ki-67), hormone receptors, and the human epidermal growth factor receptor 2. Tumor markers shown to have prognostic value but not used routinely include cyclin D 1 and cyclin E, urokinase-like plasminogen activator/plasminogen activator inhibitor, and cathepsin D. The level of evidence for other molecular markers is lower, in part because most studies were retrospective and not adequately powered, making their findings unsuitable for choosing treatments for individual patients. Gene microarrays have been successfuly used to classify breast cancers into subtypes with specific gene expression profiles and to evaluate prognosis. RT-PCR has also been used to evaluate expression of multiple genes in archival tissue. Proteomics technologies are in development

Assessing Date Palm Genetic Diversity Using Different Molecular Markers.

Science.gov (United States)

Atia, Mohamed A M; Sakr, Mahmoud M; Adawy, Sami S

2017-01-01

Molecular marker technologies which rely on DNA analysis provide powerful tools to assess biodiversity at different levels, i.e., among and within species. A range of different molecular marker techniques have been developed and extensively applied for detecting variability in date palm at the DNA level. Recently, the employment of gene-targeting molecular marker approaches to study biodiversity and genetic variations in many plant species has increased the attention of researchers interested in date palm to carry out phylogenetic studies using these novel marker systems. Molecular markers are good indicators of genetic distances among accessions, because DNA-based markers are neutral in the face of selection. Here we describe the employment of multidisciplinary molecular marker approaches: amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP), start codon targeted (SCoT) polymorphism, conserved DNA-derived polymorphism (CDDP), intron-targeted amplified polymorphism (ITAP), simple sequence repeats (SSR), and random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) to assess genetic diversity in date palm.

Nuclear medicine markers of tumor oxygenation and radioresistance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chapman, J. Donald; Schneider, R.H.; Stobbe, C.C.; Kim, E.; Engelhardt, E.L.; Coia, L.

1996-01-01

Purpose/Objective: The objective of this research project was to synthesize, purify, radiolabel and characterize second-generation nuclear medicine markers of tissue oxygenation with properties superior to iodoazomycin arabinoside (IAZA) and to validate the hypoxia-marking activity of optimal compounds by independent measurements of tumor oxygenation and tumor radioresistance. Materials and Methods: Six hypoxic markers of the iodoazomycin nucleoside class with water solubilities greater than IAZA were synthesized by published procedures. The markers were purified, chemically characterized and labeled with Iodine-125 or Iodine-131. Absolute rates of marker ligation to the macromolecules of hypoxic EMT-6 tumor cells in vitro were determined as a function of marker concentration and used to establish relative marker effectiveness. Hypoxic marking activity in tumors was determined from tumor/blood (T/B) and tumor/muscle (T/M) ratios of radiolabelled marker in EMT-6 tumor-bearing C.B17/Icr scid mice. The optimal marker was administered to R3327-H and R3327-AT tumor-bearing Fischer X Copenhagen rats for estimates of tumor oxygenation by T/B and T/M ratios. Oxygen distributions in the same tumors were obtained with the Eppendorf pO 2 Histograph. The radioresistance of individual tumors was determined from in vitro plating efficiencies of cells released from tumors which had been irradiated in vivo with 20 Gy Cs-137 γ-rays. Results: Of the six iodinated azomycin nucleosides investigated, five were novel markers and all had water solubilities higher than IAZA. Iodinated azomycin xylopyranoside (β-D-IAZXP) was selected as the optimal marker of this class since it 1) exhibited the highest absolute rate of ligation to hypoxic tumor cells in vitro, 2) had the fastest plasma clearance rate in tumor-bearing mice and 3) yielded high T/B ratios in both the mouse and rat tumor models employed in this study. Planar nuclear medicine images of (I-131) β-D-IAZXP in tumor-bearing rats

(DArT) markers

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

2EH Graham Centre for Agricultural Innovation (NSW Department of Industry and Investment and Charles Sturt. University), P. O. Box 588 Wagga Wagga, NSW 2650, Australia. 3Guangxi .... and obtain marker statistics. The exact order of the ...

Lipid-related markers and cardiovascular disease prediction

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Di Angelantonio, Emanuele; Gao, Pei; Pennells, Lisa

2012-01-01

The value of assessing various emerging lipid-related markers for prediction of first cardiovascular events is debated.......The value of assessing various emerging lipid-related markers for prediction of first cardiovascular events is debated....

Biochemical Markers in Neurocritical Care

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Omidvar Rezae

2016-07-01

Full Text Available During the past two decades, a variety of serum or cerebrospinal fluid (CSF biochemical markers in daily clinical practice have been recommended to diagnose and monitor diverse diseases or pathologic situations. It will be essential to develop a panel of biomarkers, to be suitable for evaluation of treatment efficacy, representing distinct phases of injury and recovery and consider the temporal profile of those. Among the possible and different biochemical markers, S100b appeared to fulfill many of optimized criteria of an ideal marker. S100b, a cytosolic low molecular weight dimeric calciumbinding protein from chromosome 21, synthesized in glial cells throughout the CNS, an homodimeric diffusible, belongs to a family of closely related protein, predominantly expressed by astrocytes and Schwann cells and a classic immunohistochemical marker for these cells, is implicated in brain development and neurophysiology. Of the 3 isoforms of S-100, the BB subunit (S100B is present in high concentrations in central and peripheral glial and Schwann cells, Langerhans and anterior pituitary cells, fat, muscle, and bone marrow tissues. The biomarker has shown to be a sensitive marker of clinical and subclinical cerebral damage, such as stroke, traumatic brain injury, and spinal cord injury. Increasing evidence suggests that the biomarker plays a double function as an intracellular regulator and an extracellular signal of the CNS. S100b is found in the cytoplasm in a soluble form and also is associated with intracellular membranes, centrosomes, microtubules, and type III intermediate filaments. Their genomic organization now is known, and many of their target proteins have been identified, although the mechanisms of regulating S100b secretion are not completely understood and appear to be related to many factors, such as the proinflammatory cytokines, tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-a, interleukin (IL-1b, and metabolic stress. 

Monte Carlo simulations on marker grouping and ordering.

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, J; Jenkins, J; Zhu, J; McCarty, J; Watson, C

2003-08-01

Four global algorithms, maximum likelihood (ML), sum of adjacent LOD score (SALOD), sum of adjacent recombinant fractions (SARF) and product of adjacent recombinant fraction (PARF), and one approximation algorithm, seriation (SER), were used to compare the marker ordering efficiencies for correctly given linkage groups based on doubled haploid (DH) populations. The Monte Carlo simulation results indicated the marker ordering powers for the five methods were almost identical. High correlation coefficients were greater than 0.99 between grouping power and ordering power, indicating that all these methods for marker ordering were reliable. Therefore, the main problem for linkage analysis was how to improve the grouping power. Since the SER approach provided the advantage of speed without losing ordering power, this approach was used for detailed simulations. For more generality, multiple linkage groups were employed, and population size, linkage cutoff criterion, marker spacing pattern (even or uneven), and marker spacing distance (close or loose) were considered for obtaining acceptable grouping powers. Simulation results indicated that the grouping power was related to population size, marker spacing distance, and cutoff criterion. Generally, a large population size provided higher grouping power than small population size, and closely linked markers provided higher grouping power than loosely linked markers. The cutoff criterion range for achieving acceptable grouping power and ordering power differed for varying cases; however, combining all situations in this study, a cutoff criterion ranging from 50 cM to 60 cM was recommended for achieving acceptable grouping power and ordering power for different cases.

Marker optimization for facial motion acquisition and deformation.

Science.gov (United States)

Le, Binh H; Zhu, Mingyang; Deng, Zhigang

2013-11-01

A long-standing problem in marker-based facial motion capture is what are the optimal facial mocap marker layouts. Despite its wide range of potential applications, this problem has not yet been systematically explored to date. This paper describes an approach to compute optimized marker layouts for facial motion acquisition as optimization of characteristic control points from a set of high-resolution, ground-truth facial mesh sequences. Specifically, the thin-shell linear deformation model is imposed onto the example pose reconstruction process via optional hard constraints such as symmetry and multiresolution constraints. Through our experiments and comparisons, we validate the effectiveness, robustness, and accuracy of our approach. Besides guiding minimal yet effective placement of facial mocap markers, we also describe and demonstrate its two selected applications: marker-based facial mesh skinning and multiresolution facial performance capture.

[Prognostic and predictive molecular markers for urologic cancers].

Science.gov (United States)

Hartmann, A; Schlomm, T; Bertz, S; Heinzelmann, J; Hölters, S; Simon, R; Stoehr, R; Junker, K

2014-04-01

Molecular prognostic factors and genetic alterations as predictive markers for cancer-specific targeted therapies are used today in the clinic for many malignancies. In recent years, many molecular markers for urogenital cancers have also been identified. However, these markers are not clinically used yet. In prostate cancer, novel next-generation sequencing methods revealed a detailed picture of the molecular changes. There is growing evidence that a combination of classical histopathological and validated molecular markers could lead to a more precise estimation of prognosis, thus, resulting in an increasing number of patients with active surveillance as a possible treatment option. In patients with urothelial carcinoma, histopathological factors but also the proliferation of the tumor, mutations in oncogenes leading to an increasing proliferation rate and changes in genes responsible for invasion and metastasis are important. In addition, gene expression profiles which could distinguish aggressive tumors with high risk of metastasis from nonmetastasizing tumors have been recently identified. In the future, this could potentially allow better selection of patients needing systemic perioperative treatment. In renal cell carcinoma, many molecular markers that are associated with metastasis and survival have been identified. Some of these markers were also validated as independent prognostic markers. Selection of patients with primarily organ-confined tumors and increased risk of metastasis for adjuvant systemic therapy could be clinically relevant in the future.

Magik Markers Trehvis

Index Scriptorium Estoniae

2008-01-01

Müra-rock'i viljelevast USA duost Magik Markers (ansambel osaleb režissöör Veiko Õunapuu uue mängufilmi "Püha Tõnu kiusamine" võtetel, kontsert 15. nov. Tartus klubis Trehv, vt. www.magikmarkers.audiosport.org.)

Serum tumor markers in pediatric osteosarcoma: a summary review

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Savitskaya Yulia A

2012-03-01

Full Text Available Abstract Osteosarcoma is the most common primary high-grade bone tumor in both adolescents and children. Early tumor detection is key to ensuring effective treatment. Serum marker discovery and validation for pediatric osteosarcoma has accelerated in recent years, coincident with an evolving understanding of molecules and their complex interactions, and the compelling need for improved pediatric osteosarcoma outcome measures in clinical trials. This review gives a short overview of serological markers for pediatric osteosarcoma, and highlights advances in pediatric osteosarcoma-related marker research within the past year. Studies in the past year involving serum markers in patients with pediatric osteosarcoma can be assigned to one of four categories, i.e., new approaches and new markers, exploratory studies in specialized disease subsets, large cross-sectional validation studies, and longitudinal studies, with and without an intervention. Most of the studies have examined the association of a serum marker with some aspect of the natural history of pediatric osteosarcoma. As illustrated by the many studies reviewed, several serum markers are emerging that show a credible association with disease modification. The expanding pool of informative osteosarcoma-related markers is expected to impact development of therapeutics for pediatric osteosarcoma positively and, it is hoped, ultimately clinical care. Combinations of serum markers of natural immunity, thyroid hormone homeostasis, and bone tumorigenesis may be undertaken together in patients with pediatric osteosarcoma. These serum markers in combination may do better. The potential effect of an intrinsic dynamic balance of tumor angiogenesis residing within a single hormone (tri-iodothyronine is an attractive concept for regulation of vascularization in pediatric osteosarcoma.

Marker-based quantification of interfractional tumor position variation and the use of markers for setup verification in radiation therapy for esophageal cancer

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Jin, Peng; van der Horst, Astrid; de Jong, Rianne; van Hooft, Jeanin E.; Kamphuis, Martijn; van Wieringen, Niek; Machiels, Melanie; Bel, Arjan; Hulshof, Maarten C. C. M.; Alderliesten, Tanja

2015-01-01

The aim of this study was to quantify interfractional esophageal tumor position variation using markers and investigate the use of markers for setup verification. Sixty-five markers placed in the tumor volumes of 24 esophageal cancer patients were identified in computed tomography (CT) and follow-up

Genetic diversity of Halla horses using microsatellite markers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Joo-Hee Seo

2016-11-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Currently about 26,000 horses are breeding in Korea and 57.2% (14,776 horses of them are breeding in Jeju island. According to the statistics published in 2010, the horses breeding in Jeju island are subdivided into Jeju horse (6.1%, Thoroughbred (18.8% and Halla horse (75.1%. Halla horses are defined as a crossbreed between Jeju and Thoroughbred horses and are used for horse racing, horse riding and horse meat production. However, little research has been conducted on Halla horses because of the perception of crossbreed and people’s weighted interest toward Jeju horses. Method Using 17 Microsatellite (MS Markers recommended by International Society for Animal Genetics (ISAG, genomic DNAs were extracted from the hair roots of 3,880 Halla horses breeding in Korea and genetic diversity was identified by genotyping after PCR was performed. Results and conclusion In average, 10.41 alleles (from 6 alleles in HTG7 to 17 alleles in ASB17 were identified after the analysis using 17 MS Markers. The mean value of Hobs was 0.749 with a range from 0.612(HMS1 to 0.857(ASB2. Also, it was found that Hexp and PIC values were lowest in HMS1 (0.607 and 0.548, respectively, and highest in LEX3(0.859 and 0.843, respectively, and the mean value of Hexp was 0.760 and that of PIC was 0.728. 17 MS markers used in this studies were considered as appropriate markers for the polymorphism analysis of Halla horses. The frequency for the appearance of identical individuals was 5.90 × 10−20 when assumed as random mating population and when assumed as half-sib and full-sib population, frequencies were 4.08 × 10−15 and 3.56 × 10−8, respectively. Based on these results, the 17 MS markers can be used adequately for the Individual Identification and Parentage Verification of Halla horses. Remarkably, allele M and Q of ASB23 marker, G of HMS2 marker, H and L of HTG6 marker, L of HTG7 marker, E of LEX3 marker were the specific alleles

Apoptotic markers in protozoan parasites

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fasel Nicolas

2010-11-01

Full Text Available Abstract The execution of the apoptotic death program in metazoans is characterized by a sequence of morphological and biochemical changes that include cell shrinkage, presentation of phosphatidylserine at the cell surface, mitochondrial alterations, chromatin condensation, nuclear fragmentation, membrane blebbing and the formation of apoptotic bodies. Methodologies for measuring apoptosis are based on these markers. Except for membrane blebbing and formation of apoptotic bodies, all other events have been observed in most protozoan parasites undergoing cell death. However, while techniques exist to detect these markers, they are often optimised for metazoan cells and therefore may not pick up subtle differences between the events occurring in unicellular organisms and multi-cellular organisms. In this review we discuss the markers most frequently used to analyze cell death in protozoan parasites, paying special attention to changes in cell morphology, mitochondrial activity, chromatin structure and plasma membrane structure/permeability. Regarding classical regulators/executors of apoptosis, we have reviewed the present knowledge of caspase-like and nuclease activities.

A Diagnostic Marker to Discriminate Childhood Apraxia of Speech from Speech Delay: IV. the Pause Marker Index

Science.gov (United States)

Shriberg, Lawrence D.; Strand, Edythe A.; Fourakis, Marios; Jakielski, Kathy J.; Hall, Sheryl D.; Karlsson, Heather B.; Mabie, Heather L.; McSweeny, Jane L.; Tilkens, Christie M.; Wilson, David L.

2017-01-01

Purpose: Three previous articles provided rationale, methods, and several forms of validity support for a diagnostic marker of childhood apraxia of speech (CAS), termed the pause marker (PM). Goals of the present article were to assess the validity and stability of the PM Index (PMI) to scale CAS severity. Method: PM scores and speech, prosody,…

Ion beam mixing of marker layers in Al and Si

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mantl, S.; Rehn, L.E.; Averback, R.S.; Thompson, L.J. Jr.

1984-07-01

Ion beam mixing experiments on thin Pt, Au, and Ni markers in Al and Si have performed at 17, 85, and 300 K. After irradiation with 300-keV Ar ions the broadening and relative shifts of the markers have been determined by RBS measurements. The marker broadenings are more pronounced in Si than in Al; in both matrices the broadenings decrease in the following order: Au, Pt, and Ni. No dependence of mixing on irradiation temperature was observed between 17 and 300 K. The shifts of the heavy Au and Pt markers relative to the Ni markers are approximately equal to the experimental accuracy. However, a shift of the Ni marker toward the surface relative to the heavier Au and Pt markers was consistently observed. 13 references, 2 figures

Genetic variation of rs438601 marker in the Iranian Population: An informative marker for molecular diagnosis of hemophilia B

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

P Dorri

2014-12-01

Conclusion: The study findings demonstrated that rs438601 marker due to high heterozygosity could be suggested as an appropriate diagnostic marker in linkage analysis and carrier detection of hemophilia B in regard with a sample of Iranian population.

Diagnostic markers of infection in curret pediatric practice | Chiabia ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

chemokines, cytokines, adhesion molecules, cell surface markers and polymerase chain reaction are expensive and available only in specialised research laboratories. Optimal benefit can be obtained from rational use of currently available markers either by multiple marker assays or serial measurements which increase ...

Recycle Runway

Science.gov (United States)

Stephens, Pam

2009-01-01

Nancy Judd has been called a folk artist, an outsider artist, and a designer--all characterizations that she tends to shirk. Perhaps if labels are needed, environmental artist educator is more appropriate. Judd lives and works in Santa Fe, New Mexico. She dedicates much of her time to creating art that raises public awareness of environmental…

Tumor markers in breast cancer- European Group on Tumor Markers recommendations

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Molina, Rafael; Barak, Vivian; van Dalen, Arie

2005-01-01

in the selection of patients for treatment with hormone therapy, while HER-2 is essential in selecting patients with advanced breast cancer for treatment with Herceptin (trastuzumab). Urokinase plasminogen activator and plasminogen activator inhibitor 1 are recently validated prognostic markers for lymph node...

Marker list - PGDBj Registered plant list, Marker list, QTL list, Plant DB link & Genome analysis methods | LSDB Archive [Life Science Database Archive metadata

Lifescience Database Archive (English)

Full Text Available List Contact us PGDBj Registered plant list, Marker list, QTL list, Plant DB link & Genome analysis methods ...Database Site Policy | Contact Us Marker list - PGDBj Registered plant list, Marker list, QTL list, Plant DB link & Genome analysis methods | LSDB Archive ...

Molecular markers of neuropsychological functioning and Alzheimer's disease.

Science.gov (United States)

Edwards, Melissa; Balldin, Valerie Hobson; Hall, James; O'Bryant, Sid

2015-03-01

The current project sought to examine molecular markers of neuropsychological functioning among elders with and without Alzheimer's disease (AD) and determine the predictive ability of combined molecular markers and select neuropsychological tests in detecting disease presence. Data were analyzed from 300 participants (n = 150, AD and n = 150, controls) enrolled in the Texas Alzheimer's Research and Care Consortium. Linear regression models were created to examine the link between the top five molecular markers from our AD blood profile and neuropsychological test scores. Logistical regressions were used to predict AD presence using serum biomarkers in combination with select neuropsychological measures. Using the neuropsychological test with the least amount of variance overlap with the molecular markers, the combined neuropsychological test and molecular markers was highly accurate in detecting AD presence. This work provides the foundation for the generation of a point-of-care device that can be used to screen for AD.

Image Processing Marker Augmented Reality for Design Furniture Room

OpenAIRE

Desy Siswanti, Sri; Titoyan, Titoyan

2015-01-01

AR useful for industrial applications to enhance the visual perception of the user, for example, the AR system is capable of visually new building project at a real construction site, which gives the viewer a better understanding in accordance with the existing environment. The method used by the AR is a marker detection and tracking, the method used for the detection and tracking marker is a natural feature tracking. This method detects features that are in the marker. In detecting marker ob...

Assessing the clinical significance of tumor markers in common neoplasms.

Science.gov (United States)

Beketic-Oreskovic, Lidija; Maric, Petra; Ozretic, Petar; Oreskovic, Darko; Ajdukovic, Mia; Levanat, Sonja

2012-06-01

The term tumor markers include a spectrum of molecules and substances with widely divergent characteristics whose presence in the significant amount can be related to the malignant disease. An ideal tumor marker should have high specificity and sensitivity, which would allow its use in early diagnosis and prognosis of malignant disease, as well as in prediction of therapeutic response and follow-up of the patients. Numerous biochemical entities have emerged as potentially valuable tumor markers so far, but only few markers showed to be of considerable clinical reliability and have been accepted into standard clinical practice. Recent development of genomics and proteomics has enabled the examination of many new potential tumor markers. Scientific studies on discovery, development, and application of tumor markers have been proceeding quite rapidly providing great opportunities for improving the management of cancer patients. This review is focusing on the clinical usefulness of various tumor markers already in clinical practice as well as certain potential markers, giving a brief description of their prognostic and predictive significance in most common malignancies.

Stability of percutaneously implanted markers for lung stereotactic radiotherapy

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Persson, Gitte Bjørnsen Fredberg; Josipovic, Mirjana; Von Der Recke, Peter

2013-01-01

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the stability of complex markers implanted into lung tumors throughout a course of stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT). Fifteen patients referred for lung SBRT were prospectively included. Radio-opaque markers were implanted percutaneously, guided...... mm in one or more registrations throughout the SBRT course. This is the first study to evaluate stability of complex markers implanted percutaneously into lung tumors for image guidance in SBRT. We conclude that the observed stability of marker position within the tumor indicates that complex markers...... can be used as surrogates for tumor position during a short course of SBRT as long as the uncertainties related to their position within the tumor are incorporated into the planning target volume....

The relationship between tumor markers and pulmonary embolism in lung cancer.

Science.gov (United States)

Xiong, Wei; Zhao, Yunfeng; Xu, Mei; Guo, Jian; Pudasaini, Bigyan; Wu, Xueling; Liu, Jinming

2017-06-20

Tumor markers (TMs) and D-Dimer are both hallmarks of severity and prognosis of lung cancer. Tumor markers could be related to pulmonary embolism (PE) in lung cancer. The number of abnormal tumor markers of lung cancer patients with pulmonary embolism (3.9 ± 1.1vs1.6 ± 0.6,P 0.005) was more than that in patients without pulmonary embolism. TMs panel (P trend tumor markers, TMs panel (OR5.98, P Tumor markers were compared between lung cancer patients complicated with pulmonary embolism and those without pulmonary embolism Then the correlation between each tumor marker as well as panel of combined TMs and D-Dimer as well as pulmonary embolism were analyzed for patients with pulmonary embolism. There is a relationship between tumor markers and pulmonary embolism in patients with lung cancer. The panel of combined tumor markers is a valuable diagnostic marker for pulmonary embolism in lung cancer.

Molecular markers for use in plant molecular breeding and germplasm evaluation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Edwards, J.D.; McCouch, S.R.

2007-01-01

A number of molecular marker technologies exist, each with different advantages and disadvantages. When available, genome sequence allows for the development of greater numbers and higher quality molecular markers. When genome sequence is limited in the organism of interest, related species may serve as sources of molecular markers. Some molecular marker technologies combine the discovery and assay of DNA sequence variations, and therefore can be used in species without the need for prior sequence information and up-front investment in marker development. As a prerequisite for marker-assisted selection (MAS), there must be a known association between genetic markers and genes affecting the phenotype to be modified. Comparative databases can facilitate the transfer of knowledge of genetic marker-phenotype association across species so that discoveries in one species may be applied to many others. Further genomics research and reductions in the costs associated with molecular markers will continue to provide new opportunities to employ MAS. (author)

[Gender differences in the use of tumour markers].

Science.gov (United States)

Moreno-Campoy, E E; Mérida-De la Torre, F J; Martos-Crespo, F; Plebani, M

2015-01-01

Gender is one of the factors that can influence the use of health resources. The use of tumour markers is widespread, due to the importance of these in monitoring cancer development. The aim of this study is to analyse the influence of gender on the use of tumour markers, and to investigate whether there are differences in their use. A longitudinal, retrospective and descriptive study, with a 2-year follow-up, was conducted in the catchment area of the University Hospital of Padua. An analysis was performed on 23,059 analytical requests for tumour markers. A descriptive and frequency analysis was performed on all variables. The statistical analysis was performed using Chi squared, Student t and Mann-Whitney U to test for significance. The number of requests for women (1.5) was lower than men (1.6). In patients with tumour pathology, the number of requests was higher than in patients without tumour disease. In the analysis by disease and gender, the difference remained significant. As regards the number of tumour markers per request, the difference between genders was also significant: 2.13 in males versus 2.85 in women. Similar results were obtained when requests for tumour markers linked to gender-related diseases were eliminated. There are differences in the use of tumour markers by gender with the number of requests for male patients being higher than for females. However, the number of tumour markers per request is greater in women than in men. Copyright © 2015 SECA. Published by Elsevier Espana. All rights reserved.

VT Roadside Historic Markers

Data.gov (United States)

Vermont Center for Geographic Information — Roadside Historic Site Marker program has proven an effective way to commemorate Vermont’s many people, events, and places of regional, statewide, or national...

Algorithms for selecting informative marker panels for population assignment.

Science.gov (United States)

Rosenberg, Noah A

2005-11-01

Given a set of potential source populations, genotypes of an individual of unknown origin at a collection of markers can be used to predict the correct source population of the individual. For improved efficiency, informative markers can be chosen from a larger set of markers to maximize the accuracy of this prediction. However, selecting the loci that are individually most informative does not necessarily produce the optimal panel. Here, using genotypes from eight species--carp, cat, chicken, dog, fly, grayling, human, and maize--this univariate accumulation procedure is compared to new multivariate "greedy" and "maximin" algorithms for choosing marker panels. The procedures generally suggest similar panels, although the greedy method often recommends inclusion of loci that are not chosen by the other algorithms. In seven of the eight species, when applied to five or more markers, all methods achieve at least 94% assignment accuracy on simulated individuals, with one species--dog--producing this level of accuracy with only three markers, and the eighth species--human--requiring approximately 13-16 markers. The new algorithms produce substantial improvements over use of randomly selected markers; where differences among the methods are noticeable, the greedy algorithm leads to slightly higher probabilities of correct assignment. Although none of the approaches necessarily chooses the panel with optimal performance, the algorithms all likely select panels with performance near enough to the maximum that they all are suitable for practical use.

From quality markers to data mining and intelligence assessment: A smart quality-evaluation strategy for traditional Chinese medicine based on quality markers.

Science.gov (United States)

Bai, Gang; Zhang, Tiejun; Hou, Yuanyuan; Ding, Guoyu; Jiang, Min; Luo, Guoan

2018-01-31

The quality of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) forms the foundation of its clinical efficacy. The standardization of TCM is the most important task of TCM modernization. In recent years, there has been great progress in the quality control of TCM. However, there are still many issues related to the current quality standards, and it is difficult to objectively evaluate and effectively control the quality of TCM. To face these challenge, we summarized the current quality marker (Q-marker) research based on its characteristics and benefits, and proposed a reasonable and intelligentized quality evaluation strategy for the development and application of Q-markers. Ultra-performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole/time-of-flight with partial least squares-discriminant analysis was suggested to screen the chemical markers from Chinese medicinal materials (CMM), and a bioactive-guided evaluation method was used to select the Q-markers. Near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS), based on the distinctive wavenumber zones or points from the Q-markers, was developed for its determination. Then, artificial intelligence algorithms were used to clarify the complex relationship between the Q-markers and their integral functions. Internet and mobile communication technology helped us to perform remote analysis and determine the information feedback of test samples. The quality control research, evaluation, standard establishment and quality control of TCM must be based on the systematic analysis of Q-markers to study and describe the material basis of TCM efficacy, define the chemical markers in the plant body, and understand the process of herb drug acquisition, change and transmission laws affecting metabolism and exposure. Based on the advantages of chemometrics, new sensor technologies, including infrared spectroscopy, hyperspectral imaging, chemical imaging, electronic nose and electronic tongue, have become increasingly important in the quality evaluation of CMM. Inspired by the

Study of skin markers for magnetic resonance imaging examinations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Takatsu, Yasuo; Umezaki, Yoshie; Miyati, Tosiaki; Yamamura, Kenichirou

2013-01-01

In magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), skin markers are used as a landmark in order to make plans for examinations. However, there isn't a lot of research about the material and shape of skin markers. The skin marker's essential elements are safety, good cost performance, high signal intensity for T 1 weighted image (T 1 WI) and T 2 weighted image (T 2 WI), and durable. In order to get a high signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of T 1 WI and T 2 WI, baby oil, salad oil and olive oil were chosen, because these materials were easy to obtain and safe for the skin. The SNR of baby oil was the best. Baby oil was injected into the infusion tube, and the tube was solvent welded and cut by a heat sealer. In order to make ring shaped skin markers, both ends of the tube were stuck with adhesive tape. Three different diameters of markers were made (3, 5, 10 cmφ). Ring shaped skin markers were put on to surround the examination area, therefore, the edge of the examination area could be seen at every cross section. Using baby oil in the ring shaped infusion tube is simple, easy, and a highly useful skin marker. (author)

Urethral catheterization facilitates preradiation fiducial marker placement in postprostatectomy patients.

Science.gov (United States)

Williams, Christopher; Costa, Joseph; Mandia, Stephen; Henderson, Randal; Marino, Robert; Mendenhall, Nancy

2012-05-01

Surgical absence of the prostate can make placement of fiducial markers difficult, because anatomic landmarks are distorted and there is a paucity of substantial tissue to hold fast the markers. We describe a method for improving the accuracy of fiducial marker placement for the purpose of salvage or adjuvant external beam radiation therapy for prostate cancer in patients who have undergone radical prostatectomy. To assist with identification of the urethrovesical junction and to facilitate placement of the markers, a Foley catheter was placed and the balloon was inflated. Gentle traction on the catheter seated the balloon at the bladder neck to echographically define the anatomy of the urethrovesical junction. Next, a rectal ultrasound probe was inserted into the rectum, allowing visualization of the region of the urethrovesical junction. Fiducial markers were then placed bilaterally in the detrusor muscle at the bladder neck or in the periurethral tissue using the applicator needle. The treating radiation oncologist verified that marker placement was suitable for assisting with radiation therapy in all cases. Preradiation pelvic imaging verified that markers were not in the bladder or urethral lumen, and there were no patient complaints of voiding out the markers with urination.

Trends in plant research using molecular markers.

Science.gov (United States)

Garrido-Cardenas, Jose Antonio; Mesa-Valle, Concepción; Manzano-Agugliaro, Francisco

2018-03-01

A deep bibliometric analysis has been carried out, obtaining valuable parameters that facilitate the understanding around the research in plant using molecular markers. The evolution of the improvement in the field of agronomy is fundamental for its adaptation to the new exigencies that the current world context raises. In addition, within these improvements, this article focuses on those related to the biotechnology sector. More specifically, the use of DNA markers that allow the researcher to know the set of genes associated with a particular quantitative trait or QTL. The use of molecular markers is widely extended, including: restriction fragment length polymorphism, random-amplified polymorphic DNA, amplified fragment length polymorphism, microsatellites, and single-nucleotide polymorphisms. In addition to classical methodology, new approaches based on the next generation sequencing are proving to be fundamental. In this article, a historical review of the molecular markers traditionally used in plants, since its birth and how the new molecular tools facilitate the work of plant breeders is carried out. The evolution of the most studied cultures from the point of view of molecular markers is also reviewed and other parameters whose prior knowledge can facilitate the approach of researchers to this field of research are analyzed. The bibliometric analysis of molecular markers in plants shows that top five countries in this research are: US, China, India, France, and Germany, and from 2013, this research is led by China. On the other hand, the basic research using Arabidopsis is deeper in France and Germany, while other countries focused its efforts in their main crops as the US for wheat or maize, while China and India for wheat and rice.

Y-Chromosome Markers for the Red Fox.

Science.gov (United States)

Rando, Halie M; Stutchman, Jeremy T; Bastounes, Estelle R; Johnson, Jennifer L; Driscoll, Carlos A; Barr, Christina S; Trut, Lyudmila N; Sacks, Benjamin N; Kukekova, Anna V

2017-09-01

The de novo assembly of the red fox (Vulpes vulpes) genome has facilitated the development of genomic tools for the species. Efforts to identify the population history of red foxes in North America have previously been limited by a lack of information about the red fox Y-chromosome sequence. However, a megabase of red fox Y-chromosome sequence was recently identified over 2 scaffolds in the reference genome. Here, these scaffolds were scanned for repeated motifs, revealing 194 likely microsatellites. Twenty-three of these loci were selected for primer development and, after testing, produced a panel of 11 novel markers that were analyzed alongside 2 markers previously developed for the red fox from dog Y-chromosome sequence. The markers were genotyped in 76 male red foxes from 4 populations: 7 foxes from Newfoundland (eastern Canada), 12 from Maryland (eastern United States), and 9 from the island of Great Britain, as well as 48 foxes of known North American origin maintained on an experimental farm in Novosibirsk, Russia. The full marker panel revealed 22 haplotypes among these red foxes, whereas the 2 previously known markers alone would have identified only 10 haplotypes. The haplotypes from the 4 populations clustered primarily by continent, but unidirectional gene flow from Great Britain and farm populations may influence haplotype diversity in the Maryland population. The development of new markers has increased the resolution at which red fox Y-chromosome diversity can be analyzed and provides insight into the contribution of males to red fox population diversity and patterns of phylogeography. © The American Genetic Association 2017. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Parentage Reconstruction in Eucalyptus nitens Using SNPs and Microsatellite Markers: A Comparative Analysis of Marker Data Power and Robustness.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Emily J Telfer

Full Text Available Pedigree reconstruction using molecular markers enables efficient management of inbreeding in open-pollinated breeding strategies, replacing expensive and time-consuming controlled pollination. This is particularly useful in preferentially outcrossed, insect pollinated Eucalypts known to suffer considerable inbreeding depression from related matings. A single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP marker panel consisting of 106 markers was selected for pedigree reconstruction from the recently developed high-density Eucalyptus Infinium SNP chip (EuCHIP60K. The performance of this SNP panel for pedigree reconstruction in open-pollinated progenies of two Eucalyptus nitens seed orchards was compared with that of two microsatellite panels with 13 and 16 markers respectively. The SNP marker panel out-performed one of the microsatellite panels in the resolution power to reconstruct pedigrees and out-performed both panels with respect to data quality. Parentage of all but one offspring in each clonal seed orchard was correctly matched to the expected seed parent using the SNP marker panel, whereas parentage assignment to less than a third of the expected seed parents were supported using the 13-microsatellite panel. The 16-microsatellite panel supported all but one of the recorded seed parents, one better than the SNP panel, although there was still a considerable level of missing and inconsistent data. SNP marker data was considerably superior to microsatellite data in accuracy, reproducibility and robustness. Although microsatellites and SNPs data provide equivalent resolution for pedigree reconstruction, microsatellite analysis requires more time and experience to deal with the uncertainties of allele calling and faces challenges for data transferability across labs and over time. While microsatellite analysis will continue to be useful for some breeding tasks due to the high information content, existing infrastructure and low operating costs, the multi

Parentage Reconstruction in Eucalyptus nitens Using SNPs and Microsatellite Markers: A Comparative Analysis of Marker Data Power and Robustness.

Science.gov (United States)

Telfer, Emily J; Stovold, Grahame T; Li, Yongjun; Silva-Junior, Orzenil B; Grattapaglia, Dario G; Dungey, Heidi S

2015-01-01

Pedigree reconstruction using molecular markers enables efficient management of inbreeding in open-pollinated breeding strategies, replacing expensive and time-consuming controlled pollination. This is particularly useful in preferentially outcrossed, insect pollinated Eucalypts known to suffer considerable inbreeding depression from related matings. A single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) marker panel consisting of 106 markers was selected for pedigree reconstruction from the recently developed high-density Eucalyptus Infinium SNP chip (EuCHIP60K). The performance of this SNP panel for pedigree reconstruction in open-pollinated progenies of two Eucalyptus nitens seed orchards was compared with that of two microsatellite panels with 13 and 16 markers respectively. The SNP marker panel out-performed one of the microsatellite panels in the resolution power to reconstruct pedigrees and out-performed both panels with respect to data quality. Parentage of all but one offspring in each clonal seed orchard was correctly matched to the expected seed parent using the SNP marker panel, whereas parentage assignment to less than a third of the expected seed parents were supported using the 13-microsatellite panel. The 16-microsatellite panel supported all but one of the recorded seed parents, one better than the SNP panel, although there was still a considerable level of missing and inconsistent data. SNP marker data was considerably superior to microsatellite data in accuracy, reproducibility and robustness. Although microsatellites and SNPs data provide equivalent resolution for pedigree reconstruction, microsatellite analysis requires more time and experience to deal with the uncertainties of allele calling and faces challenges for data transferability across labs and over time. While microsatellite analysis will continue to be useful for some breeding tasks due to the high information content, existing infrastructure and low operating costs, the multi-species SNP resource

Preoperative Molecular Markers in Thyroid Nodules.

Science.gov (United States)

Sahli, Zeyad T; Smith, Philip W; Umbricht, Christopher B; Zeiger, Martha A

2018-01-01

The need for distinguishing benign from malignant thyroid nodules has led to the pursuit of differentiating molecular markers. The most common molecular tests in clinical use are Afirma ® Gene Expression Classifier (GEC) and Thyroseq ® V2. Despite the rapidly developing field of molecular markers, several limitations exist. These challenges include the recent introduction of the histopathological diagnosis "Non-Invasive Follicular Thyroid neoplasm with Papillary-like nuclear features", the correlation of genetic mutations within both benign and malignant pathologic diagnoses, the lack of follow-up of molecular marker negative nodules, and the cost-effectiveness of molecular markers. In this manuscript, we review the current published literature surrounding the diagnostic value of Afirma ® GEC and Thyroseq ® V2. Among Afirma ® GEC studies, sensitivity (Se), specificity (Sp), positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV) ranged from 75 to 100%, 5 to 53%, 13 to 100%, and 20 to 100%, respectively. Among Thyroseq ® V2 studies, Se, Sp, PPV, and NPV ranged from 40 to 100%, 56 to 93%, 13 to 90%, and 48 to 97%, respectively. We also discuss current challenges to Afirma ® GEC and Thyroseq ® V2 utility and clinical application, and preview the future directions of these rapidly developing technologies.

Development and use of molecular markers: past and present.

Science.gov (United States)

Grover, Atul; Sharma, P C

2016-01-01

Molecular markers, due to their stability, cost-effectiveness and ease of use provide an immensely popular tool for a variety of applications including genome mapping, gene tagging, genetic diversity diversity, phylogenetic analysis and forensic investigations. In the last three decades, a number of molecular marker techniques have been developed and exploited worldwide in different systems. However, only a handful of these techniques, namely RFLPs, RAPDs, AFLPs, ISSRs, SSRs and SNPs have received global acceptance. A recent revolution in DNA sequencing techniques has taken the discovery and application of molecular markers to high-throughput and ultrahigh-throughput levels. Although, the choice of marker will obviously depend on the targeted use, microsatellites, SNPs and genotyping by sequencing (GBS) largely fulfill most of the user requirements. Further, modern transcriptomic and functional markers will lead the ventures onto high-density genetic map construction, identification of QTLs, breeding and conservation strategies in times to come in combination with other high throughput techniques. This review presents an overview of different marker technologies and their variants with a comparative account of their characteristic features and applications.

Urinary Markers of Tubular Injury in Early Diabetic Nephropathy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Temesgen Fiseha

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Diabetic nephropathy (DN is a common and serious complication of diabetes associated with adverse outcomes of renal failure, cardiovascular disease, and premature mortality. Early and accurate identification of DN is therefore of critical importance to improve patient outcomes. Albuminuria, a marker of glomerular involvement in early renal damage, cannot always detect early DN. Thus, more sensitive and specific markers in addition to albuminuria are needed to predict the early onset and progression of DN. Tubular injury, as shown by the detection of tubular injury markers in the urine, is a critical component of the early course of DN. These urinary tubular markers may increase in diabetic patients, even before diagnosis of microalbuminuria representing early markers of normoalbuminuric DN. In this review we summarized some new and important urinary markers of tubular injury, such as neutrophil gelatinase associated lipocalin (NGAL, kidney injury molecule-1 (KIM-1, liver-type fatty acid binding protein (L-FABP, N-acetyl-beta-glucosaminidase (NAG, alpha-1 microglobulin (A1M, beta 2-microglobulin (B2-M, and retinol binding protein (RBP associated with early DN.

Multiple Brain Markers are Linked to Age-Related Variation in Cognition

Science.gov (United States)

Hedden, Trey; Schultz, Aaron P.; Rieckmann, Anna; Mormino, Elizabeth C.; Johnson, Keith A.; Sperling, Reisa A.; Buckner, Randy L.

2016-01-01

Age-related alterations in brain structure and function have been challenging to link to cognition due to potential overlapping influences of multiple neurobiological cascades. We examined multiple brain markers associated with age-related variation in cognition. Clinically normal older humans aged 65–90 from the Harvard Aging Brain Study (N = 186) were characterized on a priori magnetic resonance imaging markers of gray matter thickness and volume, white matter hyperintensities, fractional anisotropy (FA), resting-state functional connectivity, positron emission tomography markers of glucose metabolism and amyloid burden, and cognitive factors of processing speed, executive function, and episodic memory. Partial correlation and mediation analyses estimated age-related variance in cognition shared with individual brain markers and unique to each marker. The largest relationships linked FA and striatum volume to processing speed and executive function, and hippocampal volume to episodic memory. Of the age-related variance in cognition, 70–80% was accounted for by combining all brain markers (but only ∼20% of total variance). Age had significant indirect effects on cognition via brain markers, with significant markers varying across cognitive domains. These results suggest that most age-related variation in cognition is shared among multiple brain markers, but potential specificity between some brain markers and cognitive domains motivates additional study of age-related markers of neural health. PMID:25316342

Carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) as tumor marker in lung cancer.

Science.gov (United States)

Grunnet, M; Sorensen, J B

2012-05-01

The use of CEA as a prognostic and predictive marker in patients with lung cancer is widely debated. The aim of this review was to evaluate the results from studies made on this subject. Using the search words "CEA", "tumor markers in lung cancer", "prognostic significance", "diagnostic significance" and "predictive significance", a search was carried out on PubMed. Exclusion criteria was articles never published in English, articles before 1981 and articles evaluating tumor markers in lung cancer not involving CEA. Initially 217 articles were found, and 34 were left after selecting those relevant for the present study. Four of these included both Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC) and Small Cell Lung Cancer (SCLC) patients, and 31 dealt solely with NSCLC patients. Regarding SCLC no studies showed that serum level of CEA was a prognostic marker for overall survival (OS). The use of CEA serum level as a prognostic marker in NSCLC was investigated in 23 studies and the use of CEA plasma level in two. In 18 (17 serum, 1 plasma) of these studies CEA was found to be a useful prognostic marker for either OS, recurrence after surgery or/and progression free survival (PFS) in NSCLC patients. Interestingly, an overweight of low stage (stage I-II) disease and adenocarcinoma (AC) patients were observed in this group. The remaining 7 studies (6 serum, 1 plasma) contained an overweight of patients with squamous carcinoma (SQ). One study found evidence for that a tumor marker index (TMI), based on preoperative CEA and CYFRA21-1 serum levels, is useful as a prognostic marker for OS in NSCLC. Six studies evaluated the use of CEA as a predictive marker for risk of recurrence and risk of death in NSCLC patients. Four of these studies found, that CEA was useful as a predictive marker for risk of recurrence and risk of death measured over time. No studies found CEA levels useful as a diagnostic marker for lung cancer. With regard to NSCLC the level of CEA measured in tumor tissue in

Stability of Markers Used for Real-Time Tumor Tracking After Percutaneous Intrapulmonary Placement

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Voort van Zyp, Noelle C. van der; Hoogeman, Mischa S.; Water, Steven van de; Levendag, Peter C.; Holt, Bronno van der; Heijmen, Ben J.M.; Nuyttens, Joost J.

2011-01-01

Purpose: To determine the stability of markers used for real-time tumor tracking after percutaneous intrapulmonary placement. Methods and Materials: A total of 42 patients with 44 lesions, 111 markers, and ≥2 repeat computed tomography (CT) scans were studied. The tumor on the repeat CT scans was registered with the tumor on the planning CT scan. Next, the three-dimensional marker coordinates were determined on the planning CT scan and repeat CT scans. Marker stability was analyzed by the displacement of the markers and the displacement of the center of mass (COM) of the marker configurations. In addition, we assessed the reliability of using the intermarker distance as a check for displacements in the COM of the marker configurations. Results: The median marker displacement was 1.3 mm (range, 0.1-53.6). The marker displacement was >5 mm in 12% of the markers and >10 mm in 5% of the markers. The causes of marker displacement >5 mm included marker migration (2 of 13) and target volume changes (5 of 13). Nonsynchronous tumor and marker movement during breathing might have been responsible for the displacements >5 mm in the other 6 of 13 markers. The median displacement in the COM of the marker configurations was 1.0 mm (range, 0.1-23.3). Displacements in the COM of the marker configurations of ≥2.0 mm were detected by changes in the intermarker distance of >1.5 mm in 96% of the treatment fractions. Conclusion: The median marker displacement was small (1.3 mm). Nevertheless, displacements >5 mm occurred in 12% of the markers. Therefore, we recommend the implantation of multiple markers because multiple markers will enable a quick and reliable check of marker displacement by determining the change in the intermarker distance. A displacement in the COM of the marker configuration of ≥2.0 mm was almost always detected (96%) by a change in the distance between the markers of >1.5 mm. This enabled the displaced marker to be disabled, such that tumor localization was

Marker lamps

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Watkins, D.V.

1980-01-01

A marker lamp is described which consists of a block of transparent plastics material encapsulated in which is a radioactive light source. These lights comprise a small sealed glass capsule, the hollow inside surface of which is coated with phosphor and which contains tritium or similar radioactive gas. The use of such lamps for identification marking of routes, for example roads, and for identification of underwater oil pipelines is envisaged. (U.K.)

Single-tube tetradecaplex panel of highly polymorphic microsatellite markers hemophilia A.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhao, M; Chen, M; Tan, A S C; Cheah, F S H; Mathew, J; Wong, P C; Chong, S S

2017-07-01

Essentials Preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) of severe hemophilia A relies on linkage analysis. Simultaneous multi-marker screening can simplify selection of informative markers in a couple. We developed a single-tube tetradecaplex panel of polymorphic markers for hemophilia A PGD use. Informative markers can be used for linkage analysis alone or combined with mutation detection. Background It is currently not possible to perform single-cell preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) to directly detect the common inversion mutations of the factor VIII (F8) gene responsible for severe hemophilia A (HEMA). As such, PGD for such inversion carriers relies on indirect analysis of linked polymorphic markers. Objectives To simplify linkage-based PGD of HEMA, we aimed to develop a panel of highly polymorphic microsatellite markers located near the F8 gene that could be simultaneously genotyped in a multiplex-PCR reaction. Methods We assessed the polymorphism of various microsatellite markers located ≤ 1 Mb from F8 in 177 female subjects. Highly polymorphic markers were selected for co-amplification with the AMELX/Y indel dimorphism in a single-tube reaction. Results Thirteen microsatellite markers located within 0.6 Mb of F8 were successfully co-amplified with AMELX/Y in a single-tube reaction. Observed heterozygosities of component markers ranged from 0.43 to 0.84, and ∼70-80% of individuals were heterozygous for ≥ 5 markers. The tetradecaplex panel successfully identified fully informative markers in a couple interested in PGD for HEMA because of an intragenic F8 point mutation, with haplotype phasing established through a carrier daughter. In-vitro fertilization (IVF)-PGD involved single-tube co-amplification of fully informative markers with AMELX/Y and the mutation-containing F8 amplicon, followed by microsatellite analysis and amplicon mutation-site minisequencing analysis. Conclusions The single-tube multiplex-PCR format of this highly polymorphic

PAV markers in Sorghum bicolour

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Shen, Xin; Liu, Zhiquan; Mocoeur, Anne Raymonde Joelle

2015-01-01

Abstract Genic presence/absence variants (PAVs) correlate closely to the phenotypic variation, impacting plant genome sizes and the adaption to the environment. To shed more light on their genome-wide patterns, functions and to test the possibility of using them as molecular markers, we analyzed...... enriched in stress responses and protein modification. We used 325 polymorphic PAVs in two sorghum inbred lines Ji2731 and E-Tian, together with 49 SSR markers, and constructed a genetic map, which consisted of 10 linkage groups corresponding to the 10 chromosomes of sorghum and spanned 1430.3 cM in length...

Environmental Assessment for Replacement of Taxiway Sierra, Taxiway Whiskey, Pad 12, and Pad 13 at Joint Base Andrews-Naval Air Facility Washington, Prince George’s County, Maryland

Science.gov (United States)

2013-04-01

runway edge lights that were recently installed as part of the West Runway rehabilitation would be removed and reinstalled. Whiskey. New taxiway edge...disposal of infectious and pathological wastes. No active landfills are on JBA, and most solid waste from the Base is transported to off-base landfills ...location lights, and runway edge lights that were recently installed as part of the West Runway rehabilitation would be removed and reinstalled. Whiskey

Application of bio-marker to study on tumor radiosensitivity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Guo Wanfeng; Ding Guirong; Han Liangfu

2001-01-01

To definite tumor radiosensitivity is important for applying the schedules of individualization of patient radiotherapy. Many laboratories were carrying on the research which predict the tumor radiosensitivity with one bio-marker or/and multi-bio-marker in various levels. At present has not witnessed the specific bio-marker, but it provides an excellent model for predicting tumor radiosensitivity

Diagnostic markers for germ cell neoplasms

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rajpert-De Meyts, Ewa; Nielsen, John E; Skakkebaek, Niels E

2015-01-01

This concise review summarises tissue and serum markers useful for differential diagnosis of germ cell tumours (GCTs), with focus on the most common testicular GCTs (TGCTs). GCTs are characterised by phenotypic heterogeneity due to largely retained embryonic pluripotency and aberrant somatic diff...... of molecular markers, which allow specific diagnosis of various subtypes of GCT and are very useful for early detection at the precursor stage and for monitoring of patients during the follow-up....

Haptocorrin as marker of disease progression in fibrolamellar hepatocellular carcinoma

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lildballe, Dorte Launholt; Nguyen, Khoa Tran; Poulsen, Steen Seier

2011-01-01

No valid markers are routinely available to follow disease progression in patients with fibrolamellar hepatocellular carcinoma (FLHCC). We report data suggesting that the vitamin B12 binding protein haptocorrin (HC) may prove a suitable marker.......No valid markers are routinely available to follow disease progression in patients with fibrolamellar hepatocellular carcinoma (FLHCC). We report data suggesting that the vitamin B12 binding protein haptocorrin (HC) may prove a suitable marker....

Development of stable marker-free nuclear transformation strategy ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Development of stable marker-free nuclear transformation strategy in the green microalga Chlorella vulgaris. ... into Chlorella by electroporation has very low stability and it is hard to screen the transformants without antibiotic marker genes.

Development and characterization of microsatellite markers for ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

This species is threatened throughout its range in West- ern Ghats as a result of overexploitation and habitat destruc- tion, which have reduced local population sizes and has led many populations to local extinction. In this study, we report the development of microsatellite markers and discuss the utility of these markers in ...

(SSR) markers for drought tolerance in maize

African Journals Online (AJOL)

use

2011-11-21

Nov 21, 2011 ... and dominance gene effects in inheritance are included in almost all traits related to drought (Shiri et al., 2010a, b). Identifying the complete-linked molecular markers with target gene and mapping its chromosome locus is an important goal in plant breeding for gene cloning and marker-aided selection.

Chromosomal location of genomic SSR markers associated

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Among the same earlier tested 230 primers, one SSR marker (Xgwm311) also amplified a fragment which is present in the resistant parent and in the resistant bulks, but absent in the susceptible parent and in the susceptible bulks. To understand the chromosome group location of these diagnostic markers, Xgwm382 and ...

Measurement of some tumor markers by IRMA in vietnam

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tran Xuan Truong

2004-01-01

As we known that a perfect tumor markers could be used in five different ways : for population screening, for diagnose, for monitoring therapy and for follow-up early evidence of cancer recurrence. In order to achieve perfect status a tumor markers would require total negativity in healthy subject, total positivity for single tumor type and close correlation between plasma tumor marker concentration and tumor size . The advance of monoclonal antibodies has had dramatic impact in oncology, where new tumor markers have been discovered and assay methods for all tumor markers have been improved commercially . Analytical performance of these new methods are potentially as good as that of the best Immunoradiometric assay for others analytes. In Vietnam, the first time we use immunoradiometric assay (IRMA) for the measurement of some tumor markers in normal subject and cancer diseases. These are Thyroglobulin (TG) of thyroid cancer, cancer-antigen 15-3 (CA15-3) of breast cancer and cancer-antigen 72-4 (CA72-4) of stomach cancer. We would like applying the CA72-4 in the indication of stomach cancer, CA15-3 in the differential diagnosis of breast cancer, and TG in the differential diagnosis of thyroid cancer. And all of these tumor markers were also used in the clinical follow-up and early detection of recurrence and metastatic Cancer of them. We could try researching on them much more. (authors)

Identification of novel microsatellite markers preimplantation genetic diagnosis of beta-thalassemia.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Min; Tan, Arnold S C; Cheah, Felicia S H; Saw, Eugene E L; Chong, Samuel S

2015-12-01

Beta (β)-thalassemia is one of the most common monogenic diseases worldwide. Affected pregnancies can be avoided through preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD), which commonly involves customized assays to detect the different combinations of β-globin (HBB) gene mutations present in couples, in conjunction with linkage analysis of flanking microsatellite markers. Currently, the limited number of reported closely linked markers hampers their utility in indirect linkage-based PGD for this disorder. To increase the available markers closely flanking the HBB gene, an in silico search was performed to identify all markers within 1 Mb flanking the HBB gene. Fifteen markers with potentially high polymorphism information content (PIC) and heterozygosity values were selected and optimized into a single-tube pentadecaplex PCR panel. Allele frequencies and polymorphism and heterozygosity indices of each marker were assessed in five populations. A total of 238 alleles were observed from the 15 markers. PIC was >0.7 for all markers, with expected heterozygosity and observed heterozygosity values ranging from 0.74 to 0.90 and 0.72 to 0.88, respectively. Greater than 99% of individuals were heterozygous for at least seven markers, with at least two heterozygous markers on either side of the HBB gene. The pentadecaplex marker assay also performed reliably on single cells either directly or after whole genome amplification, thus validating its use in standalone linkage-based β-thalassemia PGD or in conjunction with HBB mutation detection. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

A Diagnostic Marker to Discriminate Childhood Apraxia of Speech from Speech Delay: II. Validity Studies of the Pause Marker

Science.gov (United States)

Shriberg, Lawrence D.; Strand, Edythe A.; Fourakis, Marios; Jakielski, Kathy J.; Hall, Sheryl D.; Karlsson, Heather B.; Mabie, Heather L.; McSweeny, Jane L.; Tilkens, Christie M.; Wilson, David L.

2017-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this 2nd article in this supplement is to report validity support findings for the Pause Marker (PM), a proposed single-sign diagnostic marker of childhood apraxia of speech (CAS). Method: PM scores and additional perceptual and acoustic measures were obtained from 296 participants in cohorts with idiopathic and…

Linking the potato genome to the conserved ortholog set (COS) markers

Science.gov (United States)

2013-01-01

Background Conserved ortholog set (COS) markers are an important functional genomics resource that has greatly improved orthology detection in Asterid species. A comprehensive list of these markers is available at Sol Genomics Network (http://solgenomics.net/) and many of these have been placed on the genetic maps of a number of solanaceous species. Results We amplified over 300 COS markers from eight potato accessions involving two diploid landraces of Solanum tuberosum Andigenum group (formerly classified as S. goniocalyx, S. phureja), and a dihaploid clone derived from a modern tetraploid cultivar of S. tuberosum and the wild species S. berthaultii, S. chomatophilum, and S. paucissectum. By BLASTn (Basic Local Alignment Search Tool of the NCBI, National Center for Biotechnology Information) algorithm we mapped the DNA sequences of these markers into the potato genome sequence. Additionally, we mapped a subset of these markers genetically in potato and present a comparison between the physical and genetic locations of these markers in potato and in comparison with the genetic location in tomato. We found that most of the COS markers are single-copy in the reference genome of potato and that the genetic location in tomato and physical location in potato sequence are mostly in agreement. However, we did find some COS markers that are present in multiple copies and those that map in unexpected locations. Sequence comparisons between species show that some of these markers may be paralogs. Conclusions The sequence-based physical map becomes helpful in identification of markers for traits of interest thereby reducing the number of markers to be tested for applications like marker assisted selection, diversity, and phylogenetic studies. PMID:23758607

76 FR 12405 - Notice of Passenger Facility Charge (PFC) Approvals and Disapprovals

Science.gov (United States)

2011-03-07

... monitoring terminals. Update pavement management program. Reimbursement for jet bridges and acquisition and.... Mandatory pavement markings. Airport signage. Runway guard lights. Wildlife study. PFC application.... Runway 18/36 pavement maintenance. Runway 13/31 pavement maintenance. PFC administration fees. Brief...

Enhanced Airport Surface Detection Equipment Applications,

Science.gov (United States)

1985-04-17

of runway capacity for the single mixed runway case . The ASDE display, however, provides independent position and timing information on runway...restored to within approximately 5 percent of the good visibility capacity for the single mixed runway case . The lack of identity informa- tion on the ASDE...D.C. 20591 ENGINEERING AND ECONOMICS RESEARCH, INC. Technical Support Staff Henry R. Schramm Mignonette E. Stephen A-2 I m i . . . -i , ’ ,.i

A and MdMYB1 allele-specific markers controlling apple (Malus x domestica Borkh.) skin color and suitability for marker-assisted selection.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, X J; Wang, L X; Chen, X X; Liu, Y L; Meng, R; Wang, Y J; Zhao, Z Y

2014-10-31

Pre-selection for fruit skin color at the seedling stage would be highly advantageous, with marker-assisted selection offering a potential method for apple pre-selection. A and MdMYB1 alleles are allele-specific DNA markers that are potentially associated with apple skin color, and co-segregate with the Rf and Rni loci, respectively. Here, we assessed the potential application of these 2 alleles for marker-assisted breeding across 30 diverse cultivars and 2 apple seedling progenies. The red skin color phenotype was usually associated with the MdMYB1-1 allele and A(1) allele, respectively, while the 2 molecular markers provided approximately 91% predictability in the 'Fuji' x 'Cripps Pink' and 'Fuji' x 'Gala' progenies. The results obtained from the 30 cultivars and 2 progenies were consistent for the 2 molecular markers. Hence, the results supported that Rf and Rni could be located in a gene cluster, or even correspond to alleles of the same gene. Our results are consistent with the hypothesis that red/yellow dimorphism is controlled by a monogenic system, with the presence of the red anthocyanin pigmentation being dominant. In addition, our results supported that the practical utilization of the 2 function markers to efficiently and accurately select red-skinned apple cultivars in apple scion breeding programs.

meta-analysis of Serum Tumor Markers in Lung Cancer

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xianfeng LU

2010-12-01

Full Text Available Background and objective The detection of serum tumor markers is of great value for early diagnosis of lung cancer. The aim of this study is to summarize the clinic significance characteristics of serum markers contributing to the detection of lung cancer. Methods References about serum markers of lung cancer were estimated using meta-analysis method. 712 references which included more than 20 cases, 20 controls, the serum markers of 52 832 patients with malignancies and 32 037 patients as controls were evaluated. Results Overall the detection of 13 markers play a significant part in lung cancer diagnosis. The sensitivity of CEA, CA125, CYFRA21-1, TPA, SCCAg, DKK1, NSE, ProGRP in the patients’ serum with lung cancer were 47.50%, 50.11%, 57.00%, 50.93%, 49.00%, 69.50%, 39.73%, 51.48% and the specificity were 92.34%, 80.19%, 90.16%, 88.41%, 91.07%, 92.20%, 89.11%, 94.89%. In the combined analysis of tumor markers: the sensitivity, specificity of NSE+ProGRP were 88.90% and 72.82% in diagnosis of small cell lung cancer, respectively. In diagnosis of squamous corcinoma, the sensitivity and specificity of TSGF+SCCAg+CYFRA21-1 were 95.30% and 74.20%. The the sensitivity and specificity of CA153+Ferrtin+CEA were 91.90% and 44.00% in diagnosis of lung cancer. Conclusion Although the assay of tumor markers in serum is useful for diagnosis of early lung cancer, the sensitivity and specificity are low. Combined detection of these tumor markers could increase sensitivity and specificity.

Segregation analysis of microsatellite (SSR) markers in sugarcane polyploids.

Science.gov (United States)

Lu, X; Zhou, H; Pan, Y-B; Chen, C Y; Zhu, J R; Chen, P H; Li, Y-R; Cai, Q; Chen, R K

2015-12-28

No information is available on segregation analysis of DNA markers involving both pollen and self-progeny. Therefore, we used capillary electrophoresis- and fluorescence-based DNA fingerprinting together with single pollen collection and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to investigate simple sequence repeat (SSR) marker segregation among 964 single pollens and 288 self-progenies (S1) of sugarcane cultivar LCP 85-384. Twenty SSR DNA fragments (alleles) were amplified by five polymorphic SSR markers. Only one non-parental SSR allele was observed in 2392 PCRs. SSR allele inheritance was in accordance with Mendelian laws of segregation and independent assortment. Highly significant correlation coefficients were found between frequencies of observed and expected genotypes in pollen and S1 populations. Within the S1 population, the most frequent genotype of each SSR marker was the parental genotype of the same marker. The number of genotypes was higher in pollen than S1 population. PIC values of the five SSR markers were greater in pollen than S1 populations. Eleven of 20 SSR alleles (55%) were segregated in accordance with Mendelian segregation ratios expected from pollen and S1 populations of a 2n = 10x polyploid. Six of 20 SSR alleles were segregated in a 3:1 (presence:absence) ratio and were simplex markers. Four and one alleles were segregated in 77:4 and 143:1 ratios and considered duplex and triplex markers, respectively. Segregation ratios of remaining alleles were unexplainable. The results provide information about selection of crossing parents, estimation of seedling population optimal size, and promotion of efficient selection, which may be valuable for sugarcane breeders.

The European Commission's light bulb decree: Another costly regulation?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Frondel, Manuel; Lohmann, Steffen

2011-01-01

Since September 2009, Regulation 244/2009 of the European Commission enforces the gradual phase-out of incandescent light bulbs. As of September 2012, only energy-efficient lighting sources will be allowed for sale. Among these are halogen light bulbs, light-emitting diodes (LED), or compact fluorescent light bulbs-often referred to as energy-saving light bulbs. The Commission's justification for the phase-out of conventional light bulbs maintains that a reduction in the electricity consumed will not only lead to lower energy cost for private households and industrial consumers, but at the same time lead to a decrease in greenhouse gas emissions. This article discusses possible reasons for the slow market diffusion of energy-saving light bulbs and shows that the investment in energy-efficient light bulbs does not necessarily lead to significant cost reductions. Drawing on some illustrative examples, we demonstrate that the use of cheaper incandescent bulbs instead of energy-saving light bulbs can be economically rational in cases of rather low usage times, in which the higher initial purchasing price might only pay off after very long time spans. Furthermore, due to the coexistence with the European Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS), this regulation attains no additional emission reductions beyond those achieved by the ETS alone. We thus conclude that the general ban of incandescent light bulbs is inappropriate and should be abolished by the Commission. - Research highlights: → This article discusses reasons for the slow market diffusion of energy-saving light bulbs. → We show that using incandescent bulbs can be rational in cases of rather low usage times. → We conclude that the general ban of incandescent light bulbs should be abolished by the Commission.

The European Commission's light bulb decree: Another costly regulation?

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Frondel, Manuel, E-mail: frondel@rwi-essen.de [Ruhr-University Bochum (RUB), Ruhr-Graduate School in Economics (RGS Econ) (Germany); Rheinisch-Westfaelisches Institut fuer Wirtschaftsforschung (RWI), Hohenzollernstr. 1-3, 45128 Essen (Germany); Lohmann, Steffen [Rheinisch-Westfaelisches Institut fuer Wirtschaftsforschung (RWI), Hohenzollernstr. 1-3, 45128 Essen (Germany); Tinbergen Institute (Netherlands)

2011-06-15

Since September 2009, Regulation 244/2009 of the European Commission enforces the gradual phase-out of incandescent light bulbs. As of September 2012, only energy-efficient lighting sources will be allowed for sale. Among these are halogen light bulbs, light-emitting diodes (LED), or compact fluorescent light bulbs-often referred to as energy-saving light bulbs. The Commission's justification for the phase-out of conventional light bulbs maintains that a reduction in the electricity consumed will not only lead to lower energy cost for private households and industrial consumers, but at the same time lead to a decrease in greenhouse gas emissions. This article discusses possible reasons for the slow market diffusion of energy-saving light bulbs and shows that the investment in energy-efficient light bulbs does not necessarily lead to significant cost reductions. Drawing on some illustrative examples, we demonstrate that the use of cheaper incandescent bulbs instead of energy-saving light bulbs can be economically rational in cases of rather low usage times, in which the higher initial purchasing price might only pay off after very long time spans. Furthermore, due to the coexistence with the European Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS), this regulation attains no additional emission reductions beyond those achieved by the ETS alone. We thus conclude that the general ban of incandescent light bulbs is inappropriate and should be abolished by the Commission. - Research Highlights: > This article discusses reasons for the slow market diffusion of energy-saving light bulbs. > We show that using incandescent bulbs can be rational in cases of rather low usage times. > We conclude that the general ban of incandescent light bulbs should be abolished by the Commission.

Molecular markers in bladder cancer: Novel research frontiers.

Science.gov (United States)

Sanguedolce, Francesca; Cormio, Antonella; Bufo, Pantaleo; Carrieri, Giuseppe; Cormio, Luigi

2015-01-01

Bladder cancer (BC) is a heterogeneous disease encompassing distinct biologic features that lead to extremely different clinical behaviors. In the last 20 years, great efforts have been made to predict disease outcome and response to treatment by developing risk assessment calculators based on multiple standard clinical-pathological factors, as well as by testing several molecular markers. Unfortunately, risk assessment calculators alone fail to accurately assess a single patient's prognosis and response to different treatment options. Several molecular markers easily assessable by routine immunohistochemical techniques hold promise for becoming widely available and cost-effective tools for a more reliable risk assessment, but none have yet entered routine clinical practice. Current research is therefore moving towards (i) identifying novel molecular markers; (ii) testing old and new markers in homogeneous patients' populations receiving homogeneous treatments; (iii) generating a multimarker panel that could be easily, and thus routinely, used in clinical practice; (iv) developing novel risk assessment tools, possibly combining standard clinical-pathological factors with molecular markers. This review analyses the emerging body of literature concerning novel biomarkers, ranging from genetic changes to altered expression of a huge variety of molecules, potentially involved in BC outcome and response to treatment. Findings suggest that some of these indicators, such as serum circulating tumor cells and tissue mitochondrial DNA, seem to be easily assessable and provide reliable information. Other markers, such as the phosphoinositide-3-kinase (PI3K)/AKT (serine-threonine kinase)/mTOR (mammalian target of rapamycin) pathway and epigenetic changes in DNA methylation seem to not only have prognostic/predictive value but also, most importantly, represent valuable therapeutic targets. Finally, there is increasing evidence that the development of novel risk assessment tools

germplasm using ISSR markers and their relationships

African Journals Online (AJOL)

STORAGESEVER

2008-12-17

Dec 17, 2008 ... (MAS) is the current trend in 'Modern Agriculture'. These. DNA markers allow the construction of ... are inherited in Mendelian fashion and are scored as dominant markers (Ratnaparkhe et al., 1998) ... ISSR amplified PCR products were resolved on 2% agarose gel in. 1X TBE buffer (89 mM Tris-Hcl, pH 8.3, ...

DNA Fingerprinting of Olive Varieties by Microsatellite Markers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dunja Bandelj

2002-01-01

Full Text Available Microsatellites combine several features of an ultimate molecular marker and they are used increasingly in various plant genetic studies and applications. In this work we report on the utilisation of fourteen previously developed olive microsatellite markers for the identification and differentiation of a set of nineteen olive varieties. All analysed microsatellite markers revealed a high level of polymorphism that allowed unique genotyping of the examined varieties. Ninety-six alleles were detected at all 14 loci, which multiplied into a large number of observed genotypes, giving high discrimination value for varietal identification. A minimum number of three microsatellite markers was chosen for the rapid and unambiguous varietal identification of nineteen olive varieties and only two markers were sufficient for differentiation of five local varieties. DNA fingerprints of olive cultivars by means of microsatellites provided meaningful data, which can be extended by additional olive varieties or new microsatellites and used for accurate inter-laboratory comparison. The data obtained can be used for the varietal survey and construction of a database of all olive varieties grown in Slovenia providing also additional genetic information on the agronomic and quality characteristics of the olive varieties.

Serotonin, neural markers and memory

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alfredo eMeneses

2015-07-01

Full Text Available Diverse neuropsychiatric disorders present dysfunctional memory and no effective treatment exits for them; likely as result of the absence of neural markers associated to memory. Neurotransmitter systems and signaling pathways have been implicated in memory and dysfunctional memory; however, their role is poorly understood. Hence, neural markers and cerebral functions and dysfunctions are revised. To our knowledge no previous systematic works have been published addressing these issues. The interactions among behavioral tasks, control groups and molecular changes and/or pharmacological effects are mentioned. Neurotransmitter receptors and signaling pathways, during normal and abnormally functioning memory with an emphasis on the behavioral aspects of memory are revised. With focus on serotonin, since as it is a well characterized neurotransmitter, with multiple pharmacological tools, and well characterized downstream signaling in mammals’ species. 5-HT1A, 5-HT4, 5-HT5, 5-HT6 and 5-HT7 receptors as well as SERT (serotonin transporter seem to be useful neural markers and/or therapeutic targets. Certainly, if the mentioned evidence is replicated, then the translatability from preclinical and clinical studies to neural changes might be confirmed. Hypothesis and theories might provide appropriate limits and perspectives of evidence

Feasibility of magnetic marker localisation for non-palpable breast cancer.

Science.gov (United States)

Schermers, B; van der Hage, J A; Loo, C E; Vrancken Peeters, M T F D; Winter-Warnars, H A O; van Duijnhoven, F; Ten Haken, B; Muller, S H; Ruers, T J M

2017-06-01

Accurate tumour localisation is essential for breast-conserving surgery of non-palpable tumours. Current localisation technologies are associated with disadvantages such as logistical challenges and migration issues (wire guided localisation) or legislative complexities and high administrative burden (radioactive localisation). We present MAgnetic MArker LOCalisation (MaMaLoc), a novel technology that aims to overcome these disadvantages using a magnetic marker and a magnetic detection probe. This feasibility study reports on the first experience with this new technology for breast cancer localisation. Fifteen patients with unifocal, non-palpable breast cancer were recruited. They received concurrent placement of the magnetic marker in addition to a radioactive iodine seed, which is standard of care in our clinic. In a subset of five patients, migration of the magnetic marker was studied. During surgery, a magnetic probe and gammaprobe were alternately used to localise the markers and guide surgery. The primary outcome parameter was successful transcutaneous identification of the magnetic marker. Additionally, data on radiologist and surgeon satisfaction were collected. Magnetic marker placement was successful in all cases. Radiologists could easily adapt to the technology in the clinical workflow. Migration of the magnetic marker was negligible. The primary endpoint of the study was met with an identification rate of 100%. Both radiologists and surgeons reflected that the technology was intuitive to use and that it was comparable to radioactive iodine seed localisation. Magnetic marker localisation for non-palpable breast cancer is feasible and safe, and may be a viable non-radioactive alternative to current localisation technologies. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Molecular markers: a potential resource for ginger genetic diversity studies.

Science.gov (United States)

Ismail, Nor Asiah; Rafii, M Y; Mahmud, T M M; Hanafi, M M; Miah, Gous

2016-12-01

Ginger is an economically important and valuable plant around the world. Ginger is used as a food, spice, condiment, medicine and ornament. There is available information on biochemical aspects of ginger, but few studies have been reported on its molecular aspects. The main objective of this review is to accumulate the available molecular marker information and its application in diverse ginger studies. This review article was prepared by combing material from published articles and our own research. Molecular markers allow the identification and characterization of plant genotypes through direct access to hereditary material. In crop species, molecular markers are applied in different aspects and are useful in breeding programs. In ginger, molecular markers are commonly used to identify genetic variation and classify the relatedness among varieties, accessions, and species. Consequently, it provides important input in determining resourceful management strategies for ginger improvement programs. Alternatively, a molecular marker could function as a harmonizing tool for documenting species. This review highlights the application of molecular markers (isozyme, RAPD, AFLP, SSR, ISSR and others such as RFLP, SCAR, NBS and SNP) in genetic diversity studies of ginger species. Some insights on the advantages of the markers are discussed. The detection of genetic variation among promising cultivars of ginger has significance for ginger improvement programs. This update of recent literature will help researchers and students select the appropriate molecular markers for ginger-related research.

Multiple marker abundance profiling

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hooper, Cornelia M.; Stevens, Tim J.; Saukkonen, Anna

2017-01-01

proteins and the scoring accuracy of lower-abundance proteins in Arabidopsis. NPAS was combined with subcellular protein localization data, facilitating quantitative estimations of organelle abundance during routine experimental procedures. A suite of targeted proteomics markers for subcellular compartment...

The urine marker test

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Elbe, Anne-Marie; Jensen, Stine Nylandsted; Elsborg, Peter

2016-01-01

BACKGROUND: Urine sample collection for doping control tests is a key component of the World Anti-Doping Agency's fight against doping in sport. However, a substantial number of athletes experience difficulty when having to urinate under supervision. Furthermore, it cannot always be ensured...... that athletes are actually delivering their own urine. A method that can be used to alleviate the negative impact of a supervised urination procedure and which can also identify urine as coming from a specific athlete is the urine marker test. Monodisperse low molecular weight polyethylene glycols (PEGs......) are given orally prior to urination. Urine samples can be traced to the donor by analysis of the PEGs previously given. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to investigate the use of the urine marker during urine doping control testing. METHODS: Two studies investigated athletes' acceptance...

The response to estrogen deprivation on cartilage collagen degradation markers; CTX-II is unique compared to other markers of collagen turnover

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bay-Jensen, Anne-Christine; Tabassi, Nadine; Sondergaard, Lene

2009-01-01

ABSTRACT: INTRODUCTION: The urinary level of type II collagen degradation marker CTX-II is increased in postmenopausal women and in ovariectomized rats, suggesting that estrogen deprivation induces cartilage breakdown. Here we investigate whether this response to estrogen holds true for other type...... II collagen turnover markers known to be affected in osteoarthritis, and whether it relates to its presence in specific areas of cartilage tissue. METHODS: The type II collagen degradation markers CTX-II and Helix-II were measured in body fluids of pre- and postmenopausal women and of ovariectomized...... rats receiving estrogen or not. Levels of PIIANP, a marker of type II collagen synthesis, were also measured in rats. Rat knee cartilage was analyzed for immunoreactivity of CTX-II and PIIANP and for type II collagen expression. RESULTS: As expected, urinary levels of CTX-II are significantly increased...

Genetic markers and their application in livestock breeding in South ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The ultimate use of DNA markers would be to identify quantitative trait loci (QTL) in order to practice genotypic selection. This paper reviews DNA markers (RAPD, DFP, RFLP AFLP, minisatellites, microsatellites, SNP) and provides a brief overview of the current application of these markers in animal breeding.

75 FR 33376 - Notice of Passenger Facility Charge (PFC) Approvals and Disapprovals

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2010-06-11

... Firefighting Station. Runway 18r/34l Overlay/Rehabilitation. Pavement Management Plan. Security Enhancement... maintain runway 16/34 pavement. PFC administration. Repair and maintain runway 03/21 pavement. Repair and maintain taxiway A pavement. Repair and maintain taxiway B pavement. [[Page 33377

Behavior of Lipiodol Markers During Image Guided Radiotherapy of Bladder Cancer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chai Xiangfei; Herk, Marcel van; Kamer, Jeroen B. van de; Remeijer, Peter; Bex, Axel; Betgen, Anja; De Reijke, Theo M.; Hulshof, Maarten C.C.M.; Pos, Floris J.; Bel, Arjan

2010-01-01

Purpose: To investigate the stability of a novel type of markers used in partial bladder tumor irradiation and tumor deformation as indicated by the markers. Materials and Methods: In 15 patients with solitary bladder cancer, lipiodol was injected in the bladder wall during flexible cystoscopy to identify the tumor. A planning CT scan was made, followed by daily cone-beam CT (CBCT) scans during treatment. To study the accuracy of using these markers for image guidance, uncertainties U1 and U2 were calculated, which were defined as the difference between submask registration (covering single marker) and the average of all submask registrations and the difference between the submask registration and the general mask registration (including all markers), respectively. Finally, to study tumor deformation, the relative movement of each marker pair was correlated with the relative bladder volume (RBV). Results: The analyzed patients had 2.3 marker injections on average. The lipiodol spot size was 0.72 ± 1.1 cm 3 . The intensity of spots in both CT and CBCT was significantly higher than the surrounding bladder tissue. The uncertainties U1 and U2 were comparable, and the uncertainties in left-right direction (0.14-0.19 cm) were smaller than those in cranial-caudal and anterior-posterior directions (0.19-0.32 cm). The relative marker movement of within-zone marker pairs was much smaller (and has less dependence on the RBV) than across-zones marker pairs. Conclusions: Lipiodol markers are a feasible method to track bladder tumor by using online CBCT. Tumor deformation is observed, especially for tumors that cross the defined bladder zones.

Behavior of Lipiodol Markers During Image Guided Radiotherapy of Bladder Cancer

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chai Xiangfei, E-mail: x.chai@amc.uva.n [Department of Radiation Oncology, Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam (Netherlands); Herk, Marcel van [Department of Radiation Oncology, The Netherlands Cancer Institute, Antoni van Leeuwenhoek Hospital, Amsterdam (Netherlands); Kamer, Jeroen B. van de [Department of Radiation Oncology, Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam (Netherlands); Remeijer, Peter [Department of Radiation Oncology, Netherlands Cancer Institute, Antoni van Leeuwenhoek Hospital, Amsterdam (Netherlands); Bex, Axel [Department of Urology, Netherlands Cancer Institute, Antoni van Leeuwenhoek Hospital, Amsterdam (Netherlands); Betgen, Anja [Department of Radiation Oncology, Netherlands Cancer Institute, Antoni van Leeuwenhoek Hospital, Amsterdam (Netherlands); De Reijke, Theo M [Department of Urology, Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam (Netherlands); Hulshof, Maarten C.C.M. [Department of Radiation Oncology, Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam (Netherlands); Pos, Floris J [Department of Radiation Oncology, Netherlands Cancer Institute, Antoni van Leeuwenhoek Hospital, Amsterdam (Netherlands); Bel, Arjan [Department of Radiation Oncology, Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam (Netherlands)

2010-05-01

Purpose: To investigate the stability of a novel type of markers used in partial bladder tumor irradiation and tumor deformation as indicated by the markers. Materials and Methods: In 15 patients with solitary bladder cancer, lipiodol was injected in the bladder wall during flexible cystoscopy to identify the tumor. A planning CT scan was made, followed by daily cone-beam CT (CBCT) scans during treatment. To study the accuracy of using these markers for image guidance, uncertainties U1 and U2 were calculated, which were defined as the difference between submask registration (covering single marker) and the average of all submask registrations and the difference between the submask registration and the general mask registration (including all markers), respectively. Finally, to study tumor deformation, the relative movement of each marker pair was correlated with the relative bladder volume (RBV). Results: The analyzed patients had 2.3 marker injections on average. The lipiodol spot size was 0.72 +- 1.1 cm{sup 3}. The intensity of spots in both CT and CBCT was significantly higher than the surrounding bladder tissue. The uncertainties U1 and U2 were comparable, and the uncertainties in left-right direction (0.14-0.19 cm) were smaller than those in cranial-caudal and anterior-posterior directions (0.19-0.32 cm). The relative marker movement of within-zone marker pairs was much smaller (and has less dependence on the RBV) than across-zones marker pairs. Conclusions: Lipiodol markers are a feasible method to track bladder tumor by using online CBCT. Tumor deformation is observed, especially for tumors that cross the defined bladder zones.

Promise and pitfalls of molecular markers of thyroid nodules

Science.gov (United States)

Jadhav, S.; Lila, Anurag; Bandgar, Tushar; Shah, Nalini

2012-01-01

Thyroid nodules are common in the general population with a prevalence of 5-7% The initial evaluation of thyroid nodules commonly involves thyroid function tests, an ultrasound (USG) and fine needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB). The optimal management of patients with thyroid nodules with indeterminate cytology is plagued by the lack of highly sensitive and specific diagnostic modalities In this article we attempt to review the available literature on the molecular markers which are increasingly being studied for their diagnostic utility in assessing thyroid nodules. The various molecular markers consist of gene mutations, gene re arrangements, RNA based assays and immunohistochemical markers. The molecular markers definitely would help to optimise the management of such patients. PMID:23565369

Promise and pitfalls of molecular markers of thyroid nodules

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

S Jadhav

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Thyroid nodules are common in the general population with a prevalence of 5-7% The initial evaluation of thyroid nodules commonly involves thyroid function tests, an ultrasound (USG and fine needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB. The optimal management of patients with thyroid nodules with indeterminate cytology is plagued by the lack of highly sensitive and specific diagnostic modalities In this article we attempt to review the available literature on the molecular markers which are increasingly being studied for their diagnostic utility in assessing thyroid nodules. The various molecular markers consist of gene mutations, gene re arrangements, RNA based assays and immunohistochemical markers. The molecular markers definitely would help to optimise the management of such patients.

14 CFR 171.321 - DME and marker beacon performance requirements.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 3 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false DME and marker beacon performance... (MLS) § 171.321 DME and marker beacon performance requirements. (a) The DME equipment must meet the..._regulations/ibr_locations.html. (b) MLS marker beacon equipment must meet the performance requirements...

Inflammatory markers in blood and serum tumor markers predict survival in patients with epithelial appendiceal neoplasms undergoing surgical cytoreduction and intraperitoneal chemotherapy.

Science.gov (United States)

Chua, Terence C; Chong, Chanel H; Liauw, Winston; Zhao, Jing; Morris, David L

2012-08-01

The study examines the role inflammatory and tumor markers as biomarkers to preoperatively predict outcome in patients with epithelial appendiceal neoplasm undergoing cytoreduction and intraperitoneal chemotherapy. Associations between baseline variables, tumor markers [CEA (carcinoembyronic antigen], CA125, CA199), inflammatory markers including neutrophils-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), and C-reactive protein (CRP) with progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were examined in patients undergoing surgical cytoreduction and intraperitoneal chemotherapy for epithelial appendiceal neoplasm. A total of 174 patients with epithelial appendiceal neoplasm (low-grade pseudomyxoma, n = 117; appendiceal cancer, n = 57) underwent cytoreduction. On univariate analysis, all 3 inflammatory and tumor markers predicted for both PFS and OS, respectively; NLR ≤ 2.6 (P = 0.01, P = 0.002), PLR ≤ 166 (P = 0.006, P = 0.016), CRP ≤ 12.5 (P = 0.001, P = 0.008), CEA (P 37 (P = 0.003), and a CRP > 12.5 (P = 0.013). A higher peritoneal cancer index (PCI > 24) was associated with elevation in CEA > 12, CA125 > 39, CA199 > 37, PLR > 166 and CRP > 12. The tumor histologic subtype was associated with CA 199 levels. The results from this investigation suggest that preoperative inflammatory markers in blood and serologic tumor markers may predict outcomes and are associated with tumor biology in patients with epithelial appendiceal neoplasm undergoing cytoreduction and intraperitoneal chemotherapy treatment.

Comparison between low-cost marker-less and high-end marker-based motion capture systems for the computer-aided assessment of working ergonomics.

Science.gov (United States)

Patrizi, Alfredo; Pennestrì, Ettore; Valentini, Pier Paolo

2016-01-01

The paper deals with the comparison between a high-end marker-based acquisition system and a low-cost marker-less methodology for the assessment of the human posture during working tasks. The low-cost methodology is based on the use of a single Microsoft Kinect V1 device. The high-end acquisition system is the BTS SMART that requires the use of reflective markers to be placed on the subject's body. Three practical working activities involving object lifting and displacement have been investigated. The operational risk has been evaluated according to the lifting equation proposed by the American National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. The results of the study show that the risk multipliers computed from the two acquisition methodologies are very close for all the analysed activities. In agreement to this outcome, the marker-less methodology based on the Microsoft Kinect V1 device seems very promising to promote the dissemination of computer-aided assessment of ergonomics while maintaining good accuracy and affordable costs. PRACTITIONER’S SUMMARY: The study is motivated by the increasing interest for on-site working ergonomics assessment. We compared a low-cost marker-less methodology with a high-end marker-based system. We tested them on three different working tasks, assessing the working risk of lifting loads. The two methodologies showed comparable precision in all the investigations.

State and trait olfactory markers of major depression.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marine Naudin

Full Text Available Nowadays, depression is a major issue in public health. Because of the partial overlap between the brain structures involved in depression, olfaction and emotion, the study of olfactory function could be a relevant way to find specific cognitive markers of depression. This study aims at determining whether the olfactory impairments are state or trait markers of major depressive episode (MDE through the study of the olfactory parameters involving the central olfactory pathway. In a pilot study, we evaluated prospectively 18 depressed patients during acute episodes of depression and 6 weeks after antidepressant treatment (escitalopram against 54 healthy volunteers, matched by age, gender and smoking status. We investigated the participants' abilities to identify odors (single odors and in binary mixture, to evaluate and discriminate the odors' intensity, and determine the hedonic valence of odors. The results revealed an "olfactory anhedonia" expressed by decrease of hedonic score for high emotional odorant as potential state marker of MDE. Moreover, these patients experienced an "olfactory negative alliesthesia", during the odor intensity evaluation, and failed to identify correctly two odorants with opposite valences in a binary iso-mixture, which constitute potential trait markers of the disease. This study provides preliminary evidence for olfactory impairments associated with MDE (state marker that are persistent after the clinical improvement of depressive symptoms (trait marker. These results could be explained by the chronicity of depression and/or by the impact of therapeutic means used (antidepressant treatment. They need to be confirmed particularly the ones obtained in complex olfactory environment which corresponds a more objective daily life situation.

Criteria for selection and application of molecular markers for clinical studies of osteoarthritis.

Science.gov (United States)

Otterness, I G; Swindell, A C

2003-03-01

To develop criteria for the selection and application of molecular markers for the study of osteoarthritis (OA). Statistical criteria for marker selection for OA are developed. After studying more than 20 different molecular markers for monitoring OA, procedures for choosing markers for clinical studies have been developed. For a particular study, the process starts with the markers showing 'face-validity' for monitoring OA. They are next required to successfully distinguish OA patients from controls. This necessitates definition of the distribution of marker values in OA patients and controls. So far, they have been consistently log-normal. The difference (Delta) in marker values between OA and controls defines the opportunity for marker improvement. The between-visit standard deviation (S) in patients puts limits on the detection of marker changes. The two variables can be combined to estimate the practicality of a marker using a modified power analysis. The number of patients (N*) required to observe a 50% improvement with an alpha level of P=0.05 and with 80% certainty is estimated as 50(S/Delta)(2). N*, S and Delta should be used to characterize and compare markers. Marker efficiency can be refined by regressing on secondary variables, such as age, sex, BMI, severity, etc. Finally, the use of two or more markers may be required to improve marker prediction of clinical outcome. Correlated markers can be used to reinforce conclusions by essentially adding replicative data. Independent, complementary markers can be used to develop associations with clinical parameters, and perhaps diagnose and monitor disease status, activities that so far have not been possible with single markers.

78 FR 57213 - Notice of Passenger Facility Charge (PFC) Approvals and Disapprovals

Science.gov (United States)

2013-09-17

... extension north--construction/tunnel construction. Electrical vault. Taxiway H construction. Storm water update. Gulfstream Road/tunnel design. Airfield electrical vault design. Taxiway A design. Taxiway H.... Runway 15R/33L flight kitchen demolition. Runway 15L/33R runway safety area improvements. Future taxiway...

Marker chromosome 21 identified by microdissection and FISH

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sun, Y.; Palmer, C.G. [Indiana Univ. School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN (United States); Rubinstein, J. [Univ. Affiliated Cincinnati Center for Developmental Disorders, OH (United States)] [and others

1995-03-27

A child without Down`s syndrome but with developmental delay, short stature, and autistic behavior was found to be mosaic 46,XX/47,XX,+mar(21) de novo. The marker was a small ring or dot-like chromosome. Microdissection of the marker was performed. The dissected fragments were biotinylated with sequence-independent PCR as a probe pool for fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). FISH results suggested an acrocentric origin of the marker. Subsequent FISH with {alpha}-satellite DNA probes for acrocentric chromosomes and chromosome-specific 21 and 22 painting probes confirmed its origin from chromosome 21. 14 refs., 3 figs.

Discourse Markers s Sentence Openers in Legal English

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Onorina Botezat

2010-06-01

Full Text Available Discourse markers can be defined as linguistic expressions of different length which carry pragmatic and propositional meaning, they are used to combine clauses or to connect sentence elements andthey appear in both speech and writing, and facilitate the discourse. Each discourse marker indicates a particular meaning relationship between two or more clauses. English is predominantly the language ofinternational legal practice and its importance to lawyers cannot be over-emphasized. The way in which one uses legal English can therefore be crucial to professional success. This paper stresses the importance of good usage of discourse markers in legal English.

Preclinical assessment of hypoxic marker specificity and sensitivity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Iyer, Renuka V.; Engelhardt, Edward L.; Stobbe, Corinne C.; Schneider, Richard F.; Chapman, J. Donald

1998-01-01

Purpose: In the search for a sensitive, accurate, and noninvasive technique for quantifying human tumor hypoxia, our laboratory has synthesized several potential radiodiagnostic agents. The purpose of this study was to assess and compare the hypoxic marking properties of both radioiodinated and Tc-99m labeled markers in appropriate test systems which can predict for in vivo activity. Materials and Methods: Preclinical assessment of hypoxic marker specificity and sensitivity employed three laboratory assays with tumor cells in vitro and in vivo. Radiolabeled marker uptake and/or binding to whole EMT-6 tumor cells under extremely hypoxic and aerobic conditions was measured and their ratio defined hypoxia-specific factor (HSF). Marker specificity to hypoxic tumor tissue was estimated from its selective avidity to two rodent tumors in vivo, whose radiobiologic hypoxic fractions (HF) had been measured. The ratios of % injected dose/gram (%ID/g) of marker at various times in EMT-6 tumor tissue relative to that in the blood and muscle of scid mice were used to quantify hypoxia-specific activity. This tumor in this host exhibited an average radiobiologic HF of ∼35%. As well, nuclear medicine images were acquired from R3327-AT (HF ≅15%) and R3327-H (no measurable HF) prostate carcinomas growing in rats to distinguish between marker avidity due to hypoxia versus perfusion. Results: The HSF for FC-103 and other iodinated markers were higher (5-40) than those for FC-306 and other Tc-99m labeled markers. The latter did not show hypoxia-specific uptake into cells in vitro. Qualitative differences were observed in the biodistribution and clearance kinetics of the iodinated azomycin nucleosides relative to the technetium chelates. The largest tumor/blood (T/B) and tumor/muscle (T/M) ratios were observed for compounds of the azomycin nucleoside class in EMT-6 tumor-bearing scid mice. These markers also showed a 3-4 x higher uptake into R3327-AT tumors relative to the well

Molecular markers in well-differentiated thyroid cancer.

Science.gov (United States)

D'Cruz, Anil K; Vaish, Richa; Vaidya, Abhishek; Nixon, Iain J; Williams, Michelle D; Vander Poorten, Vincent; López, Fernando; Angelos, Peter; Shaha, Ashok R; Khafif, Avi; Skalova, Alena; Rinaldo, Alessandra; Hunt, Jennifer L; Ferlito, Alfio

2018-06-01

Thyroid nodules are of common occurrence in the general population. About a fourth of these nodules are indeterminate on aspiration cytology placing many a patient at risk of unwanted surgery. The purpose of this review is to discuss various molecular markers described to date and place their role in proper perspective. This review covers the fundamental role of the signaling pathways and genetic changes involved in thyroid carcinogenesis. The current literature on the prognostic significance of these markers is also described. PubMed was used to search relevant articles. The key terms "thyroid nodules", "thyroid cancer papillary", "carcinoma papillary follicular", "carcinoma papillary", "adenocarcinoma follicular" were searched in MeSH, and "molecular markers", "molecular testing", mutation, BRAF, RAS, RET/PTC, PAX 8, miRNA, NIFTP in title and abstract fields. Multiple combinations were done and a group of experts in the subject from the International Head and Neck Scientific Group extracted the relevant articles and formulated the review. There has been considerable progress in the understanding of thyroid carcinogenesis and the emergence of numerous molecular markers in the recent years with potential to be used in the diagnostic algorithm of these nodules. However, their precise role in routine clinical practice continues to be a contentious issue. Majority of the studies in this context are retrospective and impact of these mutations is not independent of other prognostic factors making the interpretation difficult. The prevalence of these mutations in thyroid nodule is high and it is a continuously evolving field. Clinicians should stay informed as recommendation on the use of these markers is expected to evolve.

Empirical psychology, common sense, and Kant's empirical markers for moral responsibility.

Science.gov (United States)

Frierson, Patrick

2008-12-01

This paper explains the empirical markers by which Kant thinks that one can identify moral responsibility. After explaining the problem of discerning such markers within a Kantian framework I briefly explain Kant's empirical psychology. I then argue that Kant's empirical markers for moral responsibility--linked to higher faculties of cognition--are not sufficient conditions for moral responsibility, primarily because they are empirical characteristics subject to natural laws. Next. I argue that these markers are not necessary conditions of moral responsibility. Given Kant's transcendental idealism, even an entity that lacks these markers could be free and morally responsible, although as a matter of fact Kant thinks that none are. Given that they are neither necessary nor sufficient conditions, I discuss the status of Kant's claim that higher faculties are empirical markers of moral responsibility. Drawing on connections between Kant's ethical theory and 'common rational cognition' (4:393), I suggest that Kant's theory of empirical markers can be traced to ordinary common sense beliefs about responsibility. This suggestion helps explain both why empirical markers are important and what the limits of empirical psychology are within Kant's account of moral responsibility.

Development of genomic SSR and potential EST-SSR markers in ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

In addition, forty four EST-SSRs which can be amplified with expected sizes were identified from a B. chinense root cDNA library. The genomic SSR markers and potential EST-SSR markers developed in the present study should be useful for genetic diversity and molecular marker assistant selection breeding research in ...

Genetic similarity among strawberry cultivars assessed by RAPD and ISSR markers

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Rafael Gustavo Ferreira Morales

2011-12-01

Full Text Available Most strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa Duchesne cultivars used in Brazil are developed in other countries, it became clear the need to start the strawberry breeding program in the country. To start a breeding program is necessary the genetic characterization of the germplasm available. Molecular markers are important tools that can be used for this purpose. The objectives of the present study were to assess the genetic similarity among 11 strawberry cultivars using RAPD and ISSR molecular markers and to indicate the possible promising crosses. The DNA of the eleven strawberry cultivars was extracted and amplified by PCR with RAPD and ISSR primers. The DNA fragments were separated in agarose gel for the RAPD markers and in polyacrylamide gel for the ISSR markers. The genetic similarity matrix was estimated by the Jaccard coefficient. Based on this matrix, the cultivars were grouped using the UPGMA method. The dendogram generated by the RAPD markers distributed the cultivars in three groups while the ISSR markers generated two groups. There was no direct relationship between the marker groups when the two types of markers were compared. The grouping proposed by the ISSR markers was more coherent with the origin and the genealogy of the cultivars than that proposed by the RAPD markers, and it can be considered the most efficient method for the study of genetic divergence in strawberry. The most promising crosses, based on the genetic divergence estimated from the RAPD and ISSR molecular data were between the Tudla and Ventana and the Oso Grande and Ventana cultivars, respectively.

Application of random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) technique has been widely applied to identify different varieties of plants for molecular breeding. However, application of RAPD markers to identify parthenogenesis in plants has not been reported. In this investigation, we used pedigree and RAPD markers to differentiate ...

Exon-primed intron-crossing (EPIC markers for non-model teleost fishes

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Riethoven Jean-Jack M

2010-03-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Exon-primed intron-crossing (EPIC markers have three advantages over anonymous genomic sequences in studying evolution of natural populations. First, the universal primers designed in exon regions can be applied across a broad taxonomic range. Second, the homology of EPIC-amplified sequences can be easily determined by comparing either their exon or intron portion depending on the genetic distance between the taxa. Third, having both the exon and intron fragments could help in examining genetic variation at the intraspecific and interspecific level simultaneously, particularly helpful when studying species complex. However, the paucity of EPIC markers has hindered multilocus studies using nuclear gene sequences, particularly in teleost fishes. Results We introduce a bioinformatics pipeline for developing EPIC markers by comparing the whole genome sequences between two or more species. By applying this approach on five teleost fishes whose genomes were available in the Ensembl database http://www.ensembl.org, we identified 210 EPIC markers that have single-copy and conserved exon regions with identity greater than 85% among the five teleost fishes. We tested 12 randomly chosen EPIC markers in nine teleost species having a wide phylogenetic range. The success rate of amplifying and sequencing those markers varied from 44% to 100% in different species. We analyzed the exon sequences of the 12 EPIC markers from 13 teleosts. The resulting phylogeny contains many traditionally well-supported clades, indicating the usefulness of the exon portion of EPIC markers in reconstructing species phylogeny, in addition to the value of the intron portion of EPIC markers in interrogating the population history. Conclusions This study illustrated an effective approach to develop EPIC markers in a taxonomic group, where two or more genome sequences are available. The markers identified could be amplified across a broad taxonomic range of teleost

Molecular markers: Implications for cytopathology and specimen collection.

Science.gov (United States)

VanderLaan, Paul A

2015-08-01

Cytologic specimens obtained through minimally invasive biopsy techniques are increasingly being used as principle diagnostic specimens for tumors arising in multiple sites. The number and scope of ancillary tests performed on these specimens have grown substantially over the past decade, including many molecular markers that not only can aid in formulating accurate and specific diagnoses but also can provide prognostic or therapeutic information to help direct clinical decisions. Thus, the cytopathologist needs to ensure that adequate material is collected and appropriately processed for the study of relevant molecular markers, many of which are specific to tumor site. This brief review covers considerations for effective cytologic specimen collection and processing to ensure diagnostic and testing success. In addition, a general overview is provided of molecular markers pertinent to tumors from a variety of sites. The recognition of these established and emerging molecular markers by cytopathologists is an important step toward realizing the promise of personalized medicine. © 2015 American Cancer Society.

Prognostic features and markers for testicular cancer management

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Eddy S Leman

2010-01-01

Full Text Available Testicular neoplasm accounts for about 1% of all cancers in men. Over the last 40 years, the incidence of testicular cancer has increased in northern European male populations for unknown reasons. When diagnosed at early stage, testicular cancer is usually curable with a high survival rate. In the past three decades, successful multidisciplinary approaches for the management of testicular cancer have significantly increased patient survival rates. Utilization of tumor markers and accurate prognostic classification has also contributed to successful therapy. In this article, we highlight the most commonly used tumor markers and several potential "novel" markers for testicular cancer as part of the ongoing effort in biomarker research and discovery. In addition, this article also identifies several key prognostic features that have been demonstrated to play a role in predicting relapse. These features include tumor size, rete testis invasion, lymphovascular invasion, and tumor histology. Together with tumor markers, these prognostic factors should be taken into account for risk-adapted management of testicular cancer.

A vision-based automated guided vehicle system with marker recognition for indoor use.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Jeisung; Hyun, Chang-Ho; Park, Mignon

2013-08-07

We propose an intelligent vision-based Automated Guided Vehicle (AGV) system using fiduciary markers. In this paper, we explore a low-cost, efficient vehicle guiding method using a consumer grade web camera and fiduciary markers. In the proposed method, the system uses fiduciary markers with a capital letter or triangle indicating direction in it. The markers are very easy to produce, manipulate, and maintain. The marker information is used to guide a vehicle. We use hue and saturation values in the image to extract marker candidates. When the known size fiduciary marker is detected by using a bird's eye view and Hough transform, the positional relation between the marker and the vehicle can be calculated. To recognize the character in the marker, a distance transform is used. The probability of feature matching was calculated by using a distance transform, and a feature having high probability is selected as a captured marker. Four directional signals and 10 alphabet features are defined and used as markers. A 98.87% recognition rate was achieved in the testing phase. The experimental results with the fiduciary marker show that the proposed method is a solution for an indoor AGV system.

Effects of rotation and systematic occlusion on fiducial marker recognition

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sagitov Artur

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Fiducial marker systems consist of patterns that are placed in environment for miscellaneous applications and are further automatically detected with cameras. A variety of applications determines the criteria, which characterize qualitative properties of a marker and include such evaluation benchmarks as resilience to occlusion, distance to a marker, false positive and false negative rates, sensitivity to illumination, and others. The paper compares existing ARTag, AprilTag, and CALTag systems utilizing a high fidelity camera, which is a main vision sensor of a full-size Russian humanoid robot AR-601M. In experiments the comparison of the three marker systems reliability and detection rate in occlusions of various types and intensities was verified. Finally, a preferable for AR-601M robot visual applications marker system was selected.

Application of molecular markers for variety protection of ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.)

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jensen, Louise Bach; Deneken, Gerhard; Roulund, N

2008-01-01

registration systems. Although DUS testing currently employs mostly visually observable characteristics that are expressions of the phenotype of a variety, there is much interest in the use of molecular markers. The overall objective of this project is to examine the potential use of molecular markers...... with 140 alleles gives the same level of information. Furthermore, number of genotypes per variety can be reduced to 20 compared to the original dataset containing 60 genotypes when using all 18 SSR markers but not when using only six SSR markers. Significant association was found between the molecular...... on the morphological characterization from the DUS trial. 18 SSR markers were selected based on their genome distribution, reproducibility, level of information and ease of scoring. It was found, that for variety discrimination, reducing the number of SSR markers from 18 SSR markers with 262 alleles to six SSR markers...

77 FR 39321 - Air Traffic Procedures Advisory Committee

Science.gov (United States)

2012-07-02

..., NTHNS TWO (RNAV) Runway 13, HOPEA ONE (RNAV) Runway 22, and JUTES ONE (RNAV) Runway 22. Location... collectively result in improved safety, access, predictability, and operational efficiency. Improved access and... change, however use of the HOPEA ONE and JUTES ONE procedures will provide for greater efficiency under...

A Diagnostic Marker to Discriminate Childhood Apraxia of Speech from Speech Delay: I. Development and Description of the Pause Marker

Science.gov (United States)

Shriberg, Lawrence D.; Strand, Edythe A.; Fourakis, Marios; Jakielski, Kathy J.; Hall, Sheryl D.; Karlsson, Heather B.; Mabie, Heather L.; McSweeny, Jane L.; Tilkens, Christie M.; Wilson, David L.

2017-01-01

Purpose: The goal of this article (PM I) is to describe the rationale for and development of the Pause Marker (PM), a single-sign diagnostic marker proposed to discriminate early or persistent childhood apraxia of speech from speech delay. Method: The authors describe and prioritize 7 criteria with which to evaluate the research and clinical…

Tumor markers in finding recurrent disease in colorectal cancer: a diagnostic review

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anneke Muller Kobold

2013-02-01

Full Text Available Aim: In the search for evidence-based follow-up of patients after resection for colorectal cancer, numerous tumor markers have been proposed. This review has evaluated these markers and comments on the diagnostic accuracy in finding recurrent disease in relation to Carcino-Embryonic Antigen (CEA. Methods: A comprehensive literature review (1985-2010 was performed by two independent reviewers. Sensitivity and specificity of markers mentioned in the articles were checked by recalculation. A validated quality score system was used to estimate study quality. Results: Seventeen studies focusing on eight different markers were included. Three markers were shown to have comparable or better accuracy than CEA: TPA, CA 242 and CA 72-4 in at least one study. These three markers, from four independent studies, showed a tumor marker sensitivity of > 60% in combination with an outperformance of CEA in follow-up. These results were not confirmed by six other studies investigating the same markers. Conclusion: This review revealed three tumor markers other than CEA that have been shown to adequately indicate recurrences in colorectal cancer. However, comparability of studies was difficult. Therefore a prospective study of these markers seems necessary to investigate their real value, and to overcome design and inclusion biases.

Comparison of genetic detection efficiency of different markers ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

STORAGESEVER

2009-06-03

Jun 3, 2009 ... Chinese native sheep populations, Hu sheep, Tong sheep, Small-tailed Han sheep and Tan sheep were used to study the efficiency of genetic markers. The genetic markers used in this study include morphological and ecological indices, blood protein enzyme, microsatellite DNA and the combination of.

Possibilities for marker-assisted selection in aquaculture breeding schemes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sonesson, A.K.

2007-01-01

FAO estimates that there are around 200 species in aquaculture. However, only a few species have ongoing selective breeding programmes. Marker-assisted selection (MAS) is not used in any aquaculture breeding scheme today. The aim of this chapter, therefore, is to review briefly the current status of aquaculture breeding schemes and to evaluate the possibilities for MAS of aquaculture species. Genetic marker maps have been published for some species in culture. The marker density of these maps is, in general, rather low and the maps are composed of many amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) markers anchored to few microsatellites. Some quantitative trait loci (QTL) have been identified for economically important traits, but they are not yet mapped at a high density. Computer simulations of within-family MAS schemes show a very high increase in genetic gain compared with conventional family-based breeding schemes, mainly due to the large family sizes that are typical for aquaculture breeding schemes. The use of genetic markers to identify individuals and their implications for breeding schemes with control of inbreeding are discussed. (author)

Porcine cluster of differentiation (CD) markers 2018 update.

Science.gov (United States)

Dawson, Harry D; Lunney, Joan K

2018-06-01

Pigs are a major source of food worldwide; preventing and treating their infectious diseases is essential, requiring a thorough understanding of porcine immunity. The use of pigs as models for human physiology is a growing area; progress in this area has been limited because the immune toolkit is not robust. The international community has established cluster of differentiation (CD) markers for assessing cells involved in immunity as well as characterizing numerous other cells like stem cells. Overall, for humans 419 proteins have been designated as CD markers, each reacting with a defined set of antibodies (Abs). This paper summarizes current knowledge of swine CD markers and identifies 359 corresponding CD proteins in pigs. A broad-based literature and vendor search was conducted to identify defined sets of monoclonal (mAbs) and polyclonal Abs (pAbs) reacting with porcine CD markers along with other reagents (fusion proteins, ELISAs, PCR assays, and gene edited cell and pig models). This process identified over 800 reagents that are reportedly reactive with 266 pig CD markers. Despite this number, there is a great need to develop and characterize additional CD marker reagents, particularly mAbs, for pig research. There are numerous high priority targets: reagents for the characterization of porcine innate lymphoid cells, polarized macrophages and T regulatory cells and for the detection of porcine CD45 isoforms. Overall, improved technologies and genomics have contributed to dramatic increases in our knowledge of the pig, its immune system, disease and vaccine responses, and utility as a biomedical model. The development of more CD reagents will clearly advance these initiatives. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Radio-isotope powered light source

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Spottiswoode, N.L.; Ryden, D.J.

1979-01-01

The light source described comprises a radioisotope fuel source, thermal insulation against heat loss, a biological shield against the escape of ionizing radiation and a material having a surface which attains incandescence when subject to isotope decay heat. There is then a means for transferring this heat to produce incandescence of the surface and thus emit light. A filter associated with the surface permits a relatively high transmission of visible radiation but has a relatively high reflectance in the infra red spectrum. Such light sources require the minimum of attention and servicing and are therefore suitable for use in navigational aids such as lighthouses and lighted buoys. The isotope fuel sources and thus the insulation and shielding and the incandescent material can be chosen for the use required and several sources, materials, means of housing etc. are detailed. Operation and efficiency are discussed. (U.K.)

Development and characterization of genic SSR markers from low ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Development and characterization of genic SSR markers from low depth genome ... A variety of molecular markers are currently ... chloroform method (Sambrook et al. 1989). ..... Available online, http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/168255/0.

Informativeness of Diagnostic Marker Values and the Impact of Data Grouping.

Science.gov (United States)

Ma, Hua; Bandos, Andriy I; Gur, David

2018-01-01

Assessing performance of diagnostic markers is a necessary step for their use in decision making regarding various conditions of interest in diagnostic medicine and other fields. Globally useful markers could, however, have ranges of values that are " diagnostically non-informative" . This paper demonstrates that the presence of marker values from diagnostically non-informative ranges could lead to a loss in statistical efficiency during nonparametric evaluation and shows that grouping non-informative values provides a natural resolution to this problem. These points are theoretically proven and an extensive simulation study is conducted to illustrate the possible benefits of using grouped marker values in a number of practically reasonable scenarios. The results contradict the common conjecture regarding the detrimental effect of grouped marker values during performance assessments. Specifically, contrary to the common assumption that grouped marker values lead to bias, grouping non-informative values does not introduce bias and could substantially reduce sampling variability. The proven concept that grouped marker values could be statistically beneficial without detrimental consequences implies that in practice, tied values do not always require resolution whereas the use of continuous diagnostic results without addressing diagnostically non-informative ranges could be statistically detrimental. Based on these findings, more efficient methods for evaluating diagnostic markers could be developed.

Antibody Arrays Identify Potential Diagnostic Markers of Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Brian J. Peter

2008-01-01

Full Text Available Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC is the third leading cause of cancer deaths worldwide. Effective treatment of HCC patients is hampered by the lack of sensitive and specific diagnostic markers of HCC. Alpha-fetoprotein (AFP, the currently used HCC marker, misses 30%–50% of HCC patients, who therefore remain undiagnosed and untreated. In order to identify novel diagnostic markers that can be used individually or in combination with AFP, we used an antibody array platform to detect the levels of candidate proteins in the plasma of HCC patients (n = 48 and patients with chronic hepatitis B or C viral infections (n = 19 (both of which are the major risk factors of HCC. We identified 7 proteins that significantly differentiate HCC patients from hepatitis patients (p < 0.05 (AFP, CTNNB, CSF1, SELL, IGFBP6, IL6R, and VCAM1.Importantly, we also identified 8 proteins that significantly differentiate HCC patients with ‘normal’ levels of AFP (<20 ng/ml from hepatitis patients (p < 0.05 (IL1RN, IFNG, CDKN1A, RETN, CXCL14, CTNNB, FGF2, and SELL. These markers are potentially important complementary markers to AFP. Using an independent immunoassay method in an independent group of 23 HCC patients and 22 hepatitis patients, we validated that plasma levels of CTNNB were significantly higher in the HCC group (p = 0.020. In conclusion, we used an antibody array platform to identify potential circulating diagnostic markers of HCC, some of which may be valuable when used in combination with AFP. The clinical utility of these newly identified HCC diagnostic markers needs to be systematically evaluated.

A study of autoimmune markers in hepatitis C infection.

Science.gov (United States)

Agarwal, N; Handa, R; Acharya, S K; Wali, J P; Dinda, A K; Aggarwal, P

2001-05-01

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is associated with several autoimmune markers. Despite HCV being common in India, no information on this aspect is available. This study was undertaken to ascertain the frequency and clinical significance of autoimmune markers like rheumatoid factor (RF), antinuclear antibodies (ANA), antibodies to double stranded deoxyribonucleic acid (dsDNA), anti neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA), anti smooth muscle antibodies (ASMA), anti liver kidney microsomal 1 antibodies (anti LKM1), anti gastric parietal cell antibodies (anti GPCA), anti mitochondrial antibodies (AMA), anti cardiolipin antibodies (ACL) and cryoglobulins in HCV infection and to determine the effect of treatment on these markers. Twenty five patients with chronic hepatitis C and 25 healthy controls were studied. Cryoglobulins were detected by cryoprecipitation, RF by latex agglutination, anti dsDNA and ACL by ELISA while indirect immunofluorescence was used to detect all other autoantibodies. Eighteen patients (72%) demonstrated autoimmune markers. RF, cryoglobulins and anti LKM1 antibodies were the most frequently detected markers (in 32% patients each). ASMA, perinuclear ANCA (pANCA), ANA and anti GPCA were seen in 24, 20, 12 and 4 per cent patients respectively. None of the patients exhibited ACL, AMA or antibodies to dsDNA. No antibodies were detected in healthy controls. Sixty per cent of the patients had rheumatological symptoms. Of the seven patients followed up after treatment with alpha interferon, only two exhibited persistence of RF, while symptoms and other markers disappeared. Rheumatological symptoms and autoimmune markers are common in HCV infection and are usually overlooked. Patients with unexplained joint pains and/or palpable purpura should be screened for HCV. Further studies are needed to delineate fully the link between infection and autoimmunity.

Distribution of Monochrome Screen Luminance in the CTOL Visual Technology Research Simulator.

Science.gov (United States)

1980-11-01

runway lines 3.8 4.2 8. Carrier runway 2.5 3.5 9. FLOLS* Meatball ** 2.0 2.4 10. FLOLS Background 0.68 1.3 *Fresnal Lens Optical Landing System...Standard U.S. Navy carrier optical landing device). ** Meatball is the light source of the FLOLS which the pilot uses for glideslope information in a carrier...LANDING DISPLAY FOV (Foot Lamberts) 1. Carrier Deck Runway Lighting 1.5 2. Carrier Runway Area 0.048 3. FLOLS Meatball 0.6 Figure 5 also shows the

Research advances in tumor markers for the diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

YANG Guimin

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC is a malignant tumor with a high fatality rate in the world, and alpha-fetoprotein (AFP is the most commonly used tumor marker for HCC diagnosis. However, AFP does not have a satisfactory sensitivity or specificity and may lead to missed diagnosis when the tumor is small in the early stage of HCC. This article summarizes the clinical value of new tumor markers in the diagnosis, treatment monitoring, and prognosis judgment of HCC and analyzes the future prospects of the measurement of tumor markers for HCC. It is pointed out that combined determination of several tumor markers helps to improve the sensitivity and specificity of HCC diagnosis, and the screening and optimization of combined determination of tumor markers, noninvasive and efficient tumor markers, and individualized treatment are research hotspots in future.

What is the clinical value of cancer stem cell markers in gliomas?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Dahlrot, Rikke Hedegaard; Hermansen, Simon Kjær; Hansen, Steinbjørn

2013-01-01

. This review summarizes current reports on putative glioma CSC markers and reviews the prognostic value of the individual immunohistochemical markers reported in the literature. Using the Pubmed database, twenty-seven CSC studies looking at membrane markers (CD133, podoplanin, CD15, and A2B5), filament markers...

Established and emerging biological activity markers of inflammatory bowel disease

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nielsen, O H; Vainer, B; Madsen, S M

2000-01-01

Assessment of disease activity in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), i.e., ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn's disease (CD), is done using clinical parameters and various biological disease markers. Ideally, a disease marker must: be able to identify individuals at risk of a given disorder......, be disease specific, mirror the disease activity and, finally, be easily applicable for routine clinical purposes. However, no such disease markers have yet been identified for IBD. In this article, classical disease markers including erythrocyte sedimentation rate, acute phase proteins (especially...... orosomucoid and CRP), leukocyte and platelet counts, albumin, neopterin, and beta2-microglobulin will be reviewed together with emerging disease markers such as antibodies of the ANCA/ASCA type, cytokines (e.g., IL-1, IL-2Ralpha, IL-6, IL-8, TNF-alpha, and TNF-alpha receptors) and with various adhesion...

Hidden marker position estimation during sit-to-stand with walker.

Science.gov (United States)

Yoon, Sang Ho; Jun, Hong Gul; Dan, Byung Ju; Jo, Byeong Rim; Min, Byung Hoon

2012-01-01

Motion capture analysis of sit-to-stand task with assistive device is hard to achieve due to obstruction on reflective makers. Previously developed robotic system, Smart Mobile Walker, is used as an assistive device to perform motion capture analysis in sit-to-stand task. All lower limb markers except hip markers are invisible through whole session. The link-segment and regression method is applied to estimate the marker position during sit-to-stand. Applying a new method, the lost marker positions are restored and the biomechanical evaluation of the sit-to-stand movement with a Smart Mobile Walker could be carried out. The accuracy of the marker position estimation is verified with normal sit-to-stand data from more than 30 clinical trials. Moreover, further research on improving the link segment and regression method is addressed.

Established and emerging biological activity markers of inflammatory bowel disease

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nielsen, O H; Vainer, B; Madsen, S M

2000-01-01

orosomucoid and CRP), leukocyte and platelet counts, albumin, neopterin, and beta2-microglobulin will be reviewed together with emerging disease markers such as antibodies of the ANCA/ASCA type, cytokines (e.g., IL-1, IL-2Ralpha, IL-6, IL-8, TNF-alpha, and TNF-alpha receptors) and with various adhesion......Assessment of disease activity in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), i.e., ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn's disease (CD), is done using clinical parameters and various biological disease markers. Ideally, a disease marker must: be able to identify individuals at risk of a given disorder......, be disease specific, mirror the disease activity and, finally, be easily applicable for routine clinical purposes. However, no such disease markers have yet been identified for IBD. In this article, classical disease markers including erythrocyte sedimentation rate, acute phase proteins (especially...

A Novel Marker Based Method to Teeth Alignment in MRI

Science.gov (United States)

Luukinen, Jean-Marc; Aalto, Daniel; Malinen, Jarmo; Niikuni, Naoko; Saunavaara, Jani; Jääsaari, Päivi; Ojalammi, Antti; Parkkola, Riitta; Soukka, Tero; Happonen, Risto-Pekka

2018-04-01

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can precisely capture the anatomy of the vocal tract. However, the crowns of teeth are not visible in standard MRI scans. In this study, a marker-based teeth alignment method is presented and evaluated. Ten patients undergoing orthognathic surgery were enrolled. Supraglottal airways were imaged preoperatively using structural MRI. MRI visible markers were developed, and they were attached to maxillary teeth and corresponding locations on the dental casts. Repeated measurements of intermarker distances in MRI and in a replica model was compared using linear regression analysis. Dental cast MRI and corresponding caliper measurements did not differ significantly. In contrast, the marker locations in vivo differed somewhat from the dental cast measurements likely due to marker placement inaccuracies. The markers were clearly visible in MRI and allowed for dental models to be aligned to head and neck MRI scans.

In vitro and in vivo applications of tumor markers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chatal, J.F.; Ricolleau, G.; Fumoleau, P.; Vuillez, J.P.H.; Chetanneau, A.; Peltier, P.; Lacroix, H.

1988-01-01

In vitro and in vivo applications of tumor markers are reviewed. Concerning in vitro applications, the following topics are developed: ideal marker criterion; present availability of markers; immunoassay methodology; clinical applications; future prospects (oncogenes). In vivo applications deal with immunoscintigraphy a new imaging technique, different from conventional morphological methods, based on specific recognition of antigenic target and involving many immunologic, hemodynamic and methodologic parameters. These various parameters are presented and clinical applications and future prospects of immunoscintigraphy are evaluated [fr

TLA-marker for wear rate monitoring

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stan-Sion, C.; Plostinaru, D.; Ivan, A.; Catana, M.; Roman, M.

1992-01-01

A very effective and promising method of wear monitoring in industry is the Thin Layer Activation (TLA) method. The main feature of this technique is the creation of thin radioactive layers on the investigated surface by irradiation of the sample with an accelerated ion beam (protons, deuterons, 3-He). In the present paper we describe an extension of the TLA-Method to produce radioactive markers to be implanted into heavy object which can hardly be transported to an accelerator for direct surface activation. The sensitivity of wear measuring is usually 1% of the actual layer thickness. It is obvious that the TLA technique has a sensitivity about two orders of magnitude higher than the activation in the bulk volume, produced in a nuclear reactor. Controlling the activation depth (80 - 250 microns) we produced different marker sets with sensitivities of 1 - 3 microns. The TLA markers were used to measure the wear rate of railway-car brake disks and of the railroad. The measured data were corroborated with other physical parameters of interest. (Author)

TLA-marker for wear rate monitoring

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Stan-Sion, C; Plostinaru, D; Ivan, A [Institute of Atomic Physics, Institute of Physics and Nuclear Engineering, R-76900 Bucharest, P.O.Box MG-6, (Romania); Catana, M; Roman, M [Institute for Research and Design in Transportation, Bucharest, (Romania)

1992-01-01

A very effective and promising method of wear monitoring in industry is the Thin Layer Activation (TLA) method. The main feature of this technique is the creation of thin radioactive layers on the investigated surface by irradiation of the sample with an accelerated ion beam (protons, deuterons, 3-He). In the present paper we describe an extension of the TLA-Method to produce radioactive markers to be implanted into heavy object which can hardly be transported to an accelerator for direct surface activation. The sensitivity of wear measuring is usually 1% of the actual layer thickness. It is obvious that the TLA technique has a sensitivity about two orders of magnitude higher than the activation in the bulk volume, produced in a nuclear reactor. Controlling the activation depth (80 - 250 microns) we produced different marker sets with sensitivities of 1 - 3 microns. The TLA markers were used to measure the wear rate of railway-car brake disks and of the railroad. The measured data were corroborated with other physical parameters of interest. (Author).

Mixed Marker-Based/Marker-Less Visual Odometry System for Mobile Robots

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fabrizio Lamberti

2013-05-01

Full Text Available Abstract When moving in generic indoor environments, robotic platforms generally rely solely on information provided by onboard sensors to determine their position and orientation. However, the lack of absolute references often leads to the introduction of severe drifts in estimates computed, making autonomous operations really hard to accomplish. This paper proposes a solution to alleviate the impact of the above issues by combining two vision-based pose estimation techniques working on relative and absolute coordinate systems, respectively. In particular, the unknown ground features in the images that are captured by the vertical camera of a mobile platform are processed by a vision-based odometry algorithm, which is capable of estimating the relative frame-to-frame movements. Then, errors accumulated in the above step are corrected using artificial markers displaced at known positions in the environment. The markers are framed from time to time, which allows the robot to maintain the drifts bounded by additionally providing it with the navigation commands needed for autonomous flight. Accuracy and robustness of the designed technique are demonstrated using an off-the-shelf quadrotor via extensive experimental tests.

Workplace Re-organization and Changes in Physiological Stress Markers

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Carlsson, Rikke Hinge; Hansen, Åse Marie; Kristiansen, Jesper

2014-01-01

The aim of this study was to investigate changes in physiological stress markers as a consequence of workplace reorganization. Moreover, we aimed to investigate changes in the psychosocial work environment (job strain, effortreward imbalance (ERI), in psychological distress (stress symptoms......, perceived stress) and the mediating effect of these factors on changes in physiological stress markers. We used data from a longitudinal study that studied the health consequences of a major reorganization of non-state public offices executed in Denmark on 1 January 2007. Collection of clinical...... and questionnaire data was in 2006 and 2008, and in this sub-study we included 359 participants. To reflect stress reactions of the autonomic nervous system, the endocrine system and the immune system, we included 13 physiological markers. We observed significant change in several physiological stress markers...

Myostatin as a Marker for Doxorubicin Induced Cardiac Damage.

Science.gov (United States)

Kesik, Vural; Honca, Tevfik; Gulgun, Mustafa; Uysal, Bulent; Kurt, Yasemin Gulcan; Cayci, Tuncer; Babacan, Oguzhan; Gocgeldi, Ercan; Korkmazer, Nadir

2016-01-01

Doxorubicin (DXR) is an effective chemotherapeutic agent but causes severe cardiac failure over known doses. Thus, early detection and prevention of cardiac damage is important. Various markers have been tested for early detection of cardiac damage. Myostatin is a protein produced in skeletal muscle cells inhibits muscle differentiation and growth during myogenesis. We evaluated the role of myostatin as a marker for showing DXR induced cardiac damage and compared with well known cardiac markers like NT-proBNP, hs-TnT and CK in a rat model of chronic DXR cardiotoxicity. Myostatin, NT-proBNP, and hs-TnT but not CK rose significantly during DXR treatment. Myostatin can be used as an early marker of DXR induced cardiotoxicity. © 2016 by the Association of Clinical Scientists, Inc.

Inhibin A and B as markers of menopause

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Overlie, Inger; Mørkrid, Lars; Andersson, Anna-Maria

2005-01-01

A more direct and precise hormonal marker of the menopause has been required for some time. The aim of this study was to identify the most accurate marker of the menopause, based on analyses of inhibin A and B, FSH, LH and estradiol (E(2)), among 59 healthy women without hormonal treatment during...

Systematic evaluation of candidate blood markers for detecting ovarian cancer.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chana Palmer

2008-07-01

Full Text Available Epithelial ovarian cancer is a significant cause of mortality both in the United States and worldwide, due largely to the high proportion of cases that present at a late stage, when survival is extremely poor. Early detection of epithelial ovarian cancer, and of the serous subtype in particular, is a promising strategy for saving lives. The low prevalence of ovarian cancer makes the development of an adequately sensitive and specific test based on blood markers very challenging. We evaluated the performance of a set of candidate blood markers and combinations of these markers in detecting serous ovarian cancer.We selected 14 candidate blood markers of serous ovarian cancer for which assays were available to measure their levels in serum or plasma, based on our analysis of global gene expression data and on literature searches. We evaluated the performance of these candidate markers individually and in combination by measuring them in overlapping sets of serum (or plasma samples from women with clinically detectable ovarian cancer and women without ovarian cancer. Based on sensitivity at high specificity, we determined that 4 of the 14 candidate markers--MUC16, WFDC2, MSLN and MMP7--warrant further evaluation in precious serum specimens collected months to years prior to clinical diagnosis to assess their utility in early detection. We also reported differences in the performance of these candidate blood markers across histological types of epithelial ovarian cancer.By systematically analyzing the performance of candidate blood markers of ovarian cancer in distinguishing women with clinically apparent ovarian cancer from women without ovarian cancer, we identified a set of serum markers with adequate performance to warrant testing for their ability to identify ovarian cancer months to years prior to clinical diagnosis. We argued for the importance of sensitivity at high specificity and of magnitude of difference in marker levels between cases and

Recombinogenic engineering of conjugative plasmids with fluorescent marker cassettes

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Reisner, A.; Molin, Søren; Zechner, E.L.

2002-01-01

An efficient approach for the insertion of fluorescent marker genes with sequence specificity into conjugative plasmids in Escherichia coli is described. For this purpose, homologous recombination of linear double-stranded targeting DNA was mediated by the bacteriophage lambda recombination...... resistance genes and fluorescent markers. The choice of 5' non-homologous extensions in primer pairs used for amplifying the marker cassettes determines the site specificity of the targeting DNA. This methodology is applicable to the modification of all plasmids that replicate in E coli and is not restricted...

Single-Particle Soot Photometer (SP2) Instrument Handbook

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sedlacek, Arthur [Brookhaven National Lab. (BNL), Upton, NY (United States)

2017-02-01

The SP2 is an instrument that measures, in situ, the time-dependent scattering and incandescence signals produced by individual BC-containing particles as they travel through a continuous-wave laser beam. Any particle traversing the laser beam will scatter light, and the BC component of a BC-containing particle will absorb some of the laser energy until its temperature is raised to the point at which it incandesces (hereafter we adopt the standard terminology of the SP2 community and denote any substance determined by the SP2 to be BC as refractory black carbon (rBC)). The amplitude of the rBC incandescence signal is related to the amount of refractory material contained in the illuminated particle. By binning the individual incandescence signals per unit sample volume, the mass concentration [ng/m3] of rBC can be derived. By binning the individual signals by volume equivalent diameter the size distribution (dN/dlogDVED) per unit time can be derived. The rBC mass loading per unit time and the rBC size distribution unit time are the core data products produced by the SP2. Additionally, the scattering channel can be used to provide information on the rBC particle population-based mixing states within ambient aerosols. However, this data product is produced on a requested-basis since additional detailed analysis and QC/QA must be conducted.

PREVALENCE OF HEPATITIS B VIRUS MARKERS IN SURGEONS ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

hi-tech

Objective: To determine the prevalence of hepatitis B virus (HBV) markers in surgeons in a major city in Nigeria. ... Interventions: Blood samples were taken from subjects and analysed for hepatitis B virus markers ( HBsAg, antiHBs and .... Lagos was comparable to those of Romieu et al (10) who found HBsAg seropositivity ...

77 FR 31725 - Safety Zone; Belle Pass Dredge Operations, Belle Pass, Mile Marker 1.0 to Mile Marker (−0.2...

Science.gov (United States)

2012-05-30

... Environmental Health Risks and Safety Risks. This rule is not an economically significant rule and does not create an environmental risk to health or risk to safety that may disproportionately affect children. 11...-AA00 Safety Zone; Belle Pass Dredge Operations, Belle Pass, Mile Marker 1.0 to Mile Marker (-0.2), Port...

Exploration of Disease Markers under Translational Medicine Model

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rajagopal Krishnamoorthy

2015-06-01

Full Text Available Disease markers are defined as the biomarkers with specific characteristics during the general physical, pathological or therapeutic process, the detection of which can inform the progression of present biological process of organisms. However, the exploration of disease markers is complicated and difficult, and only a few markers can be used in clinical practice and there is no significant difference in the mortality of cancers before and after biomarker exploration. Translational medicine focuses on breaking the blockage between basic medicine and clinical practice. In addition, it also establishes an effective association between researchers engaged on basic scientific discovery and clinical physicians well informed of patients' requirements, and gives particular attentions on how to translate the basic molecular biological research to the most effective and appropriate methods for the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of diseases, hoping to translate basic research into the new therapeutic methods in clinic. Therefore, this study mainly summarized the exploration of disease markers under translational medicine model so as to provide a basis for the translation of basic research results into clinical application.

Gliomatosis cerebri: Prognosis based on current molecular markers.

Science.gov (United States)

Maharaj, Monish M; Phan, Kevin; Xu, Joshua; Fairhall, Jacob; Reddy, Rajesh; Rao, Prashanth J V

2017-09-01

This study aims to review the literature and identify key molecular markers affecting the prognosis of Gliomatosis cerebri (2) to evaluate the level of evidence and identify outstanding markers requiring further study. A literature search was conducted across 5 major databases using the key terms: "Molecular markers" AND "Gliomatosis cerebri" OR "diffuse astrocytoma." Critical appraisal and data presentation was performed inline with the PRISMA guidelines. Following search strategy implementation, 11 studies were included in the final review process. Our data demonstrates significant prognostic value associated with IDH1 132H mutation and variable evidence surrounding the role of INA expression, MGMT promoter methylation and other factors. However, there are significant limitations in the level of evidence obtained. As the genetic basis for the pathogenesis of Gliomatosis cerebri continues to widen, there is little data on markers aside from IDH1 mutation available. IDH1 132H mutation has been demonstrated to have significant effect on survival, particularly in patients with Gliomatosis cerebri type 2. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

NEW MARKERS FOR CARDIOVASCULAR RISK: FROM STUDIES TO CLINICAL GUIDELINES

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D. A. Anichkov

2014-11-01

Full Text Available New markers for cardiovascular disease (CVD risk are the subject of an intensive discussion in the scientific literature. The biomarkers (newlipid parameters, inflammatory markers and signs of subclinical atherosclerosis are candidates to be included in models to assess the cumulative risk of CVD. The paper considers the basic studies dealing with new markers of CVD risk and their place in current clinical recommendations.

Evaluation of the use of snowplowable raised pavement markers.

Science.gov (United States)

2009-04-01

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness and durability of snowplowable raised pavement markers (RPM) installed on the RPM system in Kentucky. The durability evaluation dealt wit the marker housing. : The data show that continued...

Advances in plant gene-targeted and functional markers: a review

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Poczai Péter

2013-02-01

Full Text Available Abstract Public genomic databases have provided new directions for molecular marker development and initiated a shift in the types of PCR-based techniques commonly used in plant science. Alongside commonly used arbitrarily amplified DNA markers, other methods have been developed. Targeted fingerprinting marker techniques are based on the well-established practices of arbitrarily amplified DNA methods, but employ novel methodological innovations such as the incorporation of gene or promoter elements in the primers. These markers provide good reproducibility and increased resolution by the concurrent incidence of dominant and co-dominant bands. Despite their promising features, these semi-random markers suffer from possible problems of collision and non-homology analogous to those found with randomly generated fingerprints. Transposable elements, present in abundance in plant genomes, may also be used to generate fingerprints. These markers provide increased genomic coverage by utilizing specific targeted sites and produce bands that mostly seem to be homologous. The biggest drawback with most of these techniques is that prior genomic information about retrotransposons is needed for primer design, prohibiting universal applications. Another class of recently developed methods exploits length polymorphism present in arrays of multi-copy gene families such as cytochrome P450 and β-tubulin genes to provide cross-species amplification and transferability. A specific class of marker makes use of common features of plant resistance genes to generate bands linked to a given phenotype, or to reveal genetic diversity. Conserved DNA-based strategies have limited genome coverage and may fail to reveal genetic diversity, while resistance genes may be under specific evolutionary selection. Markers may also be generated from functional and/or transcribed regions of the genome using different gene-targeting approaches coupled with the use of RNA information

Advances in plant gene-targeted and functional markers: a review

Science.gov (United States)

2013-01-01

Public genomic databases have provided new directions for molecular marker development and initiated a shift in the types of PCR-based techniques commonly used in plant science. Alongside commonly used arbitrarily amplified DNA markers, other methods have been developed. Targeted fingerprinting marker techniques are based on the well-established practices of arbitrarily amplified DNA methods, but employ novel methodological innovations such as the incorporation of gene or promoter elements in the primers. These markers provide good reproducibility and increased resolution by the concurrent incidence of dominant and co-dominant bands. Despite their promising features, these semi-random markers suffer from possible problems of collision and non-homology analogous to those found with randomly generated fingerprints. Transposable elements, present in abundance in plant genomes, may also be used to generate fingerprints. These markers provide increased genomic coverage by utilizing specific targeted sites and produce bands that mostly seem to be homologous. The biggest drawback with most of these techniques is that prior genomic information about retrotransposons is needed for primer design, prohibiting universal applications. Another class of recently developed methods exploits length polymorphism present in arrays of multi-copy gene families such as cytochrome P450 and β-tubulin genes to provide cross-species amplification and transferability. A specific class of marker makes use of common features of plant resistance genes to generate bands linked to a given phenotype, or to reveal genetic diversity. Conserved DNA-based strategies have limited genome coverage and may fail to reveal genetic diversity, while resistance genes may be under specific evolutionary selection. Markers may also be generated from functional and/or transcribed regions of the genome using different gene-targeting approaches coupled with the use of RNA information. Such techniques have the

Molecular Markers and Cotton Genetic Improvement: Current Status and Future Prospects

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Waqas Malik

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Narrow genetic base and complex allotetraploid genome of cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L. is stimulating efforts to avail required polymorphism for marker based breeding. The availability of draft genome sequence of G. raimondii and G. arboreum and next generation sequencing (NGS technologies facilitated the development of high-throughput marker technologies in cotton. The concepts of genetic diversity, QTL mapping, and marker assisted selection (MAS are evolving into more efficient concepts of linkage disequilibrium, association mapping, and genomic selection, respectively. The objective of the current review is to analyze the pace of evolution in the molecular marker technologies in cotton during the last ten years into the following four areas: (i comparative analysis of low- and high-throughput marker technologies available in cotton, (ii genetic diversity in the available wild and improved gene pools of cotton, (iii identification of the genomic regions within cotton genome underlying economic traits, and (iv marker based selection methodologies. Moreover, the applications of marker technologies to enhance the breeding efficiency in cotton are also summarized. Aforementioned genomic technologies and the integration of several other omics resources are expected to enhance the cotton productivity and meet the global fiber quantity and quality demands.

Deficits in Processing Case Markers in Individuals with Aphasia

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Jee Eun Sung

2015-04-01

Individuals with aphasia demonstrated greater difficulties in the case marker assignment compared to their normal control group. Furthermore, noncanonical word-order and passive sentences elicited more errors on the task than canonical and active sentences. Passive sentences were the significant predictors for overall aphasia severity. The results suggested that PWA using a verb-final language with well-developed case-marking systems presented deficits in case marker processing. The syntactic structure and canonicity of word order need to be considered as critical linguistic features in testing their performance on dealing with case markers.

Acute Coronary Syndromes: From The Laboratory Markers To The Coronary Vessels

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Palazzuoli Alberto

2006-01-01

Full Text Available A number of "interesting" risk markers have been proposed as providing prognostic information in acute coronary syndromes (ACS. Elevation in plasma inflammatory and necrosis biomarkers have been related to future cardiovascular events in individuals with or without prior myocardial infarction. Recently BNP and pro-BNP are entered in clinical practice to recognize patients at major risk, providing incremental information respect to the traditional markers. Together with these laboratory indexes, a few of promising laboratory markers once easily available, could become useful in identification of patients at high risk. Several studies evaluated many markers of platelet aggregation, endothelial dysfunction and vascular thrombosis, but it is not yet clear whether each of the proposed markers may provide incremental predictive information. We describe, following the most studies reported in literature, the laboratory markers with potential clinical and prognostic power that could early help physicians in the identifi cation of patients with impaired coronary disease and more narrowed coronary arteries.

Study on de novo collagen biosynthesis and degradation markers of bone

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hanna, L.S.; Matta, T.F.; Ibrahim, I.; Meky, N.H.

2003-01-01

This investigation was carried out to study the performance of de novo biochemical markers of serum pro collagen type-1 amino terminal extension (PINP), as a marker of collagen biosynthesis, and urinary collagen crosslink free deoxypyridinoline (DPD) as a marker of collagen degradation. Moreover, urinary calcium C Ca) and inorganic phosphorus (P), as markers of bone demineralization, in addition to urinary creatinine (Cr), to reflect status of renal function, were also studied in order to assess the activity of bone turnover in osteoporotic (OST), postmenopausal (POST), peri menopausal(PERI), premenopausal (PRE) women and also in young adult (YON) ones. The obtained results showed that urinary creatinine levels were within the normal ranges in all women even in the elderly osteoporotic and postmenopausal women. Serum PINP did not reflect osteoblastic activity. Urinary DPD proved to be a good marker in monitoring the postmenopausal bone resorption and urinary Ca was a reliable marker for bone loss in osteoporosis and bone turnover in the postmenopausal status

Molecular markers for thyroid cancer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Marrero Rodriguez, Maria Teresa; Sinconegui Gomez, Belkys; Cruz Cruz, Anaisa

2015-01-01

The importance of the study of the thyroid nodule lies in excluding the possibility of a malignant lesion because the majority of lesions are benign but there is a malignancy risk of 5 to 10%. Most of them are well differentiated carcinomas originating in the follicular epithelium. In spite of the fact that the majority are benign lesions, distinguishing them from carcinomas is crucial to treatment and adequate follow-up. Fine-needle biopsy allows making the diagnosis in most of cases. However, this method is restricted, particularly when diagnosing follicular lesions. In an effort to improve the diagnostic accuracy of biopsy and to provide new diagnosing criteria, a number of molecular markers have been put forward, some of which has wide range of approval whereas others still awaits to be validated for further implementation. This article presented an updated review of molecular markers with higher number of evidence, more accessible and potentially usable from a methodological viewpoint for diagnosis of the thyroid nodule before surgery. The importance of the study of the thyroid nodule lies in excluding the possibility of a malignant lesion because the majority of lesions are benign but there is a malignancy risk of 5 to 10%. Most of them are well differentiated carcinomas originating in the follicular epithelium. In spite of the fact that the majority are benign lesions, distinguishing them from carcinomas is crucial to treatment and adequate follow-up. Fine-needle biopsy allows making the diagnosis in most of cases. However, this method is restricted, particularly when diagnosing follicular lesions. In an effort to improve the diagnostic accuracy of biopsy and to provide new diagnosing criteria, a number of molecular markers have been put forward, some of which has wide range of approval whereas others still awaits to be validated for further implementation. This article presented an updated review of molecular markers with higher number of evidence, more

From Subordinate Marker to Discourse Marker: que in Andean Spanish

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Anna María Escobar

2005-06-01

Full Text Available This paper proposes an analysis of a redundant use of que ('that' found in Andean Spanish as an expression which has undergone a grammaticalization process. Evidence suggests that the function of que as subordinate marker is much more generalized in this variety than in other dialects of Spanish. que is found to be used as a marker introducing both nominal and adjectival clauses, suggesting that adjectival subordinates behave as nominal subordinates in this variety of Spanish. An intrusive que appears in restricted syntactic and semantic contexts with clauses that have nominal and adjectival functions, and even appears replacing adverbial expressions in some adverbial subordinates (temporal, spatial, and manner. Furthermore, it is found to be sensitive to the degree of the argument’s thematic/semantic function in the subordinate clause. In particular, it seems to occur more often with low-agency arguments in adjectival and nominal contexts, and, in nominal subordinates, tends to appear with a restricted set of epistemic and evidential main verbs (e.g. creer 'to believe', saber 'to know', decir 'to say'. The analysis suggests that que has developed a new function in this variety of Spanish, namely, one of indicating that the information contained in the subordinate clause does not constitute background information (as would be expected in non-contact varieties of Spanish but instead contains information relevant to the discourse.

Molecular markers shared by diverse apomictic Pennisetum species.

Science.gov (United States)

Lubbers, E L; Arthur, L; Hanna, W W; Ozias-Akins, P

1994-11-01

Two molecular markers, a RAPD (randomly amplified polymorphic DNA) and a RFLP/STS (restriction fragment length polymorphism/sequence-tagged site), previously were found associated with apomictic reproductive behavior in a backcross population produced to transfer apomixis from Pennisetum squamulatum to pearl millet. The occurrence of these molecular markers in a range of 29 accessions of Pennisetum comprising 11 apomictic and 8 sexual species was investigated. Both markers were specific for apomictic species in Pennisetum. The RFLP/STS marker, UGT 197, was found to be associated with all taxa that displayed apomictic reproductive behavior except those in section Brevivalvula. Neither UGT197 nor the cloned RAPD fragment OPC-04600 hybridized with any sexually reproducing representatives of the genus. The cloned C04600 was associated with 3 of the 11 apomictic species, P. ciliare, P. massaicum, and P. squamulatum. UGT197 was more consistently associated with apomictic reproductive behavior than OPC04600 or cloned C04600, thus it could be inferred that UGT197 is more closely linked to the gene(s) for apomixis than the cloned C04600. The successful use of these probes to survey other Pennisetum species indicates that apomixis is a trait that can be followed across species by using molecular means. This technique of surveying species within a genus will be useful in determining the relative importance of newly isolated markers and may facilitate the identification of the apomixis gene(s).

Selection processes in a citrus hybrid population using RAPD markers

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Oliveira Roberto Pedroso de

2003-01-01

Full Text Available The objective of this work was to evaluate the processes of selection in a citrus hybrid population using segregation analysis of RAPD markers. The segregation of 123 RAPD markers between 'Cravo' mandarin (Citrus reticulata Blanco and 'Pêra' sweet orange (C. sinensis (L. Osbeck was analysed in a F1 progeny of 94 hybrids. Genetic composition, diversity, heterozygosity, differences in chromosomal structure and the presence of deleterious recessive genes are discussed based on the segregation ratios obtained. A high percentage of markers had a skeweness of the 1:1 expected segregation ratio in the F1 population. Many markers showed a 3:1 segregation ratio in both varieties and 1:3 in 'Pêra' sweet orange, probably due to directional selection processes. The distribution analysis of the frequencies of the segregant markers in a hybrid population is a simple method which allows a better understanding of the genetics of citrus group.

Determination of molecular markers associated with anthesis-silking interval in maize

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Simpson, J.

1998-01-01

Maize lines contrasting in anthesis-silking, interval (ASI), a trait strongly linked to drought tolerance, have been analyzed under different water stress conditions in the field and with molecular markers. Correlation of marker and field data has revealed molecular markers strongly associated with flowering and yield traits. (author)

Conserved Nonexonic Elements: A Novel Class of Marker for Phylogenomics.

Science.gov (United States)

Edwards, Scott V; Cloutier, Alison; Baker, Allan J

2017-11-01

Noncoding markers have a particular appeal as tools for phylogenomic analysis because, at least in vertebrates, they appear less subject to strong variation in GC content among lineages. Thus far, ultraconserved elements (UCEs) and introns have been the most widely used noncoding markers. Here we analyze and study the evolutionary properties of a new type of noncoding marker, conserved nonexonic elements (CNEEs), which consists of noncoding elements that are estimated to evolve slower than the neutral rate across a set of species. Although they often include UCEs, CNEEs are distinct from UCEs because they are not ultraconserved, and, most importantly, the core region alone is analyzed, rather than both the core and its flanking regions. Using a data set of 16 birds plus an alligator outgroup, and ∼3600-∼3800 loci per marker type, we found that although CNEEs were less variable than bioinformatically derived UCEs or introns and in some cases exhibited a slower approach to branch resolution as determined by phylogenomic subsampling, the quality of CNEE alignments was superior to those of the other markers, with fewer gaps and missing species. Phylogenetic resolution using coalescent approaches was comparable among the three marker types, with most nodes being fully and congruently resolved. Comparison of phylogenetic results across the three marker types indicated that one branch, the sister group to the passerine + falcon clade, was resolved differently and with moderate (>70%) bootstrap support between CNEEs and UCEs or introns. Overall, CNEEs appear to be promising as phylogenomic markers, yielding phylogenetic resolution as high as for UCEs and introns but with fewer gaps, less ambiguity in alignments and with patterns of nucleotide substitution more consistent with the assumptions of commonly used methods of phylogenetic analysis. © The Author(s) 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Systematic Biologists.

Clinical application and research of tumor markers in colorectal cancer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen Yumei

2005-01-01

Colorectal cancer is one of the most common malignant tumors. There are many tumor markers for detecting colorectal cancer, some of which have been widely used in clinical area. However, still lack an ideal tumor marker of colorectal cancer. In this review, we simply characterized some common tumor markers including carcinoembryonic antigen, CA19-9, CA50, CA242 etc and their dignostic value. And here we discussed some combined detecting procedures which improve diagnostic accuracy of colorectal cancer. In addition, with the development of the biomoleculer technique, some newly discovered tumor markers and genetic marekers have gained great progress in the research of colorectal cancer, and will become a promissing technique in the diagnosis of colorectal cancer. (authors)

Development and validation of new SSR markers from expressed regions in the garlic genome

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Meryem Ipek

2015-02-01

Full Text Available Only a limited number of simple sequence repeat (SSR markers is available for the genome of garlic (Allium sativum L. despite the fact that SSR markers have become one of the most preferred DNA marker systems. To develop new SSR markers for the garlic genome, garlic expressed sequence tags (ESTs at the publicly available GarlicEST database were screened for SSR motifs and a total of 132 SSR motifs were identified. Primer pairs were designed for 50 SSR motifs and 24 of these primer pairs were selected as SSR markers based on their consistent amplification patterns and polymorphisms. In addition, two SSR markers were developed from the sequences of garlic cDNA-AFLP fragments. The use of 26 EST-SSR markers for the assessment of genetic relationship was tested using 31 garlic genotypes. Twenty six EST-SSR markers amplified 130 polymorphic DNA fragments and the number of polymorphic alleles per SSR marker ranged from 2 to 13 with an average of 5 alleles. Observed heterozygosity and polymorphism information content (PIC of the SSR markers were between 0.23 and 0.88, and 0.20 and 0.87, respectively. Twenty one out of the 31 garlic genotypes were analyzed in a previous study using AFLP markers and the garlic genotypes clustered together with AFLP markers were also grouped together with EST-SSR markers demonstrating high concordance between AFLP and EST-SSR marker systems and possible immediate application of EST-SSR markers for fingerprinting of garlic clones. EST-SSR markers could be used in genetic studies such as genetic mapping, association mapping, genetic diversity and comparison of the genomes of Allium species.

Development of DArT-based PCR markers for selecting drought-tolerant spring barley.

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Fiust, Anna; Rapacz, Marcin; Wójcik-Jagła, Magdalena; Tyrka, Mirosław

2015-08-01

The tolerance of spring barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) cultivars to spring drought is an important agronomic trait affecting crop yield and quality in Poland. Therefore, breeders require new molecular markers to select plants with lower spring drought susceptibility. With the advent of genomic selection technology, simple molecular tools may still be applicable to screen material for markers of the most important traits and in-depth genome scanning. In previous studies, diversity arrays technology (DArT)-based genetic maps were constructed for F2 populations of Polish fodder and malt barley elite breeding lines, and 15 and 18 quantitative trait loci (QTLs) related to spring drought tolerance were identified, respectively. In this paper, we show the results of a conversion of 30 DArT markers corresponding to 11 QTLs into simple sequence repeat (SSR) and sequence tagged site (STS) markers. Twenty-two polymorphic markers were obtained, including 13 DArT-based SSRs. Additionally, 31 SSR markers, located in close proximity to the DArT markers, were selected from the GrainGenes database and tested. Further analyses of 24 advanced breeding lines with different drought tolerances confirmed that five out of the 30 converted markers, as well as three out of the 31 additional SSR markers, were effective in marker-assisted selection for drought tolerance. The possible function of clones related to these markers in drought tolerance is discussed.

The efficiency of mitochondrial DNA markers in constructing genetic ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The efficiency of mitochondrial DNA markers in constructing genetic relationship among Oryx species. ... These data were used to provide the genetic kinship among different Oryx species. The complete cytochrome b gene ... Key words: Conservation, endangered species, Oryx, mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) markers.

Evaluation of liver marker enzymes and biochemical indices of ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Liver marker enzymes, total protein, amylase and glucose were evaluated in alloxan-induced diabetic wistar rats treated with aqueous extract of Pennisetum purpureum. The liver marker enzymes evaluated were alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST). Sixteen wistar rats were grouped into ...

Radiation exposure in the use of camping gas lamps

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Elmer, E.

1985-01-01

The gas lamps used during camping are provided with so-called incandescent hood. To increase the luminous power, they include an average of 330 mg of thorium oxide (Th-nat), which corresponds to an overall activity of about 36 nCi (1.3 kBq). The assessment of radiological risks of campers showed that the radiation doses from external irradiation or ingestion of the existing activity may be neglected. However, special attention must be given to inhalation because the incandescent hood embrittles after while and in the course of replacement may fall to dust which might be breathed in. A person who replaces the hood carelessly twice can reach the maximum permissible annual inhalation rate (=1 nCi Th-nat) this way. This also applies to the maximum permissible surface contamination. In Switzerland, thorium incandescent hood may only be sold for general use on the condition that the purchaser is instructed by a notice how to replacement is to be made to avoid dust. (orig./HP) [de

Brief report: benchmarking human pluripotent stem cell markers during differentiation into the three germ layers unveils a striking heterogeneity: all markers are not equal.

Science.gov (United States)

Ramirez, Jean-Marie; Gerbal-Chaloin, Sabine; Milhavet, Ollivier; Qiang, Bai; Becker, Fabienne; Assou, Said; Lemaître, Jean-Marc; Hamamah, Samir; De Vos, John

2011-09-01

Pluripotent stem cells (PSC) are functionally characterized by their capacity to differentiate into all the cell types from the three germ layers. A wide range of markers, the expression of which is associated with pluripotency, has been used as surrogate evidence of PSC pluripotency, but their respective relevance is poorly documented. Here, we compared by polychromatic flow cytometry the kinetics of loss of expression of eight widely used pluripotency markers (SSEA3, SSEA4, TRA-1-60, TRA-1-81, CD24, OCT4, NANOG, and alkaline phosphatase [AP]) at days 0, 5, 7, and 9 after induction of PSC differentiation into cells representative of the three germ layers. Strikingly, each marker showed a different and specific kinetics of disappearance that was similar in all the PSC lines used and for all the induced differentiation pathways. OCT4, SSEA3, and TRA-1-60 were repeatedly the first markers to be downregulated, and their expression was completely lost at day 9. By contrast, AP activity, CD24, and NANOG proteins were still detectable at day 9. In addition, we show that differentiation markers are coexpressed with pluripotency markers before the latter begin to disappear. These results suggest that OCT4, SSEA3, and TRA-1-60 might be better to trace in vitro the emergence of pluripotent cells during reprogramming. Copyright © 2011 AlphaMed Press.

Carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) as tumor marker in lung cancer

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Knudsen, Mie Grunnet; Sorensen, J B

2012-01-01

The use of CEA as a prognostic and predictive marker in patients with lung cancer is widely debated. The aim of this review was to evaluate the results from studies made on this subject. Using the search words "CEA", "tumor markers in lung cancer", "prognostic significance", "diagnostic...... significance" and "predictive significance", a search was carried out on PubMed. Exclusion criteria was articles never published in English, articles before 1981 and articles evaluating tumor markers in lung cancer not involving CEA. Initially 217 articles were found, and 34 were left after selecting those...... relevant for the present study. Four of these included both Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC) and Small Cell Lung Cancer (SCLC) patients, and 31 dealt solely with NSCLC patients. Regarding SCLC no studies showed that serum level of CEA was a prognostic marker for overall survival (OS). The use of CEA...

Molecular markers for urothelial bladder cancer prognosis: toward implementation in clinical practice.

Science.gov (United States)

van Rhijn, Bas W G; Catto, James W; Goebell, Peter J; Knüchel, Ruth; Shariat, Shahrokh F; van der Poel, Henk G; Sanchez-Carbayo, Marta; Thalmann, George N; Schmitz-Dräger, Bernd J; Kiemeney, Lambertus A

2014-10-01

To summarize the current status of clinicopathological and molecular markers for the prediction of recurrence or progression or both in non-muscle-invasive and survival in muscle-invasive urothelial bladder cancer, to address the reproducibility of pathology and molecular markers, and to provide directions toward implementation of molecular markers in future clinical decision making. Immunohistochemistry, gene signatures, and FGFR3-based molecular grading were used as molecular examples focussing on prognostics and issues related to robustness of pathological and molecular assays. The role of molecular markers to predict recurrence is limited, as clinical variables are currently more important. The prediction of progression and survival using molecular markers holds considerable promise. Despite a plethora of prognostic (clinical and molecular) marker studies, reproducibility of pathology and molecular assays has been understudied, and lack of reproducibility is probably the main reason that individual prediction of disease outcome is currently not reliable. Molecular markers are promising to predict progression and survival, but not recurrence. However, none of these are used in the daily clinical routine because of reproducibility issues. Future studies should focus on reproducibility of marker assessment and consistency of study results by incorporating scoring systems to reduce heterogeneity of reporting. This may ultimately lead to incorporation of molecular markers in clinical practice. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

How to measure separation and angles between inter-molecular fluorescent markers

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Flyvbjerg, Henrik

Structure and function of an individual biomolecule can be explored with minimum two fluorescent markers of different colors. Since the light of such markers can be spec- trally separated and imaged simultaneously, the markers can be colocalized. Here, we describe the method used for such two......-color colocalization microscopy. Then we extend it to fluorescent markers with fixed orientations and in intramolecular proximity. Our benchmarking of this extension produced two extra results: (a) we established short double-labeled DNA molecules as probes of 3D orientation of anything to which one can attach them...

Development and characterization of polymorphic microsatellite markers in Dysosma pleiantha (Berberidaceae).

Science.gov (United States)

Guan, Bi-Cai; Gong, Xi; Zhou, Shi-Liang

2011-08-01

The development of compound microsatellite markers was conducted in Dysosma pleiantha to investigate genetic diversity and population genetic structure of this threatened medicinal plant. Using the compound microsatellite marker technique, 14 microsatellite markers that were successfully amplified showed polymorphism when tested on 38 individuals from three populations in eastern China. Overall, the number of alleles per locus ranged from 2 to 14, with an average of 7.71 alleles per locus. These results indicate that these microsatellite markers are adequate for detecting and characterizing population genetic structure and genetic diversity in Dysosma pleiantha.

Explicit or Implicit Instruction of Metadiscourse Markers and Writing Skill Improvement

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Ahmad Yaghoubi

2014-07-01

Full Text Available The current study is an attempt to investigate the explicit or the implicit instruction of metadiscourse markers and the writing skill improvement. The participants of the study (N = 90 were female Iranian students at Kish Institute of Science and Technology. Two experimental groups were defined in this study: experimental group “A” which received the explicit instruction of metadiscourse markers and experimental group “B” which were taught implicitly based on Hyland’s (2005 classification of metadiscourse markers. Two instruments were employed in the study: a pretest and a posttest. To elicit the pertinent data, the participants were given a pretest of writing ability to investigate if the learners had knowledge regarding the correct application of ‎metadiscourse markers in their writing. After 8-session treatment, a posttest was administered to compare the participants’ performance in use of matediscourse markers. The findings of the present study indicated that there was a significant difference in the participants’ pretest and posttest writing scores with regard to the application of metadiscourse markers. The findings revealed that metadiscourse instruction had a positive effect on the learners’ writing. In addition, the results showed that both the explicit and the implicit instruction of metadiscourse markers significantly improved participants’ writing ability.

High-throughput development of genome-wide locus-specific informative SSR markers in wheat

Science.gov (United States)

Although simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers are not new, they are still useful and often used markers in molecular mapping and marker-assisted breeding, particularly in developing countries. However, locus-specific SSR markers could be more useful and informative in wheat breeding and genetic stud...

Differential marker expression by cultures rich in mesenchymal stem cells

Science.gov (United States)

2013-01-01

Background Mesenchymal stem cells have properties that make them amenable to therapeutic use. However, the acceptance of mesenchymal stem cells in clinical practice requires standardized techniques for their specific isolation. To date, there are no conclusive marker (s) for the exclusive isolation of mesenchymal stem cells. Our aim was to identify markers differentially expressed between mesenchymal stem cell and non-stem cell mesenchymal cell cultures. We compared and contrasted the phenotype of tissue cultures in which mesenchymal stem cells are rich and rare. By initially assessing mesenchymal stem cell differentiation, we established that bone marrow and breast adipose cultures are rich in mesenchymal stem cells while, in our hands, foreskin fibroblast and olfactory tissue cultures contain rare mesenchymal stem cells. In particular, olfactory tissue cells represent non-stem cell mesenchymal cells. Subsequently, the phenotype of the tissue cultures were thoroughly assessed using immuno-fluorescence, flow-cytometry, proteomics, antibody arrays and qPCR. Results Our analysis revealed that all tissue cultures, regardless of differentiation potential, demonstrated remarkably similar phenotypes. Importantly, it was also observed that common mesenchymal stem cell markers, and fibroblast-associated markers, do not discriminate between mesenchymal stem cell and non-stem cell mesenchymal cell cultures. Examination and comparison of the phenotypes of mesenchymal stem cell and non-stem cell mesenchymal cell cultures revealed three differentially expressed markers – CD24, CD108 and CD40. Conclusion We indicate the importance of establishing differential marker expression between mesenchymal stem cells and non-stem cell mesenchymal cells in order to determine stem cell specific markers. PMID:24304471

Informative genomic microsatellite markers for efficient genotyping applications in sugarcane.

Science.gov (United States)

Parida, Swarup K; Kalia, Sanjay K; Kaul, Sunita; Dalal, Vivek; Hemaprabha, G; Selvi, Athiappan; Pandit, Awadhesh; Singh, Archana; Gaikwad, Kishor; Sharma, Tilak R; Srivastava, Prem Shankar; Singh, Nagendra K; Mohapatra, Trilochan

2009-01-01

Genomic microsatellite markers are capable of revealing high degree of polymorphism. Sugarcane (Saccharum sp.), having a complex polyploid genome requires more number of such informative markers for various applications in genetics and breeding. With the objective of generating a large set of microsatellite markers designated as Sugarcane Enriched Genomic MicroSatellite (SEGMS), 6,318 clones from genomic libraries of two hybrid sugarcane cultivars enriched with 18 different microsatellite repeat-motifs were sequenced to generate 4.16 Mb high-quality sequences. Microsatellites were identified in 1,261 of the 5,742 non-redundant clones that accounted for 22% enrichment of the libraries. Retro-transposon association was observed for 23.1% of the identified microsatellites. The utility of the microsatellite containing genomic sequences were demonstrated by higher primer designing potential (90%) and PCR amplification efficiency (87.4%). A total of 1,315 markers including 567 class I microsatellite markers were designed and placed in the public domain for unrestricted use. The level of polymorphism detected by these markers among sugarcane species, genera, and varieties was 88.6%, while cross-transferability rate was 93.2% within Saccharum complex and 25% to cereals. Cloning and sequencing of size variant amplicons revealed that the variation in the number of repeat-units was the main source of SEGMS fragment length polymorphism. High level of polymorphism and wide range of genetic diversity (0.16-0.82 with an average of 0.44) assayed with the SEGMS markers suggested their usefulness in various genotyping applications in sugarcane.

Using AFLP markers and the Geneland program for the inference of population genetic structure

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Guillot, Gilles; Santos, Filipe

2010-01-01

the computer program Geneland designed to infer population structure has been adapted to deal with dominant markers; and (ii) we use Geneland for numerical comparison of dominant and codominant markers to perform clustering. AFLP markers lead to less accurate results than bi-allelic codominant markers...... such as single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) markers but this difference becomes negligible for data sets of common size (number of individuals n≥100, number of markers L≥200). The latest Geneland version (3.2.1) handling dominant markers is freely available as an R package with a fully clickable graphical...

SYTO probes: markers of apoptotic cell demise.

Science.gov (United States)

Wlodkowic, Donald; Skommer, Joanna

2007-10-01

As mechanistic studies on tumor cell death advance towards their ultimate translational goal, there is a need for specific, rapid, and high-throughput analytical tools to detect diverse cell demise modes. Patented DNA-binding SYTO probes, for example, are gaining increasing interest as easy-to-use markers of caspase-dependent apoptotic cell death. They are proving convenient for tracking apoptosis in diverse hematopoietic cell lines and primary tumor samples, and, due to their spectral characteristics, appear to be useful for the development of multiparameter flow cytometry assays. Herein, several protocols for multiparametric assessment of apoptotic events using SYTO probes are provided. There are protocols describing the use of green fluorescent SYTO 16 and red fluorescent SYTO 17 dyes in combination with plasma membrane permeability markers. Another protocol highlights the multiparametric use of SYTO 16 dye in conjunction with the mitochondrial membrane potential sensitive probe, tetramethylrhodamine methyl ester (TMRM), and the plasma membrane permeability marker, 7-aminoactinomycin D (7-AAD).

Microsatellite markers for the native Texas perennial grass, Panicum hallii (Poaceae).

Science.gov (United States)

Lowry, David B; Purmal, Colin T; Meyer, Eli; Juenger, Thomas E

2012-03-01

We developed microsatellites for Panicum hallii for studies of gene flow, population structure, breeding experiments, and genetic mapping. Next-generation (454) genomic sequence data were used to design markers. Eighteen robust markers were discovered, 15 of which were polymorphic across six accessions of P. hallii var. hallii. Fourteen of the markers cross-amplified in a P. capillare accession. For the 15 polymorphic markers, the total number of alleles per locus ranged from two to 26 (mean: 11.0) across six populations (11-19 individuals per population). Observed heterozygosity (mean: 0.031) was 13.7 times lower than the expected heterozygosity (mean: 0.426). The deficit of heterozygous individuals is consistent with P. hallii having a high rate of self-fertilization. These markers will be useful for studies in P. hallii and related species.

EasyClone-MarkerFree

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Fabre, Mathew Malcolm Jessop; Jakociunas, Tadas; Stovicek, Vratislav

2016-01-01

Clone-MarkerFree. The integration of linearized expression cassettes into defined genomic loci is facilitated by CRISPR/Cas9. Cas9 is recruited to the chromosomal location by specific guide RNAs (gRNAs) expressed from a set of gRNA helper vectors. Using our genome engineering vector suite, single and triple insertions are obtained...

The Swift Turbidity Marker

Science.gov (United States)

Omar, Ahmad Fairuz; MatJafri, Mohd Zubir

2011-01-01

The Swift Turbidity Marker is an optical instrument developed to measure the level of water turbidity. The components and configuration selected for the system are based on common turbidity meter design concepts but use a simplified methodology to produce rapid turbidity measurements. This work is aimed at high school physics students and is the…

Nanoparticle-assay marker interaction: effects on nanotoxicity assessment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhao, Xinxin; Xiong, Sijing; Huang, Liwen Charlotte; Ng, Kee Woei; Loo, Say Chye Joachim

2015-01-01

Protein-based cytotoxicity assays such as lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) are commonly used in cytotoxic evaluation of nanoparticles (NPs) despite numerous reports on possible interactions with protein markers in these assays that can confound the results obtained. In this study, conventional cytotoxicity assays where assay markers may (LDH and TNF- α) or may not (PicoGreen and WST-8) come into contact with NPs were used to evaluate the cytotoxicity of NPs. The findings revealed selective interactions between negatively charged protein assay markers (LDH and TNF- α) and positively charged ZnO NPs under abiotic conditions. The adsorption and interaction with these protein assay markers were strongly influenced by surface charge, concentration, and specific surface area of the NPs, thereby resulting in less than accurate cytotoxic measurements, as observed from actual cell viability measurements. An improved protocol for LDH assay was, therefore, proposed and validated by eliminating any effects associated with protein–particle interactions. In view of this, additional measures and precautions should be taken when evaluating cytotoxicity of NPs with standard protein-based assays, particularly when they are of opposite charges

Nanoparticle-assay marker interaction: effects on nanotoxicity assessment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhao, Xinxin; Xiong, Sijing; Huang, Liwen Charlotte; Ng, Kee Woei, E-mail: kwng@ntu.edu.sg; Loo, Say Chye Joachim, E-mail: joachimloo@ntu.edu.sg [Nanyang Technological University, School of Materials Science and Engineering (Singapore)

2015-01-15

Protein-based cytotoxicity assays such as lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) are commonly used in cytotoxic evaluation of nanoparticles (NPs) despite numerous reports on possible interactions with protein markers in these assays that can confound the results obtained. In this study, conventional cytotoxicity assays where assay markers may (LDH and TNF- α) or may not (PicoGreen and WST-8) come into contact with NPs were used to evaluate the cytotoxicity of NPs. The findings revealed selective interactions between negatively charged protein assay markers (LDH and TNF- α) and positively charged ZnO NPs under abiotic conditions. The adsorption and interaction with these protein assay markers were strongly influenced by surface charge, concentration, and specific surface area of the NPs, thereby resulting in less than accurate cytotoxic measurements, as observed from actual cell viability measurements. An improved protocol for LDH assay was, therefore, proposed and validated by eliminating any effects associated with protein–particle interactions. In view of this, additional measures and precautions should be taken when evaluating cytotoxicity of NPs with standard protein-based assays, particularly when they are of opposite charges.

Nanoparticle-assay marker interaction: effects on nanotoxicity assessment

Science.gov (United States)

Zhao, Xinxin; Xiong, Sijing; Huang, Liwen Charlotte; Ng, Kee Woei; Loo, Say Chye Joachim

2015-01-01

Protein-based cytotoxicity assays such as lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) are commonly used in cytotoxic evaluation of nanoparticles (NPs) despite numerous reports on possible interactions with protein markers in these assays that can confound the results obtained. In this study, conventional cytotoxicity assays where assay markers may (LDH and TNF- α) or may not (PicoGreen and WST-8) come into contact with NPs were used to evaluate the cytotoxicity of NPs. The findings revealed selective interactions between negatively charged protein assay markers (LDH and TNF- α) and positively charged ZnO NPs under abiotic conditions. The adsorption and interaction with these protein assay markers were strongly influenced by surface charge, concentration, and specific surface area of the NPs, thereby resulting in less than accurate cytotoxic measurements, as observed from actual cell viability measurements. An improved protocol for LDH assay was, therefore, proposed and validated by eliminating any effects associated with protein-particle interactions. In view of this, additional measures and precautions should be taken when evaluating cytotoxicity of NPs with standard protein-based assays, particularly when they are of opposite charges.

Microsatellite markers of water buffalo, Bubalus bubalis - development, characterisation and linkage disequilibrium studies

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vaidhegi R

2009-10-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Microsatellite markers are highly polymorphic and widely used in genome mapping and population genetic studies in livestock species. River buffalo, Bubalus bubalis is an economically important livestock species, though only a limited number of microsatellite markers have been reported thus far in this species. Results In the present study, using two different approaches 571 microsatellite markers have been characterized for water buffalo. Of the 571 microsatellite markers, 498 were polymorphic with average heterozygosity of 0.51 on a panel of 24 unrelated buffalo. Fisher exact test was used to detect LD between the marker pairs. Among the 137550 pairs of marker combination, 14.58% pairs showed significant LD (P Conclusion The high conservation of cattle microsatellite loci in water buffalo promises the usefulness of the cattle microsatellites markers on buffalo. The polymorphic markers characterised in this study will contribute to genetic linkage and radiation hybrid mapping of water buffalo and population genetic studies.

Micrologie de Chris Marker

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nicolas Geneix

2009-10-01

Full Text Available Abstract (E: Using "micrology", as set out by Adorno in Negative Dialectics, this paper tries to
characterize a central feature of Chris Marker's approach, as iconographer and writer, namely the way
in which he explores the echoes of history and culture in the singularity and rarity of the documentary.
As traveller and photographer he catches and collects microcosmic fragments, tying them up and
editing them in the various frames of the book, the film or the new media.
Abstract (F: En s'appuyant sur la "micrologie" proposée par Adorno dans la Dialectique négative,
cet article tente de caractériser un aspect de la démarche de Chris Marker, iconographe et écrivain.
C'est en effet dans le singulier et la rareté documentaires que ce cinéaste sonde des échos historiques et
culturels. Voyageur et photographe, il saisit et collectionne des fragments microcosmiques, les liant et
les montant dans les cadres divers du livre, du film et des nouveaux médias.

Review of functional markers for improving cooking, eating, and the nutritional qualities of rice

Science.gov (United States)

Lau, Wendy C. P.; Rafii, Mohd Y.; Ismail, Mohd R.; Puteh, Adam; Latif, Mohammad A.; Ramli, Asfaliza

2015-01-01

After yield, quality is one of the most important aspects of rice breeding. Preference for rice quality varies among cultures and regions; therefore, rice breeders have to tailor the quality according to the preferences of local consumers. Rice quality assessment requires routine chemical analysis procedures. The advancement of molecular marker technology has revolutionized the strategy in breeding programs. The availability of rice genome sequences and the use of forward and reverse genetics approaches facilitate gene discovery and the deciphering of gene functions. A well-characterized gene is the basis for the development of functional markers, which play an important role in plant genotyping and, in particular, marker-assisted breeding. In addition, functional markers offer advantages that counteract the limitations of random DNA markers. Some functional markers have been applied in marker-assisted breeding programs and have successfully improved rice quality to meet local consumers’ preferences. Although functional markers offer a plethora of advantages over random genetic markers, the development and application of functional markers should be conducted with care. The decreasing cost of sequencing will enable more functional markers for rice quality improvement to be developed, and application of these markers in rice quality breeding programs is highly anticipated. PMID:26528304

An overview of molecular marker methods for plants | Semagn ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The development and use of molecular markers for the detection and exploitation of DNA polymorphism is one of the most significant developments in the field of molecular genetics. The presence of various types of molecular markers, and differences in their principles, methodologies, and applications require careful ...

(SNP) markers for the Chinese black sleeper, Bostrychus sinensis

African Journals Online (AJOL)

We characterized 11 single nucleotide ploymorphism (SNP) markers for the Chinese black sleeper, Bostrychus sinensis. These markers were isolated from a genomic library and tested in ten geographically distant individuals of B. sinensis. Polymorphisms of these SNP loci were assessed using a wild population including ...

Lagrangian numerical techniques for modelling multicomponent flow in the presence of large viscosity contrasts: Markers-in-bulk versus Markers-in-chain

Science.gov (United States)

Mulyukova, Elvira; Dabrowski, Marcin; Steinberger, Bernhard

2015-04-01

Many problems in geodynamic applications may be described as viscous flow of chemically heterogeneous materials. Examples include subduction of compositionally stratified lithospheric plates, folding of rheologically layered rocks, and thermochemical convection of the Earth's mantle. The associated time scales are significantly shorter than that of chemical diffusion, which justifies the commonly featured phenomena in geodynamic flow models termed contact discontinuities. These are spatially sharp interfaces separating regions of different material properties. Numerical modelling of advection of fields with sharp interfaces is challenging. Typical errors include numerical diffusion, which arises due to the repeated action of numerical interpolation. Mathematically, a material field can be represented by discrete indicator functions, whose values are interpreted as logical statements (e.g. whether or not the location is occupied by a given material). Interpolation of a discrete function boils down to determining where in the intermediate node-positions one material ends, and the other begins. The numerical diffusion error thus manifests itself as an erroneous location of the material-interface. Lagrangian advection-schemes are known to be less prone to numerical diffusion errors, compared to their Eulerian counterparts. The tracer-ratio method, where Lagrangian markers are used to discretize the bulk of materials filling the entire domain, is a popular example of such methods. The Stokes equation in this case is solved on a separate, static grid, and in order to do it - material properties must be interpolated from the markers to the grid. This involves the difficulty related to interpolation of discrete fields. The material distribution, and thus material-properties like viscosity and density, seen by the grid is polluted by the interpolation error, which enters the solution of the momentum equation. Errors due to the uncertainty of interface-location can be

Real-time tumor tracking using implanted positron emission markers: Concept and simulation study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Xu Tong; Wong, Jerry T.; Shikhaliev, Polad M.; Ducote, Justin L.; Al-Ghazi, Muthana S.; Molloi, Sabee

2006-01-01

The delivery accuracy of radiation therapy for pulmonary and abdominal tumors suffers from tumor motion due to respiration. Respiratory gating should be applied to avoid the use of a large target volume margin that results in a substantial dose to the surrounding normal tissue. Precise respiratory gating requires the exact spatial position of the tumor to be determined in real time during treatment. Usually, fiducial markers are implanted inside or next to the tumor to provide both accurate patient setup and real-time tumor tracking. However, current tumor tracking systems require either substantial x-ray exposure to the patient or large fiducial markers that limit the value of their application for pulmonary tumors. We propose a real-time tumor tracking system using implanted positron emission markers (PeTrack). Each marker will be labeled with low activity positron emitting isotopes, such as 124 I, 74 As, or 84 Rb. These isotopes have half-lives comparable to the duration of radiation therapy (from a few days to a few weeks). The size of the proposed PeTrack marker will be 0.5-0.8 mm, which is approximately one-half the size of markers currently employed in other techniques. By detecting annihilation gammas using position-sensitive detectors, multiple positron emission markers can be tracked in real time. A multimarker localization algorithm was developed using an Expectation-Maximization clustering technique. A Monte Carlo simulation model was developed for the PeTrack system. Patient dose, detector sensitivity, and scatter fraction were evaluated. Depending on the isotope, the lifetime dose from a 3.7 MBq PeTrack marker was determined to be 0.7-5.0 Gy at 10 mm from the marker. At the center of the field of view (FOV), the sensitivity of the PeTrack system was 240-320 counts/s per 1 MBq marker activity within a 30 cm thick patient. The sensitivity was reduced by 45% when the marker was near the edge of the FOV. The scatter fraction ranged from 12% ( 124 I, 74 As

High efficiency quasi-monochromatic infrared emitter

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Brucoli, Giovanni; Besbes, Mondher; Benisty, Henri, E-mail: henri.benisty@institutoptique.fr; Greffet, Jean-Jacques [Laboratoire Charles Fabry, UMR 8501, Institut d’Optique, CNRS, Université Paris-Sud 11, 2, Avenue Augustin Fresnel, 91127 Palaiseau Cedex (France); Bouchon, Patrick; Haïdar, Riad [Office National d’Études et de Recherches Aérospatiales, Chemin de la Hunière, 91761 Palaiseau (France)

2014-02-24

Incandescent radiation sources are widely used as mid-infrared emitters owing to the lack of alternative for compact and low cost sources. A drawback of miniature hot systems such as membranes is their low efficiency, e.g., for battery powered systems. For targeted narrow-band applications such as gas spectroscopy, the efficiency is even lower. In this paper, we introduce design rules valid for very generic membranes demonstrating that their energy efficiency for use as incandescent infrared sources can be increased by two orders of magnitude.

Systematic study of the ion beam mixing of oxide markers into alumina

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cooper, E.A.; Kung, H.; Nastasi, M.

1995-01-01

The study of ion beam mixing of layered compositions is important in two regards: first, there is the potential of alloying the layers into a new functionally different composition and, secondly, from a fundamental aspect, it is important be able to anticipate the potential damage due to degradation of the layer structure that could be caused in these materials due to a radiation environment. The authors have completed a systematic study of ion beam mixing of thin marker layers into amorphous alumina. The degree of mixing was found to be controlled by thermodynamic factors, the nature of the marker (oxidation state), and matrix crystallinity. Ballistic mixing was observed for all markers, but the mixing of some oxide markers exhibits a thermally activated regime at higher temperatures. The experiments were conducted from a low temperature of -170 C to a maximum temperature of 75O C. 210 keV Ar was used to ion beam mix the marker layer at the various temperatures. The marker spreading was analyzed using RBS. The mixing of one marker (Fe 2 O 3 ) into crystalline alumina (sapphire) was compared to that of the amorphous alumina. It was found that the marker mixed asymmetrically into the two matrix materials, with a higher degree of mixing into the amorphous matrix. TEM cross-section results verify that there is a preference for the marker to mix into the amorphous alumina layer preferentially to the crystalline layer. The interest in ion beam mixing of marker layers in ceramic systems is motivated by the fact that layered oxides are technologically important materials for fusion reactor applications

[Clinical usefulness of bone turnover markers in the management of osteoporosis].

Science.gov (United States)

Yano, Shozo

2013-09-01

Osteoporosis is a state of elevated risk for bone fracture due to depressed bone strength, which is considered to be the sum of bone mineral density and bone quality. Since a measure of bone quality has not been established, bone mineral density and bone turnover markers are the only way to evaluate bone strength. Bone turnover markers are classified into bone formation marker and resorption marker, which are correlated with the bone formation rate and resorption rate, respectively, and bone matrix-related marker. Bone is always metabolized; old tissue is resorbed by acids and proteases derived from osteoclasts, whereas new bone is produced by osteoblasts. Bone formation and resorption rates should be balanced (also called coupled). When the bone resorption rate exceeds the formation rate(uncoupled state), bone volume will be reduced. Thus, we can comprehend bone metabolism by measuring both formation and resorption markers at the same time. Increased fracture risk is recognized by elevated bone resorption markers and undercarboxylated osteocalcin, which reflects vitamin K insufficiency and bone turnover. These values and the time course give us helpful information to choose medicine suitable for the patients and to judge the responsiveness. If the value is extraordinarily high without renal failure, metabolic bone disorder or bone metastatic tumor should be considered. Bone quality may be assessed by measuring bone matrix-related markers such as homocystein and pentosidine. Since recent studies indicate that the bone is a hormone-producing organ, it is possible that glucose metabolism or an unknown mechanism could be assessed in the future.

Lod scores for gene mapping in the presence of marker map uncertainty.

Science.gov (United States)

Stringham, H M; Boehnke, M

2001-07-01

Multipoint lod scores are typically calculated for a grid of locus positions, moving the putative disease locus across a fixed map of genetic markers. Changing the order of a set of markers and/or the distances between the markers can make a substantial difference in the resulting lod score curve and the location and height of its maximum. The typical approach of using the best maximum likelihood marker map is not easily justified if other marker orders are nearly as likely and give substantially different lod score curves. To deal with this problem, we propose three weighted multipoint lod score statistics that make use of information from all plausible marker orders. In each of these statistics, the information conditional on a particular marker order is included in a weighted sum, with weight equal to the posterior probability of that order. We evaluate the type 1 error rate and power of these three statistics on the basis of results from simulated data, and compare these results to those obtained using the best maximum likelihood map and the map with the true marker order. We find that the lod score based on a weighted sum of maximum likelihoods improves on using only the best maximum likelihood map, having a type 1 error rate and power closest to that of using the true marker order in the simulation scenarios we considered. Copyright 2001 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Maximization of Markers Linked in Coupling for Tetraploid Potatoes via Monoparental Haploids

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Annette M. Bartkiewicz

2018-05-01

Full Text Available Haploid potato populations derived from a single tetraploid donor constitute an efficient strategy to analyze markers segregating from a single donor genotype. Analysis of marker segregation in populations derived from crosses between polysomic tetraploids is complicated by a maximum of eight segregating alleles, multiple dosages of the markers and problems related to linkage analysis of marker segregation in repulsion. Here, we present data on two monoparental haploid populations generated by prickle pollination of two tetraploid cultivars with Solanum phureja and genotyped with the 12.8 k SolCAP single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP array. We show that in a population of monoparental haploids, the number of biallelic SNP markers segregating in linkage to loci from the tetraploid donor genotype is much larger than in putative crosses of this genotype to a diverse selection of 125 tetraploid cultivars. Although this strategy is more laborious than conventional breeding, the generation of haploid progeny for efficient marker analysis is straightforward if morphological markers and flow cytometry are utilized to select true haploid progeny. The level of introgressed fragments from S. phureja, the haploid inducer, is very low, supporting its suitability for genetic analysis. Mapping with single-dose markers allowed the analysis of quantitative trait loci (QTL for four phenotypic traits.

Use of wand markers on the pelvis in three dimensional gait analysis

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Smith, Martin; Curtis, Derek; Bencke, Jesper

2013-01-01

During clinical gait analysis, surface markers are placed over the anterior superior iliac spines (ASIS) of the pelvis. However, this can be problematic in overweight or obese subjects, where excessive adipose tissue can obscure the markers and prevent accurate tracking. A novel solution to this ......During clinical gait analysis, surface markers are placed over the anterior superior iliac spines (ASIS) of the pelvis. However, this can be problematic in overweight or obese subjects, where excessive adipose tissue can obscure the markers and prevent accurate tracking. A novel solution...... to this problem has previously been proposed and tested on a limited sample of healthy, adult subjects. This involves use of wand markers on the pelvis, to virtually recreate the ASIS markers. The method was tested here on 20 typical subjects presenting for clinical gait analysis (adults and children, including...

cpDNA microsatellite markers for Lemna minor (Araceae): Phylogeographic implications.

Science.gov (United States)

Wani, Gowher A; Shah, Manzoor A; Reshi, Zafar A; Atangana, Alain R; Khasa, Damase P

2014-07-01

A lack of genetic markers impedes our understanding of the population biology of Lemna minor. Thus, the development of appropriate genetic markers for L. minor promises to be highly useful for population genetic studies and for addressing other life history questions regarding the species. • For the first time, we characterized nine polymorphic and 24 monomorphic chloroplast microsatellite markers in L. minor using DNA samples of 26 individuals sampled from five populations in Kashmir and of 17 individuals from three populations in Quebec. Initially, we designed 33 primer pairs, which were tested on genomic DNA from natural populations. Nine loci provided markers with two alleles. Based on genotyping of the chloroplast DNA fragments from 43 sampled individuals, we identified one haplotype in Quebec and 11 haplotypes in Kashmir, of which one occurs in 56% of the genotypes, one in 8%, and nine in 4%, respectively. There was a maximum of two alleles per locus. • These new chloroplast microsatellite markers for L. minor and haplotype distribution patterns indicate a complex phylogeographic history that merits further investigation.

Prognostic markers for diet-induced weight loss in obese women

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Astrup, A; Buemann, B; Gluud, C

1995-01-01

To identify prognostic metabolic and hormonal markers for long-term weight loss outcome in obese women.......To identify prognostic metabolic and hormonal markers for long-term weight loss outcome in obese women....

Prospects of molecular markers in Fusarium species diversity

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nayaka, S. Chandra; Wulff, Ednar Gadelha; Udayashankar, A.C.

2011-01-01

focuses of various molecular-based techniques employed to study the diversity of Fusarium species causing diseases in major food crops. An introduction of fusarial diseases and their mycotoxins and molecular-marker-based methods for detection introduce the concept of marker application. Various well...... for generation of probes and their use in phylogeny of Fusarium spp. are also presented. The concluding part emphasizes the value of molecular markers for assessing genetic variability and reveals that molecular tools are indispensable for providing information not only of one Fusarium species but on whole......-known molecular techniques such as random amplified polymorphic DNA, amplification fragment length polymorphism, etc. to more modern ones such as DNA microarrays, DNA barcoding, and pyrosequencing and their application form the core of the review. Target regions in the genome which can be potential candidates...

Molecular markers for genetic diversity and phylogeny research of ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Brazilian sheep descended from several breeds brought to the New World by Portuguese and Spanish colonists, and they have evolved and adapted to local climatic variations and acquired tolerance or resistance to many diseases. Molecular markers are widely used in analyzing genetic variability, and markers such as ...

Serum markers related to depression: A systematic review | Tavakoli ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Serum markers related to depression: A systematic review. ... is one of the most common neurological and psychiatric disorders that are associated with imbalance in ... Scholar, Scopus and Web of Science databases were retrieved using the depression, serum markers, ... A total of 89 articles were included in final analysis.

Advance of molecular marker application in the tobacco research ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Tobacco (Nicotiana spp.) is one of the most important commercial crops in the world. During the last two decades, molecular markers have entered the scene of genetic improvement in different fields of agricultural research. The principles and characteristics of several molecular markers such as RFLP, RAPD, AFLP, ...

Optimal Geometrical Set for Automated Marker Placement to Virtualized Real-Time Facial Emotions.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vasanthan Maruthapillai

Full Text Available In recent years, real-time face recognition has been a major topic of interest in developing intelligent human-machine interaction systems. Over the past several decades, researchers have proposed different algorithms for facial expression recognition, but there has been little focus on detection in real-time scenarios. The present work proposes a new algorithmic method of automated marker placement used to classify six facial expressions: happiness, sadness, anger, fear, disgust, and surprise. Emotional facial expressions were captured using a webcam, while the proposed algorithm placed a set of eight virtual markers on each subject's face. Facial feature extraction methods, including marker distance (distance between each marker to the center of the face and change in marker distance (change in distance between the original and new marker positions, were used to extract three statistical features (mean, variance, and root mean square from the real-time video sequence. The initial position of each marker was subjected to the optical flow algorithm for marker tracking with each emotional facial expression. Finally, the extracted statistical features were mapped into corresponding emotional facial expressions using two simple non-linear classifiers, K-nearest neighbor and probabilistic neural network. The results indicate that the proposed automated marker placement algorithm effectively placed eight virtual markers on each subject's face and gave a maximum mean emotion classification rate of 96.94% using the probabilistic neural network.

Optimal Geometrical Set for Automated Marker Placement to Virtualized Real-Time Facial Emotions.

Science.gov (United States)

Maruthapillai, Vasanthan; Murugappan, Murugappan

2016-01-01

In recent years, real-time face recognition has been a major topic of interest in developing intelligent human-machine interaction systems. Over the past several decades, researchers have proposed different algorithms for facial expression recognition, but there has been little focus on detection in real-time scenarios. The present work proposes a new algorithmic method of automated marker placement used to classify six facial expressions: happiness, sadness, anger, fear, disgust, and surprise. Emotional facial expressions were captured using a webcam, while the proposed algorithm placed a set of eight virtual markers on each subject's face. Facial feature extraction methods, including marker distance (distance between each marker to the center of the face) and change in marker distance (change in distance between the original and new marker positions), were used to extract three statistical features (mean, variance, and root mean square) from the real-time video sequence. The initial position of each marker was subjected to the optical flow algorithm for marker tracking with each emotional facial expression. Finally, the extracted statistical features were mapped into corresponding emotional facial expressions using two simple non-linear classifiers, K-nearest neighbor and probabilistic neural network. The results indicate that the proposed automated marker placement algorithm effectively placed eight virtual markers on each subject's face and gave a maximum mean emotion classification rate of 96.94% using the probabilistic neural network.

C-reactive protein and other markers of inflammation in hemodialysis patients

Science.gov (United States)

Heidari, Behzad

2013-01-01

Hemodialysis patients are at greater risk of cardiovascular disease. Higher than expected cardiovascular morbidity and mortality in this population has been attributed to dislipidemia as well as inflammation. The causes of inflammation in hemodialysis patients are multifactorial. Several markers were used for the detection of inflammatory reaction in patients with chronic renal disease. These markers can be used for the prediction of future cardiovascular events. Among the several parameters of inflammatory markers, serum, CRP is well known and its advantages for the detection of inflammation and its predictor ability has been evaluated in several studies. This review addressed the associated factors and markers of inflammation in hemodialysis patients. In addition, their ability in predicting future atherosclerosis and effect of treatment has been reviewed. However, this context particularly in using CRP as a prediction marker of inflammation and morbidity requires further studies. PMID:24009946

C-reactive protein and other markers of inflammation in hemodialysis patients.

Science.gov (United States)

Heidari, Behzad

2013-01-01

Hemodialysis patients are at greater risk of cardiovascular disease. Higher than expected cardiovascular morbidity and mortality in this population has been attributed to dislipidemia as well as inflammation. The causes of inflammation in hemodialysis patients are multifactorial. Several markers were used for the detection of inflammatory reaction in patients with chronic renal disease. These markers can be used for the prediction of future cardiovascular events. Among the several parameters of inflammatory markers, serum, CRP is well known and its advantages for the detection of inflammation and its predictor ability has been evaluated in several studies. This review addressed the associated factors and markers of inflammation in hemodialysis patients. In addition, their ability in predicting future atherosclerosis and effect of treatment has been reviewed. However, this context particularly in using CRP as a prediction marker of inflammation and morbidity requires further studies.

The use of a new radioactive-iodine labeled lipid marker to follow in vivo disposition of liposomes: comparison with an encapsulated aqueous space marker

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Abra, R.M.; Schreier, H.; Szoka, F.C.

1982-01-01

The in vivo disposition of multilamellar liposomes extruded at 0.6 micrometers (PC/DPPA/CH/ alpha-T . 4:1:5:0.1 molar ratio) when injected i.v. into mice has been examined utilizing a novel iodinatable phospholipid derivative as a lipid phase marker (p-hydroxybenzamidine phosphatidylethanolamine: 125 I-BPE) and compared to that using 14 C-inulin as an aqueous phase marker. At times up to 5 h post-dose the disposition of both markers was essentially identical with the exception of blood and intestine, where 125 I-BPE levels were consistently higher than 14 C-inulin levels. At time intervals from 5-72 h post-dose 125 I-BPE levels in all the organs examined were lower than those of 14 C-inulin. These differences in the behaviour of the two labels may be explained in terms of exchange of the iodinated lipids, excretion of released inulin and long term metabolism of the lipid marker. We conclude tha 125 I-BPE is a useful marker for following liposome disposition in short-term studies particularly in view of the easily quantifiable nature of gamma-radioactivity which obviates the need for sample preparation

Marker-assisted selection in common beans and cassava

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Blair, M.W.; Fregene, M.A.; Beebe, S.E.; Ceballos, H.

2007-01-01

Marker-assisted selection (MAS) in common beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) and cassava (Manihot esculenta) is reviewed in relation to the breeding system of each crop and the breeding goals of International Agricultural Research Centres (IARCs) and National Agricultural Research Systems (NARS). The importance of each crop is highlighted and examples of successful use of molecular markers within selection cycles and breeding programmes are given for each. For common beans, examples are given of gene tagging for several traits that are important for bean breeding for tropical environments and aspects considered that contribute to successful application of MAS. Simple traits that are tagged with easy-to-use markers are discussed first as they were the first traits prioritized for breeding at the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) and with NARS partners in Central America, Colombia and eastern Africa. The specific genes for MAS selection were the bgm-1 gene for bean golden yellow mosaic virus (BGYMV) resistance and the bc-3 gene for bean common mosaic virus (BCMV) resistance. MAS was efficient for reducing breeding costs under both circumstances as land and labour savings resulted from eliminating susceptible individuals. The use of markers for other simply inherited traits in marker-assisted backcrossing and introgression across Andean and Mesoamerican gene pools is suggested. The possibility of using MAS for quantitative traits such as low soil phosphorus adaptation is also discussed as are the advantages and disadvantages of MAS in a breeding programme. For cassava, the use of multiple flanking markers for selection of a dominant gene, CMD2 for cassava mosaic virus (CMV) resistance at CIAT and the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) as well as with NARS partners in the United Republic of Tanzania using a participatory plant breeding scheme are reviewed. MAS for the same gene is important during introgression of cassava green mite

Automated genotyping of dinucleotide repeat markers

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Perlin, M.W.; Hoffman, E.P. [Carnegie Mellon Univ., Pittsburgh, PA (United States)]|[Univ. of Pittsburgh, PA (United States)

1994-09-01

The dinucleotide repeats (i.e., microsatellites) such as CA-repeats are a highly polymorphic, highly abundant class of PCR-amplifiable markers that have greatly streamlined genetic mapping experimentation. It is expected that over 30,000 such markers (including tri- and tetranucleotide repeats) will be characterized for routine use in the next few years. Since only size determination, and not sequencing, is required to determine alleles, in principle, dinucleotide repeat genotyping is easily performed on electrophoretic gels, and can be automated using DNA sequencers. Unfortunately, PCR stuttering with these markers generates not one band for each allele, but a pattern of bands. Since closely spaced alleles must be disambiguated by human scoring, this poses a key obstacle to full automation. We have developed methods that overcome this obstacle. Our model is that the observed data is generated by arithmetic superposition (i.e., convolution) of multiple allele patterns. By quantitatively measuring the size of each component band, and exploiting the unique stutter pattern associated with each marker, closely spaced alleles can be deconvolved; this unambiguously reconstructs the {open_quotes}true{close_quotes} allele bands, with stutter artifact removed. We used this approach in a system for automated diagnosis of (X-linked) Duchenne muscular dystrophy; four multiplexed CA-repeats within the dystrophin gene were assayed on a DNA sequencer. Our method accurately detected small variations in gel migration that shifted the allele size estimate. In 167 nonmutated alleles, 89% (149/167) showed no size variation, 9% (15/167) showed 1 bp variation, and 2% (3/167) showed 2 bp variation. We are currently developing a library of dinucleotide repeat patterns; together with our deconvolution methods, this library will enable fully automated genotyping of dinucleotide repeats from sizing data.

Influence of the number of elongated fiducial markers on the localization accuracy of the prostate

Science.gov (United States)

de Boer, Johan; de Bois, Josien; van Herk, Marcel; Sonke, Jan-Jakob

2012-10-01

Implanting fiducial markers for localization purposes has become an accepted practice in radiotherapy for prostate cancer. While many correction strategies correct for translations only, advanced correction protocols also require knowledge of the rotation of the prostate. For this purpose, typically, three or more markers are implanted. Elongated fiducial markers provide more information about their orientation than traditional round or cylindrical markers. Potentially, fewer markers are required. In this study, we evaluate the effect of the number of elongated markers on the localization accuracy of the prostate. To quantify the localization error, we developed a model that estimates, at arbitrary locations in the prostate, the registration error caused by translational and rotational uncertainties of the marker registration. Every combination of one, two and three markers was analysed for a group of 24 patients. The average registration errors at the prostate surface were 0.3-0.8 mm and 0.4-1 mm for registrations on, respectively, three markers and two markers located on different sides of the prostate. Substantial registration errors (2.0-2.2 mm) occurred at the prostate surface contralateral to the markers when two markers were implanted on the same side of the prostate or only one marker was used. In conclusion, there is no benefit in using three elongated markers: two markers accurately localize the prostate if they are implanted at some distance from each other.

Initial experience of using an iron-containing fiducial marker for radiotherapy of prostate cancer: Advantages in the visualization of markers in Computed Tomography and Magnetic Resonance Imaging

Science.gov (United States)

Tanaka, Osamu; Iida, Takayoshi; Komeda, Hisao; Tamaki, Masayoshi; Seike, Kensaku; Kato, Daiki; Yokoyama, Takamasa; Hirose, Shigeki; Kawaguchi, Daisuke

2016-12-01

Visualization of markers is critical for imaging modalities such as computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). However, the size of the marker varies according to the imaging technique. While a large-sized marker is more useful for visualization in MRI, it results in artifacts on CT and causes substantial pain on administration. In contrast, a small-sized marker reduces the artifacts on CT but hampers MRI detection. Herein, we report a new ironcontaining marker and compare its utility with that of non-iron-containing markers. Five patients underwent CT/MRI fusion-based intensity-modulated radiotherapy, and the markers were placed by urologists. A Gold Anchor™ (GA; diameter, 0.28 mm; length, 10 mm) was placed using a 22G needle on the right side of the prostate. A VISICOIL™ (VIS; diameter, 0.35 mm; length, 10 mm) was placed using a 19G needle on the left side. MRI was performed using T2*-weighted imaging. Three observers evaluated and scored the visual qualities of the acquired images. The mean score of visualization was almost identical between the GA and VIS in radiography and cone-beam CT (Novalis Tx). The artifacts in planning CT were slightly larger using the GA than using the VIS. The visualization of the marker on MRI using the GA was superior to that using the VIS. In conclusion, the visualization quality of radiography, conebeam CT, and planning CT was roughly equal between the GA and VIS. However, the GA was more strongly visualized than was the VIS on MRI due to iron containing.

Angiographic Guidewire with Measuring Markers: Design and Clinical Experience

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kamei, Seiji; Ishiguchi, Tsuneo; Murata, Katsuhito; Matsuda, Joe; Ohno, Ryota; Kimura, Junko; Nakamura, Atsushi; Ohno, Kazuko; Kawamura, Toshiki; Ikeda, Mitsuru

2006-01-01

Purpose. We have developed an angiographic guidewire with measuring markers to determine accurately how far a guidewire is inserted within a catheter. We investigated whether use of this guidewire reduces the risk of vascular injury and the fluoroscopic time during guidewire manipulations. Methods. Four markers were put on the surface of the guidewire at 80, 100, 110, and 120 cm from the tip. The actual lengths of 54 catheters from seven manufacturers were measured and compared with the nominal lengths. Sixty consecutive patients who underwent angiography were randomized into two groups: in one group guidewires with surface markers were used (marker group) and in the other group, conventional guidewires (control group). For each guidewire insertion, the fluoroscopic time before the guidewire was pushed forward into the vessel lumen was recorded. The number of occasions on which unintentionally the guidewire had already been pushed out of the catheter at the start of fluoroscopy was also evaluated. Results. The actual lengths of all catheters were greater than the nominal lengths by 1.0-11.0 cm. Mean fluoroscopic time for each guidewire insertion was 3.3 sec in the marker group and 5.7 sec in the control group (p < 0.05). Guidewires were unintentionally pushed out of the catheters without fluoroscopy three times (3.6%), in each case in the control group. Conclusion. The guidewire with measuring markers is effective for enhancing safety and in reducing fluoroscopic radiation during angiographic procedures. It is recommended that operators be aware that actual lengths of catheters may vary significantly from the nominal lengths listed; they should be aware of this with any guidewire, but particularly with the angiographic measuring guidewire

Evaluation of Some Inflammatory and Biochemical Markers in Acute Coronary Syndrome

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Abdel-Messeih, PH.L.; Nossier, N.M.; Mansour, H.H.

2012-01-01

The term acute coronary syndrome (ACS) encompasses a range of thrombotic coronary artery diseases, including unstable angina (UA) and both ST-segment elevation (STEMI) and non-ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI). Bio markers play an important role in the diagnosis of non-ST-elevation ACS (NSTE-ACS) including unstable angina and non-STEMI. Among these, cardiac troponin and creatine phosphokinase myocardial band appeared to be the most sensitive and specific markers of myocardial injury. The important role of inflammatory processes in the development and progression of atherosclerosis has been clearly established. Different circulating inflammatory bio markers indicating the instability of atherosclerotic plaque have been identified and serve as diagnostic tools for the identification of patients with unstable angina or acute myocardial infarction and to identify risk patients. The present study was carried out on twenty patients with (NSTE-ACS). The level of serum troponin I (cTnI), creatine phosphokinase-total (CPK-T), myocardial band of creatine phosphokinase (CPK-MB), pregnancy associated plasma protein-A (PAPP-A) and highly sensitive C-reactive protein (hsCRP) were determined. The results showed increase in the level of cardiac bio markers (cTnI, CPK-MB, CPK-T) and inflammatory markers (PAPP-A, hsCRP). It could be concluded that the increase in inflammatory markers correlate especially PAPP-A in NSTE-ACS with the increase of cardiac bio markers

High-density Integrated Linkage Map Based on SSR Markers in Soybean

Science.gov (United States)

Hwang, Tae-Young; Sayama, Takashi; Takahashi, Masakazu; Takada, Yoshitake; Nakamoto, Yumi; Funatsuki, Hideyuki; Hisano, Hiroshi; Sasamoto, Shigemi; Sato, Shusei; Tabata, Satoshi; Kono, Izumi; Hoshi, Masako; Hanawa, Masayoshi; Yano, Chizuru; Xia, Zhengjun; Harada, Kyuya; Kitamura, Keisuke; Ishimoto, Masao

2009-01-01

A well-saturated molecular linkage map is a prerequisite for modern plant breeding. Several genetic maps have been developed for soybean with various types of molecular markers. Simple sequence repeats (SSRs) are single-locus markers with high allelic variation and are widely applicable to different genotypes. We have now mapped 1810 SSR or sequence-tagged site markers in one or more of three recombinant inbred populations of soybean (the US cultivar ‘Jack’ × the Japanese cultivar ‘Fukuyutaka’, the Chinese cultivar ‘Peking’ × the Japanese cultivar ‘Akita’, and the Japanese cultivar ‘Misuzudaizu’ × the Chinese breeding line ‘Moshidou Gong 503’) and have aligned these markers with the 20 consensus linkage groups (LGs). The total length of the integrated linkage map was 2442.9 cM, and the average number of molecular markers was 90.5 (range of 70–114) for the 20 LGs. We examined allelic diversity for 1238 of the SSR markers among 23 soybean cultivars or lines and a wild accession. The number of alleles per locus ranged from 2 to 7, with an average of 2.8. Our high-density linkage map should facilitate ongoing and future genomic research such as analysis of quantitative trait loci and positional cloning in addition to marker-assisted selection in soybean breeding. PMID:19531560

Endogenous markers of tumor hypoxia. Predictors of clinical radiation resistance?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vordermark, D.; Brown, J.M.

2003-01-01

Background: Eppendorf electrode measurements of tumor oxygenation have defined an adverse effect of tumor hypoxia on prognosis after radiotherapy and other treatment modalities, in particular in head and neck and cervix carcinomas as well as soft tissue sarcomas. Recently, the immunohistochemical detection of proteins involved in the ''hypoxic response'' of tumor cells has been discussed as a method to estimate hypoxia in clinical tumor specimens. Material and Methods: This review focuses on clinical and experimental data, regarding prognostic impact and comparability with other methods of hypoxia detection, for three proteins suggested as endogenous markers of tumor hypoxia: hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α), carbonic anhydrase 9 (CA 9), and glucose transporter 1 (GLUT1). Results: None of the three potential hypoxia markers is exclusively hypoxia-specific, and in each case protein can be detected under normoxic conditions in vitro. HIF-1α responds rapidly to hypoxia but also to reoxygenation, making this marker quite unstable in the context of clinical sample collection. The perinecrotic labeling pattern typical of chronic hypoxia and a reasonable agreement with injectable hypoxia markers such as pimonidazole have most consistently been described for CA 9. All three markers showed correlation with Eppendorf electrode measurements of tumor oxygenation in carcinoma of the cervix. In nine of 13 reports, among them all three that refer to curative radiotherapy for head and neck cancer, HIF-1α overexpression was associated with poor outcome. CA 9 was an adverse prognostic factor in cervix, head and neck and lung cancer, but not in two other head and neck cancer reports. GLUT1 predicted for poor survival in colorectal, cervix and lung cancer. Conclusion: Endogenous markers have the potential to indicate therapeutically relevant levels of hypoxia within tumors. Clinical trials assessing a marker's ability to predict a benefit from specific hypoxia

Endogenous markers of tumor hypoxia. Predictors of clinical radiation resistance?

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Vordermark, D. [Dept. of Radiation Oncology, Univ. of Wuerzburg (Germany); Dept. of Radiation Oncology, Stanford Univ. School of Medicine, Stanford, CA (United States); Brown, J.M. [Dept. of Radiation Oncology, Stanford Univ. School of Medicine, Stanford, CA (United States)

2003-12-01

Background: Eppendorf electrode measurements of tumor oxygenation have defined an adverse effect of tumor hypoxia on prognosis after radiotherapy and other treatment modalities, in particular in head and neck and cervix carcinomas as well as soft tissue sarcomas. Recently, the immunohistochemical detection of proteins involved in the ''hypoxic response'' of tumor cells has been discussed as a method to estimate hypoxia in clinical tumor specimens. Material and Methods: This review focuses on clinical and experimental data, regarding prognostic impact and comparability with other methods of hypoxia detection, for three proteins suggested as endogenous markers of tumor hypoxia: hypoxia-inducible factor-1{alpha} (HIF-1{alpha}), carbonic anhydrase 9 (CA 9), and glucose transporter 1 (GLUT1). Results: None of the three potential hypoxia markers is exclusively hypoxia-specific, and in each case protein can be detected under normoxic conditions in vitro. HIF-1{alpha} responds rapidly to hypoxia but also to reoxygenation, making this marker quite unstable in the context of clinical sample collection. The perinecrotic labeling pattern typical of chronic hypoxia and a reasonable agreement with injectable hypoxia markers such as pimonidazole have most consistently been described for CA 9. All three markers showed correlation with Eppendorf electrode measurements of tumor oxygenation in carcinoma of the cervix. In nine of 13 reports, among them all three that refer to curative radiotherapy for head and neck cancer, HIF-1{alpha} overexpression was associated with poor outcome. CA 9 was an adverse prognostic factor in cervix, head and neck and lung cancer, but not in two other head and neck cancer reports. GLUT1 predicted for poor survival in colorectal, cervix and lung cancer. Conclusion: Endogenous markers have the potential to indicate therapeutically relevant levels of hypoxia within tumors. Clinical trials assessing a marker's ability to predict a

Out of Bounds: Professional Norms as Boundary Markers

OpenAIRE

Singer, J.

2015-01-01

Journalists use norms not only as identity markers of the professional news worker but also as boundary markers between professionals and non-professionals. The distinctions they draw rest on ethical practices such as verification, principles such as independence, and promises such as accountability. After outlining responses to previous “new” media, two still-evolving journalistic forms – social journalism and entrepreneurial journalism – are explored to illustrate how this boundary marking ...

Clinical Evaluation and Cost-Effectiveness Analysis of Serum Tumor Markers in Lung Cancer

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rong Wang

2013-01-01

Full Text Available The detection of serum tumor markers is valuable for the early diagnosis of lung cancer. Tumor markers are frequently used for the management of cancer patients. However, single markers are less efficient but marker combinations increase the cost, which is troublesome for clinics. To find an optimal serum marker combination panel that benefits the patients and the medical management system as well, four routine lung cancer serum markers (SCCA, NSE, CEA, and CYFRA21-1 were evaluated individually and in combination. Meanwhile, the costs and effects of these markers in clinical practice in China were assessed by cost-effectiveness analysis. As expected, combinations of these tumor markers improved their sensitivity for lung cancer and different combination panels had their own usefulness. NSE + CEA + CYFRA21-1 was the optimal combination panel with highest Youden’s index (0.64, higher sensitivity (75.76%, and specificity (88.57%, which can aid the clinical diagnosis of lung cancer. Nevertheless, the most cost-effective combination was SCCA + CEA, which can be used to screen the high-risk group.

Uniparental ancestry markers in Chilean populations

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Camilla Dutra Vieira-Machado

Full Text Available Abstract The presence of Native Americans, Europeans, and Africans has led to the development of a multi-ethnic, admixed population in Chile. This study aimed to contribute to the characterization of the uniparental genetic structure of three Chilean regions. Newborns from seven hospitals in Independencia, Providencia, Santiago, Curicó, Cauquenes, Valdívia, and Puerto Montt communes, belonging to the Chilean regions of Santiago, Maule, and Los Lagos, were studied. The presence of Native American mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA haplogroups and two markers present in the non-recombinant region of the Y chromosome, DYS199 and DYS287, indicative of Native American and African ancestry, respectively, was determined. A high Native American matrilineal contribution and a low Native American and African patrilineal contributions were found in all three studied regions. As previously found in Chilean admixed populations, the Native American matrilineal contribution was lower in Santiago than in the other studied regions. However, there was an unexpectedly higher contribution of Native American ancestry in one of the studied communes in Santiago, probably due to the high rate of immigration from other regions of the country. The population genetic sub-structure we detected in Santiago using few uniparental markers requires further confirmation, owing to possible stratification for autosomal and X-chromosome markers.

Influence of Type of Electric Bright Light on the Attraction of the African Giant Water Bug, Lethocerus indicus (Hemiptera: Belostomatidae

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Luke Chinaru Nwosu

2012-01-01

Full Text Available This study investigated the influence of type of electric bright light (produced by fluorescent light tube and incandescent light bulb on the attraction of the African giant water bug, Lethocerus indicus (Hemiptera: Belostomatidae. Four fluorescent light tubes of 15 watts each, producing white-coloured light and four incandescent light bulbs of 60 watts each, producing yellow-coloured light, but both producing the same amount of light, were varied and used for the experiments. Collections of bugs at experimental house were done at night between the hours of 8.30 pm and 12 mid-night on daily basis for a period of four months per experiment in the years 2008 and 2009. Lethocerus indicus whose presence in any environment has certain implications was the predominant belostomatid bug in the area. Use of incandescent light bulbs in 2009 significantly attracted more Lethocerus indicus 103 (74.6% than use of fluorescent light tubes 35 (25.41% in 2008 [4.92=0.0001]. However, bug’s attraction to light source was not found sex dependent [>0.05; (>0.18=0.4286 and >0.28=0.3897]. Therefore, this study recommends the use of fluorescent light by households, campgrounds, and other recreational centres that are potentially exposed to the nuisance of the giant water bugs. Otherwise, incandescent light bulbs should be used when it is desired to attract the presence of these aquatic bugs either for food or scientific studies.

Influence of the number of elongated fiducial markers on the localization accuracy of the prostate

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

De Boer, Johan; De Bois, Josien; Van Herk, Marcel; Sonke, Jan-Jakob

2012-01-01

Implanting fiducial markers for localization purposes has become an accepted practice in radiotherapy for prostate cancer. While many correction strategies correct for translations only, advanced correction protocols also require knowledge of the rotation of the prostate. For this purpose, typically, three or more markers are implanted. Elongated fiducial markers provide more information about their orientation than traditional round or cylindrical markers. Potentially, fewer markers are required. In this study, we evaluate the effect of the number of elongated markers on the localization accuracy of the prostate. To quantify the localization error, we developed a model that estimates, at arbitrary locations in the prostate, the registration error caused by translational and rotational uncertainties of the marker registration. Every combination of one, two and three markers was analysed for a group of 24 patients. The average registration errors at the prostate surface were 0.3–0.8 mm and 0.4–1 mm for registrations on, respectively, three markers and two markers located on different sides of the prostate. Substantial registration errors (2.0–2.2 mm) occurred at the prostate surface contralateral to the markers when two markers were implanted on the same side of the prostate or only one marker was used. In conclusion, there is no benefit in using three elongated markers: two markers accurately localize the prostate if they are implanted at some distance from each other. (paper)

Engineering more stable, selectable marker-free autoluminescent mycobacteria by one step.

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Feng; Njire, Moses M; Liu, Jia; Wu, Tian; Wang, Bangxing; Liu, Tianzhou; Cao, Yuanyuan; Liu, Zhiyong; Wan, Junting; Tu, Zhengchao; Tan, Yaoju; Tan, Shouyong; Zhang, Tianyu

2015-01-01

In our previous study, we demonstrated that the use of the autoluminescent Mycobacterium tuberculosis as a reporter strain had the potential to drastically reduce the time, effort, animals and costs consumed in evaluation of the activities of drugs and vaccines in live mice. However, the strains were relatively unstable and lost reporter with time without selection. The kanamycin selection marker used wasn't the best choice as it provides resistance to amino glycosides which are an important class of second line drugs used in tuberculosis treatment. In addition, the marker could limit utility of the strains for screening of new potential drugs or evaluating drug combinations for tuberculosis treatment. Limited selection marker genes for mycobacterial genetic manipulation is a major drawback for such a marker-containing strain in many research fields. Therefore, selectable marker-free, more stable autoluminescent mycobacteria are highly needed. After trying several strategies, we created such mycobacterial strains successfully by using an integrative vector and removing both the resistance maker and integrase genes by Xer site-specific recombination in one step. The corresponding plasmid vectors developed in this study could be very convenient in constructing other selectable marker-free, more stable reporter mycobacteria with diverse applications.

Testing theories about ethnic markers

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jensen, Niels Holm; Petersen, Michael Bang; Høgh-Olesen, Henrik

2015-01-01

In recent years, evolutionary psychologists and anthropologists have debated whether ethnic markers have evolved to solve adaptive problems related to interpersonal coordination or to interpersonal cooperation. In the present study, we add to this debate by exploring how individuals living in a m...

Application of molecular markers in breeding for bean common ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Sequence characterised amplified region (SCAR) markers, linked to four independent quantitative trait loci (QTL) in XAN 159 and GN #1 Nebr. sel. 27, are available for indirect selection of resistance to common bacterial blight in Phaseolus vulgaris. Existing SCAR-markers, SU91, BC420, BC409 and SAP6, were evaluated ...

Airborne characterization of smoke marker ratios from prescribed burning

Science.gov (United States)

A. P. Sullivan; A. A. May; T. Lee; G. R. McMeeking; S. M. Kreidenweis; S. K. Akagi; R. J. Yokelson; S. P. Urbanski; J. L. Collett

2014-01-01

A Particle-Into-Liquid Sampler - Total Organic Carbon (PILS-TOC) and fraction collector system was flown aboard a Twin Otter aircraft sampling prescribed burning emissions in South Carolina in November 2011 to obtain smoke marker measurements. The fraction collector provided 2 min time-integrated offline samples for carbohydrate (i.e., smoke markers levoglucosan,...

Application of genetic markers in seed testing and plant breeding

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nikolić Zorica

2010-01-01

Full Text Available Genetic markers have been used at Institute of Field and Vegetable Crops in Novi Sad for a number of years, both for seed quality control and for research purposes. The Laboratory for Seed Testing was the first in the former Yugoslavia to use the method of control of hybrid seed genetic purity based on enzymatic polymorphism. This paper presents the application of protein markers, isozymes, seed storage proteins and DNA markers for evaluation of seed and breeding materials of various agricultural crops in Serbia.

Automatic identification of optimal marker genes for phenotypic and taxonomic groups of microorganisms.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Elad Segev

Full Text Available Finding optimal markers for microorganisms important in the medical, agricultural, environmental or ecological fields is of great importance. Thousands of complete microbial genomes now available allow us, for the first time, to exhaustively identify marker proteins for groups of microbial organisms. In this work, we model the biological task as the well-known mathematical "hitting set" problem, solving it based on both greedy and randomized approximation algorithms. We identify unique markers for 17 phenotypic and taxonomic microbial groups, including proteins related to the nitrite reductase enzyme as markers for the non-anammox nitrifying bacteria group, and two transcription regulation proteins, nusG and yhiF, as markers for the Archaea and Escherichia/Shigella taxonomic groups, respectively. Additionally, we identify marker proteins for three subtypes of pathogenic E. coli, which previously had no known optimal markers. Practically, depending on the completeness of the database this algorithm can be used for identification of marker genes for any microbial group, these marker genes may be prime candidates for the understanding of the genetic basis of the group's phenotype or to help discover novel functions which are uniquely shared among a group of microbes. We show that our method is both theoretically and practically efficient, while establishing an upper bound on its time complexity and approximation ratio; thus, it promises to remain efficient and permit the identification of marker proteins that are specific to phenotypic or taxonomic groups, even as more and more bacterial genomes are being sequenced.

Impact of marker ascertainment bias on genomic selection accuracy and estimates of genetic diversity.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nicolas Heslot

Full Text Available Genome-wide molecular markers are often being used to evaluate genetic diversity in germplasm collections and for making genomic selections in breeding programs. To accurately predict phenotypes and assay genetic diversity, molecular markers should assay a representative sample of the polymorphisms in the population under study. Ascertainment bias arises when marker data is not obtained from a random sample of the polymorphisms in the population of interest. Genotyping-by-sequencing (GBS is rapidly emerging as a low-cost genotyping platform, even for the large, complex, and polyploid wheat (Triticum aestivum L. genome. With GBS, marker discovery and genotyping occur simultaneously, resulting in minimal ascertainment bias. The previous platform of choice for whole-genome genotyping in many species such as wheat was DArT (Diversity Array Technology and has formed the basis of most of our knowledge about cereals genetic diversity. This study compared GBS and DArT marker platforms for measuring genetic diversity and genomic selection (GS accuracy in elite U.S. soft winter wheat. From a set of 365 breeding lines, 38,412 single nucleotide polymorphism GBS markers were discovered and genotyped. The GBS SNPs gave a higher GS accuracy than 1,544 DArT markers on the same lines, despite 43.9% missing data. Using a bootstrap approach, we observed significantly more clustering of markers and ascertainment bias with DArT relative to GBS. The minor allele frequency distribution of GBS markers had a deficit of rare variants compared to DArT markers. Despite the ascertainment bias of the DArT markers, GS accuracy for three traits out of four was not significantly different when an equal number of markers were used for each platform. This suggests that the gain in accuracy observed using GBS compared to DArT markers was mainly due to a large increase in the number of markers available for the analysis.

Impact of Marker Ascertainment Bias on Genomic Selection Accuracy and Estimates of Genetic Diversity

Science.gov (United States)

Heslot, Nicolas; Rutkoski, Jessica; Poland, Jesse; Jannink, Jean-Luc; Sorrells, Mark E.

2013-01-01

Genome-wide molecular markers are often being used to evaluate genetic diversity in germplasm collections and for making genomic selections in breeding programs. To accurately predict phenotypes and assay genetic diversity, molecular markers should assay a representative sample of the polymorphisms in the population under study. Ascertainment bias arises when marker data is not obtained from a random sample of the polymorphisms in the population of interest. Genotyping-by-sequencing (GBS) is rapidly emerging as a low-cost genotyping platform, even for the large, complex, and polyploid wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) genome. With GBS, marker discovery and genotyping occur simultaneously, resulting in minimal ascertainment bias. The previous platform of choice for whole-genome genotyping in many species such as wheat was DArT (Diversity Array Technology) and has formed the basis of most of our knowledge about cereals genetic diversity. This study compared GBS and DArT marker platforms for measuring genetic diversity and genomic selection (GS) accuracy in elite U.S. soft winter wheat. From a set of 365 breeding lines, 38,412 single nucleotide polymorphism GBS markers were discovered and genotyped. The GBS SNPs gave a higher GS accuracy than 1,544 DArT markers on the same lines, despite 43.9% missing data. Using a bootstrap approach, we observed significantly more clustering of markers and ascertainment bias with DArT relative to GBS. The minor allele frequency distribution of GBS markers had a deficit of rare variants compared to DArT markers. Despite the ascertainment bias of the DArT markers, GS accuracy for three traits out of four was not significantly different when an equal number of markers were used for each platform. This suggests that the gain in accuracy observed using GBS compared to DArT markers was mainly due to a large increase in the number of markers available for the analysis. PMID:24040295

Preclinical MRI and NMR Bio-markers of Alzheimer's Disease: Concepts and Applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dhenain, M.; Dhenain, M.; Dhenain, M.

2008-01-01

Alzheimer's disease is an important social and economic issue for our societies. The development of therapeutics against this severe dementia requires assessing the effects of new drugs in animal models thanks to dedicated bio-markers. This review first overviews Alzheimer's disease and its models as well as the concept of bio-markers. It then focuses on MRI and NMR bio-markers of Alzheimer's disease in animals. Anatomical markers such as atrophy and angiography are useful to phenotype newly developed models of Alzheimer's disease, even if the alterations in these animals are not as severe as in humans. Amyloid plaques imaging is a promising marker of the pathology in animals, and is a rapidly evolving field of MRI. Functional methods such as perfusion and diffusion imaging or spectroscopy are able to detect alterations in transgenic mice mimicking Alzheimer and also to show similar alterations than in humans. They can thus be good translational markers of the disease. Manganese-Enhanced MRI shows a reduction of neuronal transportation in transgenic models of Alzheimer and it allows monitoring improvements induced by treatments of the disease. It is thus a promising bio-marker of the pathology in animals. (authors)

Selection Of Drought Resistant Mutants In Rice Using DNA Markers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nguyen Duc Thanh; Le Thi Bich Thuy; Dang Thi Minh Lua

2008-01-01

In recent years, the marker - assisted selection (MAS) strategy have been used for selection of traits that are difficult and costly performed measurement and score. Selection for a well-developed root system could improve the drought resistance of rice as the plant would avoid water stress by absorbing water from the soil. There were several reports on map construction and identification of the markers tightly linked to morphological and physiological traits related to drought resistance in rice, in particular, root traits in upland and lowland rice (Champoux et al., 1995; Ray et al., 1996; Price et al., 1997, 2000; Yadav et al., 1997). In this report, we present the results on selection of drought resistance mutants in rice using the DNA markers tightly linked to root traits favorable for drought resistance. The mutant rice lines were obtained from irradiated seeds and calluses by gamma ray. The selection was performed at M2 mutants using the DNA markers linked to maximum root length (MRL), root weight to shoot weight ratio (RW/SR), and weight of deep root to shoot weight ratio (DRW/SR). The obtained results showed that there were many lines possessed drought resistant markers. In addition, there is a number of lines have altered genome. Several lines having drought markers proved to be more resistant to drought in green-house test. These lines could be useful for further test and development of drought resistant varieties. (author)

Evaluation of algorithms used to order markers on genetic maps.

Science.gov (United States)

Mollinari, M; Margarido, G R A; Vencovsky, R; Garcia, A A F

2009-12-01

When building genetic maps, it is necessary to choose from several marker ordering algorithms and criteria, and the choice is not always simple. In this study, we evaluate the efficiency of algorithms try (TRY), seriation (SER), rapid chain delineation (RCD), recombination counting and ordering (RECORD) and unidirectional growth (UG), as well as the criteria PARF (product of adjacent recombination fractions), SARF (sum of adjacent recombination fractions), SALOD (sum of adjacent LOD scores) and LHMC (likelihood through hidden Markov chains), used with the RIPPLE algorithm for error verification, in the construction of genetic linkage maps. A linkage map of a hypothetical diploid and monoecious plant species was simulated containing one linkage group and 21 markers with fixed distance of 3 cM between them. In all, 700 F(2) populations were randomly simulated with 100 and 400 individuals with different combinations of dominant and co-dominant markers, as well as 10 and 20% of missing data. The simulations showed that, in the presence of co-dominant markers only, any combination of algorithm and criteria may be used, even for a reduced population size. In the case of a smaller proportion of dominant markers, any of the algorithms and criteria (except SALOD) investigated may be used. In the presence of high proportions of dominant markers and smaller samples (around 100), the probability of repulsion linkage increases between them and, in this case, use of the algorithms TRY and SER associated to RIPPLE with criterion LHMC would provide better results.

Statistics of DNA Markers - RGP gmap | LSDB Archive [Life Science Database Archive metadata

Lifescience Database Archive (English)

Full Text Available List Contact us RGP gmap Statistics of DNA Markers Data detail Data name Statistics of DNA Markers DOI 10.18...908/lsdba.nbdc00318-01-001 Description of data contents Statistics of DNA markers that were used to create t...iption Download License Update History of This Database Site Policy | Contact Us Statistics of DNA Markers - RGP gmap | LSDB Archive ...

Iterative h-minima-based marker-controlled watershed for cell nucleus segmentation.

Science.gov (United States)

Koyuncu, Can Fahrettin; Akhan, Ece; Ersahin, Tulin; Cetin-Atalay, Rengul; Gunduz-Demir, Cigdem

2016-04-01

Automated microscopy imaging systems facilitate high-throughput screening in molecular cellular biology research. The first step of these systems is cell nucleus segmentation, which has a great impact on the success of the overall system. The marker-controlled watershed is a technique commonly used by the previous studies for nucleus segmentation. These studies define their markers finding regional minima on the intensity/gradient and/or distance transform maps. They typically use the h-minima transform beforehand to suppress noise on these maps. The selection of the h value is critical; unnecessarily small values do not sufficiently suppress the noise, resulting in false and oversegmented markers, and unnecessarily large ones suppress too many pixels, causing missing and undersegmented markers. Because cell nuclei show different characteristics within an image, the same h value may not work to define correct markers for all the nuclei. To address this issue, in this work, we propose a new watershed algorithm that iteratively identifies its markers, considering a set of different h values. In each iteration, the proposed algorithm defines a set of candidates using a particular h value and selects the markers from those candidates provided that they fulfill the size requirement. Working with widefield fluorescence microscopy images, our experiments reveal that the use of multiple h values in our iterative algorithm leads to better segmentation results, compared to its counterparts. © 2016 International Society for Advancement of Cytometry. © 2016 International Society for Advancement of Cytometry.

Demographic changes and marker properties affect detection of human population differentiation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sanichwankul Kittipong

2007-05-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Differentiating genetically between populations is valuable for admixture and population stratification detection and in understanding population history. This is easy to achieve for major continental populations, but not for closely related populations. It has been claimed that a large marker panel is necessary to reliably distinguish populations within a continent. We investigated whether empirical genetic differentiation could be accomplished efficiently among three Asian populations (Hmong, Thai, and Chinese using a small set of highly variable markers (15 tetranucleotide and 17 dinucleotide repeats. Results Hmong could be differentiated from Thai and Chinese based on multi-locus genotypes, but Thai and Chinese were indistinguishable from each other. We found significant evidence for a recent population bottleneck followed by expansion in the Hmong that was not present in the Thai or Chinese. Tetranucleotide repeats were less useful than dinucleotide repeat markers in distinguishing between major continental populations (Asian, European, and African while both successfully distinguished Hmong from Thai and Chinese. Conclusion Demographic history contributes significantly to robust detection of intracontinental population structure. Populations having experienced a rapid size reduction may be reliably distinguished as a result of a genetic drift -driven redistribution of population allele frequencies. Tetranucleotide markers, which differ from dinucleotide markers in mutation mechanism and rate, are similar in information content to dinucleotide markers in this situation. These factors should be considered when identifying populations suitable for gene mapping studies and when interpreting interpopulation relationships based on microsatellite markers.

Expression of embryonic stem cell markers in keloid-associated lymphoid tissue.

Science.gov (United States)

Grant, Chelsea; Chudakova, Daria A; Itinteang, Tinte; Chibnall, Alice M; Brasch, Helen D; Davis, Paul F; Tan, Swee T

2016-07-01

To identify, characterise and localise the population of primitive cells in keloid scars (KS). 5-µm-thick formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded sections of KS samples from 10 patients underwent immunohistochemical (IHC) staining for the embryonic stem cell (ESC) markers OCT4, SOX2, pSTAT3 and NANOG, and keloid-associated lymphoid tissue (KALT) markers CD4 and CD20. NanoString gene expression analysis and in situ hybridisation (ISH) were used to determine the abundance and localisation of the mRNA for these ESC markers. IHC staining revealed the expression of the ESC markers OCT4, SOX2, pSTAT3 and NANOG by a population of cells within KS tissue. These are localised to the endothelium of the microvessels within the KALTs. NanoString gene expression analysis confirmed the abundance of the transcriptional expression of the same ESC markers. ISH localised the expression of the ESC transcripts to the primitive endothelium in KS tissue. This report demonstrates the expression of ESC markers OCT4, SOX2, pSTAT3 and NANOG by the endothelium of the microvessels within the KALTs. These findings show a unique niche of primitive cells within KS, expressing ESC markers, revealing a potential therapeutic target in the treatment of KS. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/

Marker-assisted-selection (MAS): A fast track to increase genetic ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Administrator

2011-09-21

Sep 21, 2011 ... protein maize (QPM) through marker-assisted transfer of a recessive mutant ... and number which collectively determine the yield poten- tial (Monforte et .... A wide gap appears to exist between tagging genes with markers and ...

Application of molecular markers in wheat breeding: Reality or delusion?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kobiljski Borislav

2004-01-01

Full Text Available Conventional plant breeding use morphological and phenotypic markers for the identification of important agronomic traits. Plant breeders and scientists continuously seek to develop new techniques, which can be used for faster and more accurate introgression of desirable traits into plants. Over the last several years there has been significant increase in the application of molecular markers in the breeding programmes of different species. So far, detected level of polymorphism and informatitivnes of different molecular marker methods applied in MAS (Marker Assisted Selection studies (RFLP, AFLP, etc. were insufficient either to validate their further use or there were very expensive and of huge healthy risk. Fortunately for wheat (and other crops breeders, the new class of molecular markers - microsatellites have prove recently to be most powerful for MAS. But, due to lack of the knowledge, experience, valid informations and even tradition and habits, many breeders have either negative or repulsive attitude towards implementation of MAS in breeding programes. In this paper the relevant facts regarding implementation of MAS in breeding are discussed in general, and for wheat breeding in particular, in order to summarize merits and limitations in application of microsatellites in MAS selection. .

cpDNA Microsatellite Markers for Lemna minor (Araceae: Phylogeographic Implications

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Gowher A. Wani

2014-07-01

Full Text Available Premise of the study: A lack of genetic markers impedes our understanding of the population biology of Lemna minor. Thus, the development of appropriate genetic markers for L. minor promises to be highly useful for population genetic studies and for addressing other life history questions regarding the species. Methods and Results: For the first time, we characterized nine polymorphic and 24 monomorphic chloroplast microsatellite markers in L. minor using DNA samples of 26 individuals sampled from five populations in Kashmir and of 17 individuals from three populations in Quebec. Initially, we designed 33 primer pairs, which were tested on genomic DNA from natural populations. Nine loci provided markers with two alleles. Based on genotyping of the chloroplast DNA fragments from 43 sampled individuals, we identified one haplotype in Quebec and 11 haplotypes in Kashmir, of which one occurs in 56% of the genotypes, one in 8%, and nine in 4%, respectively. There was a maximum of two alleles per locus. Conclusions: These new chloroplast microsatellite markers for L. minor and haplotype distribution patterns indicate a complex phylogeographic history that merits further investigation.

Applicability of SCAR markers to food genomics: olive oil traceability.

Science.gov (United States)

Pafundo, Simona; Agrimonti, Caterina; Maestri, Elena; Marmiroli, Nelson

2007-07-25

DNA analysis with molecular markers has opened a shortcut toward a genomic comprehension of complex organisms. The availability of micro-DNA extraction methods, coupled with selective amplification of the smallest extracted fragments with molecular markers, could equally bring a breakthrough in food genomics: the identification of original components in food. Amplified fragment length polymorphisms (AFLPs) have been instrumental in plant genomics because they may allow rapid and reliable analysis of multiple and potentially polymorphic sites. Nevertheless, their direct application to the analysis of DNA extracted from food matrixes is complicated by the low quality of DNA extracted: its high degradation and the presence of inhibitors of enzymatic reactions. The conversion of an AFLP fragment to a robust and specific single-locus PCR-based marker, therefore, could extend the use of molecular markers to large-scale analysis of complex agro-food matrixes. In the present study is reported the development of sequence characterized amplified regions (SCARs) starting from AFLP profiles of monovarietal olive oils analyzed on agarose gel; one of these was used to identify differences among 56 olive cultivars. All the developed markers were purposefully amplified in olive oils to apply them to olive oil traceability.

Emerging Role of Endothelial and Inflammatory Markers in Preeclampsia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Menha Swellam

2009-01-01

Full Text Available Objectives: Endothelial disturbance and excess inflammatory response are pathogenic mechanisms in pre-eclampsia (PE. Authors determine the clinical diagnostic role for thrombomodulin (TM, plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1 as endothelial markers and C-reactive protein (CRP, and interlukin-6 (IL-6 as inflammatory markers when tested independently or in combinations.

[Studies of marker screening efficiency and corresponding influencing factors in QTL composite interval mapping].

Science.gov (United States)

Gao, Yong-Ming; Wan, Ping

2002-06-01

Screening markers efficiently is the foundation of mapping QTLs by composite interval mapping. Main and interaction markers distinguished, besides using background control for genetic variation, could also be used to construct intervals of two-way searching for mapping QTLs with epistasis, which can save a lot of calculation time. Therefore, the efficiency of marker screening would affect power and precision of QTL mapping. A doubled haploid population with 200 individuals and 5 chromosomes was constructed, with 50 markers evenly distributed at 10 cM space. Among a total of 6 QTLs, one was placed on chromosome I, two linked on chromosome II, and the other three linked on chromosome IV. QTL setting included additive effects and epistatic effects of additive x additive, the corresponding QTL interaction effects were set if data were collected under multiple environments. The heritability was assumed to be 0.5 if no special declaration. The power of marker screening by stepwise regression, forward regression, and three methods for random effect prediction, e.g. best linear unbiased prediction (BLUP), linear unbiased prediction (LUP) and adjusted unbiased prediction (AUP), was studied and compared through 100 Monte Carlo simulations. The results indicated that the marker screening power by stepwise regression at 0.1, 0.05 and 0.01 significant level changed from 2% to 68%, the power changed from 2% to 72% by forward regression. The larger the QTL effects, the higher the marker screening power. While the power of marker screening by three random effect prediction was very low, the maximum was only 13%. That suggested that regression methods were much better than those by using the approaches of random effect prediction to identify efficient markers flanking QTLs, and forward selection method was more simple and efficient. The results of simulation study on heritability showed that heightening of both general heritability and interaction heritability of genotype x

Development of diagnostic markers from disease resistance QTLs for marker-assisted breeding in peanut

Science.gov (United States)

Breeding for disease resistance in peanut cultivars has been constrained due to both a narrow genetic base and a low degree of polymorphism. Earlier attempts have resulted in the development of a few hundreds of simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers in peanut that could define broad QTL on the physic...

Clinical Implications of Intestinal Stem Cell Markers in Colorectal Cancer

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Espersen, Maiken Lise Marcker; Olsen, Jesper; Linnemann, Dorte

2015-01-01

Colorectal cancer (CRC) still has one of the highest incidence and mortality rate among cancers. Therefore, improved differential diagnostics and personalized treatment are still needed. Several intestinal stem cell markers have been found to be associated with CRC and might have a prognostic...... and predictive significance in CRC patients. This review provides an overview of the intestinal stem cell markers leucine-rich repeat-containing G-protein-coupled receptor 5 (LGR5), B cell–specific Moloney murine leukemia virus insertion site 1 (BMI1), Musashi1 (MSI1), and sex-determining region y-box 9 (SOX9......) and their implications in human CRC. The exact roles of the intestinal stem cell markers in CRC development and progression remain unclear; however, high expression of these stem cell markers have a potential prognostic significance and might be implicated in chemotherapy resistance...

Marker-assisted selection for improving quantitative traits of forage crops

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dolstra, O.; Denneboom, C.; Vos, Ab L.F. de; Loo, E.N. van

2007-01-01

This chapter provides an example of using marker-assisted selection (MAS) for breeding perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne), a pasture species. A mapping study had shown the presence of quantitative trait loci (QTL) for seven component traits of nitrogen use efficiency (NUE). The NUE-related QTL clustered in five chromosomal regions. These QTL were validated through divergent marker selection in an F 2 population. The criterion used for plant selection was a summation index based on the number of positive QTL alleles. The evaluation studies showed a strong indirect response of marker selection on NUE. Marker selection using a summation index such as applied here proved to be very effective for difficult and complex quantitative traits such as NUE. The strategy is easily applicable in outbreeding crops to raise the frequency of several desirable alleles simultaneously. (author)

A test of mink microsatellite markers in the ferret

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Anistoroaei, Razvan Marian; Christensen, Knud

2006-01-01

Short tandem repeats are a source of highly polymorphic markers in mammalian genomes. Genetic variations at these hypervariable loci is extensively used for linkage analysis and to identify individuals, and is very useful for interpopulation and interspecies studies. Fifty-nine microsatellite mar...... that were identical in size to those from mink displayed a high degree of conservation, with some differences at the repeat motif sites. These results could aid cross-utilization of markers between these two species.......Short tandem repeats are a source of highly polymorphic markers in mammalian genomes. Genetic variations at these hypervariable loci is extensively used for linkage analysis and to identify individuals, and is very useful for interpopulation and interspecies studies. Fifty-nine microsatellite...

Mapping Late Leaf Spot Resistance in Peanut (Arachis hypogaea Using QTL-seq Reveals Markers for Marker-Assisted Selection

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Josh Clevenger

2018-02-01

Full Text Available Late leaf spot (LLS; Cercosporidium personatum is a major fungal disease of cultivated peanut (Arachis hypogaea. A recombinant inbred line population segregating for quantitative field resistance was used to identify quantitative trait loci (QTL using QTL-seq. High rates of false positive SNP calls using established methods in this allotetraploid crop obscured significant QTLs. To resolve this problem, robust parental SNPs were first identified using polyploid-specific SNP identification pipelines, leading to discovery of significant QTLs for LLS resistance. These QTLs were confirmed over 4 years of field data. Selection with markers linked to these QTLs resulted in a significant increase in resistance, showing that these markers can be immediately applied in breeding programs. This study demonstrates that QTL-seq can be used to rapidly identify QTLs controlling highly quantitative traits in polyploid crops with complex genomes. Markers identified can then be deployed in breeding programs, increasing the efficiency of selection using molecular tools.Key Message: Field resistance to late leaf spot is a quantitative trait controlled by many QTLs. Using polyploid-specific methods, QTL-seq is faster and more cost effective than QTL mapping.

Temperature effects on multiphase reactions of organic molecular markers: A modeling study

Science.gov (United States)

Pratap, Vikram; Chen, Ying; Yao, Guangming; Nakao, Shunsuke

2018-04-01

Various molecular markers are used in source apportionment studies. In early studies, molecular markers were assumed to be inert. However, recent studies suggest that molecular markers can decay rapidly through multiphase reactions, which makes interpretation of marker measurements challenging. This study presents a simplified model to account for the effects of temperature and relative humidity on the lifetime of molecular markers through a shift in gas-particle partitioning as well as a change in viscosity of the condensed phase. As a model case, this study examines the stability of levoglucosan, a key marker species of biomass burning, over a wide temperature range relevant to summertime and wintertime. Despite the importance of wood combustion for space heating in winter, the lifetime of levoglucosan in wintertime is not well understood. The model predicts that in low-temperature conditions, levoglucosan predominantly remains in the particle phase, and therefore its loss due to gas-phase oxidation reactions is significantly reduced. Furthermore, the movement of the levoglucosan from the bulk of the particle to the particle surface is reduced due to low diffusivity in the semi-solid state. The simplified model developed in this study reasonably reproduces upper and lower bounds of the lifetime of levoglucosan investigated in previous studies. The model results show that the levoglucosan depletion after seven days reduces significantly from ∼98% at 25 °C to marker (lifetime > 1 week) even at 60% relative humidity irrespective of the assumed fragility parameter D that controls estimated diffusivity. The model shows that lifetime of an organic molecular marker strongly depends on assumed D especially when a semi-volatile marker is in semi-solid organic aerosol.

Evaluation of tumor markers for the differential diagnosis of benign and malignant ascites.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Fang; Kong, Xinjuan; Dou, Qian; Ye, Jin; Xu, Dong; Shang, Haitao; Xu, Keshu; Song, Yuhu

2014-01-01

The diagnosis of malignant ascites is a challenging problem in clinical practice, non-invasive techniques should be developed to improve diagnostic accuracy. The diagnostic performances of tumor markers in malignant ascites remained unsettled. Our aim was to evaluate diagnostic performance of tumor markers in differential diagnosis of benign and malignant ascites. A total of 437 patients were enrolled, and the relevant parameters of the patients were analyzed for the differentiation of benign ascites from malignant ascites. At the predetermined cutoff values of tumor makers, tumor markers in ascitic fluid showed better diagnostic performance than those in serum. Combined use of tumor markers and the cytology increased the diagnostic yield of the latter by 37%. In cytologically negative malignant ascites, tumor markers provided assistance in differentiating malignant ascites from benign ascites, and the combination of ascitic tumor markers yielded 86% sensitivity, 97% specificity. Use of a panel of tumor markers exhibited excellent diagnostic performance in diagnosing malignant ascites, which indicated the detection of tumor markers may represent a beneficial adjunct to cytology, thus guiding the selection of patients who might benefit from further invasive procedures.

GDdom: An Online Tool for Calculation of Dominant Marker Gene Diversity.

Science.gov (United States)

Abuzayed, Mazen; El-Dabba, Nourhan; Frary, Anne; Doganlar, Sami

2017-04-01

Gene diversity (GD), also called polymorphism information content, is a commonly used measure of molecular marker polymorphism. Calculation of GD for dominant markers such as AFLP, RAPD, and multilocus SSRs is valuable for researchers. To meet this need, we developed a free online computer program, GDdom, which provides easy, quick, and accurate calculation of dominant marker GD with a commonly used formula. Results are presented in tabular form for quick interpretation.

[A Method for Selecting Self-Adoptive Chromaticity of the Projected Markers].

Science.gov (United States)

Zhao, Shou-bo; Zhang, Fu-min; Qu, Xing-hua; Zheng, Shi-wei; Chen, Zhe

2015-04-01

The authors designed a self-adaptive projection system which is composed of color camera, projector and PC. In detail, digital micro-mirror device (DMD) as a spatial light modulator for the projector was introduced in the optical path to modulate the illuminant spectrum based on red, green and blue light emitting diodes (LED). However, the color visibility of active markers is affected by the screen which has unknown reflective spectrum as well. Here active markers are projected spot array. And chromaticity feature of markers is sometimes submerged in similar spectral screen. In order to enhance the color visibility of active markers relative to screen, a method for selecting self-adaptive chromaticity of the projected markers in 3D scanning metrology is described. Color camera with 3 channels limits the accuracy of device characterization. For achieving interconversion of device-independent color space and device-dependent color space, high-dimensional linear model of reflective spectrum was built. Prior training samples provide additional constraints to yield high-dimensional linear model with more than three degrees of freedom. Meanwhile, spectral power distribution of ambient light was estimated. Subsequently, markers' chromaticity in CIE color spaces was selected via maximization principle of Euclidean distance. The setting values of RGB were easily estimated via inverse transform. Finally, we implemented a typical experiment to show the performance of the proposed approach. An 24 Munsell Color Checker was used as projective screen. Color difference in the chromaticity coordinates between the active marker and the color patch was utilized to evaluate the color visibility of active markers relative to the screen. The result comparison between self-adaptive projection system and traditional diode-laser light projector was listed and discussed to highlight advantage of our proposed method.

Collagen markers in peritoneal dialysis patients

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Graff, J; Joffe, P; Fugleberg, S

1995-01-01

Possible relationships between the dialysate-to-plasma creatinine equilibration ratio (D/Pcreatinine 4 hour), duration of peritoneal dialysis treatment, number of peritonitis episodes, and mass appearance rates of three connective tissue markers [carboxyterminal propeptide of type I procollagen...... (PICP), aminoterminal propeptide of type III procollagen (PIIINP), and carboxyterminal telopeptide of type I collagen (ICTP)] were studied in 19 nondiabetic peritoneal dialysis patients. The absence of correlation between the mass appearance rates of the markers and the duration of dialysis treatment...... as well as the number of peritonitis episodes supports the concept that peritoneal dialysis does not cause persistent changes in the deposition and degradation rates of collagen. A correlation between the D/Pcreatinine 4 hr and the PICP mass appearance rates was found. Since it is unlikely...

Marker-assisted selection for quantitative traits

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ivan Schuster

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Although thousands of scientific articles have been published on the subject of marker-assisted selection (MAS andquantitative trait loci (QTL, the application of MAS for QTL in plant breeding has been restricted. Among the main causes for thislimited use are the low accuracy of QTL mapping and the high costs of genotyping thousands of plants with tens or hundreds ofmolecular markers in routine breeding programs. Recently, new large-scale genotyping technologies have resulted in a costreduction. Nevertheless, the MAS for QTL has so far been limited to selection programs using several generations per year, wherephenotypic selection cannot be performed in all generations, mainly in recurrent selection programs. Methods of MAS for QTL inbreeding programs using self-pollination have been developed.

A fast fiducial marker tracking model for fully automatic alignment in electron tomography

KAUST Repository

Han, Renmin; Zhang, Fa; Gao, Xin

2017-01-01

Automatic alignment, especially fiducial marker-based alignment, has become increasingly important due to the high demand of subtomogram averaging and the rapid development of large-field electron microscopy. Among the alignment steps, fiducial marker tracking is a crucial one that determines the quality of the final alignment. Yet, it is still a challenging problem to track the fiducial markers accurately and effectively in a fully automatic manner.In this paper, we propose a robust and efficient scheme for fiducial marker tracking. Firstly, we theoretically prove the upper bound of the transformation deviation of aligning the positions of fiducial markers on two micrographs by affine transformation. Secondly, we design an automatic algorithm based on the Gaussian mixture model to accelerate the procedure of fiducial marker tracking. Thirdly, we propose a divide-and-conquer strategy against lens distortions to ensure the reliability of our scheme. To our knowledge, this is the first attempt that theoretically relates the projection model with the tracking model. The real-world experimental results further support our theoretical bound and demonstrate the effectiveness of our algorithm. This work facilitates the fully automatic tracking for datasets with a massive number of fiducial markers.The C/C ++ source code that implements the fast fiducial marker tracking is available at https://github.com/icthrm/gmm-marker-tracking. Markerauto 1.6 version or later (also integrated in the AuTom platform at http://ear.ict.ac.cn/) offers a complete implementation for fast alignment, in which fast fiducial marker tracking is available by the

A fast fiducial marker tracking model for fully automatic alignment in electron tomography

KAUST Repository

Han, Renmin

2017-10-20

Automatic alignment, especially fiducial marker-based alignment, has become increasingly important due to the high demand of subtomogram averaging and the rapid development of large-field electron microscopy. Among the alignment steps, fiducial marker tracking is a crucial one that determines the quality of the final alignment. Yet, it is still a challenging problem to track the fiducial markers accurately and effectively in a fully automatic manner.In this paper, we propose a robust and efficient scheme for fiducial marker tracking. Firstly, we theoretically prove the upper bound of the transformation deviation of aligning the positions of fiducial markers on two micrographs by affine transformation. Secondly, we design an automatic algorithm based on the Gaussian mixture model to accelerate the procedure of fiducial marker tracking. Thirdly, we propose a divide-and-conquer strategy against lens distortions to ensure the reliability of our scheme. To our knowledge, this is the first attempt that theoretically relates the projection model with the tracking model. The real-world experimental results further support our theoretical bound and demonstrate the effectiveness of our algorithm. This work facilitates the fully automatic tracking for datasets with a massive number of fiducial markers.The C/C ++ source code that implements the fast fiducial marker tracking is available at https://github.com/icthrm/gmm-marker-tracking. Markerauto 1.6 version or later (also integrated in the AuTom platform at http://ear.ict.ac.cn/) offers a complete implementation for fast alignment, in which fast fiducial marker tracking is available by the

Correlation of bone scintigraphy findings and tumor markers during follow-up prostate cancer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aizawa, Taku

1996-01-01

In the last 9 years, 217 patients with prostate cancer were treated at our department. Of these patients 153 cases treated by estrogen therapy were followed up by bone scintigraphy and tumor marker examinations (prostate specific antigen [PSA], prostate acid phosphatase [PAP], gamma-seminoprotein [γ-SM) . The correlation between changes on bone scintigrams and synchronous changes in tumor markers was evaluated retrospectively. In cases in which bone metastasis was not recognized on bone scintigrams before treatment, changes of tumor markers corresponded with subsequent changes on bone scintigrams in more than 90%. However, in cases with bone metastasis on bone scintigrams before treatment, changes of bone scintigrams and changes of tumor markers corresponded in only 55% of cases. Changes of bone scintigrams do not always correspond with changes of tumor markers. However, by taking into consideration physical examination parameters such as bone pain, in addition to changes of tumor markers, most changes on bone scintigrams can be anticipated. The reasons for lack of correspondence between changes of bone scintigrams and changes of tumor markers may be, changes of tumor markers are more rapid than the changes on bone scintigram, some poorly differentiated cancers do not have increased tumor marker levels and bone scintigrams do not demonstrate soft tissue involvement. In the follow-up of patients with prostate cancer, it is not necessary to perform bone scintigraphy regularly at 3-month intervals. Bone scintigraphy should only be performed when serum levels of tumor markers increase or bone pain appears. (author)

Evaluation of radiolabelled microspheres as digesta markers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Young, B.A.; Turner, B.V.; Dixon, A.E.; Exley, D.M.; Young, S.B.; Abidin, Z.

1991-01-01

The suitability of microspheres as markers for measuring digesta kinetics in sheep was examined. Microspheres offer advantages of uniformity of size and density, and stability during passage through the gastrointestinal tract. They are commercially available labelled with the choice of one of eleven different radionuclides and can be easily measured in digesta and faecal material. Tests comparing several types of digesta markers gave different measures of kinetic parameters when the measurements were made concurrently in the same sheep. However, concurrent measurements derived from use of microspheres were consistent. Microspheres offer a new alternative for digestive studies. (author). 19 refs, 4 tabs

Molecular markers associated with aluminium tolerance in Sorghum bicolor.

Science.gov (United States)

Too, Emily Jepkosgei; Onkware, Augustino Osoro; Were, Beatrice Ang'iyo; Gudu, Samuel; Carlsson, Anders; Geleta, Mulatu

2018-01-01

Sorghum ( Sorghum bicolor , L. Moench) production in many agro-ecologies is constrained by a variety of stresses, including high levels of aluminium (Al) commonly found in acid soils. Therefore, for such soils, growing Al tolerant cultivars is imperative for high productivity. In this study, molecular markers associated with Al tolerance were identified using a mapping population developed by crossing two contrasting genotypes for this trait. Four SSR ( Xtxp34 , Sb5_236 , Sb6_34 , and Sb6_342 ), one STS ( CTG29_3b ) and three ISSR ( 811_1400 , 835_200 and 884_200 ) markers produced alleles that showed significant association with Al tolerance. CTG29_3b, 811_1400 , Xtxp34 and Sb5_ 236 are located on chromosome 3 with the first two markers located close to Alt SB , a locus that underlie the Al tolerance gene ( SbMATE ) implying that their association with Al tolerance is due to their linkage to this gene. Although CTG29_3b and 811_ 1400 are located closer to Alt SB , Xtxp34 and Sb5_236 explained higher phenotypic variance of Al tolerance indices. Markers 835_200 , 884_200 , Sb6_34 and Sb6_342 are located on different chromosomes, which implies the presence of several genes involved in Al tolerance in addition to S bMATE in sorghum. These molecular markers have a high potential for use in breeding for Al tolerance in sorghum.

Baseline series fragrance markers fail to predict contact allergy.

Science.gov (United States)

Mann, Jack; McFadden, John P; White, Jonathan M L; White, Ian R; Banerjee, Piu

2014-05-01

Negative patch test results with fragrance allergy markers in the European baseline series do not always predict a negative reaction to individual fragrance substances. To determine the frequencies of positive test reactions to the 26 fragrance substances for which labelling is mandatory in the EU, and how effectively reactions to fragrance markers in the baseline series predict positive reactions to the fragrance substances that are labelled. The records of 1951 eczema patients, routinely tested with the labelled fragrance substances and with an extended European baseline series in 2011 and 2012, were retrospectively reviewed. Two hundred and eighty-one (14.4%) (71.2% females) reacted to one or more allergens from the labelled-fragrance substance series and/or a fragrance marker from the European baseline series. The allergens that were positive with the greatest frequencies were cinnamyl alcohol (48; 2.46%), Evernia furfuracea (44; 2.26%), and isoeugenol (40; 2.05%). Of the 203 patients who reacted to any of the 26 fragrances in the labelled-fragrance substance series, only 117 (57.6%) also reacted to a fragrance marker in the baseline series. One hundred and seven (52.7%) reacted to either fragrance mix I or fragrance mix II, 28 (13.8%) reacted to Myroxylon pereirae, and 13 (6.4%) reacted to hydroxyisohexyl 3-cyclohexene carboxaldehyde. These findings confirm that the standard fragrance markers fail to identify patients with contact allergies to the 26 fragrances. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Two EST-derived marker systems for cultivar identification in tree peony.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, J J; Shu, Q Y; Liu, Z A; Ren, H X; Wang, L S; De Keyser, E

2012-02-01

Tree peony (Paeonia suffruticosa Andrews), a woody deciduous shrub, belongs to the section Moutan DC. in the genus of Paeonia of the Paeoniaceae family. To increase the efficiency of breeding, two EST-derived marker systems were developed based on a tree peony expressed sequence tag (EST) database. Using target region amplification polymorphism (TRAP), 19 of 39 primer pairs showed good amplification for 56 accessions with amplicons ranging from 120 to 3,000 bp long, among which 99.3% were polymorphic. In contrast, 7 of 21 primer pairs demonstrated adequate amplification with clear bands for simple sequence repeats (SSRs) developed from ESTs, and a total of 33 alleles were found in 56 accessions. The similarity matrices generated by TRAP and EST-SSR markers were compared, and the Mantel test (r = 0.57778, P = 0.0020) showed a moderate correlation between the two types of molecular markers. TRAP markers were suitable for DNA fingerprinting and EST-SSR markers were more appropriate for discriminating synonyms (the same cultivars with different names due to limited information exchanged among different geographic areas). The two sets of EST-derived markers will be used further for genetic linkage map construction and quantitative trait locus detection in tree peony.

Localization Based on Magnetic Markers for an All-Wheel Steering Vehicle

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yeun Sub Byun

2016-11-01

Full Text Available Real-time continuous localization is a key technology in the development of intelligent transportation systems. In these systems, it is very important to have accurate information about the position and heading angle of the vehicle at all times. The most widely implemented methods for positioning are the global positioning system (GPS, vision-based system, and magnetic marker system. Among these methods, the magnetic marker system is less vulnerable to indoor and outdoor environment conditions; moreover, it requires minimal maintenance expenses. In this paper, we present a position estimation scheme based on magnetic markers and odometry sensors for an all-wheel-steering vehicle. The heading angle of the vehicle is determined by using the position coordinates of the last two detected magnetic markers and odometer data. The instant position and heading angle of the vehicle are integrated with an extended Kalman filter to estimate the continuous position. GPS data with the real-time kinematics mode was obtained to evaluate the performance of the proposed position estimation system. The test results show that the performance of the proposed localization algorithm is accurate (mean error: 3 cm; max error: 9 cm and reliable under unexpected missing markers or incorrect markers.