Nitrogen soil emissions and belowground plant processes in Mediterranean annual pastures are altered by ozone exposure and N-inputs

Science.gov (United States)

Sánchez-Martín, L.; Bermejo-Bermejo, V.; García-Torres, L.; Alonso, R.; de la Cruz, A.; Calvete-Sogo, H.; Vallejo, A.

2017-09-01

Increasing tropospheric ozone (O3) and atmospheric nitrogen (N) deposition alter the structure and composition of pastures. These changes could affect N and C compounds in the soil that in turn can influence soil microbial activity and processes involved in the emission of N oxides, methane (CH4) and carbon dioxide (CO2), but these effects have been scarcely studied. Through an open top chamber (OTC) field experiment, the combined effects of both pollutants on soil gas emissions from an annual experimental Mediterranean community were assessed. Four O3 treatments and three different N input levels were considered. Fluxes of nitric (NO) and nitrous (N2O) oxide, CH4 and CO2 were analysed as well as soil mineral N and dissolved organic carbon. Belowground plant parameters like root biomass and root C and N content were also sampled. Ozone strongly increased soil N2O emissions, doubling the cumulative emission through the growing cycle in the highest O3 treatment, while N-inputs enhanced more slightly NO; CH4 and CO2 where not affected. Both N-gases had a clear seasonality, peaking at the start and at the end of the season when pasture physiological activity is minimal; thus, higher microorganism activity occurred when pasture had a low nutrient demand. The O3-induced peak of N2O under low N availability at the end of the growing season was counterbalanced by the high N inputs. These effects were related to the O3 x N significant interaction found for the root-N content in the grass and the enhanced senescence of the community. Results indicate the importance of the belowground processes, where competition between plants and microorganisms for the available soil N is a key factor, for understanding the ecosystem responses to O3 and N.

Impact of high-latitude energy input on the mid- and low-latitude ionosphere and thermosphere

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Lu, G.; Sheng, C.

2017-12-01

High-latitude energy input has a profound impact on the ionosphere and thermosphere especially during geomagnetic storms. Intense auroral particle precipitation ionizes neutral gases and modifies ionospheric conductivity; collisions between neutrals and fast-moving ions accelerate the neutral winds and produce Joule frictional heating; and the excess Joule and particle heating causes atmospheric upwelling and changes neutral composition due to the rising of the heavier, molecular-rich air. In addition, impulsive Joule heating launches large-scale gravity waves that propagate equatorward toward middle and low latitudes and even into the opposite hemisphere, altering the mean global circulation of the thermosphere. Furthermore, high-latitude electric field can also directly penetrate to lower latitudes under rapidly changing external conditions, causing prompt ionospheric variations in the mid- and low-latitude regions. To study the effects of high-latitude energy input, we apply the different convection and auroral precipitation patterns based on both empirical models and the AMIE outputs. We investigate how the mid- and low-latitude regions respond to the different specifications of high-latitude energy input. The main purpose of the study is to delineate the various dynamical, electrodynamical, and chemical processes and to determine their relative importance in the resulting ionospheric and thermospheric properties at mid and low latitudes.

Adaptive projective synchronization of different chaotic systems with nonlinearity inputs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Niu Yu-Jun; Pei Bing-Nan; Wang Xing-Yuan

2012-01-01

We investigate the projective synchronization of different chaotic systems with nonlinearity inputs. Based on the adaptive technique, sliding mode control method and pole assignment technique, a novel adaptive projective synchronization scheme is proposed to ensure the drive system and the response system with nonlinearity inputs can be rapidly synchronized up to the given scaling factor. (general)

Simulation of a Multidimensional Input Quantum Perceptron

Science.gov (United States)

Yamamoto, Alexandre Y.; Sundqvist, Kyle M.; Li, Peng; Harris, H. Rusty

2018-06-01

In this work, we demonstrate the improved data separation capabilities of the Multidimensional Input Quantum Perceptron (MDIQP), a fundamental cell for the construction of more complex Quantum Artificial Neural Networks (QANNs). This is done by using input controlled alterations of ancillary qubits in combination with phase estimation and learning algorithms. The MDIQP is capable of processing quantum information and classifying multidimensional data that may not be linearly separable, extending the capabilities of the classical perceptron. With this powerful component, we get much closer to the achievement of a feedforward multilayer QANN, which would be able to represent and classify arbitrary sets of data (both quantum and classical).

Gene alterations at Drosophila inversion breakpoints provide prima facie evidence for natural selection as an explanation for rapid chromosomal evolution.

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Guillén, Yolanda; Ruiz, Alfredo

2012-02-01

Chromosomal inversions have been pervasive during the evolution of the genus Drosophila, but there is significant variation between lineages in the rate of rearrangement fixation. D. mojavensis, an ecological specialist adapted to a cactophilic niche under extreme desert conditions, is a chromosomally derived species with ten fixed inversions, five of them not present in any other species. In order to explore the causes of the rapid chromosomal evolution in D. mojavensis, we identified and characterized all breakpoints of seven inversions fixed in chromosome 2, the most dynamic one. One of the inversions presents unequivocal evidence for its generation by ectopic recombination between transposon copies and another two harbor inverted duplications of non-repetitive DNA at the two breakpoints and were likely generated by staggered single-strand breaks and repair by non-homologous end joining. Four out of 14 breakpoints lay in the intergenic region between preexisting duplicated genes, suggesting an adaptive advantage of separating previously tightly linked duplicates. Four out of 14 breakpoints are associated with transposed genes, suggesting these breakpoints are fragile regions. Finally two inversions contain novel genes at their breakpoints and another three show alterations of genes at breakpoints with potential adaptive significance. D. mojavensis chromosomal inversions were generated by multiple mechanisms, an observation that does not provide support for increased mutation rate as explanation for rapid chromosomal evolution. On the other hand, we have found a number of gene alterations at the breakpoints with putative adaptive consequences that directly point to natural selection as the cause of D. mojavensis rapid chromosomal evolution.

Gene alterations at Drosophila inversion breakpoints provide prima facie evidence for natural selection as an explanation for rapid chromosomal evolution

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Guillén Yolanda

2012-02-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Chromosomal inversions have been pervasive during the evolution of the genus Drosophila, but there is significant variation between lineages in the rate of rearrangement fixation. D. mojavensis, an ecological specialist adapted to a cactophilic niche under extreme desert conditions, is a chromosomally derived species with ten fixed inversions, five of them not present in any other species. Results In order to explore the causes of the rapid chromosomal evolution in D. mojavensis, we identified and characterized all breakpoints of seven inversions fixed in chromosome 2, the most dynamic one. One of the inversions presents unequivocal evidence for its generation by ectopic recombination between transposon copies and another two harbor inverted duplications of non-repetitive DNA at the two breakpoints and were likely generated by staggered single-strand breaks and repair by non-homologous end joining. Four out of 14 breakpoints lay in the intergenic region between preexisting duplicated genes, suggesting an adaptive advantage of separating previously tightly linked duplicates. Four out of 14 breakpoints are associated with transposed genes, suggesting these breakpoints are fragile regions. Finally two inversions contain novel genes at their breakpoints and another three show alterations of genes at breakpoints with potential adaptive significance. Conclusions D. mojavensis chromosomal inversions were generated by multiple mechanisms, an observation that does not provide support for increased mutation rate as explanation for rapid chromosomal evolution. On the other hand, we have found a number of gene alterations at the breakpoints with putative adaptive consequences that directly point to natural selection as the cause of D. mojavensis rapid chromosomal evolution.

Gene alterations at Drosophila inversion breakpoints provide prima facie evidence for natural selection as an explanation for rapid chromosomal evolution

Science.gov (United States)

2012-01-01

Background Chromosomal inversions have been pervasive during the evolution of the genus Drosophila, but there is significant variation between lineages in the rate of rearrangement fixation. D. mojavensis, an ecological specialist adapted to a cactophilic niche under extreme desert conditions, is a chromosomally derived species with ten fixed inversions, five of them not present in any other species. Results In order to explore the causes of the rapid chromosomal evolution in D. mojavensis, we identified and characterized all breakpoints of seven inversions fixed in chromosome 2, the most dynamic one. One of the inversions presents unequivocal evidence for its generation by ectopic recombination between transposon copies and another two harbor inverted duplications of non-repetitive DNA at the two breakpoints and were likely generated by staggered single-strand breaks and repair by non-homologous end joining. Four out of 14 breakpoints lay in the intergenic region between preexisting duplicated genes, suggesting an adaptive advantage of separating previously tightly linked duplicates. Four out of 14 breakpoints are associated with transposed genes, suggesting these breakpoints are fragile regions. Finally two inversions contain novel genes at their breakpoints and another three show alterations of genes at breakpoints with potential adaptive significance. Conclusions D. mojavensis chromosomal inversions were generated by multiple mechanisms, an observation that does not provide support for increased mutation rate as explanation for rapid chromosomal evolution. On the other hand, we have found a number of gene alterations at the breakpoints with putative adaptive consequences that directly point to natural selection as the cause of D. mojavensis rapid chromosomal evolution. PMID:22296923

Rapid alterations of cell cycle control proteins in human T lymphocytes in microgravity

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Thiel Cora S

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Abstract In our study we aimed to identify rapidly reacting gravity-responsive mechanisms in mammalian cells in order to understand if and how altered gravity is translated into a cellular response. In a combination of experiments using "functional weightlessness" provided by 2D-clinostats and real microgravity provided by several parabolic flight campaigns and compared to in-flight-1g-controls, we identified rapid gravity-responsive reactions inside the cell cycle regulatory machinery of human T lymphocytes. In response to 2D clinorotation, we detected an enhanced expression of p21 Waf1/Cip1 protein within minutes, less cdc25C protein expression and enhanced Ser147-phosphorylation of cyclinB1 after CD3/CD28 stimulation. Additionally, during 2D clinorotation, Tyr-15-phosphorylation occurred later and was shorter than in the 1 g controls. In CD3/CD28-stimulated primary human T cells, mRNA expression of the cell cycle arrest protein p21 increased 4.1-fold after 20s real microgravity in primary CD4+ T cells and 2.9-fold in Jurkat T cells, compared to 1 g in-flight controls after CD3/CD28 stimulation. The histone acetyltransferase (HAT inhibitor curcumin was able to abrogate microgravity-induced p21 mRNA expression, whereas expression was enhanced by a histone deacetylase (HDAC inhibitor. Therefore, we suppose that cell cycle progression in human T lymphocytes requires Earth gravity and that the disturbed expression of cell cycle regulatory proteins could contribute to the breakdown of the human immune system in space.

The content of visual working memory alters processing of visual input prior to conscious access: Evidence from pupillometry

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Gayet, S.; Paffen, C.L.E.; Guggenmos, M.; Sterzer, P.; Stigchel, S. van der

2017-01-01

Visual working memory (VWM) allows for keeping relevant visual information available after termination of its sensory input. Storing information in VWM, however, affects concurrent conscious perception of visual input: initially suppressed visual input gains prioritized access to consciousness when

The impact of ornithogenic inputs on phosphorous transport from altered wetland soils to waterways in East Mediterranean ecosystem.

Science.gov (United States)

Litaor, M Iggy; Reichmann, O; Dente, E; Naftaly, A; Shenker, M

2014-03-01

Large flocks of Eurasian crane (Grus grus, >35,000) have begun wintering in an altered wetland agro-ecosystem located in Northern Israel, a phenomenon that attracts more than 400,000 eco-tourists a year. A 100-ha plot has been used to feed the cranes in order to protect nearby fields. The objective of this study was to evaluate the influence of this bird's feeding practice on the P status of the altered wetland soils and waterways. We installed a series of wells at two depths (40 and 90 cm) between two major waterways in the feeding area and monitored the hydraulic heads and collected groundwater samples for elemental analyses. We collected six soil cores and four sediment samples from the waterways and conducted sequential P extraction. We found significant increase in groundwater soluble reactive P (SRP) (>0.5 mg l(-1)) compared with much lower concentrations (~0.06 mg l(-1)) collected in the period prior to the feeding. We found significant decrease in Fe((II)), Ca, and SO4 concentrations in the shallow groundwater (33, 208, and 213 mg l(-1), respectively) compared with the period prior to the feeding (47, 460, and 370 mg l(-1) respectively). An increase in the more labile P fraction was observed in soils and sediments compared with the period before the feeding. The P input by bird excrement to the feeding area was estimated around 700 kg P per season, while P removal by plant harvesting was estimated around 640 kg Pyr(-1). This finding supports the current eco-tourism practices in the middle of intensive farming area, suggesting little impact on waterways. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Rapid Alterations in Perirenal Adipose Tissue Transcriptomic Networks with Cessation of Voluntary Running.

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Gregory N Ruegsegger

Full Text Available In maturing rats, the growth of abdominal fat is attenuated by voluntary wheel running. After the cessation of running by wheel locking, a rapid increase in adipose tissue growth to a size that is similar to rats that have never run (i.e. catch-up growth has been previously reported by our lab. In contrast, diet-induced increases in adiposity have a slower onset with relatively delayed transcriptomic responses. The purpose of the present study was to identify molecular pathways associated with the rapid increase in adipose tissue after ending 6 wks of voluntary running at the time of puberty. Age-matched, male Wistar rats were given access to running wheels from 4 to 10 weeks of age. From the 10th to 11th week of age, one group of rats had continued wheel access, while the other group had one week of wheel locking. Perirenal adipose tissue was extracted, RNA sequencing was performed, and bioinformatics analyses were executed using Ingenuity Pathway Analysis (IPA. IPA was chosen to assist in the understanding of complex 'omics data by integrating data into networks and pathways. Wheel locked rats gained significantly more fat mass and significantly increased body fat percentage between weeks 10-11 despite having decreased food intake, as compared to rats with continued wheel access. IPA identified 646 known transcripts differentially expressed (p < 0.05 between continued wheel access and wheel locking. In wheel locked rats, IPA revealed enrichment of transcripts for the following functions: extracellular matrix, macrophage infiltration, immunity, and pro-inflammatory. These findings suggest that increases in visceral adipose tissue that accompanies the cessation of pubertal physical activity are associated with the alteration of multiple pathways, some of which may potentiate the development of pubertal obesity and obesity-associated systemic low-grade inflammation that occurs later in life.

QUALITATIVE DATA AND ERROR MEASUREMENT IN INPUT-OUTPUT-ANALYSIS

NARCIS (Netherlands)

NIJKAMP, P; OOSTERHAVEN, J; OUWERSLOOT, H; RIETVELD, P

1992-01-01

This paper is a contribution to the rapidly emerging field of qualitative data analysis in economics. Ordinal data techniques and error measurement in input-output analysis are here combined in order to test the reliability of a low level of measurement and precision of data by means of a stochastic

Measuring Input Thresholds on an Existing Board

Science.gov (United States)

Kuperman, Igor; Gutrich, Daniel G.; Berkun, Andrew C.

2011-01-01

A critical PECL (positive emitter-coupled logic) interface to Xilinx interface needed to be changed on an existing flight board. The new Xilinx input interface used a CMOS (complementary metal-oxide semiconductor) type of input, and the driver could meet its thresholds typically, but not in worst-case, according to the data sheet. The previous interface had been based on comparison with an external reference, but the CMOS input is based on comparison with an internal divider from the power supply. A way to measure what the exact input threshold was for this device for 64 inputs on a flight board was needed. The measurement technique allowed an accurate measurement of the voltage required to switch a Xilinx input from high to low for each of the 64 lines, while only probing two of them. Directly driving an external voltage was considered too risky, and tests done on any other unit could not be used to qualify the flight board. The two lines directly probed gave an absolute voltage threshold calibration, while data collected on the remaining 62 lines without probing gave relative measurements that could be used to identify any outliers. The PECL interface was forced to a long-period square wave by driving a saturated square wave into the ADC (analog to digital converter). The active pull-down circuit was turned off, causing each line to rise rapidly and fall slowly according to the input s weak pull-down circuitry. The fall time shows up as a change in the pulse width of the signal ready by the Xilinx. This change in pulse width is a function of capacitance, pulldown current, and input threshold. Capacitance was known from the different trace lengths, plus a gate input capacitance, which is the same for all inputs. The pull-down current is the same for all inputs including the two that are probed directly. The data was combined, and the Excel solver tool was used to find input thresholds for the 62 lines. This was repeated over different supply voltages and

Separation of input function for rapid measurement of quantitative CMRO2 and CBF in a single PET scan with a dual tracer administration method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kudomi, Nobuyuki; Watabe, Hiroshi; Hayashi, Takuya; Iida, Hidehiro

2007-01-01

Cerebral metabolic rate of oxygen (CMRO 2 ), oxygen extraction fraction (OEF) and cerebral blood flow (CBF) images can be quantified using positron emission tomography (PET) by administrating 15 O-labelled water (H 15 2 O) and oxygen ( 15 O 2 ). Conventionally, those images are measured with separate scans for three tracers C 15 O for CBV, H 15 2 O for CBF and 15 O 2 for CMRO 2 , and there are additional waiting times between the scans in order to minimize the influence of the radioactivity from the previous tracers, which results in a relatively long study period. We have proposed a dual tracer autoradiographic (DARG) approach (Kudomi et al 2005), which enabled us to measure CBF, OEF and CMRO 2 rapidly by sequentially administrating H 15 2 O and 15 O 2 within a short time. Because quantitative CBF and CMRO 2 values are sensitive to arterial input function, it is necessary to obtain accurate input function and a drawback of this approach is to require separation of the measured arterial blood time-activity curve (TAC) into pure water and oxygen input functions under the existence of residual radioactivity from the first injected tracer. For this separation, frequent manual sampling was required. The present paper describes two calculation methods: namely a linear and a model-based method, to separate the measured arterial TAC into its water and oxygen components. In order to validate these methods, we first generated a blood TAC for the DARG approach by combining the water and oxygen input functions obtained in a series of PET studies on normal human subjects. The combined data were then separated into water and oxygen components by the present methods. CBF and CMRO 2 were calculated using those separated input functions and tissue TAC. The quantitative accuracy in the CBF and CMRO 2 values by the DARG approach did not exceed the acceptable range, i.e., errors in those values were within 5%, when the area under the curve in the input function of the second tracer

Effects of task-switching on neural representations of ambiguous sound input.

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Sussman, Elyse S; Bregman, Albert S; Lee, Wei-Wei

2014-11-01

The ability to perceive discrete sound streams in the presence of competing sound sources relies on multiple mechanisms that organize the mixture of the auditory input entering the ears. Many studies have focused on mechanisms that contribute to integrating sounds that belong together into one perceptual stream (integration) and segregating those that come from different sound sources (segregation). However, little is known about mechanisms that allow us to perceive individual sound sources within a dynamically changing auditory scene, when the input may be ambiguous, and heard as either integrated or segregated. This study tested the question of whether focusing on one of two possible sound organizations suppressed representation of the alternative organization. We presented listeners with ambiguous input and cued them to switch between tasks that used either the integrated or the segregated percept. Electrophysiological measures indicated which organization was currently maintained in memory. If mutual exclusivity at the neural level was the rule, attention to one of two possible organizations would preclude neural representation of the other. However, significant MMNs were elicited to both the target organization and the unattended, alternative organization, along with the target-related P3b component elicited only to the designated target organization. Results thus indicate that both organizations (integrated and segregated) were simultaneously maintained in memory regardless of which task was performed. Focusing attention to one aspect of the sounds did not abolish the alternative, unattended organization when the stimulus input was ambiguous. In noisy environments, such as walking on a city street, rapid and flexible adaptive processes are needed to help facilitate rapid switching to different sound sources in the environment. Having multiple representations available to the attentive system would allow for such flexibility, needed in everyday situations to

The effect of cutting conditions on power inputs when machining

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Petrushin, S. I.; Gruby, S. V.; Nosirsoda, Sh C.

2016-08-01

Any technological process involving modification of material properties or product form necessitates consumption of a certain power amount. When developing new technologies one should take into account the benefits of their implementation vs. arising power inputs. It is revealed that procedures of edge cutting machining are the most energy-efficient amongst the present day forming procedures such as physical and technical methods including electrochemical, electroerosion, ultrasound, and laser processing, rapid prototyping technologies etc, such as physical and technical methods including electrochemical, electroerosion, ultrasound, and laser processing, rapid prototyping technologies etc. An expanded formula for calculation of power inputs is deduced, which takes into consideration the mode of cutting together with the tip radius, the form of the replaceable multifaceted insert and its wear. Having taken as an example cutting of graphite iron by the assembled cutting tools with replaceable multifaceted inserts the authors point at better power efficiency of high feeding cutting in comparison with high-speed cutting.

A preconscious neural mechanism of hypnotically altered colors: a double case study.

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Mika Koivisto

Full Text Available Hypnotic suggestions may change the perceived color of objects. Given that chromatic stimulus information is processed rapidly and automatically by the visual system, how can hypnotic suggestions affect perceived colors in a seemingly immediate fashion? We studied the mechanisms of such color alterations by measuring electroencephalography in two highly suggestible participants as they perceived briefly presented visual shapes under posthypnotic color alternation suggestions such as "all the squares are blue". One participant consistently reported seeing the suggested colors. Her reports correlated with enhanced evoked upper beta-band activity (22 Hz 70-120 ms after stimulus in response to the shapes mentioned in the suggestion. This effect was not observed in a control condition where the participants merely tried to simulate the effects of the suggestion on behavior. The second participant neither reported color alterations nor showed the evoked beta activity, although her subjective experience and event-related potentials were changed by the suggestions. The results indicate a preconscious mechanism that first compares early visual input with a memory representation of the suggestion and consequently triggers the color alteration process in response to the objects specified by the suggestion. Conscious color experience is not purely the result of bottom-up processing but it can be modulated, at least in some individuals, by top-down factors such as hypnotic suggestions.

Delayed access to bilateral input alters cortical organization in children with asymmetric hearing

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Melissa Jane Polonenko

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Bilateral hearing in early development protects auditory cortices from reorganizing to prefer the better ear. Yet, such protection could be disrupted by mismatched bilateral input in children with asymmetric hearing who require electric stimulation of the auditory nerve from a cochlear implant in their deaf ear and amplified acoustic sound from a hearing aid in their better ear (bimodal hearing. Cortical responses to bimodal stimulation were measured by electroencephalography in 34 bimodal users and 16 age-matched peers with normal hearing, and compared with the same measures previously reported for 28 age-matched bilateral implant users. Both auditory cortices increasingly favoured the better ear with delay to implanting the deaf ear; the time course mirrored that occurring with delay to bilateral implantation in unilateral implant users. Preference for the implanted ear tended to occur with ongoing implant use when hearing was poor in the non-implanted ear. Speech perception deteriorated with longer deprivation and poorer access to high-frequencies. Thus, cortical preference develops in children with asymmetric hearing but can be avoided by early provision of balanced bimodal stimulation. Although electric and acoustic stimulation differ, these inputs can work sympathetically when used bilaterally given sufficient hearing in the non-implanted ear.

Rapid Airplane Parametric Input Design(RAPID)

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Smith, Robert E.; Bloor, Malcolm I. G.; Wilson, Michael J.; Thomas, Almuttil M.

2004-01-01

An efficient methodology is presented for defining a class of airplane configurations. Inclusive in this definition are surface grids, volume grids, and grid sensitivity. A small set of design parameters and grid control parameters govern the process. The general airplane configuration has wing, fuselage, vertical tail, horizontal tail, and canard components. The wing, tail, and canard components are manifested by solving a fourth-order partial differential equation subject to Dirichlet and Neumann boundary conditions. The design variables are incorporated into the boundary conditions, and the solution is expressed as a Fourier series. The fuselage has circular cross section, and the radius is an algebraic function of four design parameters and an independent computational variable. Volume grids are obtained through an application of the Control Point Form method. Grid sensitivity is obtained by applying the automatic differentiation precompiler ADIFOR to software for the grid generation. The computed surface grids, volume grids, and sensitivity derivatives are suitable for a wide range of Computational Fluid Dynamics simulation and configuration optimizations.

Fast increases in urban sewage inputs to rivers of Indonesia

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Suwarno, D.; Löhr, A.; Kroeze, C.; Widianarko, B.

2014-01-01

We present estimates for nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) sewage inputs to 19 Indonesian rivers for 1970–2050. Future trends are based on the four scenarios of the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment. Our results indicate a rapid increase in N and P pollution from sewage over time. In 1970, N and P

History of nutrient inputs to the northeastern United States, 1930-2000

Science.gov (United States)

Hale, Rebecca L.; Hoover, Joseph H.; Wollheim, Wilfred M.; Vörösmarty, Charles J.

2013-04-01

Humans have dramatically altered nutrient cycles at local to global scales. We examined changes in anthropogenic nutrient inputs to the northeastern United States (NE) from 1930 to 2000. We created a comprehensive time series of anthropogenic N and P inputs to 437 counties in the NE at 5 year intervals. Inputs included atmospheric N deposition, biological N2 fixation, fertilizer, detergent P, livestock feed, and human food. Exports included exports of feed and food and volatilization of ammonia. N inputs to the NE increased throughout the study period, primarily due to increases in atmospheric deposition and fertilizer. P inputs increased until 1970 and then declined due to decreased fertilizer and detergent inputs. Livestock consistently consumed the majority of nutrient inputs over time and space. The area of crop agriculture declined during the study period but consumed more nutrients as fertilizer. We found that stoichiometry (N:P) of inputs and absolute amounts of N matched nutritional needs (livestock, humans, crops) when atmospheric components (N deposition, N2 fixation) were not included. Differences between N and P led to major changes in N:P stoichiometry over time, consistent with global trends. N:P decreased from 1930 to 1970 due to increased inputs of P, and increased from 1970 to 2000 due to increased N deposition and fertilizer and decreases in P fertilizer and detergent use. We found that nutrient use is a dynamic product of social, economic, political, and environmental interactions. Therefore, future nutrient management must take into account these factors to design successful and effective nutrient reduction measures.

Rapid plant evolution in the presence of an introduced species alters community composition.

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Smith, David Solance; Lau, Matthew K; Jacobs, Ryan; Monroy, Jenna A; Shuster, Stephen M; Whitham, Thomas G

2015-10-01

Because introduced species may strongly interact with native species and thus affect their fitness, it is important to examine how these interactions can cascade to have ecological and evolutionary consequences for whole communities. Here, we examine the interactions among introduced Rocky Mountain elk, Cervus canadensis nelsoni, a common native plant, Solidago velutina, and the diverse plant-associated community of arthropods. While introduced species are recognized as one of the biggest threats to native ecosystems, relatively few studies have investigated an evolutionary mechanism by which introduced species alter native communities. Here, we use a common garden design that addresses and supports two hypotheses. First, native S. velutina has rapidly evolved in the presence of introduced elk. We found that plants originating from sites with introduced elk flowered nearly 3 weeks before plants originating from sites without elk. Second, evolution of S. velutina results in a change to the plant-associated arthropod community. We found that plants originating from sites with introduced elk supported an arthropod community that had ~35 % fewer total individuals and a different species composition. Our results show that the impacts of introduced species can have both ecological and evolutionary consequences for strongly interacting species that subsequently cascade to affect a much larger community. Such evolutionary consequences are likely to be long-term and difficult to remediate.

Tropical Andean Forests Are Highly Susceptible to Nutrient Inputs—Rapid Effects of Experimental N and P Addition to an Ecuadorian Montane Forest

Science.gov (United States)

Homeier, Jürgen; Hertel, Dietrich; Camenzind, Tessa; Cumbicus, Nixon L.; Maraun, Mark; Martinson, Guntars O.; Poma, L. Nohemy; Rillig, Matthias C.; Sandmann, Dorothee; Scheu, Stefan; Veldkamp, Edzo; Wilcke, Wolfgang; Wullaert, Hans; Leuschner, Christoph

2012-01-01

Tropical regions are facing increasing atmospheric inputs of nutrients, which will have unknown consequences for the structure and functioning of these systems. Here, we show that Neotropical montane rainforests respond rapidly to moderate additions of N (50 kg ha−1 yr−1) and P (10 kg ha−1 yr−1). Monitoring of nutrient fluxes demonstrated that the majority of added nutrients remained in the system, in either soil or vegetation. N and P additions led to not only an increase in foliar N and P concentrations, but also altered soil microbial biomass, standing fine root biomass, stem growth, and litterfall. The different effects suggest that trees are primarily limited by P, whereas some processes—notably aboveground productivity—are limited by both N and P. Highly variable and partly contrasting responses of different tree species suggest marked changes in species composition and diversity of these forests by nutrient inputs in the long term. The unexpectedly fast response of the ecosystem to moderate nutrient additions suggests high vulnerability of tropical montane forests to the expected increase in nutrient inputs. PMID:23071734

The comparison of visual working memory representations with perceptual inputs.

Science.gov (United States)

Hyun, Joo-seok; Woodman, Geoffrey F; Vogel, Edward K; Hollingworth, Andrew; Luck, Steven J

2009-08-01

The human visual system can notice differences between memories of previous visual inputs and perceptions of new visual inputs, but the comparison process that detects these differences has not been well characterized. In this study, the authors tested the hypothesis that differences between the memory of a stimulus array and the perception of a new array are detected in a manner that is analogous to the detection of simple features in visual search tasks. That is, just as the presence of a task-relevant feature in visual search can be detected in parallel, triggering a rapid shift of attention to the object containing the feature, the presence of a memory-percept difference along a task-relevant dimension can be detected in parallel, triggering a rapid shift of attention to the changed object. Supporting evidence was obtained in a series of experiments in which manual reaction times, saccadic reaction times, and event-related potential latencies were examined. However, these experiments also showed that a slow, limited-capacity process must occur before the observer can make a manual change detection response.

Do microorganism stoichiometric alterations affect carbon sequestration in paddy soil subjected to phosphorus input?

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Zhang, ZhiJian; Li, HongYi; Hu, Jiao; Li, Xia; He, Qiang; Tian, GuangMing; Wang, Hang; Wang, ShunYao; Wang, Bei

2015-04-01

Ecological stoichiometry provides a powerful tool for integrating microbial biomass stoichiometry with ecosystem processes, opening far-reaching possibilities for linking microbial dynamics to soil carbon (C) metabolism in response to agricultural nutrient management. Despite its importance to crop yield, the role of phosphorus (P) with respect to ecological stoichiometry and soil C sequestration in paddy fields remains poorly understood, which limits our ability to predict nutrient-related soil C cycling. Here, we collected soil samples from a paddy field experiment after seven years of superphosphate application along a gradient of 0, 30, 60, and 90 (P-0 through P-90, respectively) kg.ha-1.yr-1 in order to evaluate the role of exogenous P on soil C sequestration through regulating microbial stoichiometry. P fertilization increased soil total organic C and labile organic C by 1-14% and 4-96%, respectively, while rice yield is a function of the activities of soil β-1,4-glucosidase (BG), acid phosphatase (AP), and the level of available soil P through a stepwise linear regression model. P input induced C limitation, as reflected by decreases in the ratios of C:P in soil and microbial biomass. An eco-enzymatic ratio indicating microbial investment in C vs. P acquisition, i.e., ln(BG): ln(AP), changed the ecological function of microbial C acquisition, and was stoichiometrically related to P input. This mechanism drove a shift in soil resource availability by increasing bacterial community richness and diversity, and stimulated soil C sequestration in the paddy field by enhancing C-degradation-related bacteria for the breakdown of plant-derived carbon sources. Therefore, the decline in the C:P stoichiometric ratio of soil microorganism biomass under P input was beneficial for soil C sequestration, which offered a "win-win" relationship for the maximum balance point between C sequestration and P availability for rice production in the face of climate change.

Differential response of carbon cycling to long-term nutrient input and altered hydrological conditions in a continental Canadian peatland

Science.gov (United States)

Berger, Sina; Praetzel, Leandra S. E.; Goebel, Marie; Blodau, Christian; Knorr, Klaus-Holger

2018-02-01

Peatlands play an important role in global carbon cycling, but their responses to long-term anthropogenically changed hydrologic conditions and nutrient infiltration are not well known. While experimental manipulation studies, e.g., fertilization or water table manipulations, exist on the plot scale, only few studies have addressed such factors under in situ conditions. Therefore, an ecological gradient from the center to the periphery of a continental Canadian peatland bordering a eutrophic water reservoir, as reflected by increasing nutrient input, enhanced water level fluctuations, and increasing coverage of vascular plants, was used for a case study of carbon cycling along a sequence of four differently altered sites. We monitored carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4) surface fluxes and dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) and CH4 concentrations in peat profiles from April 2014 through September 2015. Moreover, we studied bulk peat and pore-water quality and we applied δ13C-CH4 and δ13C-CO2 stable isotope abundance analyses to examine dominant CH4 production and emission pathways during the growing season of 2015. We observed differential responses of carbon cycling at the four sites, presumably driven by abundances of plant functional types and vicinity to the reservoir. A shrub-dominated site in close vicinity to the reservoir was a comparably weak sink for CO2 (in 1.5 years: -1093 ± 794, in 1 year: +135 ± 281 g CO2 m-2; a net release) as compared to two graminoid-moss-dominated sites and a moss-dominated site (in 1.5 years: -1552 to -2260 g CO2 m-2, in 1 year: -896 to -1282 g CO2 m-2). Also, the shrub-dominated site featured notably low DIC pore-water concentrations and comparably 13C-enriched CH4 (δ13C- CH4: -57.81 ± 7.03 ‰) and depleted CO2 (δ13C-CO2: -15.85 ± 3.61 ‰) in a more decomposed peat, suggesting a higher share of CH4 oxidation and differences in predominant methanogenic pathways. In comparison to all other sites, the graminoid

Ia Afferent input alters the recruitment thresholds and firing rates of single human motor units.

Science.gov (United States)

Grande, G; Cafarelli, E

2003-06-01

Vibration of the patellar tendon recruits motor units in the knee extensors via excitation of muscle spindles and subsequent Ia afferent input to the alpha-motoneuron pool. Our first purpose was to determine if the recruitment threshold and firing rate of the same motor unit differed when recruited involuntarily via reflex or voluntarily via descending spinal pathways. Although Ia input is excitatory to the alpha-motoneuron pool, it has also been shown paradoxically to inhibit itself. Our second purpose was to determine if vibration of the patellar tendon during a voluntary knee extension causes a change in the firing rate of already recruited motor units. In the first protocol, 10 subjects voluntarily reproduced the same isometric force profile of the knee extensors that was elicited by vibration of the patellar tendon. Single motor unit recordings from the vastus lateralis (VL) were obtained with tungsten microelectrodes and unitary behaviour was examined during both reflex and voluntary knee extensions. Recordings from 135 single motor units showed that both recruitment thresholds and firing rates were lower during reflex contractions. In the second protocol, 7 subjects maintained a voluntary knee extension at 30 N for approximately 40-45 s. Three bursts of patellar tendon vibration were superimposed at regular intervals throughout the contraction and changes in the firing rate of already recruited motor units were examined. A total of 35 motor units were recorded and each burst of superimposed vibration caused a momentary reduction in the firing rates and recruitment of additional units. Our data provide evidence that Ia input modulates the recruitment thresholds and firing rates of motor units providing more flexibility within the neuromuscular system to grade force at low levels of force production.

Looking for myself: current multisensory input alters self-face recognition.

Science.gov (United States)

Tsakiris, Manos

2008-01-01

How do I know the person I see in the mirror is really me? Is it because I know the person simply looks like me, or is it because the mirror reflection moves when I move, and I see it being touched when I feel touch myself? Studies of face-recognition suggest that visual recognition of stored visual features inform self-face recognition. In contrast, body-recognition studies conclude that multisensory integration is the main cue to selfhood. The present study investigates for the first time the specific contribution of current multisensory input for self-face recognition. Participants were stroked on their face while they were looking at a morphed face being touched in synchrony or asynchrony. Before and after the visuo-tactile stimulation participants performed a self-recognition task. The results show that multisensory signals have a significant effect on self-face recognition. Synchronous tactile stimulation while watching another person's face being similarly touched produced a bias in recognizing one's own face, in the direction of the other person included in the representation of one's own face. Multisensory integration can update cognitive representations of one's body, such as the sense of ownership. The present study extends this converging evidence by showing that the correlation of synchronous multisensory signals also updates the representation of one's face. The face is a key feature of our identity, but at the same time is a source of rich multisensory experiences used to maintain or update self-representations.

Passive IFF: Autonomous Nonintrusive Rapid Identification of Friendly Assets

Science.gov (United States)

Moynihan, Philip; Steenburg, Robert Van; Chao, Tien-Hsin

2004-01-01

A proposed optoelectronic instrument would identify targets rapidly, without need to radiate an interrogating signal, apply identifying marks to the targets, or equip the targets with transponders. The instrument was conceived as an identification, friend or foe (IFF) system in a battlefield setting, where it would be part of a targeting system for weapons, by providing rapid identification for aimed weapons to help in deciding whether and when to trigger them. The instrument could also be adapted to law-enforcement and industrial applications in which it is necessary to rapidly identify objects in view. The instrument would comprise mainly an optical correlator and a neural processor (see figure). The inherent parallel-processing speed and capability of the optical correlator would be exploited to obtain rapid identification of a set of probable targets within a scene of interest and to define regions within the scene for the neural processor to analyze. The neural processor would then concentrate on each region selected by the optical correlator in an effort to identify the target. Depending on whether or not a target was recognized by comparison of its image data with data in an internal database on which the neural processor was trained, the processor would generate an identifying signal (typically, friend or foe ). The time taken for this identification process would be less than the time needed by a human or robotic gunner to acquire a view of, and aim at, a target. An optical correlator that has been under development for several years and that has been demonstrated to be capable of tracking a cruise missile might be considered a prototype of the optical correlator in the proposed IFF instrument. This optical correlator features a 512-by-512-pixel input image frame and operates at an input frame rate of 60 Hz. It includes a spatial light modulator (SLM) for video-to-optical image conversion, a pair of precise lenses to effect Fourier transforms, a filter SLM

Response of spiking neurons to correlated inputs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moreno, Ruben; Rocha, Jaime de la; Renart, Alfonso; Parga, Nestor

2002-01-01

The effect of a temporally correlated afferent current on the firing rate of a leaky integrate-and-fire neuron is studied. This current is characterized in terms of rates, autocorrelations, and cross correlations, and correlation time scale τ c of excitatory and inhibitory inputs. The output rate ν out is calculated in the Fokker-Planck formalism in the limit of both small and large τ c compared to the membrane time constant τ of the neuron. By simulations we check the analytical results, provide an interpolation valid for all τ c , and study the neuron's response to rapid changes in the correlation magnitude

Does Short-term Litter Input Manipulation Affect Soil Respiration and the Carbon-isotopic Signature of Soil Respired CO2

Science.gov (United States)

Cheng, X.; Wu, J.

2016-12-01

Global change greatly alters the quality and quantity of plant litter inputs to soils, and further impacts soil organic matter (SOM) dynamics and soil respiration. However, the process-based understanding of how soil respiration may change with future shift in litter input is not fully understood. The Detritus Input and Removal Treatment (DIRT) experiment was conducted in coniferous forest (Platycladus orientalis (Linn.) Franco) ecosystem of central China to investigate the impact of above- and belowground litter input on soil respiration and the carbon-isotopic signature of soil respired CO2. Short-term (1-2 years) litter input manipulation significantly affected soil respiration, based on annual flux values, soil respiration was 31.9%, 20.5% and 37.2% lower in no litter (NL), no root (NR) and no input (NRNL), respectively, compared to control (CK). Whereas double litter (DL) treatment increased soil respiration by 9.1% compared to CK. The recalcitrance index of carbon (RIC) and the relative abundance of fungi increased under litter removal or root exclusion treatment (NL, NR and NRNL) compared to CK. Basal soil respiration was positively related to liable C and microbial biomass and negatively related to RIC and fungi to bacteria (F: B) ratio. The carbon-isotopic signature of soil respired CO2 enriched under litter removal and no input treatment, and slightly depleted under litter addition treatment compared to CK. Our results suggest that short-term litter input manipulation can affect the soil respiration by altering substrate availability and microbial community structure, and also impact the carbon-isotopic signature of soil respired CO2 possibly duo to change in the component of soil respiration and soil microclimate.

Audiovisual associations alter the perception of low-level visual motion

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Hulusi eKafaligonul

2015-03-01

Full Text Available Motion perception is a pervasive nature of vision and is affected by both immediate pattern of sensory inputs and prior experiences acquired through associations. Recently, several studies reported that an association can be established quickly between directions of visual motion and static sounds of distinct frequencies. After the association is formed, sounds are able to change the perceived direction of visual motion. To determine whether such rapidly acquired audiovisual associations and their subsequent influences on visual motion perception are dependent on the involvement of higher-order attentive tracking mechanisms, we designed psychophysical experiments using regular and reverse-phi random dot motions isolating low-level pre-attentive motion processing. Our results show that an association between the directions of low-level visual motion and static sounds can be formed and this audiovisual association alters the subsequent perception of low-level visual motion. These findings support the view that audiovisual associations are not restricted to high-level attention based motion system and early-level visual motion processing has some potential role.

The Effects of Changing Input Costs on Food Prices

OpenAIRE

R. McFall Lamm; Paul C. Westcott

1981-01-01

The relationships between changes in food sector input costs and retail food prices are examined. Results indicate that increases in factor prices pass quickly to consumers, within two quarters for most foods. In addition, rising farm-level prices and substantial increases in nonfarm resource prices appear to explain why food prices rose more rapidly than nonfood prices in the 1970s. The analysis is based on a twenty-equation econometric model of the food-price determination process, specifie...

Resolution of First- and Second-Order Linear Differential Equations with Periodic Inputs by a Computer Algebra System

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. Legua

2008-01-01

Full Text Available In signal processing, a pulse means a rapid change in the amplitude of a signal from a baseline value to a higher or lower value, followed by a rapid return to the baseline value. A square wave function may be viewed as a pulse that repeats its occurrence periodically but the return to the baseline value takes some time to happen. When these periodic functions act as inputs in dynamic systems, the standard tool commonly used to solve the associated initial value problem (IVP is Laplace transform and its inverse. We show how a computer algebra system may also provide the solution of these IVP straight forwardly by adequately introducing the periodic input.

A self-adaptive thermal switch array for rapid temperature stabilization under various thermal power inputs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Geng, Xiaobao; Patel, Pragnesh; Narain, Amitabh; Meng, Dennis Desheng

2011-01-01

A self-adaptive thermal switch array (TSA) based on actuation by low-melting-point alloy droplets is reported to stabilize the temperature of a heat-generating microelectromechanical system (MEMS) device at a predetermined range (i.e. the optimal working temperature of the device) with neither a control circuit nor electrical power consumption. When the temperature is below this range, the TSA stays off and works as a thermal insulator. Therefore, the MEMS device can quickly heat itself up to its optimal working temperature during startup. Once this temperature is reached, TSA is automatically turned on to increase the thermal conductance, working as an effective thermal spreader. As a result, the MEMS device tends to stay at its optimal working temperature without complex thermal management components and the associated parasitic power loss. A prototype TSA was fabricated and characterized to prove the concept. The stabilization temperatures under various power inputs have been studied both experimentally and theoretically. Under the increment of power input from 3.8 to 5.8 W, the temperature of the device increased only by 2.5 °C due to the stabilization effect of TSA

Input-output supervisor; Le superviseur d'entree-sortie dans les ordinateurs

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dupuy, R [Commissariat a l' Energie Atomique, Vaujours (France). Centre d' Etudes Nucleaires

1970-07-01

The input-output supervisor is the program which monitors the flow of informations between core storage and peripheral equipments of a computer. This work is composed of three parts: 1 - Study of a generalized input-output supervisor. With sample modifications it looks like most of input-output supervisors which are running now on computers. 2 - Application of this theory on a magnetic drum. 3 - Hardware requirement for time-sharing. (author) [French] Le superviseur d'entree-sortie est le programme charge de gerer les echanges d'information entre la memoire rapide et les organes peripheriques d'un ordinateur. Ce travail se compose de trois parties: 1 - Etude d'un systeme d'entree-sortie general et theorique qui, en faisant un certain nombre d'hypotheses simplificatrices, permet de retrouver la plupart des superviseurs d'entree-sortie actuels. 2 - Expose d'une realisation concrete, gestion d'un tambour magnetique. 3 - Suggestions hardware en vue de faciliter le timesharing. (auteur)

Advances in EPA’s Rapid Exposure and Dosimetry Project (Interagency Alternatives Assessment Webinar)

Science.gov (United States)

Estimates of human and ecological exposures are required as critical input to risk-based prioritization and screening of chemicals. The CSS Rapid Exposure and Dosimetry project seeks to develop the data, tools, and evaluation approaches required to generate rapid and scientifical...

Spontaneous magnetic alignment by yearling snapping turtles: rapid association of radio frequency dependent pattern of magnetic input with novel surroundings.

Science.gov (United States)

Landler, Lukas; Painter, Michael S; Youmans, Paul W; Hopkins, William A; Phillips, John B

2015-01-01

We investigated spontaneous magnetic alignment (SMA) by juvenile snapping turtles using exposure to low-level radio frequency (RF) fields at the Larmor frequency to help characterize the underlying sensory mechanism. Turtles, first introduced to the testing environment without the presence of RF aligned consistently towards magnetic north when subsequent magnetic testing conditions were also free of RF ('RF off → RF off'), but were disoriented when subsequently exposed to RF ('RF off → RF on'). In contrast, animals initially introduced to the testing environment with RF present were disoriented when tested without RF ('RF on → RF off'), but aligned towards magnetic south when tested with RF ('RF on → RF on'). Sensitivity of the SMA response of yearling turtles to RF is consistent with the involvement of a radical pair mechanism. Furthermore, the effect of RF appears to result from a change in the pattern of magnetic input, rather than elimination of magnetic input altogether, as proposed to explain similar effects in other systems/organisms. The findings show that turtles first exposed to a novel environment form a lasting association between the pattern of magnetic input and their surroundings. However, under natural conditions turtles would never experience a change in the pattern of magnetic input. Therefore, if turtles form a similar association of magnetic cues with the surroundings each time they encounter unfamiliar habitat, as seems likely, the same pattern of magnetic input would be associated with multiple sites/localities. This would be expected from a sensory input that functions as a global reference frame, helping to place multiple locales (i.e., multiple local landmark arrays) into register to form a global map of familiar space.

Na+ Influx Induced by New Antimalarials Causes Rapid Alterations in the Cholesterol Content and Morphology of Plasmodium falciparum.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sudipta Das

2016-05-01

Full Text Available Among the several new antimalarials discovered over the past decade are at least three clinical candidate drugs, each with a distinct chemical structure, that disrupt Na+ homeostasis resulting in a rapid increase in intracellular Na+ concentration ([Na+]i within the erythrocytic stages of Plasmodium falciparum. At present, events triggered by Na+ influx that result in parasite demise are not well-understood. Here we report effects of two such drugs, a pyrazoleamide and a spiroindolone, on intraerythrocytic P. falciparum. Within minutes following the exposure to these drugs, the trophozoite stage parasite, which normally contains little cholesterol, was made permeant by cholesterol-dependent detergents, suggesting it acquired a substantial amount of the lipid. Consistently, the merozoite surface protein 1 and 2 (MSP1 and MSP2, glycosylphosphotidylinositol (GPI-anchored proteins normally uniformly distributed in the parasite plasma membrane, coalesced into clusters. These alterations were not observed following drug treatment of P. falciparum parasites adapted to grow in a low [Na+] growth medium. Both cholesterol acquisition and MSP1 coalescence were reversible upon the removal of the drugs, implicating an active process of cholesterol exclusion from trophozoites that we hypothesize is inhibited by high [Na+]i. Electron microscopy of drug-treated trophozoites revealed substantial morphological changes normally seen at the later schizont stage including the appearance of partial inner membrane complexes, dense organelles that resemble "rhoptries" and apparent nuclear division. Together these results suggest that [Na+]i disruptor drugs by altering levels of cholesterol in the parasite, dysregulate trophozoite to schizont development and cause parasite demise.

Precursors predicted by artificial neural networks for mass balance calculations: Quantifying hydrothermal alteration in volcanic rocks

Science.gov (United States)

Trépanier, Sylvain; Mathieu, Lucie; Daigneault, Réal; Faure, Stéphane

2016-04-01

This study proposes an artificial neural networks-based method for predicting the unaltered (precursor) chemical compositions of hydrothermally altered volcanic rock. The method aims at predicting precursor's major components contents (SiO2, FeOT, MgO, CaO, Na2O, and K2O). The prediction is based on ratios of elements generally immobile during alteration processes; i.e. Zr, TiO2, Al2O3, Y, Nb, Th, and Cr, which are provided as inputs to the neural networks. Multi-layer perceptron neural networks were trained on a large dataset of least-altered volcanic rock samples that document a wide range of volcanic rock types, tectonic settings and ages. The precursors thus predicted are then used to perform mass balance calculations. Various statistics were calculated to validate the predictions of precursors' major components, which indicate that, overall, the predictions are precise and accurate. For example, rank-based correlation coefficients were calculated to compare predicted and analysed values from a least-altered test dataset that had not been used to train the networks. Coefficients over 0.87 were obtained for all components, except for Na2O (0.77), indicating that predictions for alkali might be less performant. Also, predictions are performant for most volcanic rock compositions, except for ultra-K rocks. The proposed method provides an easy and rapid solution to the often difficult task of determining appropriate volcanic precursor compositions to rocks modified by hydrothermal alteration. It is intended for large volcanic rock databases and is most useful, for example, to mineral exploration performed in complex or poorly known volcanic settings. The method is implemented as a simple C++ console program.

Perceiving imitatible stimuli: consequences of isomorphism between input and output.

Science.gov (United States)

Wilson, M

2001-07-01

For more than a century, psychologists have been intrigued by the idea that mental representations of perceived human actions are closely connected with mental representations of performing those same actions. In this article, connections between input and output representations are considered in terms of the potential for imitation. A broad range of evidence suggests that, for imitatible stimuli, input and output representations are isomorphic to one another, allowing mutual influence between perception and motoric planning that is rapid, effortless, and possibly obligatory. Thus, the cognitive consequences of imitatibility may underlie such diverse phenomena as phoneme perception; imitation in neonates; echoic memory; stimulus-response compatibility; conduction aphasia; maintenance rehearsal; and a variety of developmental and social activities such as language acquisition, social learning, empathy, and monitoring one's own behavior.

Responses of tree and insect herbivores to elevated nitrogen inputs: A meta-analysis

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Furong; Dudley, Tom L.; Chen, Baoming; Chang, Xiaoyu; Liang, Liyin; Peng, Shaolin

2016-11-01

Increasing atmospheric nitrogen (N) inputs have the potential to alter terrestrial ecosystem function through impacts on plant-herbivore interactions. The goal of our study is to search for a general pattern in responses of tree characteristics important for herbivores and insect herbivorous performance to elevated N inputs. We conducted a meta-analysis based on 109 papers describing impacts of nitrogen inputs on tree characteristics and 16 papers on insect performance. The differences in plant characteristics and insect performance between broadleaves and conifers were also explored. Tree aboveground biomass, leaf biomass and leaf N concentration significantly increased under elevated N inputs. Elevated N inputs had no significantly overall effect on concentrations of phenolic compounds and lignin but adversely affected tannin, as defensive chemicals for insect herbivores. Additionally, the overall effect of insect herbivore performance (including development time, insect biomass, relative growth rate, and so on) was significantly increased by elevated N inputs. According to the inconsistent responses between broadleaves and conifers, broadleaves would be more likely to increase growth by light interception and photosynthesis rather than producing more defensive chemicals to elevated N inputs by comparison with conifers. Moreover, the overall carbohydrate concentration was significantly reduced by 13.12% in broadleaves while increased slightly in conifers. The overall tannin concentration decreased significantly by 39.21% in broadleaves but a 5.8% decrease in conifers was not significant. The results of the analysis indicated that elevated N inputs would provide more food sources and ameliorate tree palatability for insects, while the resistance of trees against their insect herbivores was weakened, especially for broadleaves. Thus, global forest insect pest problems would be aggravated by elevated N inputs. As N inputs continue to rise in the future, forest

TART input manual

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kimlinger, J.R.; Plechaty, E.F.

1982-01-01

The TART code is a Monte Carlo neutron/photon transport code that is only on the CRAY computer. All the input cards for the TART code are listed, and definitions for all input parameters are given. The execution and limitations of the code are described, and input for two sample problems are given

Altered Sensory Feedbacks in Pianist's Dystonia: the altered auditory feedback paradigm and the glove effect

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Felicia Pei-Hsin Cheng

2013-12-01

Full Text Available Background: This study investigates the effect of altered auditory feedback (AAF in musician's dystonia (MD and discusses whether altered auditory feedback can be considered as a sensory trick in MD. Furthermore, the effect of AAF is compared with altered tactile feedback, which can serve as a sensory trick in several other forms of focal dystonia. Methods: The method is based on scale analysis (Jabusch et al. 2004. Experiment 1 employs synchronization paradigm: 12 MD patients and 25 healthy pianists had to repeatedly play C-major scales in synchrony with a metronome on a MIDI-piano with 3 auditory feedback conditions: 1. normal feedback; 2. no feedback; 3. constant delayed feedback. Experiment 2 employs synchronization-continuation paradigm: 12 MD patients and 12 healthy pianists had to repeatedly play C-major scales in two phases: first in synchrony with a metronome, secondly continue the established tempo without the metronome. There are 4 experimental conditions, among them 3 are the same altered auditory feedback as in Experiment 1 and 1 is related to altered tactile sensory input. The coefficient of variation of inter-onset intervals of the key depressions was calculated to evaluate fine motor control. Results: In both experiments, the healthy controls and the patients behaved very similarly. There is no difference in the regularity of playing between the two groups under any condition, and neither did AAF nor did altered tactile feedback have a beneficial effect on patients’ fine motor control. Conclusions: The results of the two experiments suggest that in the context of our experimental designs, AAF and altered tactile feedback play a minor role in motor coordination in patients with musicians' dystonia. We propose that altered auditory and tactile feedback do not serve as effective sensory tricks and may not temporarily reduce the symptoms of patients suffering from MD in this experimental context.

Competition and convergence between auditory and cross-modal visual inputs to primary auditory cortical areas

Science.gov (United States)

Mao, Yu-Ting; Hua, Tian-Miao

2011-01-01

account that sensory cortex may become substantially more multisensory after alteration of its input during development. PMID:21273321

Input-output supervisor; Le superviseur d'entree-sortie dans les ordinateurs

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dupuy, R. [Commissariat a l' Energie Atomique, Vaujours (France). Centre d' Etudes Nucleaires

1970-07-01

The input-output supervisor is the program which monitors the flow of informations between core storage and peripheral equipments of a computer. This work is composed of three parts: 1 - Study of a generalized input-output supervisor. With sample modifications it looks like most of input-output supervisors which are running now on computers. 2 - Application of this theory on a magnetic drum. 3 - Hardware requirement for time-sharing. (author) [French] Le superviseur d'entree-sortie est le programme charge de gerer les echanges d'information entre la memoire rapide et les organes peripheriques d'un ordinateur. Ce travail se compose de trois parties: 1 - Etude d'un systeme d'entree-sortie general et theorique qui, en faisant un certain nombre d'hypotheses simplificatrices, permet de retrouver la plupart des superviseurs d'entree-sortie actuels. 2 - Expose d'une realisation concrete, gestion d'un tambour magnetique. 3 - Suggestions hardware en vue de faciliter le timesharing. (auteur)

Impacts of Alterations of Organic Inputs on the Bacterial Community within the sediments of Wind Cave, South Dakota, USA

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chelius Marisa K.

2009-01-01

Full Text Available Wind Cave (WICA in the Black Hills of South Dakota, like many mostly dry caves in temperate regions is an energy-starved system.The biotic communities that reside in these systems are low in diversity and simple in structure, and sensitive to changes in externalinputs of organic matter. Caves open to tourist traffic offer an opportunity to study the impacts of organic matter amendments in theform of human and rodent hair and dander, clothing lint, material from rodent activity (nesting materials and feces, and algal growthin and around artificial lighting. This study reports on the impacts of carbon amendments from humans and rodents on the bacterialand archaeal communities within the sediments of WICA from annual surveys and from a manipulative study that added lint (‘L’;cellulose plus rodent dander and rodent hair, rodent feces (‘F’, and a combination of both (‘LF’. The survey confirmed that bacterialbiomass was higher in regions of the cave with the highest rates of lint (hair and natural clothing fibers input. The manipulative studyfound that organic amendments in the forms of lint (L and rodent feces (F altered the WICA bacterial community structure in bothabundance and diversity, with the combined lint and feces (LF amendment having the most significant response. The high similarityof the LF and L communities suggests that the cave bacterial community is more carbon than nitrogen limited. The implication ofcave development to management practices is immediate and practical. Even small amounts of lint and organic matter foreign tocave bacteria significantly compromise the integrity of the endemic community resulting in the replacement of undescribed speciesby assemblages with at best, unknown impacts to natural cave features.

Input-output supervisor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dupuy, R.

1970-01-01

The input-output supervisor is the program which monitors the flow of informations between core storage and peripheral equipments of a computer. This work is composed of three parts: 1 - Study of a generalized input-output supervisor. With sample modifications it looks like most of input-output supervisors which are running now on computers. 2 - Application of this theory on a magnetic drum. 3 - Hardware requirement for time-sharing. (author) [fr

Rapidity distributions of hadrons in proton-nucleus collisions

Science.gov (United States)

Pirner, H. J.; Kopeliovich, B. Z.

2018-05-01

We study proton-lead collisions with a new model for the Fock states of the incoming proton. The number of collisions that the proton experiences selects the appropriate Fock state of the proton, which generates a multiple of p p -like rapidity distributions. We take as input the p p maximum entropy distributions, shifting the respective center-of-mass rapidities and reducing the available energies. A comparison with existing data at 5 TeV is made, and results for 8 TeV are presented. We also explore the high multiplicity data in this model.

Revolutions in energy input and material cycling in Earth history and human history

Science.gov (United States)

Lenton, Timothy M.; Pichler, Peter-Paul; Weisz, Helga

2016-04-01

Major revolutions in energy capture have occurred in both Earth and human history, with each transition resulting in higher energy input, altered material cycles and major consequences for the internal organization of the respective systems. In Earth history, we identify the origin of anoxygenic photosynthesis, the origin of oxygenic photosynthesis, and land colonization by eukaryotic photosynthesizers as step changes in free energy input to the biosphere. In human history we focus on the Palaeolithic use of fire, the Neolithic revolution to farming, and the Industrial revolution as step changes in free energy input to human societies. In each case we try to quantify the resulting increase in energy input, and discuss the consequences for material cycling and for biological and social organization. For most of human history, energy use by humans was but a tiny fraction of the overall energy input to the biosphere, as would be expected for any heterotrophic species. However, the industrial revolution gave humans the capacity to push energy inputs towards planetary scales and by the end of the 20th century human energy use had reached a magnitude comparable to the biosphere. By distinguishing world regions and income brackets we show the unequal distribution in energy and material use among contemporary humans. Looking ahead, a prospective sustainability revolution will require scaling up new renewable and decarbonized energy technologies and the development of much more efficient material recycling systems - thus creating a more autotrophic social metabolism. Such a transition must also anticipate a level of social organization that can implement the changes in energy input and material cycling without losing the large achievements in standard of living and individual liberation associated with industrial societies.

Cocaine Exposure Reorganizes Cell-Type and Input-Specific Connectivity in the Nucleus Accumbens

Science.gov (United States)

MacAskill, Andrew F.; Cassel, John M.; Carter, Adam G.

2014-01-01

Exposure to cocaine alters the structural and functional properties of medium spiny neurons (MSNs) in the Nucleus Accumbens (NAc). These changes suggest a rewiring of the NAc circuit, with an enhancement of excitatory synaptic connections onto MSNs. However, it is unknown how drug exposure alters the balance of long-range afferents onto different cell types in the NAc. Here we use whole-cell recordings, two-photon microscopy, optogenetics and pharmacogenetics to show how repeated cocaine alters connectivity in the mouse NAc medial shell. We first determine that cocaine selectively enhances amygdala innervation of D1-MSNs relative to D2-MSNs. We then show that amygdala activity is required for cocaine-induced changes to behavior and connectivity. Finally, we establish how heightened amygdala innervation can explain the structural and functional changes induced by cocaine. Our findings reveal how exposure to drugs of abuse fundamentally reorganizes cell-type and input-specific connectivity in the NAc. PMID:25108911

Convergent input from brainstem coincidence detectors onto delay-sensitive neurons in the inferior colliculus.

Science.gov (United States)

McAlpine, D; Jiang, D; Shackleton, T M; Palmer, A R

1998-08-01

Responses of low-frequency neurons in the inferior colliculus (IC) of anesthetized guinea pigs were studied with binaural beats to assess their mean best interaural phase (BP) to a range of stimulating frequencies. Phase plots (stimulating frequency vs BP) were produced, from which measures of characteristic delay (CD) and characteristic phase (CP) for each neuron were obtained. The CD provides an estimate of the difference in travel time from each ear to coincidence-detector neurons in the brainstem. The CP indicates the mechanism underpinning the coincidence detector responses. A linear phase plot indicates a single, constant delay between the coincidence-detector inputs from the two ears. In more than half (54 of 90) of the neurons, the phase plot was not linear. We hypothesized that neurons with nonlinear phase plots received convergent input from brainstem coincidence detectors with different CDs. Presentation of a second tone with a fixed, unfavorable delay suppressed the response of one input, linearizing the phase plot and revealing other inputs to be relatively simple coincidence detectors. For some neurons with highly complex phase plots, the suppressor tone altered BP values, but did not resolve the nature of the inputs. For neurons with linear phase plots, the suppressor tone either completely abolished their responses or reduced their discharge rate with no change in BP. By selectively suppressing inputs with a second tone, we are able to reveal the nature of underlying binaural inputs to IC neurons, confirming the hypothesis that the complex phase plots of many IC neurons are a result of convergence from simple brainstem coincidence detectors.

Altered composition of bone as triggered by irradiation facilitates the rapid erosion of the matrix by both cellular and physicochemical processes.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Danielle E Green

Full Text Available Radiation rapidly undermines trabecular architecture, a destructive process which proceeds despite a devastated cell population. In addition to the 'biologically orchestrated' resorption of the matrix by osteoclasts, physicochemical processes enabled by a damaged matrix may contribute to the rapid erosion of bone quality. 8w male C57BL/6 mice exposed to 5 Gy of Cs(137 γ-irradiation were compared to age-matched control at 2d, 10d, or 8w following exposure. By 10d, irradiation had led to significant loss of trabecular bone volume fraction. Assessed by reflection-based Fourier transform infrared imaging (FTIRI, chemical composition of the irradiated matrix indicated that mineralization had diminished at 2d by -4.3±4.8%, and at 10d by -5.8±3.2%. These data suggest that irradiation facilitates the dissolution of the matrix through a change in the material itself, a conclusion supported by a 13.7±4.5% increase in the elastic modulus as measured by nanoindentation. The decline in viable cells within the marrow of irradiated mice at 2d implies that the immediate collapse of bone quality and inherent increased risk of fracture is not solely a result of an overly-active biologic process, but one fostered by alterations in the material matrix that predisposes the material to erosion.

ColloInputGenerator

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

2013-01-01

This is a very simple program to help you put together input files for use in Gries' (2007) R-based collostruction analysis program. It basically puts together a text file with a frequency list of lexemes in the construction and inserts a column where you can add the corpus frequencies. It requires...... it as input for basic collexeme collostructional analysis (Stefanowitsch & Gries 2003) in Gries' (2007) program. ColloInputGenerator is, in its current state, based on programming commands introduced in Gries (2009). Projected updates: Generation of complete work-ready frequency lists....

Similar alteration of motor unit recruitment strategies during the anticipation and experience of pain.

Science.gov (United States)

Tucker, Kylie; Larsson, Anna-Karin; Oknelid, Stina; Hodges, Paul

2012-03-01

A motor unit consists of a motoneurone and the multiple muscle fibres that it innervates, and forms the final neural pathway that influences movement. Discharge of motor units is altered (decreased discharge rate and/or cessation of firing; and increased discharge rate and/or recruitment of new units) during matched-force contractions with pain. This is thought to be mediated by nociceptive (pain) input on motoneurones, as demonstrated in animal studies. It is also possible that motoneurone excitability is altered by pain related descending inputs, that these changes persist after noxious stimuli cease, and that direct nociceptive input is not necessary to induce pain related changes in movement. We aimed to determine whether anticipation of pain (descending pain related inputs without nociceptor discharge) alters motor unit discharge, and to observe motor unit discharge recovery after pain has ceased. Motor unit discharge was recorded with fine-wire electrodes in the quadriceps of 9 volunteers. Subjects matched isometric knee-extension force during anticipation of pain (anticipation: electrical shocks randomly applied over the infrapatellar fat-pad); pain (hypertonic saline injected into the fat-pad); and 3 intervening control conditions. Discharge rate of motor units decreased during pain (Precruitment of 1 population of units and new recruitment of another population were observed during both anticipation and pain; some changes in motor unit recruitment persisted after pain ceased. This challenges the fundamental theory that pain-related changes in muscle activity result from direct nociceptor discharge, and provides a mechanism that may underlie long-term changes in movement/chronicity in some musculoskeletal conditions. Copyright © 2011 International Association for the Study of Pain. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Epigenetic Alterations in Alzheimer's Disease

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Johannes eGräff

2015-12-01

Full Text Available Alzheimer’s disease (AD is the major cause of dementia in Western societies. It progresses asymptomatically during decades before being belatedly diagnosed when therapeutic strategies have become unviable. Although several genetic alterations have been associated with AD, the vast majority of AD cases do not show strong genetic underpinnings and are thus considered a consequence of non-genetic factors. Epigenetic mechanisms allow for the integration of long-lasting non-genetic inputs on specific genetic backgrounds, and recently, a growing number of epigenetic alterations in AD have been described. For instance, an accumulation of dysregulated epigenetic mechanisms in aging, the predominant risk factor of AD, might facilitate the onset of the disease. Likewise, mutations in several enzymes of the epigenetic machinery have been associated with neurodegenerative processes that are altered in AD such as impaired learning and memory formation. Genome-wide and locus-specific epigenetic alterations have also been reported, and several epigenetically dysregulated genes validated by independent groups. From these studies, a picture emerges of AD as being associated with DNA hypermethylation and histone deacetylation, suggesting a general repressed chromatin state and epigenetically reduced plasticity in AD. Here we review these recent findings and discuss several technical and methodological considerations that are imperative for their correct interpretation. We also pay particular focus on potential implementations and theoretical frameworks that we expect will help to better direct future studies aimed to unravel the epigenetic participation in AD.

Epigenetic Alterations in Alzheimer's Disease.

Science.gov (United States)

Sanchez-Mut, Jose V; Gräff, Johannes

2015-01-01

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the major cause of dementia in Western societies. It progresses asymptomatically during decades before being belatedly diagnosed when therapeutic strategies have become unviable. Although several genetic alterations have been associated with AD, the vast majority of AD cases do not show strong genetic underpinnings and are thus considered a consequence of non-genetic factors. Epigenetic mechanisms allow for the integration of long-lasting non-genetic inputs on specific genetic backgrounds, and recently, a growing number of epigenetic alterations in AD have been described. For instance, an accumulation of dysregulated epigenetic mechanisms in aging, the predominant risk factor of AD, might facilitate the onset of the disease. Likewise, mutations in several enzymes of the epigenetic machinery have been associated with neurodegenerative processes that are altered in AD such as impaired learning and memory formation. Genome-wide and locus-specific epigenetic alterations have also been reported, and several epigenetically dysregulated genes validated by independent groups. From these studies, a picture emerges of AD as being associated with DNA hypermethylation and histone deacetylation, suggesting a general repressed chromatin state and epigenetically reduced plasticity in AD. Here we review these recent findings and discuss several technical and methodological considerations that are imperative for their correct interpretation. We also pay particular focus on potential implementations and theoretical frameworks that we expect will help to better direct future studies aimed to unravel the epigenetic participation in AD.

Safety analysis code input automation using the Nuclear Plant Data Bank

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kopp, H.; Leung, J.; Tajbakhsh, A.; Viles, F.

1985-01-01

The Nuclear Plant Data Bank (NPDB) is a computer-based system that organizes a nuclear power plant's technical data, providing mechanisms for data storage, retrieval, and computer-aided engineering analysis. It has the specific objective to describe thermohydraulic systems in order to support: rapid information retrieval and display, and thermohydraulic analysis modeling. The Nuclear Plant Data Bank (NPBD) system fully automates the storage and analysis based on this data. The system combines the benefits of a structured data base system and computer-aided modeling with links to large scale codes for engineering analysis. Emphasis on a friendly and very graphically oriented user interface facilitates both initial use and longer term efficiency. Specific features are: organization and storage of thermohydraulic data items, ease in locating specific data items, graphical and tabular display capabilities, interactive model construction, organization and display of model input parameters, input deck construction for TRAC and RELAP analysis programs, and traceability of plant data, user model assumptions, and codes used in the input deck construction process. The major accomplishments of this past year were the development of a RELAP model generation capability and the development of a CRAY version of the code

Input Mezzanine Card for the Fast Tracker at ATLAS

CERN Document Server

Iizawa, Tomoya; The ATLAS collaboration

2016-01-01

The Fast Tracker (FTK) is an integral part of trigger upgrade program for the ATLAS experiment. At LHC Run 2, which started operations in June 2015 at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV, the luminosity could reach up to 2*1034 cm-2s-1 and an average of 40-50 simultaneous proton collisions per beam crossing will be expected. The higher luminosity demands a more sophisticated trigger system with increased use of tracking information. The Fast Tracker is a highly-parallel hardware system that rapidly finds and reconstructs tracks in the ATLAS inner-detector at the triggering stage. This paper focuses on the FTK Input Mezzanine Board that is input module of entire system. The functions of this board are to receive the insertable b-layer, pixel and micro-strip data from the ATLAS Silicon read-out drivers, perform clustering, and forward the data to its mother board. Mass production and quality control tests of Mezzanine Boards were completed, and staged installation and commissioning are ongoing. Details of its fun...

Input-output interactions and optimal monetary policy

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Petrella, Ivan; Santoro, Emiliano

2011-01-01

This paper deals with the implications of factor demand linkages for monetary policy design in a two-sector dynamic general equilibrium model. Part of the output of each sector serves as a production input in both sectors, in accordance with a realistic input–output structure. Strategic...... complementarities induced by factor demand linkages significantly alter the transmission of shocks and amplify the loss of social welfare under optimal monetary policy, compared to what is observed in standard two-sector models. The distinction between value added and gross output that naturally arises...... in this context is of key importance to explore the welfare properties of the model economy. A flexible inflation targeting regime is close to optimal only if the central bank balances inflation and value added variability. Otherwise, targeting gross output variability entails a substantial increase in the loss...

Touch imprint cytology with massively parallel sequencing (TIC-seq): a simple and rapid method to snapshot genetic alterations in tumors.

Science.gov (United States)

Amemiya, Kenji; Hirotsu, Yosuke; Goto, Taichiro; Nakagomi, Hiroshi; Mochizuki, Hitoshi; Oyama, Toshio; Omata, Masao

2016-12-01

Identifying genetic alterations in tumors is critical for molecular targeting of therapy. In the clinical setting, formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissue is usually employed for genetic analysis. However, DNA extracted from FFPE tissue is often not suitable for analysis because of its low levels and poor quality. Additionally, FFPE sample preparation is time-consuming. To provide early treatment for cancer patients, a more rapid and robust method is required for precision medicine. We present a simple method for genetic analysis, called touch imprint cytology combined with massively paralleled sequencing (touch imprint cytology [TIC]-seq), to detect somatic mutations in tumors. We prepared FFPE tissues and TIC specimens from tumors in nine lung cancer patients and one patient with breast cancer. We found that the quality and quantity of TIC DNA was higher than that of FFPE DNA, which requires microdissection to enrich DNA from target tissues. Targeted sequencing using a next-generation sequencer obtained sufficient sequence data using TIC DNA. Most (92%) somatic mutations in lung primary tumors were found to be consistent between TIC and FFPE DNA. We also applied TIC DNA to primary and metastatic tumor tissues to analyze tumor heterogeneity in a breast cancer patient, and showed that common and distinct mutations among primary and metastatic sites could be classified into two distinct histological subtypes. TIC-seq is an alternative and feasible method to analyze genomic alterations in tumors by simply touching the cut surface of specimens to slides. © 2016 The Authors. Cancer Medicine published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Stable isotopic and mineralogical studies of hydrothermal alteration at Arima Spa, Southwest Japan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Masuda, Harue; Osaka City Univ.; Sakai, Hitoshi; Chiba, Hitoshi; Matsuhisa, Yukihiro; Nakamura, Takeshi

1986-01-01

The waters of Arima Spa, Southwest Japan, have high salinity (Cl = 54 g/kg) and high isotopic ratios (deltaD = -32, and delta 18 O = +10 per mille), and issue from shallow wells drilled into altered rhyolitic pyroclastic rocks of Cretaceous age. Alteration of the host rocks occurred in two stages. The earlier regional alteration stage is characterized by the presence of 2M- and 1M-type muscovite, albite, chlorite, calcite and epidote, whereas muscovite and Fe-chlorite formation at the expense of partly albitized plagioclase and altered biotite or hornblende occurred in the following hydrothermal stage. Pyrite, sphalerite, galena and siderite are present in the central part of the hydrothermal alteration zone. Oxygen and hydrogen isotopic ratios of secondary muscovite show that regional alteration proceeded under the meteoric circulation, and that the hydrothermal fluid for the second stage had chemical and stable isotopic characteristics of non-meteoric origin similar to the present-day Arima brine. The oxygen and to a lesser extent the hydrogen isotopic ratios of the muscovite rapidly decrease with increasing distance from the central zone of hydrothermal alteration. The isotopic variation is best interpreted as reflecting rapidly decreasing fluid/rock ratios with increasing distance of fluid penetration from the narrow hydrothermal alteration zone into the surrounding area. The results are discussed. (author)

Total dose induced increase in input offset voltage in JFET input operational amplifiers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pease, R.L.; Krieg, J.; Gehlhausen, M.; Black, J.

1999-01-01

Four different types of commercial JFET input operational amplifiers were irradiated with ionizing radiation under a variety of test conditions. All experienced significant increases in input offset voltage (Vos). Microprobe measurement of the electrical characteristics of the de-coupled input JFETs demonstrates that the increase in Vos is a result of the mismatch of the degraded JFETs. (authors)

Pulsed flows, tributary inputs, and food web structure in a highly regulated river

Science.gov (United States)

Sabo, John; Caron, Melanie; Doucett, Richard R.; Dibble, Kimberly L.; Ruhi, Albert; Marks, Jane; Hungate, Bruce; Kennedy, Theodore A.

2018-01-01

1.Dams disrupt the river continuum, altering hydrology, biodiversity, and energy flow. Although research indicates that tributary inputs have the potential to dilute these effects, knowledge at the food web level is still scarce.2.Here we examined the riverine food web structure of the Colorado River below Glen Canyon Dam, focusing on organic matter sources, trophic diversity, and food chain length. We asked how these components respond to pulsed flows from tributaries following monsoon thunderstorms that seasonally increase streamflow in the American Southwest.3.Tributaries increased the relative importance of terrestrial organic matter, particularly during the wet season below junctures of key tributaries. This contrasted with the algal-based food web present immediately below Glen Canyon Dam.4.Tributary inputs during the monsoon also increased trophic diversity and food chain length: food chain length peaked below the confluence with the largest tributary (by discharge) in Grand Canyon, increasing by >1 trophic level over a 4-5 kilometre reach possibly due to aquatic prey being flushed into the mainstem during heavy rain events.5.Our results illustrate that large tributaries can create seasonal discontinuities, influencing riverine food web structure in terms of allochthony, food web diversity, and food chain length.6.Synthesis and applications. Pulsed flows from unregulated tributaries following seasonal monsoon rains increase the importance of terrestrially-derived organic matter in large, regulated river food webs, increasing food chain length and trophic diversity downstream of tributary inputs. Protecting unregulated tributaries within hydropower cascades may be important if we are to mitigate food web structure alteration due to flow regulation by large dams. This is critical in the light of global hydropower development, especially in megadiverse, developing countries where dam placement (including completed and planned structures) is in tributaries.

Connectivity in the human brain dissociates entropy and complexity of auditory inputs.

Science.gov (United States)

Nastase, Samuel A; Iacovella, Vittorio; Davis, Ben; Hasson, Uri

2015-03-01

Complex systems are described according to two central dimensions: (a) the randomness of their output, quantified via entropy; and (b) their complexity, which reflects the organization of a system's generators. Whereas some approaches hold that complexity can be reduced to uncertainty or entropy, an axiom of complexity science is that signals with very high or very low entropy are generated by relatively non-complex systems, while complex systems typically generate outputs with entropy peaking between these two extremes. In understanding their environment, individuals would benefit from coding for both input entropy and complexity; entropy indexes uncertainty and can inform probabilistic coding strategies, whereas complexity reflects a concise and abstract representation of the underlying environmental configuration, which can serve independent purposes, e.g., as a template for generalization and rapid comparisons between environments. Using functional neuroimaging, we demonstrate that, in response to passively processed auditory inputs, functional integration patterns in the human brain track both the entropy and complexity of the auditory signal. Connectivity between several brain regions scaled monotonically with input entropy, suggesting sensitivity to uncertainty, whereas connectivity between other regions tracked entropy in a convex manner consistent with sensitivity to input complexity. These findings suggest that the human brain simultaneously tracks the uncertainty of sensory data and effectively models their environmental generators. Copyright © 2014. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Changes to dryland rainfall result in rapid moss mortality and altered soil fertility

Science.gov (United States)

Reed, Sasha C.; Coe, Kirsten K.; Sparks, Jed P.; Housman, David C.; Zelikova, Tamara J.; Belnap, Jayne

2012-01-01

Arid and semi-arid ecosystems cover ~40% of Earth’s terrestrial surface, but we know little about how climate change will affect these widespread landscapes. Like many drylands, the Colorado Plateau in southwestern United States is predicted to experience elevated temperatures and alterations to the timing and amount of annual precipitation. We used a factorial warming and supplemental rainfall experiment on the Colorado Plateau to show that altered precipitation resulted in pronounced mortality of the widespread moss Syntrichia caninervis. Increased frequency of 1.2 mm summer rainfall events reduced moss cover from ~25% of total surface cover to fertility. Mosses are important members in many dryland ecosystems and the community changes observed here reveal how subtle modifications to climate can affect ecosystem structure and function on unexpectedly short timescales. Moreover, mortality resulted from increased precipitation through smaller, more frequent events, underscoring the importance of precipitation event size and timing, and highlighting our inadequate understanding of relationships between climate and ecosystem function in drylands.

Non-Rapid Eye Movement Sleep Parasomnias and Migraine: A Role of Orexinergic Projections

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Antonietta Messina

2018-02-01

Full Text Available IntroductionSleep and migraine share a common pathophysiological substrate, although the underlying mechanisms are unknown. The serotonergic and orexinergic systems are both involved in the regulation of sleep/wake cycle, and numerous studies show that both are involved in the migraine etiopathogenesis. These two systems are anatomically and functionally interconnected. Our hypothesis is that in migraine a dysfunction of orexinergic projections on the median raphe (MR nuclei, interfering with serotonergic regulation, may cause Non-Rapid Eye Movement parasomnias, such as somnambulism.Hypothesis/theoryActing on the serotonergic neurons of the raphe nuclei, the dysfunction of orexinergic neurons would lead to a higher release of serotonin. The activation of serotonergic receptors located on the walls of large cerebral vessels would lead to abnormal vasodilatation and consequently increase transmural pressure. This process could activate the trigeminal nerve terminals that innervate vascular walls. As a consequence, there is activation of sensory nerve endings at the level of hard vessels in the meninges, with release of pro-inflammatory peptides (e.g., substance P and CGRP. Within this hypothetical frame, the released serotonin could also interact with trigeminovascular afferents to activate and/or facilitate the release of the neuropeptide at the level of the trigeminal ganglion. The dysregulation of the physiological negative feedback of serotonin on the orexinergic neurons, in turn, would contribute to an alteration of the whole system, altering the sleep–wake cycle.ConclusionSerotonergic neurons of the MR nuclei receive an excitatory input from hypothalamic orexin/hypocretin neurons and reciprocally inhibit orexin/hypocretin neurons through the serotonin 1A receptor (or 5-HT1A receptor. Considering this complex system, if there is an alteration it may facilitate the pathophysiological mechanisms involved in the migraine, while it may produce

Exergetic assessment for resources input and environmental emissions by Chinese industry during 1997-2006.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Bo; Peng, Beihua; Liu, Mingchu

2012-01-01

This paper presents an overview of the resources use and environmental impact of the Chinese industry during 1997-2006. For the purpose of this analysis the thermodynamic concept of exergy has been employed both to quantify and aggregate the resources input and the environmental emissions arising from the sector. The resources input and environmental emissions show an increasing trend in this period. Compared with 47568.7 PJ in 1997, resources input in 2006 increased by 75.4% and reached 83437.9 PJ, of which 82.5% came from nonrenewable resources, mainly from coal and other energy minerals. Furthermore, the total exergy of environmental emissions was estimated to be 3499.3 PJ in 2006, 1.7 times of that in 1997, of which 93.4% was from GHG emissions and only 6.6% from "three wastes" emissions. A rapid increment of the nonrenewable resources input and GHG emissions over 2002-2006 can be found, owing to the excessive expansion of resource- and energy-intensive subsectors. Exergy intensities in terms of resource input intensity and environmental emission intensity time-series are also calculated, and the trends are influenced by the macroeconomic situation evidently, particularly by the investment-derived economic development in recent years. Corresponding policy implications to guide a more sustainable industry system are addressed.

Input and execution

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Carr, S.; Lane, G.; Rowling, G.

1986-11-01

This document describes the input procedures, input data files and operating instructions for the SYVAC A/C 1.03 computer program. SYVAC A/C 1.03 simulates the groundwater mediated movement of radionuclides from underground facilities for the disposal of low and intermediate level wastes to the accessible environment, and provides an estimate of the subsequent radiological risk to man. (author)

Net farm income and land use under a U.S. greenhouse gas cap and trade

Science.gov (United States)

Justin S. Baker; Bruce A. McCarl; Brian C. Murray; Steven K. Rose; Ralph J. Alig; Darius Adams; Greg Latta; Robert Beach; Adam. Daigneault

2010-01-01

During recent years, the U.S. agricultural sector has experienced high prices for energy related inputs and commodities, and a rapidly developing bioenergy market. Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions mitigation would further alter agricultural markets and increase land competition in forestry and agriculture by shifting input costs, creating an agricultural GHG abatement...

Epigenetic Alterations in Alzheimer’s Disease

Science.gov (United States)

Sanchez-Mut, Jose V.; Gräff, Johannes

2015-01-01

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the major cause of dementia in Western societies. It progresses asymptomatically during decades before being belatedly diagnosed when therapeutic strategies have become unviable. Although several genetic alterations have been associated with AD, the vast majority of AD cases do not show strong genetic underpinnings and are thus considered a consequence of non-genetic factors. Epigenetic mechanisms allow for the integration of long-lasting non-genetic inputs on specific genetic backgrounds, and recently, a growing number of epigenetic alterations in AD have been described. For instance, an accumulation of dysregulated epigenetic mechanisms in aging, the predominant risk factor of AD, might facilitate the onset of the disease. Likewise, mutations in several enzymes of the epigenetic machinery have been associated with neurodegenerative processes that are altered in AD such as impaired learning and memory formation. Genome-wide and locus-specific epigenetic alterations have also been reported, and several epigenetically dysregulated genes validated by independent groups. From these studies, a picture emerges of AD as being associated with DNA hypermethylation and histone deacetylation, suggesting a general repressed chromatin state and epigenetically reduced plasticity in AD. Here we review these recent findings and discuss several technical and methodological considerations that are imperative for their correct interpretation. We also pay particular focus on potential implementations and theoretical frameworks that we expect will help to better direct future studies aimed to unravel the epigenetic participation in AD. PMID:26734709

PLEXOS Input Data Generator

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

2017-02-01

The PLEXOS Input Data Generator (PIDG) is a tool that enables PLEXOS users to better version their data, automate data processing, collaborate in developing inputs, and transfer data between different production cost modeling and other power systems analysis software. PIDG can process data that is in a generalized format from multiple input sources, including CSV files, PostgreSQL databases, and PSS/E .raw files and write it to an Excel file that can be imported into PLEXOS with only limited manual intervention.

Land Use History Shifts In Situ Fungal and Bacterial Successions following Wheat Straw Input into the Soil.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vincent Tardy

Full Text Available Soil microbial communities undergo rapid shifts following modifications in environmental conditions. Although microbial diversity changes may alter soil functioning, the in situ temporal dynamics of microbial diversity is poorly documented. Here, we investigated the response of fungal and bacterial diversity to wheat straw input in a 12-months field experiment and explored whether this response depended on the soil management history (grassland vs. cropland. Seasonal climatic fluctuations had no effect on the diversity of soil communities. Contrastingly fungi and bacteria responded strongly to wheat regardless of the soil history. After straw incorporation, diversity decreased due to the temporary dominance of a subset of copiotrophic populations. While fungi responded as quickly as bacteria, the resilience of fungal diversity lasted much longer, indicating that the relative involvement of each community might change as decomposition progressed. Soil history did not affect the response patterns, but determined the identity of some of the populations stimulated. Most strikingly, the bacteria Burkholderia, Lysobacter and fungi Rhizopus, Fusarium were selectively stimulated. Given the ecological importance of these microbial groups as decomposers and/or plant pathogens, such regulation of the composition of microbial successions by soil history may have important consequences in terms of soil carbon turnover and crop health.

SSYST-3. Input description

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Meyder, R.

1983-12-01

The code system SSYST-3 is designed to analyse the thermal and mechanical behaviour of a fuel rod during a LOCA. The report contains a complete input-list for all modules and several tested inputs for a LOCA analysis. (orig.)

Material input of nuclear fuel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rissanen, S.; Tarjanne, R.

2001-01-01

The Material Input (MI) of nuclear fuel, expressed in terms of the total amount of natural material needed for manufacturing a product, is examined. The suitability of the MI method for assessing the environmental impacts of fuels is also discussed. Material input is expressed as a Material Input Coefficient (MIC), equalling to the total mass of natural material divided by the mass of the completed product. The material input coefficient is, however, only an intermediate result, which should not be used as such for the comparison of different fuels, because the energy contents of nuclear fuel is about 100 000-fold compared to the energy contents of fossil fuels. As a final result, the material input is expressed in proportion to the amount of generated electricity, which is called MIPS (Material Input Per Service unit). Material input is a simplified and commensurable indicator for the use of natural material, but because it does not take into account the harmfulness of materials or the way how the residual material is processed, it does not alone express the amount of environmental impacts. The examination of the mere amount does not differentiate between for example coal, natural gas or waste rock containing usually just sand. Natural gas is, however, substantially more harmful for the ecosystem than sand. Therefore, other methods should also be used to consider the environmental load of a product. The material input coefficient of nuclear fuel is calculated using data from different types of mines. The calculations are made among other things by using the data of an open pit mine (Key Lake, Canada), an underground mine (McArthur River, Canada) and a by-product mine (Olympic Dam, Australia). Furthermore, the coefficient is calculated for nuclear fuel corresponding to the nuclear fuel supply of Teollisuuden Voima (TVO) company in 2001. Because there is some uncertainty in the initial data, the inaccuracy of the final results can be even 20-50 per cent. The value

Portable Diagnostics and Rapid Germination

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dunn, Zachary Spencer [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)

2016-12-01

In the Bioenergy and Defense Department of Sandia National Laboratories, characterization of the BaDx (Bacillus anthracis diagnostic cartridge) was performed and rapid germination chemistry was investigated. BaDx was tested with complex sample matrixes inoculated with Bacillus anthracis, and the trials proved that BaDx will detect Bacillus anthracis in a variety of the medium, such as dirt, serum, blood, milk, and horse fluids. The dimensions of the device were altered to accommodate an E. coli or Listeria lateral flow immunoassay, and using a laser printer, BaDx devices were manufactured to identify E. coli and Listeria. Initial testing with E. coli versions of BaDx indicate that the device will be viable as a portable diagnostic cartridge. The device would be more effective with faster bacteria germination; hence studies were performed the use of rapid germination chemistry. Trials with calcium dipicolinic acid displayed increased cell germination, as shown by control studies using a microplate reader. Upon lyophilization the rapid germination chemistry failed to change growth patterns, indicating that the calcium dipicolinic acid was not solubilized under the conditions tested. Although incompatible with the portable diagnostic device, the experiments proved that the rapid germination chemistry was effective in increasing cell germination.

Chemical sensors are hybrid-input memristors

Science.gov (United States)

Sysoev, V. I.; Arkhipov, V. E.; Okotrub, A. V.; Pershin, Y. V.

2018-04-01

Memristors are two-terminal electronic devices whose resistance depends on the history of input signal (voltage or current). Here we demonstrate that the chemical gas sensors can be considered as memristors with a generalized (hybrid) input, namely, with the input consisting of the voltage, analyte concentrations and applied temperature. The concept of hybrid-input memristors is demonstrated experimentally using a single-walled carbon nanotubes chemical sensor. It is shown that with respect to the hybrid input, the sensor exhibits some features common with memristors such as the hysteretic input-output characteristics. This different perspective on chemical gas sensors may open new possibilities for smart sensor applications.

Rapid detection, characterization, and enumeration of foodborne pathogens

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hoorfar, Jeffrey

2011-01-01

. The present review discusses the reasons for the increasing interest in rapid methods; current developments in the field, the research needs, and the future trends. The advent of biotechnology has introduced new technologies that led to the emergence of rapid diagnostic methods and altered food testing...... of rapid methods is for fast screening of large number of samples, where most of them are expected to be test-negative, leading to faster product release for sale. This has been the main strength of rapid methods such as real-time Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR). Enrichment PCR, where a primary culture...... of pathogen in a contaminated product. Another key issue is automation, where the key drivers are miniaturization and multiple testing, which mean that not only one instrument is flexible enough to test for many pathogens but also many pathogens can be detected with one test. The review is mainly based...

Numerical and experimental flow analysis in centifluidic systems for rapid allergy screening tests

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dethloff Manuel

2015-09-01

Full Text Available For the development of the automated processing of a membrane-based rapid allergy test, the flow characteristics in one part of the test, the reagents module, are analysed. This module consists of a multichannel system with several inputs and one output. A return flow from one input channel into another should be avoided. A valveless module with pointed channels at an angle of 12° is analysed with numerical and experimental methods with regard to the flow characteristics.

Exergetic Assessment for Resources Input and Environmental Emissions by Chinese Industry during 1997–2006

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bo Zhang

2012-01-01

Full Text Available This paper presents an overview of the resources use and environmental impact of the Chinese industry during 1997–2006. For the purpose of this analysis the thermodynamic concept of exergy has been employed both to quantify and aggregate the resources input and the environmental emissions arising from the sector. The resources input and environmental emissions show an increasing trend in this period. Compared with 47568.7 PJ in 1997, resources input in 2006 increased by 75.4% and reached 83437.9 PJ, of which 82.5% came from nonrenewable resources, mainly from coal and other energy minerals. Furthermore, the total exergy of environmental emissions was estimated to be 3499.3 PJ in 2006, 1.7 times of that in 1997, of which 93.4% was from GHG emissions and only 6.6% from “three wastes” emissions. A rapid increment of the nonrenewable resources input and GHG emissions over 2002–2006 can be found, owing to the excessive expansion of resource- and energy-intensive subsectors. Exergy intensities in terms of resource input intensity and environmental emission intensity time-series are also calculated, and the trends are influenced by the macroeconomic situation evidently, particularly by the investment-derived economic development in recent years. Corresponding policy implications to guide a more sustainable industry system are addressed.

Convergent responses of nitrogen and phosphorus resorption to nitrogen inputs in a semiarid grassland

Science.gov (United States)

Lü, Xiao-Tao; Reed, Sasha; Yu, Qiang; He, Nian-Peng; Wang, Zheng-Wen; Han, Xing-Guo

2013-01-01

Human activities have significantly altered nitrogen (N) availability in most terrestrial ecosystems, with consequences for community composition and ecosystem functioning. Although studies of how changes in N availability affect biodiversity and community composition are relatively common, much less remains known about the effects of N inputs on the coupled biogeochemical cycling of N and phosphorus (P), and still fewer data exist regarding how increased N inputs affect the internal cycling of these two elements in plants. Nutrient resorption is an important driver of plant nutrient economies and of the quality of litter plants produce. Accordingly, resorption patterns have marked ecological implications for plant population and community fitness, as well as for ecosystem nutrient cycling. In a semiarid grassland in northern China, we studied the effects of a wide range of N inputs on foliar nutrient resorption of two dominant grasses, Leymus chinensis and Stipa grandis. After 4 years of treatments, N and P availability in soil and N and P concentrations in green and senesced grass leaves increased with increasing rates of N addition. Foliar N and P resorption significantly decreased along the N addition gradient, implying a resorption-mediated, positive plant–soil feedback induced by N inputs. Furthermore, N : P resorption ratios were negatively correlated with the rates of N addition, indicating the sensitivity of plant N and P stoichiometry to N inputs. Taken together, the results demonstrate that N additions accelerate ecosystem uptake and turnover of both N and P in the temperate steppe and that N and P cycles are coupled in dynamic ways. The convergence of N and P resorption in response to N inputs emphasizes the importance of nutrient resorption as a pathway by which plants and ecosystems adjust in the face of increasing N availability.

The Anthropogenic Effects of Hydrocarbon Inputs to Coastal Seas: Are There Potential Biogeochemical Impacts?

Science.gov (United States)

Anderson, M. R.; Rivkin, R. B.

2016-02-01

Petroleum hydrocarbon discharges related to fossil fuel exploitation have the potential to alter microbial processes in the upper ocean. While the ecotoxicological effects of such inputs are commonly evaluated, the potential for eutrophication from the constituent organic and inorganic nutrients has been largely ignored. Hydrocarbons from natural seeps and anthropogenic sources represent a measurable source of organic carbon for surface waters. The most recent (1989-1997) estimate of average world-wide input of hydrocarbons to the sea is 1.250 x 1012 g/yr ≈ 1.0 x 1012g C/year. Produced water from offshore platforms is the largest waste stream from oil and gas exploitation and contributes significant quantities of inorganic nutrients such as N, P and Fe. In coastal areas where such inputs are a significant source of these nutrients, model studies show the potential to shift production toward smaller cells and net heterotrophy. The consequences of these nutrient sources for coastal systems and semi enclosed seas are complex and difficult to predict, because (1) there is a lack of comprehensive data on inputs and in situ concentrations and (2) the is no conceptual or quantitative framework to consider their effects on ocean biogeochemical processes. Here we use examples from the North Sea (produced water discharges 1% total riverine input and NH4 3% of the annual riverine nitrogen load), the South China Sea (total petroleum hydrocarbons = 10-1750 μg/l in offshore waters), and the Gulf of Mexico (seeps = 76-106 x 109 gC/yr, Macondo blowout 545 x 109 gC) to demonstrate how hydrocarbon and produced water inputs can influence basin scale biogeochemical and ecosystem processes and to propose a framework to consider these effects on larger scales.

Mechanisms of Synaptic Alterations in a Neuroinflammation Model of Autism

Science.gov (United States)

2015-10-01

inhibitory presynaptic input in the cortex of MIA offspring To determine if the altered number, shape and dynamic proper- ties of spines are...affects synaptic function in the cortex . We performed whole-cell voltage -clamp recordings from layer 2 pyramidal neurons in the somatosensory cortex ...highly dynamic struc- tures with new spines forming and others disappearing on a time scale of minutes (Dailey and Smith, 1996; Dunaevsky et al., 1999

Light adaptation alters the source of inhibition to the mouse retinal OFF pathway

Science.gov (United States)

Mazade, Reece E.

2013-01-01

Sensory systems must avoid saturation to encode a wide range of stimulus intensities. One way the retina accomplishes this is by using both dim-light-sensing rod and bright-light-sensing cone photoreceptor circuits. OFF cone bipolar cells are a key point in this process, as they receive both excitatory input from cones and inhibitory input from AII amacrine cells via the rod pathway. However, in addition to AII amacrine cell input, other inhibitory inputs from cone pathways also modulate OFF cone bipolar cell light signals. It is unknown how these inhibitory inputs to OFF cone bipolar cells change when switching between rod and cone pathways or whether all OFF cone bipolar cells receive rod pathway input. We found that one group of OFF cone bipolar cells (types 1, 2, and 4) receive rod-mediated inhibitory inputs that likely come from the rod-AII amacrine cell pathway, while another group of OFF cone bipolar cells (type 3) do not. In both cases, dark-adapted rod-dominant light responses showed a significant contribution of glycinergic inhibition, which decreased with light adaptation and was, surprisingly, compensated by an increase in GABAergic inhibition. As GABAergic input has distinct timing and spatial spread from glycinergic input, a shift from glycinergic to GABAergic inhibition could significantly alter OFF cone bipolar cell signaling to downstream OFF ganglion cells. Larger GABAergic input could reflect an adjustment of OFF bipolar cell spatial inhibition, which may be one mechanism that contributes to retinal spatial sensitivity in the light. PMID:23926034

Enhanced Input in LCTL Pedagogy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marilyn S. Manley

2009-08-01

Full Text Available Language materials for the more-commonly-taught languages (MCTLs often include visual input enhancement (Sharwood Smith 1991, 1993 which makes use of typographical cues like bolding and underlining to enhance the saliency of targeted forms. For a variety of reasons, this paper argues that the use of enhanced input, both visual and oral, is especially important as a tool for the lesscommonly-taught languages (LCTLs. As there continues to be a scarcity of teaching resources for the LCTLs, individual teachers must take it upon themselves to incorporate enhanced input into their own self-made materials. Specific examples of how to incorporate both visual and oral enhanced input into language teaching are drawn from the author’s own experiences teaching Cuzco Quechua. Additionally, survey results are presented from the author’s Fall 2010 semester Cuzco Quechua language students, supporting the use of both visual and oral enhanced input.

Enhanced Input in LCTL Pedagogy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marilyn S. Manley

2010-08-01

Full Text Available Language materials for the more-commonly-taught languages (MCTLs often include visual input enhancement (Sharwood Smith 1991, 1993 which makes use of typographical cues like bolding and underlining to enhance the saliency of targeted forms. For a variety of reasons, this paper argues that the use of enhanced input, both visual and oral, is especially important as a tool for the lesscommonly-taught languages (LCTLs. As there continues to be a scarcity of teaching resources for the LCTLs, individual teachers must take it upon themselves to incorporate enhanced input into their own self-made materials. Specific examples of how to incorporate both visual and oral enhanced input into language teaching are drawn from the author’s own experiences teaching Cuzco Quechua. Additionally, survey results are presented from the author’s Fall 2010 semester Cuzco Quechua language students, supporting the use of both visual and oral enhanced input.

Gender and rapid alterations of hemispheric dominance during planning.

Science.gov (United States)

Schuepbach, Daniel; Skotchko, Tatjana; Duschek, Stefan; Theodoridou, Anastasia; Grimm, Simone; Boeker, Heinz; Seifritz, Erich

2012-01-01

Mental planning and carrying out a plan provoke specific cerebral hemodynamic responses. Gender aspects of hemispheric laterality using rapid cerebral hemodynamics have not been reported. Here, we applied functional transcranial Doppler sonography to examine lateralization of cerebral hemodynamics of the middle cerebral arteries of 28 subjects (14 women and 14 men) performing a standard planning task. There were easy and difficult problems, and mental planning without motor activity was separated from movement execution. Difficult mental planning elicited lateralization to the right hemisphere after 2 or more seconds, a feature that was not observed during movement execution. In females, there was a dominance to the left hemisphere during movement execution. Optimized problem solving yielded an increased laterality change to the right during mental planning. Gender-related hemispheric dominance appears to be condition-dependent, and change of laterality to the right may play a role in optimized performance. Results are of relevance when considering laterality from a perspective of performance enhancement of higher cognitive functions, and also of psychiatric disorders with cognitive dysfunctions and abnormal lateralization patterns such as schizophrenia. Copyright © 2012 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Impacts of climate change on biodiversity, ecosystems, and ecosystem services: technical input to the 2013 National Climate Assessment

Science.gov (United States)

Staudinger, Michelle D.; Grimm, Nancy B.; Staudt, Amanda; Carter, Shawn L.; Stuart, F. Stuart; Kareiva, Peter; Ruckelshaus, Mary; Stein, Bruce A.

2012-01-01

second cross-cutting topic is the rapidly advancing field of climate adaptation, where there has been significant progress in developing the conceptual framework, planning approaches, and strategies for safeguarding biodiversity and other ecological resources. At the same time, ecosystem-based adaptation is becoming more prominent as a way to utilize ecosystem services to help human systems adapt to climate change. In this summary, we present key findings of the technical input, focusing on themes that can be found throughout the report. Thus, this summary takes a more integrated look at the question of how climate change is affecting our ecological resources, the implications for humans, and possible response strategies. This integrated approach better reflects the impacts of climate in the real world, where changes in ecosystem structure or function will alter the viability of different species and the efficacy of ecosystem services. Likewise, adaptation to climate change will simultaneously address a range of conservation goals. Case studies are used to illustrate this complete picture throughout the report; a snapshot of one case study, 2011 Las Conchas, New Mexico Fire, is included in this summary.

Visual Perceptual Echo Reflects Learning of Regularities in Rapid Luminance Sequences.

Science.gov (United States)

Chang, Acer Y-C; Schwartzman, David J; VanRullen, Rufin; Kanai, Ryota; Seth, Anil K

2017-08-30

A novel neural signature of active visual processing has recently been described in the form of the "perceptual echo", in which the cross-correlation between a sequence of randomly fluctuating luminance values and occipital electrophysiological signals exhibits a long-lasting periodic (∼100 ms cycle) reverberation of the input stimulus (VanRullen and Macdonald, 2012). As yet, however, the mechanisms underlying the perceptual echo and its function remain unknown. Reasoning that natural visual signals often contain temporally predictable, though nonperiodic features, we hypothesized that the perceptual echo may reflect a periodic process associated with regularity learning. To test this hypothesis, we presented subjects with successive repetitions of a rapid nonperiodic luminance sequence, and examined the effects on the perceptual echo, finding that echo amplitude linearly increased with the number of presentations of a given luminance sequence. These data suggest that the perceptual echo reflects a neural signature of regularity learning.Furthermore, when a set of repeated sequences was followed by a sequence with inverted luminance polarities, the echo amplitude decreased to the same level evoked by a novel stimulus sequence. Crucially, when the original stimulus sequence was re-presented, the echo amplitude returned to a level consistent with the number of presentations of this sequence, indicating that the visual system retained sequence-specific information, for many seconds, even in the presence of intervening visual input. Altogether, our results reveal a previously undiscovered regularity learning mechanism within the human visual system, reflected by the perceptual echo. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT How the brain encodes and learns fast-changing but nonperiodic visual input remains unknown, even though such visual input characterizes natural scenes. We investigated whether the phenomenon of "perceptual echo" might index such learning. The perceptual echo is a

MDS MIC Catalog Inputs

Science.gov (United States)

Johnson-Throop, Kathy A.; Vowell, C. W.; Smith, Byron; Darcy, Jeannette

2006-01-01

This viewgraph presentation reviews the inputs to the MDS Medical Information Communique (MIC) catalog. The purpose of the group is to provide input for updating the MDS MIC Catalog and to request that MMOP assign Action Item to other working groups and FSs to support the MITWG Process for developing MIC-DDs.

Nitrogen deposition and its contribution to nutrient inputs to intensively managed agricultural ecosystems.

Science.gov (United States)

He, Chun-E; Wang, Xin; Liu, Xuejun; Fangmeier, Andreas; Christie, Peter; Zhang, Fusuo

2010-01-01

Interest in nitrogen inputs via atmospheric deposition to agricultural ecosystems has increased recently, especially on the North China Plain because of extremely intensive agricultural systems and rapid urbanization in this region. Nitrogen deposition may make a significant contribution to crop N requirements but may also impose a considerable nutrient burden on the environment in general. We quantified total N deposition at two locations, Dongbeiwang near Beijing and Quzhou in Hebei province, over a two-year period from 2005 to 2007 using an 15N tracer method, the integrated total N input (ITNI) system. Total airborne N inputs to a maize wheat rotation system at both locations ranged from 99 to 117 kg N x ha(-1) x yr(-1), with higher N deposition during the maize season (57-66 kg N/ha) than the wheat season (42-51 kg N/ha). Plant available N from deposition for maize and wheat was about 52 kg N x ha(-1) x yr(-1), accounting for 50% of the total N deposition or 31% of total N uptake by the two crop species. In addition, a correction factor was derived for the maize season to adjust values obtained from small pots (0.057 m2) compared with field trays (0.98 m2) because of higher plant density in the pots. The results indicate that atmospheric N deposition is a very important N input and must be taken into account when calculating nutrient budgets in very intensively managed agricultural ecosystems.

Elevated levels of plasma brain derived neurotrophic factor in rapid cycling bipolar disorder patients

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Munkholm, Klaus; Pedersen, Bente Klarlund; Kessing, Lars Vedel

2014-01-01

Impaired neuroplasticity may be implicated in the pathophysiology of bipolar disorder, involving peripheral alterations of the neurotrophins brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and neurotrophin 3 (NT-3). Evidence is limited by methodological issues and is based primarily on case-control desi......Impaired neuroplasticity may be implicated in the pathophysiology of bipolar disorder, involving peripheral alterations of the neurotrophins brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and neurotrophin 3 (NT-3). Evidence is limited by methodological issues and is based primarily on case......-control designs. The aim of this study was to investigate whether BDNF and NT-3 levels differ between patients with rapid cycling bipolar disorder and healthy control subjects and whether BDNF and NT-3 levels alter with affective states in rapid cycling bipolar disorder patients. Plasma levels of BDNF and NT-3......, levels of BDNF were significantly elevated in bipolar disorder patients in euthymic- (pdifference in BDNF levels...

Measurement of Laser Weld Temperatures for 3D Model Input

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dagel, Daryl [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Grossetete, Grant [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Maccallum, Danny O. [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)

2016-10-01

Laser welding is a key joining process used extensively in the manufacture and assembly of critical components for several weapons systems. Sandia National Laboratories advances the understanding of the laser welding process through coupled experimentation and modeling. This report summarizes the experimental portion of the research program, which focused on measuring temperatures and thermal history of laser welds on steel plates. To increase confidence in measurement accuracy, researchers utilized multiple complementary techniques to acquire temperatures during laser welding. This data serves as input to and validation of 3D laser welding models aimed at predicting microstructure and the formation of defects and their impact on weld-joint reliability, a crucial step in rapid prototyping of weapons components.

Input filter compensation for switching regulators

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, F. C.; Kelkar, S. S.

1982-01-01

The problems caused by the interaction between the input filter, output filter, and the control loop are discussed. The input filter design is made more complicated because of the need to avoid performance degradation and also stay within the weight and loss limitations. Conventional input filter design techniques are then dicussed. The concept of pole zero cancellation is reviewed; this concept is the basis for an approach to control the peaking of the output impedance of the input filter and thus mitigate some of the problems caused by the input filter. The proposed approach for control of the peaking of the output impedance of the input filter is to use a feedforward loop working in conjunction with feedback loops, thus forming a total state control scheme. The design of the feedforward loop for a buck regulator is described. A possible implementation of the feedforward loop design is suggested.

7 CFR 3430.607 - Stakeholder input.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 15 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Stakeholder input. 3430.607 Section 3430.607 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture (Continued) COOPERATIVE STATE RESEARCH, EDUCATION... § 3430.607 Stakeholder input. CSREES shall seek and obtain stakeholder input through a variety of forums...

Rapid Thermal Processing to Enhance Steel Toughness.

Science.gov (United States)

Judge, V K; Speer, J G; Clarke, K D; Findley, K O; Clarke, A J

2018-01-11

Quenching and Tempering (Q&T) has been utilized for decades to alter steel mechanical properties, particularly strength and toughness. While tempering typically increases toughness, a well-established phenomenon called tempered martensite embrittlement (TME) is known to occur during conventional Q&T. Here we show that short-time, rapid tempering can overcome TME to produce unprecedented property combinations that cannot be attained by conventional Q&T. Toughness is enhanced over 43% at a strength level of 1.7 GPa and strength is improved over 0.5 GPa at an impact toughness of 30 J. We also show that hardness and the tempering parameter (TP), developed by Holloman and Jaffe in 1945 and ubiquitous within the field, is insufficient for characterizing measured strengths, toughnesses, and microstructural conditions after rapid processing. Rapid tempering by energy-saving manufacturing processes like induction heating creates the opportunity for new Q&T steels for energy, defense, and transportation applications.

World Input-Output Network.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Federica Cerina

Full Text Available Production systems, traditionally analyzed as almost independent national systems, are increasingly connected on a global scale. Only recently becoming available, the World Input-Output Database (WIOD is one of the first efforts to construct the global multi-regional input-output (GMRIO tables. By viewing the world input-output system as an interdependent network where the nodes are the individual industries in different economies and the edges are the monetary goods flows between industries, we analyze respectively the global, regional, and local network properties of the so-called world input-output network (WION and document its evolution over time. At global level, we find that the industries are highly but asymmetrically connected, which implies that micro shocks can lead to macro fluctuations. At regional level, we find that the world production is still operated nationally or at most regionally as the communities detected are either individual economies or geographically well defined regions. Finally, at local level, for each industry we compare the network-based measures with the traditional methods of backward linkages. We find that the network-based measures such as PageRank centrality and community coreness measure can give valuable insights into identifying the key industries.

7 CFR 3430.15 - Stakeholder input.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 15 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Stakeholder input. 3430.15 Section 3430.15... Stakeholder input. Section 103(c)(2) of the Agricultural Research, Extension, and Education Reform Act of 1998... RFAs for competitive programs. CSREES will provide instructions for submission of stakeholder input in...

Input description for BIOPATH

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Marklund, J.E.; Bergstroem, U.; Edlund, O.

1980-01-01

The computer program BIOPATH describes the flow of radioactivity within a given ecosystem after a postulated release of radioactive material and the resulting dose for specified population groups. The present report accounts for the input data necessary to run BIOPATH. The report also contains descriptions of possible control cards and an input example as well as a short summary of the basic theory.(author)

A field technique for rapid lithological discrimination and ore mineral ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

This work illustrates the efficiency of field spectroscopy for rapid identification of minerals in ore body, alteration zone and host rocks. The adopted procedure involves collection of field spectra, their processing for noise, spectral matching and spectral un-mixing with selected library end-members. Average weighted spectral ...

Dynamic gene expression response to altered gravity in human T cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Thiel, Cora S; Hauschild, Swantje; Huge, Andreas; Tauber, Svantje; Lauber, Beatrice A; Polzer, Jennifer; Paulsen, Katrin; Lier, Hartwin; Engelmann, Frank; Schmitz, Burkhard; Schütte, Andreas; Layer, Liliana E; Ullrich, Oliver

2017-07-12

We investigated the dynamics of immediate and initial gene expression response to different gravitational environments in human Jurkat T lymphocytic cells and compared expression profiles to identify potential gravity-regulated genes and adaptation processes. We used the Affymetrix GeneChip® Human Transcriptome Array 2.0 containing 44,699 protein coding genes and 22,829 non-protein coding genes and performed the experiments during a parabolic flight and a suborbital ballistic rocket mission to cross-validate gravity-regulated gene expression through independent research platforms and different sets of control experiments to exclude other factors than alteration of gravity. We found that gene expression in human T cells rapidly responded to altered gravity in the time frame of 20 s and 5 min. The initial response to microgravity involved mostly regulatory RNAs. We identified three gravity-regulated genes which could be cross-validated in both completely independent experiment missions: ATP6V1A/D, a vacuolar H + -ATPase (V-ATPase) responsible for acidification during bone resorption, IGHD3-3/IGHD3-10, diversity genes of the immunoglobulin heavy-chain locus participating in V(D)J recombination, and LINC00837, a long intergenic non-protein coding RNA. Due to the extensive and rapid alteration of gene expression associated with regulatory RNAs, we conclude that human cells are equipped with a robust and efficient adaptation potential when challenged with altered gravitational environments.

Modeling and generating input processes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Johnson, M.E.

1987-01-01

This tutorial paper provides information relevant to the selection and generation of stochastic inputs to simulation studies. The primary area considered is multivariate but much of the philosophy at least is relevant to univariate inputs as well. 14 refs.

Altering the cooling rate dependence of phase formation during rapid solidification in the Nd{sub 2}Fe{sub 14}B system

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Branagan, D.J. [USDOE, Ames, IA (United States). Ames Lab.]|[Iowa State Univ. of Science and Technology, Ames, IA (United States). Dept. of Materials Science and Engineering; McCallum, R.W. [USDOE, Ames, IA (United States). Ames Lab.]|[Iowa State Univ. of Science and Technology, Ames, IA (United States). Dept. of Materials Science and Engineering

1995-04-26

In order to evaluate the effects of additions on the solidification behavior of Nd{sub 2}Fe{sub 14}B, a stoichiometric alloy was modified with elemental additions of Ti or C and a compound addition of Ti with C. For each alloy, a series of wheel speed runs was undertaken, from which the optimum wheel speeds and optimum energy products were determined. On the BH{sub max} versus wheel speed plots, regions were identified in order to analyze the changes with cooling rates leading to phase formation brought about by the alloy modifications. The compilation of the regional data of the modified alloys showed their effects on altering the cooling rate dependence of phase formation. It was found that the regions of properitectic iron formation, glass formation, and the optimum cooling rate can be changed by more than a factor of two through appropriate alloying additions. The effects of the alloy modifications can be visualized in a convenient fashion through the use of a model continuous cooling transformation (CCT) diagram which represents phase formation during the solidification process under continuous cooling conditions for a wide range of cooling rates from rapid solidification to equilibrium cooling. ((orig.)).

Faster turnover of new soil carbon inputs under increased atmospheric CO2.

Science.gov (United States)

van Groenigen, Kees Jan; Osenberg, Craig W; Terrer, César; Carrillo, Yolima; Dijkstra, Feike A; Heath, James; Nie, Ming; Pendall, Elise; Phillips, Richard P; Hungate, Bruce A

2017-10-01

Rising levels of atmospheric CO 2 frequently stimulate plant inputs to soil, but the consequences of these changes for soil carbon (C) dynamics are poorly understood. Plant-derived inputs can accumulate in the soil and become part of the soil C pool ("new soil C"), or accelerate losses of pre-existing ("old") soil C. The dynamics of the new and old pools will likely differ and alter the long-term fate of soil C, but these separate pools, which can be distinguished through isotopic labeling, have not been considered in past syntheses. Using meta-analysis, we found that while elevated CO 2 (ranging from 550 to 800 parts per million by volume) stimulates the accumulation of new soil C in the short term (soil C pool over either temporal scale. Our results are inconsistent with predictions of conventional soil C models and suggest that elevated CO 2 might increase turnover rates of new soil C. Because increased turnover rates of new soil C limit the potential for additional soil C sequestration, the capacity of land ecosystems to slow the rise in atmospheric CO 2 concentrations may be smaller than previously assumed. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Wave energy input into the Ekman layer

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

2008-01-01

This paper is concerned with the wave energy input into the Ekman layer, based on 3 observational facts that surface waves could significantly affect the profile of the Ekman layer. Under the assumption of constant vertical diffusivity, the analytical form of wave energy input into the Ekman layer is derived. Analysis of the energy balance shows that the energy input to the Ekman layer through the wind stress and the interaction of the Stokes-drift with planetary vorticity can be divided into two kinds. One is the wind energy input, and the other is the wave energy input which is dependent on wind speed, wave characteristics and the wind direction relative to the wave direction. Estimates of wave energy input show that wave energy input can be up to 10% in high-latitude and high-wind speed areas and higher than 20% in the Antarctic Circumpolar Current, compared with the wind energy input into the classical Ekman layer. Results of this paper are of significance to the study of wave-induced large scale effects.

Music alters visual perception.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jacob Jolij

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Visual perception is not a passive process: in order to efficiently process visual input, the brain actively uses previous knowledge (e.g., memory and expectations about what the world should look like. However, perception is not only influenced by previous knowledge. Especially the perception of emotional stimuli is influenced by the emotional state of the observer. In other words, how we perceive the world does not only depend on what we know of the world, but also by how we feel. In this study, we further investigated the relation between mood and perception. METHODS AND FINDINGS: We let observers do a difficult stimulus detection task, in which they had to detect schematic happy and sad faces embedded in noise. Mood was manipulated by means of music. We found that observers were more accurate in detecting faces congruent with their mood, corroborating earlier research. However, in trials in which no actual face was presented, observers made a significant number of false alarms. The content of these false alarms, or illusory percepts, was strongly influenced by the observers' mood. CONCLUSIONS: As illusory percepts are believed to reflect the content of internal representations that are employed by the brain during top-down processing of visual input, we conclude that top-down modulation of visual processing is not purely predictive in nature: mood, in this case manipulated by music, may also directly alter the way we perceive the world.

Controlled Environments Enable Adaptive Management in Aquatic Ecosystems Under Altered Environments

Science.gov (United States)

Bubenheim, David L.

2016-01-01

Ecosystems worldwide are impacted by altered environment conditions resulting from climate, drought, and land use changes. Gaps in the science knowledge base regarding plant community response to these novel and rapid changes limit both science understanding and management of ecosystems. We describe how CE Technologies have enabled the rapid supply of gap-filling science, development of ecosystem simulation models, and remote sensing assessment tools to provide science-informed, adaptive management methods in the impacted aquatic ecosystem of the California Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta. The Delta is the hub for California's water, supplying Southern California agriculture and urban communities as well as the San Francisco Bay area. The changes in environmental conditions including temperature, light, and water quality and associated expansion of invasive aquatic plants negatively impact water distribution and ecology of the San Francisco Bay/Delta complex. CE technologies define changes in resource use efficiencies, photosynthetic productivity, evapotranspiration, phenology, reproductive strategies, and spectral reflectance modifications in native and invasive species in response to altered conditions. We will discuss how the CE technologies play an enabling role in filling knowledge gaps regarding plant response to altered environments, parameterization and validation of ecosystem models, development of satellite-based, remote sensing tools, and operational management strategies.

Statistical identification of effective input variables

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vaurio, J.K.

1982-09-01

A statistical sensitivity analysis procedure has been developed for ranking the input data of large computer codes in the order of sensitivity-importance. The method is economical for large codes with many input variables, since it uses a relatively small number of computer runs. No prior judgemental elimination of input variables is needed. The sceening method is based on stagewise correlation and extensive regression analysis of output values calculated with selected input value combinations. The regression process deals with multivariate nonlinear functions, and statistical tests are also available for identifying input variables that contribute to threshold effects, i.e., discontinuities in the output variables. A computer code SCREEN has been developed for implementing the screening techniques. The efficiency has been demonstrated by several examples and applied to a fast reactor safety analysis code (Venus-II). However, the methods and the coding are general and not limited to such applications

Input Calibration and Validation of RELAP5 Against CIRCUS-IV Single Channel Tests on Natural Circulation Two-Phase Flow Instability

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Viet-Anh Phung

2015-01-01

Full Text Available RELAP5 is a system thermal-hydraulic code that is used to perform safety analysis on nuclear reactors. Since the code is based on steady state, two-phase flow regime maps, there is a concern that RELAP5 may provide significant errors for rapid transient conditions. In this work, the capability of RELAP5 code to predict the oscillatory behavior of a natural circulation driven, two-phase flow at low pressure is investigated. The simulations are compared with a series of experiments that were performed in the CIRCUS-IV facility at the Delft University of Technology. For this purpose, we developed a procedure for calibration of the input and code validation. The procedure employs (i multiple parameters measured in different regimes, (ii independent consideration of the subsections of the loop, and (iii assessment of importance of the uncertain input parameters. We found that predicted system parameters are less sensitive to variations of the uncertain input and boundary conditions in high frequency oscillations regime. It is shown that calculation results overlap experimental values, except for the high frequency oscillations regime where the maximum inlet flow rate was overestimated. This finding agrees with the idea that steady state, two-phase flow regime maps might be one of the possible reasons for the discrepancy in case of rapid transients in two-phase systems.

Gestures and multimodal input

OpenAIRE

Keates, Simeon; Robinson, Peter

1999-01-01

For users with motion impairments, the standard keyboard and mouse arrangement for computer access often presents problems. Other approaches have to be adopted to overcome this. In this paper, we will describe the development of a prototype multimodal input system based on two gestural input channels. Results from extensive user trials of this system are presented. These trials showed that the physical and cognitive loads on the user can quickly become excessive and detrimental to the interac...

The Importance of Input and Interaction in SLA

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

党春花

2009-01-01

As is known to us, input and interaction play the crucial roles in second language acquisition (SLA). Different linguistic schools have different explanations to input and interaction Behaviorist theories hold a view that input is composed of stimuli and response, putting more emphasis on the importance of input, while mentalist theories find input is a necessary condition to SLA, not a sufficient condition. At present, social interaction theories, which is one type of cognitive linguistics, suggests that besides input, interaction is also essential to language acquisition. Then, this essay will discuss how input and interaction result in SLA.

The Study of Road Conditions that Affect Tilt-based Text Input for Mobile Devices

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Darius Miniotas

2017-07-01

Full Text Available With the rapid advances in technology of mobile devices, their application areas expand continuously as well. Given the growth of the market share for mobile devices, one of the main issues that arise is the need for new and convenient techniques for data input and output suitable for various settings. Tilt-based text input is one of the alternatives that attract attention of current researchers. This study investigates the potential of using tilt-based interaction to enter text while sitting as a passenger in a moving vehicle. In addition, the investigation focused on the characteristics of the road as well as driving conditions that affect tilt-based text input. The study manipulated the following factors: keyboard size 10×4 and road unevenness (small, moderate, and large. 14 participants, aged 25 to 50, took part in the user study. The best performance and the shortest task completion time equal to 24.5 seconds was observed when the vehicle was moving at a constant speed on a straight road with small unevenness. The task completion time increased by 15% in moderate unevenness road and by almost 20 % in large unevenness road. Error rate and movement efficiency were investigated additionally in order to find out the cause of such times.

Reorganization in processing of spectral and temporal input in the rat posterior auditory field induced by environmental enrichment

Science.gov (United States)

Jakkamsetti, Vikram; Chang, Kevin Q.

2012-01-01

Environmental enrichment induces powerful changes in the adult cerebral cortex. Studies in primary sensory cortex have observed that environmental enrichment modulates neuronal response strength, selectivity, speed of response, and synchronization to rapid sensory input. Other reports suggest that nonprimary sensory fields are more plastic than primary sensory cortex. The consequences of environmental enrichment on information processing in nonprimary sensory cortex have yet to be studied. Here we examine physiological effects of enrichment in the posterior auditory field (PAF), a field distinguished from primary auditory cortex (A1) by wider receptive fields, slower response times, and a greater preference for slowly modulated sounds. Environmental enrichment induced a significant increase in spectral and temporal selectivity in PAF. PAF neurons exhibited narrower receptive fields and responded significantly faster and for a briefer period to sounds after enrichment. Enrichment increased time-locking to rapidly successive sensory input in PAF neurons. Compared with previous enrichment studies in A1, we observe a greater magnitude of reorganization in PAF after environmental enrichment. Along with other reports observing greater reorganization in nonprimary sensory cortex, our results in PAF suggest that nonprimary fields might have a greater capacity for reorganization compared with primary fields. PMID:22131375

Volcanic glasses, their origins and alteration processes

Science.gov (United States)

Friedman, I.; Long, W.

1984-01-01

Natural glass can be formed by volcanic processes, lightning (fulgarites) burning coal, and by meteorite impact. By far the most common process is volcanic - basically the glass is rapidly chilled molten rock. All natural glasses are thermodynamically unstable and tend to alter chemically or to crystallize. The rate of these processes is determined by the chemical composition of the magma. The hot and fluid basaltic melts have a structure that allows for rapid crystal growth, and seldom forms glass selvages greater than a few centimeters thick, even when the melt is rapidly cooled by extrusion in the deep sea. In contrast the cooler and very viscous rhyolitic magmas can yield bodies of glass that are tens of meters thick. These highly polymerized magmas have a high silica content - often 71-77% SiO2. Their high viscosity inhibits diffusive crystal growth. Basalt glass in sea water forms an alteration zone called palagonite whose thickness increases linearly with time. The rate of diffusion of water into rhyolitic glass, which follows the relationship - thickness = k (time) 1 2, has been determined as a function of the glass composition and temperature. Increased SiO2 increases the rate, whereas increased CaO, MgO and H2O decrease the rate. The activation energy of water diffusion varies from about 19 to 22 kcal/mol. for the glasses studied. The diffusion of alkali out of rhyolite glass occurs simultaneously with water diffusion into the glass. The rate of devitrification of rhyolitic glass is a function of the glass viscosity, which in turn is a function of water content and temperature. Although all of the aforementioned processes tend to destroy natural glasses, the slow rates of these processes, particularly for rhyolitic glass, has allowed samples of glass to persist for 60 million years. ?? 1984.

Analysis on relation between safety input and accidents

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

YAO Qing-guo; ZHANG Xue-mu; LI Chun-hui

2007-01-01

The number of safety input directly determines the level of safety, and there exists dialectical and unified relations between safety input and accidents. Based on the field investigation and reliable data, this paper deeply studied the dialectical relationship between safety input and accidents, and acquired the conclusions. The security situation of the coal enterprises was related to the security input rate, being effected little by the security input scale, and build the relationship model between safety input and accidents on this basis, that is the accident model.

Modeling and evaluation of characteristics for on-street Rapid Transit systems

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Andersen, Jonas Lohmann Elkjær; Landex, Alex

2012-01-01

to obtain the main objective of introducing a Rapid Transit System. to increase the number of passengers. Variations in the system characteristics have a direct impact on ridership. However, it is difficult to predict the impact of implementing or altering the characteristics. A Rapid Transit system should...... display sufficient service already in the planning phase. That is why pre-acquired knowledge of the impact of the characteristics on the system performance is valuable. Such knowledge could provide a firm basis for planning the service and operation of a Rapid Transit system. This article focuses....... It focuses on the following characteristics for Rapid Transit systems: rail factor, travel time, headway and capacity. It evaluates how the implementation and variation of these characteristics affected the ridership of a case project. It evaluates the magnitude of the impacts for the various characteristics...

Rapid adaptation of multisensory integration in vestibular pathways

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jerome eCarriot

2015-04-01

Full Text Available Sensing gravity is vital for our perception of spatial orientation, the control of upright posture, and generation of our every day activities. When an astronaut transitions to microgravity or returns to earth, the vestibular input arising from self-motion will not match the brain’s expectation. Our recent neurophysiological studies have provided insight into how the nervous system rapidly reorganizes when vestibular input becomes unreliable by both 1 updating its internal model of the sensory consequences of motion and 2 up-weighting more reliable extra-vestibular information. These neural strategies, in turn, are linked to improvements in sensorimotor performance (e.g., gaze and postural stability, locomotion, orienting and perception characterized by similar time courses. We suggest that furthering our understanding of the neural mechanisms that underlie sensorimotor adaptation will have important implications for optimizing training programs for astronauts before and after space exploration missions and for the design of goal-oriented rehabilitation for patients.

Oral complications of cancer therapies. Mucosal alterations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Squier, C.A.

1990-01-01

The initial effect of anticancer therapy, such as radiation and chemotherapy, is on the rapidly proliferating cells of the oral epithelium. As a consequence, the epithelium may show atrophy and ulceration. The sites of these alterations are related to the rate of epithelial proliferation. Regions of rapid proliferation, such as the oral lining mucosa, show a greater frequency of ulceration than masticatory mucosa or skin. Subsequent changes in the mucosa reflect damage to connective tissue, including fibroblasts and blood vessels. This results in hyalinization of collagen, hypovascularity, and ischemia. Indirect effects of anticancer therapy may include granulocytopenia and reduced salivary secretion, so that the protective mucin coating of the epithelium is compromised. These changes result in tissue with reduced barrier function and impaired ability to heal and to resist entry of pathogens, thus increasing the risk of systemic infections

Altered Frequency Distribution in the Electroencephalogram is Correlated to the Analgesic Effect of Remifentanil

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Graversen, Carina; Malver, Lasse P; Kurita, Geana P

2015-01-01

Opioids alter resting state brain oscillations by multiple and complex factors, which are still to be elucidated. To increase our knowledge, multi-channel electroencephalography (EEG) was subjected to multivariate pattern analysis (MVPA), to identify the most descriptive frequency bands and scalp...... distributions were extracted by a continuous wavelet transform and normalized into delta, theta, alpha, beta and gamma bands. Alterations relative to pre-treatment responses were calculated for all channels and used as input to the MVPA. Compared to placebo, remifentanil increased the delta band and decreased...... the theta and alpha band oscillations as a mean over all channels (all p ≤ 0.007). The most discriminative channels in these frequency bands were F1 in delta (83.33%, p = 0.0023) and theta bands (95.24%, p band (80.95%, p = 0.0054). These alterations were correlated...

Root Parameters Show How Management Alters Resource Distribution and Soil Quality in Conventional and Low-Input Cropping Systems in Central Iowa.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Patricia A Lazicki

Full Text Available Plant-soil relations may explain why low-external input (LEI diversified cropping systems are more efficient than their conventional counterparts. This work sought to identify links between management practices, soil quality changes, and root responses in a long-term cropping systems experiment in Iowa where grain yields of 3-year and 4-year LEI rotations have matched or exceeded yield achieved by a 2-year maize (Zea mays L. and soybean (Glycine max L. rotation. The 2-year system was conventionally managed and chisel-ploughed, whereas the 3-year and 4-year systems received plant residues and animal manures and were periodically moldboard ploughed. We expected changes in soil quality to be driven by organic matter inputs, and root growth to reflect spatial and temporal fluctuations in soil quality resulting from those additions. We constructed a carbon budget and measured soil quality indicators (SQIs and rooting characteristics using samples taken from two depths of all crop-phases of each rotation system on multiple dates. Stocks of particulate organic matter carbon (POM-C and potentially mineralizable nitrogen (PMN were greater and more evenly distributed in the LEI than conventional systems. Organic C inputs, which were 58% and 36% greater in the 3-year rotation than in the 4-year and 2-year rotations, respectively, did not account for differences in SQI abundance or distribution. Surprisingly, SQIs did not vary with crop-phase or date. All biochemical SQIs were more stratified (p<0.001 in the conventionally-managed soils. While POM-C and PMN in the top 10 cm were similar in all three systems, stocks in the 10-20 cm depth of the conventional system were less than half the size of those found in the LEI systems. This distribution was mirrored by maize root length density, which was also concentrated in the top 10 cm of the conventionally managed plots and evenly distributed between depths in the LEI systems. The plow-down of organic amendments

Mars 2.2 code manual: input requirements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chung, Bub Dong; Lee, Won Jae; Jeong, Jae Jun; Lee, Young Jin; Hwang, Moon Kyu; Kim, Kyung Doo; Lee, Seung Wook; Bae, Sung Won

2003-07-01

Korea Advanced Energy Research Institute (KAERI) conceived and started the development of MARS code with the main objective of producing a state-of-the-art realistic thermal hydraulic systems analysis code with multi-dimensional analysis capability. MARS achieves this objective by very tightly integrating the one dimensional RELAP5/MOD3 with the multi-dimensional COBRA-TF codes. The method of integration of the two codes is based on the dynamic link library techniques, and the system pressure equation matrices of both codes are implicitly integrated and solved simultaneously. In addition, the Equation-of-State (EOS) for the light water was unified by replacing the EOS of COBRA-TF by that of the RELAP5. This input manual provides a complete list of input required to run MARS. The manual is divided largely into two parts, namely, the one-dimensional part and the multi-dimensional part. The inputs for auxiliary parts such as minor edit requests and graph formatting inputs are shared by the two parts and as such mixed input is possible. The overall structure of the input is modeled on the structure of the RELAP5 and as such the layout of the manual is very similar to that of the RELAP. This similitude to RELAP5 input is intentional as this input scheme will allow minimum modification between the inputs of RELAP5 and MARS. MARS development team would like to express its appreciation to the RELAP5 Development Team and the USNRC for making this manual possible

MARS code manual volume II: input requirements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chung, Bub Dong; Kim, Kyung Doo; Bae, Sung Won; Jeong, Jae Jun; Lee, Seung Wook; Hwang, Moon Kyu

2010-02-01

Korea Advanced Energy Research Institute (KAERI) conceived and started the development of MARS code with the main objective of producing a state-of-the-art realistic thermal hydraulic systems analysis code with multi-dimensional analysis capability. MARS achieves this objective by very tightly integrating the one dimensional RELAP5/MOD3 with the multi-dimensional COBRA-TF codes. The method of integration of the two codes is based on the dynamic link library techniques, and the system pressure equation matrices of both codes are implicitly integrated and solved simultaneously. In addition, the Equation-Of-State (EOS) for the light water was unified by replacing the EOS of COBRA-TF by that of the RELAP5. This input manual provides a complete list of input required to run MARS. The manual is divided largely into two parts, namely, the one-dimensional part and the multi-dimensional part. The inputs for auxiliary parts such as minor edit requests and graph formatting inputs are shared by the two parts and as such mixed input is possible. The overall structure of the input is modeled on the structure of the RELAP5 and as such the layout of the manual is very similar to that of the RELAP. This similitude to RELAP5 input is intentional as this input scheme will allow minimum modification between the inputs of RELAP5 and MARS3.1. MARS3.1 development team would like to express its appreciation to the RELAP5 Development Team and the USNRC for making this manual possible

Robust input design for nonlinear dynamic modeling of AUV.

Science.gov (United States)

Nouri, Nowrouz Mohammad; Valadi, Mehrdad

2017-09-01

Input design has a dominant role in developing the dynamic model of autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) through system identification. Optimal input design is the process of generating informative inputs that can be used to generate the good quality dynamic model of AUVs. In a problem with optimal input design, the desired input signal depends on the unknown system which is intended to be identified. In this paper, the input design approach which is robust to uncertainties in model parameters is used. The Bayesian robust design strategy is applied to design input signals for dynamic modeling of AUVs. The employed approach can design multiple inputs and apply constraints on an AUV system's inputs and outputs. Particle swarm optimization (PSO) is employed to solve the constraint robust optimization problem. The presented algorithm is used for designing the input signals for an AUV, and the estimate obtained by robust input design is compared with that of the optimal input design. According to the results, proposed input design can satisfy both robustness of constraints and optimality. Copyright © 2017 ISA. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Consciousness: physiological dependence on rapid memory access.

Science.gov (United States)

Hudson, Arthur J

2009-01-01

Consciousness develops from birth during the early months as the senses and other nervous system functions mature sufficiently to receive, process and store information. Among these is the ascending reticular activating (arousal) system in the brain stem that is responsible for wakefulness and was proposed by Penfield and Jasper more than 50 years ago as the "controlling mechanism for states of consciousness". This concept has remained the most advanced physiological interpretation of consciousness although recent developments offer greater insights into its nature. The ascending arousal system is the source of activation of the thalamocortical and cortical mechanisms for sensory input and facilitates the rapid matching of sensory input and the binding of memory during cognitive processing. Nonetheless, it is proposed that memory is the critical element through which our connection with the world exists without which, despite a fully functional arousal system, consciousness as we know it could not exist. Evidence is presented in support of this concept in addition to the physiological difficulties that must be resolved if consciousness is to be understood.

Tritium Records to Trace Stratospheric Moisture Inputs in Antarctica

Science.gov (United States)

Fourré, E.; Landais, A.; Cauquoin, A.; Jean-Baptiste, P.; Lipenkov, V.; Petit, J.-R.

2018-03-01

Better assessing the dynamic of stratosphere-troposphere exchange is a key point to improve our understanding of the climate dynamic in the East Antarctica Plateau, a region where stratospheric inputs are expected to be important. Although tritium (3H or T), a nuclide naturally produced mainly in the stratosphere and rapidly entering the water cycle as HTO, seems a first-rate tracer to study these processes, tritium data are very sparse in this region. We present the first high-resolution measurements of tritium concentration over the last 50 years in three snow pits drilled at the Vostok station. Natural variability of the tritium records reveals two prominent frequencies, one at about 10 years (to be related to the solar Schwabe cycles) and the other one at a shorter periodicity: despite dating uncertainty at this short scale, a good correlation is observed between 3H and Na+ and an anticorrelation between 3H and δ18O measured on an individual pit. The outputs from the LMDZ Atmospheric General Circulation Model including stable water isotopes and tritium show the same 3H-δ18O anticorrelation and allow further investigation on the associated mechanism. At the interannual scale, the modeled 3H variability matches well with the Southern Annular Mode index. At the seasonal scale, we show that modeled stratospheric tritium inputs in the troposphere are favored in winter cold and dry conditions.

Six axis force feedback input device

Science.gov (United States)

Ohm, Timothy (Inventor)

1998-01-01

The present invention is a low friction, low inertia, six-axis force feedback input device comprising an arm with double-jointed, tendon-driven revolute joints, a decoupled tendon-driven wrist, and a base with encoders and motors. The input device functions as a master robot manipulator of a microsurgical teleoperated robot system including a slave robot manipulator coupled to an amplifier chassis, which is coupled to a control chassis, which is coupled to a workstation with a graphical user interface. The amplifier chassis is coupled to the motors of the master robot manipulator and the control chassis is coupled to the encoders of the master robot manipulator. A force feedback can be applied to the input device and can be generated from the slave robot to enable a user to operate the slave robot via the input device without physically viewing the slave robot. Also, the force feedback can be generated from the workstation to represent fictitious forces to constrain the input device's control of the slave robot to be within imaginary predetermined boundaries.

Sewage input reduces the consumption of Rhizophora mangle propagules by crabs in a subtropical mangrove system.

Science.gov (United States)

Boehm, Frederike Ricarda; Sandrini-Neto, Leonardo; Moens, Tom; da Cunha Lana, Paulo

2016-12-01

Mangrove forests are highly productive and play a major role in global carbon cycling. Their carbon accumulation can be influenced through the consumption of nutrient-poor leaves and propagules by herbivore crabs. Anthropogenic nutrient input from sewage contamination is widespread in these often naturally nutrient-limited ecosystems. We hypothesised that sewage-mediated nutrient input to mangrove stands of Paranaguá Bay (southern Brazil), would alter the nutrient sources available for crabs, e.g. through microphytobenthos increase, and that this would reflect in their feeding behaviour. We predicted that propagules of Rhizophora mangle in contaminated stands would experience lower grazing pressure from their two main local consumers (Ucides cordatus and Goniopsis cruentata). We compared herbivory rates on R. mangle propagules in sewage contaminated and uncontaminated mangrove stands. We found that herbivory rates were significantly lower in contaminated than uncontaminated forests, but this pattern could not be clearly attributed to increased nutrient availability. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Leaders’ receptivity to subordinates’ creative input: the role of achievement goals and composition of creative input

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Sijbom, R.B.L.; Janssen, O.; van Yperen, N.W.

2015-01-01

We identified leaders’ achievement goals and composition of creative input as important factors that can clarify when and why leaders are receptive to, and supportive of, subordinates’ creative input. As hypothesized, in two experimental studies, we found that relative to mastery goal leaders,

High-frequency matrix converter with square wave input

Science.gov (United States)

Carr, Joseph Alexander; Balda, Juan Carlos

2015-03-31

A device for producing an alternating current output voltage from a high-frequency, square-wave input voltage comprising, high-frequency, square-wave input a matrix converter and a control system. The matrix converter comprises a plurality of electrical switches. The high-frequency input and the matrix converter are electrically connected to each other. The control system is connected to each switch of the matrix converter. The control system is electrically connected to the input of the matrix converter. The control system is configured to operate each electrical switch of the matrix converter converting a high-frequency, square-wave input voltage across the first input port of the matrix converter and the second input port of the matrix converter to an alternating current output voltage at the output of the matrix converter.

Rapid installation of numerical models in multiple parent codes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Brannon, R.M.; Wong, M.K.

1996-10-01

A set of``model interface guidelines``, called MIG, is offered as a means to more rapidly install numerical models (such as stress-strain laws) into any parent code (hydrocode, finite element code, etc.) without having to modify the model subroutines. The model developer (who creates the model package in compliance with the guidelines) specifies the model`s input and storage requirements in a standardized way. For portability, database management (such as saving user inputs and field variables) is handled by the parent code. To date, NUG has proved viable in beta installations of several diverse models in vectorized and parallel codes written in different computer languages. A NUG-compliant model can be installed in different codes without modifying the model`s subroutines. By maintaining one model for many codes, MIG facilitates code-to-code comparisons and reduces duplication of effort potentially reducing the cost of installing and sharing models.

Effects of Optogenetic inhibition of BLA on Sleep Brief Optogenetic Inhibition of the Basolateral Amygdala in Mice Alters Effects of Stressful Experiences on Rapid Eye Movement Sleep.

Science.gov (United States)

Machida, Mayumi; Wellman, Laurie L; Fitzpatrick Bs, Mairen E; Hallum Bs, Olga; Sutton Bs, Amy M; Lonart, György; Sanford, Larry D

2017-04-01

Stressful events can directly produce significant alterations in subsequent sleep, in particular rapid eye movement sleep (REM); however, the neural mechanisms underlying the process are not fully known. Here, we investigated the role of the basolateral nuclei of the amygdala (BLA) in regulating the effects of stressful experience on sleep. We used optogenetics to briefly inhibit glutamatergic cells in BLA during the presentation of inescapable footshock (IS) and assessed effects on sleep, the acute stress response, and fear memory. c-Fos expression was also assessed in the amygdala and the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), both regions involved in coping with stress, and in brain stem regions implicated in the regulation of REM. Compared to control mice, peri-shock inhibition of BLA attenuated an immediate reduction in REM after IS and produced a significant overall increase in REM. Moreover, upon exposure to the shock context alone, mice receiving peri-shock inhibition of BLA during training showed increased REM without altered freezing (an index of fear memory) or stress-induced hyperthermia (an index of acute stress response). Inhibition of BLA during REM under freely sleeping conditions enhanced REM only when body temperature was high, suggesting the effect was influenced by stress. Peri-shock inhibition of BLA also led to elevated c-Fos expression in the central nucleus of the amygdala and mPFC and differentially altered c-Fos activity in the selected brain stem regions. Glutamatergic cells in BLA can modulate the effects of stress on REM and can mediate effects of fear memory on sleep that can be independent of behavioral fear. © Sleep Research Society 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Sleep Research Society. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail journals.permissions@oup.com.

Fresh meteoric versus recirculated saline groundwater nutrient inputs into a subtropical estuary

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sadat-Noori, Mahmood; Santos, Isaac R.; Tait, Douglas R.; Maher, Damien T.

2016-01-01

The role of groundwater in transporting nutrients to coastal aquatic systems has recently received considerable attention. However, the relative importance of fresh versus saline groundwater-derived nutrient inputs to estuaries and how these groundwater pathways may alter surface water N:P ratios remains poorly constrained. We performed detailed time series measurements of nutrients in a tidal estuary (Hat Head, NSW, Australia) and used radium to quantify the contribution of fresh and saline groundwater to total surface water estuarine exports under contrasting hydrological conditions (wet and dry season). Tidally integrated nutrient fluxes showed that the estuary was a source of nutrients to the coastal waters. Dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) export was 7-fold higher than the average global areal flux rate for rivers likely due to the small catchment size, surrounding wetlands and high groundwater inputs. Fresh groundwater discharge was dominant in the wet season accounting for up to 45% of total dissolved nitrogen (TDN) and 48% of total dissolved phosphorus (TDP) estuarine exports. In the dry season, fresh and saline groundwater accounted for 21 and 33% of TDN export, respectively. The combined fresh and saline groundwater fluxes of NO_3, PO_4, NH_4, DON, DOP, TDN and TDP were estimated to account for 66, 58, 55, 31, 21, 53 and 47% of surface water exports, respectively. Groundwater-derived nitrogen inputs to the estuary were responsible for a change in the surface water N:P ratio from typical N-limiting conditions to P-limiting as predicted by previous studies. This shows the importance of both fresh and saline groundwater as a source of nutrients for coastal productivity and nutrient budgets of coastal waters. - Highlights: • Groundwater TDN and TDP fluxes account for 53 and 47% of surface water exports. • The estuary DIN export was 7-fold higher than the average global areal flux. • Fresh GW nutrient input dominated the wet season and saline GW the

Drugs that alter biodistribution and kinetics of radiopharmaceuticals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shani, J.

1986-01-01

Target localization and organ biodistribution of radiopharmaceuticals (RPs) may be altered by non-radioactive drugs whose pharmacological mechanisms compete with the RPs for the same retention processes. Originally referred to as side effects or incompatibilities, such interactions became a major concern in evaluating Nuclear Medicine procedures, as they might cause interpretation of the latter to be without value or misleading. With accumulated experience, some interactions were intentionally included in Nuclear Medicine procedures and became an additional tool in differential diagnosis. Moreover, due to the ability of some RPs to compete with therapeutic agents, Nuclear Medicine studies shifted from anatomical-physiological to more pharmacologically-pathologically-based procedures that can also monitor the stage of disease, and follow its treatment. The aim of this review, therefore, is not only to illustrate some crucial pharmacological issues in Nuclear Medicine imaging, but to emphasize the possible input that alterations of RP biodistribution by drugs may have in achieving better and safer diagnosis, disease staging and monitoring of the patient's response to therapy. 166 references

The SSVEP-Based BCI Text Input System Using Entropy Encoding Algorithm

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yeou-Jiunn Chen

2015-01-01

Full Text Available The so-called amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS or motor neuron disease (MND is a neurodegenerative disease with various causes. It is characterized by muscle spasticity, rapidly progressive weakness due to muscle atrophy, and difficulty in speaking, swallowing, and breathing. The severe disabled always have a common problem that is about communication except physical malfunctions. The steady-state visually evoked potential based brain computer interfaces (BCI, which apply visual stimulus, are very suitable to play the role of communication interface for patients with neuromuscular impairments. In this study, the entropy encoding algorithm is proposed to encode the letters of multilevel selection interface for BCI text input systems. According to the appearance frequency of each letter, the entropy encoding algorithm is proposed to construct a variable-length tree for the letter arrangement of multilevel selection interface. Then, the Gaussian mixture models are applied to recognize electrical activity of the brain. According to the recognition results, the multilevel selection interface guides the subject to spell and type the words. The experimental results showed that the proposed approach outperforms the baseline system, which does not consider the appearance frequency of each letter. Hence, the proposed approach is able to ease text input interface for patients with neuromuscular impairments.

Prevention device for rapid reactor core shutdown in BWR type reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Koshi, Yuji; Karatsu, Hiroyuki.

1986-01-01

Purpose: To surely prevent rapid shutdown of a nuclear reactor upon partial load interruption due to rapid increase in the system frequency. Constitution: If a partial load interruption greater than the sum of the turbine by-pass valve capacity and the load setting bias portion is applied in a BWR type power plant, the amount of main steams issued from the reactor is decreased, the thermal input/output balance of the reactor is lost, the reactor pressure is increased, the void is collapsed, the neutron fluxes are increased and the reactor power rises to generate rapid reactor shutdown. In view of the above, the turbine speed signal is compared with a speed setting value in a recycling flowrate control device and the recycling pump is controlled to decrease the recycling flowrate in order to compensate the increase in the neutron fluxes accompanying the reactor power up. In this way, transient changes in the reactor core pressure and the neutron fluxes are kept within a setting point for the rapid reactor shutdown operation thereby enabling to continue the plant operation. (Horiuchi, T.)

Textual Enhancement of Input: Issues and Possibilities

Science.gov (United States)

Han, ZhaoHong; Park, Eun Sung; Combs, Charles

2008-01-01

The input enhancement hypothesis proposed by Sharwood Smith (1991, 1993) has stimulated considerable research over the last 15 years. This article reviews the research on textual enhancement of input (TE), an area where the majority of input enhancement studies have aggregated. Methodological idiosyncrasies are the norm of this body of research.…

Rapid intravenous infusion of 20 mL/kg saline alters the distribution of perfusion in healthy supine humans.

Science.gov (United States)

Henderson, A C; Sá, R C; Barash, I A; Holverda, S; Buxton, R B; Hopkins, S R; Prisk, G K

2012-03-15

Rapid intravenous saline infusion, a model meant to replicate the initial changes leading to pulmonary interstitial edema, increases pulmonary arterial pressure in humans. We hypothesized that this would alter lung perfusion distribution. Six healthy subjects (29 ± 6 years) underwent magnetic resonance imaging to quantify perfusion using arterial spin labeling. Regional proton density was measured using a fast-gradient echo sequence, allowing blood delivered to the slice to be normalized for density and quantified in mL/min/g. Contributions from flow in large conduit vessels were minimized using a flow cutoff value (blood delivered > 35% maximum in mL/min/cm(3)) in order to obtain an estimate of blood delivered to the capillary bed (perfusion). Images were acquired supine at baseline, after infusion of 20 mL/kg saline, and after a short upright recovery period for a single sagittal slice in the right lung during breath-holds at functional residual capacity. Thoracic fluid content measured by impedance cardiography was elevated post-infusion by up to 13% (pchanges in conduit vessels, there were no significant changes in perfusion in dependent lung following infusion (7.8 ± 1.9 mL/min/g baseline, 7.9 ± 2.0 post, 8.5 ± 2.1 recovery, p=0.36). There were no significant changes in lung density. These data suggest that saline infusion increased perfusion to nondependent lung, consistent with an increase in intravascular pressures. Dependent lung may have been "protected" from increases in perfusion following infusion due to gravitational compression of the pulmonary vasculature. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

EROI of crystalline silicon photovoltaics : Variations under different assumptions regarding manufacturing energy inputs and energy output

OpenAIRE

Lundin, Johan

2013-01-01

Installed photovoltaic nameplate power have been growing rapidly around the worldin the last few years. But how much energy is returned to society (i.e. net energy) by this technology, and which factors contribute the most to the amount of energy returned? The objective of this thesis was to examine the importance of certain inputs and outputs along the solar panel production chain and their effect on the energy return on (energy) investment (EROI) for crystalline wafer-based photovoltaics. A...

Loss of GABAergic inputs in APP/PS1 mouse model of Alzheimer's disease

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tutu Oyelami

2014-04-01

Full Text Available Alzheimer's disease (AD is characterized by symptoms which include seizures, sleep disruption, loss of memory as well as anxiety in patients. Of particular importance is the possibility of preventing the progressive loss of neuronal projections in the disease. Transgenic mice overexpressing EOFAD mutant PS1 (L166P and mutant APP (APP KM670/671NL Swedish (APP/PS1 develop a very early and robust Amyloid pathology and display synaptic plasticity impairments and cognitive dysfunction. Here we investigated GABAergic neurotransmission, using multi-electrode array (MEA technology and pharmacological manipulation to quantify the effect of GABA Blockers on field excitatory postsynaptic potentials (fEPSP, and immunostaining of GABAergic neurons. Using MEA technology we confirm impaired LTP induction by high frequency stimulation in APPPS1 hippocampal CA1 region that was associated with reduced alteration of the pair pulse ratio after LTP induction. Synaptic dysfunction was also observed under manipulation of external Calcium concentration and input-output curve. Electrophysiological recordings from brain slice of CA1 hippocampus area, in the presence of GABAergic receptors blockers cocktails further demonstrated significant reduction in the GABAergic inputs in APP/PS1 mice. Moreover, immunostaining of GAD65 a specific marker for GABAergic neurons revealed reduction of the GABAergic inputs in CA1 area of the hippocampus. These results might be linked to increased seizure sensitivity, premature death and cognitive dysfunction in this animal model of AD. Further in depth analysis of GABAergic dysfunction in APP/PS1 mice is required and may open new perspectives for AD therapy by restoring GABAergic function.

Patient specific ankle-foot orthoses using rapid prototyping.

Science.gov (United States)

Mavroidis, Constantinos; Ranky, Richard G; Sivak, Mark L; Patritti, Benjamin L; DiPisa, Joseph; Caddle, Alyssa; Gilhooly, Kara; Govoni, Lauren; Sivak, Seth; Lancia, Michael; Drillio, Robert; Bonato, Paolo

2011-01-12

Prefabricated orthotic devices are currently designed to fit a range of patients and therefore they do not provide individualized comfort and function. Custom-fit orthoses are superior to prefabricated orthotic devices from both of the above-mentioned standpoints. However, creating a custom-fit orthosis is a laborious and time-intensive manual process performed by skilled orthotists. Besides, adjustments made to both prefabricated and custom-fit orthoses are carried out in a qualitative manner. So both comfort and function can potentially suffer considerably. A computerized technique for fabricating patient-specific orthotic devices has the potential to provide excellent comfort and allow for changes in the standard design to meet the specific needs of each patient. In this paper, 3D laser scanning is combined with rapid prototyping to create patient-specific orthoses. A novel process was engineered to utilize patient-specific surface data of the patient anatomy as a digital input, manipulate the surface data to an optimal form using Computer Aided Design (CAD) software, and then download the digital output from the CAD software to a rapid prototyping machine for fabrication. Two AFOs were rapidly prototyped to demonstrate the proposed process. Gait analysis data of a subject wearing the AFOs indicated that the rapid prototyped AFOs performed comparably to the prefabricated polypropylene design. The rapidly prototyped orthoses fabricated in this study provided good fit of the subject's anatomy compared to a prefabricated AFO while delivering comparable function (i.e. mechanical effect on the biomechanics of gait). The rapid fabrication capability is of interest because it has potential for decreasing fabrication time and cost especially when a replacement of the orthosis is required.

Influence of heat input in electron beam process on microstructure and properties of duplex stainless steel welded interface

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Zhiqiang; Jing, Hongyang; Xu, Lianyong; Han, Yongdian; Zhao, Lei; Lv, Xiaoqing; Zhang, Jianyang

2018-03-01

The influence of heat input in electron beam (EB) process on microstructure, mechanical properties, and pitting corrosion resistance of duplex stainless steel (DSS) welded interface was investigated. The rapid cooling in EB welding resulted in insufficient austenite formation. The austenite mainly consisted of grain boundary austenite and intragranular austenite, and there was abundant Cr2N precipitation in the ferrite. The Ni, Mo, and Si segregation indicated that the dendritic solidification was primarily ferrite in the weld. The weld exhibited higher hardness, lower toughness, and poorer pitting corrosion resistance than the base metal. The impact fractures of the welds were dominated by the transgranular cleavage failure of the ferrite. The ferrite was selectively attacked because of its lower pitting resistance equivalent number than that of austenite. The Cr2N precipitation accelerated the pitting corrosion. In summary, the optimised heat input slightly increased the austenite content, reduced the segregation degree and ferrite texture intensity, decreased the hardness, and improved the toughness and pitting corrosion resistance. However, the effects were limited. Furthermore, optimising the heat input could not suppress the Cr2N precipitation. Taking into full consideration the microstructure and properties, a heat input of 0.46 kJ/mm is recommended for the EB welding of DSS.

Water Quality and Environmental Flow Management in Rapidly Urbanizing Shenzhen Estuary Area, China

Science.gov (United States)

Qin, H.; Su, Q.

2011-12-01

Shenzhen estuary is located in a rapidly urbanizing coastal region of Southeast China, and forms the administrative border between mainland China and Hong Kong. It receives the waters of the Shenzhen River, where it enters the Deep Bay. The estuary has great ecological importance with the internationally recognized mangrove wetlands, which provides a habitat for some rare and endangered waterfowl and migratory birds.Water quality in the esturay has deteriorated not only due to increasing wastewater discharges from domestic and industrial sources, but also as a consequence of decreasing base environmental flow during rapid urbanization in the Shenzhen River catchment since 1980s. Measures to improve water quality of the estuary include not only reducing pollutant inputs by intercepting wastewater, but also increasing environmental flow by reusing reclaimed wastewater or withdrawing nearshore seawater into the river. However, salinity alternation due to flow increase is deemed to have impacts on the mangrove wetland ecosystem. In this paper, Environmental Fluid Dynamics Code (EFDC) is used to simulate hydrodynamics, salinity, and water quality condition in the Shenzhen estuary. After calibration and validation, the model is used to evaluate effects of various control measures on water quality improvement and salinity alteration in the estuary. The results indicate that implementing different measures independently does not reach the goals of water quality improvement; furthermore, increasing environmental flow by importing nearshore seawater may greatly increase the salinity in the Shenzhen River, destroy the fresh ecosystem of the river and have non-negligible impacts on the mangrove wetland ecosystem. Based on the effectiveness and impacts of the measures, an integrated measure, which combine pollutant loads reduction and environmental flow increase by reusing reclaimed wastewater, is proposed to achieve water environmental sustainability in the study area.

Anthropogenic phosphorus (P) inputs to a river basin and their impacts on P fluxes along its upstream-downstream continuum

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Wangshou; Swaney, Dennis; Hong, Bongghi; Howarth, Robert

2017-04-01

Phosphorus (P) originating from anthropogenic sources as a pollutant of surface waters has been an environmental issue for decades because of the well-known role of P in eutrophication. Human activities, such as food production and rapid urbanization, have been linked to increased P inputs which are often accompanied by corresponding increases in riverine P export. However, uneven distributions of anthropogenic P inputs along watersheds from the headwaters to downstream reaches can result in significantly different contributions to the riverine P fluxes of a receiving water body. So far, there is still very little scientific understanding of anthropogenic P inputs and their impacts on riverine flux in river reaches along the upstream to downstream continuum. Here, we investigated P budgets in a series of nested watersheds draining into Hongze Lake of China, and developed a simple empirical function to describe the relationship between anthropogenic inputs and riverine TP fluxes. The results indicated that an average of 1.1% of anthropogenic P inputs are exported into rivers, with most of the remainder retained in the watershed landscape over the period studied. Fertilizer application was the main contributor of P loading to the lake (55% of total loads), followed by legacy P stock (30%), food and feed P inputs (12%) and non-food P inputs (4%). From 60% to 89% of the riverine TP loads generated from various locations within this basin were ultimately transported into the receiving lake of the downstream, with an average rate of 1.86 tons P km-1 retaining in the main stem of the inflowing river annually. Our results highlight that in-stream processes can significantly buffer the riverine P loading to the downstream receiving lake. An integrated P management strategy considering the influence of anthropogenic inputs and hydrological interactions is required to assess and optimize P management for protecting fresh waters.

Rapid Quantification of Energy Absorption and Dissipation Metrics for PPE Padding Materials

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-22

dampers ,   i.e.,  Hooke’s  Law  springs  and   viscous ...absorbing/dissipating materials. Input forces caused by blast pressures, determined from computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis and simulation...simple  lumped-­‐ parameter  elements   –  spring,  k  (energy  storage)   –  damper ,  b  (energy  dissipa/on   Rapid

Rapid Modulation of Aromatase Activity in the Vertebrate Brain

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Thierry D. Charlier

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Numerous steroid hormones, including 17β-estradiol (E2, activate rapid and transient cellular, physiological, and behavioral changes in addition to their well-described genomic effects. Aromatase is the key-limiting enzyme in the production of estrogens, and the rapid modulation of this enzymatic activity could produce rapid changes in local E2 concentrations. The mechanisms that might mediate such rapid enzymatic changes are not fully understood but are currently under intense scrutiny. Recent studies in our laboratory indicate that brain aromatase activity is rapidly inhibited by an increase in intracellular calcium concentration resulting from potassium-induced depolarization or from the activation of glutamatergic receptors. Phosphorylating conditions also reduce aromatase activity within minutes, and this inhibition is blocked by the addition of multiple protein kinase inhibitors. This rapid modulation of aromatase activity by phosphorylating conditions is a general mechanism observed in different cell types and tissues derived from a variety of species, including human aromatase expressed in various cell lines. Phosphorylation processes affect aromatase itself and do not involve changes in aromatase protein concentration. The control of aromatase activity by multiple kinases suggests that several amino acids must be concomitantly phosphorylated to modify enzymatic activity but site-directed mutagenesis of several amino acids alone or in combination has not to date revealed the identity of the targeted residue(s. Altogether, the phosphorylation processes affecting aromatase activity provide a new general mechanism by which the concentration of estrogens can be rapidly altered in the brain.

Altered level of consciousness: evidence-based management in the emergency department [digest].

Science.gov (United States)

Song, Joo Lee; Wang, Vincent J; Vazquez, Michelle N

2017-01-22

A child who presents to the emergency department with an altered level of consciousness can be clinically unstable and can pose a great diagnostic challenge. The emergency clinician must quickly develop a wide differential of possible etiologies in order to administer potentially life-saving medications or interventions. The history, physical examination, and appropriate diagnostic tests can aid greatly in rapidly narrowing the differential diagnosis. Once initial stabilization, workup, and first-line interventions are completed, most patients who present with unresolved or unidentified altered level of consciousness should be admitted for further evaluation and close monitoring. This issue provides a review of the etiologies of altered level of consciousness as well as guidance for the management and disposition of patients with this condition. [Points & Pearls is a digest of Pediatric Emergency Medicine Practice].

User input verification and test driven development in the NJOY21 nuclear data processing code

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Trainer, Amelia Jo [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Conlin, Jeremy Lloyd [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); McCartney, Austin Paul [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)

2017-08-21

Before physically-meaningful data can be used in nuclear simulation codes, the data must be interpreted and manipulated by a nuclear data processing code so as to extract the relevant quantities (e.g. cross sections and angular distributions). Perhaps the most popular and widely-trusted of these processing codes is NJOY, which has been developed and improved over the course of 10 major releases since its creation at Los Alamos National Laboratory in the mid-1970’s. The current phase of NJOY development is the creation of NJOY21, which will be a vast improvement from its predecessor, NJOY2016. Designed to be fast, intuitive, accessible, and capable of handling both established and modern formats of nuclear data, NJOY21 will address many issues that many NJOY users face, while remaining functional for those who prefer the existing format. Although early in its development, NJOY21 is quickly providing input validation to check user input. By providing rapid and helpful responses to users while writing input files, NJOY21 will prove to be more intuitive and easy to use than any of its predecessors. Furthermore, during its development, NJOY21 is subject to regular testing, such that its test coverage must strictly increase with the addition of any production code. This thorough testing will allow developers and NJOY users to establish confidence in NJOY21 as it gains functionality. This document serves as a discussion regarding the current state input checking and testing practices of NJOY21.

Patient input into the development and enhancement of ED discharge instructions: a focus group study.

Science.gov (United States)

Buckley, Barbara A; McCarthy, Danielle M; Forth, Victoria E; Tanabe, Paula; Schmidt, Michael J; Adams, James G; Engel, Kirsten G

2013-11-01

Previous research indicates that patients have difficulty understanding ED discharge instructions; these findings have important implications for adherence and outcomes. The objective of this study was to obtain direct patient input to inform specific revisions to discharge documents created through a literacy-guided approach and to identify common themes within patient feedback that can serve as a framework for the creation of discharge documents in the future. Based on extensive literature review and input from ED providers, subspecialists, and health literacy and communication experts, discharge instructions were created for 5 common ED diagnoses. Participants were recruited from a federally qualified health center to participate in a series of 5 focus group sessions. Demographic information was obtained and a Rapid Estimate of Adult Literacy in Medicine (REALM) assessment was performed. During each of the 1-hour focus group sessions, participants reviewed discharge instructions for 1 of 5 diagnoses. Participants were asked to provide input into the content, organization, and presentation of the documents. Using qualitative techniques, latent and manifest content analysis was performed to code for emergent themes across all 5 diagnoses. Fifty-seven percent of participants were female and the average age was 32 years. The average REALM score was 57.3. Through qualitative analysis, 8 emergent themes were identified from the focus groups. Patient input provides meaningful guidance in the development of diagnosis-specific discharge instructions. Several themes and patterns were identified, with broad significance for the design of ED discharge instructions. Copyright © 2013 Emergency Nurses Association. Published by Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.

Stochastic weather inputs for improved urban water demand forecasting: application of nonlinear input variable selection and machine learning methods

Science.gov (United States)

Quilty, J.; Adamowski, J. F.

2015-12-01

Urban water supply systems are often stressed during seasonal outdoor water use as water demands related to the climate are variable in nature making it difficult to optimize the operation of the water supply system. Urban water demand forecasts (UWD) failing to include meteorological conditions as inputs to the forecast model may produce poor forecasts as they cannot account for the increase/decrease in demand related to meteorological conditions. Meteorological records stochastically simulated into the future can be used as inputs to data-driven UWD forecasts generally resulting in improved forecast accuracy. This study aims to produce data-driven UWD forecasts for two different Canadian water utilities (Montreal and Victoria) using machine learning methods by first selecting historical UWD and meteorological records derived from a stochastic weather generator using nonlinear input variable selection. The nonlinear input variable selection methods considered in this work are derived from the concept of conditional mutual information, a nonlinear dependency measure based on (multivariate) probability density functions and accounts for relevancy, conditional relevancy, and redundancy from a potential set of input variables. The results of our study indicate that stochastic weather inputs can improve UWD forecast accuracy for the two sites considered in this work. Nonlinear input variable selection is suggested as a means to identify which meteorological conditions should be utilized in the forecast.

Mechanisms and costs of developmental plasticity in amphibian larvae

OpenAIRE

Burraco Gaitán, Pablo

2017-01-01

Programa de Doctorado en Estudios Medioambientales Nature is complex and organisms commonly need to rapidly be able to detect and respond to environmental inputs in order to increase their survival odds. The ability of a given genotype to alter its morphology, behavior or development against changing environments is known as phenotypic plasticity, which is adaptive when the induced phenotypes confer increased fitness in the altered environment. Adaptive plasticity favors phenotypic diversi...

Quantifying input uncertainty in an assemble-to-order system simulation with correlated input variables of mixed types

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Akçay, A.E.; Biller, B.

2014-01-01

We consider an assemble-to-order production system where the product demands and the time since the last customer arrival are not independent. The simulation of this system requires a multivariate input model that generates random input vectors with correlated discrete and continuous components. In

Influence of active dendritic currents on input-output processing in spinal motoneurons in vivo.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, R H; Kuo, J J; Jiang, M C; Heckman, C J

2003-01-01

stretch-evoked I(N,TOT) and I(N, PASS) and thus could be accounted for by the activation of the dendritic PIC. As a result, stretch-evoked I(N,TOT) and F-I provided an accurate prediction of the overall change in stretch-evoked firing. However, in about half of the low-input conductance cells, the rate of rise of firing in response to stretch was not smoothly graded but instead consisted of a rapid surge. Stretch-evoked I(N,TOT) was always smoothly graded. This suggests that although stretch-evoked I(N,TOT) can be used to predict the overall change in firing, prediction of the dynamics of firing may be less accurate.

On the Nature of the Input in Optimality Theory

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Heck, Fabian; Müller, Gereon; Vogel, Ralf

2002-01-01

The input has two main functions in optimality theory (Prince and Smolensky 1993). First, the input defines the candidate set, in other words it determines which output candidates compete for optimality, and which do not. Second, the input is referred to by faithfulness constraints that prohibit...... output candidates from deviating from specifications in the input. Whereas there is general agreement concerning the relevance of the input in phonology, the nature of the input in syntax is notoriously unclear. In this article, we show that the input should not be taken to define syntactic candidate...... and syntax is due to a basic, irreducible difference between these two components of grammar: Syntax is an information preserving system, phonology is not....

Rapid prediction of multi-dimensional NMR data sets

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gradmann, Sabine; Ader, Christian; Heinrich, Ines; Nand, Deepak; Dittmann, Marc; Cukkemane, Abhishek; Dijk, Marc van; Bonvin, Alexandre M. J. J.; Engelhard, Martin; Baldus, Marc

2012-01-01

We present a computational environment for Fast Analysis of multidimensional NMR DAta Sets (FANDAS) that allows assembling multidimensional data sets from a variety of input parameters and facilitates comparing and modifying such “in silico” data sets during the various stages of the NMR data analysis. The input parameters can vary from (partial) NMR assignments directly obtained from experiments to values retrieved from in silico prediction programs. The resulting predicted data sets enable a rapid evaluation of sample labeling in light of spectral resolution and structural content, using standard NMR software such as Sparky. In addition, direct comparison to experimental data sets can be used to validate NMR assignments, distinguish different molecular components, refine structural models or other parameters derived from NMR data. The method is demonstrated in the context of solid-state NMR data obtained for the cyclic nucleotide binding domain of a bacterial cyclic nucleotide-gated channel and on membrane-embedded sensory rhodopsin II. FANDAS is freely available as web portal under WeNMR (http://www.wenmr.eu/services/FANDAShttp://www.wenmr.eu/services/FANDAS).

Rapid prediction of multi-dimensional NMR data sets

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gradmann, Sabine; Ader, Christian [Utrecht University, Faculty of Science, Bijvoet Center for Biomolecular Research (Netherlands); Heinrich, Ines [Max Planck Institute for Molecular Physiology, Department of Physical Biochemistry (Germany); Nand, Deepak [Utrecht University, Faculty of Science, Bijvoet Center for Biomolecular Research (Netherlands); Dittmann, Marc [Max Planck Institute for Molecular Physiology, Department of Physical Biochemistry (Germany); Cukkemane, Abhishek; Dijk, Marc van; Bonvin, Alexandre M. J. J. [Utrecht University, Faculty of Science, Bijvoet Center for Biomolecular Research (Netherlands); Engelhard, Martin [Max Planck Institute for Molecular Physiology, Department of Physical Biochemistry (Germany); Baldus, Marc, E-mail: m.baldus@uu.nl [Utrecht University, Faculty of Science, Bijvoet Center for Biomolecular Research (Netherlands)

2012-12-15

We present a computational environment for Fast Analysis of multidimensional NMR DAta Sets (FANDAS) that allows assembling multidimensional data sets from a variety of input parameters and facilitates comparing and modifying such 'in silico' data sets during the various stages of the NMR data analysis. The input parameters can vary from (partial) NMR assignments directly obtained from experiments to values retrieved from in silico prediction programs. The resulting predicted data sets enable a rapid evaluation of sample labeling in light of spectral resolution and structural content, using standard NMR software such as Sparky. In addition, direct comparison to experimental data sets can be used to validate NMR assignments, distinguish different molecular components, refine structural models or other parameters derived from NMR data. The method is demonstrated in the context of solid-state NMR data obtained for the cyclic nucleotide binding domain of a bacterial cyclic nucleotide-gated channel and on membrane-embedded sensory rhodopsin II. FANDAS is freely available as web portal under WeNMR (http://www.wenmr.eu/services/FANDAShttp://www.wenmr.eu/services/FANDAS).

Augmented cognition tool for rapid military decision making.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Taylor, Shawn Ellis; Bernard, Michael Lewis; Verzi, Stephen J.; Dubicka, Irene; Vineyard, Craig Michael

2011-10-01

This report describes the laboratory directed research and development work to model relevant areas of the brain that associate multi-modal information for long-term storage for the purpose of creating a more effective, and more automated, association mechanism to support rapid decision making. Using the biology and functionality of the hippocampus as an analogy or inspiration, we have developed an artificial neural network architecture to associate k-tuples (paired associates) of multimodal input records. The architecture is composed of coupled unimodal self-organizing neural modules that learn generalizations of unimodal components of the input record. Cross modal associations, stored as a higher-order tensor, are learned incrementally as these generalizations form. Graph algorithms are then applied to the tensor to extract multi-modal association networks formed during learning. Doing so yields a novel approach to data mining for knowledge discovery. This report describes the neurobiological inspiration, architecture, and operational characteristics of our model, and also provides a real world terrorist network example to illustrate the model's functionality.

Rapid detection of genetic modification for GMO monitoring in agriculture

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Petrović Sofija

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Transgenic technology has expanded the ways of new genetic variability creation. Genetically modified organisms (GMOs are organisms which total genome is altered in a way that could not happen in nature. GM crops recorded a steady increase in its share in agricultural production. However, for the most part, GMO in agriculture has been limited to two cultivars - soy and corn, and the two genetic modifications, the total herbicide resistance and pest of the Lepidoptera genus. In order to monitor cultivation and trade of GMOs, tests of different precision are used, qualitatively and/or quantitatively determining the presence of genetic modification. Tests for the rapid determination of the presence of GM are suitable, since they can be implemented quickly and accurately, in terms of declared sensitivity, outside or in the laboratory. The example of the use of rapid tests demonstrates their value in use for rapid and efficient monitoring.

Phasing Out a Polluting Input

OpenAIRE

Eriksson, Clas

2015-01-01

This paper explores economic policies related to the potential conflict between economic growth and the environment. It applies a model with directed technological change and focuses on the case with low elasticity of substitution between clean and dirty inputs in production. New technology is substituted for the polluting input, which results in a gradual decline in pollution along the optimal long-run growth path. In contrast to some recent work, the era of pollution and environmental polic...

Patient specific ankle-foot orthoses using rapid prototyping

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sivak Seth

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Prefabricated orthotic devices are currently designed to fit a range of patients and therefore they do not provide individualized comfort and function. Custom-fit orthoses are superior to prefabricated orthotic devices from both of the above-mentioned standpoints. However, creating a custom-fit orthosis is a laborious and time-intensive manual process performed by skilled orthotists. Besides, adjustments made to both prefabricated and custom-fit orthoses are carried out in a qualitative manner. So both comfort and function can potentially suffer considerably. A computerized technique for fabricating patient-specific orthotic devices has the potential to provide excellent comfort and allow for changes in the standard design to meet the specific needs of each patient. Methods In this paper, 3D laser scanning is combined with rapid prototyping to create patient-specific orthoses. A novel process was engineered to utilize patient-specific surface data of the patient anatomy as a digital input, manipulate the surface data to an optimal form using Computer Aided Design (CAD software, and then download the digital output from the CAD software to a rapid prototyping machine for fabrication. Results Two AFOs were rapidly prototyped to demonstrate the proposed process. Gait analysis data of a subject wearing the AFOs indicated that the rapid prototyped AFOs performed comparably to the prefabricated polypropylene design. Conclusions The rapidly prototyped orthoses fabricated in this study provided good fit of the subject's anatomy compared to a prefabricated AFO while delivering comparable function (i.e. mechanical effect on the biomechanics of gait. The rapid fabrication capability is of interest because it has potential for decreasing fabrication time and cost especially when a replacement of the orthosis is required.

Input/Output linearizing control of a nuclear reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Perez C, V.

1994-01-01

The feedback linearization technique is an approach to nonlinear control design. The basic idea is to transform, by means of algebraic methods, the dynamics of a nonlinear control system into a full or partial linear system. As a result of this linearization process, the well known basic linear control techniques can be used to obtain some desired dynamic characteristics. When full linearization is achieved, the method is referred to as input-state linearization, whereas when partial linearization is achieved, the method is referred to as input-output linearization. We will deal with the latter. By means of input-output linearization, the dynamics of a nonlinear system can be decomposed into an external part (input-output), and an internal part (unobservable). Since the external part consists of a linear relationship among the output of the plant and the auxiliary control input mentioned above, it is easy to design such an auxiliary control input so that we get the output to behave in a predetermined way. Since the internal dynamics of the system is known, we can check its dynamics behavior on order of to ensure that the internal states are bounded. The linearization method described here can be applied to systems with one-input/one-output, as well as to systems with multiple-inputs/multiple-outputs. Typical control problems such as stabilization and reference path tracking can be solved using this technique. In this work, the input/output linearization theory is presented, as well as the problem of getting the output variable to track some desired trayectories. Further, the design of an input/output control system applied to the nonlinear model of a research nuclear reactor is included, along with the results obtained by computer simulation. (Author)

Alteration of the cementitious material under the saline environment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Owada, H.; Asano, H.; Kuno, Y.; Sakamoto, H.; Shimoda, S.

2006-01-01

Leaching experiment of ordinary and fly ash mixed cement were carried out by using the artificial sea water and deionized water as leachates. The pH values of saline leachates were decreased at the lower solid/liquid ratio in comparison with the case of deionized leachates. Mg(OH) 2 and ettringite were observed only in the case of saline water. The results of the geochemical calculation with inputs of Mg(OH) 2 , ettringite and hydrotalcite well represented in the change of pH value and the mineral-composition with those of the experiment. However, in the latter stage of the fly ash mixed cement case, calculated concentrations of Si and Al of the leachate weren't consistent with the observed values. These results showed that substitution of Mg for Ca and influences of sulfate ion should be considered in the modeling of the cement alteration in the saline water case, and Al-substituted C-S-H might be considered in the alteration of fly ash mixed cement. (author)

FLUTAN input specifications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Borgwaldt, H.; Baumann, W.; Willerding, G.

1991-05-01

FLUTAN is a highly vectorized computer code for 3-D fluiddynamic and thermal-hydraulic analyses in cartesian and cylinder coordinates. It is related to the family of COMMIX codes originally developed at Argonne National Laboratory, USA. To a large extent, FLUTAN relies on basic concepts and structures imported from COMMIX-1B and COMMIX-2 which were made available to KfK in the frame of cooperation contracts in the fast reactor safety field. While on the one hand not all features of the original COMMIX versions have been implemented in FLUTAN, the code on the other hand includes some essential innovative options like CRESOR solution algorithm, general 3-dimensional rebalacing scheme for solving the pressure equation, and LECUSSO-QUICK-FRAM techniques suitable for reducing 'numerical diffusion' in both the enthalphy and momentum equations. This report provides users with detailed input instructions, presents formulations of the various model options, and explains by means of comprehensive sample input, how to use the code. (orig.) [de

WORM: A general-purpose input deck specification language

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jones, T.

1999-01-01

Using computer codes to perform criticality safety calculations has become common practice in the industry. The vast majority of these codes use simple text-based input decks to represent the geometry, materials, and other parameters that describe the problem. However, the data specified in input files are usually processed results themselves. For example, input decks tend to require the geometry specification in linear dimensions and materials in atom or weight fractions, while the parameter of interest might be mass or concentration. The calculations needed to convert from the item of interest to the required parameter in the input deck are usually performed separately and then incorporated into the input deck. This process of calculating, editing, and renaming files to perform a simple parameter study is tedious at best. In addition, most computer codes require dimensions to be specified in centimeters, while drawings or other materials used to create the input decks might be in other units. This also requires additional calculation or conversion prior to composition of the input deck. These additional calculations, while extremely simple, introduce a source for error in both the calculations and transcriptions. To overcome these difficulties, WORM (Write One, Run Many) was created. It is an easy-to-use programming language to describe input decks and can be used with any computer code that uses standard text files for input. WORM is available, via the Internet, at worm.lanl.gov. A user's guide, tutorials, example models, and other WORM-related materials are also available at this Web site. Questions regarding WORM should be directed to wormatlanl.gov

Development Of A Data Assimilation Capability For RAPID

Science.gov (United States)

Emery, C. M.; David, C. H.; Turmon, M.; Hobbs, J.; Allen, G. H.; Famiglietti, J. S.

2017-12-01

The global decline of in situ observations associated with the increasing ability to monitor surface water from space motivates the creation of data assimilation algorithms that merge computer models and space-based observations to produce consistent estimates of terrestrial hydrology that fill the spatiotemporal gaps in observations. RAPID is a routing model based on the Muskingum method that is capable of estimating river streamflow over large scales with a relatively short computing time. This model only requires limited inputs: a reach-based river network, and lateral surface and subsurface flow into the rivers. The relatively simple model physics imply that RAPID simulations could be significantly improved by including a data assimilation capability. Here we present the early developments of such data assimilation approach into RAPID. Given the linear and matrix-based structure of the model, we chose to apply a direct Kalman filter, hence allowing for the preservation of high computational speed. We correct the simulated streamflows by assimilating streamflow observations and our early results demonstrate the feasibility of the approach. Additionally, the use of in situ gauges at continental scales motivates the application of our new data assimilation scheme to altimetry measurements from existing (e.g. EnviSat, Jason 2) and upcoming satellite missions (e.g. SWOT), and ultimately apply the scheme globally.

Sound effects: Multimodal input helps infants find displaced objects.

Science.gov (United States)

Shinskey, Jeanne L

2017-09-01

Before 9 months, infants use sound to retrieve a stationary object hidden by darkness but not one hidden by occlusion, suggesting auditory input is more salient in the absence of visual input. This article addresses how audiovisual input affects 10-month-olds' search for displaced objects. In AB tasks, infants who previously retrieved an object at A subsequently fail to find it after it is displaced to B, especially following a delay between hiding and retrieval. Experiment 1 manipulated auditory input by keeping the hidden object audible versus silent, and visual input by presenting the delay in the light versus dark. Infants succeeded more at B with audible than silent objects and, unexpectedly, more after delays in the light than dark. Experiment 2 presented both the delay and search phases in darkness. The unexpected light-dark difference disappeared. Across experiments, the presence of auditory input helped infants find displaced objects, whereas the absence of visual input did not. Sound might help by strengthening object representation, reducing memory load, or focusing attention. This work provides new evidence on when bimodal input aids object processing, corroborates claims that audiovisual processing improves over the first year of life, and contributes to multisensory approaches to studying cognition. Statement of contribution What is already known on this subject Before 9 months, infants use sound to retrieve a stationary object hidden by darkness but not one hidden by occlusion. This suggests they find auditory input more salient in the absence of visual input in simple search tasks. After 9 months, infants' object processing appears more sensitive to multimodal (e.g., audiovisual) input. What does this study add? This study tested how audiovisual input affects 10-month-olds' search for an object displaced in an AB task. Sound helped infants find displaced objects in both the presence and absence of visual input. Object processing becomes more

7 CFR 3431.4 - Solicitation of stakeholder input.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 15 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Solicitation of stakeholder input. 3431.4 Section... Designation of Veterinarian Shortage Situations § 3431.4 Solicitation of stakeholder input. The Secretary will solicit stakeholder input on the process and procedures used to designate veterinarian shortage situations...

Enhanced Input of Terrestrial Particulate Organic Matter Reduces the Resilience of the Clear-Water State of Shallow Lakes: A Model Study

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Lischke, B.; Hilt, S.; Janse, J.H.; Kuiper, J.J.; Mehner, T.; Mooij, W.M.; Gaedke, U.

2014-01-01

The amount of terrestrial particulate organic matter (t-POM) entering lakes is predicted to increase as a result of climate change. This may especially alter the structure and functioning of ecosystems in small, shallow lakes which can rapidly shift from a clear-water, macrophyte-dominated into a

Effect of weld metal chemistry and heat input on the structure and properties of duplex stainless steel welds

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Muthupandi, V.; Bala Srinivasan, P.; Seshadri, S.K.; Sundaresan, S

2003-10-15

The excellent combination of strength and corrosion resistance in duplex stainless steels (DSS) is due to their strict composition control and microstructural balance. The ferrite-austenite ratio is often upset in DSS weld metals owing to the rapid cooling rates associated with welding. To achieve the desired ferrite-austenite balance and hence properties, either the weld metal composition and/or the heat input is controlled. In the current work, a low heat input process viz., EBW and another commonly employed process, gas tungsten-arc welding have been employed for welding of DSS with and without nickel enhancement. Results show that (i) chemical composition has got a greater influence on the ferrite-austenite ratio than the cooling rate, (ii) and even EBW which is considered an immature process in welding of DSS, can be employed provided means of filler addition could be devised.

Origin and function of short-latency inputs to the neural substrates underlying the acoustic startle reflex

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ricardo eGómez-Nieto

2014-07-01

Full Text Available The acoustic startle reflex (ASR is a survival mechanism of alarm, which rapidly alerts the organism to a sudden loud auditory stimulus. In rats, the primary ASR circuit encompasses three serially connected structures: cochlear root neurons (CRNs, neurons in the caudal pontine reticular nucleus (PnC, and motoneurons in the medulla and spinal cord. It is well established that both CRNs and PnC neurons receive short-latency auditory inputs to mediate the ASR. Here, we investigated the anatomical origin and functional role of these inputs using a multidisciplinary approach that combines morphological, electrophysiological and behavioural techniques. Anterograde tracer injections into the cochlea suggest that CRNs somata and dendrites receive inputs depending, respectively, on their basal or apical cochlear origin. Confocal colocalization experiments demonstrated that these cochlear inputs are immunopositive for the vesicular glutamate transporter 1. Using extracellular recordings in vivo followed by subsequent tracer injections, we investigated the response of PnC neurons after contra-, ipsi-, and bilateral acoustic stimulation and identified the source of their auditory afferents. Our results showed that the binaural firing rate of PnC neurons was higher than the monaural, exhibiting higher spike discharges with contralateral than ipsilateral acoustic stimulations. Our histological analysis confirmed the CRNs as the principal source of short-latency acoustic inputs, and indicated that other areas of the cochlear nucleus complex are not likely to innervate PnC. Behaviourally, we observed a strong reduction of ASR amplitude in monaural earplugged rats that corresponds with the binaural summation process shown in our electrophysiological findings. Our study contributes to understand better the role of neuronal mechanisms in auditory alerting behaviours and provides strong evidence that the CRNs-PnC pathway mediates fast neurotransmission and binaural

Correspondence between visual and electrical input filters of ON and OFF mouse retinal ganglion cells

Science.gov (United States)

Sekhar, S.; Jalligampala, A.; Zrenner, E.; Rathbun, D. L.

2017-08-01

Objective. Over the past two decades retinal prostheses have made major strides in restoring functional vision to patients blinded by diseases such as retinitis pigmentosa. Presently, implants use single pulses to activate the retina. Though this stimulation paradigm has proved beneficial to patients, an unresolved problem is the inability to selectively stimulate the on and off visual pathways. To this end our goal was to test, using white noise, voltage-controlled, cathodic, monophasic pulse stimulation, whether different retinal ganglion cell (RGC) types in the wild type retina have different electrical input filters. This is an important precursor to addressing pathway-selective stimulation. Approach. Using full-field visual flash and electrical and visual Gaussian noise stimulation, combined with the technique of spike-triggered averaging (STA), we calculate the electrical and visual input filters for different types of RGCs (classified as on, off or on-off based on their response to the flash stimuli). Main results. Examining the STAs, we found that the spiking activity of on cells during electrical stimulation correlates with a decrease in the voltage magnitude preceding a spike, while the spiking activity of off cells correlates with an increase in the voltage preceding a spike. No electrical preference was found for on-off cells. Comparing STAs of wild type and rd10 mice revealed narrower electrical STA deflections with shorter latencies in rd10. Significance. This study is the first comparison of visual cell types and their corresponding temporal electrical input filters in the retina. The altered input filters in degenerated rd10 retinas are consistent with photoreceptor stimulation underlying visual type-specific electrical STA shapes in wild type retina. It is therefore conceivable that existing implants could target partially degenerated photoreceptors that have only lost their outer segments, but not somas, to selectively activate the on and off

Uncertainty of input data for room acoustic simulations

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jeong, Cheol-Ho; Marbjerg, Gerd; Brunskog, Jonas

2016-01-01

Although many room acoustic simulation models have been well established, simulation results will never be accurate with inaccurate and uncertain input data. This study addresses inappropriateness and uncertainty of input data for room acoustic simulations. Firstly, the random incidence absorption...... and scattering coefficients are insufficient when simulating highly non-diffuse rooms. More detailed information, such as the phase and angle dependence, can greatly improve the simulation results of pressure-based geometrical and wave-based models at frequencies well below the Schroeder frequency. Phase...... summarizes potential advanced absorption measurement techniques that can improve the quality of input data for room acoustic simulations. Lastly, plenty of uncertain input data are copied from unreliable sources. Software developers and users should be careful when spreading such uncertain input data. More...

Fresh meteoric versus recirculated saline groundwater nutrient inputs into a subtropical estuary

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sadat-Noori, Mahmood, E-mail: mahmood.sadat-noori@scu.edu.au [National Marine Science Centre, School of Environment, Science and Engineering, Southern Cross University, Coffs Harbour, NSW (Australia); School of Environment, Science and Engineering, Southern Cross University, Lismore, NSW (Australia); Santos, Isaac R. [National Marine Science Centre, School of Environment, Science and Engineering, Southern Cross University, Coffs Harbour, NSW (Australia); Tait, Douglas R. [National Marine Science Centre, School of Environment, Science and Engineering, Southern Cross University, Coffs Harbour, NSW (Australia); School of Environment, Science and Engineering, Southern Cross University, Lismore, NSW (Australia); Maher, Damien T. [School of Environment, Science and Engineering, Southern Cross University, Lismore, NSW (Australia)

2016-10-01

The role of groundwater in transporting nutrients to coastal aquatic systems has recently received considerable attention. However, the relative importance of fresh versus saline groundwater-derived nutrient inputs to estuaries and how these groundwater pathways may alter surface water N:P ratios remains poorly constrained. We performed detailed time series measurements of nutrients in a tidal estuary (Hat Head, NSW, Australia) and used radium to quantify the contribution of fresh and saline groundwater to total surface water estuarine exports under contrasting hydrological conditions (wet and dry season). Tidally integrated nutrient fluxes showed that the estuary was a source of nutrients to the coastal waters. Dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) export was 7-fold higher than the average global areal flux rate for rivers likely due to the small catchment size, surrounding wetlands and high groundwater inputs. Fresh groundwater discharge was dominant in the wet season accounting for up to 45% of total dissolved nitrogen (TDN) and 48% of total dissolved phosphorus (TDP) estuarine exports. In the dry season, fresh and saline groundwater accounted for 21 and 33% of TDN export, respectively. The combined fresh and saline groundwater fluxes of NO{sub 3}, PO{sub 4}, NH{sub 4}, DON, DOP, TDN and TDP were estimated to account for 66, 58, 55, 31, 21, 53 and 47% of surface water exports, respectively. Groundwater-derived nitrogen inputs to the estuary were responsible for a change in the surface water N:P ratio from typical N-limiting conditions to P-limiting as predicted by previous studies. This shows the importance of both fresh and saline groundwater as a source of nutrients for coastal productivity and nutrient budgets of coastal waters. - Highlights: • Groundwater TDN and TDP fluxes account for 53 and 47% of surface water exports. • The estuary DIN export was 7-fold higher than the average global areal flux. • Fresh GW nutrient input dominated the wet season and

Tonotopic alterations in inhibitory input to the medial nucleus of the trapezoid body in a mouse model of Fragile X syndrome.

Science.gov (United States)

McCullagh, Elizabeth A; Salcedo, Ernesto; Huntsman, Molly M; Klug, Achim

2017-11-01

Hyperexcitability and the imbalance of excitation/inhibition are one of the leading causes of abnormal sensory processing in Fragile X syndrome (FXS). The precise timing and distribution of excitation and inhibition is crucial for auditory processing at the level of the auditory brainstem, which is responsible for sound localization ability. Sound localization is one of the sensory abilities disrupted by loss of the Fragile X Mental Retardation 1 (Fmr1) gene. Using triple immunofluorescence staining we tested whether there were alterations in the number and size of presynaptic structures for the three primary neurotransmitters (glutamate, glycine, and GABA) in the auditory brainstem of Fmr1 knockout mice. We found decreases in either glycinergic or GABAergic inhibition to the medial nucleus of the trapezoid body (MNTB) specific to the tonotopic location within the nucleus. MNTB is one of the primary inhibitory nuclei in the auditory brainstem and participates in the sound localization process with fast and well-timed inhibition. Thus, a decrease in inhibitory afferents to MNTB neurons should lead to greater inhibitory output to the projections from this nucleus. In contrast, we did not see any other significant alterations in balance of excitation/inhibition in any of the other auditory brainstem nuclei measured, suggesting that the alterations observed in the MNTB are both nucleus and frequency specific. We furthermore show that glycinergic inhibition may be an important contributor to imbalances in excitation and inhibition in FXS and that the auditory brainstem is a useful circuit for testing these imbalances. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

A guidance on MELCOR input preparation : An input deck for Ul-Chin 3 and 4 Nuclear Power Plant

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cho, Song Won

1997-02-01

The objective of this study is to enhance the capability of assessing the severe accident sequence analyses and the containment behavior using MELCOR computer code and to provide the guideline of its efficient use. This report shows the method of the input deck preparation as well as the assessment strategy for the MELCOR code. MELCOR code is a fully integrated, engineering-level computer code that models the progression of severe accidents in light water reactor nuclear power plants. The code is being developed at Sandia National Laboratories for the U.S. NRC as a second generation plant risk assessment tool and the successor to the source term code package. The accident sequence of the reference input deck prepared in this study for Ulchin unit 3 and 4 nuclear power plants, is the total loss of feedwater (TLOFW) without any success of safety systems, which is similar to station blackout (TLMB). It is very useful to simulate a well-known sequence through the best estimated code or experiment, because the results of the simulation before core melt can be compared with the FSAR, but no data is available after core melt. The precalculation for the TLOFW using the reference input deck is performed successfully as expected. The other sequences will be carried out with minor changes in the reference input. This input deck will be improved continually by the adding of the safety systems not included in this input deck, and also through the sensitivity and uncertainty analyses. (author). 19 refs., 10 tabs., 55 figs.

A guidance on MELCOR input preparation : An input deck for Ul-Chin 3 and 4 Nuclear Power Plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cho, Song Won.

1997-02-01

The objective of this study is to enhance the capability of assessing the severe accident sequence analyses and the containment behavior using MELCOR computer code and to provide the guideline of its efficient use. This report shows the method of the input deck preparation as well as the assessment strategy for the MELCOR code. MELCOR code is a fully integrated, engineering-level computer code that models the progression of severe accidents in light water reactor nuclear power plants. The code is being developed at Sandia National Laboratories for the U.S. NRC as a second generation plant risk assessment tool and the successor to the source term code package. The accident sequence of the reference input deck prepared in this study for Ulchin unit 3 and 4 nuclear power plants, is the total loss of feedwater (TLOFW) without any success of safety systems, which is similar to station blackout (TLMB). It is very useful to simulate a well-known sequence through the best estimated code or experiment, because the results of the simulation before core melt can be compared with the FSAR, but no data is available after core melt. The precalculation for the TLOFW using the reference input deck is performed successfully as expected. The other sequences will be carried out with minor changes in the reference input. This input deck will be improved continually by the adding of the safety systems not included in this input deck, and also through the sensitivity and uncertainty analyses. (author). 19 refs., 10 tabs., 55 figs

High-Voltage-Input Level Translator Using Standard CMOS

Science.gov (United States)

Yager, Jeremy A.; Mojarradi, Mohammad M.; Vo, Tuan A.; Blalock, Benjamin J.

2011-01-01

proposed integrated circuit would translate (1) a pair of input signals having a low differential potential and a possibly high common-mode potential into (2) a pair of output signals having the same low differential potential and a low common-mode potential. As used here, "low" and "high" refer to potentials that are, respectively, below or above the nominal supply potential (3.3 V) at which standard complementary metal oxide/semiconductor (CMOS) integrated circuits are designed to operate. The input common-mode potential could lie between 0 and 10 V; the output common-mode potential would be 2 V. This translation would make it possible to process the pair of signals by use of standard 3.3-V CMOS analog and/or mixed-signal (analog and digital) circuitry on the same integrated-circuit chip. A schematic of the circuit is shown in the figure. Standard 3.3-V CMOS circuitry cannot withstand input potentials greater than about 4 V. However, there are many applications that involve low-differential-potential, high-common-mode-potential input signal pairs and in which standard 3.3-V CMOS circuitry, which is relatively inexpensive, would be the most appropriate circuitry for performing other functions on the integrated-circuit chip that handles the high-potential input signals. Thus, there is a need to combine high-voltage input circuitry with standard low-voltage CMOS circuitry on the same integrated-circuit chip. The proposed circuit would satisfy this need. In the proposed circuit, the input signals would be coupled into both a level-shifting pair and a common-mode-sensing pair of CMOS transistors. The output of the level-shifting pair would be fed as input to a differential pair of transistors. The resulting differential current output would pass through six standoff transistors to be mirrored into an output branch by four heterojunction bipolar transistors. The mirrored differential current would be converted back to potential by a pair of diode-connected transistors

Altered cortical GABA neurotransmission in schizophrenia: insights into novel therapeutic strategies.

Science.gov (United States)

Stan, Ana D; Lewis, David A

2012-06-01

Altered markers of cortical GABA neurotransmission are among the most consistently observed abnormalities in postmortem studies of schizophrenia. The altered markers are particularly evident between the chandelier class of GABA neurons and their synaptic targets, the axon initial segment (AIS) of pyramidal neurons. For example, in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex of subjects with schizophrenia immunoreactivity for the GABA membrane transporter is decreased in presynaptic chandelier neuron axon terminals, whereas immunoreactivity for the GABAA receptor α2 subunit is increased in postsynaptic AIS. Both of these molecular changes appear to be compensatory responses to a presynaptic deficit in GABA synthesis, and thus could represent targets for novel therapeutic strategies intended to augment the brain's own compensatory mechanisms. Recent findings that GABA inputs from neocortical chandelier neurons can be powerfully excitatory provide new ideas about the role of these neurons in the pathophysiology of cortical dysfunction in schizophrenia, and consequently in the design of pharmacological interventions.

Repositioning Recitation Input in College English Teaching

Science.gov (United States)

Xu, Qing

2009-01-01

This paper tries to discuss how recitation input helps overcome the negative influences on the basis of second language acquisition theory and confirms the important role that recitation input plays in improving college students' oral and written English.

Phage Pl mutants with altered transducing abilities for Escherichia coli

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wall, J.D.; Harriman, P.D.

1974-01-01

A search was made for mutants of the coliphage P1 with altered transducing frequencies. A method was developed for the rapid assay of transducing frequencies in single plaques using prophage lambda as the transduced bacterial marker. This procedure selects for mutants altered in their ability to package host DNA. Mutants with 5 to 10 times higher or 10 to 20 times lower frequencies than those of wild-type P1 were found. Not only are the markers used for the detection of the mutants affected, but all other markers are similarly affected (not always to the same extent). One of the high transducing frequency mutants is a suppressible amber, indicating that loss of a function increases P1's ability to package host DNA preferentially. (U.S.)

The Role of Small Impoundments on Flow Alteration Within River Networks

Science.gov (United States)

Brogan, C. O.; Keys, T.; Scott, D.; Burgholzer, R.; Kleiner, J.

2017-12-01

Numerous water quality and quantity models have been established to illustrate the ecologic and hydrologic effects of large reservoirs. Smaller, unregulated ponds are often assumed to have a negligible impact on watershed flow regimes even though they overwhelmingly outnumber larger waterbodies. Individually, these small impoundments impart merely a fraction of the flow alteration larger reservoirs do; however, a network of ponds may act cumulatively to alter the flow regime. Many models have attempted to study smaller impoundments but rely on selectively available rating curves or bathymetry surveys. This study created a generalized process to model impoundments of varying size across a 58 square mile watershed exclusively using satellite imagery and publicly available information as inputs. With information drawn from public Army Corps of Engineers databases and LiDAR surveys, it was found that impoundment surface and drainage area served as useful explanatory variables, capable of predicting both pond bathymetry and outlet structure area across the 37 waterbodies modeled within the study area. Working within a flow routing model with inputs from the Chesapeake Bay HSPF model and verified with USGS gauge data, flow simulations were conducted with increasing number of impoundments to quantify how small ponds affect the overall flow regime. As the total impounded volume increased, simulations showed a notable reduction in both low and peak flows. Medium-sized floods increased as the network of ponds and reservoirs stabilized the catchment's streamflow. The results of this study illustrate the importance of including ponded waters into river corridor models to improve downstream management of both water quantity and quality.

Corticospinal tract insult alters GABAergic circuitry in the mammalian spinal cord

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jeffrey B. Russ

2013-09-01

Full Text Available During perinatal development, corticospinal tract (CST projections into the spinal cord help refine spinal circuitry. Although the normal developmental processes that are controlled by the arrival of corticospinal input are becoming clear, little is known about how perinatal cortical damage impacts specific aspects of spinal circuit development, particularly the inhibitory microcircuitry that regulates spinal reflex circuits. In this study, we sought to determine how ischemic cortical damage impacts the synaptic attributes of a well-characterized population of inhibitory, GABAergic interneurons, called GABApre neurons, which modulates the efficiency of proprioceptive sensory terminals in the sensorimotor reflex circuit. We found that putative GABApre interneurons receive CST input and, using an established mouse model of perinatal stroke, that cortical ischemic injury results in a reduction of CST density within the intermediate region of the spinal cord, where these interneurons reside. Importantly, CST alterations were restricted to the side contralateral to the injury. Within the synaptic terminals of the GABApre interneurons, we observed a dramatic upregulation of the 65-isoform of the GABA synthetic enzyme glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD65. In accordance with the CST density reduction, GAD65 was elevated on the side of the spinal cord contralateral to cortical injury. This effect was not seen for other GABApre synaptic markers or in animals that received sham surgery. Our data reveal a novel effect of perinatal stroke that involves severe deficits in the architecture of descending spinal pathways, which in turn appear to promote molecular alterations in a specific spinal GABAergic circuit.

Method and apparatus for altering material

Science.gov (United States)

Stinnett, Regan W.; Greenly, John B.

2002-02-05

Methods and apparatus for thermally altering the near surface characteristics of a material are described. In particular, a repetitively pulsed ion beam system comprising a high energy pulsed power source and an ion beam generator are described which are capable of producing single species high voltage ion beams (0.25-2.5 MeV) at 1-1000 kW average power and over extended operating cycles (10.sup.8). Irradiating materials with such high energy, repetitively pulsed ion beams can yield surface treatments including localized high temperature anneals to melting, both followed by rapid thermal quenching to ambient temperatures to achieve both novel and heretofore commercially unachievable physical characteristics in a near surface layer of material.

Rapid Fluctuations of Water Maser Emission in VY Canis Majoris

Science.gov (United States)

Zheng, Xing Wu; Scalise, Eugenio, Jr.; Han, Fu

1998-11-01

We report the observational results of short timescale monitoring of the 22 GHz water maser emission in VY CMa. A quasi-sinusoidal fluctuation has been detected with the relative flux intensity change of 20%-25% and a period of 10.3 day for two dominant features. This detected variability appears to be superimposed on the normal maser lines. We cannot easily explain the rapid fluctuation with the variation of the radiative input or the strong interstellar scintillation along the line of sight. The variation may be caused by the periodic shock.

Supporting the operational use of process based hydrological models and NASA Earth Observations for use in land management and post-fire remediation through a Rapid Response Erosion Database (RRED).

Science.gov (United States)

Miller, M. E.; Elliot, W.; Billmire, M.; Robichaud, P. R.; Banach, D. M.

2017-12-01

We have built a Rapid Response Erosion Database (RRED, http://rred.mtri.org/rred/) for the continental United States to allow land managers to access properly formatted spatial model inputs for the Water Erosion Prediction Project (WEPP). Spatially-explicit process-based models like WEPP require spatial inputs that include digital elevation models (DEMs), soil, climate and land cover. The online database delivers either a 10m or 30m USGS DEM, land cover derived from the Landfire project, and soil data derived from SSURGO and STATSGO datasets. The spatial layers are projected into UTM coordinates and pre-registered for modeling. WEPP soil parameter files are also created along with linkage files to match both spatial land cover and soils data with the appropriate WEPP parameter files. Our goal is to make process-based models more accessible by preparing spatial inputs ahead of time allowing modelers to focus on addressing scenarios of concern. The database provides comprehensive support for post-fire hydrological modeling by allowing users to upload spatial soil burn severity maps, and within moments returns spatial model inputs. Rapid response is critical following natural disasters. After moderate and high severity wildfires, flooding, erosion, and debris flows are a major threat to life, property and municipal water supplies. Mitigation measures must be rapidly implemented if they are to be effective, but they are expensive and cannot be applied everywhere. Fire, runoff, and erosion risks also are highly heterogeneous in space, creating an urgent need for rapid, spatially-explicit assessment. The database has been used to help assess and plan remediation on over a dozen wildfires in the Western US. Future plans include expanding spatial coverage, improving model input data and supporting additional models. Our goal is to facilitate the use of the best possible datasets and models to support the conservation of soil and water.

Remote media vision-based computer input device

Science.gov (United States)

Arabnia, Hamid R.; Chen, Ching-Yi

1991-11-01

In this paper, we introduce a vision-based computer input device which has been built at the University of Georgia. The user of this system gives commands to the computer without touching any physical device. The system receives input through a CCD camera; it is PC- based and is built on top of the DOS operating system. The major components of the input device are: a monitor, an image capturing board, a CCD camera, and some software (developed by use). These are interfaced with a standard PC running under the DOS operating system.

Increased nitrogen input enhances Kandelia obovata seedling growth in the presence of invasive Spartina alterniflora in subtropical regions of China.

Science.gov (United States)

Cui, Xiaowei; Song, Weimin; Feng, Jianxiang; Jia, Dai; Guo, Jiemin; Wang, Zhonglei; Wu, Hao; Qi, Fei; Liang, Jie; Lin, Guanghui

2017-01-01

Mangroves in China are severely affected by the rapid invasion of the non-native species Spartina alterniflora Although many studies have addressed the possible impacts of S. alterniflora on the performance of mangrove seedlings, how excessive nitrogen (N) input due to eutrophication affects the interactions between mangrove species and S. alterniflora remains unknown. Here, we report the results from a mesocosm experiment using seedlings of the native mangrove species Kandelia obovata and the exotic S. alterniflora grown in monoculture and mixed culture under no nitrogen addition and nitrogen (N) addition treatments for 18 months. Without N addition, the presence of S. alterniflora inhibited the growth of K. obovata seedlings. Excessive N addition significantly increased the growth rate of K. obovata in both cultures. However, the positive and significantly increasing relative interaction intensity index under excessive N input suggested that the invasion of S. alterniflora could favour the growth of K. obovata under eutrophication conditions. Our results imply that excessive N input in southeastern China can increase the competitive ability of mangrove seedlings against invasive S. alterniflora. © 2017 The Author(s).

High-order chromatin architecture shapes the landscape of chromosomal alterations in cancer

Science.gov (United States)

Fudenberg, Geoffrey; Getz, Gad; Meyerson, Matthew; Mirny, Leonid

2012-02-01

The rapid growth of cancer genome structural information provides an opportunity for a better understanding of the mutational mechanisms of genomic alterations in cancer and the forces of selection that act upon them. Here we test the evidence for two major forces, spatial chromosome structure and purifying (or negative) selection, that shape the landscape of somatic copy-number alterations (SCNAs) in cancer (Beroukhim et al, 2010). Using a maximum likelihood framework we compare SCNA maps and three-dimensional genome architecture as determined by genome-wide chromosome conformation capture (HiC) and described by the proposed fractal-globule (FG) model (Lieberman-Aiden and Van Berkum et al, 2009). This analysis provides evidence that the distribution of chromosomal alterations in cancer is spatially related to three-dimensional genomic architecture and additionally suggests that purifying selection as well as positive selection shapes the landscape of SCNAs during somatic evolution of cancer cells.

Altering plasma sodium concentration rapidly changes blood pressure during haemodialysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Suckling, Rebecca J; Swift, Pauline A; He, Feng J; Markandu, Nirmala D; MacGregor, Graham A

2013-08-01

Plasma sodium is increased following each meal containing salt. There is an increasing interest in the effects of plasma sodium concentration, and it has been suggested that it may have direct effects on blood pressure (BP) and possibly influences endothelial function. Experimental increases of plasma sodium concentration rapidly raise BP even when extracellular volume falls. Ten patients with end-stage renal failure established on haemodialysis were studied during the first 2 h of dialysis without fluid removal during this period. They were randomized to receive haemodialysis with (i) dialysate sodium concentration prescribed to 135 mmol/L and (ii) 145 mmol/L in random order in a prospective, single-blinded crossover study. BP measurements and blood samples were taken every 30 min. Pre-dialysis sitting BP was 137/76 ± 7/3 mmHg. Lower dialysate sodium concentration (135 mmol/L) reduced plasma sodium concentration [139.49 ± 0.67 to 135.94 ± 0.52 mmol/L (P area under the curve (AUC) 15823.50 ± 777.15 (mmHg)min] compared with 145 mmol/L [AUC 17018.20 ± 1102.17 (mmHg)min], mean difference 1194.70 ± 488.41 (mmHg)min, P < 0.05. There was a significant positive relationship between change in plasma sodium concentration and change in systolic BP. This direct relationship suggests that a fall of 1 mmol/L in plasma sodium concentration would be associated with a 1.7 mmHg reduction in systolic BP (P < 0.05). The potential mechanism for the increase in BP seen with salt intake may be through small but significant changes in plasma sodium concentration.

Response sensitivity of barrel neuron subpopulations to simulated thalamic input.

Science.gov (United States)

Pesavento, Michael J; Rittenhouse, Cynthia D; Pinto, David J

2010-06-01

Our goal is to examine the relationship between neuron- and network-level processing in the context of a well-studied cortical function, the processing of thalamic input by whisker-barrel circuits in rodent neocortex. Here we focus on neuron-level processing and investigate the responses of excitatory and inhibitory barrel neurons to simulated thalamic inputs applied using the dynamic clamp method in brain slices. Simulated inputs are modeled after real thalamic inputs recorded in vivo in response to brief whisker deflections. Our results suggest that inhibitory neurons require more input to reach firing threshold, but then fire earlier, with less variability, and respond to a broader range of inputs than do excitatory neurons. Differences in the responses of barrel neuron subtypes depend on their intrinsic membrane properties. Neurons with a low input resistance require more input to reach threshold but then fire earlier than neurons with a higher input resistance, regardless of the neuron's classification. Our results also suggest that the response properties of excitatory versus inhibitory barrel neurons are consistent with the response sensitivities of the ensemble barrel network. The short response latency of inhibitory neurons may serve to suppress ensemble barrel responses to asynchronous thalamic input. Correspondingly, whereas neurons acting as part of the barrel circuit in vivo are highly selective for temporally correlated thalamic input, excitatory barrel neurons acting alone in vitro are less so. These data suggest that network-level processing of thalamic input in barrel cortex depends on neuron-level processing of the same input by excitatory and inhibitory barrel neurons.

The thermospheric effects of a rapid polar cap expansion

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

D. W. Idenden

Full Text Available In a previous publication we used results from a coupled thermosphere-ionosphere-plasmasphere model to illustrate a new mechanism for the formation of a large-scale patch of ionisation arising from a rapid polar cap expansion. Here we describe the thermospheric response to that polar cap expansion, and to the ionospheric structure produced. The response is dominated by the energy and momentum input at the dayside throat during the expansion phase itself. These inputs give rise to a large-scale travelling atmospheric disturbance (TAD that propagates both antisunward across the polar cap and equatorward at speeds much greater than both the ion drifts and the neutral winds. We concentrate only on the initially poleward travelling disturbance. The disturbance is manifested in the neutral temperature and wind fields, the height of the pressure level surfaces and in the neutral density at fixed heights. The thermospheric effects caused by the ionospheric structure produced during the expansion are hard to discern due to the dominating effects of the TAD.

Key words. Ionosphere (ionosphere · atmosphere interaction; modeling and forecasting; plasma convection.

Rapid synthesis of acetylcholine receptors at neuromuscular junctions.

Science.gov (United States)

Ramsay, D A; Drachman, D B; Pestronk, A

1988-10-11

The rate of acetylcholine receptor (AChR) degradation in mature, innervated mammalian neuromuscular junctions has recently been shown to be biphasic; up to 20% are rapidly turned over (RTOs; half life less than 1 day) whereas the remainder are lost more slowly ('stable' AChRs; half life 10-12 days). In order to maintain normal junctional receptor density, synthesis and insertion of AChRs should presumably be sufficiently rapid to replace both the RTOs and the stable receptors. We have tested this prediction by blocking pre-existing AChRs in the mouse sternomastoid muscle with alpha-bungarotoxin (alpha-BuTx), and monitoring the subsequent appearance of 'new' junctional AChRs at intervals of 3 h to 20 days by labeling them with 125I-alpha-BuTx. The results show that new receptors were initially inserted rapidly (16% at 24 h and 28% at 48 h). The rate of increase of 'new' 125I-alpha-BuTx binding sites gradually slowed down during the remainder of the time period studied. Control observations excluded possible artifacts of the experimental procedure including incomplete blockade of AChRs, dissociation of toxin-receptor complexes, or experimentally induced alteration of receptor synthesis. The present demonstration of rapid synthesis and incorporation of AChRs at innervated neuromuscular junctions provides support for the concept of a subpopulation of rapidly turned over AChRs. The RTOs may serve as precursors for the larger population of stable receptors and have an important role in the metabolism of the neuromuscular synapse.

Inputs and spatial distribution patterns of Cr in Jiaozhou Bay

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Dongfang; Miao, Zhenqing; Huang, Xinmin; Wei, Linzhen; Feng, Ming

2018-03-01

Cr pollution in marine bays has been one of the critical environmental issues, and understanding the input and spatial distribution patterns is essential to pollution control. In according to the source strengths of the major pollution sources, the input patterns of pollutants to marine bay include slight, moderate and heavy, and the spatial distribution are corresponding to three block models respectively. This paper analyzed input patterns and distributions of Cr in Jiaozhou Bay, eastern China based on investigation on Cr in surface waters during 1979-1983. Results showed that the input strengths of Cr in Jiaozhou Bay could be classified as moderate input and slight input, and the input strengths were 32.32-112.30 μg L-1 and 4.17-19.76 μg L-1, respectively. The input patterns of Cr included two patterns of moderate input and slight input, and the horizontal distributions could be defined by means of Block Model 2 and Block Model 3, respectively. In case of moderate input pattern via overland runoff, Cr contents were decreasing from the estuaries to the bay mouth, and the distribution pattern was parallel. In case of moderate input pattern via marine current, Cr contents were decreasing from the bay mouth to the bay, and the distribution pattern was parallel to circular. The Block Models were able to reveal the transferring process of various pollutants, and were helpful to understand the distributions of pollutants in marine bay.

Simplex-based optimization of numerical and categorical inputs in early bioprocess development: Case studies in HT chromatography.

Science.gov (United States)

Konstantinidis, Spyridon; Titchener-Hooker, Nigel; Velayudhan, Ajoy

2017-08-01

Bioprocess development studies often involve the investigation of numerical and categorical inputs via the adoption of Design of Experiments (DoE) techniques. An attractive alternative is the deployment of a grid compatible Simplex variant which has been shown to yield optima rapidly and consistently. In this work, the method is combined with dummy variables and it is deployed in three case studies wherein spaces are comprised of both categorical and numerical inputs, a situation intractable by traditional Simplex methods. The first study employs in silico data and lays out the dummy variable methodology. The latter two employ experimental data from chromatography based studies performed with the filter-plate and miniature column High Throughput (HT) techniques. The solute of interest in the former case study was a monoclonal antibody whereas the latter dealt with the separation of a binary system of model proteins. The implemented approach prevented the stranding of the Simplex method at local optima, due to the arbitrary handling of the categorical inputs, and allowed for the concurrent optimization of numerical and categorical, multilevel and/or dichotomous, inputs. The deployment of the Simplex method, combined with dummy variables, was therefore entirely successful in identifying and characterizing global optima in all three case studies. The Simplex-based method was further shown to be of equivalent efficiency to a DoE-based approach, represented here by D-Optimal designs. Such an approach failed, however, to both capture trends and identify optima, and led to poor operating conditions. It is suggested that the Simplex-variant is suited to development activities involving numerical and categorical inputs in early bioprocess development. © 2017 The Authors. Biotechnology Journal published by WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Altered neurotransmitter function in CO2-exposed stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus): a temperate model species for ocean acidification research.

Science.gov (United States)

Lai, Floriana; Jutfelt, Fredrik; Nilsson, Göran E

2015-01-01

Studies on the consequences of ocean acidification for the marine ecosystem have revealed behavioural changes in coral reef fishes exposed to sustained near-future CO2 levels. The changes have been linked to altered function of GABAergic neurotransmitter systems, because the behavioural alterations can be reversed rapidly by treatment with the GABAA receptor antagonist gabazine. Characterization of the molecular mechanisms involved would be greatly aided if these can be examined in a well-characterized model organism with a sequenced genome. It was recently shown that CO2-induced behavioural alterations are not confined to tropical species, but also affect the three-spined stickleback, although an involvement of the GABAA receptor was not examined. Here, we show that loss of lateralization in the stickleback can be restored rapidly and completely by gabazine treatment. This points towards a worrying universality of disturbed GABAA function after high-CO2 exposure in fishes from tropical to temperate marine habitats. Importantly, the stickleback is a model species with a sequenced and annotated genome, which greatly facilitates future studies on underlying molecular mechanisms.

Modal Parameter Identification from Responses of General Unknown Random Inputs

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ibrahim, S. R.; Asmussen, J. C.; Brincker, Rune

1996-01-01

Modal parameter identification from ambient responses due to a general unknown random inputs is investigated. Existing identification techniques which are based on assumptions of white noise and or stationary random inputs are utilized even though the inputs conditions are not satisfied....... This is accomplished via adding. In cascade. A force cascade conversion to the structures system under consideration. The input to the force conversion system is white noise and the output of which is the actual force(s) applied to the structure. The white noise input(s) and the structures responses are then used...

Off-line learning from clustered input examples

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Marangi, Carmela; Solla, Sara A.; Biehl, Michael; Riegler, Peter; Marinaro, Maria; Tagliaferri, Roberto

1996-01-01

We analyze the generalization ability of a simple perceptron acting on a structured input distribution for the simple case of two clusters of input data and a linearly separable rule. The generalization ability computed for three learning scenarios: maximal stability, Gibbs, and optimal learning, is

Input reduction for long-term morphodynamic simulations

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Walstra, D.J.R.; Ruessink, G.; Hoekstra, R.; Tonnon, P.K.

2013-01-01

Input reduction is imperative to long-term (> years) morphodynamic simulations to avoid excessive computation times. Here, we discuss the input-reduction framework for wave-dominated coastal settings introduced by Walstra et al. (2013). The framework comprised 4 steps, viz. (1) the selection of the

Input Enhancement and L2 Question Formation.

Science.gov (United States)

White, Lydia; And Others

1991-01-01

Investigated the extent to which form-focused instruction and corrective feedback (i.e., "input enhancement"), provided within a primarily communicative program, contribute to learners' accuracy in question formation. Study results are interpreted as evidence that input enhancement can bring about genuine changes in learners' interlanguage…

Smart-Guard: Defending User Input from Malware

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Denzel, Michael; Bruni, Alessandro; Ryan, Mark

2016-01-01

Trusted input techniques can profoundly enhance a variety of scenarios like online banking, electronic voting, Virtual Private Networks, and even commands to a server or Industrial Control System. To protect the system from malware of the sender’s computer, input needs to be reliably authenticated...

ORIGNATE: PC input processor for ORIGEN-S

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bowman, S.M.

1992-01-01

ORIGNATE is a personal computer program that serves as a user- friendly interface for the ORIGEN-S isotopic generation and depletion code. It is designed to assist an ORIGEN-S user in preparing an input file for execution of light-water-reactor fuel depletion and decay cases. Output from ORIGNATE is a card-image input file that may be uploaded to a mainframe computer to execute ORIGEN-S in SCALE-4. ORIGNATE features a pulldown menu system that accesses sophisticated data entry screens. The program allows the user to quickly set up an ORIGEN-S input file and perform error checking

In-Lake Processes Offset Increased Terrestrial Inputs of Dissolved Organic Carbon and Color to Lakes

Science.gov (United States)

Köhler, Stephan J.; Kothawala, Dolly; Futter, Martyn N.; Liungman, Olof; Tranvik, Lars

2013-01-01

Increased color in surface waters, or browning, can alter lake ecological function, lake thermal stratification and pose difficulties for drinking water treatment. Mechanisms suggested to cause browning include increased dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and iron concentrations, as well as a shift to more colored DOC. While browning of surface waters is widespread and well documented, little is known about why some lakes resist it. Here, we present a comprehensive study of Mälaren, the third largest lake in Sweden. In Mälaren, the vast majority of water and DOC enters a western lake basin, and after approximately 2.8 years, drains from an eastern basin. Despite 40 years of increased terrestrial inputs of colored substances to western lake basins, the eastern basin has resisted browning over this time period. Here we find the half-life of iron was far shorter (0.6 years) than colored organic matter (A420 ; 1.7 years) and DOC as a whole (6.1 years). We found changes in filtered iron concentrations relate strongly to the observed loss of color in the western basins. In addition, we observed a substantial shift from colored DOC of terrestrial origin, to less colored autochthonous sources, with a substantial decrease in aromaticity (-17%) across the lake. We suggest that rapid losses of iron and colored DOC caused the limited browning observed in eastern lake basins. Across a wider dataset of 69 Swedish lakes, we observed greatest browning in acidic lakes with shorter retention times (< 1.5 years). These findings suggest that water residence time, along with iron, pH and colored DOC may be of central importance when modeling and projecting changes in brownification on broader spatial scales. PMID:23976946

Efficient motif finding algorithms for large-alphabet inputs

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pavlovic Vladimir

2010-10-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background We consider the problem of identifying motifs, recurring or conserved patterns, in the biological sequence data sets. To solve this task, we present a new deterministic algorithm for finding patterns that are embedded as exact or inexact instances in all or most of the input strings. Results The proposed algorithm (1 improves search efficiency compared to existing algorithms, and (2 scales well with the size of alphabet. On a synthetic planted DNA motif finding problem our algorithm is over 10× more efficient than MITRA, PMSPrune, and RISOTTO for long motifs. Improvements are orders of magnitude higher in the same setting with large alphabets. On benchmark TF-binding site problems (FNP, CRP, LexA we observed reduction in running time of over 12×, with high detection accuracy. The algorithm was also successful in rapidly identifying protein motifs in Lipocalin, Zinc metallopeptidase, and supersecondary structure motifs for Cadherin and Immunoglobin families. Conclusions Our algorithm reduces computational complexity of the current motif finding algorithms and demonstrate strong running time improvements over existing exact algorithms, especially in important and difficult cases of large-alphabet sequences.

AR-KIO: Augmented Reality-based Application as Instructional Media on Input and Output Device Component.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nur Hidayattur Rohmah

2017-12-01

Full Text Available The rapid technology development can be utilized in various fields, especially in education. For example, is augmented reality-based learning media. The learning media can be applied to all the subject matter, including the subject of input and output component devices. Based on the observations that already made, there are some problems such as there is no interactive learning media and limited props in the laboratory. Though the subject of input and output component devices require three-dimensional visualization, especially input output components that are difficult to find in the school environment. The purpose of this study is to determine the feasibility of instructional media applications that have been developed. The research method used is research development method. The tests conducted by media experts, content experts, users and smartphone devices with different specifications. Media expert testing using instruments that refer to aspects of the functionality of ISO 9126 with the percentage acquisition of 100%. Content expert testing using the instrument that refers aspects of learning design with the acquisition percentage of 88%. Meanwhile, user testing uses an instrument that refers to the usability aspect of ISO 9126 with a percentage gain of 83.4%. In addition, there are testing the software with android smartphone platform that has different specifications. The advantages of this application can run on a smartphone with minimum 512 MB RAM specs, Android OS Jelly Bean 4.3 and qHD screen resolution.

CREATING INPUT TABLES FROM WAPDEG FOR RIP

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

K.G. Mon

1998-01-01

The purpose of this calculation is to create tables for input into RIP ver. 5.18 (Integrated Probabilistic Simulator for Environmental Systems) from WAPDEG ver. 3.06 (Waste Package Degradation) output. This calculation details the creation of the RIP input tables for TSPA-VA REV.00

FADDEEV: A fortran code for the calculation of the frequency response matrix of multiple-input, multiple-output dynamic systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Owens, D.H.

1972-06-01

The KDF9/EGDON programme FADDEEV has been written to investigate a technique for the calculation of the matrix of frequency responses G(jw) describing the response of the output vector y from the multivariable differential/algebraic system S to the drive of the system input vector u. S: Ex = Ax + Bu, y = Cx, G(jw) = C(jw E - A ) -1 B. The programme uses an algorithm due to Faddeev and has been written with emphasis upon: (a) simplicity of programme structure and computational technique which should enable a user to find his way through the programme fairly easily, and hence facilitate its manipulation as a subroutine in a larger code; (b) rapid computational ability, particularly in systems with fairly large number of inputs and outputs and requiring the evaluation of the frequency responses at a large number of frequencies. Transport or time delays must be converted by the user to Pade or Bode approximations prior to input. Conditions under which the algorithm fails to give accurate results are identified, and methods for increasing the accuracy of the calculations are discussed. The conditions for accurate results using FADDEEV indicate that its application is specialized. (author)

Effects of Manipulated Above- and Belowground Organic Matter Input on Soil Respiration in a Chinese Pine Plantation

Science.gov (United States)

Zhao, Bo; Wu, Lianhai; Zhang, Chunyu; Zhao, Xiuhai; Gadow, Klaus v.

2015-01-01

Alteration in the amount of soil organic matter input can have profound effect on carbon dynamics in forest soils. The objective of our research was to determine the response in soil respiration to above- and belowground organic matter manipulation in a Chinese pine (Pinus tabulaeformis) plantation. Five organic matter treatments were applied during a 2-year experiment: both litter removal and root trenching (LRRT), only litter removal (LR), control (CK), only root trenching (RT) and litter addition (LA). We found that either aboveground litter removal or root trenching decreased soil respiration. On average, soil respiration rate was significantly decreased in the LRRT treatment, by about 38.93% ± 2.01% compared to the control. Soil respiration rate in the LR treatment was 30.65% ± 1.87% and in the RT treatment 17.65% ± 1.95% lower than in the control. Litter addition significantly increased soil respiration rate by about 25.82% ± 2.44% compared to the control. Soil temperature and soil moisture were the main factors affecting seasonal variation in soil respiration. Up to the 59.7% to 82.9% seasonal variation in soil respiration is explained by integrating soil temperature and soil moisture within each of the various organic matter treatments. The temperature sensitivity parameter, Q 10, was higher in the RT (2.72) and LA (3.19) treatments relative to the control (2.51), but lower in the LRRT (1.52) and LR treatments (1.36). Our data suggest that manipulation of soil organic matter input can not only alter soil CO2 efflux, but also have profound effect on the temperature sensitivity of organic carbon decomposition in a temperate pine forest. PMID:25970791

Position and stability of the mandibular incisors after rapid maxillary expansion

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Darcy Flávio Nouer

Full Text Available Objective: To make a cephalometric evaluation of the position and stability of the mandibular incisors immediately after rapid maxillaryexpansion and after a containment period of five months. Methods: The sample consisted of 21 schoolchildren, aged between 6 years and 11 months and 11 years, with mixed dentition, posterior reverse articulation (posterior cross bite, and erupted permanent first molars. The children were randomly divided into two groups: Group1 (composed of eleven children, in whom the encapsulated rapid maxilla expander was used, and Group 2 (composed of ten children, inwhom the conventional Hyrax expander was used. Three lateral teleradiographs of each individual were taken: before treatment, after rapid maxillary expansion, and after a containment period of five months. The cephalometric measurements used for analyzing the incisors were: /1.NB, /1-NB, /1-Line I, IMPA and /1-Jr. The data were submitted to the Dalhberg test, to calculate the error of repeatability, and to ANOVA (p<0.05. Results: The result showed significant difference between the adopted mechanics, but showed no difference between the initial measures, those after rapid expansion of the maxilla and final measures for all the distances, except for /1-Jr. Conclusion: Rapid maxillary expansion, using the encapsulated appliance or Hyrax, caused no significant alteration in the distances: /1.NB, /1-NB, /1-Line I, IMPA; before, after rapid maxillary expansion and after containment.

INPUT-OUTPUT ANALYSIS : THE NEXT 25 YEARS

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Dietzenbacher, Erik; Lenzen, Manfred; Los, Bart; Guan, Dabo; Lahr, Michael L.; Sancho, Ferran; Suh, Sangwon; Yang, Cuihong; Sancho, S.

2013-01-01

This year marks the 25th anniversary of the International Input-Output Association and the 25th volume of Economic Systems Research. To celebrate this anniversary, a group of eight experts provide their views on the future of input-output. Looking forward, they foresee progress in terms of data

Harmonize input selection for sediment transport prediction

Science.gov (United States)

Afan, Haitham Abdulmohsin; Keshtegar, Behrooz; Mohtar, Wan Hanna Melini Wan; El-Shafie, Ahmed

2017-09-01

In this paper, three modeling approaches using a Neural Network (NN), Response Surface Method (RSM) and response surface method basis Global Harmony Search (GHS) are applied to predict the daily time series suspended sediment load. Generally, the input variables for forecasting the suspended sediment load are manually selected based on the maximum correlations of input variables in the modeling approaches based on NN and RSM. The RSM is improved to select the input variables by using the errors terms of training data based on the GHS, namely as response surface method and global harmony search (RSM-GHS) modeling method. The second-order polynomial function with cross terms is applied to calibrate the time series suspended sediment load with three, four and five input variables in the proposed RSM-GHS. The linear, square and cross corrections of twenty input variables of antecedent values of suspended sediment load and water discharge are investigated to achieve the best predictions of the RSM based on the GHS method. The performances of the NN, RSM and proposed RSM-GHS including both accuracy and simplicity are compared through several comparative predicted and error statistics. The results illustrated that the proposed RSM-GHS is as uncomplicated as the RSM but performed better, where fewer errors and better correlation was observed (R = 0.95, MAE = 18.09 (ton/day), RMSE = 25.16 (ton/day)) compared to the ANN (R = 0.91, MAE = 20.17 (ton/day), RMSE = 33.09 (ton/day)) and RSM (R = 0.91, MAE = 20.06 (ton/day), RMSE = 31.92 (ton/day)) for all types of input variables.

Variance-based sensitivity indices for models with dependent inputs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mara, Thierry A.; Tarantola, Stefano

2012-01-01

Computational models are intensively used in engineering for risk analysis or prediction of future outcomes. Uncertainty and sensitivity analyses are of great help in these purposes. Although several methods exist to perform variance-based sensitivity analysis of model output with independent inputs only a few are proposed in the literature in the case of dependent inputs. This is explained by the fact that the theoretical framework for the independent case is set and a univocal set of variance-based sensitivity indices is defined. In the present work, we propose a set of variance-based sensitivity indices to perform sensitivity analysis of models with dependent inputs. These measures allow us to distinguish between the mutual dependent contribution and the independent contribution of an input to the model response variance. Their definition relies on a specific orthogonalisation of the inputs and ANOVA-representations of the model output. In the applications, we show the interest of the new sensitivity indices for model simplification setting. - Highlights: ► Uncertainty and sensitivity analyses are of great help in engineering. ► Several methods exist to perform variance-based sensitivity analysis of model output with independent inputs. ► We define a set of variance-based sensitivity indices for models with dependent inputs. ► Inputs mutual contributions are distinguished from their independent contributions. ► Analytical and computational tests are performed and discussed.

Evosystem Services: Rapid Evolution and the Provision of Ecosystem Services.

Science.gov (United States)

Rudman, Seth M; Kreitzman, Maayan; Chan, Kai M A; Schluter, Dolph

2017-06-01

Evolution is recognized as the source of all organisms, and hence many ecosystem services. However, the role that contemporary evolution might play in maintaining and enhancing specific ecosystem services has largely been overlooked. Recent advances at the interface of ecology and evolution have demonstrated how contemporary evolution can shape ecological communities and ecosystem functions. We propose a definition and quantitative criteria to study how rapid evolution affects ecosystem services (here termed contemporary evosystem services) and present plausible scenarios where such services might exist. We advocate for the direct measurement of contemporary evosystem services to improve understanding of how changing environments will alter resource availability and human well-being, and highlight the potential utility of managing rapid evolution for future ecosystem services. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Automated input data management in manufacturing process simulation

OpenAIRE

Ettefaghian, Alireza

2015-01-01

Input Data Management (IDM) is a time consuming and costly process for Discrete Event Simulation (DES) projects. Input Data Management is considered as the basis of real-time process simulation (Bergmann, Stelzer and Strassburger, 2011). According to Bengtsson et al. (2009), data input phase constitutes on the average about 31% of the time of an entire simulation project. Moreover, the lack of interoperability between manufacturing applications and simulation software leads to a high cost to ...

Radioactive inputs to the North Sea and the Channel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1984-01-01

The subject is covered in sections: introduction (radioactivity; radioisotopes; discharges from nuclear establishments); data sources (statutory requirements); sources of liquid radioactive waste (figure showing location of principal sources of radioactive discharges; tables listing principal discharges by activity and by nature of radioisotope); Central Electricity Generating Board nuclear power stations; research and industrial establishments; Ministy of Defence establishments; other UK inputs of radioactive waste; total inputs to the North Sea and the Channel (direct inputs; river inputs; adjacent sea areas); conclusions. (U.K.)

Rapid eye movement-sleep is reduced in patients with acute uncomplicated diverticulitis—an observational study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chenxi Huang

2015-08-01

Full Text Available Introduction. Sleep disturbances are commonly found in patients in the postoperative period. Sleep disturbances may give rise to several complications including cardiopulmonary instability, transient cognitive dysfunction and prolonged convalescence. Many factors including host inflammatory responses are believed to cause postoperative sleep disturbances, as inflammatory responses can alter sleep architecture through cytokine-brain interactions. Our aim was to investigate alteration of sleep architecture during acute infection and its relationships to inflammation and clinical symptoms.Materials & Methods. In this observational study, we included patients with acute uncomplicated diverticulitis as a model to investigate the isolated effects of inflammatory responses on sleep. Eleven patients completed the study. Patients were admitted and treated with antibiotics for two nights, during which study endpoints were measured by polysomnography recordings, self-reported discomfort scores and blood samples of cytokines. One month later, the patients, who now were in complete remission, were readmitted and the endpoints were re-measured (the baseline values.Results. Total sleep time was reduced 4% and 7% the first (p = 0.006 and second (p = 0.014 nights of diverticulitis, compared to baseline, respectively. The rapid eye movement sleep was reduced 33% the first night (p = 0.016, compared to baseline. Moreover, plasma IL-6 levels were correlated to non-rapid eye movement sleep, rapid eye movement sleep and fatigue.Conclusion. Total sleep time and rapid eye movement sleep were reduced during nights with active diverticulitis and correlated with markers of inflammation.

Non-perturbative inputs for gluon distributions in the hadrons

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ermolaev, B.I.; Troyan, S.I.

2017-01-01

Description of hadronic reactions at high energies is conventionally done in the framework of QCD factorization. All factorization convolutions comprise non-perturbative inputs mimicking non-perturbative contributions and perturbative evolution of those inputs. We construct inputs for the gluon-hadron scattering amplitudes in the forward kinematics and, using the optical theorem, convert them into inputs for gluon distributions in the hadrons, embracing the cases of polarized and unpolarized hadrons. In the first place, we formulate mathematical criteria which any model for the inputs should obey and then suggest a model satisfying those criteria. This model is based on a simple reasoning: after emitting an active parton off the hadron, the remaining set of spectators becomes unstable and therefore it can be described through factors of the resonance type, so we call it the resonance model. We use it to obtain non-perturbative inputs for gluon distributions in unpolarized and polarized hadrons for all available types of QCD factorization: basic, K_T-and collinear factorizations. (orig.)

SO2 policy and input substitution under spatial monopoly

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gerking, Shelby; Hamilton, Stephen F.

2010-01-01

Following the U.S. Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990, electric utilities dramatically increased their utilization of low-sulfur coal from the Powder River Basin (PRB). Recent studies indicate that railroads hauling PRB coal exercise a substantial degree of market power and that relative price changes in the mining and transportation sectors were contributing factors to the observed pattern of input substitution. This paper asks the related question: To what extent does more stringent SO 2 policy stimulate input substitution from high-sulfur coal to low-sulfur coal when railroads hauling low-sulfur coal exercise spatial monopoly power? The question underpins the effectiveness of incentive-based environmental policies given the essential role of market performance in input, output, and abatement markets in determining the social cost of regulation. Our analysis indicates that environmental regulation leads to negligible input substitution effects when clean and dirty inputs are highly substitutable and the clean input market is mediated by a spatial monopolist. (author)

Non-perturbative inputs for gluon distributions in the hadrons

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ermolaev, B.I. [Ioffe Physico-Technical Institute, Saint Petersburg (Russian Federation); Troyan, S.I. [St. Petersburg Institute of Nuclear Physics, Gatchina (Russian Federation)

2017-03-15

Description of hadronic reactions at high energies is conventionally done in the framework of QCD factorization. All factorization convolutions comprise non-perturbative inputs mimicking non-perturbative contributions and perturbative evolution of those inputs. We construct inputs for the gluon-hadron scattering amplitudes in the forward kinematics and, using the optical theorem, convert them into inputs for gluon distributions in the hadrons, embracing the cases of polarized and unpolarized hadrons. In the first place, we formulate mathematical criteria which any model for the inputs should obey and then suggest a model satisfying those criteria. This model is based on a simple reasoning: after emitting an active parton off the hadron, the remaining set of spectators becomes unstable and therefore it can be described through factors of the resonance type, so we call it the resonance model. We use it to obtain non-perturbative inputs for gluon distributions in unpolarized and polarized hadrons for all available types of QCD factorization: basic, K{sub T}-and collinear factorizations. (orig.)

CBM first-level event selector input interface

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hutter, Dirk [Frankfurt Institute for Advanced Studies, Goethe University, Frankfurt (Germany); Collaboration: CBM-Collaboration

2016-07-01

The CBM First-level Event Selector (FLES) is the central event selection system of the upcoming CBM experiment at FAIR. Designed as a high-performance computing cluster, its task is an online analysis of the physics data at a total data rate exceeding 1 TByte/s. To allow efficient event selection, the FLES performs timeslice building, which combines the data from all given input links to self-contained, overlapping processing intervals and distributes them to compute nodes. Partitioning the input data streams into specialized containers allows to perform this task very efficiently. The FLES Input Interface defines the linkage between FEE and FLES data transport framework. Utilizing a custom FPGA board, it receives data via optical links, prepares them for subsequent timeslice building, and transfers the data via DMA to the PC's memory. An accompanying HDL module implements the front-end logic interface and FLES link protocol in the front-end FPGAs. Prototypes of all Input Interface components have been implemented and integrated into the FLES framework. In contrast to earlier prototypes, which included components to work without a FPGA layer between FLES and FEE, the structure matches the foreseen final setup. This allows the implementation and evaluation of the final CBM read-out chain. An overview of the FLES Input Interface as well as studies on system integration and system start-up are presented.

Saccadic Alterations in Severe Developmental Dyslexia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Stefano Pensiero

2013-01-01

Full Text Available It is not sure if persons with dyslexia have ocular motor deficits in addition to their deficits in rapid visual information processing. A 15-year-old boy afflicted by severe dyslexia was submitted to saccadic eye movement recording. Neurological and ophthalmic examinations were normal apart from the presence of an esophoria for near and slightly longer latencies of pattern visual evoked potentials. Subclinical saccadic alterations were present, which could be at the basis of the reading pathology: (1 low velocities (and larger durations of the adducting saccades of the left eye with undershooting and long-lasting postsaccadic onward drift, typical of the internuclear ophthalmoplegia; (2 saccades interrupted in mid-flight and fixation instability, which are present in cases of brainstem premotor disturbances.

Effect of sweet yeast bread formula on evaluating rapid mix test

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Petra Dvořáková

2011-01-01

Full Text Available The aim of this work was to detect how different sweet yeast bread formulas influence results of rapid mix test and by the help of sensory analysis to discover consumer preferences and possible benefit and use in bakery industry. Applied raw materials (ground wheat flour T 530, yeast, sugar, salt, oil, egg, improver Hit along with basic formula were taken from the Varmužova bakery in Boršice by Buchlovice. The basic formula served as a standard (I, other six formulas were then determined (II–VII. In each formula, the rate of yeast, sugar or oil was altered in the range of ± 10% compared with the standard. Flour bread-making quality – Hagberg Falling number [s], Sedimentation index [ml], wet gluten [%], ash [%], moisture [%], binding capacity [%], granulation [%], alveographic energy [10−4J] and alveographic rate P/L – was measured. Rapid mix test and parameters like pastry weight, volume, shape, dough yield, pastry yield, baking loss, penetration and sensory analysis were determined. To establish yeast fermentation activity, Engelke fermentation test was applied. The most evident differences among the samples appeared in the volume and shape. The results of sensory analysis showed that the samples with higher rate of altered raw materials were evaluated as the best.

Multi-Input Convolutional Neural Network for Flower Grading

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yu Sun

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Flower grading is a significant task because it is extremely convenient for managing the flowers in greenhouse and market. With the development of computer vision, flower grading has become an interdisciplinary focus in both botany and computer vision. A new dataset named BjfuGloxinia contains three quality grades; each grade consists of 107 samples and 321 images. A multi-input convolutional neural network is designed for large scale flower grading. Multi-input CNN achieves a satisfactory accuracy of 89.6% on the BjfuGloxinia after data augmentation. Compared with a single-input CNN, the accuracy of multi-input CNN is increased by 5% on average, demonstrating that multi-input convolutional neural network is a promising model for flower grading. Although data augmentation contributes to the model, the accuracy is still limited by lack of samples diversity. Majority of misclassification is derived from the medium class. The image processing based bud detection is useful for reducing the misclassification, increasing the accuracy of flower grading to approximately 93.9%.

Long-term litter manipulation alters soil organic matter turnover in a temperate deciduous forest.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Jun-Jian; Pisani, Oliva; Lin, Lisa H; Lun, Olivia O Y; Bowden, Richard D; Lajtha, Kate; Simpson, André J; Simpson, Myrna J

2017-12-31

Understanding soil organic matter (OM) biogeochemistry at the molecular-level is essential for assessing potential impacts from management practices and climate change on shifts in soil carbon storage. Biomarker analyses and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy were used in an ongoing detrital input and removal treatment experiment in a temperate deciduous forest in Pennsylvania, USA, to examine how above- and below-ground plant inputs control soil OM quantity and quality at the molecular-level. From plant material to surface soils, the free acyclic lipids and cutin, suberin, and lignin biomarkers were preferentially retained over free sugars and free cyclic lipids. After 20years of above-ground litter addition (Double Litter) or exclusion (No Litter) treatments, soil OM composition was relatively more degraded, as revealed by solid-state 13 C NMR spectroscopy. Under Doubled Litter inputs, soil carbon and phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) concentrations were unchanged, suggesting that the current OM degradation status is a reflection of microbial-mediated degradation that occurred prior to the 20-year sampling campaign. Soil OM degradation was higher in the No Litter treatments, likely due to the decline in fresh, above-ground litter inputs over time. Furthermore, root and root and litter exclusion treatments (No Roots and No Inputs, respectively) both significantly reduced free sugars and PLFAs and increased preservation of suberin-derived compounds. PLFA stress ratios and the low N-acetyl resonances from diffusion edited 1 H NMR also indicate substrate limitations and reduced microbial biomass with these treatments. Overall, we highlight that storage of soil carbon and its biochemical composition do not linearly increase with plant inputs because the microbial processing of soil OM is also likely altered in the studied forest. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Input Shaping to Reduce Solar Array Structural Vibrations

Science.gov (United States)

Doherty, Michael J.; Tolson, Robert J.

1998-01-01

Structural vibrations induced by actuators can be minimized using input shaping. Input shaping is a feedforward method in which actuator commands are convolved with shaping functions to yield a shaped set of commands. These commands are designed to perform the maneuver while minimizing the residual structural vibration. In this report, input shaping is extended to stepper motor actuators. As a demonstration, an input-shaping technique based on pole-zero cancellation was used to modify the Solar Array Drive Assembly (SADA) actuator commands for the Lewis satellite. A series of impulses were calculated as the ideal SADA output for vibration control. These impulses were then discretized for use by the SADA stepper motor actuator and simulated actuator outputs were used to calculate the structural response. The effectiveness of input shaping is limited by the accuracy of the knowledge of the modal frequencies. Assuming perfect knowledge resulted in significant vibration reduction. Errors of 10% in the modal frequencies caused notably higher levels of vibration. Controller robustness was improved by incorporating additional zeros in the shaping function. The additional zeros did not require increased performance from the actuator. Despite the identification errors, the resulting feedforward controller reduced residual vibrations to the level of the exactly modeled input shaper and well below the baseline cases. These results could be easily applied to many other vibration-sensitive applications involving stepper motor actuators.

Hydrothermal alteration styles in ancient and modern orogenic gold deposits, New Zealand

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Craw, D.; Upton, P.; MacKenzie, D.J.

2009-01-01

Orogenic hydrothermal systems in the South Island of New Zealand were active during Mesozoic and late Cenozoic collisional deformation and metamorphism of greywacke/schist terranes. Observations on the currently active mountain-building environment yield insights on processes occurring in the upper 5-15 km of the crust, and observations on an adjacent lithologically identical exhumed ancient mountain belt provide information on processes at 10-20 km in the crust. Hydrothermal fluids were mainly derived from metamorphic dehydration reactions and/or circulating topographically driven meteoric water in these mountain belts. Three geochemically and mineralogically different types of hydrothermal alteration and vein mineralisation occurred in these orogenic belts, and gold enrichment (locally economic) occurred in some examples of each of these three types. The first type of alteration involved fluids that were in or near chemical equilibrium with their greenschist facies host rocks. Fluid flow was controlled by discontinuous fractures, and by microshears and grain boundaries in host rocks, in zones from metres to hundreds of metres thick. Vein and alteration mineralogy was similar to that of the host rocks, and included calcite and chlorite. The second type of alteration occurred where the fluids were in distinct disequilibrium with the host rocks. Fracture permeability was important for fluid flow, but abundant host rock alteration occurred as well. The alteration zones were characterised by decomposition of chlorite and replacement by ankeritic carbonate in zones up to tens of metres thick. The mineralising fluid was deep-sourced and initially rock-equilibrated, with some meteoric input. The third type of mineralisation was controlled almost exclusively by fracture permeability, and host rock alteration was minor (centimetre scale). This mineralisation type commonly involved calcite and chlorite as vein and alteration minerals, and mineralisation fluids had a major

Plasticity of the cis-regulatory input function of a gene.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Avraham E Mayo

2006-04-01

Full Text Available The transcription rate of a gene is often controlled by several regulators that bind specific sites in the gene's cis-regulatory region. The combined effect of these regulators is described by a cis-regulatory input function. What determines the form of an input function, and how variable is it with respect to mutations? To address this, we employ the well-characterized lac operon of Escherichia coli, which has an elaborate input function, intermediate between Boolean AND-gate and OR-gate logic. We mapped in detail the input function of 12 variants of the lac promoter, each with different point mutations in the regulator binding sites, by means of accurate expression measurements from living cells. We find that even a few mutations can significantly change the input function, resulting in functions that resemble Pure AND gates, OR gates, or single-input switches. Other types of gates were not found. The variant input functions can be described in a unified manner by a mathematical model. The model also lets us predict which functions cannot be reached by point mutations. The input function that we studied thus appears to be plastic, in the sense that many of the mutations do not ruin the regulation completely but rather result in new ways to integrate the inputs.

Computer Generated Inputs for NMIS Processor Verification

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

J. A. Mullens; J. E. Breeding; J. A. McEvers; R. W. Wysor; L. G. Chiang; J. R. Lenarduzzi; J. T. Mihalczo; J. K. Mattingly

2001-01-01

Proper operation of the Nuclear Identification Materials System (NMIS) processor can be verified using computer-generated inputs [BIST (Built-In-Self-Test)] at the digital inputs. Preselected sequences of input pulses to all channels with known correlation functions are compared to the output of the processor. These types of verifications have been utilized in NMIS type correlation processors at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory since 1984. The use of this test confirmed a malfunction in a NMIS processor at the All-Russian Scientific Research Institute of Experimental Physics (VNIIEF) in 1998. The NMIS processor boards were returned to the U.S. for repair and subsequently used in NMIS passive and active measurements with Pu at VNIIEF in 1999

Modeling inputs to computer models used in risk assessment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Iman, R.L.

1987-01-01

Computer models for various risk assessment applications are closely scrutinized both from the standpoint of questioning the correctness of the underlying mathematical model with respect to the process it is attempting to model and from the standpoint of verifying that the computer model correctly implements the underlying mathematical model. A process that receives less scrutiny, but is nonetheless of equal importance, concerns the individual and joint modeling of the inputs. This modeling effort clearly has a great impact on the credibility of results. Model characteristics are reviewed in this paper that have a direct bearing on the model input process and reasons are given for using probabilities-based modeling with the inputs. The authors also present ways to model distributions for individual inputs and multivariate input structures when dependence and other constraints may be present

Remote input/output station

CERN Multimedia

1972-01-01

A general view of the remote input/output station installed in building 112 (ISR) and used for submitting jobs to the CDC 6500 and 6600. The card reader on the left and the line printer on the right are operated by programmers on a self-service basis.

Structural change of the physical economy. Decomposition analysis of physical and hybrid-unit input-output tables

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hoekstra, R.

2003-01-01

Economic processes generate a variety of material flows, which cause resource problems through the depletion of natural resources and environmental issues due to the emission of pollutants. This thesis presents an analytical method to study the relationship between the monetary economy and the 'physical economy'. In particular, this method can assess the impact of structural change in the economy on physical throughput. The starting point for the approach is the development of an elaborate version of the physical input-output table (PIOT), which acts as an economic-environmental accounting framework for the physical economy. In the empirical application, hybrid-unit input-output (I/O) tables, which combine physical and monetary information, are constructed for iron and steel, and plastic products for the Netherlands for the years 1990 and 1997. The impact of structural change on material flows is analyzed using Structural Decomposition Analysis (SDA), whic specifies effects such as sectoral shifts, technological change, and alterations in consumer spending and international trade patterns. The study thoroughly reviews the application of SDA to environmental issues, compares the method with other decomposition methods, and develops new mathematical specifications. An SDA is performed using the hybrid-unit input-output tables for the Netherlands. The results are subsequently used in novel forecasting and backcasting scenario analyses for the period 1997-2030. The results show that dematerialization of iron and steel, and plastics, has generally not occurred in the recent past (1990-1997), and will not occur, under a wide variety of scenario assumptions, in the future (1997-2030)

Characterization of thoracic spinal neurons with noxious convergent inputs from heart and lower airways in rats.

Science.gov (United States)

Qin, Chao; Foreman, Robert D; Farber, Jay P

2007-04-13

Respiratory symptoms experienced in some patients with cardiac diseases may be due to convergence of noxious cardiac and pulmonary inputs onto neurons of the central nervous system. For example, convergence of cardiac and respiratory inputs onto single solitary tract neurons may be in part responsible for integration of regulatory and defensive reflex control. However, it is unknown whether inputs from the lungs and heart converge onto single neurons of the spinal cord. The present aim was to characterize upper thoracic spinal neurons responding to both noxious stimuli of the heart and lungs in rats. Extracellular potentials of single thoracic (T3) spinal neurons were recorded in pentobarbital anesthetized, paralyzed, and ventilated male rats. A catheter was placed in the pericardial sac to administer bradykinin (BK, 10 microg/ml, 0.2 ml, 1 min) as a noxious cardiac stimulus. The lung irritant, ammonia, obtained as vapor over a 30% solution of NH(4)OH was injected into the inspiratory line of the ventilator (0.5-1.0 ml over 20 s). Intrapericardial bradykinin (IB) altered activity of 58/65 (89%) spinal neurons that responded to inhaled ammonia (IA). Among those cardiopulmonary convergent neurons, 81% (47/58) were excited by both IA and IB, and the remainder had complex response patterns. Bilateral cervical vagotomy revealed that vagal afferents modulated but did not eliminate responses of individual spinal neurons to IB and IA. The convergence of pulmonary and cardiac nociceptive signaling in the spinal cord may be relevant to situations where a disease process in one organ influences the behavior of the other.

Structural change of the physical economy. Decomposition analysis of physical and hybrid-unit input-output tables

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hoekstra, R.

2003-10-01

Economic processes generate a variety of material flows, which cause resource problems through the depletion of natural resources and environmental issues due to the emission of pollutants. This thesis presents an analytical method to study the relationship between the monetary economy and the 'physical economy'. In particular, this method can assess the impact of structural change in the economy on physical throughput. The starting point for the approach is the development of an elaborate version of the physical input-output table (PIOT), which acts as an economic-environmental accounting framework for the physical economy. In the empirical application, hybrid-unit input-output (I/O) tables, which combine physical and monetary information, are constructed for iron and steel, and plastic products for the Netherlands for the years 1990 and 1997. The impact of structural change on material flows is analyzed using Structural Decomposition Analysis (SDA), whic specifies effects such as sectoral shifts, technological change, and alterations in consumer spending and international trade patterns. The study thoroughly reviews the application of SDA to environmental issues, compares the method with other decomposition methods, and develops new mathematical specifications. An SDA is performed using the hybrid-unit input-output tables for the Netherlands. The results are subsequently used in novel forecasting and backcasting scenario analyses for the period 1997-2030. The results show that dematerialization of iron and steel, and plastics, has generally not occurred in the recent past (1990-1997), and will not occur, under a wide variety of scenario assumptions, in the future (1997-2030)

Comparison of Linear Microinstability Calculations of Varying Input Realism

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rewoldt, G.

2003-01-01

The effect of varying ''input realism'' or varying completeness of the input data for linear microinstability calculations, in particular on the critical value of the ion temperature gradient for the ion temperature gradient mode, is investigated using gyrokinetic and gyrofluid approaches. The calculations show that varying input realism can have a substantial quantitative effect on the results

Comparison of linear microinstability calculations of varying input realism

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rewoldt, G.; Kinsey, J.E.

2004-01-01

The effect of varying 'input realism' or varying completeness of the input data for linear microinstability calculations, in particular on the critical value of the ion temperature gradient for the ion temperature gradient mode, is investigated using gyrokinetic and gyrofluid approaches. The calculations show that varying input realism can have a substantial quantitative effect on the results

Ictal SPECT in patients with rapid eye movement sleep behaviour disorder.

Science.gov (United States)

Mayer, Geert; Bitterlich, Marion; Kuwert, Torsten; Ritt, Philipp; Stefan, Hermann

2015-05-01

Rapid eye movement sleep behaviour disorder is a rapid eye movement parasomnia clinically characterized by acting out dreams due to disinhibition of muscle tone in rapid eye movement sleep. Up to 80-90% of the patients with rapid eye movement sleep behaviour disorder develop neurodegenerative disorders within 10-15 years after symptom onset. The disorder is reported in 45-60% of all narcoleptic patients. Whether rapid eye movement sleep behaviour disorder is also a predictor for neurodegeneration in narcolepsy is not known. Although the pathophysiology causing the disinhibition of muscle tone in rapid eye movement sleep behaviour disorder has been studied extensively in animals, little is known about the mechanisms in humans. Most of the human data are from imaging or post-mortem studies. Recent studies show altered functional connectivity between substantia nigra and striatum in patients with rapid eye movement sleep behaviour disorder. We were interested to study which regions are activated in rapid eye movement sleep behaviour disorder during actual episodes by performing ictal single photon emission tomography. We studied one patient with idiopathic rapid eye movement sleep behaviour disorder, one with Parkinson's disease and rapid eye movement sleep behaviour disorder, and two patients with narcolepsy and rapid eye movement sleep behaviour disorder. All patients underwent extended video polysomnography. The tracer was injected after at least 10 s of consecutive rapid eye movement sleep and 10 s of disinhibited muscle tone accompanied by movements registered by an experienced sleep technician. Ictal single photon emission tomography displayed the same activation in the bilateral premotor areas, the interhemispheric cleft, the periaqueductal area, the dorsal and ventral pons and the anterior lobe of the cerebellum in all patients. Our study shows that in patients with Parkinson's disease and rapid eye movement sleep behaviour disorder-in contrast to wakefulness

Rapid Gradient-Echo Imaging

Science.gov (United States)

Hargreaves, Brian

2012-01-01

Gradient echo sequences are widely used in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for numerous applications ranging from angiography to perfusion to functional MRI. Compared with spin-echo techniques, the very short repetition times of gradient-echo methods enable very rapid 2D and 3D imaging, but also lead to complicated “steady states.” Signal and contrast behavior can be described graphically and mathematically, and depends strongly on the type of spoiling: fully balanced (no spoiling), gradient spoiling, or RF-spoiling. These spoiling options trade off between high signal and pure T1 contrast while the flip angle also affects image contrast in all cases, both of which can be demonstrated theoretically and in image examples. As with spin-echo sequences, magnetization preparation can be added to gradient-echo sequences to alter image contrast. Gradient echo sequences are widely used for numerous applications such as 3D perfusion imaging, functional MRI, cardiac imaging and MR angiography. PMID:23097185

Standardized reporting for rapid relative effectiveness assessments of pharmaceuticals.

Science.gov (United States)

Kleijnen, Sarah; Pasternack, Iris; Van de Casteele, Marc; Rossi, Bernardette; Cangini, Agnese; Di Bidino, Rossella; Jelenc, Marjetka; Abrishami, Payam; Autti-Rämö, Ilona; Seyfried, Hans; Wildbacher, Ingrid; Goettsch, Wim G

2014-11-01

Many European countries perform rapid assessments of the relative effectiveness (RE) of pharmaceuticals as part of the reimbursement decision making process. Increased sharing of information on RE across countries may save costs and reduce duplication of work. The objective of this article is to describe the development of a tool for rapid assessment of RE of new pharmaceuticals that enter the market, the HTA Core Model® for Rapid Relative Effectiveness Assessment (REA) of Pharmaceuticals. Eighteen member organisations of the European Network of Health Technology Assessment (EUnetHTA) participated in the development of the model. Different versions of the model were developed and piloted in this collaboration and adjusted accordingly based on feedback on the content and feasibility of the model. The final model deviates from the traditional HTA Core Model® used for assessing other types of technologies. This is due to the limited scope (strong focus on RE), the timing of the assessment (just after market authorisation), and strict timelines (e.g. 90 days) required for performing the assessment. The number of domains and assessment elements was limited and it was decided that the primary information sources should preferably be a submission file provided by the marketing authorisation holder and the European Public Assessment Report. The HTA Core Model® for Rapid REA (version 3.0) was developed to produce standardised transparent RE information of pharmaceuticals. Further piloting can provide input for possible improvements, such as further refining the assessment elements and new methodological guidance on relevant areas.

Interactive Rapid Dose Assessment Model (IRDAM): reactor-accident assessment methods. Vol.2

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Poeton, R.W.; Moeller, M.P.; Laughlin, G.J.; Desrosiers, A.E.

1983-05-01

As part of the continuing emphasis on emergency preparedness, the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) sponsored the development of a rapid dose assessment system by Pacific Northwest Laboratory (PNL). This system, the Interactive Rapid Dose Assessment Model (IRDAM) is a micro-computer based program for rapidly assessing the radiological impact of accidents at nuclear power plants. This document describes the technical bases for IRDAM including methods, models and assumptions used in calculations. IRDAM calculates whole body (5-cm depth) and infant thyroid doses at six fixed downwind distances between 500 and 20,000 meters. Radionuclides considered primarily consist of noble gases and radioiodines. In order to provide a rapid assessment capability consistent with the capacity of the Osborne-1 computer, certain simplifying approximations and assumptions are made. These are described, along with default values (assumptions used in the absence of specific input) in the text of this document. Two companion volumes to this one provide additional information on IRDAM. The user's Guide (NUREG/CR-3012, Volume 1) describes the setup and operation of equipment necessary to run IRDAM. Scenarios for Comparing Dose Assessment Models (NUREG/CR-3012, Volume 3) provides the results of calculations made by IRDAM and other models for specific accident scenarios

READDATA: a FORTRAN 77 codeword input package

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lander, P.A.

1983-07-01

A new codeword input package has been produced as a result of the incompatibility between different dialects of FORTRAN, especially when character variables are passed as parameters. This report is for those who wish to use a codeword input package with FORTRAN 77. The package, called ''Readdata'', attempts to combine the best features of its predecessors such as BINPUT and pseudo-BINPUT. (author)

Originate: PC input processor for origen-S

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bowman, S.M.

1994-01-01

ORIGINATE is a personal computer program developed at Oak Ridge National Laboratory to serve as a user-friendly interface for the ORIGEN-S isotopic generation and depletion code. It is designed to assist an ORIGEN-S user in preparing an input file for execution of light-water-reactor fuel depletion and decay cases. Output from ORIGINATE is a card-image input file that may be uploaded to a mainframe computer to execute ORIGEN-S in SCALE-4. ORIGINATE features a pull down menu system that accesses sophisticated data entry screens. The program allows the user to quickly set up an ORIGEN-S input file and perform error checking. This capability increases productivity and decreases chance of user error. (authors). 6 refs., 3 tabs

Smart mobility solution with multiple input Output interface.

Science.gov (United States)

Sethi, Aartika; Deb, Sujay; Ranjan, Prabhat; Sardar, Arghya

2017-07-01

Smart wheelchairs are commonly used to provide solution for mobility impairment. However their usage is limited primarily due to high cost owing from sensors required for giving input, lack of adaptability for different categories of input and limited functionality. In this paper we propose a smart mobility solution using smartphone with inbuilt sensors (accelerometer, camera and speaker) as an input interface. An Emotiv EPOC+ is also used for motor imagery based input control synced with facial expressions in cases of extreme disability. Apart from traction, additional functions like home security and automation are provided using Internet of Things (IoT) and web interfaces. Although preliminary, our results suggest that this system can be used as an integrated and efficient solution for people suffering from mobility impairment. The results also indicate a decent accuracy is obtained for the overall system.

Input data required for specific performance assessment codes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Seitz, R.R.; Garcia, R.S.; Starmer, R.J.; Dicke, C.A.; Leonard, P.R.; Maheras, S.J.; Rood, A.S.; Smith, R.W.

1992-02-01

The Department of Energy's National Low-Level Waste Management Program at the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory generated this report on input data requirements for computer codes to assist States and compacts in their performance assessments. This report gives generators, developers, operators, and users some guidelines on what input data is required to satisfy 22 common performance assessment codes. Each of the codes is summarized and a matrix table is provided to allow comparison of the various input required by the codes. This report does not determine or recommend which codes are preferable

Alteration of synaptic connectivity of oligodendrocyte precursor cells following demyelination

Science.gov (United States)

Sahel, Aurélia; Ortiz, Fernando C.; Kerninon, Christophe; Maldonado, Paloma P.; Angulo, María Cecilia; Nait-Oumesmar, Brahim

2015-01-01

Oligodendrocyte precursor cells (OPCs) are a major source of remyelinating oligodendrocytes in demyelinating diseases such as Multiple Sclerosis (MS). While OPCs are innervated by unmyelinated axons in the normal brain, the fate of such synaptic contacts after demyelination is still unclear. By combining electrophysiology and immunostainings in different transgenic mice expressing fluorescent reporters, we studied the synaptic innervation of OPCs in the model of lysolecithin (LPC)-induced demyelination of corpus callosum. Synaptic innervation of reactivated OPCs in the lesion was revealed by the presence of AMPA receptor-mediated synaptic currents, VGluT1+ axon-OPC contacts in 3D confocal reconstructions and synaptic junctions observed by electron microscopy. Moreover, 3D confocal reconstructions of VGluT1 and NG2 immunolabeling showed the existence of glutamatergic axon-OPC contacts in post-mortem MS lesions. Interestingly, patch-clamp recordings in LPC-induced lesions demonstrated a drastic decrease in spontaneous synaptic activity of OPCs early after demyelination that was not caused by an impaired conduction of compound action potentials. A reduction in synaptic connectivity was confirmed by the lack of VGluT1+ axon-OPC contacts in virtually all rapidly proliferating OPCs stained with EdU (50-ethynyl-20-deoxyuridine). At the end of the massive proliferation phase in lesions, the proportion of innervated OPCs rapidly recovers, although the frequency of spontaneous synaptic currents did not reach control levels. In conclusion, our results demonstrate that newly-generated OPCs do not receive synaptic inputs during their active proliferation after demyelination, but gain synapses during the remyelination process. Hence, glutamatergic synaptic inputs may contribute to inhibit OPC proliferation and might have a physiopathological relevance in demyelinating disorders. PMID:25852473

Protein-energy malnutrition alters thermoregulatory homeostasis and the response to brain ischemia.

Science.gov (United States)

Smith, Shari E; Prosser-Loose, Erin J; Colbourne, Frederick; Paterson, Phyllis G

2011-02-01

Co-existing protein-energy malnutrition (PEM), characterized by deficits in both protein and energy status, impairs functional outcome following global ischemia and has been associated with increased reactive gliosis. Since temperature is a key determinant of brain damage following an ischemic insult, the objective was to investigate whether alterations in post-ischemic temperature regulation contribute to PEM-induced reactive gliosis following ischemia. Male Sprague-Dawley rats (190-280 g) were assigned to either control diet (18% protein) or PEM induced by feeding a low protein diet (2% protein) for 7 days prior to either global ischemia or sham surgery. There was a rapid disruption in thermoregulatory function in rats fed the low protein diet as assessed by continuous recording of core temperature with bio-electrical sensor transmitters. Both daily temperature fluctuation and mean temperature increased within the first 24 hours, and these remained significantly elevated throughout the 7 day pre-ischemic period (p protein diet rapidly impairs the ability to maintain thermoregulatory homeostasis, and the resultant PEM also diminishes the ability to thermoregulate in response to a challenge. Since temperature regulation is a key determinant of brain injury following ischemia, these findings suggest that the pathophysiology of brain injury could be altered in stroke victims with coexisting PEM.

A Greener Arctic: Vascular Plant Litter Input in Subarctic Peat Bogs Changes Soil Invertebrate Diets and Decomposition Patterns

Science.gov (United States)

Krab, E. J.; Berg, M. P.; Aerts, R.; van Logtestijn, R. S. P.; Cornelissen, H. H. C.

2014-12-01

Climate-change-induced trends towards shrub dominance in subarctic, moss-dominated peatlands will most likely have large effects on soil carbon (C) dynamics through an input of more easily decomposable litter. The mechanisms by which this increase in vascular litter input interacts with the abundance and diet-choice of the decomposer community to alter C-processing have, however, not yet been unraveled. We used a novel 13C tracer approach to link invertebrate species composition (Collembola), abundance and species-specific feeding behavior to C-processing of vascular and peat moss litters. We incubated different litter mixtures, 100% Sphagnum moss litter, 100% Betula leaf litter, and a 50/50 mixture of both, in mesocosms for 406 days. We revealed the transfer of C from the litters to the soil invertebrate species by 13C labeling of each of the litter types and assessed 13C signatures of the invertebrates Collembola species composition differed significantly between Sphagnum and Betula litter. Within the 'single type litter' mesocosms, Collembola species showed different 13C signatures, implying species-specific differences in diet choice. Surprisingly, the species composition and Collembola abundance changed relatively little as a consequence of Betula input to a Sphagnum based system. Their diet choice, however, changed drastically; species-specific differences in diet choice disappeared and approximately 67% of the food ingested by all Collembola originated from Betula litter. Furthermore, litter decomposition patterns corresponded to these findings; mass loss of Betula increased from 16.1% to 26.2% when decomposing in combination with Sphagnum, while Sphagnum decomposed even slower in combination with Betula litter (1.9%) than alone (4.7%). This study is the first to empirically show that collective diet shifts of the peatland decomposer community from mosses towards vascular plant litter may drive altered decomposition patterns. In addition, we showed that

A method for quantitative analysis of standard and high-throughput qPCR expression data based on input sample quantity.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mateusz G Adamski

Full Text Available Over the past decade rapid advances have occurred in the understanding of RNA expression and its regulation. Quantitative polymerase chain reactions (qPCR have become the gold standard for quantifying gene expression. Microfluidic next generation, high throughput qPCR now permits the detection of transcript copy number in thousands of reactions simultaneously, dramatically increasing the sensitivity over standard qPCR. Here we present a gene expression analysis method applicable to both standard polymerase chain reactions (qPCR and high throughput qPCR. This technique is adjusted to the input sample quantity (e.g., the number of cells and is independent of control gene expression. It is efficiency-corrected and with the use of a universal reference sample (commercial complementary DNA (cDNA permits the normalization of results between different batches and between different instruments--regardless of potential differences in transcript amplification efficiency. Modifications of the input quantity method include (1 the achievement of absolute quantification and (2 a non-efficiency corrected analysis. When compared to other commonly used algorithms the input quantity method proved to be valid. This method is of particular value for clinical studies of whole blood and circulating leukocytes where cell counts are readily available.

Stream water chemistry in watersheds receiving different atmospheric inputs of H+, NH4+, NO3-, and SO42-1

Science.gov (United States)

Stottlemyer, R.

1997-01-01

Weekly precipitation and stream water samples were collected from small watersheds in Denali National Park, Alaska, the Fraser Experimental Forest, Colorado, Isle Royale National Park, Michigan, and the Calumet watershed on the south shore of Lake Superior, Michigan. The objective was to determine if stream water chemistry at the mouth and upstream stations reflected precipitation chemistry across a range of atmospheric inputs of H+, NH4+, NO3-, and SO42-. Volume-weighted precipitation H+, NH4+, NO3-, and SO42- concentrations varied 4 to 8 fold with concentrations highest at Calumet and lowest in Denali. Stream water chemistry varied among sites, but did not reflect precipitation chemistry. The Denali watershed, Rock Creek, had the lowest precipitation NO3- and SO42- concentrations, but the highest stream water NO3and SO42- concentrations. Among sites, the ratio of mean monthly upstream NO3- concentration to precipitation NO3- concentration declined (p 90 percent inputs) across inputs ranging from 0.12 to > 6 kg N ha-1 y-1. Factors possibly accounting for the weak or non-existent signal between stream water and precipitation ion concentrations include rapid modification of meltwater and precipitation chemistry by soil processes, and the presence of unfrozen soils which permits winter mineralization and nitrification to occur.

Genome-wide DNA methylation alterations of Alternanthera philoxeroides in natural and manipulated habitats: implications for epigenetic regulation of rapid responses to environmental fluctuation and phenotypic variation.

Science.gov (United States)

Gao, Lexuan; Geng, Yupeng; Li, Bo; Chen, Jiakuan; Yang, Ji

2010-11-01

Alternanthera philoxeroides (alligator weed) is an invasive weed that can colonize both aquatic and terrestrial habitats. Individuals growing in different habitats exhibit extensive phenotypic variation but little genetic differentiation in its introduced range. The mechanisms underpinning the wide range of phenotypic variation and rapid adaptation to novel and changing environments remain uncharacterized. In this study, we examined the epigenetic variation and its correlation with phenotypic variation in plants exposed to natural and manipulated environmental variability. Genome-wide methylation profiling using methylation-sensitive amplified fragment length polymorphism (MSAP) revealed considerable DNA methylation polymorphisms within and between natural populations. Plants of different source populations not only underwent significant morphological changes in common garden environments, but also underwent a genome-wide epigenetic reprogramming in response to different treatments. Methylation alterations associated with response to different water availability were detected in 78.2% (169/216) of common garden induced polymorphic sites, demonstrating the environmental sensitivity and flexibility of the epigenetic regulatory system. These data provide evidence of the correlation between epigenetic reprogramming and the reversible phenotypic response of alligator weed to particular environmental factors. © 2010 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Rapid fuel switching from coal to natural gas through effective carbon pricing

Science.gov (United States)

Wilson, I. A. Grant; Staffell, Iain

2018-05-01

Great Britain's overall carbon emissions fell by 6% in 2016, due to cleaner electricity production. This was not due to a surge in low-carbon nuclear or renewable sources; instead it was the much-overlooked impact of fuel switching from coal to natural gas generation. This Perspective considers the enabling conditions in Great Britain and the potential for rapid fuel switching in other coal-reliant countries. We find that spare generation and fuel supply-chain capacity must already exist for fuel switching to deliver rapid carbon savings, and to avoid further high-carbon infrastructure lock-in. More important is the political will to alter the marketplace and incentivize this switch, for example, through a stable and strong carbon price. With the right incentives, fuel switching in the power sector could rapidly achieve on the order of 1 GtCO2 saving per year worldwide (3% of global emissions), buying precious time to slow the growth in cumulative carbon emissions.

A novel genomic alteration of LSAMP associates with aggressive prostate cancer in African American men

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Petrovics, Gyorgy; Li, Hua; Stümpel, Tanja

2015-01-01

a systematic whole genome analyses, revealing alterations that differentiate African American (AA) and Caucasian American (CA) CaP genomes. We discovered a recurrent deletion on chromosome 3q13.31 centering on the LSAMP locus that was prevalent in tumors from AA men (cumulative analyses of 435 patients: whole...... genome sequence, 14; FISH evaluations, 101; and SNP array, 320 patients). Notably, carriers of this deletion experienced more rapid disease progression. In contrast, PTEN and ERG common driver alterations in CaP were significantly lower in AA prostate tumors compared to prostate tumors from CA. Moreover...

Altered genotypic and phenotypic frequencies of aphid populations under enriched CO2 and O3 atmospheres

Science.gov (United States)

Edward B. Mondor; Michelle N. Tremblay; Caroline S. Awmack; Richard L. Lindroth

2005-01-01

Environmental change is anticipated to negatively affect both plant and animal populations. As abiotic factors rapidly change habitat suitability, projections range from altered genetic diversity to wide-spread species loss. Here, we assess the degree to which changes in atmospheric composition associated with environmental change will influence not only the abundance...

Sensitivity analysis of complex models: Coping with dynamic and static inputs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anstett-Collin, F.; Goffart, J.; Mara, T.; Denis-Vidal, L.

2015-01-01

In this paper, we address the issue of conducting a sensitivity analysis of complex models with both static and dynamic uncertain inputs. While several approaches have been proposed to compute the sensitivity indices of the static inputs (i.e. parameters), the one of the dynamic inputs (i.e. stochastic fields) have been rarely addressed. For this purpose, we first treat each dynamic as a Gaussian process. Then, the truncated Karhunen–Loève expansion of each dynamic input is performed. Such an expansion allows to generate independent Gaussian processes from a finite number of independent random variables. Given that a dynamic input is represented by a finite number of random variables, its variance-based sensitivity index is defined by the sensitivity index of this group of variables. Besides, an efficient sampling-based strategy is described to estimate the first-order indices of all the input factors by only using two input samples. The approach is applied to a building energy model, in order to assess the impact of the uncertainties of the material properties (static inputs) and the weather data (dynamic inputs) on the energy performance of a real low energy consumption house. - Highlights: • Sensitivity analysis of models with uncertain static and dynamic inputs is performed. • Karhunen–Loève (KL) decomposition of the spatio/temporal inputs is performed. • The influence of the dynamic inputs is studied through the modes of the KL expansion. • The proposed approach is applied to a building energy model. • Impact of weather data and material properties on performance of real house is given

Molecular structure input on the web

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ertl Peter

2010-02-01

Full Text Available Abstract A molecule editor, that is program for input and editing of molecules, is an indispensable part of every cheminformatics or molecular processing system. This review focuses on a special type of molecule editors, namely those that are used for molecule structure input on the web. Scientific computing is now moving more and more in the direction of web services and cloud computing, with servers scattered all around the Internet. Thus a web browser has become the universal scientific user interface, and a tool to edit molecules directly within the web browser is essential. The review covers a history of web-based structure input, starting with simple text entry boxes and early molecule editors based on clickable maps, before moving to the current situation dominated by Java applets. One typical example - the popular JME Molecule Editor - will be described in more detail. Modern Ajax server-side molecule editors are also presented. And finally, the possible future direction of web-based molecule editing, based on technologies like JavaScript and Flash, is discussed.

Trends in nitrogen isotope ratios of juvenile winter flounder reflect changing nitrogen inputs to Rhode Island, USA estuarine systems.

Science.gov (United States)

Pruell, Richard J; Taplin, Bryan K; Miller, Kenneth M

2017-05-15

Nitrogen isotope ratios (δ 15 N) in juvenile winter flounder, Pseudopleuronectes americanus, were used to examine changes in nitrogen inputs to several Rhode Island, USA estuarine systems. Fish were collected over two three-year periods with a ten-year interval between sampling periods (2002-2004 and 2012-2014). During that interval numerous changes to nutrient management practices were initiated in the watersheds of these estuarine systems including the upgrade of several major wastewater treatment facilities that discharge to Narragansett Bay, which significantly reduced nitrogen inputs. Following these reductions, the δ 15 N values of flounder in several of the systems decreased as expected; however, isotope ratios in fish from upper Narragansett Bay significantly increased. We believe that low δ 15 N values measured in 2002-2004 were related to concentration-dependent fractionation at this location. Increased δ 15 N values measured between 2012 and 2014 may indicate reduced fractionation or that changes in wastewater treatment processes altered the nitrogen isotopic ratios of the effluents. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

A strategy for integrated low-input potato production

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Vereijken, P.H.; Loon, van C.D.

1991-01-01

Current systems of potato growing use large amounts of pesticides and fertilizers; these inputs are costly and cause environmental problems. In this paper a strategy for integrated low-input potato production is developed with the aim of reducing costs, improving product quality and reducing

Cytosine methylation alteration in natural populations of Leymus chinensis induced by multiple abiotic stresses.

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Yingjie Yu

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Human activity has a profound effect on the global environment and caused frequent occurrence of climatic fluctuations. To survive, plants need to adapt to the changing environmental conditions through altering their morphological and physiological traits. One known mechanism for phenotypic innovation to be achieved is environment-induced rapid yet inheritable epigenetic changes. Therefore, the use of molecular techniques to address the epigenetic mechanisms underpinning stress adaptation in plants is an important and challenging topic in biological research. In this study, we investigated the impact of warming, nitrogen (N addition, and warming+nitrogen (N addition stresses on the cytosine methylation status of Leymus chinensis Tzvel. at the population level by using the amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP, methylation-sensitive amplified polymorphism (MSAP and retrotransposon based sequence-specific amplification polymorphism (SSAP techniques. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Our results showed that, although the percentages of cytosine methylation changes in SSAP are significantly higher than those in MSAP, all the treatment groups showed similar alteration patterns of hypermethylation and hypomethylation. It meant that the abiotic stresses have induced the alterations in cytosine methylation patterns, and the levels of cytosine methylation changes around the transposable element are higher than the other genomic regions. In addition, the identification and analysis of differentially methylated loci (DML indicated that the abiotic stresses have also caused targeted methylation changes at specific loci and these DML might have contributed to the capability of plants in adaptation to the abiotic stresses. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Our results demonstrated that abiotic stresses related to global warming and nitrogen deposition readily evoke alterations of cytosine methylation, and which may provide a molecular basis for rapid

Cytosine Methylation Alteration in Natural Populations of Leymus chinensis Induced by Multiple Abiotic Stresses

Science.gov (United States)

Yu, Yingjie; Yang, Xuejiao; Wang, Huaying; Shi, Fengxue; Liu, Ying; Liu, Jushan; Li, Linfeng; Wang, Deli; Liu, Bao

2013-01-01

Background Human activity has a profound effect on the global environment and caused frequent occurrence of climatic fluctuations. To survive, plants need to adapt to the changing environmental conditions through altering their morphological and physiological traits. One known mechanism for phenotypic innovation to be achieved is environment-induced rapid yet inheritable epigenetic changes. Therefore, the use of molecular techniques to address the epigenetic mechanisms underpinning stress adaptation in plants is an important and challenging topic in biological research. In this study, we investigated the impact of warming, nitrogen (N) addition, and warming+nitrogen (N) addition stresses on the cytosine methylation status of Leymus chinensis Tzvel. at the population level by using the amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP), methylation-sensitive amplified polymorphism (MSAP) and retrotransposon based sequence-specific amplification polymorphism (SSAP) techniques. Methodology/Principal Findings Our results showed that, although the percentages of cytosine methylation changes in SSAP are significantly higher than those in MSAP, all the treatment groups showed similar alteration patterns of hypermethylation and hypomethylation. It meant that the abiotic stresses have induced the alterations in cytosine methylation patterns, and the levels of cytosine methylation changes around the transposable element are higher than the other genomic regions. In addition, the identification and analysis of differentially methylated loci (DML) indicated that the abiotic stresses have also caused targeted methylation changes at specific loci and these DML might have contributed to the capability of plants in adaptation to the abiotic stresses. Conclusions/Significance Our results demonstrated that abiotic stresses related to global warming and nitrogen deposition readily evoke alterations of cytosine methylation, and which may provide a molecular basis for rapid adaptation by

Canonical multi-valued input Reed-Muller trees and forms

Science.gov (United States)

Perkowski, M. A.; Johnson, P. D.

1991-01-01

There is recently an increased interest in logic synthesis using EXOR gates. The paper introduces the fundamental concept of Orthogonal Expansion, which generalizes the ring form of the Shannon expansion to the logic with multiple-valued (mv) inputs. Based on this concept we are able to define a family of canonical tree circuits. Such circuits can be considered for binary and multiple-valued input cases. They can be multi-level (trees and DAG's) or flattened to two-level AND-EXOR circuits. Input decoders similar to those used in Sum of Products (SOP) PLA's are used in realizations of multiple-valued input functions. In the case of the binary logic the family of flattened AND-EXOR circuits includes several forms discussed by Davio and Green. For the case of the logic with multiple-valued inputs, the family of the flattened mv AND-EXOR circuits includes three expansions known from literature and two new expansions.

The Input-Output Relationship of the Cholinergic Basal Forebrain

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Matthew R. Gielow

2017-02-01

Full Text Available Basal forebrain cholinergic neurons influence cortical state, plasticity, learning, and attention. They collectively innervate the entire cerebral cortex, differentially controlling acetylcholine efflux across different cortical areas and timescales. Such control might be achieved by differential inputs driving separable cholinergic outputs, although no input-output relationship on a brain-wide level has ever been demonstrated. Here, we identify input neurons to cholinergic cells projecting to specific cortical regions by infecting cholinergic axon terminals with a monosynaptically restricted viral tracer. This approach revealed several circuit motifs, such as central amygdala neurons synapsing onto basolateral amygdala-projecting cholinergic neurons or strong somatosensory cortical input to motor cortex-projecting cholinergic neurons. The presence of input cells in the parasympathetic midbrain nuclei contacting frontally projecting cholinergic neurons suggest that the network regulating the inner eye muscles are additionally regulating cortical state via acetylcholine efflux. This dataset enables future circuit-level experiments to identify drivers of known cortical cholinergic functions.

A special role for binocular visual input during development and as a component of occlusion therapy for treatment of amblyopia.

Science.gov (United States)

Mitchell, Donald E

2008-01-01

To review work on animal models of deprivation amblyopia that points to a special role for binocular visual input in the development of spatial vision and as a component of occlusion (patching) therapy for amblyopia. The studies reviewed employ behavioural methods to measure the effects of various early experiential manipulations on the development of the visual acuity of the two eyes. Short periods of concordant binocular input, if continuous, can offset much longer daily periods of monocular deprivation to allow the development of normal visual acuity in both eyes. It appears that the visual system does not weigh all visual input equally in terms of its ability to impact on the development of vision but instead places greater weight on concordant binocular exposure. Experimental models of patching therapy for amblyopia imposed on animals in which amblyopia had been induced by a prior period of early monocular deprivation, indicate that the benefits of patching therapy may be only temporary and decline rapidly after patching is discontinued. However, when combined with critical amounts of binocular visual input each day, the benefits of patching can be both heightened and made permanent. Taken together with demonstrations of retained binocular connections in the visual cortex of monocularly deprived animals, a strong argument is made for inclusion of specific training of stereoscopic vision for part of the daily periods of binocular exposure that should be incorporated as part of any patching protocol for amblyopia.

Final Report “Physiological, demographic, competitive and biogeochemical controls on the response of California’s ecosystems to environmental change”

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Goulden, Michael L. [Univ. of California, Irvine, CA (United States)

2016-02-08

The Loma Ridge Global Change Experiment is a large, well-replicated water and nitrogen input manipulation in the Santa Ana Mountain foothills that operated with DOE support from 2006 to 2015. The experiment considers the effects of increased and decreased water input and increased N input on two adjacent ecosystem types: California Annual Grassland (GL), which is dominated by exotic, Eurasian grasses and forbs, and Coastal Sage Shrubland (CSS), which is dominated by native, drought deciduous, perennial shrubs. The experiment proceeded in two phases: "Phase I Severe treatment", and "Phase II Return to ambient". Phase I showed very rapid change in species composition or ANPP with altered water or N input (low resistance), whereas Phase II showed a very rapid return to initial conditions once ambient water or N input were restored (high resilience). The severe drought treatment killed most of the shrubs in the dry plots and opened the canopy to herbaceous species, but this damage was ephemeral, and the shrubland community is recovering through the mechanisms and patterns that more typically mediate recovery from crown fire. The pattern of low resistance and high resilience carries implications for other "global change experiments", which have often also seen large and rapid treatment effects (low resistance), but have less frequently considered the subsequent recovery or resilience of the system.

Regional-employment impact of rapidly escalating energy costs. [Riverside-San Bernardino SMSA

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kolk, D X

1983-04-01

This paper presents a methodology for incorporating price-induced technological substitution into a regional input-output forecasting model. The model was used to determine the employment impacts of rapidly escalating energy costs on the Riverside-San Bernardino (California) SMSA. The results indicate that the substitution effect between energy and other goods was dominated by the income effect. A reallocation of consumer expenditures from labor-intensive to energy-intensive goods occurred, resulting in a two- to threefold increase in the unemployment rate among low-skilled individuals. 18 references, 5 tables.

Input or intimacy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Judit Navracsics

2014-01-01

Full Text Available According to the critical period hypothesis, the earlier the acquisition of a second language starts, the better. Owing to the plasticity of the brain, up until a certain age a second language can be acquired successfully according to this view. Early second language learners are commonly said to have an advantage over later ones especially in phonetic/phonological acquisition. Native-like pronunciation is said to be most likely to be achieved by young learners. However, there is evidence of accentfree speech in second languages learnt after puberty as well. Occasionally, on the other hand, a nonnative accent may appear even in early second (or third language acquisition. Cross-linguistic influences are natural in multilingual development, and we would expect the dominant language to have an impact on the weaker one(s. The dominant language is usually the one that provides the largest amount of input for the child. But is it always the amount that counts? Perhaps sometimes other factors, such as emotions, ome into play? In this paper, data obtained from an EnglishPersian-Hungarian trilingual pair of siblings (under age 4 and 3 respectively is analyzed, with a special focus on cross-linguistic influences at the phonetic/phonological levels. It will be shown that beyond the amount of input there are more important factors that trigger interference in multilingual development.

Multifunction input-output board for the IBM AT/XT (Lab-Master)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pilyar, A V

1996-12-31

Multifunction input-output board for the IBM PC AT/XT is described. It consists of a CMOS analog input multiplexer, programmable amplifier, a fast 12-bit ADC, four 10-bit DAC and two 8-bit digital input-output registers. Specifications of analog input and output are given. 6 refs.

DOG -II input generator program for DOT3.5 code

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hayashi, Katsumi; Handa, Hiroyuki; Yamada, Koubun; Kamogawa, Susumu; Takatsu, Hideyuki; Koizumi, Kouichi; Seki, Yasushi

1992-01-01

DOT3.5 is widely used for radiation transport analysis of fission reactors, fusion experimental facilities and particle accelerators. We developed the input generator program for DOT3.5 code in aim to prepare input data effectively. Formar program DOG was developed and used internally in Hitachi Engineering Company. In this new version DOG-II, limitation for R-Θ geometry was removed. All the input data is created by interactive method in front of color display without using DOT3.5 manual. Also the geometry related input are easily created without calculation of precise curved mesh point. By using DOG-II, reliable input data for DOT3.5 code is obtained easily and quickly

Double input converters for different voltage sources with isolated charger

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chalash Sattayarak

2014-09-01

Full Text Available This paper presents the double input converters for different voltage input sources with isolated charger coils. This research aims to increase the performance of the battery charger circuit. In the circuit, there are the different voltage levels of input source. The operating modes of the switch in the circuit use the microcontroller to control the battery charge and to control discharge mode automatically when the input voltage sources are lost from the system. The experimental result of this research shows better performance for charging at any time period of the switch, while the voltage input sources work together. Therefore, this research can use and develop to battery charger for present or future.

Input shaping control with reentry commands of prescribed duration

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Valášek M.

2008-12-01

Full Text Available Control of flexible mechanical structures often deals with the problem of unwanted vibration. The input shaping is a feedforward method based on modification of the input signal so that the output performs the demanded behaviour. The presented approach is based on a finite-time Laplace transform. It leads to no-vibration control signal without any limitations on its time duration because it is not strictly connected to the system resonant frequency. This idea used for synthesis of control input is extended to design of dynamical shaper with reentry property that transform an arbitrary input signal to the signal that cause no vibration. All these theoretical tasks are supported by the results of simulation experiments.

Sleep Deprivation Alters Choice Strategy Without Altering Uncertainty or Loss Aversion Preferences

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O'Dhaniel A Mullette-Gillman

2015-10-01

Full Text Available Sleep deprivation alters decision making; however, it is unclear what specific cognitive processes are modified to drive altered choices. In this manuscript, we examined how one night of total sleep deprivation (TSD alters economic decision making. We specifically examined changes in uncertainty preferences dissociably from changes in the strategy with which participants engage with presented choice information. With high test-retest reliability, we show that TSD does not alter uncertainty preferences or loss aversion. Rather, TSD alters the information the participants rely upon to make their choices. Utilizing a choice strategy metric which contrasts the influence of maximizing and satisficing information on choice behavior, we find that TSD alters the relative reliance on maximizing information and satisficing information, in the gains domain. This alteration is the result of participants both decreasing their reliance on cognitively-complex maximizing information and a concomitant increase in the use of readily-available satisficing information. TSD did not result in a decrease in overall information use in either domain. These results show that sleep deprivation alters decision making by altering the informational strategies that participants employ, without altering their preferences.

Sleep deprivation alters choice strategy without altering uncertainty or loss aversion preferences.

Science.gov (United States)

Mullette-Gillman, O'Dhaniel A; Kurnianingsih, Yoanna A; Liu, Jean C J

2015-01-01

Sleep deprivation alters decision making; however, it is unclear what specific cognitive processes are modified to drive altered choices. In this manuscript, we examined how one night of total sleep deprivation (TSD) alters economic decision making. We specifically examined changes in uncertainty preferences dissociably from changes in the strategy with which participants engage with presented choice information. With high test-retest reliability, we show that TSD does not alter uncertainty preferences or loss aversion. Rather, TSD alters the information the participants rely upon to make their choices. Utilizing a choice strategy metric which contrasts the influence of maximizing and satisficing information on choice behavior, we find that TSD alters the relative reliance on maximizing information and satisficing information, in the gains domain. This alteration is the result of participants both decreasing their reliance on cognitively-complex maximizing information and a concomitant increase in the use of readily-available satisficing information. TSD did not result in a decrease in overall information use in either domain. These results show that sleep deprivation alters decision making by altering the informational strategies that participants employ, without altering their preferences.

GARFEM input deck description

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zdunek, A.; Soederberg, M. (Aeronautical Research Inst. of Sweden, Bromma (Sweden))

1989-01-01

The input card deck for the finite element program GARFEM version 3.2 is described in this manual. The program includes, but is not limited to, capabilities to handle the following problems: * Linear bar and beam element structures, * Geometrically non-linear problems (bar and beam), both static and transient dynamic analysis, * Transient response dynamics from a catalog of time varying external forcing function types or input function tables, * Eigenvalue solution (modes and frequencies), * Multi point constraints (MPC) for the modelling of mechanisms and e.g. rigid links. The MPC definition is used only in the geometrically linearized sense, * Beams with disjunct shear axis and neutral axis, * Beams with rigid offset. An interface exist that connects GARFEM with the program GAROS. GAROS is a program for aeroelastic analysis of rotating structures. Since this interface was developed GARFEM now serves as a preprocessor program in place of NASTRAN which was formerly used. Documentation of the methods applied in GARFEM exists but is so far limited to the capacities in existence before the GAROS interface was developed.

Acute renal response to rapid onset respiratory acidosis.

Science.gov (United States)

Ramadoss, Jayanth; Stewart, Randolph H; Cudd, Timothy A

2011-03-01

Renal strong ion compensation to chronic respiratory acidosis has been established, but the nature of the response to acute respiratory acidosis is not well defined. We hypothesized that the response to acute respiratory acidosis in sheep is a rapid increase in the difference in renal fractional excretions of chloride and sodium (Fe(Cl) - Fe(Na)). Inspired CO(2) concentrations were increased for 1 h to significantly alter P(a)CO(2) and pH(a) from 32 ± 1 mm Hg and 7.52 ± 0.02 to 74 ± 2 mm Hg and 7.22 ± 0.02, respectively. Fe(Cl) - Fe(Na) increased significantly from 0.372 ± 0.206 to 1.240 ± 0.217% and returned to baseline at 2 h when P(a)CO(2) and pH(a) were 37 ± 0.6 mm Hg and 7.49 ± 0.01, respectively. Arterial pH and Fe(Cl) - Fe(Na) were significantly correlated. We conclude that the kidney responds rapidly to acute respiratory acidosis, within 30 min of onset, by differential reabsorption of sodium and chloride.

Rapid Passenger Transport in North America in 21st Century

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Wolf Tietze

2012-10-01

Full Text Available The occurrence of outstanding transport innovations maylead to monumental reconstruction in large urbanised regionssuch as North America. The decisive factor in this is the introductionofTransrapid, a new rapid transport technology basedon the principle of magnetic levitation (Maglev.This paper uses the urban network of North America Eastof the 1 O(Jh meridian, together with the smaller region of California,to demonstrate the advantages of innovative transporttechnology as the optimal link between road and air transport.Despite requiring less energy input, achieving better adaptationto the topography of the country, causing less noise and beingsubject to less wear and tear, Transrapid achieves almost twicethe speed of conventional trains.

Input Manipulation, Enhancement and Processing: Theoretical Views and Empirical Research

Science.gov (United States)

Benati, Alessandro

2016-01-01

Researchers in the field of instructed second language acquisition have been examining the issue of how learners interact with input by conducting research measuring particular kinds of instructional interventions (input-oriented and meaning-based). These interventions include such things as input flood, textual enhancement and processing…

Self-Structured Organizing Single-Input CMAC Control for Robot Manipulator

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ThanhQuyen Ngo

2011-09-01

Full Text Available This paper represents a self-structured organizing single-input control system based on differentiable cerebellar model articulation controller (CMAC for an n-link robot manipulator to achieve the high-precision position tracking. In the proposed scheme, the single-input CMAC controller is solely used to control the plant, so the input space dimension of CMAC can be simplified and no conventional controller is needed. The structure of single-input CMAC will also be self-organized; that is, the layers of single-input CMAC will grow or prune systematically and their receptive functions can be automatically adjusted. The online tuning laws of single-input CMAC parameters are derived in gradient-descent learning method and the discrete-type Lyapunov function is applied to determine the learning rates of proposed control system so that the stability of the system can be guaranteed. The simulation results of robot manipulator are provided to verify the effectiveness of the proposed control methodology.

The Economic Impact of Tourism. An Input-Output Analysis

OpenAIRE

Camelia SURUGIU

2009-01-01

The paper presents an Input-Output Analysis for Romania, an important source of information for the investigation of the inter-relations existing among different industries. The Input-Output Analysis is used to determine the role and importance of different economic value added, incomes and employment and it analyses the existing connection in an economy. This paper is focused on tourism and the input-output analysis is finished for the Hotels and Restaurants Sector.

High pressure and [Ca2+] produce an inverse modulation of synaptic input strength, network excitability and frequency response in the rat dentate gyrus

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Thomas I Talpalar

2016-09-01

Full Text Available Hyperbaric environments induce the high pressure neurological syndrome (HPNS characterized by hyperexcitability of the central nervous system and memory impairment. Human divers and other animals experience the HPNS at pressures beyond 1.1 MPa. High pressure depresses synaptic transmission and alters its dynamics in various animal models. Medial perforant path (MPP synapses connecting the medial entorhinal cortex with the hippocampal formation are suppressed by 50% at 10.1MPa. Reduction of synaptic inputs is paradoxically associated with enhanced ability of dentate gyrus’ granule cells to generate spikes at high pressure. This mechanism allows MPP inputs to elicit standard granule cell outputs at 0.1 -25 Hz frequencies under hyperbaric conditions. An increased postsynaptic gain of MPP inputs probably allows diving animals to perform in hyperbaric environments, but makes them vulnerable to high intensity/frequency stimuli producing hyperexcitability. Increasing extracellular Ca2+ (Ca2+o partially reverted pressure-mediated depression of MPP inputs and increased MPP’s low-pass filter properties. We postulated that raising Ca2+o in addition to increase synaptic inputs may reduce network excitability in the dentate gyrus potentially improving its function and reducing sensitivity to high intensity and pathologic stimuli. For this matter, we activated the MPP with single and 50 Hz frequency stimuli that simulated physiologic and deleterious conditions, while assessing the granule cell’s output under various conditions of pressure and Ca2+o. Our results reveal that pressure and Ca2+o produce an inverse modulation on synaptic input strength and network excitability. These coincident phenomena suggest a potential general mechanism of networks that adjusts gain as an inverse function of synaptic inputs’ strength. Such mechanism may serve for adaptation to variable pressure and other physiological and pathological conditions and may explain the

Outsourcing, public Input provision and policy cooperation

OpenAIRE

Aronsson, Thomas; Koskela, Erkki

2009-01-01

This paper concerns public input provision as an instrument for redistribution under international outsourcing by using a model-economy comprising two countries, North and South, where firms in the North may outsource part of their low-skilled labor intensive production to the South. We consider two interrelated issues: (i) the incentives for each country to modify the provision of public input goods in response to international outsourcing, and (ii) whether international outsourcing justifie...

Method and apparatus for rapid adjustment of process gas inventory in gaseous diffusion cascades

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1980-01-01

A method is specified for the operation of a gaseous diffusion cascade wherein electrically driven compressors circulate a process gas through a plurality of serially connected gaseous diffusion stages to establish first and second countercurrently flowing cascade streams of process gas, one of the streams being at a relatively low pressure and enriched in a component of the process gas and the other being at a higher pressure and depleted in the same, and wherein automatic control systems maintain the stage process gas pressures by positioning process gas flow control valve openings at values which are functions of the difference between reference-signal inputs to the systems, and signal inputs proportional to the process gas pressures in the gaseous diffusion stages associated with the systems, the cascade process gas inventory being altered, while the cascade is operating, by simultaneously directing into separate process-gas freezing zones a plurality of substreams derived from one of the first and second streams at different points along the lengths thereof to solidify approximately equal weights of process gas in the zone while reducing the reference-signal inputs to maintain the positions of the control valves substantially unchanged despite the removal of process gas inventory via the substreams. (author)

Fast measure proceeding of weak currents; Un procede de mesure rapide des courants faibles

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Taieb, J [Commissariat a l' Energie Atomique, Siege (France). Centre d' Etudes Nucleaires

1953-07-01

The process of fast measure of the weak currents that we are going to describe briefly apply worthy of the provided currents by the sources to elevated value internal resistance, as it is the case for the ionization chamber, the photocells, mass spectroscopic tubes. The problem to measure weak currents is essentially a problem of amplifier and of input circuit. We intended to achieve a whole amplifier and input circuit with advanced performances, meaning that for a measured celerity we wanted to have an signal/noise ratio the most important as in the classic systems and for a same report signal/noise a more quickly done measure. (M.B.) [French] Le procede de mesure rapide des courants faibles que nous allons brievement decrire s'applique a la mesure des courants fournis par les sources a resistance interne de valeur elevee, comme c'est le cas pour les chambres d'ionisation, les photocellules, les tubes de spectrographe de masse. Le probleme de mesure de courants faibles est essentiellement un probleme d'amplificateur et de circuit d'entree. Nous nous sommes proposes de realiser un ensemble amplificateur et circuit d'entree a performances poussees, c'est a dire que pour une meme rapidite de mesure nous desirions avoir un rapport signal/bruit plus important que dans les systemes classiques et pour un meme rapport signal/bruit une mesure effectuee plus rapidement. (M.B.)

Aqueous alteration of Japanese simulated waste glass P0798: Effects of alteration-phase formation on alteration rate and cesium retention

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Inagaki, Y.; Shinkai, A.; Idemistu, K.; Arima, T.; Yoshikawa, H.; Yui, M.

2006-01-01

Aqueous alteration tests were performed with a Japanese simulated waste glass P0798 in alkaline solutions as a function of pH or species/concentration of alkaline metals in the solution in order to evaluate the alteration conditions determining whether smectite (2:1 clay mineral) or analcime (zeolite) forms as the major alteration-phase. XRD analysis of the alteration-phases showed that smectite forms at any pH between 9.5 and 12, and analcime forms at pH above 11, though the formation also depends on species and concentrations of alkaline metals in the solution. These results cannot agree with the thermodynamically predicted phase stability, e.g., smectite is more stable than the thermodynamic prediction shows. On the basis of the results of alteration conditions, the alteration tests were performed under smectite forming conditions, where only smectite forms or no crystalline phases form, in order to evaluate the alteration rate and the mechanism of cesium release/retention. The results showed that the glass alteration proceeds slowly in proportion to square root of time under smectite forming conditions, which indicates that the alteration rate can be controlled by a diffusion process. It was suggested that the alteration rate under smectite forming conditions is independent of the pH, alkaline metal species/concentration in the solution and whether smectite actually forms or not. The results also indicated that most of cesium dissolved from the glass can be retained in the alteration-phases by reversible sorption onto smectite or irreversible incorporation into analcime, pollucite or solid solutions of them

Sensory Synergy as Environmental Input Integration

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fady eAlnajjar

2015-01-01

Full Text Available The development of a method to feed proper environmental inputs back to the central nervous system (CNS remains one of the challenges in achieving natural movement when part of the body is replaced with an artificial device. Muscle synergies are widely accepted as a biologically plausible interpretation of the neural dynamics between the CNS and the muscular system. Yet the sensorineural dynamics of environmental feedback to the CNS has not been investigated in detail. In this study, we address this issue by exploring the concept of sensory synergy. In contrast to muscle synergy, we hypothesize that sensory synergy plays an essential role in integrating the overall environmental inputs to provide low-dimensional information to the CNS. We assume that sensor synergy and muscle synergy communicate using these low-dimensional signals. To examine our hypothesis, we conducted posture control experiments involving lateral disturbance with 9 healthy participants. Proprioceptive information represented by the changes on muscle lengths were estimated by using the musculoskeletal model analysis software SIMM. Changes on muscles lengths were then used to compute sensory synergies. The experimental results indicate that the environmental inputs were translated into the two dimensional signals and used to move the upper limb to the desired position immediately after the lateral disturbance. Participants who showed high skill in posture control were found to be likely to have a strong correlation between sensory and muscle signaling as well as high coordination between the utilized sensory synergies. These results suggest the importance of integrating environmental inputs into suitable low-dimensional signals before providing them to the CNS. This mechanism should be essential when designing the prosthesis’ sensory system to make the controller simpler

Sensory synergy as environmental input integration.

Science.gov (United States)

Alnajjar, Fady; Itkonen, Matti; Berenz, Vincent; Tournier, Maxime; Nagai, Chikara; Shimoda, Shingo

2014-01-01

The development of a method to feed proper environmental inputs back to the central nervous system (CNS) remains one of the challenges in achieving natural movement when part of the body is replaced with an artificial device. Muscle synergies are widely accepted as a biologically plausible interpretation of the neural dynamics between the CNS and the muscular system. Yet the sensorineural dynamics of environmental feedback to the CNS has not been investigated in detail. In this study, we address this issue by exploring the concept of sensory synergy. In contrast to muscle synergy, we hypothesize that sensory synergy plays an essential role in integrating the overall environmental inputs to provide low-dimensional information to the CNS. We assume that sensor synergy and muscle synergy communicate using these low-dimensional signals. To examine our hypothesis, we conducted posture control experiments involving lateral disturbance with nine healthy participants. Proprioceptive information represented by the changes on muscle lengths were estimated by using the musculoskeletal model analysis software SIMM. Changes on muscles lengths were then used to compute sensory synergies. The experimental results indicate that the environmental inputs were translated into the two dimensional signals and used to move the upper limb to the desired position immediately after the lateral disturbance. Participants who showed high skill in posture control were found to be likely to have a strong correlation between sensory and muscle signaling as well as high coordination between the utilized sensory synergies. These results suggest the importance of integrating environmental inputs into suitable low-dimensional signals before providing them to the CNS. This mechanism should be essential when designing the prosthesis' sensory system to make the controller simpler.

Does Input Enhancement Work for Learning Politeness Strategies?

Science.gov (United States)

Khatib, Mohammad; Safari, Mahmood

2013-01-01

The present study investigated the effect of input enhancement on the acquisition of English politeness strategies by intermediate EFL learners. Two groups of freshman English majors were randomly assigned to the experimental (enhanced input) group and the control (mere exposure) group. Initially, a TOEFL test and a discourse completion test (DCT)…

Optimal Input Design for Aircraft Parameter Estimation using Dynamic Programming Principles

Science.gov (United States)

Morelli, Eugene A.; Klein, Vladislav

1990-01-01

A new technique was developed for designing optimal flight test inputs for aircraft parameter estimation experiments. The principles of dynamic programming were used for the design in the time domain. This approach made it possible to include realistic practical constraints on the input and output variables. A description of the new approach is presented, followed by an example for a multiple input linear model describing the lateral dynamics of a fighter aircraft. The optimal input designs produced by the new technique demonstrated improved quality and expanded capability relative to the conventional multiple input design method.

Acid Sulfate Alteration on Mars

Science.gov (United States)

Ming, D. W.; Morris, R. V.

2016-01-01

A variety of mineralogical and geochemical indicators for aqueous alteration on Mars have been identified by a combination of surface and orbital robotic missions, telescopic observations, characterization of Martian meteorites, and laboratory and terrestrial analog studies. Acid sulfate alteration has been identified at all three landing sites visited by NASA rover missions (Spirit, Opportunity, and Curiosity). Spirit landed in Gusev crater in 2004 and discovered Fe-sulfates and materials that have been extensively leached by acid sulfate solutions. Opportunity landing on the plains of Meridiani Planum also in 2004 where the rover encountered large abundances of jarosite and hematite in sedimentary rocks. Curiosity landed in Gale crater in 2012 and has characterized fluvial, deltaic, and lacustrine sediments. Jarosite and hematite were discovered in some of the lacustrine sediments. The high elemental abundance of sulfur in surface materials is obvious evidence that sulfate has played a major role in aqueous processes at all landing sites on Mars. The sulfate-rich outcrop at Meridiani Planum has an SO3 content of up to 25 wt.%. The interiors of rocks and outcrops on the Columbia Hills within Gusev crater have up to 8 wt.% SO3. Soils at both sites generally have between 5 to 14 wt.% SO3, and several soils in Gusev crater contain around 30 wt.% SO3. After normalization of major element compositions to a SO3-free basis, the bulk compositions of these materials are basaltic, with a few exceptions in Gusev crater and in lacustrine mudstones in Gale crater. These observations suggest that materials encountered by the rovers were derived from basaltic precursors by acid sulfate alteration under nearly isochemical conditions (i.e., minimal leaching). There are several cases, however, where acid sulfate alteration minerals (jarosite and hematite) formed in open hydrologic systems, e.g., in Gale crater lacustrine mudstones. Several hypotheses have been suggested for the

RRTM: A rapid radiative transfer model

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mlawer, E.J.; Taubman, S.J.; Clough, S.A. [Atmospheric and Environmental Research, Inc., Cambridge, MA (United States)

1996-04-01

A rapid radiative transfer model (RRTM) for the calculation of longwave clear-sky fluxes and cooling rates has been developed. The model, which uses the correlated-k method, is both accurate and computationally fast. The foundation for RRTM is the line-by-line radiative transfer model (LBLRTM) from which the relevant k-distributions are obtained. LBLRTM, which has been extensively validated against spectral observations e.g., the high-resolution sounder and the Atmospheric Emitted Radiance Interferometer, is used to validate the flux and cooling rate results from RRTM. Validations of RRTM`s results have been performed for the tropical, midlatitude summer, and midlatitude winter atmospheres, as well as for the four Intercomparison of Radiation Codes in Climate Models (ICRCCM) cases from the Spectral Radiance Experiment (SPECTRE). Details of some of these validations are presented below. RRTM has the identical atmospheric input module as LBLRTM, facilitating intercomparisons with LBLRTM and application of the model at the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Cloud and Radiation Testbed sites.

A parallel input composite transimpedance amplifier

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, D. J.; Kim, C.

2018-01-01

A new approach to high performance current to voltage preamplifier design is presented. The design using multiple operational amplifiers (op-amps) has a parasitic capacitance compensation network and a composite amplifier topology for fast, precision, and low noise performance. The input stage consisting of a parallel linked JFET op-amps and a high-speed bipolar junction transistor (BJT) gain stage driving the output in the composite amplifier topology, cooperating with the capacitance compensation feedback network, ensures wide bandwidth stability in the presence of input capacitance above 40 nF. The design is ideal for any two-probe measurement, including high impedance transport and scanning tunneling microscopy measurements.

Integrate-and-fire vs Poisson models of LGN input to V1 cortex: noisier inputs reduce orientation selectivity.

Science.gov (United States)

Lin, I-Chun; Xing, Dajun; Shapley, Robert

2012-12-01

One of the reasons the visual cortex has attracted the interest of computational neuroscience is that it has well-defined inputs. The lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN) of the thalamus is the source of visual signals to the primary visual cortex (V1). Most large-scale cortical network models approximate the spike trains of LGN neurons as simple Poisson point processes. However, many studies have shown that neurons in the early visual pathway are capable of spiking with high temporal precision and their discharges are not Poisson-like. To gain an understanding of how response variability in the LGN influences the behavior of V1, we study response properties of model V1 neurons that receive purely feedforward inputs from LGN cells modeled either as noisy leaky integrate-and-fire (NLIF) neurons or as inhomogeneous Poisson processes. We first demonstrate that the NLIF model is capable of reproducing many experimentally observed statistical properties of LGN neurons. Then we show that a V1 model in which the LGN input to a V1 neuron is modeled as a group of NLIF neurons produces higher orientation selectivity than the one with Poisson LGN input. The second result implies that statistical characteristics of LGN spike trains are important for V1's function. We conclude that physiologically motivated models of V1 need to include more realistic LGN spike trains that are less noisy than inhomogeneous Poisson processes.

Usability Improvement for Data Input into the Fatigue Avoidance Scheduling Tool (FAST)

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Miller, James C

2005-01-01

...) data input mode than using the graphic schedule input mode. The Grid input mode provided both a statistically and an operationally significant reduction in data input time, compared to the Graphic mode for both novice...

Constituency Input into Budget Management.

Science.gov (United States)

Miller, Norman E.

1995-01-01

Presents techniques for ensuring constituency involvement in district- and site-level budget management. Outlines four models for securing constituent input and focuses on strategies to orchestrate the more complex model for staff and community participation. Two figures are included. (LMI)

Development of MIDAS/SMR Input Deck for SMART

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cho, S. W.; Oh, H. K.; Lee, J. M.; Lee, J. H.; Yoo, K. J.; Kwun, S. K.; Hur, H.

2010-01-01

The objective of this study is to develop MIDAS/SMR code basic input deck for the severe accidents by simulating the steady state for the SMART plant. SMART plant is an integrated reactor developed by KAERI. For the assessment of reactor safety and severe accident management strategy, it is necessary to simulate severe accidents using the MIDAS/SMR code which is being developed by KAERI. The input deck of the MIDAS/SMR code for the SMART plant is prepared to simulate severe accident sequences for the users who are not familiar with the code. A steady state is obtained and the results are compared with design values. The input deck will be improved through the simulation of the DBAs and severe accidents. The base input deck of the MIDAS/SMR code can be used to simulate severe accident scenarios after improvement. Source terms and hydrogen generation can be analyzed through the simulation of the severe accident. The information gained from analyses of severe accidents is expected to be helpful to develop the severe accident management strategy

Serum metabolomics of slow vs. rapid motor progression Parkinson's disease: a pilot study.

Science.gov (United States)

Roede, James R; Uppal, Karan; Park, Youngja; Lee, Kichun; Tran, Vilinh; Walker, Douglas; Strobel, Frederick H; Rhodes, Shannon L; Ritz, Beate; Jones, Dean P

2013-01-01

Progression of Parkinson's disease (PD) is highly variable, indicating that differences between slow and rapid progression forms could provide valuable information for improved early detection and management. Unfortunately, this represents a complex problem due to the heterogeneous nature of humans in regards to demographic characteristics, genetics, diet, environmental exposures and health behaviors. In this pilot study, we employed high resolution mass spectrometry-based metabolic profiling to investigate the metabolic signatures of slow versus rapidly progressing PD present in human serum. Archival serum samples from PD patients obtained within 3 years of disease onset were analyzed via dual chromatography-high resolution mass spectrometry, with data extraction by xMSanalyzer and used to predict rapid or slow motor progression of these patients during follow-up. Statistical analyses, such as false discovery rate analysis and partial least squares discriminant analysis, yielded a list of statistically significant metabolic features and further investigation revealed potential biomarkers. In particular, N8-acetyl spermidine was found to be significantly elevated in the rapid progressors compared to both control subjects and slow progressors. Our exploratory data indicate that a fast motor progression disease phenotype can be distinguished early in disease using high resolution mass spectrometry-based metabolic profiling and that altered polyamine metabolism may be a predictive marker of rapidly progressing PD.

Learning Complex Grammar in the Virtual Classroom: A Comparison of Processing Instruction, Structured Input, Computerized Visual Input Enhancement, and Traditional Instruction

Science.gov (United States)

Russell, Victoria

2012-01-01

This study investigated the effects of processing instruction (PI) and structured input (SI) on the acquisition of the subjunctive in adjectival clauses by 92 second-semester distance learners of Spanish. Computerized visual input enhancement (VIE) was combined with PI and SI in an attempt to increase the salience of the targeted grammatical form…

Normal Morning Melanin-Concentrating Hormone Levels and No Association with Rapid Eye Movement or Non-Rapid Eye Movement Sleep Parameters in Narcolepsy Type 1 and Type 2

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Schrölkamp, Maren; Jennum, Poul J; Gammeltoft, Steen

2017-01-01

in rapid eye movement (REM) and non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep regulation. Hypocretin neurons reciprocally interact with MCH neurons. We hypothesized that altered MCH secretion contributes to the symptoms and sleep abnormalities of narcolepsy and that this is reflected in morning cerebrospinal fluid...... MCH levels. CONCLUSIONS: Our study shows that MCH levels in CSF collected in the morning are normal in narcolepsy and not associated with the clinical symptoms, REM sleep abnormalities, nor number of muscle movements during REM or NREM sleep of the patients. We conclude that morning lumbar CSF MCH......STUDY OBJECTIVES: Other than hypocretin-1 (HCRT-1) deficiency in narcolepsy type 1 (NT1), the neurochemical imbalance of NT1 and narcolepsy type 2 (NT2) with normal HCRT-1 levels is largely unknown. The neuropeptide melanin-concentrating hormone (MCH) is mainly secreted during sleep and is involved...

Discrete Input Signaling for MISO Visible Light Communication Channels

KAUST Repository

Arfaoui, Mohamed Amine; Rezki, Zouheir; Ghrayeb, Ali; Alouini, Mohamed-Slim

2017-01-01

In this paper, we study the achievable secrecy rate of visible light communication (VLC) links for discrete input distributions. We consider single user single eavesdropper multiple-input single-output (MISO) links. In addition, both beamforming

Pseudo-BINPUT, a free formal input package for Fortran programmes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gubbins, M.E.

1977-11-01

Pseudo - BINPUT is an input package for reading free format data in codeword control in a FORTRAN programme. To a large degree it mimics in function the Winfrith Subroutine Library routine BINPUT. By using calls of the data input package DECIN to mimic the input routine BINPUT, Pseudo - BINPUT combines some of the advantages of both systems. (U.K.)

Distinctiveness and Bidirectional Effects in Input Enhancement for Vocabulary Learning

Science.gov (United States)

Barcroft, Joe

2003-01-01

This study examined input enhancement and second language (L2) vocabulary learning while exploring the role of "distinctiveness," the degree to which an item in the input diverges from the form in which other items in the input are presented, with regard to the nature and direction of the effects of enhancement. In this study,…

Wyoming Basin Rapid Ecoregional Assessment

Science.gov (United States)

Carr, Natasha B.; Melcher, Cynthia P.

2015-08-28

The Wyoming Basin Rapid Ecoregional Assessment was conducted in partnership with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). The overall goals of the BLM Rapid Ecoregional Assessments (REAs) are to identify important ecosystems and wildlife habitats at broad spatial scales; identify where these resources are at risk from Change Agents, including development, wildfire, invasive species, disease and climate change; quantify cumulative effects of anthropogenic stressors; and assess current levels of risk to ecological resources across a range of spatial scales and jurisdictional boundaries by assessing all lands within an ecoregion. There are several components of the REAs. Management Questions, developed by the BLM and stakeholders for the ecoregion, identify the regionally significant information needed for addressing land-management responsibilities. Conservation Elements represent regionally significant species and ecological communities that are of management concern. Change Agents that currently affect or are likely to affect the condition of species and communities in the future are identified and assessed. REAs also identify areas that have high conservation potential that are referred to as “large intact areas.” At the ecoregion level, the ecological value of large intact areas is based on the assumption that because these areas have not been greatly altered by human activities (such as development), they are more likely to contain a variety of plant and animal communities and to be resilient and resistant to changes resulting from natural disturbances such as fire, insect outbreaks, and disease.

Input-variable sensitivity assessment for sediment transport relations

Science.gov (United States)

Fernández, Roberto; Garcia, Marcelo H.

2017-09-01

A methodology to assess input-variable sensitivity for sediment transport relations is presented. The Mean Value First Order Second Moment Method (MVFOSM) is applied to two bed load transport equations showing that it may be used to rank all input variables in terms of how their specific variance affects the overall variance of the sediment transport estimation. In sites where data are scarce or nonexistent, the results obtained may be used to (i) determine what variables would have the largest impact when estimating sediment loads in the absence of field observations and (ii) design field campaigns to specifically measure those variables for which a given transport equation is most sensitive; in sites where data are readily available, the results would allow quantifying the effect that the variance associated with each input variable has on the variance of the sediment transport estimates. An application of the method to two transport relations using data from a tropical mountain river in Costa Rica is implemented to exemplify the potential of the method in places where input data are limited. Results are compared against Monte Carlo simulations to assess the reliability of the method and validate its results. For both of the sediment transport relations used in the sensitivity analysis, accurate knowledge of sediment size was found to have more impact on sediment transport predictions than precise knowledge of other input variables such as channel slope and flow discharge.

Input measurements in reprocessing plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Trincherini, P.R.; Facchetti, S.

1980-01-01

The aim of this work is to give a review of the methods and the problems encountered in measurements in 'input accountability tanks' of irradiated fuel treatment plants. This study was prompted by the conviction that more and more precise techniques and methods should be at the service of safeguards organizations and that ever greater efforts should be directed towards promoting knowledge of them among operators and all those general area of interest includes the nuclear fuel cycle. The overall intent is to show the necessity of selecting methods which produce measurements which are not only more precise but are absolutely reliable both for routine plant operation and for safety checks in the input area. A description and a critical evaluation of the most common physical and chemical methods are provided, together with an estimate of the precision and accuracy obtained in real operating conditions

Conceptual Design of GRIG (GUI Based RETRAN Input Generator)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Gyung Jin; Hwang, Su Hyun; Hong, Soon Joon; Lee, Byung Chul; Jang, Chan Su; Um, Kil Sup

2007-01-01

For the development of high performance methodology using advanced transient analysis code, it is essential to generate the basic input of transient analysis code by rigorous QA procedures. There are various types of operating NPPs (Nuclear Power Plants) in Korea such as Westinghouse plants, KSNP(Korea Standard Nuclear Power Plant), APR1400 (Advance Power Reactor), etc. So there are some difficulties to generate and manage systematically the input of transient analysis code reflecting the inherent characteristics of various types of NPPs. To minimize the user faults and investment man power and to generate effectively and accurately the basic inputs of transient analysis code for all domestic NPPs, it is needed to develop the program that can automatically generate the basic input, which can be directly applied to the transient analysis, from the NPP design material. ViRRE (Visual RETRAN Running Environment) developed by KEPCO (Korea Electric Power Corporation) and KAERI (Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute) provides convenient working environment for Kori Unit 1/2. ViRRE shows the calculated results through on-line display but its capability is limited on the convenient execution of RETRAN. So it can not be used as input generator. ViSA (Visual System Analyzer) developed by KAERI is a NPA (Nuclear Plant Analyzer) using RETRAN and MARS code as thermal-hydraulic engine. ViSA contains both pre-processing and post-processing functions. In the pre-processing, only the trip data cards and boundary conditions can be changed through GUI mode based on pre-prepared text-input, so the capability of input generation is very limited. SNAP (Symbolic Nuclear Analysis Package) developed by Applied Programming Technology, Inc. and NRC (Nuclear Regulatory Commission) provides efficient working environment for the use of nuclear safety analysis codes such as RELAP5 and TRAC-M codes. SNAP covers wide aspects of thermal-hydraulic analysis from model creation through data analysis

Tracing alteration of mantle peridotite in the Samail ophiolite using Mg isotopes

Science.gov (United States)

de Obeso, J. C.; Kelemen, P. B.; Higgins, J. A.

2017-12-01

Magnesium is one of the main constituents of mantle peridotite ( 22.8 wt%), which has a homogeneous Mg isotopic composition (d26Mg = -0.25 ± 0.04 ‰ (2 sd) DSM3, Teng et al 2010 GCA). Mg isotopes are used as tracers of continental and oceanic weathering as they exhibit variable degrees of fractionation during alteration depending on the lithology. Here we report some of the first Mg isotopic compositions of the mantle section of the Samail ophiolite in Oman and its alteration products. The mantle section of the ophiolite is composed mainly of depleted harzburgites and dunites with mantle-like d26Mg (-0.25, -0.21 ‰). Mantle peridotite is far from equilibrium in near surface conditions leading to rapid, extensive serpentinization, carbonation and oxidation, as well as other geochemical changes. Our analyzed samples encompass most of the alteration of peridotite products observed in Oman including listvenites (completely carbonated peridotite) near the basal thrust of the ophiolite, massive magnesite veins within peridotite outcrops, and heavily altered harzburgites. Magnesite listvenites have d26Mg slightly below mantle values (-0.33, -0.33‰) while dolomite listvenites are significantly lighter (-1.46, -0.89‰). This suggests that heavy Mg isotopes were removed from the listvenites during ophiolite emplacement. Heavily altered peridotite from Wadi Fins exhibit alteration halos with drastic changes in composition. The most oxidized areas are enriched in Fe and depleted in Mg compared to the cores of the samples. These variations in Mg concentrations are complemented by a shift to heavy Mg isotopic compositions (0.74, 0.86‰), among the heaviest d26Mg values that have been reported in altered peridotite. Potential sinks for light isotopes removed from such alteration zones are massive magnesite veins with very light compositions (-3.39, -3.14‰). The fractionation of Mg isotopes observed in the mantle section of the ophiolite spans more than 50% of the known

Intrinsic cardiac nervous system in tachycardia induced heart failure.

Science.gov (United States)

Arora, Rakesh C; Cardinal, Rene; Smith, Frank M; Ardell, Jeffrey L; Dell'Italia, Louis J; Armour, J Andrew

2003-11-01

The purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that early-stage heart failure differentially affects the intrinsic cardiac nervous system's capacity to regulate cardiac function. After 2 wk of rapid ventricular pacing in nine anesthetized canines, cardiac and right atrial neuronal function were evaluated in situ in response to enhanced cardiac sensory inputs, stimulation of extracardiac autonomic efferent neuronal inputs, and close coronary arterial administration of neurochemicals that included nicotine. Right atrial neuronal intracellular electrophysiological properties were then evaluated in vitro in response to synaptic activation and nicotine. Intrinsic cardiac nicotine-sensitive, neuronally induced cardiac responses were also evaluated in eight sham-operated, unpaced animals. Two weeks of rapid ventricular pacing reduced the cardiac index by 54%. Intrinsic cardiac neurons of paced hearts maintained their cardiac mechano- and chemosensory transduction properties in vivo. They also responded normally to sympathetic and parasympathetic preganglionic efferent neuronal inputs, as well as to locally administered alpha-or beta-adrenergic agonists or angiotensin II. The dose of nicotine needed to modify intrinsic cardiac neurons was 50 times greater in failure compared with normal preparations. That dose failed to alter monitored cardiovascular indexes in failing preparations. Phasic and accommodating neurons identified in vitro displayed altered intracellular membrane properties compared with control, including decreased membrane resistance, indicative of reduced excitability. Early-stage heart failure differentially affects the intrinsic cardiac nervous system's capacity to regulate cardiodynamics. While maintaining its capacity to transduce cardiac mechano- and chemosensory inputs, as well as inputs from extracardiac autonomic efferent neurons, intrinsic cardiac nicotine-sensitive, local-circuit neurons differentially remodel such that their capacity to

Global sensitivity analysis of computer models with functional inputs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Iooss, Bertrand; Ribatet, Mathieu

2009-01-01

Global sensitivity analysis is used to quantify the influence of uncertain model inputs on the response variability of a numerical model. The common quantitative methods are appropriate with computer codes having scalar model inputs. This paper aims at illustrating different variance-based sensitivity analysis techniques, based on the so-called Sobol's indices, when some model inputs are functional, such as stochastic processes or random spatial fields. In this work, we focus on large cpu time computer codes which need a preliminary metamodeling step before performing the sensitivity analysis. We propose the use of the joint modeling approach, i.e., modeling simultaneously the mean and the dispersion of the code outputs using two interlinked generalized linear models (GLMs) or generalized additive models (GAMs). The 'mean model' allows to estimate the sensitivity indices of each scalar model inputs, while the 'dispersion model' allows to derive the total sensitivity index of the functional model inputs. The proposed approach is compared to some classical sensitivity analysis methodologies on an analytical function. Lastly, the new methodology is applied to an industrial computer code that simulates the nuclear fuel irradiation.

Optimally decoding the input rate from an observation of the interspike intervals

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Feng Jianfeng [COGS, University of Sussex at Brighton (United Kingdom) and Computational Neuroscience Laboratory, Babraham Institute, Cambridge (United Kingdom)]. E-mail: jf218@cam.ac.uk

2001-09-21

A neuron extensively receives both inhibitory and excitatory inputs. What is the ratio r between these two types of input so that the neuron can most accurately read out input information (rate)? We explore the issue in this paper provided that the neuron is an ideal observer - decoding the input information with the attainment of the Cramer-Rao inequality bound. It is found that, in general, adding certain amounts of inhibitory inputs to a neuron improves its capability of accurately decoding the input information. By calculating the Fisher information of an integrate-and-fire neuron, we determine the optimal ratio r for decoding the input information from an observation of the efferent interspike intervals. Surprisingly, the Fisher information can be zero for certain values of the ratio, seemingly implying that it is impossible to read out the encoded information at these values. By analysing the maximum likelihood estimate of the input information, it is concluded that the input information is in fact most easily estimated at the points where the Fisher information vanishes. (author)

Efficient round-robin multicast scheduling for input-queued switches

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rasmussen, Anders; Yu, Hao; Ruepp, Sarah Renée

2014-01-01

The input-queued (IQ) switch architecture is favoured for designing multicast high-speed switches because of its scalability and low implementation complexity. However, using the first-in-first-out (FIFO) queueing discipline at each input of the switch may cause the head-of-line (HOL) blocking...... problem. Using a separate queue for each output port at an input to reduce the HOL blocking, that is, the virtual output queuing discipline, increases the implementation complexity, which limits the scalability. Given the increasing link speed and network capacity, a low-complexity yet efficient multicast...... by means of queue look-ahead. Simulation results demonstrate that this FIFO-based IQ multicast architecture is able to achieve significant improvements in terms of multicast latency requirements by searching through a small number of cells beyond the HOL cells in the input queues. Furthermore, hardware...

Control Board Digital Interface Input Devices – Touchscreen, Trackpad, or Mouse?

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Thomas A. Ulrich; Ronald L. Boring; Roger Lew

2015-08-01

The authors collaborated with a power utility to evaluate input devices for use in the human system interface (HSI) for a new digital Turbine Control System (TCS) at a nuclear power plant (NPP) undergoing a TCS upgrade. A standalone dynamic software simulation of the new digital TCS and a mobile kiosk were developed to conduct an input device study to evaluate operator preference and input device effectiveness. The TCS software presented the anticipated HSI for the TCS and mimicked (i.e., simulated) the turbine systems’ responses to operator commands. Twenty-four licensed operators from the two nuclear power units participated in the study. Three input devices were tested: a trackpad, mouse, and touchscreen. The subjective feedback from the survey indicates the operators preferred the touchscreen interface. The operators subjectively rated the touchscreen as the fastest and most comfortable input device given the range of tasks they performed during the study, but also noted a lack of accuracy for selecting small targets. The empirical data suggest the mouse input device provides the most consistent performance for screen navigation and manipulating on screen controls. The trackpad input device was both empirically and subjectively found to be the least effective and least desired input device.

Barrier island forest ecosystem: role of meteorologic nutrient inputs.

Science.gov (United States)

Art, H W; Bormann, F H; Voigt, G K; Woodwell, G M

1974-04-05

The Sunken Forest, located on Fire Island, a barrier island in the Atlantic Ocean off Long Island, New York, is an ecosystem in which most of the basic cation input is in the form of salt spray. This meteorologic input is sufficient to compensate for the lack of certain nutrients in the highly weathered sandy soils. In other ecosystems these nutrients are generally supplied by weathering of soil particles. The compensatory effect of meteorologic input allows for primary production rates in the Sunken Forest similar to those of inland temperate forests.

Jointness through vessel capacity input in a multispecies fishery

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hansen, Lars Gårn; Jensen, Carsten Lynge

2014-01-01

capacity. We develop a fixed but allocatable input model of purse seine fisheries capturing this particular type of jointness. We estimate the model for the Norwegian purse seine fishery and find that it is characterized by nonjointness, while estimations for this fishery using the standard models imply...... are typically modeled as either independent single species fisheries or using standard multispecies functional forms characterized by jointness in inputs. We argue that production of each species is essentially independent but that jointness may be caused by competition for fixed but allocable input of vessel...

Synthetic ciguatoxin CTX 3C induces a rapid imbalance in neuronal excitability.

Science.gov (United States)

Martín, Victor; Vale, Carmen; Hirama, Masahiro; Yamashita, Shuji; Rubiolo, Juan Andrés; Vieytes, Mercedes R; Botana, Luis M

2015-06-15

Ciguatera is a human global disease caused by the consumption of contaminated fish that have accumulated ciguatoxins (CTXs), sodium channel activator toxins. Symptoms of ciguatera include neurological alterations such as paraesthesiae, dysaesthesiae, depression, and heightened nociperception, among others. An important issue to understand these long-term neurological alterations is to establish the role that changes in activity produced by CTX 3C represent to neurons. Here, the effects of synthetic ciguatoxin CTX 3C on membrane potential, spontaneous spiking, and properties of synaptic transmission in cultured cortical neurons of 11-18 days in vitro (DIV) were evaluated using electrophysiological approaches. CTX 3C induced a large depolarization that decreased neuronal firing and caused a rapid inward tonic current that was primarily GABAergic. Moreover, the toxin enhanced the amplitude of miniature postsynaptic inhibitory currents (mIPSCs), whereas it decreased the amplitude of miniature postsynaptic excitatory currents (mEPSCs). The frequency of mIPSCs increased, whereas the frequency of mEPSCs remained unaltered. We describe, for the first time, that a rapid membrane depolarization caused by CTX 3C in cortical neurons activates mechanisms that tend to suppress electrical activity by shifting the balance between excitatory and inhibitory synaptic transmission toward inhibition. Indeed, these results suggest that the acute effects of CTX on synaptic transmission could underlie some of the neurological symptoms caused by ciguatera in humans.

Micro-Level Management of Agricultural Inputs: Emerging Approaches

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jonathan Weekley

2012-12-01

Full Text Available Through the development of superior plant varieties that benefit from high agrochemical inputs and irrigation, the agricultural Green Revolution has doubled crop yields, yet introduced unintended impacts on environment. An expected 50% growth in world population during the 21st century demands novel integration of advanced technologies and low-input production systems based on soil and plant biology, targeting precision delivery of inputs synchronized with growth stages of crop plants. Further, successful systems will integrate subsurface water, air and nutrient delivery, real-time soil parameter data and computer-based decision-making to mitigate plant stress and actively manipulate microbial rhizosphere communities that stimulate productivity. Such an approach will ensure food security and mitigate impacts of climate change.

Incorporating uncertainty in RADTRAN 6.0 input files.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dennis, Matthew L.; Weiner, Ruth F.; Heames, Terence John (Alion Science and Technology)

2010-02-01

Uncertainty may be introduced into RADTRAN analyses by distributing input parameters. The MELCOR Uncertainty Engine (Gauntt and Erickson, 2004) has been adapted for use in RADTRAN to determine the parameter shape and minimum and maximum of the distribution, to sample on the distribution, and to create an appropriate RADTRAN batch file. Coupling input parameters is not possible in this initial application. It is recommended that the analyst be very familiar with RADTRAN and able to edit or create a RADTRAN input file using a text editor before implementing the RADTRAN Uncertainty Analysis Module. Installation of the MELCOR Uncertainty Engine is required for incorporation of uncertainty into RADTRAN. Gauntt and Erickson (2004) provides installation instructions as well as a description and user guide for the uncertainty engine.

Conceptualizing, Understanding, and Predicting Responsible Decisions and Quality Input

Science.gov (United States)

Wall, N.; PytlikZillig, L. M.

2012-12-01

In areas such as climate change, where uncertainty is high, it is arguably less difficult to tell when efforts have resulted in changes in knowledge, than when those efforts have resulted in responsible decisions. What is a responsible decision? More broadly, when it comes to citizen input, what is "high quality" input? And most importantly, how are responsible decisions and quality input enhanced? The aim of this paper is to contribute to the understanding of the different dimensions of "responsible" or "quality" public input and citizen decisions by comparing and contrasting the different predictors of those different dimensions. We first present different possibilities for defining, operationalizing and assessing responsible or high quality decisions. For example, responsible decisions or quality input might be defined as using specific content (e.g., using climate change information in decisions appropriately), as using specific processes (e.g., investing time and effort in learning about and discussing the issues prior to making decisions), or on the basis of some judgment of the decision or input itself (e.g., judgments of the rationale provided for the decisions, or number of issues considered when giving input). Second, we present results from our work engaging people with science policy topics, and the different ways that we have tried to define these two constructs. In the area of climate change specifically, we describe the development of a short survey that assesses exposure to climate information, knowledge of and attitudes toward climate change, and use of climate information in one's decisions. Specifically, the short survey was developed based on a review of common surveys of climate change related knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors, and extensive piloting and cognitive interviews. Next, we analyze more than 200 responses to that survey (data collection is currently ongoing and will be complete after the AGU deadline), and report the predictors of

Plant adaptation to frequent alterations between high and low temperatures: remodeling of membrane lipids and maintenance of unsaturation levels

OpenAIRE

Zheng, Guowei; Tian, Bo; Zhang, Fujuan; Tao, Faqing; Li, Weiqi

2011-01-01

One major strategy by which plants adapt to temperature change is to decrease the degree of unsaturation of membrane lipids under high temperature and increase it under low temperature. We hypothesize that this strategy cannot be adopted by plants in ecosystems and environments with frequent alterations between high and low temperatures, because changes in lipid unsaturation are complex and require large energy inputs. To test this hypothesis, we used a lipidomics approach to profile changes ...

Photographic assessment of nasal morphology following rapid maxillary expansion in children

Science.gov (United States)

da SILVA FILHO, Omar Gabriel; LARA, Tulio Silva; AYUB, Priscila Vaz; OHASHI, Amanda Sayuri Cardoso; BERTOZ, Francisco Antônio

2011-01-01

Objective The aim of the present study was to use facial analysis to determine the effects of rapid maxillary expansion (RME) on nasal morphology in children in the stages of primary and mixed dentition, with posterior cross-bite. Material and Methods Facial photographs (front view and profile) of 60 patients in the pre-expansion period, immediate post-expansion period and one year following rapid maxillary expansion with a Haas appliance were evaluated on 2 occasions by 3 experienced orthodontists independently, with a 2-week interval between evaluations. The examiners were instructed to assess nasal morphology and had no knowledge regarding the content of the study. Intraexaminer and interexaminer agreement (assessed using the Kappa statistic) was acceptable. Results From the analysis of the mode of the examiners' findings, no alterations in nasal morphology occurred regarding the following aspects: dorsum of nose, alar base, nasal width of middle third and nasal base. Alterations were only detected in the nasolabial angle in 1.64% of the patients between the pre-expansion and immediate post-expansion photographs. In 4.92% of the patients between the immediate post-expansion period and 1 year following expansion; and in 6.56% of the patients between the pre-expansion period and one year following expansion. Conclusion RME performed on children in stages of primary and mixed dentition did not have any impact on nasal morphology, as assessed using facial analysis. PMID:21986660

Characterization of memory states of the Preisach operator with stochastic inputs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Amann, A.; Brokate, M.; McCarthy, S.; Rachinskii, D.; Temnov, G.

2012-01-01

The Preisach operator with inputs defined by a Markov process x t is considered. The question we address is: what is the distribution of the random memory state of the Preisach operator at a given time moment t 0 in the limit r→∞ of infinitely long input history x t , t 0 -r≤t≤t 0 ? In order to answer this question, we introduce a Markov chain (called the memory state Markov chain) where the states are pairs (m k ,M k ) of elements from the monotone sequences of the local minimum input values m k and the local maximum input values M k recorded in the memory state and the index k of the elements plays the role of time. We express the transition probabilities of this Markov chain in terms of the transition probabilities of the input stochastic process and show that the memory state Markov chain and the input process generate the same distribution of the memory states. These results are illustrated by several examples of stochastic inputs such as the Wiener and Bernoulli processes and their mixture (we first discuss a discrete version of these processes and then the continuous time and state setting). The memory state Markov chain is then used to find the distribution of the random number of elements in the memory state sequence. We show that this number has the Poisson distribution for the Wiener and Bernoulli processes inputs. In particular, in the discrete setting, the mean value of the number of elements in the memory state scales as lnN, where N is the number of the input states, while the mean time it takes the input to generate this memory state scales as N 2 for the Wiener process and as N for the Bernoulli process. A similar relationship between the dimension of the memory state vector and the number of iterations in the numerical realization of the input is shown for the mixture of the Wiener and Bernoulli processes, thus confirming that the memory state Markov chain is an efficient tool for generating the distribution of the Preisach operator memory

Characterization of memory states of the Preisach operator with stochastic inputs

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Amann, A. [Department of Applied Mathematics, University College Cork (Ireland); Brokate, M. [Zentrum Mathematik, Technische Universitaet Muenchen (Germany); McCarthy, S. [Department of Applied Mathematics, University College Cork (Ireland); Rachinskii, D., E-mail: d.rachinskii@ucc.ie [Department of Applied Mathematics, University College Cork (Ireland); Temnov, G. [Department of Mathematics, University College Cork (Ireland)

2012-05-01

The Preisach operator with inputs defined by a Markov process x{sup t} is considered. The question we address is: what is the distribution of the random memory state of the Preisach operator at a given time moment t{sub 0} in the limit r{yields}{infinity} of infinitely long input history x{sup t}, t{sub 0}-r{<=}t{<=}t{sub 0}? In order to answer this question, we introduce a Markov chain (called the memory state Markov chain) where the states are pairs (m{sub k},M{sub k}) of elements from the monotone sequences of the local minimum input values m{sub k} and the local maximum input values M{sub k} recorded in the memory state and the index k of the elements plays the role of time. We express the transition probabilities of this Markov chain in terms of the transition probabilities of the input stochastic process and show that the memory state Markov chain and the input process generate the same distribution of the memory states. These results are illustrated by several examples of stochastic inputs such as the Wiener and Bernoulli processes and their mixture (we first discuss a discrete version of these processes and then the continuous time and state setting). The memory state Markov chain is then used to find the distribution of the random number of elements in the memory state sequence. We show that this number has the Poisson distribution for the Wiener and Bernoulli processes inputs. In particular, in the discrete setting, the mean value of the number of elements in the memory state scales as lnN, where N is the number of the input states, while the mean time it takes the input to generate this memory state scales as N{sup 2} for the Wiener process and as N for the Bernoulli process. A similar relationship between the dimension of the memory state vector and the number of iterations in the numerical realization of the input is shown for the mixture of the Wiener and Bernoulli processes, thus confirming that the memory state Markov chain is an efficient tool for

Sleep alterations in mammals: did aquatic conditions inhibit rapid eye movement sleep?

Science.gov (United States)

Madan, Vibha; Jha, Sushil K

2012-12-01

Sleep has been studied widely in mammals and to some extent in other vertebrates. Higher vertebrates such as birds and mammals have evolved an inimitable rapid eye movement (REM) sleep state. During REM sleep, postural muscles become atonic and the temperature regulating machinery remains suspended. Although REM sleep is present in almost all the terrestrial mammals, the aquatic mammals have either radically reduced or completely eliminated REM sleep. Further, we found a significant negative correlation between REM sleep and the adaptation of the organism to live on land or in water. The amount of REM sleep is highest in terrestrial mammals, significantly reduced in semi-aquatic mammals and completely absent or negligible in aquatic mammals. The aquatic mammals are obligate swimmers and have to surface at regular intervals for air. Also, these animals live in thermally challenging environments, where the conductive heat loss is approximately ~90 times greater than air. Therefore, they have to be moving most of the time. As an adaptation, they have evolved unihemispheric sleep, during which they can rove as well as rest. A condition that immobilizes muscle activity and suspends the thermoregulatory machinery, as happens during REM sleep, is not suitable for these animals. It is possible that, in accord with Darwin's theory, aquatic mammals might have abolished REM sleep with time. In this review, we discuss the possibility of the intrinsic role of aquatic conditions in the elimination of REM sleep in the aquatic mammals.

History of the special committee on INIS input preparation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Itabashi, Keizo

2011-06-01

The special committee on INIS input techniques was held 8 times from December 1970 to March 1973. The special committee on INIS input preparation was held 39 times from February 1974 to December 2004. The history of these two committees is described. (author)

DECISION-MAKING ALIGNED WITH RAPID-CYCLE EVALUATION IN HEALTH CARE.

Science.gov (United States)

Schneeweiss, Sebastian; Shrank, William H; Ruhl, Michael; Maclure, Malcolm

2015-01-01

Availability of real-time electronic healthcare data provides new opportunities for rapid-cycle evaluation (RCE) of health technologies, including healthcare delivery and payment programs. We aim to align decision-making processes with stages of RCE to optimize the usefulness and impact of rapid results. Rational decisions about program adoption depend on program effect size in relation to externalities, including implementation cost, sustainability, and likelihood of broad adoption. Drawing on case studies and experience from drug safety monitoring, we examine how decision makers have used scientific evidence on complex interventions in the past. We clarify how RCE alters the nature of policy decisions; develop the RAPID framework for synchronizing decision-maker activities with stages of RCE; and provide guidelines on evidence thresholds for incremental decision-making. In contrast to traditional evaluations, RCE provides early evidence on effectiveness and facilitates a stepped approach to decision making in expectation of future regularly updated evidence. RCE allows for identification of trends in adjusted effect size. It supports adapting a program in midstream in response to interim findings, or adapting the evaluation strategy to identify true improvements earlier. The 5-step RAPID approach that utilizes the cumulating evidence of program effectiveness over time could increase policy-makers' confidence in expediting decisions. RCE enables a step-wise approach to HTA decision-making, based on gradually emerging evidence, reducing delays in decision-making processes after traditional one-time evaluations.

Parameter setting and input reduction

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Evers, A.; van Kampen, N.J.|info:eu-repo/dai/nl/126439737

2008-01-01

The language acquisition procedure identifies certain properties of the target grammar before others. The evidence from the input is processed in a stepwise order. Section 1 equates that order and its typical effects with an order of parameter setting. The question is how the acquisition procedure

Lithium inputs to subduction zones

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bouman, C.; Elliott, T.R.; Vroon, P.Z.

2004-01-01

We have studied the sedimentary and basaltic inputs of lithium to subduction zones. Various sediments from DSDP and ODP drill cores in front of the Mariana, South Sandwich, Banda, East Sunda and Lesser Antilles island arcs have been analysed and show highly variable Li contents and δ

User's guide to input for WRAP: a water reactor analysis package

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gregory, M.V.

1977-06-01

The document describes the input records required to execute the Water Reactor Analysis Package (WRAP) for the analysis of thermal-hydraulic transients in primarily light water reactors. The card input required by RELAP4 has been significantly modified to broaden the code's input processing capabilities: (1) All input is in the form of templated, named records. (2) All components (volumes, junctions, etc.) are named rather than numbered, and system relationships are formed by defining associations between the names. (3) A hierarchical part structure is used which allows collections of components to be described as discrete parts (these parts may then be catalogued for use in a wide range of cases). A sample problem, the small break analysis of the Westinghouse Trojan Plant, is discussed and detailed, step-by-step instructions in setting up an input data base are presented. A master list of all input templates for WRAP is compiled

Input-profile-based software failure probability quantification for safety signal generation systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kang, Hyun Gook; Lim, Ho Gon; Lee, Ho Jung; Kim, Man Cheol; Jang, Seung Cheol

2009-01-01

The approaches for software failure probability estimation are mainly based on the results of testing. Test cases represent the inputs, which are encountered in an actual use. The test inputs for the safety-critical application such as a reactor protection system (RPS) of a nuclear power plant are the inputs which cause the activation of protective action such as a reactor trip. A digital system treats inputs from instrumentation sensors as discrete digital values by using an analog-to-digital converter. Input profile must be determined in consideration of these characteristics for effective software failure probability quantification. Another important characteristic of software testing is that we do not have to repeat the test for the same input value since the software response is deterministic for each specific digital input. With these considerations, we propose an effective software testing method for quantifying the failure probability. As an example application, the input profile of the digital RPS is developed based on the typical plant data. The proposed method in this study is expected to provide a simple but realistic mean to quantify the software failure probability based on input profile and system dynamics.

Shaped input distributions for structural damage localization

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ulriksen, Martin Dalgaard; Bernal, Dionisio; Damkilde, Lars

2018-01-01

localization method is cast that operates on the premise of shaping inputs—whose spatial distribution is fixed—by use of a model, such that these inputs, in one structural subdomain at a time, suppress certain steady-state vibration quantities (depending on the type of damage one seeks to interrogate for......). Accordingly, damage is localized when the vibration signature induced by the shaped inputs in the damaged state corresponds to that in the reference state, hereby implying that the approach does not point directly to damage. Instead, it operates with interrogation based on postulated damage patterns...

Nuclear reaction inputs based on effective interactions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hilaire, S.; Peru, S.; Dubray, N.; Dupuis, M.; Bauge, E. [CEA, DAM, DIF, Arpajon (France); Goriely, S. [Universite Libre de Bruxelles, Institut d' Astronomie et d' Astrophysique, CP-226, Brussels (Belgium)

2016-11-15

Extensive nuclear structure studies have been performed for decades using effective interactions as sole input. They have shown a remarkable ability to describe rather accurately many types of nuclear properties. In the early 2000 s, a major effort has been engaged to produce nuclear reaction input data out of the Gogny interaction, in order to challenge its quality also with respect to nuclear reaction observables. The status of this project, well advanced today thanks to the use of modern computers as well as modern nuclear reaction codes, is reviewed and future developments are discussed. (orig.)

Multiple Input - Multiple Output (MIMO) SAR

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — This effort will research and implement advanced Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO) Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) techniques which have the potential to improve...

Mechanisms of resistance to quinolones: target alterations, decreased accumulation and DNA gyrase protection.

Science.gov (United States)

Ruiz, Joaquim

2003-05-01

Quinolones are broad-spectrum antibacterial agents, commonly used in both clinical and veterinary medicine. Their extensive use has resulted in bacteria rapidly developing resistance to these agents. Two mechanisms of quinolone resistance have been established to date: alterations in the targets of quinolones, and decreased accumulation due to impermeability of the membrane and/or an overexpression of efflux pump systems. Recently, mobile elements have also been described, carrying the qnr gene, which confers resistance to quinolones.

Analytic uncertainty and sensitivity analysis of models with input correlations

Science.gov (United States)

Zhu, Yueying; Wang, Qiuping A.; Li, Wei; Cai, Xu

2018-03-01

Probabilistic uncertainty analysis is a common means of evaluating mathematical models. In mathematical modeling, the uncertainty in input variables is specified through distribution laws. Its contribution to the uncertainty in model response is usually analyzed by assuming that input variables are independent of each other. However, correlated parameters are often happened in practical applications. In the present paper, an analytic method is built for the uncertainty and sensitivity analysis of models in the presence of input correlations. With the method, it is straightforward to identify the importance of the independence and correlations of input variables in determining the model response. This allows one to decide whether or not the input correlations should be considered in practice. Numerical examples suggest the effectiveness and validation of our analytic method in the analysis of general models. A practical application of the method is also proposed to the uncertainty and sensitivity analysis of a deterministic HIV model.

On Optimal Input Design and Model Selection for Communication Channels

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Li, Yanyan [ORNL; Djouadi, Seddik M [ORNL; Olama, Mohammed M [ORNL

2013-01-01

In this paper, the optimal model (structure) selection and input design which minimize the worst case identification error for communication systems are provided. The problem is formulated using metric complexity theory in a Hilbert space setting. It is pointed out that model selection and input design can be handled independently. Kolmogorov n-width is used to characterize the representation error introduced by model selection, while Gel fand and Time n-widths are used to represent the inherent error introduced by input design. After the model is selected, an optimal input which minimizes the worst case identification error is shown to exist. In particular, it is proven that the optimal model for reducing the representation error is a Finite Impulse Response (FIR) model, and the optimal input is an impulse at the start of the observation interval. FIR models are widely popular in communication systems, such as, in Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) systems.

Simple additive simulation overestimates real influence: altered nitrogen and rainfall modulate the effect of warming on soil carbon fluxes.

Science.gov (United States)

Ni, Xiangyin; Yang, Wanqin; Qi, Zemin; Liao, Shu; Xu, Zhenfeng; Tan, Bo; Wang, Bin; Wu, Qinggui; Fu, Changkun; You, Chengming; Wu, Fuzhong

2017-08-01

Experiments and models have led to a consensus that there is positive feedback between carbon (C) fluxes and climate warming. However, the effect of warming may be altered by regional and global changes in nitrogen (N) and rainfall levels, but the current understanding is limited. Through synthesizing global data on soil C pool, input and loss from experiments simulating N deposition, drought and increased precipitation, we quantified the responses of soil C fluxes and equilibrium to the three single factors and their interactions with warming. We found that warming slightly increased the soil C input and loss by 5% and 9%, respectively, but had no significant effect on the soil C pool. Nitrogen deposition alone increased the soil C input (+20%), but the interaction of warming and N deposition greatly increased the soil C input by 49%. Drought alone decreased the soil C input by 17%, while the interaction of warming and drought decreased the soil C input to a greater extent (-22%). Increased precipitation stimulated the soil C input by 15%, but the interaction of warming and increased precipitation had no significant effect on the soil C input. However, the soil C loss was not significantly affected by any of the interactions, although it was constrained by drought (-18%). These results implied that the positive C fluxes-climate warming feedback was modulated by the changing N and rainfall regimes. Further, we found that the additive effects of [warming × N deposition] and [warming × drought] on the soil C input and of [warming × increased precipitation] on the soil C loss were greater than their interactions, suggesting that simple additive simulation using single-factor manipulations may overestimate the effects on soil C fluxes in the real world. Therefore, we propose that more multifactorial experiments should be considered in studying Earth systems. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

A Brief Talk on Cultural Input in English Teaching

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

王敏

2007-01-01

Different countries have different languages and cultures. My paper starts from the differentiation between western culture and Chinese culture to point out the importance and necessity of cultural input in English teaching and puts forward some approaches to enforce the cultural input in language teaching.

Application of accelerated evaluation method of alteration temperature and constant dose rate irradiation on bipolar linear regulator LM317

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Deng Wei; Wu Xue; Wang Xin; Zhang Jinxin; Zhang Xiaofu; Zheng Qiwen; Ma Wuying; Lu Wu; Guo Qi; He Chengfa

2014-01-01

With different irradiation methods including high dose rate irradiation, low dose rate irradiation, alteration temperature and constant dose rate irradiation, and US military standard constant high temperature and constant dose rate irradiation, the ionizing radiation responses of bipolar linear regulator LM317 from three different companies were investigated under the operating and zero biases. The results show that compared with constant high temperature and constant dose rate irradiation method, the alteration temperature and constant dose rate irradiation method can not only very rapidly and accurately evaluate the dose rate effect of three bipolar linear regulators, but also well simulate the damage of low dose rate irradiation. Experiment results make the alteration temperature and constant dose rate irradiation method successfully apply to bipolar linear regulator. (authors)

Robotics control using isolated word recognition of voice input

Science.gov (United States)

Weiner, J. M.

1977-01-01

A speech input/output system is presented that can be used to communicate with a task oriented system. Human speech commands and synthesized voice output extend conventional information exchange capabilities between man and machine by utilizing audio input and output channels. The speech input facility is comprised of a hardware feature extractor and a microprocessor implemented isolated word or phrase recognition system. The recognizer offers a medium sized (100 commands), syntactically constrained vocabulary, and exhibits close to real time performance. The major portion of the recognition processing required is accomplished through software, minimizing the complexity of the hardware feature extractor.

Automation of Geometry Input for Building Code Compliance Check

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Petrova, Ekaterina Aleksandrova; Johansen, Peter Lind; Jensen, Rasmus Lund

2017-01-01

Documentation of compliance with the energy performance regulations at the end of the detailed design phase is mandatory for building owners in Denmark. Therefore, besides multidisciplinary input, the building design process requires various iterative analyses, so that the optimal solutions can...... be identified amongst multiple alternatives. However, meeting performance criteria is often associated with manual data inputs and retroactive modifications of the design. Due to poor interoperability between the authoring tools and the compliance check program, the processes are redundant and inefficient...... from building geometry created in Autodesk Revit and its translation to input for compliance check analysis....

Input Scanners: A Growing Impact In A Diverse Marketplace

Science.gov (United States)

Marks, Kevin E.

1989-08-01

Just as newly invented photographic processes revolutionized the printing industry at the turn of the century, electronic imaging has affected almost every computer application today. To completely emulate traditionally mechanical means of information handling, computer based systems must be able to capture graphic images. Thus, there is a widespread need for the electronic camera, the digitizer, the input scanner. This paper will review how various types of input scanners are being used in many diverse applications. The following topics will be covered: - Historical overview of input scanners - New applications for scanners - Impact of scanning technology on select markets - Scanning systems issues

OFFSCALE: PC input processor for SCALE-4 criticality sequences

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bowman, S.M.

1991-01-01

OFFSCALE is a personal computer program that serves as a user-friendly interface for the Criticality Safety Analysis Sequences (CSAS) available in SCALE-4. It is designed to assist a SCALE-4 user in preparing an input file for execution of criticality safety problems. Output from OFFSCALE is a card-image input file that may be uploaded to a mainframe computer to execute the CSAS4 control module in SCALE-4. OFFSCALE features a pulldown menu system that accesses sophisticated data entry screens. The program allows the user to quickly set up a CSAS4 input file and perform data checking

Video-based Chinese Input System via Fingertip Tracking

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chih-Chang Yu

2012-10-01

Full Text Available In this paper, we propose a system to detect and track fingertips online and recognize Mandarin Phonetic Symbol (MPS for user-friendly Chinese input purposes. Using fingertips and cameras to replace pens and touch panels as input devices could reduce the cost and improve the ease-of-use and comfort of computer-human interface. In the proposed framework, particle filters with enhanced appearance models are applied for robust fingertip tracking. Afterwards, MPS combination recognition is performed on the tracked fingertip trajectories using Hidden Markov Models. In the proposed system, the fingertips of the users could be robustly tracked. Also, the challenges of entering, leaving and virtual strokes caused by video-based fingertip input can be overcome. Experimental results have shown the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed work.

Determinants of Agro-inputs redemption under the electronic wallet ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The study assessed the spread of farmers and participation in terms of input redemption and the determinants of farmers redeemed with agro-inputs under the electronic-wallet initiative of the Growth Enhancement Support Scheme of the On-going Agricultural Transformation Agenda. Secondary data covering the Nigerian ...

Methoxychlor and Vinclozolin Induce Rapid Changes in Intercellular and Intracellular Signaling in Liver Progenitor Cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Babica, Pavel; Zurabian, Rimma; Kumar, Esha R; Chopra, Rajus; Mianecki, Maxwell J; Park, Joon-Suk; Jaša, Libor; Trosko, James E; Upham, Brad L

2016-09-01

Methoxychlor (MXC) and vinclozolin (VIN) are well-recognized endocrine disrupting chemicals known to alter epigenetic regulations and transgenerational inheritance; however, non-endocrine disruption endpoints are also important. Thus, we determined the effects of MXC and VIN on the dysregulation of gap junctional intercellular communication (GJIC) and activation of mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) in WB-F344 rat liver epithelial cells. Both chemicals induced a rapid dysregulation of GJIC at non-cytotoxic doses, with 30 min EC50 values for GJIC inhibition being 10 µM for MXC and 126 µM for VIN. MXC inhibited GJIC for at least 24 h, while VIN effects were transient and GJIC recovered after 4 h. VIN induced rapid hyperphosphorylation and internalization of gap junction protein connexin43, and both chemicals also activated MAPK ERK1/2 and p38. Effects on GJIC were not prevented by MEK1/2 inhibitor, but by an inhibitor of phosphatidylcholine-specific phospholipase C (PC-PLC), resveratrol, and in the case of VIN, also, by a p38 inhibitor. Estrogen (ER) and androgen receptor (AR) modulators (estradiol, ICI 182,780, HPTE, testosterone, flutamide, VIN M2) did not attenuate MXC or VIN effects on GJIC. Our data also indicate that the effects were elicited by the parental compounds of MXC and VIN. Our study provides new evidence that MXC and VIN dysregulate GJIC via mechanisms involving rapid activation of PC-PLC occurring independently of ER- or AR-dependent genomic signaling. Such alterations of rapid intercellular and intracellular signaling events involved in regulations of gene expression, tissue development, function and homeostasis, could also contribute to transgenerational epigenetic effects of endocrine disruptors. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society of Toxicology. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

MRTouch: Adding Touch Input to Head-Mounted Mixed Reality.

Science.gov (United States)

Xiao, Robert; Schwarz, Julia; Throm, Nick; Wilson, Andrew D; Benko, Hrvoje

2018-04-01

We present MRTouch, a novel multitouch input solution for head-mounted mixed reality systems. Our system enables users to reach out and directly manipulate virtual interfaces affixed to surfaces in their environment, as though they were touchscreens. Touch input offers precise, tactile and comfortable user input, and naturally complements existing popular modalities, such as voice and hand gesture. Our research prototype combines both depth and infrared camera streams together with real-time detection and tracking of surface planes to enable robust finger-tracking even when both the hand and head are in motion. Our technique is implemented on a commercial Microsoft HoloLens without requiring any additional hardware nor any user or environmental calibration. Through our performance evaluation, we demonstrate high input accuracy with an average positional error of 5.4 mm and 95% button size of 16 mm, across 17 participants, 2 surface orientations and 4 surface materials. Finally, we demonstrate the potential of our technique to enable on-world touch interactions through 5 example applications.

MIFT: GIFT Combinatorial Geometry Input to VCS Code

Science.gov (United States)

1977-03-01

r-w w-^ H ^ß0318is CQ BRL °RCUMr REPORT NO. 1967 —-S: ... MIFT: GIFT COMBINATORIAL GEOMETRY INPUT TO VCS CODE Albert E...TITLE (and Subtitle) MIFT: GIFT Combinatorial Geometry Input to VCS Code S. TYPE OF REPORT & PERIOD COVERED FINAL 6. PERFORMING ORG. REPORT NUMBER...Vehicle Code System (VCS) called MORSE was modified to accept the GIFT combinatorial geometry package. GIFT , as opposed to the geometry package

Body Growth and Rapid Hematological Development Support Breath Hold of Baby Belugas (Delphinapterus leucas) during Subice Transit.

Science.gov (United States)

Noren, Shawn R; Poll, Caryn P; Edwards, Matthew S

Body size and oxygen stores in the blood and muscle set breath-hold limits in marine mammals, yet these characteristics are understudied in immature cetaceans. We examined body mass and hematology from birth through adulthood in beluga whales (Delphinapterus leucas). At birth, body mass was 8% and 6% of the maximum mass recorded for adult females and males, respectively. Body mass then increased rapidly, approaching an asymptote around 12 yr for females and 18 yr for males. Interestingly, red blood cell counts, hemoglobin content, and hematocrit levels decreased after birth; this neonatal anemia was reversed as levels increased after 2 mo postpartum. Mature levels were obtained at approximately 8, 9, and 11 mo postpartum, respectively. Neonatal mean corpuscular hemoglobin also increased with ontogeny; mature levels were achieved by approximately 13 mo after birth. In contrast, mean corpuscular volume and mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration demonstrated a significant but subtle increase throughout ontogeny. Our results indicate that postnatal maturation was required and that maturation occurred far earlier than the age at weaning (i.e., 2-3 yr postpartum). This is atypical of marine mammals, which generally achieve mature hemoglobin levels at weaning. Hematological maturation before maternal independence undoubtedly supports the prolonged breath holds of young belugas transiting under sea ice. This assessment enhances our knowledge of cetacean physiology and provides important inputs for determining age-specific dive capacity, yielding insights into age-specific flexibility to alter underwater behaviors, as will be required for future regime shifts and disturbances.

Serum metabolomics of slow vs. rapid motor progression Parkinson's disease: a pilot study.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

James R Roede

Full Text Available Progression of Parkinson's disease (PD is highly variable, indicating that differences between slow and rapid progression forms could provide valuable information for improved early detection and management. Unfortunately, this represents a complex problem due to the heterogeneous nature of humans in regards to demographic characteristics, genetics, diet, environmental exposures and health behaviors. In this pilot study, we employed high resolution mass spectrometry-based metabolic profiling to investigate the metabolic signatures of slow versus rapidly progressing PD present in human serum. Archival serum samples from PD patients obtained within 3 years of disease onset were analyzed via dual chromatography-high resolution mass spectrometry, with data extraction by xMSanalyzer and used to predict rapid or slow motor progression of these patients during follow-up. Statistical analyses, such as false discovery rate analysis and partial least squares discriminant analysis, yielded a list of statistically significant metabolic features and further investigation revealed potential biomarkers. In particular, N8-acetyl spermidine was found to be significantly elevated in the rapid progressors compared to both control subjects and slow progressors. Our exploratory data indicate that a fast motor progression disease phenotype can be distinguished early in disease using high resolution mass spectrometry-based metabolic profiling and that altered polyamine metabolism may be a predictive marker of rapidly progressing PD.

Rapid stress-induced transcriptomic changes in the brain depend on beta-adrenergic signaling.

Science.gov (United States)

Roszkowski, Martin; Manuella, Francesca; von Ziegler, Lukas; Durán-Pacheco, Gonzalo; Moreau, Jean-Luc; Mansuy, Isabelle M; Bohacek, Johannes

2016-08-01

Acute exposure to stressful experiences can rapidly increase anxiety and cause neuropsychiatric disorders. The effects of stress result in part from the release of neurotransmitters and hormones, which regulate gene expression in different brain regions. The fast neuroendocrine response to stress is largely mediated by norepinephrine (NE) and corticotropin releasing hormone (CRH), followed by a slower and more sustained release of corticosterone. While corticosterone is an important regulator of gene expression, it is not clear which stress-signals contribute to the rapid regulation of gene expression observed immediately after stress exposure. Here, we demonstrate in mice that 45 min after an acute swim stress challenge, large changes in gene expression occur across the transcriptome in the hippocampus, a region sensitive to the effects of stress. We identify multiple candidate genes that are rapidly and transiently altered in both males and females. Using a pharmacological approach, we show that most of these rapidly induced genes are regulated by NE through β-adrenergic receptor signaling. We find that CRH and corticosterone can also contribute to rapid changes in gene expression, although these effects appear to be restricted to fewer genes. These results newly reveal a widespread impact of NE on the transcriptome and identify novel genes associated with stress and adrenergic signaling. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Exact Repetition as Input Enhancement in Second Language Acquisition.

Science.gov (United States)

Jensen, Eva Dam; Vinther, Thora

2003-01-01

Reports on two studies on input enhancement used to support learners' selection of focus of attention in Spanish second language listening material. Input consisted of video recordings of dialogues between native speakers. Exact repetition and speech rate reduction were examined for effect on comprehension, acquisition of decoding strategies, and…

Carbon dioxide and hydrogen sulfide degassing and cryptic thermal input to Brimstone Basin, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming

Science.gov (United States)

Bergfeld, D.; Evans, William C.; Lowenstern, J. B.; Hurwitz, S.

2012-01-01

Brimstone Basin, a remote area of intense hydrothermal alteration a few km east of the Yellowstone Caldera, is rarely studied and has long been considered to be a cold remnant of an ancient hydrothermal system. A field campaign in 2008 confirmed that gas emissions from the few small vents were cold and that soil temperatures in the altered area were at background levels. Geochemical and isotopic evidence from gas samples (3He/4He ~ 3RA, δ13C-CO2 ~ − 3‰) however, indicate continuing magmatic gas input to the system. Accumulation chamber measurements revealed a surprisingly large diffuse flux of CO2 (~ 277 t d-1) and H2S (0.6 t d-1). The flux of CO2 reduces the 18O content of the overlying cold groundwater and related stream waters relative to normal meteoric waters. Simple isotopic modeling reveals that the CO2 likely originates from geothermal water at a temperature of 93 ± 19 °C. These results and the presence of thermogenic hydrocarbons (C1:C2 ~ 100 and δ13C-CH4 = − 46.4 to − 42.8‰) in gases require some heat source at depth and refute the assumption that this is a “fossil” hydrothermal system.

Salinity as the main factor structuring small-bodied fish assemblages in hydrologically altered Mediterranean coastal lagoons

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sílvia Rodríguez-Climent

2013-03-01

Full Text Available In the Ebro Delta coastal lagoons, one of the main anthropogenic pressures is the artificial freshwater input. Each coastal lagoon has different water management schemes causing profound changes in its physicochemical characteristics. The main objective of this water management is to favour some bird species with interest either for conservation or hunting activities. The present study assesses the influence of hydrological alteration on the fish assemblages of three coastal lagoons in the Ebro Delta. The small-bodied fish fauna was mainly composed of five families: Gobiidae, Poecilidae, Cyprinodontidae, Atherinidae and Mugilidae. Salinity was found to be the main factor structuring fish community in the lagoons. The dominant species was the common goby (Pomatochistus microps when the lagoons reached higher salinity values, whereas the invasive eastern mosquitofish (Gambusia holbrooki dominated during the period of higher freshwater inputs. The juveniles of the family Mugilidae showed low catch per unit effort, especially during the period of lower salinity. This same pattern was found for the endangered Spanish toothcarp (Aphanius iberus. Overall, introduced species were favoured by low salinity, which highlights the importance of changing the present water management by reducing the freshwater inputs in order to maintain suitable levels of salinity to favour native species that are important for both commercial and conservation purposes.

Inhibitory Gating of Basolateral Amygdala Inputs to the Prefrontal Cortex.

Science.gov (United States)

McGarry, Laura M; Carter, Adam G

2016-09-07

Interactions between the prefrontal cortex (PFC) and basolateral amygdala (BLA) regulate emotional behaviors. However, a circuit-level understanding of functional connections between these brain regions remains incomplete. The BLA sends prominent glutamatergic projections to the PFC, but the overall influence of these inputs is predominantly inhibitory. Here we combine targeted recordings and optogenetics to examine the synaptic underpinnings of this inhibition in the mouse infralimbic PFC. We find that BLA inputs preferentially target layer 2 corticoamygdala over neighboring corticostriatal neurons. However, these inputs make even stronger connections onto neighboring parvalbumin and somatostatin expressing interneurons. Inhibitory connections from these two populations of interneurons are also much stronger onto corticoamygdala neurons. Consequently, BLA inputs are able to drive robust feedforward inhibition via two parallel interneuron pathways. Moreover, the contributions of these interneurons shift during repetitive activity, due to differences in short-term synaptic dynamics. Thus, parvalbumin interneurons are activated at the start of stimulus trains, whereas somatostatin interneuron activation builds during these trains. Together, these results reveal how the BLA impacts the PFC through a complex interplay of direct excitation and feedforward inhibition. They also highlight the roles of targeted connections onto multiple projection neurons and interneurons in this cortical circuit. Our findings provide a mechanistic understanding for how the BLA can influence the PFC circuit, with important implications for how this circuit participates in the regulation of emotion. The prefrontal cortex (PFC) and basolateral amygdala (BLA) interact to control emotional behaviors. Here we show that BLA inputs elicit direct excitation and feedforward inhibition of layer 2 projection neurons in infralimbic PFC. BLA inputs are much stronger at corticoamygdala neurons compared

Quantum Mechanical Noise in a Michelson Interferometer with Nonclassical Inputs: Nonperturbative Treatment

Science.gov (United States)

King, Sun-Kun

1996-01-01

The variances of the quantum-mechanical noise in a two-input-port Michelson interferometer within the framework of the Loudon-Ni model were solved exactly in two general cases: (1) one coherent state input and one squeezed state input, and (2) two photon number states inputs. Low intensity limit, exponential decaying signal and the noise due to mixing were discussed briefly.

Load Estimation from Natural input Modal Analysis

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Aenlle, Manuel López; Brincker, Rune; Canteli, Alfonso Fernández

2005-01-01

One application of Natural Input Modal Analysis consists in estimating the unknown load acting on structures such as wind loads, wave loads, traffic loads, etc. In this paper, a procedure to determine loading from a truncated modal model, as well as the results of an experimental testing programme...... estimation. In the experimental program a small structure subjected to vibration was used to estimate the loading from the measurements and the experimental modal space. The modal parameters were estimated by Natural Input Modal Analysis and the scaling factors of the mode shapes obtained by the mass change...

Distribution of return point memory states for systems with stochastic inputs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Amann, A; Brokate, M; Rachinskii, D; Temnov, G

2011-01-01

We consider the long term effect of stochastic inputs on the state of an open loop system which exhibits the so-called return point memory. An example of such a system is the Preisach model; more generally, systems with the Preisach type input-state relationship, such as in spin-interaction models, are considered. We focus on the characterisation of the expected memory configuration after the system has been effected by the input for sufficiently long period of time. In the case where the input is given by a discrete time random walk process, or the Wiener process, simple closed form expressions for the probability density of the vector of the main input extrema recorded by the memory state, and scaling laws for the dimension of this vector, are derived. If the input is given by a general continuous Markov process, we show that the distribution of previous memory elements can be obtained from a Markov chain scheme which is derived from the solution of an associated one-dimensional escape type problem. Formulas for transition probabilities defining this Markov chain scheme are presented. Moreover, explicit formulas for the conditional probability densities of previous main extrema are obtained for the Ornstein-Uhlenbeck input process. The analytical results are confirmed by numerical experiments.

Altering sensorimotor feedback disrupts visual discrimination of facial expressions.

Science.gov (United States)

Wood, Adrienne; Lupyan, Gary; Sherrin, Steven; Niedenthal, Paula

2016-08-01

Looking at another person's facial expression of emotion can trigger the same neural processes involved in producing the expression, and such responses play a functional role in emotion recognition. Disrupting individuals' facial action, for example, interferes with verbal emotion recognition tasks. We tested the hypothesis that facial responses also play a functional role in the perceptual processing of emotional expressions. We altered the facial action of participants with a gel facemask while they performed a task that involved distinguishing target expressions from highly similar distractors. Relative to control participants, participants in the facemask condition demonstrated inferior perceptual discrimination of facial expressions, but not of nonface stimuli. The findings suggest that somatosensory/motor processes involving the face contribute to the visual perceptual-and not just conceptual-processing of facial expressions. More broadly, our study contributes to growing evidence for the fundamentally interactive nature of the perceptual inputs from different sensory modalities.

Energy Consumptions of Text Input Methods on Smartphones

OpenAIRE

Obison, Henry; Ajuorah, Chiagozie

2013-01-01

Mobile computing devices, in particular smartphones are powered from Lithium-ion batteries, which are limited in capacity. With the increasing popularity of mobile systems, various text input methods have been developed to improve user experience and performance. Briefly, text input method is a user interface that can be used to compose an electronic mail, configure mobile Virtual Private Network, and carryout bank transactions and online purchases. Efficient energy management in these system...

New efficient five-input majority gate for quantum-dot cellular automata

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Farazkish, Razieh; Navi, Keivan

2012-01-01

A novel fault-tolerant five-input majority gate for quantum-dot cellular automata is presented. Quantum-dot cellular automata (QCA) is an emerging technology which is considered to be presented in future computers. Two principle logic elements in QCA are “majority gate” and “inverter.” In this paper, we propose a new approach to the design of fault-tolerant five-input majority gate by considering two-dimensional arrays of QCA cells. We analyze fault tolerance properties of such block five-input majority gate in terms of misalignment, missing, and dislocation cells. Some physical proofs are used for verifying five-input majority gate circuit layout and functionality. Our results clearly demonstrate that the redundant version of the block five-input majority gate is more robust than the standard style for this gate.

Effect of Energy Input on the Characteristic of AISI H13 and D2 Tool Steels Deposited by a Directed Energy Deposition Process

Science.gov (United States)

Park, Jun Seok; Park, Joo Hyun; Lee, Min-Gyu; Sung, Ji Hyun; Cha, Kyoung Je; Kim, Da Hye

2016-05-01

Among the many additive manufacturing technologies, the directed energy deposition (DED) process has attracted significant attention because of the application of metal products. Metal deposited by the DED process has different properties than wrought metal because of the rapid solidification rate, the high thermal gradient between the deposited metal and substrate, etc. Additionally, many operating parameters, such as laser power, beam diameter, traverse speed, and powder mass flow rate, must be considered since the characteristics of the deposited metal are affected by the operating parameters. In the present study, the effect of energy input on the characteristics of H13 and D2 steels deposited by a direct metal tooling process based on the DED process was investigated. In particular, we report that the hardness of the deposited H13 and D2 steels decreased with increasing energy input, which we discuss by considering microstructural observations and thermodynamics.

Effects Of Walker 256 Carcinoma On Metabolic Alterations During The Evolution Of Pregnancy.

OpenAIRE

Cintra-Gomes M.C.; Cury L.; Parreira M.R.; Elias C.F.; Areas M.A.

1990-01-01

The control of pregnant cancer patients is difficult because it involves both mother and fetus, and the metabolic alterations in the cancer host induce a massive mobilization of nutrients diverted to the neoplastic cells. The purpose of the present study was to determine the evolution of the Walker 256 carcinoma in pregnant rats and its consequences on fetal development. The results showed that the tumors displayed a very rapid rate of growth and induced a reduction in fetal weights in the pr...

The human motor neuron pools receive a dominant slow‐varying common synaptic input

Science.gov (United States)

Negro, Francesco; Yavuz, Utku Şükrü

2016-01-01

Key points Motor neurons in a pool receive both common and independent synaptic inputs, although the proportion and role of their common synaptic input is debated.Classic correlation techniques between motor unit spike trains do not measure the absolute proportion of common input and have limitations as a result of the non‐linearity of motor neurons.We propose a method that for the first time allows an accurate quantification of the absolute proportion of low frequency common synaptic input (60%) of common input, irrespective of their different functional and control properties.These results increase our knowledge about the role of common and independent input to motor neurons in force control. Abstract Motor neurons receive both common and independent synaptic inputs. This observation is classically based on the presence of a significant correlation between pairs of motor unit spike trains. The functional significance of different relative proportions of common input across muscles, individuals and conditions is still debated. One of the limitations in our understanding of correlated input to motor neurons is that it has not been possible so far to quantify the absolute proportion of common input with respect to the total synaptic input received by the motor neurons. Indeed, correlation measures of pairs of output spike trains only allow for relative comparisons. In the present study, we report for the first time an approach for measuring the proportion of common input in the low frequency bandwidth (60%) proportion of common low frequency oscillations with respect to their total synaptic input. These results suggest that the central nervous system provides a large amount of common input to motor neuron pools, in a similar way to that for muscles with different functional and control properties. PMID:27151459

File list: InP.Adp.10.Input_control.AllCell [Chip-atlas[Archive

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Optimization of Quantum-state-preserving Frequency Conversion by Changing the Input Signal

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Andersen, Lasse Mejling; Reddy, D. V.; McKinstrie, C. J.

We optimize frequency conversion based on four-wave mixing by using the input modes of the system. We find a 10-25 % higher conversion efficiency relative to a pump-shaped input signal.......We optimize frequency conversion based on four-wave mixing by using the input modes of the system. We find a 10-25 % higher conversion efficiency relative to a pump-shaped input signal....

40 CFR 1065.210 - Work input and output sensors.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 32 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Work input and output sensors. 1065... Ambient Conditions § 1065.210 Work input and output sensors. (a) Application. Use instruments as specified... sensors, transducers, and meters that meet the specifications in Table 1 of § 1065.205. Note that your...

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Feed and manure use in low-N-input and high-N-input dairy cattle production systems

Science.gov (United States)

Powell, J. Mark

2014-11-01

In most parts of Sub-Saharan Africa fertilizers and feeds are costly, not readily available and used sparingly in agricultural production. In many parts of Western Europe, North America, and Oceania fertilizers and feeds are relatively inexpensive, readily available and used abundantly to maximize profitable agricultural production. A case study, dairy systems approach was used to illustrate how differences in feed and manure management in a low-N-input dairy cattle system (Niger, West Africa) and a high-N-input dairy production system (Wisconsin, USA) impact agricultural production and environmental N loss. In Niger, an additional daily feed N intake of 114 g per dairy animal unit (AU, 1000 kg live weight) could increase annual milk production from 560 to 1320 kg AU-1, and the additional manure N could greatly increase millet production. In Wisconsin, reductions in daily feed N intake of 100 g AU-1 would not greatly impact milk production but decrease urinary N excretion by 25% and ammonia and nitrous oxide emissions from manure by 18% to 30%. In Niger, compared to the practice of housing livestock and applying dung only onto fields, corralling cattle or sheep on cropland (to capture urinary N) increased millet yields by 25% to 95%. The additional millet grain due to dung applications or corralling would satisfy the annual food grain requirements of 2-5 persons; the additional forage would provide 120-300 more days of feed for a typical head of cattle; and 850 to 1600 kg ha-1 more biomass would be available for soil conservation. In Wisconsin, compared to application of barn manure only, corralling heifers in fields increased forage production by only 8% to 11%. The application of barn manure or corralling increased forage production by 20% to 70%. This additional forage would provide 350-580 more days of feed for a typical dairy heifer. Study results demonstrate how different approaches to feed and manure management in low-N-input and high-N-input dairy cattle

Fishy Business: Response of Stream Fish Assemblages to Small Hydro-power Plant Induced Flow Alteration in the Western Ghats, Karnataka

Science.gov (United States)

Rao, S. T.; Krishnaswamy, J.; Bhalla, R. S.

2017-12-01

Alteration of natural flow regimes is considered as a major threat to freshwater fish assemblages as it disturbs the water quality and micro-habitat features of rivers. Small hydro-power (SHP), which is being promoted as a clean and green substitute for large hydro-power generation, alters the natural flow regime of head-water streams by flow diversion and regulation. The effects of altered flow regime on tropical stream fish assemblages, driven by seasonality induced perturbations to water quality and microhabitat parameters are largely understudied. My study examined the potential consequences of flow alteration by SHPs on fish assemblages in two tributaries of the west-flowing Yettinahole River which flows through the reserved forests of Sakleshpur in the Western Ghats of Karnataka. The flow in one of the tributaries followed natural flow regime while the other comprised three regimes: a near-natural flow regime above the dam, rapidly varying discharge below the dam and a dewatered regime caused by flow diversion. The study found that the altered flow regime differed from natural flow regime in terms of water quality, microhabitat heterogeneity and fish assemblage response, each indicative of the type of flow alteration. Fish assemblage in the natural flow regime was characterized by a higher catch per site, a strong association of endemic and trophic specialist species. The flow regime above the dam was found to mimic some components of the natural flow regime, both ecological and environmental. Non endemic, generalist and pool tolerant species were associated with the dewatered regime. There was a lack of strong species-regime association and an overall low catch per site for the flow regulated regime below the dam. This study highlights the consequences of altered flows on the composition of freshwater fish assemblages and portrays the potential of freshwater fish as indicators of the degree and extent of flow alteration. The study recommends the need for

Rapid prototyping prosthetic hand acting by a low-cost shape-memory-alloy actuator.

Science.gov (United States)

Soriano-Heras, Enrique; Blaya-Haro, Fernando; Molino, Carlos; de Agustín Del Burgo, José María

2018-06-01

The purpose of this article is to develop a new concept of modular and operative prosthetic hand based on rapid prototyping and a novel shape-memory-alloy (SMA) actuator, thus minimizing the manufacturing costs. An underactuated mechanism was needed for the design of the prosthesis to use only one input source. Taking into account the state of the art, an underactuated mechanism prosthetic hand was chosen so as to implement the modifications required for including the external SMA actuator. A modular design of a new prosthesis was developed which incorporated a novel SMA actuator for the index finger movement. The primary objective of the prosthesis is achieved, obtaining a modular and functional low-cost prosthesis based on additive manufacturing executed by a novel SMA actuator. The external SMA actuator provides a modular system which allows implementing it in different systems. This paper combines rapid prototyping and a novel SMA actuator to develop a new concept of modular and operative low-cost prosthetic hand.

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RhoA GTPase regulates radiation-induced alterations in endothelial cell adhesion and migration

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rousseau, Matthieu; Gaugler, Marie-Hélène; Rodallec, Audrey; Bonnaud, Stéphanie; Paris, François; Corre, Isabelle

2011-01-01

Highlights: ► We explore the role of RhoA in endothelial cell response to ionizing radiation. ► RhoA is rapidly activated by single high-dose of radiation. ► Radiation leads to RhoA/ROCK-dependent actin cytoskeleton remodeling. ► Radiation-induced apoptosis does not require the RhoA/ROCK pathway. ► Radiation-induced alteration of endothelial adhesion and migration requires RhoA/ROCK. -- Abstract: Endothelial cells of the microvasculature are major target of ionizing radiation, responsible of the radiation-induced vascular early dysfunctions. Molecular signaling pathways involved in endothelial responses to ionizing radiation, despite being increasingly investigated, still need precise characterization. Small GTPase RhoA and its effector ROCK are crucial signaling molecules involved in many endothelial cellular functions. Recent studies identified implication of RhoA/ROCK in radiation-induced increase in endothelial permeability but other endothelial functions altered by radiation might also require RhoA proteins. Human microvascular endothelial cells HMEC-1, either treated with Y-27632 (inhibitor of ROCK) or invalidated for RhoA by RNA interference were exposed to 15 Gy. We showed a rapid radiation-induced activation of RhoA, leading to a deep reorganisation of actin cytoskeleton with rapid formation of stress fibers. Endothelial early apoptosis induced by ionizing radiation was not affected by Y-27632 pre-treatment or RhoA depletion. Endothelial adhesion to fibronectin and formation of focal adhesions increased in response to radiation in a RhoA/ROCK-dependent manner. Consistent with its pro-adhesive role, ionizing radiation also decreased endothelial cells migration and RhoA was required for this inhibition. These results highlight the role of RhoA GTPase in ionizing radiation-induced deregulation of essential endothelial functions linked to actin cytoskeleton.

Rapid and economical data acquisition in ultrafast frequency-resolved spectroscopy using choppers and a microcontroller.

Science.gov (United States)

Guo, Liang; Monahan, Daniele M; Fleming, Graham

2016-08-08

Spectrometers and cameras are used in ultrafast spectroscopy to achieve high resolution in both time and frequency domains. Frequency-resolved signals from the camera pixels cannot be processed by common lock-in amplifiers, which have only a limited number of input channels. Here we demonstrate a rapid and economical method that achieves the function of a lock-in amplifier using mechanical choppers and a programmable microcontroller. We demonstrate the method's effectiveness by performing a frequency-resolved pump-probe measurement on the dye Nile Blue in solution.

File list: InP.Bld.10.Input_control.AllCell [Chip-atlas[Archive

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Measuring the Efficiency of Financial Inputs for Entrepreneurship

OpenAIRE

Lakshmi Balasubramanyan

2009-01-01

This study employs data on small businesses from the Office of Advocacy for the U.S. Small Business Administration, along with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Call Report data for U.S. commercial banks. It examines the efficiency of the impact of the financial inputs on small business entrepreneurial output. This study provides a metric to capture financial input efficiency to the entrepreneurial process. The metric obtained from this analysis is useful for identification and adopti...

Short-term fertilizer application alters phenotypic traits of symbiotic nitrogen fixing bacteria.

Science.gov (United States)

Simonsen, Anna K; Han, Shery; Rekret, Phil; Rentschler, Christine S; Heath, Katy D; Stinchcombe, John R

2015-01-01

Fertilizer application is a common anthropogenic alteration to terrestrial systems. Increased nutrient input can impact soil microbial diversity or function directly through altered soil environments, or indirectly through plant-microbe feedbacks, with potentially important effects on ecologically-important plant-associated mutualists. We investigated the impacts of plant fertilizer, containing all common macro and micronutrients on symbiotic nitrogen-fixing bacteria (rhizobia), a group of bacteria that are important for plant productivity and ecosystem function. We collected rhizobia nodule isolates from natural field soil that was treated with slow-release plant fertilizer over a single growing season and compared phenotypic traits related to free-living growth and host partner quality in these isolates to those of rhizobia from unfertilized soils. Through a series of single inoculation assays in controlled glasshouse conditions, we found that isolates from fertilized field soil provided legume hosts with higher mutualistic benefits. Through growth assays on media containing variable plant fertilizer concentrations, we found that plant fertilizer was generally beneficial for rhizobia growth. Rhizobia isolated from fertilized field soil had higher growth rates in the presence of plant fertilizer compared to isolates from unfertilized field soil, indicating that plant fertilizer application favoured rhizobia isolates with higher abilities to utilize fertilizer for free-living growth. We found a positive correlation between growth responses to fertilizer and mutualism benefits among isolates from fertilized field soil, demonstrating that variable plant fertilizer induces context-dependent genetic correlations, potentially changing the evolutionary trajectory of either trait through increased trait dependencies. Our study shows that short-term application is sufficient to alter the composition of rhizobia isolates in the population or community, either directly

Short-term fertilizer application alters phenotypic traits of symbiotic nitrogen fixing bacteria

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anna K. Simonsen

2015-10-01

Full Text Available Fertilizer application is a common anthropogenic alteration to terrestrial systems. Increased nutrient input can impact soil microbial diversity or function directly through altered soil environments, or indirectly through plant-microbe feedbacks, with potentially important effects on ecologically-important plant-associated mutualists. We investigated the impacts of plant fertilizer, containing all common macro and micronutrients on symbiotic nitrogen-fixing bacteria (rhizobia, a group of bacteria that are important for plant productivity and ecosystem function. We collected rhizobia nodule isolates from natural field soil that was treated with slow-release plant fertilizer over a single growing season and compared phenotypic traits related to free-living growth and host partner quality in these isolates to those of rhizobia from unfertilized soils. Through a series of single inoculation assays in controlled glasshouse conditions, we found that isolates from fertilized field soil provided legume hosts with higher mutualistic benefits. Through growth assays on media containing variable plant fertilizer concentrations, we found that plant fertilizer was generally beneficial for rhizobia growth. Rhizobia isolated from fertilized field soil had higher growth rates in the presence of plant fertilizer compared to isolates from unfertilized field soil, indicating that plant fertilizer application favoured rhizobia isolates with higher abilities to utilize fertilizer for free-living growth. We found a positive correlation between growth responses to fertilizer and mutualism benefits among isolates from fertilized field soil, demonstrating that variable plant fertilizer induces context-dependent genetic correlations, potentially changing the evolutionary trajectory of either trait through increased trait dependencies. Our study shows that short-term application is sufficient to alter the composition of rhizobia isolates in the population or community

Evaluation of severe accident risks: Quantification of major input parameters: MAACS [MELCOR Accident Consequence Code System] input

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sprung, J.L.; Jow, H-N; Rollstin, J.A.; Helton, J.C.

1990-12-01

Estimation of offsite accident consequences is the customary final step in a probabilistic assessment of the risks of severe nuclear reactor accidents. Recently, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission reassessed the risks of severe accidents at five US power reactors (NUREG-1150). Offsite accident consequences for NUREG-1150 source terms were estimated using the MELCOR Accident Consequence Code System (MACCS). Before these calculations were performed, most MACCS input parameters were reviewed, and for each parameter reviewed, a best-estimate value was recommended. This report presents the results of these reviews. Specifically, recommended values and the basis for their selection are presented for MACCS atmospheric and biospheric transport, emergency response, food pathway, and economic input parameters. Dose conversion factors and health effect parameters are not reviewed in this report. 134 refs., 15 figs., 110 tabs

Input and language development in bilingually developing children.

Science.gov (United States)

Hoff, Erika; Core, Cynthia

2013-11-01

Language skills in young bilingual children are highly varied as a result of the variability in their language experiences, making it difficult for speech-language pathologists to differentiate language disorder from language difference in bilingual children. Understanding the sources of variability in bilingual contexts and the resulting variability in children's skills will help improve language assessment practices by speech-language pathologists. In this article, we review literature on bilingual first language development for children under 5 years of age. We describe the rate of development in single and total language growth, we describe effects of quantity of input and quality of input on growth, and we describe effects of family composition on language input and language growth in bilingual children. We provide recommendations for language assessment of young bilingual children and consider implications for optimizing children's dual language development. Thieme Medical Publishers 333 Seventh Avenue, New York, NY 10001, USA.

CBM First-level Event Selector Input Interface Demonstrator

Science.gov (United States)

Hutter, Dirk; de Cuveland, Jan; Lindenstruth, Volker

2017-10-01

CBM is a heavy-ion experiment at the future FAIR facility in Darmstadt, Germany. Featuring self-triggered front-end electronics and free-streaming read-out, event selection will exclusively be done by the First Level Event Selector (FLES). Designed as an HPC cluster with several hundred nodes its task is an online analysis and selection of the physics data at a total input data rate exceeding 1 TByte/s. To allow efficient event selection, the FLES performs timeslice building, which combines the data from all given input links to self-contained, potentially overlapping processing intervals and distributes them to compute nodes. Partitioning the input data streams into specialized containers allows performing this task very efficiently. The FLES Input Interface defines the linkage between the FEE and the FLES data transport framework. A custom FPGA PCIe board, the FLES Interface Board (FLIB), is used to receive data via optical links and transfer them via DMA to the host’s memory. The current prototype of the FLIB features a Kintex-7 FPGA and provides up to eight 10 GBit/s optical links. A custom FPGA design has been developed for this board. DMA transfers and data structures are optimized for subsequent timeslice building. Index tables generated by the FPGA enable fast random access to the written data containers. In addition the DMA target buffers can directly serve as InfiniBand RDMA source buffers without copying the data. The usage of POSIX shared memory for these buffers allows data access from multiple processes. An accompanying HDL module has been developed to integrate the FLES link into the front-end FPGA designs. It implements the front-end logic interface as well as the link protocol. Prototypes of all Input Interface components have been implemented and integrated into the FLES test framework. This allows the implementation and evaluation of the foreseen CBM read-out chain.

Input-Based Approaches to Teaching Grammar: A Review of Classroom-Oriented Research.

Science.gov (United States)

Ellis, Rod

1999-01-01

Examines the theoretical rationales (universal grammar, information-processing theories, skill-learning theories) for input-based grammar teaching and reviews classroom-oriented research (i.e., enriched-input studies, input-processing studies) that has integrated this option. (Author/VWL)

Combining polyamine depletion with radiation therapy for rapidly dividing head and neck tumors: Strategies for improved locoregional control

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Petereit, D.G.; Harari, P.M.; Contreras, L.; Pickart, M.A.; Verma, A.K.; Kinsella, T.J.; Gerner, E.W.

1994-01-01

Locoregional control is adversely affected as clonogens from rapidly proliferating tumors repopulate during a course of radiation therapy. The cytostatic agent α-difluoromethylornithine (DFMO) was investigated for its capacity to slow proliferation kinetics in human squamous cell carcinomas (SSC) of the head and neck (H ampersand N), with the ultimate objective of improving locoregional control in rapidly dividing tumors treated with radiation therapy. Three human SSC cell lines established from primary H ampersand N tumors were evaluated in vitro (cell culture) and in vivo (SSC tumor xenografts in athymic mice) for the capacity of DFMO to induce growth inhibition. Flow cytometry analysis of SCC tumor growth kinetics and quantitative assessment of polyamine biosynthesis inhibition was performed to verify DFMO activity. DFMO effects on in vitro SSC radiosensitivity using clonogenic survival were also studied. A noncytotoxic exposure to DFMO (5mM x 72 hours) induced pronounced growth inhibition in all three SSC cell lines (70-90% at 7 days), and induced a 2-3 fold delay in volume doubling time for SCC tumor xenografts when administered orally in the drinking water (1.5%) to athymic mice. Kinetic analysis via flow cytometry confirmed that DFMO produced a lengthening of SCC cell cycle times, but did not alter in vitro radiosensitivity. Inhibition of ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) activity and depletion of endogenous polyamines (putrescine and spermidine), were confirmed in normal tissue (mouse skin) and in human SSC tumor xenografts of athymic mice receiving continuous oral DFMO. These data indicate that antiproliferative agents, such as DFMO, are capable of altering human SSC growth kinetics without altering intrinsic radiosensitivity. Such kinetic modulation may therefore provide a strategy to reduce the adverse impact of tumor cell proliferation during a radiotherapy treatment course for rapidly dividing tumors such as those in the H ampersand N. 33 refs., 5 figs

Knowledge Protection and Input Complexity Arising from Open Innovation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Peeters, Thijs; Sofka, Wolfgang

Controlling unique knowledge is of increasing importance to firms. Therefore, firms use knowledge protection mechanisms to prevent competitors from imitating their knowledge. We study the effects of the complexity of knowledge inputs that arises from open innovation on the importance of two widely...... used protection mechanisms: patents and trademarks. We argue that this complexity makes the threat of imitation less predictable, and thus makes knowledge protection more important. By analyzing survey data of 938 German firms, we find that patents are more important for firms in industries with higher...... knowledge input complexity. Furthermore, we show that the dynamics and not the level of knowledge input complexity positively affect the importance of trademarks....

Characterization of Input Current Interharmonics in Adjustable Speed Drives

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Soltani, Hamid; Davari, Pooya; Zare, Firuz

2017-01-01

This paper investigates the interharmonic generation process in the input current of double-stage Adjustable Speed Drives (ASDs) based on voltage source inverters and front-end diode rectifiers. The effects of the inverter output-side low order harmonics, caused by implementing the double......-edge symmetrical regularly sampled Space Vector Modulation (SVM) technique, on the input current interharmonic components are presented and discussed. Particular attention is also given to the influence of the asymmetrical regularly sampled modulation technique on the drive input current interharmonics....... The developed theoretical analysis predicts the drive interharmonic frequency locations with respect to the selected sampling strategies. Simulation and experimental results on a 2.5 kW ASD system verify the effectiveness of the theoretical analysis....

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Sensitivity of the regional ocean acidification and carbonate system in Puget Sound to ocean and freshwater inputs

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Laura Bianucci

2018-03-01

Full Text Available While ocean acidification was first investigated as a global phenomenon, coastal acidification has received significant attention in recent years, as its impacts have been felt by different socio-economic sectors (e.g., high mortality of shellfish larvae in aquaculture farms. As a region that connects land and ocean, the Salish Sea (consisting of Puget Sound and the Straits of Juan de Fuca and Georgia receives inputs from many different sources (rivers, wastewater treatment plants, industrial waste treatment facilities, etc., making these coastal waters vulnerable to acidification. Moreover, the lowering of pH in the Northeast Pacific Ocean also affects the Salish Sea, as more acidic waters get transported into the bottom waters of the straits and estuaries. Here, we use a numerical ocean model of the Salish Sea to improve our understanding of the carbonate system in Puget Sound; in particular, we studied the sensitivity of carbonate variables (e.g., dissolved inorganic carbon, total alkalinity, pH, saturation state of aragonite to ocean and freshwater inputs. The model is an updated version of our FVCOM-ICM framework, with new carbonate-system and sediment modules. Sensitivity experiments altering concentrations at the open boundaries and freshwater sources indicate that not only ocean conditions entering the Strait of Juan de Fuca, but also the dilution of carbonate variables by freshwater sources, are key drivers of the carbonate system in Puget Sound.

ATCA-based ATLAS FTK input interface system

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Okumura, Yasuyuki [Chicago U., EFI; Liu, Tiehui Ted [Fermilab; Olsen, Jamieson [Fermilab; Iizawa, Tomoya [Waseda U.; Mitani, Takashi [Waseda U.; Korikawa, Tomohiro [Waseda U.; Yorita, Kohei [Waseda U.; Annovi, Alberto [Frascati; Beretta, Matteo [Frascati; Gatta, Maurizio [Frascati; Sotiropoulou, C-L. [Aristotle U., Thessaloniki; Gkaitatzis, Stamatios [Aristotle U., Thessaloniki; Kordas, Konstantinos [Aristotle U., Thessaloniki; Kimura, Naoki [Aristotle U., Thessaloniki; Cremonesi, Matteo [Chicago U., EFI; Yin, Hang [Fermilab; Xu, Zijun [Peking U.

2015-04-27

The first stage of the ATLAS Fast TracKer (FTK) is an ATCA-based input interface system, where hits from the entire silicon tracker are clustered and organized into overlapping eta-phi trigger towers before being sent to the tracking engines. First, FTK Input Mezzanine cards receive hit data and perform clustering to reduce data volume. Then, the ATCA-based Data Formatter system will organize the trigger tower data, sharing data among boards over full mesh backplanes and optic fibers. The board and system level design concepts and implementation details, as well as the operation experiences from the FTK full-chain testing, will be presented.

ATCA-based ATLAS FTK input interface system

CERN Document Server

Okumura, Y; The ATLAS collaboration; Olsen, J; Iizawa, T; Mitani, T; Korikawa, T; Yorita, K; Annovi, A; Beretta, M; Gatta, M; Sotiropoulou, C; Gkaitatzis, S; Kordas, K; Kimura, N; Cremonesi, M; Yin, H; Xu, Z

2014-01-01

The first stage of the ATLAS Fast TracKer (FTK) is an ATCA-based input interface system, where hits from the entire silicon tracker must be clustered and organized into overlapping eta-phi trigger towers before being sent to the tracking processors. First, FTK Input Mezzanine cards receive hit data and perform clustering to reduce data volume. Then, the ATCA-based Data Formatter system will organize the trigger tower data, sharing data among boards over a full-mesh backplane. The board and system level performance studies and implementation details, as well as the operation experiences from the FTK full-chain testing, will be presented.

Modelling glass alteration in an altered argillaceous environment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bildstein, O.; Trotignon, L.; Pozo, C.; Jullien, M.

2007-01-01

The long term behaviour of materials such as glass, steel and clay has been investigated in the context of deep geological disposal of radioactive wastes. The interactions between vitrified wastes, canister corrosion products (CPs) and clay are studied using a modified version of the reaction-transport code Crunch, especially looking at pH changes and possible cementation at the interface with the clayey materials. These perturbations may indeed affect the lifetime of glass matrix in deep repositories, e.g., high pH enhances the rate of glass alteration. This work focuses on the argillite of Bure. The calculations were performed at 323 K with a glass alteration rate switching from a high initial rate to a residual rate according to the sorption capacity of CPs. The time at which this sorption capacity is saturated is crucial to the system in terms of wastes package lifetime. The results show that the glass alteration imposes a high pH value at the interface with CPs and clay: up to a value of 9.2, compared to 7.3 which is the initial pH value in the argillite. Experimental data show that the rate of glass alteration is much higher in such pH conditions. For a R7T7-type glass, the rate is about five times higher at pH 9 than at pH 7. This pH perturbation migrates through the clayey domain as a result of the migration of mobile elements such as boron and sodium, and despite the existence of strong pH buffers in the argillite. The cementation of porosity at the interface between glass and clay is predicted by the model due to the massive precipitation of iron corrosion products and glass alteration products. At this point of the evolution of the system, the pH starts to decrease and the alteration rate of the glass could be significantly reduced. This porosity clogging effect is difficult to confirm by experiments especially since existing data on short term experiments tend to show a pervasive precipitation of silica in the domain instead of a localized precipitation

Nitrogen input inventory in the Nooksack-Abbotsford-Sumas ...

Science.gov (United States)

Nitrogen (N) is an essential biological element, so optimizing N use for food production while minimizing the release of N and co-pollutants to the environment is an important challenge. The Nooksack-Abbotsford-Sumas Transboundary (NAS) Region, spanning a portion of the western interface of British Columbia, Washington state, and the Lummi Nation and the Nooksack Tribe, supports agriculture, fisheries, diverse wildlife, and vibrant urban areas. Groundwater nitrate contamination affects thousands of households in this region. Fisheries and air quality are also affected including periodic closures of shellfish harvest. To reduce the release of N to the environment, successful approaches are needed that partner all stakeholders with appropriate institutions to integrate science, outreach and management efforts. Our goal is to determine the distribution and quantities of N inventories of the watershed. This work synthesizes publicly available data on N sources including deposition, sewage and septic inputs, fertilizer and manure applications, marine-derived N from salmon, and more. The information on cross-boundary N inputs to the landscape will be coupled with stream monitoring data and existing knowledge about N inputs and exports from the watershed to estimate the N residual and inform N management in the search for the environmentally and economically viable and effective solutions. We will estimate the N inputs into the NAS region and transfers within

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An input feature selection method applied to fuzzy neural networks for signal esitmation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Na, Man Gyun; Sim, Young Rok

2001-01-01

It is well known that the performance of a fuzzy neural networks strongly depends on the input features selected for its training. In its applications to sensor signal estimation, there are a large number of input variables related with an output. As the number of input variables increases, the training time of fuzzy neural networks required increases exponentially. Thus, it is essential to reduce the number of inputs to a fuzzy neural networks and to select the optimum number of mutually independent inputs that are able to clearly define the input-output mapping. In this work, principal component analysis (PAC), genetic algorithms (GA) and probability theory are combined to select new important input features. A proposed feature selection method is applied to the signal estimation of the steam generator water level, the hot-leg flowrate, the pressurizer water level and the pressurizer pressure sensors in pressurized water reactors and compared with other input feature selection methods

Selective alterations of NMDAR function and plasticity in D1 and D2 medium spiny neurons in the nucleus accumbens shell following chronic intermittent ethanol exposure.

Science.gov (United States)

Renteria, Rafael; Maier, Esther Y; Buske, Tavanna R; Morrisett, Richard A

2017-01-01

A major mouse model widely adopted in recent years to induce pronounced ethanol intake is the ethanol vapor model known as "CIE" or "Chronic Intermittent Ethanol." One critical question concerning this model is whether the rapid induction of high blood ethanol levels for such short time periods is sufficient to induce alterations in N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) function which may contribute to excessive ethanol intake. In this study, we determined whether such short term intermittent ethanol exposure modulates NMDAR function as well as other prominent electrophysiological properties and the expression of plasticity in both D1 (D1+) and D2 (D1-) dopamine receptor expressing medium spiny neurons (MSNs) in the nucleus accumbens (NAc) shell. To distinguish between the two subtypes of MSNs in the NAc we treated Drd1a-TdTomato transgenic mice with CIE vapor and electrophysiological recordings were conducted 24 h after the last vapor exposure. To investigate CIE induced alterations in plasticity, long-term depression (LTD) was induced by pairing low frequency stimulation (LFS) with post synaptic depolarization. In ethanol naïve mice, LFS induced synaptic depression (LTD) was apparent exclusively in D1+ MSNs. Whereas in slices prepared from CIE treated mice, LFS induced synaptic potentiation (LTP) in D1+ MSNs. Furthermore, following CIE exposure, LFS now produced LTD in D1- MSNs. We found that CIE exposure induced an increase in excitability in D1+ MSNs with no change in D1- MSNs. After CIE, we found a significant increase in spontaneous EPSCs (sEPSCs) frequency in D1+ but not D1- MSNs suggesting alterations in baseline α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid receptor (AMPAR) mediated signaling. CIE induced changes in NMDAR function were measured using the NMDA/AMPA ratio and input-output curves of isolated NMDAR currents. We observed a significant increase in NMDAR function in D1+ MSNs and a decrease in D1- MSNs after ethanol vapor exposure. The

KAJIAN INPUT ENERGI PADA BUDIDAYA PADI METODE SYSTEM OF RICE INTENSIFICATION Studies on Energy Input in System of Rice Intensification Method of Rice Cultivation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bambang Purwantana

2012-05-01

Full Text Available System of Rice Intensification (SRI is a rice cultivation method that intensively control and manage macro and micro nutrients as well as irrigation. This paper quantifies and compares the energy uses of SRI and conventional rice cultiva- tion systems. The study was conducted at some SRI’s experimental plots in the districts of Sleman, Kulonprogo, and Bantul, the province of Yogyakarta. The calculation of the energy was based on the farmers’ work schedule, the time required for each operation, the number of laborers, machines, tools, fuel, and all materials and inputs used. The result shows that SRI method consumed 35% less energy to conventional rice cultivation. Energy inputs from seed, water, fertilizer and pesticide were significantly reduces. However, there was higher input of human energy due to compost- ing, land preparation and weeding operations. The specific energy of SRI method was 1.96 MJ ha-1 lower than conven- tional method of 4.43 MJ ha-1. In the SRI method, 56.2 % of energy consumed was classified as direct energy and 43.8% was indirect energy. The SRI method used 61.9 % of renewable energy and 38.1 % of non-renewable energy. The working efficiency in composting and weeding operations should be improved in perspective of machine and tools to reduce the use of human energy. ABSTRAK System of Rice Intensification (SRI, merupakan suatu metode budidaya padi secara intensif dengan pengendalian unsur-unsur hara makro dan mikro disertai pengendalian dan pengaturan kebutuhan air. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk menganalisis penggunaan energi dan mengidentifikasi kemungkinan penghematan energi pada budidaya padi SRI. Pe- nelitian dilakukan di Kabupaten Sleman, Kulonprogo, dan Bantul, Propinsi Daerah Istimewa Yogyakarta. Pengamatan dilakukan pada plot-plot percobaan budidaya padi SRI dengan melakukan audit seluruh input energi selama proses budidaya dan dikomparasikan dengan input energi pada budidaya padi cara konvensional. Hasil

Integration of auditory and tactile inputs in musical meter perception.

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Juan; Gamble, Darik; Sarnlertsophon, Kristine; Wang, Xiaoqin; Hsiao, Steven

2013-01-01

Musicians often say that they not only hear but also "feel" music. To explore the contribution of tactile information to "feeling" music, we investigated the degree that auditory and tactile inputs are integrated in humans performing a musical meter-recognition task. Subjects discriminated between two types of sequences, "duple" (march-like rhythms) and "triple" (waltz-like rhythms), presented in three conditions: (1) unimodal inputs (auditory or tactile alone); (2) various combinations of bimodal inputs, where sequences were distributed between the auditory and tactile channels such that a single channel did not produce coherent meter percepts; and (3) bimodal inputs where the two channels contained congruent or incongruent meter cues. We first show that meter is perceived similarly well (70-85 %) when tactile or auditory cues are presented alone. We next show in the bimodal experiments that auditory and tactile cues are integrated to produce coherent meter percepts. Performance is high (70-90 %) when all of the metrically important notes are assigned to one channel and is reduced to 60 % when half of these notes are assigned to one channel. When the important notes are presented simultaneously to both channels, congruent cues enhance meter recognition (90 %). Performance dropped dramatically when subjects were presented with incongruent auditory cues (10 %), as opposed to incongruent tactile cues (60 %), demonstrating that auditory input dominates meter perception. These observations support the notion that meter perception is a cross-modal percept with tactile inputs underlying the perception of "feeling" music.

Rapid sea level rise in the aftermath of a Neoproterozoic snowball Earth.

Science.gov (United States)

Myrow, P M; Lamb, M P; Ewing, R C

2018-04-19

Earth's most severe climate changes occurred during global-scale snowball-Earth glaciations, which profoundly altered Earth's atmosphere, oceans, and biosphere. Extreme rates of glacio-eustatic sea-level rise are a fundamental prediction of the snowball Earth hypothesis, but supporting geologic evidence is lacking. We use paleohydraulic analysis of wave ripples and tidal laminae of the Elatina Formation, Australia - deposited following the Marinoan glaciation ca. 635Ma - to show that water depths of 9-16m remained nearly constant for ~100yrs throughout 27m of sediment accumulation. This accumulation rate was too great to have been accommodated by subsidence, and instead indicates an extraordinarily rapid rate of sea-level rise (0.2-0.27m/yr). Our results substantiate a fundamental prediction of snowball Earth models of rapid deglaciation during the early transition to a super-greenhouse climate. Copyright © 2018, American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Recurrent network models for perfect temporal integration of fluctuating correlated inputs.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hiroshi Okamoto

2009-06-01

Full Text Available Temporal integration of input is essential to the accumulation of information in various cognitive and behavioral processes, and gradually increasing neuronal activity, typically occurring within a range of seconds, is considered to reflect such computation by the brain. Some psychological evidence suggests that temporal integration by the brain is nearly perfect, that is, the integration is non-leaky, and the output of a neural integrator is accurately proportional to the strength of input. Neural mechanisms of perfect temporal integration, however, remain largely unknown. Here, we propose a recurrent network model of cortical neurons that perfectly integrates partially correlated, irregular input spike trains. We demonstrate that the rate of this temporal integration changes proportionately to the probability of spike coincidences in synaptic inputs. We analytically prove that this highly accurate integration of synaptic inputs emerges from integration of the variance of the fluctuating synaptic inputs, when their mean component is kept constant. Highly irregular neuronal firing and spike coincidences are the major features of cortical activity, but they have been separately addressed so far. Our results suggest that the efficient protocol of information integration by cortical networks essentially requires both features and hence is heterotic.

Increasing inhibitory input increases neuronal firing rate: why and when? Diffusion process cases

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Feng Jianfeng [COGS, Sussex University (United Kingdom)]. E-mail: jf218@cam.ac.uk; Wei Gang [Department of Mathematics, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong (China)]. E-mail gwei@math.hkbu.edu.hk

2001-09-21

Increasing inhibitory input to single neuronal models, such as the FitzHugh-Nagumo model and the Hodgkin-Huxley model, can sometimes increase their firing rates, a phenomenon which we term inhibition-boosted firing (IBF). Here we consider neuronal models with diffusion approximation inputs, i.e. they share the identical first- and second-order statistics of the corresponding Poisson process inputs. Using the integrate-and-fire model and the IF-FHN model, we explore theoretically how and when IBF can happen. For both models, it is shown that there is a critical input frequency at which the efferent firing rate is identical when the neuron receives purely excitatory inputs or exactly balanced inhibitory and excitatory inputs. When the input frequency is lower than the critical frequency, IBF occurs. (author)

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